[PRP] Meeting the Mind

[KasaiLoki]

Aera was no longer the tiny cub anymore. No, she had quite a bit. She had gone through a lot in her short life, from being found on the borders by the silent Chausika, to be given to the Monarch's soul, and almost being killed by a crumbling termite mound. She had been scolded from there, because of course one of Katiti's birds had been watching her.

From there, the bright red lioness knew she couldn't go anywhere without having a pair of beady eyes watching her from afar, or, in today's case, from above. She saw the shadow of the black raven in the air. Erato. she frowned, glancing up at the avian.

Oh well. Maybe it was for the better? Aera had learned to be more vigilant with her surroundings now that she knew she was being followed. Perhaps she could go mingle with on the viziers? Ebbe was out. The male scared her. Katiti she saw on a daily basis pretty much. But what about the Mind? Aera hadn't really met her personally, so what better time! Of course, it might give her brownie points for Katiti too.

"Whatever you are thinking, don't." Erato cawed, flying low enough for the lioness to hear her.

Aera chose to ignore the raven.  

[MangoMeow]

"And who are you to dictate how one thinks, little bird?"

Shetani had been spending much of her morning shuffling through scrolls and directing her underlings where they should be. Unlike Kat, who had her birds watching everything hawks, and Ebbe, who had the advantage of being up close and personal with people, the Mind had to gain info through the word of others and then pass that info on in ways that would last. She spent a lot of her time in the shadows, watching the rest of the pride (more often than not with amusement) and keeping track of events.

But it was time for a break, and when she wasn't in the shadows, Shetani enjoyed being up high, which is where she now found herself. Lounging atop a hill, with an overlook of the main walking area, she could observe the others while dozing.

Which is how she'd overheard Erato. To be honest, Shetani had never been fond of those ravens. Perhaps it was her Outlander mindset, but they were ranked as "inferior" in her opinion. Ergo, their cocky attitudes annoyed her. She would leave them be though. Kat was best handled delicately, after all, and she wouldn't handle the death of her birds lightly.

That didn't mean she wouldn't eat them if they stepped too far over her toes. Hopefully Kat had warned them of that.

Shetani watched the raven with cold eyes, and then turned her gaze over to the red lioness. She vaguely recognized her. A girl that hung around Kat, wasn't she? It reminded her of that whole Chausika incident, though from what she'd heard, that lioness had managed to squirrel her way out of her Tarnished status.

Which begged to question who this one was.

With a flick of her tail, the black lioness hummed, "I don't think we've met, young one." Which also sort of grated on her. She was the head of those who taught. Cubs normally fell into her realm.  

[KasaiLoki]

Erato had been busy watching Aera, she hadn't even seen Shetani nearby. Not that she would have held her tongue any differently. The avian clicked her beak, remaining silent as her cold eyes watched the dark female. She hovered above the duel, staying high enough to avoid any claw swipes. These Outlanders had a way about them Erato chose not to deal with. Katiti was a different story, mainly because of the hoard of birds she kept in her company.

Finally, the avian answered, shaking her head, flapping her wings a few beats. "I have been instructed to make sure this one doesn't do anything stupid. She already has almost gotten a pride member killed." She eyed the younger lioness. "Unless you would prefer to watch her, I have every right to dictate under Katiti's orders."

Aera blinked, the viziers must've been psychic. (Well, Katiti was, Aera knew, but so were the others!) . "Do you have a special gift too?" The adolescent asked, a small frown on her maw. "I was actually just looking for you."

Er---perhaps she should have introduced herself before saying that. "Right, yeah. I don't think we have met!" Even under Katiti's care, the lioness did not have the best mannerisms. A sign the guidance wasn't done directly by the Soul, but other lions of the pride.

"I'm Aera!" She introduced. "And you're Shetani, right? I've heard much about you!" While it may not have been from the other vizier, or the raven above, she had heard words of the Mind throughout the pride.

"What is it you do exactly?" She inquired, wanting to learn about some of the ranks. She was unbranded. While she thought it be destined to go for a scryer, to fall under Katiti's rule, Aera wanted to make sure all her options were open.  

[MangoMeow]

Shetani gave a derisive snort at the raven's words, "Oh, I'm sure I can watch her just fine." Now, the termite mound incident, she had heard about that through her grapevine, though she hadn't realized this was that cub.

Still, cubs were cubs. Accidents due to thoughtlessness were not uncommon for her Guides, and thus not for her. It's why there were Guides in the first place - to teach. Something that she doubted these feather-brains would be able to do. They were spies, not teachers, after all.

As Aera piped up, Shetani turned her attention back to her, chuckling in response. She enjoyed the enthusiasm of youth. "Oh no. No, I'm not like Katiti. I simply need to be where things most happen." She gestured around them, "People often walk through here, making this a good spot." And then she winked, "Plus it's a good place to relax under the sun."

