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Another visit from her betrothed. Lyti was becoming good at putting Brenning at ease, managing it more and more quickly each time she saw him. He was never totally relaxed around her, which was kind of endearing and flattering, but she took it as a testament to her own skill that she was able to help him be at ease. This time was a first though. She was actually looking forward to his visit. He had sought her out earlier to ask if he could see her later and bring her something. A gift.

So now Lyti waited as patiently as she could for her betrothed to arrive with the gift he had promised her. She hoped it was something excellent, something she could boast to Naaja about. She and the warlord's daughter were friends, but Lyti still wanted to show her friend up from time to time. Her betrothal had been one way to do it, even though Brenning was not the dashing captain she had dreamed of, since she had been betrothed first,but since then she had been drawing a blank.

"Come along," Bren urged his thrall.

The bright blue lion was somewhat newly taken, and ordinarily that would mean he was unfit as a gift for a gentle lioness like Lyti, in case he was insufficiently broken, but Bren had watched him very carefully. He had even spoken to him, and while he was difficult to understand, he seemed like a basically peaceful thrall.

He spoke the whole way, reminding the thrall with the unpronounceable name of how he must behave and what dire consequences he faced if he put Lyti in the slightest danger, or failed to obey her as perfectly as he was able. Bren had already made these points very clear in the past, but he could not help enumerating them over again and elaborating. It was so very important to him that Lyti be pleased with this gift.

At last they arrived and he fell silent. Then he called out, "Lyti?"

Txur was still continually startled by the strangeness of the land he had been brought to. The cold was wretched, but the dampness was almost reminiscent of the jungle's humidity. Except for the wretched cold. Sometimes he found his attention stolen by a lion wearing furs that looked wonderfully warm. Perhaps he would be able to acquire one of those somehow. Maybe several.

"I will do my best," he assured the red lion.

His master was so young and earnest, reminding Txur some of himself as a young lion, when he and Petra had first fallen in love. He could recognize that devotion, and for that alone he would do his best to help him impress this girl he loved. Txur's own life with the Na'vi was over, but he was not dead, and while he lived he would serve life. This was a way he could do that.

He did hope that the lioness was as good and gentle as Bren claimed, however.

"Stormlords, Brenning!" Lyti gasped. "I had no idea you meant to bring me a gift like this."

A thrall. A reall thrall all of her own, brought to her by the lion she would marry. That was a worthy gift. She was pleased, but also speechless. She was, in truth, flabbergasted. Bren was sweet and devoted, but she had not expected him to be capable of something of this magnitude.

"You may stand," she said to the thrall. "Let's all step outside. I would like to take a better look at this present of mine."

It was dark enough to hide her delighted expression, and she was glad. She would have to compose herself before they got outside though. It was unladylike to show too much pleasure in a moment like this. Her mother had taught her that. Never make a scene unless it is a matter of life or death.

"So...you like him?" Bren asked, eager for reassurance that he had done the right thing in bringing her this thrall.

He moved toward the sunlight as he spoke, cursing himself for sounding so young and weak, but he needed to hear that she liked the thrall. He had been so excited to give her this gift, and she seemed to be taking it in stride, as if it was every day something like this happened. From what he knew of her family, they didn't keep personal thralls at all. Maybe there was some sort of philosophical reason for that, and he had actually displeased her.

"He pleases you?" he asked again as they stepped into sunlight once more. "Really?"

Since no one could see his face, Txur allowed himself to cringe sympathetically at his former master's earnest queries regarding how pleased his betrothed was with him. Txur had loved like that, once, but time had altered his relationship until it was easier to define his marriage by what it lacked than by what it had. He would never have left the Na'vi if that had not been the case. As it was, he was pretty sure Petra hadn't even noticed his absence.

The idea of being property was still alien to Txur, but as a priest in the Na'vi he could understand the idea that his life was not just his own. He lived for the good of the pride, and his family, and the earth. So this was, in a way, like saying that he now lived for his new mistress. Sort of. He'd work on trying to adapt his worldview, but that was no easy task.

Txur was the first to step into the open air, and he did so just as a gust of wind blew off the water, freezing him in his tracks momentarily. Mother Eywa, but it was cold here. He hoped that the climate would grow more mild in the coming months. As he stood in the cold, trying not to shiver, he became aware of his mistress studying him, which was not a comfortable feeling.

Lyti shot Bren a look when he suggested changing the thrall's name. There were lions who said her father's name was unpronounceable. She didn't see what was so difficult about Sakhr, herself, but it was apparently strange to the Stormborn. She was willing to at least give the thrall a chance before she considered changing his name.

And then she heard his name. She knew right away that she would have difficulty with that first noise. How did he even do that? The rest of it wasn't so difficult. For the time being she would ignore that first aspirated T and treat it as if it was a normal T, which would make it..."Turatan? I'll work on it. I like how exotic it sounds."

She smiled at the thrall and then turned to smile at Bren, too, but he wasn't looking at her. He looked like he had somewhere else to be. Maybe he did. When they were married she would insist on knowing his schedule. Not in a controlling way. Just so that she would know approximately when he would and would not be around and she wouldn't have to wonder if she was messing with his schedule or something.

"You did better than I did with that name," he said encouragingly, but Lyti wasn't looking at him. She was smiling at the thrall.

Lyti was partially right. Bren didn't have somewhere else that he had to be, but he could think of about a million other places he would rather be. The way this thrall gift had failed to work out made him want to just go home and be alone in the dark for a while. He could be doing that right now, actually.

"Let me know if you have any trouble with him," he mumbled. "I've got to...things...excuse me."

Then he began walking purposefully in a direction best described as "away."

Txur smiled encouragingly without raising his gaze. It wasn't quite his name, but it was close, and it sounded like he would not be renamed. That was good. A soft, relieved sigh escaped his lungs.

Even without looking he could sense when he was no longer the focus of Lyti's attention. He could hear the defeat in Bren's voice and wished he could reassure the lion that things would be all right, but he couldn't. Not now. Maybe he could find a way to hint to his mistress that more effusive praise would help her betrothed. She seemed like a decent enough lioness.

As he was thinking these things his mistress instructed him to follow her back into the den and began to instruct him on his duties. He would adapt and survive.