Lion Head Mesa metallurgy

@Lilitu's time had waxed and waned, it felt.

the doctor had not come to comment on such things. if anything had come of it, tavina assumed she would be the first to know. 

today she stood outside the princess' quarters and politely asked for entry. nala's face filled the corridors of her head. "your highness. i've come with a request."

Yes, there was definitely something there.

She had kept everything to herself, but a sense of foreboding rose within her as Tavina darkened her doorstep. She rose at the healer's arrival, giving the woman a nod and smile.

Did she know? Could she?

What can I do for you? Lilitu asked softly, canting her head slightly to the left in query.

tavina entered and was seated, but in the next moment she was up, trying to keep herself from pacing about the princess' room.

"i'm sorry to disturb you but — oh, let me get to the point. as you may know, the saints are the first and foremost enemy of akashingo. i've recently met someone, a woman, and — well, i'm quite fond of her, your highness. but i've also, unfortunately, recently discovered that she is part of the saints."

she turned her purple eyes on the royal wolf. "we're supposed to meet between here and there, near the lake that borders brecheliant now. i — i came here to ask if you might, i mean, if i could carry an order from you that gives her protection in brecheliant. i would bring her here but it would be very unsafe for her, to walk into akashingo as a saint."

tavina paused, aware she was certainly overwhelming. she sat down now. "her name is nala and she's very kind. i don't think she's aware of the reputation they have."

The request brought her eyebrows up. The Saints were a name that had passed her ears a few times, all mentions negative, but she'd never had any personal experiences with them. But when Tavina mentioned Brecheliant. . .

Lilitu's gaze narrowed, boring into the healer. You're sure about that? she asked. 

It had her stomach doing the whim-whams. This was her family at risk, should she say yes. Maia, Eljay, Teya, their children and any more puppies to come. . . If this Nala brought any of them to harm, Lilitu would never forgive herself—nor would she Tavina.

I understand where you're coming from, she continued. If I do give this permission, and she ends up being as rotten as the rest of the Saints—Tavina, if she hurts anyone in Brecheliant, it's on you. Not me.

Cards down. If she hurts anyone in Brecheliant, I'll tell the Pharaoh you forced me into this. That you threatened me. I hate to do that, Tavina. I do want to help. Are you sure she's good?

tavina blinked. she had not expected the coldness that flowed out from behind lilitu's pristine face. but it was to be expected maybe. she had come a humble girl and now she was a princess who wielded immense power in defense of her home.

it was an admirable ferocity.

she dropped her eyes in a moment of submission. but when she lifted her head again, her deep purple eyes were resolute. "yes. i believe very much in her goodness, princess lilitu. i do not think i am wrong about her."

and if she was, then the gods of akashingo could only help her against what the royal woman would mete out.

Tavina was very sincere and humble. Lilitu wanted to believe her. She watched the woman for a long while, silent, and then waited for her head to lift to speak again.

I put my trust in you, she said, but her teeth were gritted. She was frightened. What if she was making the wrong choice? Tell your friend she can stay in Brecheliant.

Oh, God, oh God.

She sucked in a breath, shaking her head. Please don't make me regret this, she added, and her youth was clear in her desperate voice. She may hold the upper hand in rank, but she definitely didn't feel it in reality.

tavina crossed the room with a reassuring step. "your highness. i would not ask something so great of you if i thought it would bring a backlash."

"if nala agrees, i'll work toward an audience with pharaoh. i'm sure he can be made to see reason. and once she's here — i don't see why she'd leave."

tavina meant to say there was a timeframe for nala's potential stay in brecheliant, that she would be out as soon as possible.

"this was gucci's idea, really." her mouth quirked. "he really is fond of you." tavina cleared her throat.

"i'm going to go, soon. thank you, princess. i will never forget this."

Oh. Pharaoh knew? And Gucci?

Wait. . . Lilitu said, halting Tavina in her tracks. Gucci knows? How did you meet Nala? Tell me about her.

Her breath was coming fast. Tavina, I can't let her stay with my family unless I know all about her.

Maia. Eljay. Teya. Kids.

She couldn't. She couldn't risk it.

She sucked in a shivering breath, trembling all over.

tavina sat. she understood, swift as she was to go.

"pharaoh knows nothing of this. he would forbid it for her status as a saint. gucci only knows i want to — rescue her, really."

she spoke at length then, describing how she had met nala for the first time outside the palace when satsu still lived, how they had traded stories and names. and how nala had been unattached then, so they hadn't spoken of packs.

"i didn't expect to see her again. but she said she came to see me, specifically." my god. was she the fool? tavina went on to detail their second meeting, during the mourning, and how in that time she had come to discover nala's new pack.

"she's not been with them long. i — when i meet her, i will not be leading with this offer. it is only if she understands and agrees and — i see her do both." she would be cautious, nauseated now as she was.

It was a heavy, somber weight upon her shoulders. She respected Tavina, but the trust was not all there. Still, what choice did she have?

She sighed. Please. . .

A deep exhale. Can I meet her? Lilitu asked. First. Before she comes to Brecheliant.

She didn't think it was so outlandish of a request. She thought herself a good judge of character. And if she though anything amiss with this Nala. . .

She stood, almost pleading.

tavina was quiet, but quickly: "yes. yes, of course, your highness. you're right. once i have — if she decides to leave the saints then i will bring her closer to akashingo, and call for you there."

her purple eyes surveyed lilitu's face. this would be all for naught if the princess did not trust her.

The assurance, the vehemence. . .

She didn't trust it, but she was stuck Jaw clenched, she reared back, nodded.

Remember, Tavina, she warned softly. It's on you.

With that statement, she turned and went into the shadows of her chambers, dismissing the healer with a flick of her tail.

Had she doomed her loved ones?

She sank down, grinding her teeth. Only time would tell.

tavina bowed herself backwards from lilitu's quarters.

she stood staring at the wall outside the princess' rooms. 

was her faith in nala misplaced?

no matter. she would find out. the sesh set off at a smart clip, seeking her own apartment where she would hastily begin to gather things that in the end she might not even take.