Lion Head Mesa something in the way

set directly after this thread

Aliki.
In truth, Zaahira had been so distracted by the war and the grief and the training and the various intruders that she had nearly forgotten to think about the nighthawk.
But now. Now, as she and @Tuna left Selena's gravesite with the drawing of sundown, the bitterness pumps through her veins like a chemical. Seething, seething bitterness, hatred;
It had not entirely been Aliki's fault, no, Khaba had been the spark to the flame. But murder is never so simple. And either way, the aspwoman sought revenge, cold or warm.
She comes to the mesa's overlook in hopes of seeking @Senmut as the sky turns to ink. There were many things she felt she needed to discuss with him.

and there he would be, watching as the heavens moved through their holy coloration. 

her tread did not turn his head. "mazoi," senmut greeted though he did not take his eyes from the dome of darkening sky above akashingo.

"your complete devotion to the hemet-nekheb has not gone unnoticed, zaahira." she had taken to its guardianship so fiercely that senmut now wondered what she meant to prove.

May I sit with you? She inquires with a crook of her head, and if he were to accept, she would come to a relaxed point just adjacent to him. Her eyes follow his, tracing the outline of the jagged edge of the Sunspires to the East. They guard Akashingo as if they were godsent.
He praises her for her devotion, and to that, a humble nod. I thank you, a puff of air from her nostrils that echo a laugh. The Hemet-nekheb has treated me with great kindness and trust. It is only my way of giving thanks to her, though I feel there is always room to improve. She had done the same for Khaba, ever so blindly and passionately, when she still believed he could do no wrong. Her beloved Toula deserved the effort tenfold.
A thoughtful look with a turn of her gaze that briefly lands upon his red-lined jaw. I come to you seeking guidance, Erpa-ha.

to him? senmut felt a boy again, a young scribe before he had even become a we'eb. how could he be the one she sought?

and then he felt himself calmed by the proverbial weight of a prince's head-dress, and breathed inward a prayer to Amun. "she is gracious for she too is learning. she remembers kindness and rewards it."

there was a small pause as the prince watched constellations slowly show themselves.

"you need only speak it," and at last senmut looked toward zaahira, seeking the place behind her eyes as did all priests who knew how a heart could be weighed.

A wistfulness falls upon her stoic features, softness to her brows as the stars are connected with fiery eyes. She is a good woman. I feel I do not deserve her. Because, truly, she didn't. A feral commoner, a woman who hails from a saltwater shoreline and once belonged to a traitor. One who still learns to speak. Perhaps there is guilt there, for having served Khaba at all, and this was her way of amending it.
A deep breath, long and painful and all-encompassing of her lungs. First, her shoulders move as she adjusts herself. Tuna showed me where Raven is buried. Told me that you and she were the ones who did it. I wanted to thank you. Sincerely. You do not know how much that means. I think it was very honorable of you both. Selena, she was sure, would be thankful, too.
And second, now came the hard part. Now, her knuckles clench, nails digging into the earthen floor. There is a woman who was ordered by Khaba to attack Raven, which resulted in her death. I do not know where she is. And I am wondering if you think it is wise to try her.

raven. that was the name of the torn woman that he and the servant had buried. senmut nodded solemnly. "it proved khaba's viciousness and the disunity inside the lake to find her that way. all deserve to have their ka remembered. the serpent river surely carried her spirit to Osiris, where she will await you in the Land of Reeds."

to be murdered; senmut felt it might sway that feather.

zaahira spoke again, and the prince mulled it. "you seek revenge on all those who struck her. but she is not here, and akashingo remains. if she comes close, have her throat."

unless she meant to ask for their resources on this quest.

Osiris. Zaahira could only hope He was with her, wrapped around her shoulders.
And Senmut was right, in that respect. She wished to avenge, whether it was the will of Akashingo or not. Although she was not one to deny the Palace's orders, the desire for blood to stain her teeth was hot. If she returns, and if the Divine One wills it, maybe she will rot in a cell alongside Khaba. That is a fate worse than death. They can have each other.
Silence, broken once again by a shift in the summer air. You are a priest, yes? a lowness to her voice. How do you advise I cope, then, Erpa-ha? How do I live with knowing she is out and running free? What God do I pray to? Osiris, in this regard, could only do so much.

"first you ask yourself what revenge will do? suppose you had your enemy in your teeth, mazoi? will that bloodshed heal your heart? would she have wanted it on her behalf?"

stern, he did not mean to be, but direct senmut knew he must speak. "pray to Sekhmet, Goddess of War. in this, She will guide your heart. give your pain to her, zaahira. it is a deep wound but it can be healed if you allow it to be."

No. because nothing would ever be enough. But it is a start. Maybe I could breathe again.
A heavy emphasis on the maybe. He was right; death does nothing, solves nothing. All it does is mean you are just as unholy as the one who committed the first crime. Blood looks the same from everyone.
But oh, Gods, how badly she wanted to seek it.
Sekhmet? she mirrors, the harshness of her mother tongue turning the name into something fierce. I will speak to Her. Tell me, Senmut, does She have an altar? she hangs eagerly on the edge of his response, a glimmer to ultraviolet eyes.

senmut did not think he had ever loved so much, to have the breath crushed from his lungs.

and in an instant, he knew this was a lie, and thought of the flower-pelted fellahin, and felt a saddened lurch inside him.

"build one, mazoi. make it your own, and place it too beside the river."

a walkway of temples to honor every god of akashingo.

last from me <3333

There is a change in Senmut's expression. One that is minute, but noticeable.
He is not so hardened as to not be empathetic to her cause.
I will, she says. thank you, Senmut. I will not take up more of your time. I am sure you are busy. a polite dip of her head is given before she takes her leave, giving onr last somber glance skyward. She wonders, in that moment; what the Land of Reeds is like.
She wonders if Selena can still see the stars.