Lion Head Mesa (ap) sympathy butters no parsnips

Ruenna slipped away from the center of the action, wishing to put distance between herself and the horrifying scene involving Reyes. She was shaken. Each time the fermented fruits were offered, she accepted gratefully. In this way, she drifted to the outskirts of the party, imbibing as she went. It was there she spotted a somewhat familiar coyote. Ruenna could not be sure that this was the coyote she had interacted with upon the Redhawk Caldera border, but she took chance, calling to @Jawahir in a hesitant manner.

"Um, excuse me, ah--" She meant to say sir or miss, but she realized that she was uncertain which would fit for this canine. She had trouble telling with coyotes sometimes, and particularly in Akashingo, gender seemed to be more of a suggestion anyway. 

"I think we might have met before? If so, I'm still interested in, um, what we discussed." The information on Mahler and Stigmata. The cure for her back pain. Either would be a blessing, and Ruenna would pay handsomely. 

"I'm sorry I didn't meet with you as we planned. I had a flare-up of pain, and I wasn't able to travel when the time came." Perhaps the admission revealed a little too much about the extent of her debilitation, but Ruenna had had too much drink to guard her speech with her usual caution.

the crazed man had snapped at jawahir, signaling that it was time to withdraw. now the chaos of the party gave rise to a rumor which proved true: that the red-coat had returned, that he was being beset by the mazoi, that ramesses called for blood.

they wished to witness this fine thing, if only for the splendor of pharaoh. to get a taste of that rage. alas, jawahir was squaring away some berries back among the stores, so they were not privy to this.

a voice from behind.
the pale woman from the caldera; until now jawahir had forgotten about their deal, so smitten was the mumis with life here in akashingo.
the grin that spread upon their face spoke to none of this.

lady ruenna, a bow of the head, the shifting of tall ears. she went on to speak apologies and jawahir feigned bashfulness.

my lady! i should apologize. it has been a busy time for me, for us here at akashingo. i lost a sister, and then the war came, and now this. do not worry. as they spoke their words grew hushed as well, careful, as if the walls had ears - which jawahir knew, they did.

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Oh! How silly and self-centered of her! Of course the coyote would not have had the time to devote to her requests... they had been quite busy establishing a pack, and then fighting a war. And all of that was on top of suffering a very personal loss. 

Ruenna's bashfulness was genuine. How could she have expected this canine to realistically have obtained what she desired?

Because it is a coyote, and inner voice whispered. An object to be used. A barrier and a frustration, at times. But not a person.  

Perhaps it was a result of the drinking, but Ruenna's own inner dialogue surprised her. She was not overly fond of coyotes, first and foremost because they had been responsible for the demise of Blacktail Deer Plateau... but she had had every intention of coming here tonight with an open mind. It wasn't as if this coyote had been one of those that had overrun her beloved Plateau. 

"I.. of course." Ruenna swallowed thickly, battling back her inner demons. "You have me at a disadvantage.. I don't have your name." A name was the first step in humanizing this person, after all.

the woman is usually a strong diplomat, yet for that moment jawahir thinks they see ruenna falter. a dark glint in those eyes; but it could have been the shadows of the hallway, the bustling of bodies moving around them.

i am jawahir, they answer with a smile, then a small dip of their sharp face. the jewel of akashingo, now. is there anything i can find for you in the moment? perhaps a quiet space to take a breath? this woman had asked for help with an old injury before, so perhaps that was acting up.

although ruenna's breath was lightly sweetened by the berry, which could have dulled some pain.

The brutal sounds of the mazoi descending upon Reyes met Ruenna's ears, and she cringed noticeably. 

"Yes, please. Somewhere quieter would be most appreciated."

She would follow Jawahir, the self-proclaimed "jewel" of Akashingo. What could that mean, Ruenna wondered. Was it some kind of special title, or rank that he coyote held? 

