It was a blustery, clear night at the beginning of spring, the wind cool but dry--and blowing pollen all around. Definitely not Jayari's favorite weather. It left her all sneezy and made her nose red and runny and eyes all sore, but just as she did every year, she bore it, even if it made her a bit moody.
And even moodier still that such weather had to occur when he would be here!
Ki'adan, prince of the White Wolf clan. Argh! It had been ages since she'd last seen him, and while Jayari wasn't normally big on vanity, there were exceptions! This being one of them, because the guy was fine. And that was a while ago! What would he look like now, even older--and no doubt handsomer and stronger?
Those were the thoughts running through her head as she braided her hair into their many small braids and fixed the beads and feathers woven into the strands. She checked her reflection in her mirror (one received from Essyrni traders passing through when she was a child) and scowled at herself. Her eyes were all puffy. Gods, why! She sniffed, hoping to clear her sinuses, took a cloth and dipped it into her wash basin, and pressed it to her eyes to try to bring down the swelling.
Dammit, weather, work with me here! I'm trying to make an impression! A positive one, that is.
Shit. What if the guy had a wife?!
Pushing the thought away, Jayari tossed the cloth aside and checked herself out once more. Aside from the red eyes, she thought she didn't look bad! She'd go so far as to say she looked pretty good! She had dressed up for the occasion, in garb befitting one who was both a warrior and heiress--though she had also made sure to choose the most attractive of her riding clothes: intricately embroidered breeches, clean leather boots, and a brightly patterned deel, topped off with a fur cap to keep her ears warm in the cold. It hugged her form snugly enough that she was sad to wear a coat over it.
Still, all things considered, she thought she looked pretty damned good!
Strong! Attractive! Confident! Yes! That was her! She looked like the sort of woman a man would leave his boring wife for, runny nose and all!
With a wink and a grin at her reflection to help keep her confidence bolstered, she rolled her shoulders back, grabbed her quiver and bow and sheathed her hunting knife, and strode out of her yurt, closing it up behind her.
The moon was bright tonight, lighting her way as she slipped away to fetch her mare, Zala, who seemed a little grumpy to be woken at such an hour, but who accepted it nonetheless with her usual patience. Part of her knew she shouldn't be going out alone this late, but it would be nice to meet up with him quietly at first, as prince and princess of their respective tribes, without the pressure of their parents--and their old grudges--bearing down on them. And so she had honored the request--and gladly, because she didn't mind being alone with him at all!
She lead Zala out quietly, and only once they were a safe distance away did she mount her and ride. It wasn't a far distance, and was still within her tribe's territory, and it wasn't long before she reached the broken tree that marked their meeting place, an old, massive thing that had long ago been split by lightning.
And it was there that she dismounted and waited.