Akilia's Links
Akilia has absolutely no feelings for Ua; her life would go unaltered whether or not Ua was a member of the pride. However, Ua doesn't seem to be suspicious of her, so that is one benefit to her being around. At the very least, she serves as one more pawn spouting about her innocence, or so Akilia's mother says. And the Learner Healer is kind enough, so Akilia can't really fault her all that much. Another benefit to Ua that both Akilia and her mother have also recognized is that she keeps Jino under control. While Jino doesn't serve as a direct threat to Akilia, she is a loose cannon, and Akilia would prefer to avoid having her mess up Akilia's duty to the Isle of Roses. Since Ua is the only who can seemingly control her, Akilia has made a point to praise her for that whenever she gets the chance, so that hopefully she will continue to keep Jino under control.
Ua, like most of the pride, greatly admires Akilia. In fact, it would not be far-fetched to say she finds Akilia awe-inspiring. Though Ua doesn't understand how being an Oracle works, she certainly respects the role, probably more so because the Oracle is so isolated from every other member of the pride. She listens intently to Akilia's words when she is present, very curious to understand any element of how her position in the pride works. Ua also is excited that Akilia has even noticed her, since she is not often present in the pride and shouldn't be expected to know everyone all that well. To have Akilia praise her for taking care of her sister makes Ua feel all the prouder of doing it, though she does wonder why Akilia makes a point to say anything. After all, it's the right thing to do, since Jino is her sister. However, ignoring the strange way that Akilia broaches the subject, Ua is pleased that someone notices how much she does for her sister, even if she doesn't realize it's a bit of an ego boost.
Akilia knows that Cheka is suspicious of her. If she's being honest, she doesn't know why Cheka hasn't tried to expose her to Nasaba; she can only assume it's because Cheka is not completely certain, or maybe she doesn't want to risk her mate reacting poorly if he doesn't believe her. Whatever the case, Akilia's mother has told her to keep an eye on Cheka, because they don't want her trying to expose Akilia before the jig is up. Even if she didn't recognize Cheka's suspicions of her, Akilia would still keep an eye on her, simply because she is one of the few pride members who knows the truth of Cheka's role. She was never just a Huntress, and she certainly isn't just Nasaba's Consort; Cheka is the Assassin, and Akilia knows she cannot for a moment underestimate the danger Cheka could prove to be if she gets any proof of Akilia's plans.
Ironically enough, despite what Akilia thinks, Cheka doesn't actually think Akilia is suspicious. Well, that's not entirely true. Cheka does suspect something is off with Akilia, but she doesn't know what, and she certainky doesn't suspect it to the degree that she should. Cheka keeps an eye on everyone in the pride, not just Akilia, so if Akilia does feel that Cheka is eyeing her in particular, then it is probably Akilia's paranoia. While Cheka does feel that the pride probably puts a bit too much stock in what Akilia says (though that could be in part because she wants Nasaba to be leader, and feels Akilia steps on his toes a bit too often), she doesn't have any serious issues to lobby against Akilia, so she generally just wants to ignore her presence. Of course, she can't completely ignore her, because as previously mentioned, she has to keep an eye on everyone in the pride; that's part of her duties. But as much as possible, she just opts to ignore the Oracle, deciding that if the ancestors desperately need to give her a message in particular, they can speak to her personally.
Akilia doesn't understand Haraka. Despite choosing to be a part of the pride, Haraka seems like she could care less about everyone in it, or even the state of it. It makes Akilia wonder why the red and gray lioness would even stick around. However, Haraka has never seemed to be in opposition with anything Akilia has said, and due to her generally aloof behavior, Akilia is fairly certain Haraka doesn't even care who the leader is. She definitely doesn't treat Nasaba any differently than the rest of the pride, so Akilia doesn't see why it would be an issue to Haraka is leadership changed. All in all, Akilia doesn't make an effort to speak with the huntress, as she doubts she could convince the loner to spend enough time with her to win her over to her side, however, she doesn't see Haraka as an obstacle to her cause either. In Akilia's eyes, she's just a bystander.
