Lion Head Mesa Wet Hands

Standing right outside the border! Tagging leadership: @Toula @Rashepses @Senmut

In her anger, Eira hastily gathered some of her more valuable belongings and stormed away from the creek, her paws carrying her swiftly across the fields. By the time she reached the edge of the neighboring meadow, her temper had cooled enough for clearer thoughts.

Yet, she wasn’t ready to return to camp. She had meant every word of her threat, and she fully intended to follow through. So instead, she continued forward, toward the only other place she knew there to be nearby wolves.

She paused at the border, setting down her items: Assorted medicinal plants bundled in layers of fish skin, and two fine hides. One otter, and the other mountain goat. She then called to the Mesa's inhabitants: I am here to trade, please meet me!

as a contingent prepared themselves to travel, senmut found himself back in the Red Palace before he could scarcely blink.

four children had been bestowed into @Nazli's care. he had stayed as long as he was able, reluctant as he bid at last his beloved priestess and @Eset farewell. for now! he assured nazli, heartsick.

he had set all the servants and guardians to cleansing the palace, unsure of what else he might do to occupy the spinning chaos of his mind. the trader's call was welcome, and he set out placidly and alone to meet her.

the eyes of mazoi watched over their discourse all the same. "you come to the palace of the Red Land. i welcome you in the name of pharaoh Isetnofret and her Divine Consort, our semer-wati, Rashepses of Ta-senet."

titles; rote; he was used to their sound and their shape.

Thank you for hopping in!

Eira was greeted with swift courtesy, and for that, she felt a wave of gratitude sweep over her. She offered a gracious smile in return.

Why bless you for meeting me so quickly, she began warmly,  I do hope ya'll can help me. I need somethin' sturdy you see—strong enough to tie someone up real tight. Vines, or maybe some good, heavy fiber? I would be ever so grateful for your help.

She dipped her head slightly, her manner as polite as her need was pressing.

ofc! <3

those bright green eyes ran cold with nightfire to hear such a request made casually.

senmut regarded this woman with a mien of arms crossed before him; he surveyed her in utter silence, gaze demanding an explanation. "where you stand, these notions are not tolerated," the red prince told her, lazily signalling the dark figure at his back.

"in what do you make your trade, wanderer?"

Eira drew a breath, her expression hardening.

I am huntin’ the beast that killed my boy, she said quietly, but there was a pain in her tone, her gaze turning as sharp as steel. Do believe me when I say this is no pursuit I take any pleasure in. It is a last resort, but one I have no choice in, as it has already slipped through my grasp once—and now it tries again.

Her words were resolute, but beneath them was the unmistakable ache of a mother’s grief.

"you see why this is now the purview of our royal edict to mediate," senmut answered lightly as the guard stepped to his back. he plucked control from the stranger as easily as she had pretended to have it.

"what is the name of such a monstrous creature?" the priest asked, not without his own bite of sarcasm. "surely you would want the help of our kingdom to hold him."

his eyes saw her pain.

Eira’s heart twisted as if struck by a cruel hand, her grief mocked in such a careless manner. It felt like a slap to the face, and for a brief moment, her composure faltered, her expression clouded with the raw pain that coursed through her. But, with the air of a lady gathering the folds of her skirts, she straightened, her chin lifting in quiet dignity. She stepped back, her trembling paws carefully collecting her belongings, though her chest still ached with the weight of unshed tears.

I do pray, she began softly, her voice quivering, that if you have children, such a fate never befalls them. That you never know the pain of burying your baby.

Her words carried the power of a genuine blessing, though they wavered ever so slightly, betraying the thin thread holding her emotions in check. She dipped her head gracefully, though the turmoil inside her still threatened to spill over.

I shall seek assistance elsewhere. I thank you kindly for your time.

"i have children, my lady." his own plurality did not escape the priest. "it is part of why i question you, you, who have come to my kingdom and spoken of tying someone whose name i do not know."

her pain, held; reflected. "today it is your son. tomorrow it is mine. who is killing children?" the prince commanded, as much for his own status as for the safety of their land.

he had hurt her; he had not intended that, and saw the bitter coldness which had grown inside his own self.

