The Changeling

43

Cetlali's eyes widened, recognizing the voice in an instant. She slithered herself from Lovou's grip to spring towards the door and flung it open. Athua stood there with Kazu and her newly appointed captain of the Imperial Guard, Ohmera.

"Empress!" Cetlali squeaked, shamed and embarrassed as she adjusted her dress.

Athua restrained a smile beneath far too mischievous eyes. "I'm sorry for disturbing you, but I have something I need to discuss with Lovou, and he's been dodging me for days."

Cetlali turned as Athua's sharp, teasing eyes trailed over her shoulder towards the shadow by her bookshelves. When their gaze found him, he frowned bashfully and grumbled, "Am not."

Athua chuckled airily, "Then you won't mind if I speak with you?"

"Of course not!" Cetlali chimed, then looked over at Lovou pointedly.

His lip curled at the interruption. He nodded, figuring it must have been necessary to get the Empress to trek all the way over the Vassour's Complex just for a moment to speak with him.

"Please, come in." Cetlali insisted.

Athua nodded to her sentries, Kazu stationed on the outside and Ohmera on the inside of the door. They went towards Cetlali's table, ignoring the large brown stain. Athua walked right over it like the goddess she was. A reverent smile rest on her face as if it was the least she could do in treating the space as if it was beneath all of them to acknowledge.

Lovou came to Cetlali's side. Her eyes widened when she realized that despite being her very own walking passion-dream, he was

going to talk to the Empress of their realm, looking like he just rolled in a sty.

"You should have bathed!" She chastised in a whisper. "It's the Empress!"

His frown was immediate and angry. He spoke it like a threat through grit teeth, "She's the one who followed me here. I had certain intentions to take a bath later, mind you. That's half the reason I followed you."

She looked him up and down with

something pained in the way her shoulders sagged. "You're covered in dirt and your shirt is clinging to you with sweat. Why would you come to me —?" Understanding came with a flush growing in her chest. Her eyes fluttered along his neck and throat. Across the broad shoulders until she found his face again, and it bore a wicked smile. She scowled at him.

"Gods, stop it! Please behave! It's the Empress!" She grabbed at his shoulder and tugged him, though it still did very little.

He rolled his eyes at her efforts and walked over to where Athua sat, prim and proper. He lost a slight bit of confidence when he realized he was absolutely filthy, sweaty, and smelly.

"Uh, your grace," he nodded, stopping well away from her. Cetlali went to retrieve her notebook and shuffled to Athua's side.

"Please sit Lovou, don't worry about your state of dress. It's not as if you haven't been doing something vastly more important with your efforts than worrying about how your hair looks. More than I can say for Caran as of late."

Athua winked. Lovou chuckled in his dry way and nodded, perching himself on the farthest chair from her. Cetlali sat behind her and started taking notes.

Athua tried not to smile at him as she continued, "I was hoping to discuss a position I need filled. I would like to offer it to you now that you are no longer employed by Ezren." He nodded to her, unsure and likely suspicious and paranoid. "It would require about two to five years of work as a personal guard. You would work here in the Citadel, plus there would be