Jino is a loose cannon, unpredictable, and that makes Akilia uncomfortable. It's not that she thinks Jino will expose her; she is quite certain that Jino has no interest in her, as Jino only cares about figuring out who her parents are. However, she still is destructive, and Akilia does not want to risk the brown lioness unintentionally ruining all her plans. Akilia has a pride to save, and she will not let Jino make that all be for naught. That is one reason Akilia makes sure to praise Ua for helping keep Jino under control, as she figures that is further insurance that Jino won't mess everything up. Akilia does think Jino's story is tragic, but it is simply not a priority; actually, stories like Jino's are the ones that spurred her to continue to pursue the path her mother sent her on. After all, if she were in charge, she would ensure that there was no reason for fates like that to occur. (Akilia seems to forget that, as far as she knows, the mother isn't even one of her pride members. If only she knew that Laani, her "cursed" Learner, was the one who gave birth; it's honestly surprising that she didn't figure it out, since Akilia is one of the more intelligent pride members.)
Unless someone can help figure out who Jino's parents are, or unless they are one of her two unknown parents, Jino doesn't care about them. Since Akilia doesn't fit either of those two things, Jino doesn't care about her. Sure, Jino believes that Akilia can speak with the ancestors, but Jino doesn't see any reason that that would benefit her; after all, what have the ancestors ever done for her? As of right now, nothing. Even if Jino knew what Akilia planned to do, she probably wouldn't care or do anything about it; Jino doesn't care much for the pride, and probably would have left to try and hunt down her mother and father if it weren't for Ua. Her sister is the only thing tying her to the Isle of Roses (that she knows of), so she'll stick around for her sake, since she knows she'll never rip the Learner Healer away from her duties. Jino just does her best to search for clues about her parents on her own, within her pride's territory (since that is where they were found), and ignores all of her pridemates, including Akilia, as much as possible.
Unlike his (now ex) mate, Akilia doesn't mind Jiwe. While he just as easily seemed to buy the idea that his daughter was cursed, Jiwe never seemed to let that affect his responsibility as a father. While it might have made him a bit more skeptical of the things Laani said and did, he was still a father the cub deserved. In fact, Akilia is almost jealous of Jiwe's family, seeing how great of a husband and father he was and is to them. Akilia never had a true father figure in her life - the male merchants were more interested in their wares than having an adoptive daughter - and so she envies Sasa and Laani for having such a kind and caring one. However, Jiwe's stoic, silent and brooding persona that he (seemingly unintentionally) gives off does intimidate her. He is hard to read, though Akilia doesn't think he has any suspicions of her. Still, she knows he is close to Nasaba, and therefore isn't going to take kindly to her staging a coup. Which is a shame, because if she could, she'd love to sway the Soldier over to her side.
In ensuring his sister was indebted to her, Akilia knows that she has made herself an enemy in Kifo. On the one hand, it's not like he would know that she knows the truth behind his father's murder, however, he still is no doubt bitter towards her. After all, the name change might have been a bit much. Then again, was she supposed to leave his name as meaning "gift"? If he was a murderer like she claimed, then such a name wasn't nearly as fitting as one meaning "death." Still, Akilia does wonder if the touch her mother had urged her to add was a bit over the top, especially since the poor lion was already demoted to the rank of Witness within the pride. If she's honest with herself, she can't even blame Kifo if he is bitter at her; she did essentially ruin his life, but it is for the greater good, so while she doesn't blame Kifo if he is bitter, she also refuses to regret her decision, for Msaliti has already proven to be willing to lie and go against what is right. Kifo is obviously too hesitant to break the rules, and whoever owes Akilia a debt cannot be someone who will be unwilling to do what some might consider to be treason.
Despite what Akilia thinks, Kifo does not harbor any bitter feeling towards her. Whether it's because he has not stopped to think through her involvement or because he assumes she has no reason to lie, Kifo doesn't see any point in pointing to her as a cause for his suffering. After all, if it weren't for her, Kifo could have faced a worse fate; even if he'd just been exiled, he wouldn't have had a proper to chance to clear his name, which the role of Witness at least gives him the chance to do. While he is skeptical of how often Msaliti and Akilia speak now, that is more because he is always concerned with who Msaliti speaks with. It is Msaliti who he blames for his current situation, and until he has taken her down, he probably won't even stop to consider that someone else could have helped her lie to avoid being punished.
