Okonwe stared at Zarak for a long time after he had finished his spiel, but oddly enough, her stare was void of anger. Instead, there was a strange sort of amusement there, mingled with a hint of surprise. She hadn't said a word throughout his entire lecture--and she could only call it a lecture, for she certainly knew what they were as she did an awful lot of lecturing--but, then again, she probably couldn't have gotten a word in edgewise had she tried. Needless to say, she'd never had the tables turned on her before, and the last time she'd ever been lectured was when she had been a child. She'd probably been no older than Kiyan then, and that had also been about the time she had begun really training to be a shaman.
Her dark violet eyes only narrowed a little toward the end as he met her gaze seriously. It almost looked a challenge, his expression. Or a promise, perhaps. Yet all she did in reply to that was smile a little and say, "Thank you."
The double meaning was there, but she truly had no reason to think he would actually try anything...overtly stupid, for both Kiyan and his sakes. Then again, she also had no idea how close Zarak and Kiyan had gotten, or anything about Zarak's past.
Yes, he had pushed the line, and quite a bit! No one had ever spoken to her like that before, and if anyone ever had in public, they certainly would have been taken down a notch, and quickly, outsider or not--though an outsider would have been treated with a little more tolerance, given their assumed lack of knowledge of how things worked in their society. But they weren't in public, he was an outsider, and if anything this...was just oddly interesting. She was used to people simply respecting her word, maybe questioning it, but never openly challenging it like he was.
Some of the things he had said were also just downright funny, and it had taken an effort not to burst into incredulous laughter. Oh Gods...what had Kiyan told him?! Then again, the boy couldn't really be blamed too much for getting things mixed up. She'd made sure he wasn't there when they'd been discussing what to do about him because, quite frankly, he'd already been scared out of his wits. Especially when they started hashing out whether or not that had counted as adultery...that was about when she had decided it was best he not be present, and if she had had her way, that experience in and of itself would have been punishment enough. The girl's uncle had wanted to break his neck himself, and Kiyan looked ready to go into shock.
She took a moment to get her bearings and collect her thoughts before she answered, smoothing over her features. "I don't know what the boy told you, but that girl isn't getting off free. She has a future husband to face. However...yes. It is true that the field is not quite level. She is not in as severe a position as Kiyan. She claimed she was seduced."
At that she shook her head wryly. "I think it's safe to say the boy doesn't know the first thing about seduction. However, the other tribe was more inclined to believe their own rather than someone they don't know, our own tribe already views him as irresponsible, in both tribes men are charged with a higher level of responsibility, and he chose that perfect moment to lose his voice, so he couldn't explain himself. Though I could vouch for him as I know him best, in the eyes of the others, his behavior was rather...self-incriminating. Running away did not make his case look any better. Then there is the issue of shame...he shamed our tribe, and that is not something taken lightly. Had this happened among our own, the shame would have been his own. He brought it on us all. That tribe was here in good faith, and he did that. Regardless of how responsible the girl was, Kiyan was taught better than that. He knew better than to do something like that, especially with another tribe's girl. He couldn't have chosen a more stupid and dangerous exploit. He could have stopped. He didn't. He knew the risks."
She rubbed her temples. "It...is complicated enough when this happens within our own tribe, but when there is a conflict between the people of two tribes, it is a bit more serious. Two sets of laws and customs have to be taken into consideration, though the side that is wronged has a greater say in the matter. Does this make a little sense? If we fail to repay our debt to them, it can only get worse." She sighed and shook her head. "Again, it is complicated. I do not make the laws, though I understand the need for them. I am an authority here, but in the end, my voice is only one of many. And yes. I think it will be good for him. It is better than the alternatives offered, and it will keep him out of trouble, teach him responsibility and keep him from getting himself killed. He's been lost a long time, no direction, no desire for direction, just constant rebellion. That woman is old and will not live long. This issue will blow over with time. If he treats his time there wisely, he can work his way out of the mess he created. Sometimes, a man needs to be broken to be built back up again. Or, in this case, a boy. And sometimes, sacrifices must be made for the greater good."
Reaching for his bowl, Okonwe stacked it with hers and Kiyan's and collected them in her arms. Then she stood. "He had a lot of potential. But I could only do so much."
She shrugged lightly, but a look of regret flashed across her face despite the stern casualty she aimed for. Then she also scooped up his water glass to refill it, and stepped away through the cloth divider to tend the dishes.