Eira's retreat faltered as the emissary called out once more, his words pulling her back like a tether. She turned slowly, her paw lifting to gently dab away the gathering mist in her eyes. Oh, how she had cried before, when she first met Lady Eset, and though her tender heart urged her to weep again, she summoned all the strength she could muster to hold the tears at bay.

It is called Hasdrubal, she began, though I have heard it called another name in these parts. She paused, closing her eyes briefly as she searched her memory for the right one. Niccolo, or something like it, she finally said, her brow furrowed with the effort of remembering that chaotic, long-ago evening.

Opening her eyes, she looked at him decisively. It is my sincerest intention that it will never harm another soul again, she declared, her words laden with the weight of her purpose. So please, sir, I ask you... are you able to help me, or not?

niccolo. hasdrubal. he did not know those names; he knew only one. "akashingo has corridors from the desert to the sea. please. come in, dear lady. come and rest. and tell me. i will see that you have what you need."

the prison in muat-riya would be full again.

oh, beating, bitter irony! "do you know where he is? i can have guards sent to his last location."

senmut, burning toward the truth.

As tempting as it was to take the stranger up on his offer, the mountain woman was well aware of how long she had been absent from the creekside camp. Beyond that, she had half a mind to assume that after the explosive manner in which she had left, Herod might move on without her.

I'm afraid I'm in a bit of a hurry. Eira glanced to the sun disappointedly, marking the time. You have yet to name your price, sir. What might you like in return?

"i want information," he said plainly. "i do not sell ropes to those with stories."

here he was, priest imposing; here he was, obstructing. if she would not sit down to give an account that might be more substantial, then senmut would not help.

he was surprised at his own pleasure in the power.

I am afraid I have little more to offer, Eira replied, her voice carrying a note of rising impatience. She did not appreciate finding herself on the receiving end of what seemed to be a young man's self-important posturing. A boy, really, and here he was, making this more difficult than it needed to be. Her thoughts wandered for a fleeting moment to the trees she had seen on the way here—perhaps it would be simpler to pull the vines down herself.

But she reined in her irritation, lifting her chin slightly as she spoke again, this time more firmly, though still with the dignity expected of a lady of her standing.

Hasdrubal, she reiterated, killed my son. He escaped imprisonment and fled to these lands, where he has been hiding under another name. I need fiber—strong fiber—to bind him long enough to return him to where he belongs, so that justice may finally be served.

nothing more would be forthcoming. she was resolved in this small amount of words, and so at last senmut gestured to one of the guards.

"leave, my lady."

there had been an opportunity to tell senmut everything pertinent; this was vague hearsay and he offered nothing for it. akashingo could not afford to hand blind strength to anyone without significant influence to themselves.

his eyes were placid. for now.

May the rock beneath your dear children's feet always be steady, Eira murmured, dipping her head respectfully, though her jaw tightened a touch as she turned away. Thank you kindly for your time, she added, her voice smooth, though there lingered an unmistakable undercurrent of frustration. The words were polite, but the mountain woman could not help but feel that her time had been squandered. It was of no matter. She would find her own rope and return to camp before dark.

Her steps quickened, the urgency of the task ahead pulling her forward, her thoughts tumbling over all that still lay before her like a swiftly moving brook. But just as she reached a little way off, she paused, glancing back over her shoulder. With a voice touched by both warning and care, she called, He was last seen with a child, though I am quite certain it was not his own. You might want to keep a watchful eye on yours, darlin'. Partially untrue, but the stranger did not need to know that.

Without another word, she disappeared into the dunes.

<3

holy priest's bright-green eyes did not stir as the woman made her final pronouncement.

but he heard.

he listened.

and as the dotted shadow of her figure disappeared into the terrain, a terrible sense of premonition gripped the red priest.