"You are not a fellahin..?" Ruenna inquired, perhaps a little more directly than she would have had she been entirely sober. Was it possible for coyotes to attain ranks equal to the wolves in Akashingo..?

they moved to escort the lady, ducking their body low and sly, ignoring the sound of the chaos above. jawahir believed the red-coat had earned the attention of the mazoi and was envious of the crowd watching, but they had a job to do, an audience to entertain.

the lady was confused. jawahir smiled.

i am fellahin, but i am the chosen favorite. comes their explanation. their steps are light as they lead the guest deep among the catacombs, following the curve of the tunnel to the wellspring's entrance.

the title is hebsut, but, i prefer jewel as that is what the lord-sun ramesses calls me. large eyes alight with mischief. this here, is one of his favorite places. let me show you.

The air was cooler as they dropped down below ground, and Ruenna was already feeling better with the sounds of the public beating muted. She would follow Jawahir into the wellspring, neck craning to take in the scenery. 

"Why are you the favorite of Ramessess?" Whoops. She probably shouldn't have asked. She probably didn't want to know. Ramessess had already hinted at the purpose of the fellahin, and Ruenna was an intuitive woman. 


 "..Does Satsu also have a favorite?" The questions kept spilling, unbidden. It was those cursed fermented fruits, Ruenna supposed.

the coyote brayed laughter, unable to help themselves. it was a cackle that wound through the halls.

i know how best to please him, of course! it is my honor. i was the first; then came the others, who i found and i brought, and was rewarded with my title. it was the same for any wolf, wasn't it? good work led to just reward.

satsu— jawahir was enflamed by the very idea of the queen, and the laughter ceased, forced back down their throat. the majesty, sobekneferu, only has eyes for her husband.

are jawahir's pronouns fluid, or is it strictly they/them/theirs? apologies; i feel like i've been all over the place with their pronouns.

The coyote's barking laughter was sharp, and it made Ruenna's fur stand on end as it echoed around the wellspring. She vividly recalled the barks and wild laughter of the coyotes who had overrun the Blacktail Deer Plateau, attacking those who attempted to fight and and chasing the rest from their beloved home.  

Ruenna swallowed thickly, heartbeat quickening as she mentally wrestled with her trauma. 

Jawahir's words were a distraction. The coyote spoke of pleasing Ramesses, which was such a loaded concept, and purposefully vague. It left everything up to the imagination-- that is, exactly what it meant to please Ramesses-- and Ruenna did not appreciate the places in her mind to which such ambiguous language led her. She was a proper lady after all, and therefore uncomfortable dwelling on anything base or depraved, even in the privacy of her own mind. 

"Oh, of course," Ruenna uttered in response to Jawahir's swift correction about Satsu. "I didn't mean to imply..." Her words trailed off. "I'm sorry," she spoke again, dropping her gaze. "I am quite ignorant of the culture in these borders. You may think me naive, but I didn't realize.." She paused, and she restarted her sentence. "It's just that, pleasing someone can mean many different things.." she struggled onward in her attempt to explain herself. "I never meant to imply anything indecorous of the queen. I have no doubt she is as virtuous as she is beautiful." Ruenna fought the urge to look over her shoulder, to make absolutely certain no one had heard her accidental insult to the newly-minted queen.

They're fluid! I use 'they/them/their' in posts as often as I can, but others can refer to them as either gender. Some of the mazoi have used male pronouns, while most of the fellahin have used female pronouns for them.

no, there is no reason the lady should apologize, a shake of the head, ears flapping lightly with the effort. a wry little smile twists across jawahir's face as they witness ruenna's awkwardness, the look over one shoulder.

we each love pharaoh in whichever way he desires. jawahir clarified, their voice filled with warmth as they returned their focus to the sun-god.

but, if i were to speak truth, here the coyote leaned in close to ruenna, as if they weren't already alone in the expanse of an empty room. the wellspring reflected them both from the stillness of the surface.

at once, jawahir thought, we look the same, seeing their reflection.

she is too virtuous for the golden one. i wonder if he desires heirs at all, given his choice of bride. the smile became tense, and jawahir looked around in case there were eavesdroppers, of which of course there were none — the courtesan merely enjoyed the performance of gossip.

thanks for clarifying!

