[center][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/190811/ebaf9cbdde92c7897e853938cfe68fe5.png[/img]

[color=6E8E67]Location:[/color] Winton - The Cave[/center][hr][hr]

In ways, this whole encounter was going both better and worse than she had anticipated.  She was happy to see her tribe, of course.  However, everyone seemed to be on the edge which was quite a stressor.  She nibbled her lower lip as she watched the exchanges. Fatima felt Saetan's grip on her only tighten.  Did he maybe not realize how possessive he was becoming in front of the other princes?  Did he see them as a threat to him?  Dareen, bless her kind heart, was attempting to defuse the situation but could end up caught in the crossfire.

She was rightfully chastised about dumb luck and being reckless.  Mikhail seemed to be done with the whole thing and it was obvious how odious he considered becoming a part of her court.  She knew he felt the draw just as she did for him.  It was saddening to feel him pull away from her.  It had been this way since the beginning.  A constant tug at a hole in the pit of her stomach.  She watched Mikhail disappear and then turned to Saetan.  She got onto her knees so that she was facing him and placed hands on either side of his face.  She felt stubble beneath her fingers and felt the life returning to his body.  It thrummed beneath her hands.

Fatima leaned close and placed her forehead against his.  [color=6E8E67]'In time you will know the answer to your question. The path that will lead you there depends on if can I trust you to do as I ask of you.' [/color] She spoke, brushing against his mind.  Something for only the two of them.  [color=6E8E67]'My soul cries for you.  I accept you if you will accept me.  And in doing so, I will share my secrets as you must share yours.'[/color]  She leaned back and smiled.  She gently smoothed his hair back from his face and then stood up, removing herself from his grasp.  She was still shaky on her feet.

Approaching the fire, she began to stack more wood into it.  Aloud she said, [color=6E8E67]"I am sorry.  I cannot promise to be more careful in the future - I am a reckless woman, running wild through the tall grass, heedless of vipers and traps."[/color]  She brushed hair back from her face and sighed.  [color=6E8E67]"And I am sorry for that."[/color]  She poked the fire with a long branch she found in the wood pile.  Dunny came to sit beside her and she stroked his fur, calming her confused heart.  What were they supposed to do now?  Everything rested on the black and what he would decide to do.  [color=6E8E67]"It truly is a wonder I'm not dead,"[/color] she mused and looked toward Jandar.  [color=6E8E67]"I suppose we should go back?  I'm so tired it's hard to think straight."[/color]

[center][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/200731/7b0275756646d73c6e29c8c33a546a01.png[/img]

[color=B2E0DD]Location:[/color] Winton - The Cave[/center][hr][hr]

Sybl flinched at Saetan's words.  What was he supposed to do, fight her whole Court?  They were all much more powerful than he for starters.  He remained in the back, offering nothing.  He was the vector for which this whole situation had arisen.  He should have been more stern with Fatima, telling her to stay behind.  However, he could not see himself telling the woman no to anything.  He rubbed a hand over the back of his neck and watched as Mikhail left the group before turning his attention back to the mess around the fire.

[color=B2E0DD]'I will stay with you, until you are well enough to move,'[/color] he offered to Saetan.  Quiet and unobtrusive.  he wasn't even sure the Black heard him at all.  He seemed to be concentrating on something else.  Sybl fidgeted, tugging at the scarf around his neck in his nervousness.  As usual, he was practically useless.