In The Tongue Of Serpents

[Nasira]

Nasira did hear Aurelia gasp, but she pretended not to. She stifled a sigh. Nasira was used to people being afraid of her for one reason or another. On top of being an overseer, she was Jafar's sister and a necromancer at that. Before Maleficent's acquisition of Agrabah, Nasira was the vizier (a position she received through nepotism) and first in line to inherit the throne. Of course, she was no longer the vizier and no longer in the line of succession, but all the same, most people knew better than to cross her. However, Nasira was not particularly interested in scaring Aurelia and Shiloh. She just wanted to make sure they were all on the same page before she sent them on their way. Nasira felt a ghazi's behavior was a reflection of how well she did her job, so she intended to be thorough.

"Ah...generally 'listen to your superiors,' 'death before dishonor,' and 'don’t do dumb stuff,' if I remember right. Most of it was, ah... pretty obvious."

The necromancer guffawed at "don't do dumb stuff." That was funny. "You're on the right track, Aurelia."

"What Aurelia said. 'The word of the leader is law,' 'defend our territory,' 'show no mercy to the enemy,' 'don't trespass on enemy territory.' I'd say it's all common sense, but that doesn't exactly seem to be very common anymore."

Nasira's mouth grew tight. Here's a sharp one, she thought. "You're both right, but there's parroting what you've been told, and then there's actually knowing what those rules mean. 

The first and most important rule is to always obey and respect our queen," Nasira said seriously. "That means if she tells you to do something, you do it, and you do it well. No half measures and absolutely no back talking. Her Excellency works harder than all of us combined to keep our enemies at bay." Nasira almost sounded passionate. "When she stands, you stand. Bowing is a requirement. If there's a mandatory meeting, show up well before the appointed time. And unless she dismisses you, she is always the first to leave - never turn your back to her.

Second, you are expected to defend our territory even at the cost of your life. If you are destined to die, make sure you die a hero - not a coward. You will be arrested if you're a no-show to work, and you will be put to death if you desert. The success of the Blackblood Legion depends on how well we work as a unit.

Third, never show mercy to the enemy. They will tell you anything to get you to spare them, but the moment you let your guard down, they will take advantage of you. You will end up dead or worse. It's you or them.

Fourth, do not trespass on enemy territory. You will either be killed or captured. And if you get captured, you're done.

Any questions?"

[Aurelia]

When Shiloh tugs, Aurelia follows without complaint, but she hangs ever so slightly behind the vampire, sharp little teeth worrying her lip. Each thing that Nasira listed off only made her more and more terrified. How was she supposed to know when the Queen stood? What if she bowed the wrong way, and which way was her back? What if she got lost going to a meeting and was late, or got lost getting to her job?

She was going to die here, and it was all her fault. They were going to throw her out into the desert to die sooner or later. Being blindfolded made her prone to mess something up, and each listed rule is only a confirmation for the Gorgon: one small misstep and it’ll be into your grave. She should have just taken her death in a cave by the sea.

“No, ma’am.”

Her voice is barely anything over a shaky whisper, obviously crumpling further and further into distress with each passing moment. It’s almost impossible to see at any sort of distance, but with Aurelia latched onto Shiloh’s arm, the vampire does get the chance to notice an extra detail or two while being so close: the lower hem of her blindfold is growing just a bit darker, and her hands and shoulders are shaking, ever so slightly.

This is, quite literally, the worst Ghazi one could imagine; she’s doing her best not to cry.

[Shiloh]

Shiloh listened in attentive silence as Nasira expanded on the rules they had listed off. She gave a small nod, the rules didn't seem that difficult, but then again, she was used to such ideals, at least the kind in the first rule. While her mother had been more wild, outspoken, and bold in her personality, her father was more proper, old fashioned. Growing up, she had been raised to be both, depending on the situation at hand.

It seemed Aurelia was a bit more concerned though. She noticed the crack in her voice, and with the other being latched on to her, it was easy to see how upset she was becoming.
Letting out a soft sigh, she squeezed Aurelia's hand gently, turning her gaze on Nasira,
"Understood. But ma'am, if I may interject. Is there any way we could assist Aurelia with this. I think it's going to take her a bit more to adjust to everything, since she can't exactly see very well, I imagine. I would, frankly, be very willing to volunteer to assist her if needed. You say the success of the legion depends on how well we work as a unit, and I think, as a unit, we should be willing to accommodate and help those who otherwise may struggle with things that others might not have thought of?"

She stopped talking, and gave a small bow of her head,
"Apologies if I was too bold."

[Nasira]

"No, ma'am."

Aurelia's voice shook. Sensing something was wrong, Nasira stopped walking and turned around. 

Shiloh then came to Aurelia's rescue:

"Understood. But ma'am, if I may interject..."

Nasira's face took on a look of mild amusement, but she allowed the Shiloh to speak uninterrupted. When Shiloh finished, the smile on Nasira's lips faded, and for a moment she said nothing. It looked as though the overseer was deciding whether or not to take up Shiloh's offer. Finally, Nasira gave a thoughtful nod. "Well spoken." Nasira was pleased Shiloh was showing initiative and consideration for others. It was the sign of a good leader. "I will hold you to it. However, you also have your own commitments, Shiloh. We're assigned where we're needed; you two won't always be together. In the event that happens, another ghazi or an overseer will take your place." 

