32. Negotiations
*takes place after Shuri sees Talokan but before Namor speaks to Queen Ramonda the second time*
Shuri still didn't know how she felt about the afterlife, Bast's ancestral realm. But she knew she wanted to die now. Maybe she could move to Haiti and live under a new name.
When she told Griot to roll the footage of her and Namor's meeting, she wanted them to hear his origin story. Why he was the way he was. They could use that to reason with him as she once tried in the past. She wanted to show the Wakandan council and her guests how she had tried her hardest to prevent war. And also, to show off her negotiation skills just a little. Shuri loved praise.
Her command for her AI to roll the footage until completion no matter what was because M'Baku often ordered it to stop and talked too much. Every time he would make a comment Griot would restart the footage, prolonging a video that should have been under fifteen minutes to an hour. There would be no interruptions, or he and anyone else would miss what was happening.
But Griot had shown too much.
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"Princess, have you reconsidered?" He murmured low near her ear. Namor had just asked her to burn the world again. The blue light in the cavern did nothing to tint the fires in his eyes. One of lust and one of retribution.
Even though it was with reluctance, Shuri pulled away from their kiss and smacked his chest. His robe was halfway opened, showing a muscular pec.
She was aghast. "How cheap do you think I am? One kiss and you think that will persuade me? I'll not let you end Riri's life."
Shuri hiked her long-flowing skirt up, ready to leave. Her whole dress was white save for the green and red geometric shapes of her shawl and the colorful jade jewelry around her neck.
When he reached for her, she let him pull her back with no resistance.
"My, how my hands can encase all of you," Namor whispered. His eyes were filled with her as if she were a wonder.
He tangibly felt the shiver go down her spine.
Despite her half-lidded eyes, some stubbornness had to barge its way through. "You'll not convince me of the necessity of her murder for your people."
"That, I do for them. This ..." He paused. Eyes widened a bit, almost unhinged. "I do for me."
Shuri's breath hitched. "I ... I don't even know what to call you" she whispered. She was out of her element here. The big bad wolf staring her down, but she was just little red riding hood trying to get home.
"K'uk'ulkan ... or maybe you'll name me something else," he answered her, pressing kisses down her neck. She angled herself closer to him.
He crossed her arms at the wrist, then pushed her back against the cavern wall. Shuri's eyes were big, and her back involuntarily arched up against him. She gasped from the shock, giving him entry into her mouth.
Never wanting it to be said she let a man overpower her, Shuri tried to gain the upper hand. She gripped his shoulders tighter and kissed him more forcefully. He pushed back just as hard into the kiss. She dug her nails into his forearm.
A soft moan escaped from her lips. It was too much. The feel of him everywhere. His hands spread warmth to her entire body.
Namor mumbled something in his language. It sounded beautiful like he was stringing together a prayer in between his panting.
Briefly, she opened her eyes. His eyes rolled into his head for a moment. Shuri's head was so dizzy. How? How could she have this effect on him?
So softly her voice sang to him. "Oh, King of Talokan."
He could say nothing but praise for her. "Your existence is a blessing to me. Finally, I've met my equal." His hand started to trail up her Talokan skirt. He dragged it up her thigh slowly and purposefully. She tightened her grip on him in a daze.
Namor's hand felt as if it were impossibly high when clarity poured over her like a bucket of water. With a girlish shriek, she pushed away from him and the wall.
Shuri rebuked him, her breath ragged. "This isn't how negotiations go! And I'm a princess!"
"But you could be a queen. You could be my bride, Shuri." The emphasis on her name wasn't lost on her. It was the first time he had said it. "With time, maybe I can convince you of an alliance."
Shuri pulled at her ears. "Enough! Wakanda won't sit by and watch! And I told you my mother won't rest until I'm back safely in her arms." She sighed. "Riri has to come with me alive."
Only silence accompanied his gaze for a moment. He wasn't swayed by her plead for the scientist's life. No matter how lovesick, his protective measures for Talokan wouldn't change. Then, he grabbed her hand, placing a light kiss on her wrist.
