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SSWM: 496
The sound of Naniko's voice yanked Fiachra so hard out of her reverie, she nearly jumped. Opening her eyes, she quickly turned her face away from her leader, covering her eyes with her hand for a brief moment as a show of respect. It was something that her old pack had done, to hide one's eyes briefly in the presence of a revered leader or respected warrior, and she did it without thinking, without even realizing what she was doing. Instinct. She had so many instincts that she had yet to learn to shake. She was not sure of what the correct showing of respect in upright shift was here, so she hastened to explain. "I mean to honour you by my gesture, ma'am." She would explain further if asked. The origin, from legends, was that her fellows had turned their faces and hid their eyes from their Gods, for they were too incredible to lay eyes upon, and so the gesture reminded them of the high status of a leader or warrior above their pack, for they had earned the greatest honours among the Gods. Naniko, surely, was worthy of this gesture.
She sat up slowly, her mind in a rush. Had she not been thinking of Naniko before her appearance? Speak of the devil, and the devil shall appear, she remembered. Did dreaming do the same? She could not erase the white queen from her memory, and she was yet unclear as to why the woman haunted her so. Those piercing green eyes, perhaps they could even see so far as Fiachra's soul... Fiachra blinked away the momentary rush of thought, sitting up properly and folding her legs in front of her indian style. She could not be thinking this was in the presence of her queen; no, certainly not. Not only because it was awkward and less than appropriate, but also because perhaps the queen could see the thoughts within her head, and she would rather not share these ones. It was too much, too soon, and she simply could not take it.
She had realized that her alphess would not likely recognize the gesture as respect, despite any explanation, and bowed her head deeply instead. She wished to be clear that she honoured and respected her leader, even when within her own space. "How do you do?" she asked, her voice quiet and easy as she got up from the floor, pulled out the two hand-crafted stools from the table she had made between her acceptance into the pack and this meeting - in fact, she had made them shortly before meeting Scorpius, Naniko's own son - and offered one to her queen, standing near it with her head inclined slightly. She could not and would not sit unless Naniko did. She added to her first statement, casually, "Will you have a drink, dear lady?" She still had some of the alcohol she had brewed, and what better way to use it?