With a stomach still grumbling, Salīa walked the land with Mami Mamba.
While it was akin to a military village due to how many zazi, zaza, and even zazu were stationed here and passed through here, it was much homely too.
Many walked by carrying baskets on their head of grains, fruits, and dried clothes. As there were those talking cheerily with another, with babies wrapped in blankets to their backs.
Many hewed at wood while others lined skewers and roasted foods over open fires.
Big, black pots were stirred fervently on the ground while others were climbing trees and hanging décor on the branches.
"Feels like home, doesn't it?" Mami Mamba asked.
"Hmm."
They made it to a warm spring, having scrubbed themselves and tucked their curls into woven headwraps.
It seemed this spring was just for women and older girls, yet the utmost space was given in respect for Salīa and the chiefess.
It wasn't surprising to see that all the women were quite toned, no matter their shape. They all had markings, whether one or a chock full.
Some had piercings and jewels in their teeth, yet others didn't care for them.
Mami Mamba, however, had it all.
As a guardian of a rank so high that only Chief Raino surpassed it, it was no surprise that markings ran all over, in rapid but beautiful strikes with the only fluid shape being that of two mambas which coiled from her back and raised of her shoulders letting their forked tongue touch at the center of her chest, joining the tongue of small mamba which lay underneath her front.
"Do you want to see something?" Mami Mamba smiled mischievously.
She let her misty eyes and skin darken, partially transcending, changing the color of her markings from black to gold. It matched the golden piercings that Salīa had just realized were on her nipples.
Having a penchant for admiring beauties, her nature stirred a momentary inappropriate thought in Salīa's mind, but she quickly flicked that away when Mami Mamba locked eyes with her as if she could read her mind.
"Would you like some of your own?"
"No," Salīa shook her head instantly. "It's not that they don't look great on you. I mean, your breasts are beautiful, and the piercings really bring out their shape, but my skin resists too much. I can barely keep my ear piercings from closing unless I always have earrings in and—"
Mami Mamba laid back, sank her shoulders into the water, and smiled, amused.
"Despite its banning, you've seen how magic and transcendence are still very much a part of who we all are.
I've known your mother long enough to know why she wanted to keep you away from it and how she feared you'd use it anyway, despite the consequences."
She sighed.
"But since you haven't said anything to condemn us, I guess you've decided that you'd rather face the consequences."
"If that's what it takes to find my family."
Mami Mamba nodded.
"Your aunt is looking for them, too."
Aunt Liza?
"I don't know where she is. I saw her here on the day Salazā was attacked, and she seemed upset. But she only came here to collect supplies and markings as she set off."
Mami Mamba tapped her heart where the snakes met.
"Markings are made with sacred ink to support our spirits as we use magic so that it does not become corrupt and as we transcend so that we do not go berserk."
"But Bazil…"
"The heart is unconquerable. Its passionate resolve can break through any limit we set upon ourselves. Ama's blood powers you, so as a guardian of love, I'm sure you know these words well. After all, it comes from another Protector, Salīa I."
Salīa sank deeper into the spring until it was up to her lips.
"I only do this on auspicious days such as this one, so it seems fortune is in your favor. I'm a carrier of that ink, and I am more than happy to mark you."
"Well, of course you are. Who doesn't want to mark the Protector or the Queen or…" she halted, realizing she spoke without thinking.
Mami Mamba licked her lips, her amusement having deepened.
"Of course, marking either is an honor. I've already marked your mother, so I've been blessed with the Queen part. And since I like challenges, of course, I'd want to be the one to mark the Protector. But truthfully, it's because it's you."
Salīa blushed.
"I always had a feeling about you, and the titles just enhance that. Your power reaches even beyond our realm, and markings can ground you whenever you ever feel you're losing yourself."
She lifted.
"My door is open to you anytime if you've made up your mind."
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