Redhawk Caldera qal qayel

following at the heel of @teya as the pair crossed from forest to mountainside, the sight of it all took jawahir's breath away momentarily. here there had been a mountain - but it was headless now. a massive crater descended to make itself a valley, with a distant spring of water in the center.
it was marvelous.
they thought it a place fit for kings, or gods; but it was taken now by the fen wolves, who did not deserve such splendor. the courtesan kept these thoughts to themselves. wonder filled their gaze, split evenly between the land and the woman who served as guide.

teya walked with jawahir along the grand edge of the caldera. it was so vast and yet there was more to be explored.
the coyote seemed stunned by the sights and the raven smiled before she tilted back her head to call for @Eljay and @Lilitu. it was important that both would be present for this; even now her heart thumped at the idea of sending the girl off to that palace in the distance. "are you hungry?" teya asked, wanting to be hospitable.

It was a surprise, to be sure, to be called in the same breath as Lilitu.. It was Teya though, so Eljay didn't think much of it as he made his way towards the borders. Maybe a visitor that knew them both? Maybe a visitor for Lilitu, but she wanted his thoughts on letting them in?

There, he found Teya together with a stranger. Eljay nodded politely at them, feeling a little confused and thrown off as he found it hard to determine whether they were man or woman; a thing not usually so difficult. The caretaker decided to ignore it for now as he greeted with a friendly smile, Hiya. I'm Eljay. He presumed Teya had spoken of him already, so he didn't need to elaborate. To Teya, Eljay offered a fond smile before turning his attentions back to their guest.

ah, yes. I am not used to being served - thank you. jawahir accepted the role that had been granted them: guest in the fen realm. they sat with crossed paws, watching teya.

then a man came along. he held himself with little authority and spoke in a casual manner, which at once disarmed jawahir, who mistook him for another guard.

hello, the courtesan drawled as they drew their awareness over him. teya would not be busy long; for now, jawahir kept quiet.

To be summoned alongside Eljay excited her. A visitor, perhaps—could it be. . . 

Her mind raced along with her feet as she heeded the call, breath coming short. Her sister, or one of the younger siblings, or her father, or Ma—no, she's dead—anyone! She pulled up alongside Eljay with a brief greeting before glancing over the visitors.

Well, one visitor. Teya was there, but so too was a lithe, graceful woman with pointed features that sparked awe and envy alike within Lilitu. She gave them both a nod and a smile, tail swishing slowly behind her.

Lilitu, she said, but she supposed the newcomer knew that already. They'd called her name, after all. What's up?

when teya returned with a small fresh fish for their visitor, jawahir had been joined by eljay and lilitu. "jawahir has come with offer," she informed her auspex. "there is boy in akashingo who seeks wife. she would be treated like princess. have servants. he is prince."
it sounded wholly improbable as she spoke aloud.
the raven looked to jawahir, wondering if the jewel would be open to elaboration once more.

A meal was brought to be shared. A girl had come along and introduced herself - the offered Lilitu. Beautiful, soft, but with a hard look to her eyes that became glossy as the pair shared a glance. There was much Jawahir could do with this.

Teya explained in brief the courtesans purpose.

The man in question is young, bright of mind, and strong of spirit. His name is Crowfeather - and he is indeed a prince of his people. My lord, the pharaoh Ramesses, has sent me in search of a princess for him.

Such a match would grant a great deal to both betrothed. Respect, service, and power. All of Akashingo would be at your call. Jawahir watched Lilitu above the others, wondering if this intrigued the girl or frightened her.

Teya introduced the stranger as Jawahir, which to Eljay sounded like a man's name. He nodded at Jawahir, feeling oddly nervous. Lilitu had joined them by now, though when he looked at her face, she didn't seem to really recognise the stranger, either. Peculiar. The situation got even more peculiar when Teya said that this Jawahir's pack had a young man who was looking for a wife. Eljay blinked, clearly confused. Did Lilitu know this man? Was this a messenger to tell her that this man loved her? To him, engagements without knowing each other were something that he had never heard of. The confusion was clear on his face.

It was also clear in his voice as he said, Lilitu already knows this, uhm, Crowfeather, then? He glanced at Lilitu. I'm not sure I understand the question, or uhm, why he sent you instead of coming himself, if he likes Lilitu..? His words were careful; in part because Eljay didn't want to hurt the feelings or breach the respect of the other pack. He understood there might be different cultures there. In part because Eljay understood this was not his decision, but Lilitu's. He just wanted to understand what exactly was being asked of her here.