Nasira turned her gaze to Aurelia. "Aurelia," she said calmly. "As long as you are wearing that blindfold, you are legally blind. You don't owe the world an apology for needing extra help. It's in my job description to make you sure you do your job well. I know it sucks, but we'll make this work." 

[Crow]

  Amidst the ladies' tour of the palace, a light caw interrupted the conversation. Diablo glided through the courtyard door, circling the small entourage with more than a passing interest. He rounded once, then twice, before finding a perch on the gorgon's shoulder. The crow's feathers ruffled, settling himself into place as if he were right at home.

  "Ah... pardon me, ladies. I hope I'm not interrupting anything..?" Crow's voice carried with a relaxed, amiable tone, the soft click of his cane muffled by the courtyard soil as he approached the tour group. He gave a bow and a tip of his hat. "I don't believe we've met. You can call me Crow, if you like." He made a gesture to the corvid looking ever so comfortable on Aurelia's shoulder. "I see you've already met my associate, Diablo." He continued with a turn to face Nasira, the warmth of a smile evident even with a mask in between them.

  "Nasira, I didn't know we'd be getting new members to our family." He lied through his beak, but it wasn't a necessary detail, so he saw no point in haphazardly sharing it with his current audience. Crow made it a point to keep tabs on all the goings on of the Legion, no matter the minutia. But it didn't hurt to say hello.

[Aurelia]

When Shiloh speaks up to defend her, Aurelia can’t help but be a bit surprised... and worried. No one had stood up to help her before. What if her shortcomings got her new friend punished?

“A-ah, thank you, Miss, but p-please take care of yourself, first. I-I don’t want to get you in trouble, either. I’m not worth—“

The self-depreciation is derailed, however, by the bright noise of... a crow? Something flutters around the group before finding purchase on her shoulder. Aurelia’s hand finally releases its grip on Shiloh, if only to carefully reach up to feel at the creature that’s joined them. Soft, warm feathers... definitely a crow. Dainty hand gently scratches the creature under the chin before offering a hand to switch perches, the presence of a soft animal having been a step towards calming the Gorgon down.

Aurelia’s attention is further drawn from her personal digging when someone new appears. While she still seems very reserved, it doesn’t seem she’s aware of just who Crow is. He speaks politely and gently, however, easing Aurelia just a slight more.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mister Crow. My name is Aurelia.”

[Shiloh]

"I will hold you to it. However, you also have your own commitments, Shiloh. We're assigned where we're needed; you two won't always be together. In the event that happens, another ghazi or an overseer will take your place."

"Of course," She nodded, "I understand, as long as there's someone who can assist her."
She fell silent as Nasira addressed Aurelia directly, telling her there was no need to apologize for a situation that is outside of her control. A slight smile crossed her lips, and Shiloh hoped that maybe this would be a start for Aurelia to not be so frightened of everyone.

She caught the sound of a distant caw, the reason for the noise flying over head and landing on Aurelia's shoulder. It was only a moment after that another someone joined their little group. A very properly dressed gentleman, Shiloh noted, the only thing that was off was the plague mask he wore that covered his features. Regardless of that, she had to approve his fashion sense.

"Crow, it's a pleasure. My name is Shiloh Denelle," she introduced, giving a small bow. She then turned her attention on the bird perched on Aurelia's shoulder, giving a small chuckle, she gave him a small pat on the head,
"And you as well, Diablo."
The crow reminded her of her own little 'familiars' so to speak. At the thought of them, one of her tiny bat summons appeared, poking it's head out from behind the collar of her shirt before flying over to Diablo and tilting it's head curiously. 

[Nasira]

"A-ah, thank you, Miss, but p-please take care of yourself, first. I-I don't want to get you in trouble, either. I'm not worth-"

Nasira blinked in surprise. Did Aurelia really think she was going to punish Shiloh? "Hey, that's not..."

A crow sounded, cutting them both off. Nasira looked up.

"Ah...pardon me, ladies. I hope I'm not interrupting anything...?"

Nasira's gaze followed Crow as the tall vizier crossed the enclosure to where they were. Diablo promptly landed on Aurelia's shoulder. The latter's hand moved from Shiloh's arm to Diablo, stroking the crow's glossy black feathers. To the vizier's credit, Aurelia seemed calmer now.

"Nasira, I didn't know we'd be getting new members to our family."

By the tone of Crow's voice, Nasira intuitively knew he was smiling at her. "You never asked," she bantered. Her tone was deceivingly casual, as though she did not care one way or the other, but her dark eyes were friendly.

As soon as Aurelia and Shiloh had introduced themselves, Nasira spoke again. "I was just going over our expectations," she went on, pretending she was talking just to Crow but looking at both Aurelia and Shiloh. Crow had known what they were doing long before he showed up.

[Crow]

  As each woman greeted him and introduced herself, Crow gave an acknowledging tilt of his head, hands coming to rest on his cane.   "The pleasure is mine, I assure you."

  At Nasira's banter, a jovial chuckle bubbled out of him. "I'll keep that in mind for the future, my dear." A casual implication if there ever was one, but he addressed it no further, instead choosing to place himself amongst the entourage.

  "I hope you don't mind if I accompany you," Crow began, leaning his weight on his cane. "I could use the exercise, and it would seem Diablo has already taken a shine to the two of you." His hand lifted to the bottom of his mask, much in the same way one might put a contemplative motion to their chin. "Though, if I may be frank with you, I think he's just biased towards pretty women."

  The corvid's feathers seemed to ruffle in offense.