Lion Head Mesa you gotta be

i think there's one spot left?

Older, but only a little. Wiser, but only a little.

Diantha had always been a bit of a wild child, and her fleeting time wherever she went was always brief. This year, however, she knew the stakes. She knew that she would need the protection and safety of a pack. A large one, preferably. One that was less likely to disperse. Perhaps one with a lonely, powerful man who needed somebody to warm his bed.

The girl preened her fur, making sure each tuft was in the right spot. She widened her eyes and shrunk herself to appear more delicate, dainty. She was already small, so that bit wasn't too difficult.

Then, when she felt she had set herself up perfectly, she called out sweetly. She was but an innocent young woman looking for a place of safety.

senmut did not care for the winter. he longed for the warm touch of Ra again, and bid that warmth turn to heat soon.

alone he went to answer the summons. the woman was small and delicately built, primped and waiting. 

pharaoh's tastes.

the priest eyed the pretty stranger. "this is akashingo. i am one of its holy men. why have you called?"

o helo

He was not large, but he was handsome. Diantha would take one out of two. The phrase "holy men" reminded her of the odd-looking wolf who had talked of god with a capital G. He had said this God would bring her food, but he had done nothing of the sort. Diantha wondered now if he had hoped to keep her around until she was fertile. If the world had taught her anything, it was that most men were after just that.

I am to come of age this year, Diantha replied, and it is my wish that I not be alone when that happens. There was truth in that statement, a rarity for the girl. She wanted a semblance of foundation when the time came. Diantha yearned for control, and she knew she would likely be without it if she were on her own.

hellur <3

he blinked as she spoke. her words were fluted but direct, she said plain what she meant.

and silently did his mind work, seeing how he might leverage her willingness against his more ethical possession of nazli.

"what is your name?" he inquired in a gentler tone, though the bright green eyes remained observant and mistrusting.

Her name. Nobody had called her Diantha for at least a year—by her own choice. And yet, she felt drawn toward the name after such a period of disuse. Perhaps it was time to reclaim it. There was only a heartbeat between his question and her answer.

Diantha.

She studied his figure a bit more closely, letting her eyes linger a bit longer than was polite before returning her gaze quickly to the ground. A show of timidity.

senmut watched her for a moment. he wondered who her people were, or where they had gone. she had not been left as a gift, but seemed to offer herself as one now.

a spy? the priest decided such things were for his ruler to winkle out of the pretty stranger. "come. i will take you to the pharaoh."

archly the man turned and began to stride over the red sand, back toward the palace.

She followed obediently, saying no more and keeping her gaze low. If she was to weasel her way in here, she would need to keep a low profile. In truth, she had not yet lied to this man. But she intended to shield these wolves from her true self, if only for the time being. There was no sense in them knowing too much about her. Perhaps she could turn over a new leaf here and reinvent herself. That was a totally sane thing to do right before getting knocked up, right?

after this ill post w ram, and sen can be skipped <3

down beneath the mesa, through the halls that moved with bodies and scents and voices, akhtar singing.

to the throne room where lately ramesses kept to himself.

"i have diantha here for you, divine one." senmut bowed low to the floor, the arching of redstone walls high above his head and the pharaoh seated upon his throne.

the woman must follow suit.

duly noted!

He presented her as a... gift. Diantha was quite unaccustomed to this style of courtship(?). She did feel as though she would be taken care of here, if only because they seemed to treat her as some sort of precious commodity. Perhaps she could be content with a life like this. At least for a little while.

She did not, however, pick up on her chaperone's strange movement. She was too laser-focused on the wolf whom he had led her to. She made no effort to hide her stare, preferring it to looking away.

"diantha." the lapis eyes moved with interest over the visitor. "from where do you come?"
a waiting servant, dismissed with a wave of his paw if they were not not already moving to collect meal and drink for the eating-mats and the guest.
for the new woman held all his attention with her intense stare and the priest went quite ignored.

She felt as though she'd been swallowed whole when he said her name. There was a certain air about him that made everything else melt away. Diantha knew that was a dangerous trait, and yet she could not pull her gaze from him. He asked where she had come from, and her brain kicked into gear.

