Zu Mari stepped into the meeting hall, impressed despite himself by the interior architecture. While the outside had been striking, the interior was no less so. Instead of the two-story building he'd been expecting, the hall was simply massive. Alcoves and balconies ran along the outside edges, creating a gallery from which watchers could observe the high table. The table itself was made of jade, carved with an inlay of the Chartreuse Cougar crest and smoothed over with clear glass.

Viha Cougar, the reigning patriarch, stood at the far end of the jade table. Behind him, his throne of white marble with jade accents perfectly set off his dark fur and gold jewelry.

Zu could feel his presence like a wall. If Ozyri Tori and Xashu Cougar had been twice as strong as an average Mari, this man was more like a hundred times as strong.

Zu had become accustomed to the casual weight of presence that the patrol gave off, but they'd been weak compared to Ozyri or Xashu. Avashir's was so tightly controlled that he barely registered to Zu's senses at all. But the people in this room were so strong that Zu stopped short, breathless. He couldn't move, frozen in the patriarch's gaze.

Little Otter squeaked reassuringly, breaking the spell. Zu took a breath.

"Welcome, Zuma," intoned one of the guards. Zu noticed that Ruxja and Avashir had been dismissed, or at any rate they no longer followed him. "Please, be seated."

Zu took a hesitant step forward. Immediately, the suffocating presence of Viha Cougar snatched his breath away once again. Growing angry now, Zu drew on his phoenix's strength, burning his own presence into the air around him. It had worked well enough against Ozyri.

Viha's aura would not be so easily suppressed. It bore down on the phoenix's burning presence, crushing it as easily as it crushed Zu's own aura.

Though his internal power was flawless perfection, Zu's external presence was something he'd never put much thought into. It was there, everyone's was, but he'd done nothing to hone his aura into a weapon. Viha had.

"You may sit." Viha Cougar said, his voice ringing clear and commanding.

Zu forced himself another step forward. He felt Viha's presence pushing back, almost gleefully, and he suddenly saw that this was a power move. Viha wanted to show his dominance over the messenger.

Well. Zu didn't mind being dominated as long as it got him what he wanted. He'd put the man on his eternal enemies list and come back to crush him one day in vengeance, of course; he couldn't let someone think they could push him around. But for the moment, his pride meant nothing. He'd already denied his true identity and adopted a tiny mewling useless creature as familiar--

Little Otter mewled sadly and hid in his collar, trembling.

"I didn't mean it that way," Zu whispered. He patted his tiny familiar, then sat down.

On the floor, he couldn't quite see past the imposing table and assembled chairs, making out just the top of Viha's head and the back of his throne.

"Zuma? Do you require assistance?" asked one of the guards, hesitantly.

Zu waved him away. "I'm fine right here. Thank you." He lay back and crossed his legs, folding his hands behind his head. Little Otter scampered around to perch on his chest, looking around at everyone, then started playing with his over-robe's buttons. "No need to stand on formality."

"You... dare..." the guard spluttered, staring down at Zu with a combination of shock and fear. "Who do you think you are?"

"Mmmm... tired. It's been a very long day, you wouldn't believe how long a day it's been. And the air in here is just so cozy and thick." Zu calmly stroked Little Otter.

"Remove the table," ordered Viha, and the guards sprang forward to do as requested. Within moments, Zu lay staring down the long, empty room, while Viha sat upon his throne at the far end. Four others stood, two on either side of him, in elaborate formal robes.

The patriarch smiled. "There. Now we may converse. You may leave us."

The guards departed, leaving Zu alone with the patriarch and his four... senior councilors, or something.

"You should not treat him so frivolously," whispered Heart of Fire and Spirit of Twilight Death. "This man deserves respect."

"Fine." Zu sat up, crossing his legs, and gave a respectful bow. "Thank you for the welcome, Viha Cougar. I, Zuha Ma--, I mean, Zuma Otta, am grateful for your hospitality. Let us discuss the matters which bring us together."

"Why is it that a neophyte is sent in place of Othima?" demanded one of the councilors, a pale woman in a forest green formal dress. "Has something happened to her?"

"No, she's fine, just running late. I'm here to inspect your library."

The councilors exchanged baffled looks. "You what?" asked an older man, with greying fur and three tails.

"I must inspect the library. There are certain things which you must know, and have available for your people to know, and if they are not present I will be sure to inform you. And Othima. So the lack can be rectified."

"We understand that the Otterman Empire believes itself rightful lord of this continent, but we do not acknowledge this claim. You have no right to dictate our education standards."

"Your education standards are not in question. Merely the information you should have. We do not require indoctrination, simply availability. So long as the proper documents are there for those who would seek them it matters not whether they be imposed upon anyone.”

Viha stroked his chin thoughtfully, staring down at Zu with a curious expression.

The advisors looked at each other, exchanging quiet facial cues Zu couldn't interpret from this distance.

Little Otter succeeded in unraveling the threads on one of his buttons, and begin trying to bite it.

Then Viha finally spoke, inclining his head in polite acknowledgement. "I see we may have misjudged your Empire, Zuma Otta. I begin to see why you were sent in place of Othima."