She cocked her head, debating over her words, and then hummed, "I am in charge of the Academy. We are the teachers; the keepers of our history." She looked up and traced a cloud with her eyes, "The Academy gains and uses our knowledge to help further the Outlands."

Shetani smiled then, "So I suppose you could say that I'm a teacher. I keep track of our history, strategize with those under me in gaining information, and when called upon, help council our leader with matters of diplomacy."  

[KasaiLoki]

Erato scoffed.

"Well, until my master give me the note that you can watch her, I will continue to do what I am instructed to." She left it at that, still watching the interaction, making sure she would relay everything back to Katiti afterwards.

Aera's mouth formed a small 'o' as she listened to Shetani. "So you know a lot about the pride then?" Aera didn't know much really. She had been found as a child, and everything else was a mystery. It had been so long since she had seen them, their faces were a blur. What were her siblings names? She knew she had a twin...but that was about it.

"Can you tell me more about the pride then? The history that is." She was sure she had heard it before, but everyone had their own spin on things. One day, the bright female would be able to tell the tale herself to the newer generations of the pride.

"I'm sure the Mind doesn't have time for that." Erato said from above.  

[MangoMeow]

Both of Erato's comments were ignored, simply dismissed with a flick of Shetani's tail. The bird could tattle all it wanted; the Mind wasn't terribly worried about Kat retaliating. On the contrary, she was willing to bet that the Soul would be pleased with the young lioness learning more about the Outlands, not that she was doing it for Katiti's approval anyway.

No Outlander should or will remain ignorant of their home, not while Shetani had anything to say about it.

With a grin, the black lioness nodded, "Of course I can. I'm sure I could talk your ear off for hours about it, though I'm sure you wouldn't want that."  

[KasaiLoki]

MangoMeow

Aera shook her head, to disagree with Shetani. "Oh, I wouldn't mind. Erato, I am sure you can tell Katiti I am fine, that way you don't have to hear what you probably already know."

"What you should know too." The raven retorted, rolling her eyes.

"I mean. Could you vouch for me if I get back at a late hour?" Aera asked the Mind. Perhaps there would be a small reprieve if she was learning about the pride history, or a more in depth pride history than what she was given. Aera's future was open right now, she didn't want to follow some kind of path she wasn't destined for just yet.

"Or...if not tonight, perhaps I can meet with you again tomorrow, earlier in the day, if you aren't busy with...Monarch's Mind stuff?"  

[MangoMeow]

Shetani raised an eyebrow, and then chuckled again. "Why, of course I'll vouch for you. Anyone wanting to learn more about the Outlands deserves to hear it." And most youth weren't so enthusiastic about it. Who was she to turn away someone who actually did?

"I have free time right now." She patted the spot next to her, "It's late in the day, and most of my own duties have been done." She chose not to mention that technically, her duties never really ended.

Instead, the lioness sighed dramatically, "Plus I could use the company. My brother has been so distracted with his new beau, and I could use someone to talk to."

KasaiLoki

 

[KasaiLoki]

MangoMeow

Erato was not going to be watching the adolescent if she was just going to here the story of the pride again. The raven fluffed up as best she could while in flight, shaking her head. "Fine. She will be your ward for the night. You best bring her back to Katiti before complete sun done." Those were the instructions the large lioness had given the Raven, so she could pass them along to the Mind too. The bird flew off, squawking as she left.

"Sounds like a plan!" Aera said with a smile. She approached the spot Shetani had patted, sitting right next to the darker female. "Oh, if you have more duties to work on, I can help you? You can tell me while we work. If they aren't super secretive vizier stuff that is!"

Bright red eyes watched as Erato flew away. "Finally. Never thought I would get rid of her!" She was pretty sure Katiti would notice if the bird just ended up not coming back one day.

"So. Where do we begin?"  

[MangoMeow]

Shetani let out a snort at the bird's words, rolling her eyes as it flew away. Good riddance.

Turning back to Aera, the black lioness contemplated that, "I certainly wouldn't mind the help." To be honest, it might be nice having someone to teach again. Her Guides took control of most of that, so having someone interested in learning could be, well, fun. A concept that her brother would probably scoff at. Oh well, he was caught up in his love life anyway. Maybe he'd provide her with little nephews and nieces to dote on someday too.

With a smirk, Shetani looked back down at her, "You'll find that doing repetitive things will bore those rats with wings into leaving." She chuckled, "As for where to start, perhaps from the beginning. You know of Scar, correct?" She hoped Aera was settled in, because Shetani wasn't the type to hold back when it came to explaining, and this was just the start of a good lecture.

KasaiLoki

End off here or with the next post?