Lion Head Mesa (ap) glowstone

somehow she had become separated from @Reyes.
under the watchful eyes of someone referred to as a guard, teya had crept curiously into the open air room just beyond the dais.
still visible, she would not go far. in front of her, a small hallway sloped in one path and a trail dipped lower upon the other side. she could smell a curious floral note just vaguely upon the air.
teya glanced along her shoulder.
surely she would not be caught if she took that route.

as she drifted between guests satsu received glances from those she did not know, looking mostly petrified. those that she did know, among the fellahin and the imbibing mazoi, there was warmth, or sometimes a kind, shy word spared for her.
it was loud within the palace; everything smelled of strong drink and dried meats, and there were people she had not yet introduced herself to. yet her mind was on herself and her future. she spirited herself through the crowd until she found herself in a familiar corridor, leading towards her room.
except it was not meant to be her room any longer.
she knew this, and paused, and turned away from it with a vaguely forlorn expression, in time to catch sight of some woman with a sharp profile. initially thinking it was a fellahin, satsu was cold. she was prepared to ignore them entirely and stalk back out to the heart of the room where the wolves mingled.

there was a cold flash of blue.
teya's gaze widened in recognition and she lowered her head at once. "you are queen of akashingo," she murmured, surprised and perturbed to be alone with so powerful a personage.
but her curiosity was great.
"i teya. of brecheliant."

the stranger moved to bow before her, or at least cant their muzzle low as a servant ought to. this was to be expected. what wasn't, came next: the voice.

satsu froze and turned her eye sharply to regard the woman. this was not a fellahin; she knew each one and this stranger looked too well-kept.

teya. brecheliant.
a guest!

yes, she answers softly, having assumed the role of queen long before the ascension. i welcome you to our mesa. she almost wanted to call it her humble home; there was nothing humble about akashingo by design.

the queen was beautiful. but there was something cold to her eyes that made teya uncomfortable. 
above their heads, reyes had caught the eye of ramesses. but down in these cooler caverns, teya was only suffused with wonder.
"is it — it is all right? that i down here?" her voice was soft; teya fidgeted a little, wanting yet not wanting to return to the surface world.

there was something about this one that satsu disliked.

the pretty colors of her coat, perhaps; the soft curve of her ears and appreciable length to her muzzle; that she looked somehow like fellahin yet in a kind way.


yes, of course. this room is spacious; you are welcome here, teya.

teya was, sumultaneously, a beautiful nymph that satsu wished to possess, yet ugly too, in how closely she resembled something servile.

and yet, satsu knew this was a visitor. that this could be an ally in waiting. it would be wrong to run foul of that chance. so she smiled, warm as she could, and stepped aside.

this had once been her room.

the bedfurs were recently changed, if you would like a place to rest. i am catching my breath myself. the party is quite loud. her cheeks softly glow.

the queen mentioned the bed and teya's head turned toward it. in the next she dropped her gaze, burning. but she could not long keep her eyes from the starlight creature. something painful was crawling through the bones of her spirit, beginning with bridget and ending with ibis —
"it is loud," she agreed, catching her breath. the raven crossed the richly appointed room and cleared her throat as she sat down upon the pelt-laden couch.
an awkward silence followed.
"what you do first as queen?" teya chose to ask. her words felt hollow and glassy in the hushed room of stone.

this woman appears shy and nervous. is this what satsu has to look forward to? averted eyes and careful words. she does not fault teya for this; but the moment strikes her, leading to silence.

when teya breaks the quiet with a question, satsu wonders over an answer. the other woman is a leader herself, and likely knows more about governing and such. what an odd thing to say to the new queen.

well, i suppose... i celebrate. so it is good that i have organized all of this for myself. she smiles, though it is not warm. what was the first thing you did when you assumed the throne yourself, lady teya?

assumed the throne? teya shook her head. "in brecheliant we have council of ravens with auspex as head. i raven. wraen was raven. ibis was raven. maia was raven. eljay is auspex."
she shifted again, unable to help herself.
"i not queen."
the clearwater eyes shown with admiration for the akashingo ruler.

these people of the fen were different. by teya's description satsu would liken them to a family, nothing more.
commoners.
for a moment the poise of the queen faltered. she relaxed ever so slightly, warming to the idea.

you'll forgive the assumption, then. you seem so... composed, and the man you brought, he reminds me of my own personal guard. the queen compared the rough-hewn man to arsenio and thought, my man is better, but she kept that to herself.

your... auspex, decided not to come, then. they sent you in their place? while satsu sounded conversational and light, she was also scrutinizing the girl, and the people of the fen.

teya blushed beneath the queen's praise. "i have been raven a while. and he is — reyes. i care for him." it was odd to speak to another woman her age. teya had kept to herself with the scarlet man. and now she was finding that she did not know how to string words together.
"yes. he and his wife maia, they have many children. and they both shy." she smirked, not uncharitably. "i wanted adventure."

satsu smiles thinly.
yes, well, perhaps this is better. akashingo is no place for children.

if the auspex were busy with the next generation, satsu would let their absence slide; but she still felt a bit insulted that they had ignored the invitation.

with a breath and a look to the doorway, satsu moved as if she were about to re-enter the party. she lingered just before the stone arch.

after you rest, take a look around, if you would like. akashingo is open to you, lady teya.

a little nod of her chin came then, and she was away.

<3

it all happened so quickly. the queen was speaking and then she was leaving. teya had nothing to say to the first and then only a startled nod of respect for the second.
queen satsu was gone and teya was alone with her thoughts.
when at last she had gained the nerve, teya crept out into the halls and deeper into akashingo. there she would discover many things, the least of these herself.