My mother is dead, and I have never known my father, she said, carefully crafting her words. If my brother and sister still live, I have not seen them since we still lived with our milk-mother. Diantha was, in a word: alone. It was how she had preferred it for some time, but the pressure to protect herself when she came of age was too strong to ignore. This was a large pack, likely with prospects who would have her.

she had no family. the fellahin returned with another, silent, laying out fat haunches of rock-dove and the drink of fermented pine-needles.
ramesses indicated the eating space with his head. "thank you, hem," he said by way of dismissing senmut as well. 
and then it was only these two. he sat down gracefully. "do you seek a home, diantha?"

Her stomach rumbled, and her mouth wept, but Diantha did not eat yet. She was clever enough to know that gifts were not given freely. No, they would expect much and more of her if she took this meal. She wished to know what would be expected before she took from this pharaoh.

I am looking for safety in numbers. This summer marks two years for me, and I do not want to be alone when that happens. The question of whether or not she wanted to warm a bed, on the other hand, was yet unanswered. She would have her conditions, of course. And he would have his.

this was a negotiation.
ramesses gave no sign that he had recognized. her reluctance would not keep him from his meal.
delicately he flaked soft white flesh from beneath skin already pulled clear of feathers. pharaoh washed down these first bites with a long drink; he ran tongue along his lips and looked at diantha once more.
"is it a husband you seek, or a protector?"

He gave her options. Which meant he had at least one of both to choose from. Or at least he thought he did, which was good enough for Diantha.

I'm not wife material, she confessed. And that, at least, was true. Diantha would never be the type to settle down and fawn all over some dude (or lady). She would have flings, and she knew the consequences of such things, but the idea of children was so abstract, she couldn't even imagine it. She did know, however, that children would mean others would look at her a certain way. Might put it in their heads that she was somehow caring.

So I suppose the latter.

diantha was honest, pointed. ramesses let his eyes drift over her in an open caress, chewing another bit of food.
"i have a prince here who wants descendants of his own." his lapis eyes drew her in. "as his concubine, you would be well treated and offered such luxuries, but it would be contingent on your ability to conceive and then produce such heirs."
this was a transaction. why did she not yet eat?

Concubine. Not a wife, but she would still be "producing heirs."

Is he kind? And would I be bound to him alone? Still, she did not eat. Diantha knew it best to refrain until she was certain she wanted to take the deal. If there were terms, she wanted to know exactly what they were.

"he is mercurial and awkward. but he is not a violent man, lady diantha. you would be neither harmed nor forced. it is not a principle i keep."
at last, his meal finished, ramesses pushed away the lush remnants and looked directly at his guest. "those terms are for you to decide later with his input. however, if you were concubine to me, i would keep you locked in a gilded room to ensure your children were my own." lapis eyes measured. "if he means to further his lineage, seeking other men would compromise that. unless you had another proposal in mind."

She felt the threat in his words, but Diantha did not flinch. Besides, she had learned from older women the ways to ensure no children would come from sharing a bed. First and foremost was to evade others during her heat. Which would be easy enough—right?

I do not, she said. And finally, Diantha ate. Ravenous as she was, she took her time, enjoying each morsel. It would not do to seem desperate.

What is his name? she asked between a swallow and another bite.

tags for ref, iris! <3

at last diantha ate and ramesses smiled. 
"his name is @Charles."
pharaoh wisely left out the detail that charles was most often gracing the royal bower these days.
"currently he is working on tasks set." or so he willed it to be so. "you will meet him soon." ramesses was silent a moment.
"i will rank you as noblewoman. nebet. you have counterparts here, and can call upon the servants, fellahin, and the guards, mazoi, at will."
"you also will have the right to summon the priests akhtar and senmut. but not the hemet nala. an audience with her must be requested, as she is Priestess of Hathor and therefore each word sacred. call upon her when you have conceived and see that you are divined a son."
in courtly dismissal, ramesses stood and called for a servant. "have the lady diantha taken the wellspring. treat her finely. see that she is found suitable quarters and things of her own."
ramesses favoured diantha with a honeyed look, desire open in his eyes. 
"welcome to akashingo."
and then he too was away, calling for sethnakht to join him, leaving both the new noble and the remains of their repast to be collected by fellahin.

At least he didn't have a hideous name.

The pharaoh went on to describe the other members of the... court? She would have servants and guards that she could bend to her will. That appealed to her a great deal. The priests and priestess did not interest her nearly as much, though knowing that she should call upon the latter once she had conceived was a good bit of information to know. Diantha would play it safe—for now.

She was aware of his eyes on her again, but—same as before—she did not flinch at his gaze. It was beneficial to be in his good graces. She smiled sweetly at him, then let herself be led away to wherever the servants might see fit.