Finding Contentus

Chapter 86: Scarring Love

Primary Prince Ramoth, Admiral Ayanda and Emperor Ehit landed on the rooftop to meet and greet Neosa, Musa and Kwakuu.

Ayanda wore hardened leather and metal armour in a colour scheme of dark brown, green and gold with a white silk cape that flapped with the wind like a flag. In her left hand she held a circular shield, and in her right hand she held her khopesh. The breastplate of her armour was ornamented with the bateleur eagle.

"Oh, the crazy girl is alive," Ayanda jested and smiled, looking at Neosa up and down. She was an inch shorter than Ramela.

Before she could approach her, Ehit, who wore leather and light metal armour in a yellow and brown colour scheme, dropped his circular shield and urumi as he raced past his rocker to pick Neosa up.

"Howzit boss gal!" He threw Neosa up in the air only to let her fall in his hands. Ehit was two inches shorter than Ramoth.

The giggles bubbled out of Neosa's mouth as he kept tossing and catching her like a ball before Ayanda smacked the back of his head.

"Let the girl breathe man." She frowned at him to which he waved her off with his right hand while his left ran through his silver hair.

"She is breathing! Aren't you now?" Ehit smiled exactly like a fox, and Neosa giggled some more with a nod before switching her gaze to Ayanda who approached Neosa with her hands on her hips.

"So, for a hundred golden marks, how much of this bullshit makes any sense to you?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Fuckol," Neosa answered, forming the shape of a zero with her hand. Ayanda snorted in agreement as the two hugged tightly. Her cornrow ponytail tickled Neosa.

"I should tell you things will get easier to figure out in due time, but the truth is—"

"It only gets harder. Ndinoziva," Neosa said in Shona, looking up into Ayanda's eyes. She hardened her gaze with a sigh, patting Neosa's box braids and marvelling at the softness.

"Well, you're in the sandstorms like the rest of us. Thank Mwari we've got the number one Neo on our side. When we find time, you must teach us some Raraac, eh... ah,neh?" Ayanda attempted.

Neosa didn't realize just how good it felt to express herself and her culture without being judged or cursed for it. She smiled weakly, but it was still a smile that she forced to wear on her face.

Her eyes went to Ramoth for a moment and he was...

Rather quiet, more than that, he was tame, all he did was just stand next to the hot-air balloon and smirk. Neosa frowned deeply at him. She couldn't even hear his voice in her head, nor did she focus on his memories, if anything, he looked like he was lost in more of hers.

She turned back to look at Musa who was staring at Ramoth. The two looked to be communicating back and forth with one another with the micro changes in their facial expressions.

Ayanda tapped Neosa. "You should learn to do this as well when they don't feel like talking, especially during war room meetings," she advised.

Ehit touched her back, admiring her new branded tattoo, also whispering, but loudly. "Yah sometimes they be doing the cryptic signs there."

Upon a closer look at Ehit's face...

"You're Ekani's brother? Oh! So then—"

Neosa shut her mouth quickly. She didn't want to tell Ehit about how Ekani tried to save her nine days ago during her sinful abuse. She didn't want to mention how Ramoth's royal guards hit her and his mother as well.

Thankfully, Ehit kept smiling, oblivious to Neosa's worry since they had whip scars before she saw them.

"Were you perhaps somewhat conscious yesterday? Ekani came to see you. Many of the children did as well actually. Mā too," he said.