Kokoto is an annoyance. It's a fact that almost everyone in the Isle of Roses has come to grips with, and Akilia is no different. However, she is less annoyed by him than most; sure, his seemingly constant need to give himself an ego boost is not something Akilia has any interest in tolerating, she doesn't think the Soldier poses any threats to her plans. Besides, if you sit and listen to him brag about himself for a while (or better yet, praise him yourself), you've automatically won his favor. That, or if his adoptive daughter, Roho, likes you. Therefore, though Akilia finds some of his habits annoying and would definitely try to rid him of them when she becomes leader, she doesn't have as much of a problem with Kokoto overall. Plus, she can tell there's more to him, even if he doesn't show it. As much as he pretends to be completely surface level, he's more complex; Akilia refuses to believe anyone could be as shallow as Kokoto likes to pretend to be.
Kubariki. One of several things that gives Akilia pause over taking down Nasaba and taking over the pride in his stead. It's not that Akilia feels bad for intending to take leadership of the pride he is meant to lead; Akilia doesn't see much point in bloodlines being what decides a leader, as just because you are a descendant of a good leader doesn't mean you'll be one. However, she doesn't have much of an issue so long as the cub will lead the pride the right way, so she wouldn't mind having her own cubs take over the pride one day after she passes on. That is beside the point though. The reason Kubariki gives Akilia pause is because she does not want to force him to grow up without a father figure like she did. (And she fears she might ultimately deprive him of a mother too, if Cheka will fight against her as intensely as Akilia believes she will.) His existence at least make Akilia even warier of the idea of killing Cheka and Nasaba to ensure they don't try to retaliate, as that is what her mother wants her to do.
How does one reaction to a lion who supposedly took the devil's name? Akilia certainly doesn't know. Kusafiri keeps to himself a lot of the time, though he has friends in the pride, unlike Haraka. If Akilia is being honest with herself, he is probably the hardest pride member for Akilia to get a read on. She has heard the legends, and seen first hand how Kusafiri neither confirms nor denies what others say about him. She has found no proof that would declare him to be the Kusafiri of legend, but she has nothing that would counter that argument either. His presence in the pride is one that Akilia cannot help but feel threatened by, for if he really is the Kusafiri that made a deal with the devil, there is no telling what power he has. Especially when Akilia has no idea whether or not he won. Generally, Akilia's policy is to try and avoid exposing herself to him or risking his ire, though if he is powerful, she has to wonder how she could go about swaying him to join her side. She would just try to sway his mate, but something tells her getting Maji to join her plans to stage a coup would be even harder than convincing Kusafiri.
Akilia pities Laani, namely because she knows she has made her Learner suffer to keep her own secret safe. (Though Akilia doesn't know that Laani is aware of this.) However, it is necessary for the good of the pride; maybe, once she has reformed the system, she can clear Laani's name of the curse Akilia declared she had since she was a cub. After all, her mother had urged her to say it, saying otherwise, Laani, who she sensed had a genuine connection to the ancestors, would expose her. Still, that doesn't stop Akilia from pitying Laani, whose only real crime was serving as a liability. It doesn't help that the lioness is fairly sweet; Akilia tries to keep her Learner pretty busy to avoid having to see her, as the kinder Laani is, the guiltier Akilia feels. Recently, Laani seems to have closed off a bit though, and Akilia isn't sure if that should be a relief or worrisome. It's hard to get a read on a lion you can't bring yourself to stay around for too long.
For a while, Laani loved Akilia, seeing her as one of the few members of the Isle of Roses who treated her as a complete equal in spite of her curse. She was eager to please the Oracle because of this, especially once she was named her Learner Oracle. However, her Teacher was always insisting on giving her different tasks to do, and Laani quickly learned that, despite being her Learner, she wouldn't see much of Akilia. It was an odd arrangement, one that Laani wasn't super satisfied with. Being the pride's Oracle was already a lonely job, so she assumed having her Teacher would at least be a bright spot in the solitude; instead, it somehow made her feel even more isolated. It wasn't till recently, when the ancestors were certain she was trustworthy, that they told her the truth. Imagine Laani's surprise when she learned the lioness she had looked up to was the one who made her be isolated by many of her pridemates, fabricating a curse to protect her own secret. Since then, Laani has closed herself off to Akilia, which wasn't all that hard since Akilia didn't want much to do with her anyways. Laani assumes that Akilia doesn't see her as anything but a liability, to right now, she is waiting for the chance to expose Akilia for the fraud that she truly is.
