Lion Head Mesa A neat tucked slice

set for early evening, 30 F, clear
no rush or anything! set for whenever @Qiao is back <3
other tags for reference only; lmk if i need to change anything

Sayf had worked diligently on creating a space for the new priestess. He had asked @Kasmut and @Belen for help bringing pelts into the place he had found. They had also helped him add other touches to make it feel more comfortable. @Sakai had moved away any stones the fellahin had not wanted to keep. He had not rested, nor let his helpers rest until the task was complete. He wanted everything to be ready before Qiao returned. 

The space he had found consisted of one large, main room with two smaller rooms connected on either side by tall archways. The main room had a large flat stone in the center. He was uncertain what all a priestess would need to do her work, so he had cleared it off and left it for her. A large stack of soft, warm pelts sat in each room for her to place as she pleased. Sayf had made sure that another flat stone remained in one of the smaller rooms for her to possibly use as a bed if she wished. And of course, he would add whatever else she wanted once she was settled in.

He allowed her some time before seeking her out. But as the sun began to set, he traveled down below the mesa and to her rooms. The fellahin stopped outside the entrance and announced himself with a soft chuff, waiting to be invited inside.

qiao's new quarters were roomy, well-kept, and sensibly decorated with soft furs. for this, she commended sayf silently -- certainly, this was a level of fancy in which qiao had long ago learned to not take for granted.

a chuff announced her houseguest. turning from the bundle of pelts she had placed upon the flat rock sayf envisioned as her bed, qiao regarded her visitor. 

he was striking in the way she found most of her kin: his features long and pointed, dusted by silver and shade. beneath his muscled chest rust made its mark, turning the self-same shade of clay they stood upon.

sayf, i presume. qiao bent forward. qiao, hemet of akashingo. ramesses informed me you would see to my quarters, and i see his trust was not misplaced.

Sayf bowed his head respectfully as the priestess spoke. His heart fluttered when she implied that she liked her quarters. I am happy that you are pleased, my lady, he offered warmly. If there is something else you would like in here, I will make sure you have it, the hebsut offered. 

He took a seat in front of her and offered her a gentle smile and warm look. Her presence demanded his attention; something about her made him want to ensure she wanted for nothing. He was honored to be her personal fellahin. 

Anything you need from me is yours, my lady, Sayf promised, bowing his head again.

qiao was unused to such attention. this man knew her for mere moments, and already she could sense the devotion radiating from him.

ramesses certainly employed a type. qiao did not begrudge sayf his unflinching devotion -- if anything, it seemed endearing to the bitter crone who had learned long ago no wolf was worth anything save for what their hide could be used for.

thank you, sayf. qiao's smile was indulgent. ramesses had said sayf was her personal fellahin, was he not? she could see no other filling his role so perfectly. there are several things i will need to prepare for the pharaoh's children, and these i may ask after in the coming week. but mostly, i need your knowledge, sayf. qiao's smile evaporated and her gaze became sharp. who in akashingo do you trust implicitly? what is it an outsider like me needs to know?

Sayf preened under her approving smile. She was pleased, and that was most important to him.

He moved closer and would attempt to groom her fur if she allowed. He nodded when she said she would need help preparing for the children. He would happily help in that regard.

Her next request and subsequent question made him pause in thought. I only trust the pharaoh that much, he answered. But he is also someone you should avoid angering. He paused again to think. And be careful what you say and do around the fellahin. We all talk to each other and the rest do not necessarily have a loyalty to you. Sayf would nuzzle the fur of her heck if she allowed the affection. I, of course, will never repeat anything you don't want me to, The coyote promised. He hoped the priestess could see the truth in his words.

when sayf moved to touch her, qiao stood up sharply. it had been a long time since she'd felt the touch of another, and it woke a flare of crawling rage in her stomach. a thousand red ants roared unpleasantly to life beneath her seething skin; her olive eyes dancing. that will not be necessary. thank you, sayf.

she settled, her eyes holding him at a cold distance. he spoke openly of the pharaoh and warned her of the fellahin. if he was being deceitful, qiao could not tell. i will mind my words. does the pharaoh have hopes of spreading his dominion? or does he simply wish to strengthen his own domain?

Sayf had become so used to his touch being accepted by most of the wolves in Akashingo that he hadn't stopped to consider that Qiao might not be okay with his affection. Her reaction made him freeze, his ears fell back and shame grew in his chest and sat there like a boulder. He had forgotten what the sting of rejection felt like; it had been some time since anyone had reacted negatively towards him. He could feel his mind growing foggy, but he tried to fight it. 

Sayf took a step back and quietly took a seat, no longer meeting the priestess' gaze. The hebsut swallowed and attempted to compose himself. The pharaoh plans for both, my lady, he answered, hoping that his voice sounded as calm and respectful as it had before. I think his children will help him to establish strong allies. Daughters were perfect for that use.

