They walked on, sipping and eating berries until their hands were dyed with red and purple and their flasks were empty. Then arrived at another small stream, circled by wild olives and acacias.
Once they filled their flasks, they shaded themselves under the thickest pod mahogany tree to shade themselves.
Out came the layered iced food boxes – metal, double-walled boxes with an inner chamber for food, with a separate surrounding canal that ran through the box and lid, which was filled with water and iced.
They were sure to stock large slabs of tofu, some raw, some marinaded and some smoked.
Despite it being one of Salīa's favorite things to nibble on, it mostly went to the tigers. As they loved soybeans more than any other legume.
She lay down and nuzzled in hers, a boy, while Bazil let his rest on his lap, a girl.
Tiago tigers were truly some of the most beautiful and sacred creatures of the realm. Their fur, soft to the touch, and mostly black or some white, but all coated in gold stripes.
Like all tigers, they're naturally quite large and especially strong and fast, proving quite helpful when they swim, jump, or climb. While their capabilities almost exceed the supernatural, they're quite earthly in some ways.
For they're extremely solitary nightwalkers who are picky about company, yet they have a penchant for those who are most adoring. Especially young children and gentle elders.
They've proven to be extremely loyal and great defenders, which is why they often work alongside zazi.
Though conversely, they don't hesitate to attack if feeling threatened, deceived, or mocked.
Undeniably clever and observant, they've even shown use of tactics to escape captivity and save others with unique maneuvers. It's highly believed that tiago tigers have a heightened consciousness, feeding their intuition.
Though it gave them a certain sensitivity as well, such as their aversion to eating animals.
For some reason, it would make them quite sick, although they might do so in forced conditions, yet not without repercussions.
It was truly strange, yet they'd rather gnash into nuts and bark, with a preference for earth fruit, before touching anything with a soul.
Though there are occasions of them ripping into people, some believe it's because they can be quite vengeful.
Knowing this, Salazāhns are fully aware that they will only be ridden if they permit it. Since all animals are respected in Salazā, from the tallest elephant to the smallest ant, it took no time for them to have the practice of 'asking' any animal if it's fine to ride them or have them collect things.
But most didn't dare to ask that of a tiago tiger.
Yet to Salīa, they were just fluffy little cats whose paws she'd rub to calm their claws into retracting.
Maybe it's because her ancestral animal is the same, or maybe it's because she'd play with many baby tigers as a babe herself, yet she never once feared these majestic beings.
Even lying in one, she could only be soothed by its purring as she stroked its face.
"Hawking hasn't come back yet."
"No," Salīa bit into some tofu guiltily and tossed some to the tigers. "He's like a son once he feels too old for his mother's care. He'll roam the lands and won't tell you when he's leaving, yet like a good son, he always returns."
"Sounds like a daughter, too," Bazil smiled. "At least one like you."
"Hawking is definitely my punishment for the worry I've put my mother through."
"Seems like it. You were always climbing the tallest walls, jumping the thinnest trees, diving into the deepest parts of the sea," he shook his head. "And you could never keep clothes because you always dyed them in mud and covered yourself in bruises."
"Ay, and you act like you weren't there beside me doing the same," she nudged him.
"Yes," he admitted. "But I'm like that son that feels too old for his mother's care."
"I see that."
It had dawned on her in little moments, but especially so when she saw Bazil instructing his own army.
The role of Commander Guardian was equivalent to what other military in the realm may refer to as General, and he served his role quite well.
She'd truly felt proud that her longtime friend finally fulfilled one of his milestones and was even more grateful he'd step aside from it momentarily just to guard her. Though it was unfamiliar to see how much he's changed.
He'd always been expressive ever since they were kids, so she's seen almost every emotion in his care, from uncontainable joy to wallowing sadness. And so, learning that his army had mostly only known his stoic face and disciplined tone was quite a surprise to her.
Even more so, that he'd show that side of himself more to her than what she'd grown used to. So, despite her being proud of him, she couldn't help but tease, too, hoping to pull that flustered and animated side out of him from time to time.
"Oh," Bazil reached over, stroking the side of her face.
"What?!"
Salīa pulled back, feeling her face turn to blush.
"Sorry, Līa," he instantly apologized, then lifted a piece of pod shell that he picked off her hair. "I-I know you don't like being touched without permission, but I saw this fall on you, and so I didn't think. Forgive me."
Bazil was certainly flustered, yet Salīa was too flustered herself to be amused by it.
"It's alright, thank you."
There was silence as she snacked on. He drank from his flask, and her eyes kept drifting to his wet lips and how he wiped down the sweat at the back of his neck.
Even the gentleness of his breathing caught her attention, watching the rise and fall of his chest.
It seemed his own chestnut brown eyes were tracing over the stream, before they led back to her.
He licked his teeth, then paused, before asking, "Was it…consensual?"
"What?"
He looked to her solemnly, and she realized.
Oh. I thought he'd forgotten about the twins already.
"Whether saying yes or no, you'll still be displeased."
"Yes, but…"
"If it weren't, I wouldn't have accepted their gift."
She realized at his angered glance that he didn't know about the gift until she mentioned it.
He looked like he wanted to speak, yet held his tongue.
Some time passed, and he said, "You do know, by our custom and law, you cannot marry both of them."
"Marry?" Salīa chuckled. "Even if I could, it'd make no difference. You think just because I let them nibble on my neck that we're sworn to each other now?"
His face went down shyly.
"I wouldn't know what means what with such things."
"Well, if someone were to nibble your neck, do you think you'd wed them?"
"Who is this someone?" he stared deeply.
She blushed and averted her gaze.
"You know…someone you choose."
"If it's someone I choose," he said calmly. "Then yes, I would."
To this, her face wouldn't cool, and she stayed quiet, knowing only stutters would come out if she didn't. Fanning himself, Bazil stayed quite relaxed.
"So, what was it that those mangy cats traded you?"
Mangy cats? Ha!
"Memories. They knew who I was from recalling a time when I accidentally revealed their memories back when we were children."
"Right…"
"They had a way of controlling what they showed me and promised it would be something of use to me."
Bazil seemed to regret learning more, yet he still went on.
"Was it?"
She didn't know how to answer.
For the memories of them were mostly flashes of them playing ala-bala.
"You let them put their mouths on your neck for memories of them kicking a ball around?"
He was certainly trying hard not to yell.
"If they wanted to put it on your lips instead, would they simply have to offer some sights of them swinging in trees?"
"No, that only would give them a cheek maybe. But if they showed themselves splashing about in the sea, I might've conside—"
Salīa ceased her joking when she saw Bazil's brows bury itself all the way into the ridge of his nose.
"It's too fun teasing you."
"I can't imagine why," he turned his head. "I'm offering my ear, Līa. So please tell me that's not all I offered it for."
Salīa hadn't had much time to think about it since leaving, but she was sure that the memories offered weren't just a sly scheme on the twins' part.
She had been slowly piecing the puzzle pieces of each together, and did find something useful indeed.
"I'll try to explain it the best I understand it so far."
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