Will You Be My... Baby Mama?

[Deleted]

Kia was nervous. Anxiety was common when it came to battles, worry for his friends, his subjects, and himself. But over many years, Kia knew how to pour that anxious energy into focus, how to use it to his advantage. This anxiety, though... he had no clue how to handle it. This was one of the strangest situations he'd ever found himself in before. But after what had happened in Polis, he knew he could not live the rest of his life denying his love for Vero. And there was only one way to do that. Not to mention that in the absence of a Heda, the clans were all tense. The time to secure his clan's future was now, whether he was ready or not.

About a month after their return from Polis, long enough for Kia to be back to 100%, and Vero to be well on his way, he had sent a messenger to invite Savannah for a meal in the mansion, not having time to personally invite her, and had a meal prepared. Kia wished Vero would be with him for this, but he could understand how uncomfortable this was for both of them. She was a good friend to both of them, though probably closer to Vero since Kia had had to assume the role of Emperor. He would deal with the discomfort alone if it helped the man he loved.

He was dressed casually, as he always was, except when he was expected to do something more "official" among the clans. He sort of felt like this was important enough to be more formal, but she would know something was up right away if he dressed differently. If she didn't already guess something was up by the private dinner, or the unusual awkwardness in Kia, which he was hoping to do the best he could to hide. He went down to the main entrance when she was supposed to arrive, wanting to greet her as she came in, and gave her a small, but warm, smile when she entered. "I trust you're hungry. It's... just the two of us," he said, leading the way to the dining room. "I hope your day has been restful," he added as they walked. He knew things had to have been hectic for her, as they were for many of them after the City of Light ordeal, but hopefully things were calming down now.

Tag: Savannah

[Savannah]

DON'T UNDERESTIMATE THE LIONESS
SHE HUNTS AND SHE NURTURES; SHE IS THE HEART OF THE PRIDE
TAGGED @kiawah	Savannah didn't often have private moments with Kiawah. Since he'd become Emperor, their relationship shifted. It was natural to do so... but still, when Savannah recieved an invitation to join him for dinner she became very confused. She would never refuse such a thing, but that didn't mean she wasn't anxious about the reason. After everything that had happened in Polis and to her people, she'd been so busy rehabilitating warriors and even civilians. The chip's influence had infected other villages that required her to travel. So many people suffered torture and mental scars that Savannah couldn't heal. Perhaps the invitation was more related to buisness. It could have been to discuss the clan's recovery... Though why wouldn't the letter just say so? Savannah didn't play games. Neither did Kiawah... Out of respect, she'd shed her armor and dressed herself in more formal robes that belonged to her mother. She wondered if Vero would be joining them... but again, the letter was such a strange way to go about things. She made her way to the mansion and looked over the ruins of the garden. It was beautiful; wild growth and care making the home seem like it had grown from the ground itself. It was so strange that it had survived for so many years. Slowly she walked up to the doors and as they opened, she bowed her head lightly in Kiawah's direction. His words made her brow furrow with confusion though. "Just us?" she murmured as she walked with him. "Restful enough... Though... Your invitation came as a surprise," she couldn't help a small chuckle under her breath as she looked around at the walls. It had been a long time since she'd been within them. "I assumed that it was about the City of Light, but... a vague invitation is hardly required for that." She paused to look at him intently, knowing that something was on his mind. She just didn't know what. "Whatever you have invited me here for, you can tell me without pleasantries. You're my Emperor. You don't have to stall with dinner invitations." Vero's absence only told her that this was serious and between them. She'd seen how close they were... Vero wouldn't be absent from a dinner. He was Savannah's closest friend and Kiawah clearly adored him in many ways. There was no reason for him to be absent from a casual dinner.

pyxis ★

[Deleted]

Kia knew as soon as he saw her formal dress and offered bow that he'd gone about this the wrong way. But how the fuck was he supposed to know what the 'right way' was in this situation? So he ignored it for now as they walked toward the dining room, just listening to the confusion in her words, then her answer to his inquiry. And then her assessment of his invitation s 'vague', and... he supposed it was. Unexpected and vague and Kia hadn't the faintest idea how to be otherwise.