Ruenna had amused Jawahir rather than insulted them, thank the stars. She dipped her head graciously, thankful her mistake would be overlooked, but within she still wondered if her words might be reported to Ramessess or some other official at a later time. She knew logically that Jawahir was a person, and therefore more than simply their genetics, but she still wrestled with placing her trust in a coyote, a breed known for trickery and duplicity. Ruenna could not shake the paranoid idea that some kind of entrapment ploy was taking place. 

Jawahir lowered their voice to share their own bit of gossip about the queen, surprising Ruenna. Was it a continued attempt at trickery, or a genuine gesture of camaraderie? Uncertain of Jawahir's motivations, Ruenna hesitated to respond, save the shy, conspiratorial smile that found her features. Would the Akashingoans whisper the same things about her and Germanicus, should they become officially betrothed? It seemed likely-- Ramesses had already expressed his surprise that Germanicus enjoyed passing time with her, a woman. 

"Ramesses said something similar of Germanicus," Ruenna noted, finally speaking. "Is it really a such strange thing here, for an Akashingoan to decline the attention of the fellahin?" In any other pack she'd ever heard of, wolves were the subject of gossip when covert dalliances were suspected. In Akashingo, wolves became such when their dalliances were absent. It all seemed upside-down to Ruenna.

hm, no, jawahir would muse aloud, and then laugh, strutting around the wellspring's dry stone.
it is insulting to the fellahin, our lord-sun's favorite toys, but no.

those eyes flashed with unknowable emotion; something possessive, at the thought of the pharaoh. something darker when the face of satsu came to mind. this was easy for the coyote to dismiss, to pocket for later study. now that the wedding had happened there was much plotting to be done.

with such joys offered to them, even the mazoi enjoy our company. the courtesan mused, and dipped a toe in to the pool. it was cooler than usual, but jawahir was warm for all the gossiping and the constant work of entertaining. i know each of our mazoi has had a taste.

It was insulting to fellahin, when a wolf wished to maintain virtue? Ruenna's head spun, and it wasn't the fermented fruits which were to blame.

Here was yet another way she might misstep in Akashingo and cause insult. 

The mention of the mazoi brought Ruenna's mind back to the scene at the party: Pharoah's warriors, beating Reyes by order of Ramesses. Now that Jawahir had supplied the missing information, Ruenna now understood why the mazoi were complicit, but was it really worth it? To draw blood without honor, in exchange for lying with fellahin?

Ruenna would never know, she decided. Whatever was expected of her now, alone with this jewel of Akashingo, she could not and would not know. She would excuse herself before she managed to cause any insult, or let slip any gossip that she couldn't unsay. 

"I think I would like some air, Jawahir," she requested, her gaze dropping to the glassy surface of the wellspring. "I've been told the stars are lovely, when viewed from atop the mesa." Since Jawahir touched the water, Ruenna deduced that this was allowed, and so she also dipped a claw, watching the ripples fan out across the pool.

Can fade here if you want!

the woman would not understand akashingo unless she remained among them, but this was unlikely. jawahir could see with every probing question and every answer that ruenna was, like many, unfit for the kingdom of the sun.
it was not an insult.
the lady did not take the invitation of the waters far, and soon recused herself. jawahir was smiling; they nod and begin to escort the elder wolf with care to one of the many corridors.
this way, let me show you. and so the tour was at an end, with ruenna shown to one of the worn paths the fellahin used in their day to day life.
should the lady wish to return to the party after, jawahir would be ready to show them the way. it was their joy, to be of service to akashingo in this way. it would also give the jewel more time to study those not native to their home.