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Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2015 7:06 pm
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After settling with Kamia that tonight was the night, Ota and her friend had split up to spread the word to those they could trust- who would spread word to those they trusted and help get the ball rolling. There was only one really big issue they had been avoiding from the start and that was Ota's uncle, who had no problem making a spectacle of his distaste for the king from the start. And who could really blame him?
His visibility as a dissenter was only one factor, another was guilt. Ota and Kamia knew more than they let on, more than they would ever let on.. but it was a secret that would give her uncle peace and knowing they couldn't say anything was a horrible feeling. It got more complicated than that, of course, but for now it was not her place. If Selene and Fuu wished to remain dead to the Mwezi'Johari, that was their choice.
Tonight was different, though. Tonight, their cover would begin to break and he deserved to know that he wasn't alone anymore.
With the help of Vesper, Ota knew where to expect to find Uchanjaa and so she headed out towards his patrol area and hoped to find him quickly.
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Posted: Fri Jul 03, 2015 9:32 pm
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Posted: Sat Jul 04, 2015 4:59 am
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Posted: Sat Jul 04, 2015 12:00 pm
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Posted: Sat Jul 04, 2015 12:04 pm
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Posted: Sat Jul 04, 2015 12:22 pm
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Ota's expression remained the same, she was more prepared for this than she was for his expected harshness- it helped, too, that she believed strongly in their cause and their chances for success. It took some effort not to flinch when he spoke of Shangyue's children, being so close to Kamia, but she stood firm.
"When Shangyue took over, it would have been too dangerous to fight back," she answered, "You found that out for yourself. He divided us before he made his move, we couldn't have taken the pride back then. And we still can't if we don't get as much of the pride as we can on the same side, and there was no hope of swaying the fearful in the wake of his takeover.. and now it's been so long, so many have gotten comfortable as long as things are quiet and peaceful, even if we have no love for our king or how he has treated us and this pride."
She visibly drooped when admitting that it had been too long, but she pushed herself back upright and made sure she never lost eye contact.
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Posted: Sat Jul 04, 2015 12:27 pm
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Posted: Sat Jul 04, 2015 12:53 pm
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With a sudden blink, Ota held her tongue and gave her uncle a good, hard stare. She could have all the confidence in the world about their cause but if she didn't have any confidence in herself then she wouldn't get anywhere, that was becoming embarrassingly clear now-- so much for approaching her own uncle being easy.
Lifting her chin up ever so slightly, she narrowed her eyes back at him.
"We need each other, we all do," she said firmly, "It's been a long time of figuring out who can be trusted and who can't. There was never any question of where you stood and there was never any hope of safely discussing it with you after you made a spectacle of yourself."
Her mind was racing and it was a struggle to swallow her pride but she hid it well enough.
"You can help us or you can not," she went on, "But this is happening and it's starting tonight. We're not as unprepared as you might think, we're just better at keeping our secrets."
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Posted: Sat Jul 04, 2015 1:00 pm
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Posted: Sat Jul 04, 2015 1:26 pm
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Posted: Sat Jul 04, 2015 4:47 pm
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Posted: Sat Jul 04, 2015 5:31 pm
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"Yes," she said, daring to smile a bit when he remarked it was as much as he had already been doing, "But this time you won't be alone and we're trying to ruffle as many feathers as we can."
Ota was finally feeling more relaxed-- and then he asked the most obvious question. It was Kamia who had borne the king's would-be heir, of course they were expected to have a plan.. but was it too early to let him know the truth? Anybody who knew about Meshach's group did.
For the first time since the conversation started, she glanced around them.
"Antara is already in danger and it will only become more serious as we move," Ota said, frowning, "She's been burdened with more than her fair share since she was too small to truly understand the part she has to play. We can barely hope to protect her.."
Another horrible feeling twisted around in the pit of her stomach, the knowledge that they had knowingly risked Antara's life to save Nketa.. but she hardly expected Uchanjaa, or anybody else, was worried about Antara as herself. That was something only a few would risk everything for.
"Her safety is of great personal importance," she said finally, "But strategically, she is a decoy. The king never got his heir. She is living in secret, on the border, in the care of Meshach."
And if Shangyue discovered the truth, Antara was certain to be beyond help.
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Posted: Sat Jul 04, 2015 5:36 pm
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Posted: Sat Jul 04, 2015 6:15 pm
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"I'm not sure they do," Ota said, "But they don't like what's happened here any more than the rest of us. He's head of his own rebellion, and though we have communicated, I think our expectations are a bit different."
She really wasn't sure if Meshach would return in the end, but the fact he hadn't gone far or accepted any invitations elsewhere said a great deal. She was sure they needed as much of the royal family as they could get on their side anyway.
"There will be more time to talk another night, though," she said, glancing up and wondering how long it had been, "If you need to communicate with us, you can go to Vesper, one of Aapep's sons. He'll usually know where to find me. He'll be happy to help you out, too, of course.. but I'm guessing you already have some friends in mind to go cause trouble with."
She smiled.
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