He stopped and looked back at her when she paused and fixed him with an intent gaze. Yeah, he was already screwing this up. He held her gaze for several long moments after she finished speaking, his expression fairly neutral as he tried to figure out how to respond. After several heavy thudds of his heart gainst his chest, he blinked and lowered his gaze to the floor between them. "I did not ask you here tonight as your Emperor," he started, before looking back up at her, his gaze softening a little. "I apologize my invitation was vague. I invited you as my friend, Sav," he continued. He rarely used her nickname anymore, though it had slipped out when he'd found her with Vero in Polis. "I would like to share a meal with you, if you want, but if I've called on you when you have more pressing matters, you don't have to stay." She had to understand, and he would emphasize the point again when he made the request he intended to make of her, that he was asking as a friend, and as a man, and she should not feel obligated to say yes because he was the Emperor.

Tag: Savannah

[Savannah]

DON'T UNDERESTIMATE THE LIONESS
SHE HUNTS AND SHE NURTURES; SHE IS THE HEART OF THE PRIDE
TAGGED @kiawah	Whatever Kiawah was trying to do, he was failing at it. Savannah wanted to give him a shove; demand to know what was going on as she would have years ago. If this was flirting, which she highly doubted for many, many reasons, it was awful. His informal nature was also confusing rather than troubling and it took everything in Savannah's power to bite her tongue. "No-- I don't have more pressing matters, nor do I want to leave," whatever he needed her for it was important and just as she grew more and more confused, her concern also rose. She had a million questions dancing on the tip of her tongue and clawing at her clenched jaw and shut lips but she didn't let them break free just yet. She cared for Kiawah. He was one of her most trusted and closest friends... yet she knew that if something were wrong it wouldn't be her who he went to. Even before the City of Light she knew that Kiawah was closer to Vero than Sav could ever really be. What she'd assumed was a bond between General and Emperor was clearly much more. So why did he ask her here? Surely if he were in trouble...  "I'm worried," she admitted with narrowed eyes. "We haven't... been together as friends in a very long time. I have to assume that there is something on your mind to arrange such a meeting," She chose her words carefully as she walked with him towards the dining room. "Are you well? I have been away from the village... I haven't been able to check in on you," her head tilted and she smiled lightly at him; an encouraging look in her eyes. "Vero's healing up nicely... Though I've found that the worst injuries inflicted by that damned chip were of a psychological nature rather than physical." She couldn't help frowning at the thought. It was a frustrating thing; an injury that couldn't be stitched up. "I press you, not out of impatience or ill will, but more out of concern and curiosity. I just want to know why I'm here..."

pyxis ★

[Deleted]

Kia felt relieved that Savannah was wiling to stay. Or he should feel that way, if the idea of putting off this conversation, maybe forever, wasn't so incredibly tempting. He was slightly surprised when she stated that she was worried, but then... this was all very strange, so he supposed he shouldn't be at all. He let her continue as she started walking toward the dining room once more. Asking if he was well, and speaking of all the damage the City of Light had caused, not just physical damage either. When she finally said she just wanted to know why she was here, he held a sigh, not wanting her to interpret it as annoyance. "You're here because I have a request for you," he admitted.

"I'm fine, and Vero is well on his way to healing, thanks in no small part to you," he added, to further calm her nerves, casting a smile in her direction as the entered the dining room. "I..." He searched for the right words for a moment. "The request I have is not a simple one, nor one that you cannot refuse. If you'd rather me simply state it, I will, but..." He crossed the room and pulled out her chair. leaving his hands on either side of the top of it and looking over at her as he waited to see if she would or wouldn't actually join him at the table. "Honestly, we might both fare better after a glass of wine." It was a joke, and Kia gave her a smile that was warm and slightly teasing, while allowing a small measure of his anxiety show. If he could not let down his guard with her now, how in the world would they accomplish what he was going to ask, should she agreed to it?

"And, as you said, it has been a very long time." Since they had spent time together as friends. Something he dearly missed.

Tag: Savannah

[Savannah]