It wasn't long before her jaw fell a little. Sagged by millimeters as the conversation continued, and then when Eljay spoke, she turned to him, shaking her head. No, I don't know him, she clarified, brows drawing together as she looked back at the visitor.

Soooo. . .you're saying Crowfeather needs a wife, and you're thinking I should be that wife? Lilitu asked. She thought that was what they were getting at, but she wanted to be sure.

And if so—wow. The greater ramifications of that. . . It would mean she'd have to leave Brecheliant, and all of her friends and allies behind. To pledge herself to Crowfeather, a man she'd never met. Jawahir talked him up, but that was kind of her job.

Was it worth it? Her gaze was undoubtedly perplexed, and concerned, but unwavering as it stayed fixed upon Jawahir.

that part was curious after all. teya did wonder why crowfeather had not come on his own. jawahir was a good emissary but the coyote would not be the one marrying lilitu.
and so she added her own gaze to those resting on the akashingo dweller, though her eyes were welcoming and she gave a swish of her tail to punctuate their friendliness.

they had questions.
doubt. confusion. jawahir wondered if this intrigued the girl lilitu, or frightened her. she did not sound convinced of the merit of this union, which was fair enough.

i asked teya if there were any fine women for consideration, and she offered your name. jawahir would not lie; if there had been another name given then the courtesan would have sought out others also.

crowfeather is recovering within the mesa for now. again, the truth. it wasn't what jawahir wished to share of the dark wolf, but it might allay any fears, and explain why the coyote was here as a messenger and matchmaker.

akashingo spent previous seasons making the mountains safe, driving out the people calling themselves the saints; during this time crowfeather was set upon by the enemy and injured. he is recovering well now, but he requires more time. that is why i have been sent to scout for possible matches.
jawahir looks upon the man, eljay, as they speak this answer.

it is a lot to take in. much to consider. they  need not make up their mind now - and as jawahir looks to lilitu, they hope to make that clear.

the pharaoh does not expect an immediate answer. i am to journey to any nearby kingdoms with the same question, but, it would be beneficial to find a partner for crowfeather somewhere nearby. brecheliant is already an ally to us - and this would further bind our people. a smile, now. i can return again another time, once you have considered the offer, if that pleases you.

It was a lot to take in for Eljay. He nodded through the entire story. Lilitu seemed sceptical, but not as confused as Eljay himself was about all of this. It was a relief for the caretaker when they were told that they did not need to decide right now, because he'd felt very put on the spot and was about ready to say no, as all of this sounded very foreign to Eljay. Who knew what an immediate no might've done. Eljay knew that Reyes had once insulted the wolves of Akashingo, and he wasn't keen to repeat such a thing. It seemed like Teya had done well to make them allies, but Eljay didn't want to feel as though he would be pushed into a corner to deliver one of their own in return for this alliance. He'd never been an 'allies' type of man. Pack always came first.

Visibly relieved by the end of it, when finding out they did not need to decide now and there were other prospects, Eljay nodded. Alright, uh, thanks. Lilitu will uhm, she'll give it some thought. He glanced at Lilitu, visibly hesitating — he'd wanted to ask 'unless you know already?', but how could she? — but then just nodded to everyone gathered in silence while waiting for the meeting to be wrapped up so that perhaps he, Teya and Lilitu could discuss this further in private.

Any fine women. . . That caught her ear, and she turned toward Teya, her surprised expression blossoming into a smile. She was happy the woman had thought of her, but for this. . .

Uh, yeah, I'm gonna have to think about it, Lilitu echoed Eljay, nodding. She was grateful for his support beside her; she might have completely been bowled over otherwise. As it was, she kept her feet, and gave a pleasant look to Jawahir. It was nice to meet you and, yes. . .I'll have an answer for you when you're back.

Or at least, she hoped so.

She'd stick around until whatever farewells or future plans were made, lingering awkwardly in the periphery. Her mouth quiet, but her mind running nonstop.

What to do?

they would think about it and talk over the offer. it was as much as brecheliant was willing to give, and teya was happy to support the aims of her packmates. "jawahir. i take you to den just off borders. you do not have to walk so far to akashingo today."
with the blessing of eljay and lilitu, she would escort the emissary from akashingo away, speaking of easier things and the nature of their council.