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 Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2018 3:59 pm
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After her trip to the Central House to meet with Selene and Fuu, Kimondo had returned to the West feeling better about herself. However her attempts to introduce estranged family had gone, her own personal quest had ended favourably for her. She had gone to the center fully prepared to bring the lost princess back with her if she wished to reclaim her throne. While Kimondo was well accepted as the Queen of the Mwezi'Johari, it was sure to please more traditionalists than it was to upset the others (or so she thought) .. but that wasn't necessary. It felt like the final step in her journey had been taken, she had the Shaman's blessing and now the rightful heir.
While she had reported back to the Lord & Lady and thanked them for the opportunity to visit the Central House, she hadn't made any move to reconcile with them after their last conversation of length. Aside from hoping to give them time to cool down, she needed the time to sort herself out as well. She, of course, had kept busy in other ways as well. Her nieces and nephews had been born in the Tianxia and she had to help teach them about their home while they were immersed in another culture.. and, of course, with the weight of her meeting with Selene off her mind, she was able to enjoy herself more.
Slowly, the necessity of talking to Alizeti and Ria again began to weigh on her. They were reaching the limit of hospitality, on top of having been away for long enough to have made the long trip worthwhile and assuring that they could safely travel with all the cubs. So she had to seek them out once again and hope that enough time had passed, and enough meaningful interaction had taken place between their peoples, that it would not go horribly.
Her anxiety was well kept beneath the surface. |
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Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2018 4:39 pm
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A deep breath was all that kept Ria from not running away. The last thing she wanted to do was meet with Kimondo again; time, and a good talking to from her mother helped her realize her own mistakes. Assumptions were a dangerous thing, and though Tianxia was a relatively peaceful place at the moment, that didn't mean that shoulders should relax and barriers lowered.
So Ria was doing her best to seem relaxed in her House, with her mother to her right, and her husband tucked a bit behind her. She trusted him more than she had ever expected to, but she also knew that he was almost too fiercely protective of the lands that had become his home. His mother's kindness drove his loyalty in the beginning, no doubt. Ria was not the kindest of lionesses, too driven and ambitious like her father, and had treated her husband-to-be like a punching bag.
How the wind had shifted.
"Relax," Mio nuzzled her daughter. "You'll do fine. You have a clear head, and perhaps a soft spot on the back from your father, but it'll go well. Alizeti is here to support you, but remember that you are the true Lady of the West, and as such, must conduct business you do and do not like."
"I know, I know. Thank you, Mother." Ria felt herself release the tension in her shoulder, just a bit. This would go better. She would eat her tail to make sure that this would go better. As much as she hated how the conversation went last time (and the accusations...), Ria thought that perhaps their diplomatic relations could be less....tense.
"Please show her in," Ria announced to the guard, steading her breathing and letting herself smile...if gently, genuinely. |
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Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2018 5:28 pm
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Kimondo waited patiently for her invitation, trying not to let her mind get carried away while she waited. Reviewing what she should say or needed to say could only do so much good and they were long past the time where it would be helpful to her. When she was arrived, she noticed that Alizeti was keeping his distance and that former lady Mio was now present as well. She was getting used to handling everything by herself but standing there opposite three noble lions was the first time she felt truly alone. She had come close when her children were born but Hodari had been there to help her through. Thinking of them made her stomach ache. It really was time to go home.
Despite herself, she smiled at Mio and Ria as they stood before her. They looked so similar and so different at the same time.
"Lady Ria, Lady Mio," she greeted them, glancing back to Alizeti with a small smile, "Lord Alizeti.."
She straightened herself up and brought her focus back to the Lady before her.
"Thank you for meeting with me again," she said, unable to hide a sheepish smile as she continued, "I want to apologize for how things went last time. I regret what I said and apologize for the offense. You've been very generous hosts to me and my pride, and we are all grateful to have had the opportunity to visit with and learn about all of you."
Kimondo gently bowed her head respectfully. Young as she was, the effort on her part was clear and she spoke sincerely. She'd had more than enough time to face her regrets.