DON'T UNDERESTIMATE THE LIONESS
SHE HUNTS AND SHE NURTURES; SHE IS THE HEART OF THE PRIDE
TAGGED @kiawah	"Wine?" Savannah chuckled as she followed closely and only hesitated briefly before sitting down in the chair that he had pulled out for her. Her eyes lifted to watch him though they were narrowed with suspicion. More now than before. "Kia- Emperor," she corrected herself with a small smile and a laugh that escaped as a sigh. "You're acting like a boy asking something of a romantic nature... We both know well that's not what you want from me so please don't be so tense..." She rested her elbows on the table and supported her chin with with her clasped hands. Her tone was rather playful, though her hint of suspicion still held onto each word. He really was acting in such a way, which was something that Savannah had never witnessed for herself in all the years that they had known each other. Whatever he requested, she knew that she wouldn't decline it- not because he was her Emperor but because he was her friend. A dear friend... "You might benefit from a good couple gulps of something stronger than wine," she remarked as she reached out to pour herself a glass. It'd been a long time since they had drank together as well. Too long. She always hated that his position meant that the relationship that they had needed to change. Moments still came with slip ups, especially if they disagreed but still. She longed for a time when they were younger. She missed her friend... "Too long..." she agreed as she lightly turned her glass and watched the red lick the sides. "So out with it," her gaze lifted and fell on him with determination now. No more games... She needed to know what he needed of her. Or... wanted to ask of her. There was nothing she could think of that she wouldn't do for Kiawah... Nothing that she could think of that he would ask of her at least. "What is this request you're too embarrassed to ask of me?"

pyxis ★

[Deleted]

Kia only shook his head when she corrected herself when calling him by the nickname she'd once called him when they were kids. If ever there was a time to return to that nickname, at least privately, it was now. And maybe for years to come, should she accept his request. He let out an uncomfortable laugh that he didn't bother disguising then she said he acted like a boy requestionng something of a romantic nature. She had no idea. He might not be asking for romance, but he was intending to propose marriage and all that it entailed with absolutely zero warning.

He was pleased when her tone took on a more playful note, glad that she was relaxing, though it didn't help him very much as he walked around to the other side of the table and sat. He poured himself a glass of wine when she was finished with the bottle and looked at the food laid out in front of them. He wasn't hungry anymore. When her gaze fell on him again, demanding he be out with his request, teasing his apparent "embarrassment", he looked at her for a long moment. Where did he even begin?

He should have practiced this. How was it he could give speeches to his people, rally the masses, completely unscripted, but this was so hard? Oh, right. He'd been trained how to do that in secret many years before he'd had to do it. There was no training for this. He took a large gulp of his wine--he never drank to excess anymore, but maybe it would soothe him a bit--then set it against the table, but did not let go of the glass. "I need to secure the future of this clan. The future of Yujleda," he told her. He was staring at his own  hand on the table gripping the wine, but after moment, he looked back up at her. "Please... allow me to finish before answering." He cleared his throat, trying to steel himself, though his heartbeat felt like it wanted to burst through his chest. "Securing the future of Yujleda requires me to produce an heir. Preferably two to three. I should have done it years ago, but I have held no desire for any woman." He paused, then added, "Ever." He licked his lips, shifting in a slightly uncomfortable way. "My request is that you accept my hand in marriage and become my Empress for the purpose of producing children." Those words came faster, as if he forced them out before he could stop them. "You would live in the mansion and would be as much a part of their lives as you wish to be. Vero... would be involved in raising them as well. And... once the desired number of heirs is reached, we would dissolve our marriage. You would be well compensated-- not because I wish to... purchase your..." Oh fuck... "services," That was a shitty choice of words... "but because I would see the mother of my children well taken care of when we separate."

This was awful. He drew a deep breath. There was more to say, more details to discuss, but he knew what he just said was... a lot. He swallowed hard and took another gulp of his wine again. "Please do not answer my request as my subject, but as a woman and a friend. You owe me nothing."

Tag: Savannah

[Savannah]

