Redsand Canyon Bid my blood to run.

She realized her mind was racing, her defenses up because of the trio of inquisitors, particularly the latter and his indictment. Chill, Towhee instructed herself. Take some deep breaths. His remark didn't have any apparent effect on Germanicus's desire to continue the conversation, so she would take her cues from him.

She returned her whole attention to the leader, reading his lips in careful silence. Towhee nodded to acknowledge what Ruenna had told him as true, then felt her back stiffen again when he made a point to mention a stint with Akashingo. His decision to raise this point was almost uncanny. And what exactly was a palace?

It made her orange gaze flick over to the ginger—she'd never gotten his name—but she quickly looked back to Germanicus. She caught the red man's sneering laugh out of the corner of her eye but missed whatever remark accompanied it. Towhee shifted her weight. She wasn't exactly a stranger to mutual disdain, though he represented something which would require careful consideration if she was going to go through with this.

"Okay," Towhee said to the leader, pausing to gather her thoughts. She decided to speak frankly. "I still don't know much about Akashingo. If I'm honest with you, what I do know has struck me as a bit strange." She glanced at ginger. "But something I learned in particular these past couple months is that cultures vary wildly around the Teekons. And I can respect ways that are different than mine, without necessarily subscribing to them personally," she said, thinking fondly of the "moon woman."

"That said," she continued after another brief break to choose her words, "I'm not here to climb the ranks necessarily. I don't mind showing you what I'm worth. And if you agree what I have to offer is valuable, rising in the ranks accordingly." Towhee thought about striking a camaraderie with Shikoba after their first spar. "But I'm not really concerned with position as much as... purpose, I guess you could say. As Rue told you, I'm a mercenary, with lots of leadership experience too. I think I have a lot to offer as an advisor, a guardian and a mentor." She'd said the same to Kukutux, nearly word for word.

Briefly, she glanced at the palest figure still lurking in the background. Towhee then glanced past the three men, wondering if Rue was slowly shuffling her way here. The Matrona hadn't mentioned the specific terms Germanicus put before her, though it was up to Towhee alone to weigh her options and decide what staying with her friend—and facing homelessness for that matter—was worth...

Ruenna chose that moment to appear, the sight of her face and the touch of her cheek solidifying Towhee's desire to get into Mereo, even with the unpleasant parts. When the Matrona drew back and made a quip, the Redhawk could only smile at her in bemusement, silently mouthing a question.

Aloud, she echoed, "Espionage...?" She realized a beat too late that she'd missed something. Being deaf in a multi-directional conversation was a bitch sometimes. Towhee glanced at the redhead, then returned her attention to Rue. "Shit, if I don't even realize I'm a spy, does that make me a very good one? Or a very bad one?" She huffed a laugh and added a warm, "Heya, Rue."