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Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2018 5:57 pm
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The old Lady of the West watched as the Queen entered, the quietness of her approach noted. She seemed....more relaxed. Like something had happened in the exchange between Selene and her son, something that the Queen had desired for. Perhaps this exchange would go better than the one that had been described to her earlier.
"Welcome," Ria said with a bow of her head. "Apologies are not needed, not when both sides made mistakes. An understanding will hopefully be made, however, when both sides wish for closure and growth." The current Lady let her small smile grow, just a bit, before returning to business. "I only hope that we continue to be wonderful hosts, even past the point of when you leave our lands."
With the conversation seemingly going well, Mio let herself offer a small bow of thanks to Kimondo before retreating a few paces back next to Alizeti. The Lord was currently watching the exchange, gladly letting his wife take the lead. The small knife of bitterness in his heart hadn't dissipated as quickly as it had in Ria's. He feared that it would not, but he would only decide what to do with it once he was able to speak with Selene and Fuu about their own exchange with the new Queen of the Mwezi'Johari.
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Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2018 6:16 pm
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Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2018 6:49 pm
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Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2018 7:11 pm
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"Very beautiful," Kimondo agreed. It was interesting to see how the Tianxia ran and how it benefited each of the houses. She envied the West and their pursuit of the Arts in some ways, avid huntress though she was it seemed she could have gotten comfortable as an artist if she had ever had the opportunity. The Queen had wondered more than once how many of her pride would feel the same way, and how Miyako's children would react leaving this place.
"I hope so," she said carefully, earnestly.
Then the Queen sighed, though smiling.
"I think it's time that we get ready for the journey back to our home," she said, "We've taken enough advantage of your hospitality. If it suits you, we'll wait until the night of the next full moon."
She didn't know how carefully they tracked the cycle of the moon, likely better with the moon worshipping Mwezi here, but she didn't presume to say exactly when that would be.
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Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2018 9:00 pm
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Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2018 9:30 pm
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Kimondo actually chuckled when Ria mentioned the artisans hoping the outsiders would take a special interest in their work. As the Queen of the group, she had of course run into the especially enthusiastic artists. Now that she was on a time limit, perhaps she would seek out some of the more shy workers.
"I would like that very much," she said, "And I'm sure some of us have already been convinced."
Belial and Miyako, among those with youngsters to appease, seemed likely to find themselves carrying souvenirs home. Kimondo would have to make a point of finding something for herself, and perhaps for Hodari and Sanaa..
The homesick feeling was coming back and she forced her mind back to the present and not the journey home and those waiting for her.
"If you can spare a guide or two, I'd like to take my hunters out before our last meal here so we can repay some of your kindness," she said, wondering if she could get away with joining the hunt with so few around to argue with her about her safety. The hunters had already been helping out as much as possible so they could inconvenience the West House as little as possible but without any help, there was no guessing how far astray they might go. The boundaries between houses and the behaviour of the local herds were not things they'd yet had the time to fully take in.
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Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2018 5:16 pm
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The artisans would be pleased. She could already hear some of the bards spinning their tales of this trip....and Ria wasn't sure if she was going to like them or not. That would be a trial for another day, and the Lady knew that she couldn't really curate the arts, they just happened organically.
"I can spare two, though I know one may seem a bit unconventional. I will have Ukomba to be your main guide; he is of the royal guard, and actually guarding us as we speak." He was clearly out of earshot, since he did not appear when the Lady mentioned his name; a good confirmation for Ria.
"Accompanying him will be Diè, one of my mother's personal assistants. She probably knows these lands better than anyone, but she is also not a lion, but a maned wolf. She will more thank likely shadow your group," Ria warned. "Diè is not the most...social, but she will ensure no one steps into another house's lands."
For the most part, Ria had only heard reports of overzealous questions and interest in their non-lion members, but Queen Kimondo's group had been kind to all of them. The Lady just wanted to make sure there were no surprises of who their guides were when they were in the field.
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Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2018 11:15 am
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