Maji is a force to be reckoned with. Though Akilia has never personally drawn the lioness' ire, she has seen how quickly the sweet lioness can shift to one filled with fury and an insatiable hunger for justice. On the one hand, Akilia would like to believe that Maji would side with her, understanding that what Akilia intends to do is for the betterment of the pride. However, she has seen how loyal Maji is, and something tells her the lioness would not take kindly to a slight against Nasaba, who she is obviously fond of. If Akilia could sway Kusafiri to her side, she is sure Maji would quickly follow, however, Akilia doesn't know how to even go about swaying Maji's mate to her side either. The only opening Akilia currently sees to get Maji to side with her is to somehow utilize Maji's inability to remember anything before Kusafiri saved her life, but she isn't sure how she would use that to her advantage. (Besides, a part of her is far too uncomfortable with the idea of utilizing that tragedy, even if her mother thinks it could serve to be a great advantage for them.)
Akilai doesn't like Mzatamo. He's far too skeptical to simply buy into her "messages" without proof, and even the signs her mother has orchestrated for her don't seem to be enough to sway him. It doesn't help that he already didn't believe in their ancestors; that fact alone meant she was already starting at a disadvantage, and she apparently hasn't made any headway in changing his perspective on her. It's frustrating for Akilia to encounter someone as intelligent as him, as he won't follow her blindly like a sheep, which would make her job that much easier. Thankfully, Mzatamo tends to keep quiet on his opinions, so he has done nothing to sway the rest of the pride. Since he has yet to try and expose her as a suspicious figure, Akilia assumes he doesn't realize how much of a fraud she really is - though is she one, when she is technically conversing with an ancestor? - and hopes it will stay that way. She got lucky that the pride's biggest nonbeliever was so quiet.
Mzatamo doesn't hate Akilia, but he certainly doesn't like her; he never has. While he hasn't been able to determine whether she believes she's lying, his skepticism of the existence of the pride's ancestors makes him suspicious of her supposed "messages" and "signs" from them. The fact that she was not born into the pride, but instead came as an outsider, only serves to make her credibility even more shaky. However, Mzatamo has no intentions of shattering the rest of the pride's belief, as she seems fairly harmless. None of her advice has hurt anyone, and Akilia doesn't seem to bare any ill will, though Mzatamo continues to keep an eye on her just in case. (The Kifo / Msaliti situation has given him some pause, though he is still trying to discern whether or not Kifo was the real murderer, and if so, if Akilia knew the truth.) Though he'd never admit it, a part of him hopes the lioness proves his beliefs wrong, and is able to convince him that the ancestors do indeed exist. However, till she manages that, he will continue to ignore what she says and let the rest of the pride believe her, since it seems to at least help them feel hopeful about the future.
It's not that Akilia dislikes Nasaba. Actually, she thinks he is nice enough, and without her mother's interference, might have left him and his pride alone. (Whether or not she would have still joined is up for debate, as she wouldn't be the Oracle without her mother's help.) However, her mother has pointed out all of the "flaws" in Nasaba's leadership, and Akilia does not want the members of the Isle of Roses to get hurt because he is not capable of properly leading them. She believes the King has good intentions, but that he is misguided in how he enacts them. If there were any other way in her mind to fix the pride, she would, but between her mother insisting this is her destiny and the pride's way of succession being blood or battle, Akilia seems to believe that staging a coup is the only way to get anything done.
Nasaba has no idea that Akilia is plotting against him. He has always been a bit too trusting for his own good, and in this case, it might end up coming back to haunt him. The fact that Akilia is the pride's Oracle does not help matters, as in Nasaba's mind, that makes her all the more trustworthy, even though there is no way for anyone to test whether or not she's telling the truth. He thinks she gives wise council and is always open to listening to her; in fact, if he's being honest with himself, he wishes he could be as confident in his position of leadership as she is. Nasaba is terrified of failing his pridemates, self-conscious of his every move, and so he can't help but feel slightly envious of her confidence in her role of authority. Nasaba can only hope that one day, he can look at Akilia and feel like her equal, not an inferior. (Oh, if only he knew what the future had in store for the two of them.)