DON'T UNDERESTIMATE THE LIONESS
SHE HUNTS AND SHE NURTURES; SHE IS THE HEART OF THE PRIDE
TAGGED @kiawah	She said nothing as he spoke; stumbling over his own tongue. She didn’t tease him, as every word, no matter how hesitantly it was delivered made her stomach drop further and further. Of course Savannah understood what he was getting at and she was shocked—not because she wouldn’t do it, but because she’d never thought of it. Kiawah’s responsibilities as Emperor were never exactly her concern, nor cause to keep her awake at night. She didn’t think that him being uninterested by the thought of bedding women would be an issue, as it wasn’t among their people, but unlike other clans he did need an heir to carry on the legacy. As was tradition. She stared vacantly, through Kiawah while he finished, though when he spoke of purchasing her services her eyes snapped back to his to pay closer attention. As he went on to tell her that he was asking her as a friend, not as a subject, she took the jug of wine and filled her glass further to the brim before taking a long and uninterrupted drink—seeing the glass to the end before setting it down and staring at it for a very long moment. “If we were still children I’d think you to be joking,” she said after a moment before once again filling her glass. She had nothing to lose, no commitments to anyone other than her clan. She fucked who she wanted, man or woman and she did what she pleased within her orders. She’d never thought herself a mother—ever. Nor a breeding tool, but that was not what Kiawah intended. “It’d be funny,” she said with a dry chuckle before taking another shorter drink. “I don’t know how to feel about this,” she didn’t feel that she would be the right person for it, but at the same time she understood it completely. Who better than to marry if all he needed was a mother to his children? She had no sexual expectations, or wishes for intimacy that would conflict with his desires, or lack thereof. “The real joke is the idea of me as a mother,” she said with another dry laugh as she swirled the wine around the walls of the glass and watched it intently. “Or the idea of you and I somehow consummating such a thing,” she smirked a bit at the ridiculousness of that image before resting her chin in her palms and looking up at him with reddened cheeks and a crooked smile. “This isn’t how I imagined I’d be proposed to.” She didn’t imagine that at all like some girls. She was far too feral to be tamed and bound to a single person. Living in a mansion also didn’t appeal to her as much as it would some women. “I’ll have to train someone to replace me, at least temporarily in the field.” She knew that being Empress would mean giving up quite a bit—especially when carrying a child. “I’ll do it,” she mused a little, her voice quiet as she crossed her arms now. “What does Vero make of all this?”

pyxis ★

[Deleted]

Kia's eyes widened slightly with concern, watching Savannah fill her glass to the brim and then drain it all in one go. He wasn't really surprised by it, though. Obviously, she was a stunned by his request as he would have expected. But he didn't say anything as she started to speak, that if they were kids, this might be a funny joke. He gave her a tiny, uncomfortable smile at those wods, but when she spoke of not knowing how to feel, a brief, genuine, though still awkward, smile flashed over his face. "That makes two of us," he admitted. This was something he needed to do, but the emotions surrounding it were messy and unruly.

He let her continue, sensing she was mostly trying to work things out in her mind as she spoke, wondering if she ever actually imagined being proposed to at all, though he offered another small smile at her words. Not only was she a friend, and one who seemed to hold no interest in Kia as a sexual or romantic partner (her smirk at the idea of consummating their marriage was proof of that, and Kia could not be more in agreement that it sounded mad), but part of her appeal as a potential wife and mother of his children was that she never seemed one who wanted to settle down. Kia doubted, even after she'd been in the mansion for a while, that she would be drawn into the appeal of it as some others might be. Which meant he had less to worry about that she might make parting more difficult. Of course, he hated the idea of tethering her to him for a number of years, but she still seemed the best fit.

When she finally spoke of needing to train someone to replace her in his absence, Kia felt himself straighten with a sense of hope. He'd half-expected her to laugh at him and reject his request. Or even get up and leave before he was done. But when she confirmed she would do it, he let out a breath of relief, and smiled once more, though it was far less awkward this time. It didn't last long when she brought up Vero, though, and he shook his head slightly. "Vero is... not pleased with the idea," he admitted. She had to know abut them. Between what she witnessed in Polis between them and the fact that he'd just stated Vero would help raise the children... in spite of that being so far removed from his duties as General. Se had to know. So he spoke freely. "But he has agreed to it and I ultimately do this for us. For our people, and for Vero and I." He doubted his people would care if he was with a man or a woman, as long as he fulfilled his responsibilities to them. Once he had heirs and waited a respectful amount of time after his divorce, he and Vero could be together freely.

There was so much to say, and for a moment Kia didn't know where to start. "I will allow as much time as needed for you to train a replacement. I would not wish you to go into battle during our time together, and... I will not go either," he added, slightly hesitantly. He hated the idea of not fighting. He hated the idea of Vero going into battles without him. But he could not risk being killed and the throne being given completely to Savannah. She probably would not want that either. "And you may... take lovers or partners as you wish while you are here, so long as you are discreet." He knew he would probably not be capable of satisfying her needs, and he didn't wish to deprive her of more than he was already asking.

"You will be an excellent mother, as you are an excellent healer," he added after a moment. "But if you wish not to be involved once you leave, that is your choice." He took a sip of his wine, not feeling the need to gulp anymore, though this was all still very awkward. He looked back at her, wondering his his cheeks were as flushed as hers. "I... I feel like a 'thank you' could never be enough."

Tag: Savannah