Lion Head Mesa Khonsu

The Medjay carried moss soaked in water and fruits in a satchel of fur. It was round with its contents and the man could smell it wafting up to his nose as he made his way to the den of the spice trader woman.

Hemet @Qiao, he announced himself, hoping that he would not rouse her. He did not know the extend of the wounds she had suffered at the hand of Khaba. He worried for her. She had not been a difficult individual to speak with. Her mind was much like his own – trained on duty. Bayek cleared his throat before he entered where she would hopefully be resting.

Madam, I have brought you water and fruit.

The dark figure lowered his offering and pulled back the flap of skin to reveal the moss soaked with water and the fruits that sang with their bright scent and filled the air of the room.

she and @Sayf worked tirelessly now.

a shadow announced itself at the door. qiao set aside the pellets and for a moment feared it was khaba -- oh, he would feel her teeth!

she softened as she realized it was the medjay, kindly bayek with a parcel of water and fruit. qiao bowed deep and motioned for the hearth where he could deposit his gift. the first she had been given since her head had nearly split in two.

fucking men.

medjay bayek. it is an honor and a pleasure to be recipient of your company. please make yourself at home. she motioned to the bench where assorted sheaths of greenery sat in stacks. some had been ground to a paste, others arranged in order of their stage of dryness. you are most kind for the water and fruit. what can i do for you?

The spice trader looked lively. There was fire in her gaze as she swept about the room, preparing.

Bayek entered and made himself small, taking up no space. He did not wish to intrude on the woman’s work or her peace. His gift was left where she had instructed. Qiao had not lost her sharp tongue. It was good that the attack on her had not caused lasting damage. The Medjay felt distaste for Khaba rise in the back of his throat. Like bile, it sat upon his tongue.

You are too kind, madam Hemet. I came only to check on your wellbeing. Senmut informed me that you were harmed by the Jodai.

Amethyst eyes searched her figure, sharp, careful. He did not linger for long upon her shape. It was rude to oogle at a woman of that power. He was a man of the low ranks.

They seek him. You will deliver punishment?

an ear was canted towards bayek at all times as she moved among the room.

khaba. qiao paused from her work and measured the medjay. she gave but a singular nod to confirm what senmut had said - yes, it was true.

khaba had struck her down in her own home. qiao set a brand of nettle upon the bench and gave bayek her full attention. is that why they seek him? so an old lady can mete out her punishment?

I can only hope the reason they seek him is for you to deliver justice.

Bayek could not understand why they would have a man return to serve, not after attacking one of their esteemed members. The spice trader was important. She carried herself with care and tact. It was not lost on the Medjay that she might be a target to a fragile ego. Khaba had been a man focused solely on rank, when they had spoken.

If I may ask, how are you faring? Is there anything that this Mazoi can gather for you?

She was hurried with her work. Bayek wondered if she would be opposed to teaching him, if only to offer a paw in assistance.

this is what qiao hoped too -- but she had lived long enough to know they cared little for designs of her vengeance. the crown was not focused on her ego. it was focused on the future. a future that qiao feared she may not be in.

she was surprised bayek spoke of khaba this way. there was much she had to learn.

it had been some time since qiao had been asked after how her own person was faring. this gave her pause. her olive eyes met the medjay's briefly -- did he care about her, or was it all an act like the rest of them?

she did not know bayek well enough to answer. i have a man employed to my services outside of akashingo. he is thin and reedy, the color of bare earth in winter. he collects these for me. qiao motioned to the pile of owl pellets - powerful things once met with another substance's alchemy. alone they were useless.

i am sure you are busy yourself, so i cannot ask you on errands. it would be improper. but if ever there is news you hear that you feel is pressing, it would be most rewarding to me to hear it. i fear as a crone, i am just playing in the world these young wolves have built for themselves. a sign of the times, if you will.

The man looked with interest at the pellets she spoke of. It was a curious thing to collect. He did not understand the purpose of them, or the potential that they had. Even if they had none, it was not his business to ask her why she wished to hold onto the droppings.

The woman went on, though. She said that it was not proper for her to ask, but that she would appreciate any important words be shared with her listening ears. The lady Qiao went on in a self-depreciating fashion by calling herself a crone.

Bayek frowned, staring at her with sharp jewel eyes.

Not all youth is beautiful. And though you are not like the others in Akashingo… I would not consider you a crone. A touch of a smile played on the edges of his dark lips. But I could see why you might wish for others to believe this of you. I am not so easily fooled, madam Qiao. Bayek thought that she was intriguing and intense. He knew that she was fiercely intelligent. There was no chance that he might underestimate her.

I will bring word of anything I hear. What kind of things might I look for on my patrols? Things you collect.

how long had it been since a man had spoken of qiao favorably? her eyes snapped to bayek with rueful surprise.

perhaps he was deserving of being seen in a new light too. it'd been so long she could not pinpoint when cynicism had snuck in and made occupant of her bones. 

you are very kind. she informed him briskly, ignoring the smile which played his features and transcended his dark face into something handsome and untired. sayf and my assistants collect what i need. but knowledge -- perhaps if you learn of something interesting, you would deem it suitable to share with an old not-crone.

she led him down the red path, the pair conversing quietly as evening set in.