Shuri closed her eyes and rested her head against his shoulder. She just needed time to think.
"K'uk'ulkan," she started. His smile widened in approval before dropping. "This cannot happen again until I know you don't wish harm upon that young woman. You're charming, but I cannot in good conscience..." She knew he understood what she meant, so she didn't finish her statement.
Shaking his head, Namor told her, "We cannot agree here, so we must agree elsewhere." His hands encircled her waist.
His guard Namora didn't give them any privacy, speaking loudly, "K'uk'ulkan, the Wakandan Queen is impatient. When will you depart?" If she disapproved of their embrace, she showed no expression.
He pulled away frowning, telling Namora to bring her and Riri dinner while he talked to Queen Ramonda. He kept glancing back at her until he dove into the water.
If Namora hadn't interrupted, Shuri couldn't allow herself to think of what would have happened next. Would she have allowed it or scurried away? Or worse would she have begun craving his touch?
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Griot's voice alerted the small group, saying, "End of recorded footage. Princess Shuri, should I replay at 2x slower speed?"
"No, Griot that's enough. And disable forced playthrough." Shuri muttered. "Never again!"
Nakia had her hands clamped over her mouth. She had come for moral support.
Shuri swallowed, wondering whether it would be better to vomit from the sheer embarrassment, fake apathy, or excuse herself and never leave her lab again. Her shirt felt plastered to her back with sweat. Yeah, she never needed to look the elders in the eyes again. Her holograph could go in her place for the rest of her life.
Pure disgust would have been better than the amusement in some of the elder's eyes.
"Ahh, the princess is young indeed. I forget her youth because I often see her leading in Wakanda's technological advancements," said the elder with the green lip plate. He had a fatherly look of understanding in his eyes.
The woman hailing from Himba origins was disappointed. Her red clay hair swayed as she moved her hands. "Our princess wasn't aware of how to exploit him. This would've been an opportune time to suggest a marital alliance. It would've given him what he wanted, an ally without expending any Wakandan resources. With an official marriage, he would've been forced to send the princess and the scientist, as a part of her wedding party, back home to prepare. Then, she could've got through with it or killed him."
The elder from Border Tribe and Okoye's uncle gave a measured glance. He folded his hands and said cooly, "Perhaps, the princess was trying to gain her way into his kingdom? A man believed to be a god was putty for her. Did she have sights on ruling Talokan too?" Whether he verbally said it or not, Shuri could feel his disdain. "Queen Mother, rest her soul, was frantic for you. Yet you were posturing yourself to him like a common whore."
Ayo hit her spear against the floor, only speaking without permission to restore order. "Enough! You'll not speak to the princess that way. And if you weren't blinded, could you not see him advancing on her, like predator and prey?"
"Oh, Shuri." Okoye said, dumbfounded. Then, frowned. Her hand twitched, wanting to drive her spear through Namor's heart. "Don't be hard on yourself."
Riri clapped her hands, feeling vindicated. "I knew it! I knew y'all was up to something. And I don't fault you, girl. This was before he showed his crazy behind."
M'Baku was more exasperated than anything. "You mean to tell me, princess. You could've just seduced him and saved Wakanda from all the headache. The flooding? Ah Hanuman, this girl will be the death of me! Do you know how hard that fish man punched?"
Nakia walked over to where Shuri, trying not to melt into a puddle of shame, was sitting. She placed her hands on the younger woman's shoulders. The same "we need to talk" look was in her eyes like when she questioned who Shuri saw in the ancestral realm. Shuri still hadn't told her, and they most definitely wouldn't talk about her moment with Namor.
"If it pleases King M'Baku and Princess Shuri, let us partake in our dinner. The River Tribe chefs have prepared an illustrious arrangement of food."
M'Baku was either hungry or he had noticed Shuri's withdrawnness. Immediately, he agreed. "Yes, there is a garden salad with my name on it. Meeting adjourned!"
With that, dinner convened their unofficial 'how to deal with Namor in future negotiations meeting' meeting.