Redsand Canyon malens

after parting ways with kallik, germanicus looked for @Glaukos. he could not help a scrutinizing glance toward his own domicile as he crossed the redsand commons.

the imperator had been productive today but he could not take a great deal of overt pride in it. the day's events had bound him closer to the densites for the time being.

each moment felt as if it were an hour. his yellowpaint eyes searched for the boulder of a young soldier.

Glaukos had been on the hunt for a meal, which placed him closer to the plebian living quarters than he'd usually have liked. He had found a small cache and excavated it just before spotting the rigid silhouette of Germanicus; with a brief forlorn look at the meat he had yet to consume, Glaukos shoved some of the dirt back in to place and put some distance between the cache and himself.

Germanicus looked intense on an average day, and seemed focused now in a manner that Glaukos found suspect. He had no thoughts about Ruenna or the upcoming birth of the children; his mind rarely went in that direction. As he moved to intercept the older man Glaukos made a small noise to alert him of the approach and then stood nearby at attention.

the posed way that glaukos stood satisfied germanicus. he cut his tail through the air to signal at ease and set off away from the common area, toward the tablinum. much as he had done with kallik, he meant to walk the large oval of occupied space on its borders.

"towhee will be stepping down as praefectus for the time being and kallik has been assigned another responsibility. i believe you have earned a higher rank as well."

there came another pause. germanicus fought the urge to  again look toward the habitation.

"i am interested to know your military ambitions."

Germanicus spoke of the future. It was unfortunate that Glaukos rarely thought about his own, aside from the survival aspect that dominated his every action, so when the man finished filling him in on the goings-on of Mereo and asked after Glaukos' desires, he had no answer.

This was evidenced in the blank look that crossed his features.

I do as I'm told. He went on to state, as if it were somehow clarifying to the situation. If Towhee is indeed stepping down, I expect you'll need to fill that void. If it is something you want me to do, then say so.

He did not know what else to offer, but after a pause Glaukos chooses to mention the one thing that has been on his mind lately: Or I could go to Akashingo to serve my time there. It does not matter to me where I am so long as I am working.

glaukos was all that the eagle's own captain had wanted in a soldier.

but the eagle found himself still curious about what lurked beneath the other's hide.

the mention of akashingo came as a surprise but he did not allow this to pass across his face. there was a resistance in germanicus to modifying his sense of hierarchy.

but had he not done so with everything else?

"lady @Qiao comes and goes. when she returns to akashingo, be her escort. you will be there for a duration of four weeks, not including the three days of travel."

they paced on.

"what do you know of the palace?"

Germanicus spoke of the witch-woman, which didn't so much surprise Glaukos as it brought their last conversation springing to the forefront of his mind. It had been ages ago; he wondered if the woman had gone off to hunt down that prized item he had described, but it didn't apply to the current conversation so the thought came and went.

Escorting her to Akashingo would be simple enough. Staying longer - for as long as an entire month - felt like quite a lengthy span of time to Glaukos. Much could happen in one month. What if there were issues within Mereo in that time? He was not worried for the sake of the warriors as they had many bodies to defend the land, but more of a... fear of missing out.

Glaukos had been the one to request this assignment of himself, so he need not think too much about the what-ifs.

I have heard it is different from Mereo. He answered.

That it is ruled by a self-centered man who surrounds himself with loyal slaves, more or less.

germanicus gave a dry chuckle. "you already know half of what i was going to warn you." he wondered who had educated the boy, suspecting arsenio. 

"the hierarchy is different. you will not have the same range of travel as you do here. instead you will more than likely stand at one doorway or another for eight hours a day. you will have your own quarters and time to do as you please save that there is someone to take your place."

that was how it had worked once. germanicus was not certain the sort of strength ramesses now possessed.

"the slaves are called fellahin. do not trust any of them. they report directly back to the pharaoh and perhaps also his queen. if you can be called disloyal, so will the rest of mereo. do not give ramesses a reason to doubt you."

I suspected it would be a boring assignment, Glaukos admitted as Germanicus explained his expected duties. Standing for long periods would numb his mind; it sounded like easy work, but it was the sort of work that required patience and discipline, of which Glaukos only had the latter in excess.

The talk of fellahin made Glaukos curious. He didn't want to ask about Tamar explicitly, but his mind went to her, and he wondered about her own experiences. She had been open enough to speak to him on the topic of Akashingo but Glaukos had not been inclined to press for explicit details. Perhaps he should have.

I understand. He will not be given anything except my time and protection. Which seemed an unfair bargain, since Ramesses had nothing he could offer Mereo in return.

"that is all you are obligated to give. ramesses does not care for boring things, so be boring." it would keep glaukos out of his eye. the young soldier was brash but not so much now that he could not rein himself.

"a month's tour in akashingo would place you in the third cohort with towhee. she plans to return to her duties. i would like you to spend some time with her before you leave. listen to her instruction especially upon guardianship."

the lady qiao would not remain for long. but it was some days yet. if glaukos began now, his studies with towhee would prove fruitful.

as fruitful as mereo was becoming!

"do you have any questions?"

The young man nodded. He would seek out Towhee in his own time, gather what knowledge was required, and then wait for word on Qiao. All that Glaukos wanted to do was excell - and that meant getting to Akashingo, the sooner the better.

Do you have any questions? Queried the master, to which Glaukos gave his full attention now. He thought about it quickly but shook his head and awaited dismissal.

"go then, tribunis."

glaukos wore a new rank now and would another upon his return.

the imperator did not follow. he turned away, back to the den where his wife laboured and the medicus requested that he bring water.

he was as devoted to these duties as any other.