Little Roho is a doll, and is one of Akilia's favorite cubs she has gotten the chance to meet in the Isle of Roses. Though she has not spent much time with Kokoto's adoptive daughter, Akilia adores her. The tenderness of the small lioness is enough to warm anyone's heart, and Akilia is not surprised that her presence has brought out a side of Kokoto that most didn't notice was present before her arrival. Though she knows Nasaba is not responsible for Roho's abandonment, her story is one that continues to spur her on in her quest to take Nasaba down. Though it is not his leadership that did this, it is the fault of leaders like him, at least in Nasaba's perspective. Roho is, in a sense, a symbol to Akilia of what she is trying to defend other cubs from, because no one should have to face the hardships or trauma that Roho did. (Because seriously, who abandons their cub, especially where hyenas could get them? If Kokoto hadn't adopted her, Akilia would have adopted her herself.)
Shujaa is a sweet kid, and Akilia can't help but feel bad that his dreams are never likely to come to fruition. After all, the kid is super kindhearted and compassionate but also somewhat of a nervous wreck; how is someone like that meant to become a hero and protector of the pride? After all, it's not like he has an ancestor guiding him like she does (at least, not to her knowledge), and he hasn't been taught how to be a hero for his whole life like she has been taught to be a leader. She also can't help but feel he could do with some new friends, as she's inclined to believe that Sasa will only end up being a bad influence on him. He deserves a better friend than the troublesome prankster, though Akilia knows he doesn't have many options within the pride. The pride is a sort of hodge podge of lions, and Akilia isn't sure who would make a good friend for him instead of Sasa.
Msaliti owes Akilia, and Akilia intends to make sure the Learner Healer never forgets it. The moment they reached the scene, Akilia had her suspicions about the situation presented to her, and her mother only went to confirm those suspicions, able to speak with the lingering spirit of Msaliti's father before he disappeared. Akilia wasn't sure whether or not she should tell the truth, sensing an opportunity to have someone be indebted to her, but officially decided to assist Msaliti at her mother's urging. Since then, Msaliti has been especially grateful to Akilia, and when it is time for Akilia to stage her coup, she fully intends to cash in on the debt that is owed to her. After all, what's the point of having someone's back if they don't have yours? As it stands, Akilia will often talk with Msaliti, though she has never revealed to Msaliti whether or not she knows the truth of her crime. Akilia and her mother agree that, as of right now, the Learner Healer is more useful if she is kept on her toes.
Akilia confuses Msaliti. On the one hand, she speaks with the ancestors, so if they do exist, she should know the truth. (She isn't sure if she subscribes to the pride's beliefs, or if she agrees with Mzatamo's line of thought.) In that case, Akilia would have covered for her and lied on her behalf, but Msaliti can't figure out why she would do such a thing. On the other hand, perhaps even the ancestors didn't realize it was she who committed the crime; perhaps her father's spirit had not gone up yet, or perhaps the ancestors simply don't exist, and Akilia just decided to agree on a whim. Whatever the case, Msaliti certainly feels indebted to Akilia, not that she'd ever tell the Oracle that. Besides, if she does know the truth, Msaliti knows she should stay on her good side, or risk having her crime exposed to the pride. After all, they all eat out of Akilia's paw, and if she were to tell them the ancestors had revealed a truth about her father's murder, what was to stop them from turning on her? Would they hate her even more than they currently hated her brother? It's something that Msaliti is not eager to risk.
Akilia is wary of Barakoa, unsure if Nasaba's secret daughter poses any threats to her plans. If she were simply a normal lioness, Akilia would be nervous, but not to the extent that she is. After all, she fancies herself to be independent and is obviously competent; whatever pride Barakoa heralds from taught her well, though Akilia does not believe Barakoa knows how to properly lead either. However, none of that sets Akilia on edge as much as the knowledge that Barakoa has powers, powers that Akilia doesn't know the full extent to. According to Nasaba, this is due to her mother, a lioness named Atlea, whose whole pride consists of lions with powers. Akilia does not know what Barakoa might be capable of, and that frightens her. If it were possible, she'd try to win Barakoa's support in hopes to use those powers to her advantage (or at least keep them from helping Nasaba), but she highly doubts the lioness will betray the father she only just found.
Hadithi's arrival in the pride caught everyone off guard. Maji brought her back with little to no explanation; all she said on the matter was that, apparently, the cub was hers from before she was possessed by the water demon. Though she has no recollection of having Hadithi, she refuses to explain how she found her, just that Hadithi is indeed hers, but that she does not wish to raise her. The rest of the pride has been told that she was simply an orphan, but the whole situation doesn't sit right with Akilia. Though Hadithi doesn't seem to be aware of Maji's relation to her, and seems to handle the fact that's an orphan much better than Jino ever did, Akilia still hates that her mother is right there, but won't raise her cub. Because of this, when Akilia gets the chance, she tries to spend time the cub and be the figure that Hadithi doesn't have in her live.