POOR SAYF LMAO <3

if qiao was bothered at all by the newfound hurt in sayf's gaze, she did nothing to show it. she had already moved on, her fur settling.

 children are very useful. qiao agreed, ignoring the way sayf no longer met her gaze. idly, she wondered which child would fulfill the oath she had taken in the king's court. his daughters, then?

LOL he's v sensitive

Yes, my lady, he answered. He will likely find strategic matches for them. He knew the pharaoh's mind was always spinning about the future and how he could be even more powerful. He still looked anywhere but at the priestess, feeling self-conscious in her presence; it would take some time for him to regain his confidence around her. He would still do whatever she asked regardless.

Despite the awkwardness, he found himself greatly curious about the intriguing hemet. And you, my lady? he asked. What are your plans for Akashingo?

strategic matches. of this qiao was pleased -- it showed ramesses was more conniving than she had given him credit for.

at first, she thought him a fat and indulgent prick. day by day, she was realizing her initial assessment incomplete -- he was dangerous in a way she must not let her guard down.

qiao's gaze flickered back to sayf, a bland smile to her face. to help the king find his strategic matches. perhaps it is worth sending them to mereo. germanicus is a proud man bound by honor. and the lady ruenna is exceptional and kind. qiao had little maternal instinct to ponder how this would hurt ramesses' beloved.

augh! he still did not meet her gaze. qiao sought to dispel it with a handwave. do not sulk, sayf. her lips curled indulgently. i am much too old for such frivolities. besides -- i have better uses for your body than pleasure. what do you know of the forests outside of akashingo?

Sayf knew all about Germanicus' honor and how bound he was to it. There had once been a time when he offered himself to the intimidating man only to be rejected. It still stung to think about. 

But Qiao was invested in the future of Akashingo, and this filled the hebsut with excitement. Together, they could see to it that the paharoh's kingdom grew. His master deserved that and more. 

do not sulk, sayf. The words finally pulled his gaze up to meet the intriguing eyes of the priestess. Her smile was mesmerizing and it caused a familiar heat in his stomach. She had more planned for him than experiencing the pleasures he could show her. Whatever you need from me, my lady. This was offered with a dip of his head. And no one is too old to know pleasure, he added. He had no intention of giving up; he would just have to be more subtle in his advances. 

But the forest. Not much I am afraid. Why do you ask?

such a suggestive remark! qiao ignored it, though any irritation she felt had long since receded.

if they were to work together well, they would have to learn to work with each other's idiosyncrasies. sayf's was that he looked for sexual affection in the wrong places. qiao's was that she was a bitch.

well, what do you know of owls, then? it would not do to have a den-boy who knew nothing of the forest -- but if he understood the pattern of birds, he would be useful. there are many things i need for our service to the king. some are easier found than others. come.

qiao hustled over to the rough pelt-skin which slumped near her bed. from it, she extracted the coarsely-cut morels @Belladonna had pried from the mountain birch. these were tremendously useful when combined with one proprietary agent -- but alone, they were useless. these are bitter and poisonous if eaten alone. if allowed to steep in gaultheria for several weeks, they lose their sharpness, but not their potency. when eaten, they open pathways to the mind and are of great significance.

Sayf listened attentively, eager to do things the correct way; the priestess was not someone he wanted to disappoint. 

I know what owls are and that they live in the trees, but I do not know much else about them. he was curious what the creatures had to do with her work, but he knew she would explain.

The hebsut studied the objects as she told him of their use. Where do you find this...gaultheria? he asked, his mouth feeling weird around the strange word. And what things can you learn from the pathways in your mind? This was the most interesting thing so far. Sayf had no idea such things existed.

"i will need these owl's pellets for my work." qiao informed, brushing past to tidy a corner of her stores. "gaultheria is an evergreen. my current stores are from a field not so far from the coast. you will know it by its red berries in the summer and its bright, waxy leaves in the dead of winter."

straightening, qiao turned to sayf with a long look. "the mind hides more than it reveals. it is our nature, as we are bent on survival, not introspection. these plants help us look... from another perspective."

He committed her description to memory in case she ever needed him to find some of this plant for her; it was why he was hers, to help with whatever she needed. 

Her answer made him a little uneasy. He wasn't sure he wanted to know the deeper parts of his mind; Sayf was content with the perspective he held now. There were things in the dark corners of his brain that he wanted to stay there. And for those who do not want to see things from a different perspective? he asked. Surely not everyone was so eager to know what their own mind was hiding from them to keep them safe.

to know oneself was to be intimately uncomfortable. qiao could not read sayf's mind, yet she wondered all the same. there were some wolves who were not cut out for higher things, same as there were some wolves who were not cut to make it past their first birthday, or become leaders, or die old..

those are wolves who are afraid to grow. qiao leveled sayf with a knowing look. we must not become them.

she stood from the litter of objects upon the floor, collecting first the pellets with something of a fond look. i will set out shortly to find horsetail. should you find owl pellets or gaultheria, please leave them here for me when i return.