In general, Akilia has tried to stay on the diplomat's good side, knowing that when she has taken over the pride, she will need to work alongside Ruka. After all, a diplomat is not an easy thing to replace; by the time Akilia has taken over, Ruka will have developed relationships with the prides she visits, and Akilia does not want to have to start from scratch with those relationships when she's leading. Ruka hasn't seemed too interested in forming a friendship with Akilia when they have interacted, but that's just fine with Akilia; in fact, that works out best. All that's important to Akilia is maintaining a good enough relationship with Ruka to have her help when Akilia takes over. Really, the only thing Akilia could hope for in her relationship with Ruka at the moment would be to find a way to lessen her loyalty to Nasaba. She doesn't know how close Ruka is to their leader, but she doesn't want Ruka to be too close, or else she may be much more hesitant to work alongside Akilia.
Unlike most of the pride, Akilia has interacted on several occasions with the disgraced queen, Hera. When the two initially met, Hera was hostile, and it took some talking on Akilia's part to convince her that Akilia wasn't there to cause any harm. Since then, Akilia has checked in from time to time with Hera, intent on befriending the rogue lioness and the small remainder of her pride. When Akilia takes over the Isle of Roses, she will need all the allies she can get; Hera and her ragtag group could potentially help Akilia in her quest, and in return, Akilia could help Hera reestablish her own pride nearby with an alliance. However, Hera never seems fond of the idea when it is brought up, stating that she has accepted that her days of leadership are over. Akilia thinks it's ridiculous for Hera to abandon her ambitions so quickly, but so far has made no progress in convincing Hera to dream again.
Akilia has yet to be privileged enough to meet the Sky Thief, but has heard enough tales of him to believe he could be a good ally, if she could only find a way to get in contact with him. She has tried to use Hera to get in contact with him, as the disgraced queen has supposedly met Icarus, but Hera refuses to play the middleman, or even suggest Icarus see about contacting Akilia. She claims they have only spoken a few times and have not spoken recently, but Akilia is still frustrated that Hera won't allow her to make the potential alliance. In spite of her hopes to meet with Icarus, Akilia also cannot help but feel secretly relieved that she has been unable to make contact with the half breed. The stories and legends she heard have made him sound menacing, if not maniacal, and though they both are driven towards their goals, Akilia also fears that Icarus could prove to do more harm than good for her.
Akilia finds Jasiri to be annoyingly shallow. While she understands the appeal of finding a mate and settling down, she cannot get over the fact that it seems to consume Jasiri's life. Every time she sees the fluffy white lioness (which admittedly isn't all that often), she is fawning over one lion or another. Akilia has to wonder how the Huntress gets anything done, since she seems to always be wasting her time fooling around. Honestly, she just doesn't see the appeal of living a life like Jasiri, believing her to be obsessed with trivial and frivolous matters instead of having an actual goal to strive towards. After all, what is Jasiri going to do with her life once she finds the right lion to settle down with? Suddenly everything will be pointless. Akilia, on the other hand, has a short term and long term goal. If she cared more about Jasiri, she might try and guide her, but Akilia has her own problems to sort out; she doesn't need to add Jasiri's on top of those.
As someone who so staunchly believes in the ancestors, it makes sense that Cuore would respect Akilia, the pride’s communicator with them. He is always eager to listen to what Akilia has to say, and believes that the messages she delivers must be true. Though she does not often stick around the pride, when she does, Cuore is generally inclined to trail after her like a lost puppy, something Mzatamo thinks is ridiculous. However, Cuore doesn’t mind; he views Akilia as having almost as much authority in the pride as Nasaba, and likes being able to hear what she has to say, as it isn’t always predictable when she will get a message from the ancestors. Besides, since she so often keeps to herself, it is very rare to have an opportunity to stick around her and hear what she may have to say, as otherwise he would only likely hear from her if she heard something specifically about him from the ancestors, or if she for some strange reason got sick. Despite this, he is often rather nervous to approach her since he sees her as an authoritative figure, and unlike Nasaba, seems a bit more concerned about how she views him...probably because he worries it will affect how the ancestors view him. Of course, once he learns the truth behind her motivations, though Cuore will pity her, he is also going to be ticked.