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Ngibona Kakhulu; a celebration that spanned over the course of 3 days, where all of Wakanda would give thanks to their respective Gods. For those 3 days, the streets would be full of laughter and joyous people, excited to exist and share in the festivities. There would be people on the corners drumming and dancing at all hours, music blaring, and street artists at work; children could be found decorating the streets with laughter and colorful chalked drawings. Thanks were given by way of outward expression, whether it be dancing, singing, or creating. On the third day, multiple parades would take place all over Wakanda, but the biggest would take place in Golden City. People would travel from their home villages just to gather in the capital and witness the spectacle.
With M’Baku acting as King in Shuri’s absence, and the addition of the Talokanil, the turnout would be just that much more exciting. The greatest event planners Wakanda had to offer were pouring into this event for months. The idea to incorporate the Talokanil on the third day was Shuri’s. With all the legal aspects of the alliance being set in stone nearly a year after the decree, a massive party would be perfect to showcase Wakanda in her newly thriving glory. The fighting between the two nations put a damper on Wakanda, and everyone felt it. The promise of joy that came with Ngibona Kakhulu gave the country a new buzz and something else to give thanks for. Bast delivered her people through yet another hailstorm and they planned to show just how much they appreciated her.
Now, on the third day, Wakanda was sparkling in all her glory. People were dancing along to the rhythms that flowed on the streets with great harmony. With the addition of the Jabari and Talokan, the party planners worked to incorporate things from each respective culture and their gods.
Jabari drummers laced the streets donned in furs and leather garb, playing the songs of the snowy ape mountains. The new leader of the Jabari, Chetachi, lead the Jabari portion of the parade in a loud boisterous chant as they praised Hanuman for his generosity. Then the Jabari men broke off from the front of the crowd and the Jabari women appeared, offering a chant and dance of their own. For many of the Wakandans, this spectacle was brand new, even more so for the wide-eyed Talokanil.
Namor, flanked by Namora and Attuma, watched with great amazement. He’d never pegged surface dwellers as the type to humble themselves enough to thank someone else. The Wakandans, and now Jabari, were forever altering his once concrete way of thinking. Attuma enjoyed the show just as much as the next person, but his attention was divided. Ever since they left the guest quarters at the citadel he’d been trying to find her. But she was nowhere to be found, at least not in the area K’uk’ulkan had visited.
Sensing the Generals' endless fidgeting, along with Namora’s chiding, the Feather Serpent God knew Attuma wished to be in other places. “Attuma, go,” Namor spoke, never taking his eyes off the dancing display ahead.
Attuma knew better than to try and counter the order, so he simply nodded and offered a salute before merging into the crowd of onlookers. They spent most of the day in the same area, so he ventured off onto the streets that seemed to be just as lively.
….
Pride. Stupid stupid pride... and maybe a smidge of her ego.
Those were the only two things Okoye could blame for her current predicament. Haughtiness and a gargantuan ego lead her to make a deal with the devil; otherwise known as Aneka. Okoye and the Midnight Angel trainees were warming up for a long day of combat training when Aneka laid the proposition on the table.
“You challenge me to what??” Okoye scoffed incredulously.
“I challenge you to a duel,” Aneka said.
“Aneka... I am sure you know how that will fair for you,” Okoye raised her eyebrow, continuing her stretches.
“Well then.. what if it is I and everyone in the room versus you? To even the odds” Aneka pressed further, unimpressed with Okoye’s pompous display.
“Aneka what is the meaning of this? What is it you will gain that you cannot ask for directly??”
The younger woman pressed her lips together reigning in her grin, “If we win you will man the kissing booth at the festival next week-“ she continued, stopping Okoye’s chance to interrupt “and if you win I will clean up after your beloved rhinoceros for a week.”
Okoye’s first instinct was to shoot the bet down, and then she pondered on it a bit more. Surely she could handle Aneka and six others, and she certainly could use an extra pair of hands caring for M20 and his new calf. So, she approached Aneka with her hand extended.
“Fine. We will do it tomorrow afternoon. You may want to stock up on gloves, M20 can get very messy” She smirked deviously, waiting for Aneka to shake her hand.
Aneka rolled her eyes at the snide remark and then decided to push her luck “Why not today? You will defeat us so quickly that it will hardly interfere with your planning for today”
That should’ve set off an alarm in Okoye’s head that maybe Aneka had baited, and now hooked her all too easy, but her stroked ego had taken the wheel by then.
“If you insist... I suppose we could get this out of the way,”
Aneka cheered and shook her hand quickly. Okoye thought her arm might fall off from the force. She looked over Aneka’s shoulder she saw Ayo leaning against the wall. Okoye squinted and cut her eyes back to Aneka, finally catching on.
“Ayo? What are you doing here?” Okoye snatched her hand from Aneka, tilting her head at the Doras’ General.
“I am here for the challenge, General,” Ayo stated, keeping her face neutral. Her eyes flitted to Aneka, who was behind Okoye failing to stifle her laughter. The breach in eye contact was so quick anyone who wasn’t Okoye would’ve missed it.
Had Okoye been thinking with her usual mind and, not the pride swole one, then she probably would’ve realized the trap she so confidently waltzed into; but she didn’t, so they fought.
Aneka had the trainees take on Okoye first. She flew threw them like a heated knife against a pad of butter. And then she took on Aneka. In the months they trained together as Angels, Aneka learned the rhythm Okoye parred in, and she used that to her advantage. Each strike Okoye took, Aneka deflected and kept moving. Being that Aneka was better at close combat than Okoye she was able to weave through Okoye’s long strides and tire the older Angel out. Finally, Okoye had enough of the chase and she spun her spear one way, Aneka followed and Okoye was able to crouch and sweep her leg; therefore, dismantling Aneka and sending her sailing to the ground. The elder angel towered over her and lifted the Angel's chin with the tip of her practice spear, sporting a smug smile.
“Do you yield?”
“I yield” Aneka rolled her eyes and scrambled to her feet.
Once she was upright she shot a pointed glare to Ayo, who was now approaching Okoye. Ayo was the wild card and Aneka prayed she’d tired Okoye out enough for it to pay off. Okoye used the fact that she personally trained Ayo to assuage the bits of doubt that’d been trickling into her mind since Ayo entered the equation. They rarely parred together, Ayo was Okoye’s second in command as General so she often had Ayo working with the weaker Dora. She knew better than to count Ayo out completely, so she held her head high, twirled her spear, and readied herself for what was to come.
One simple miscalculation and an ever-vigilant Ayo lead Okoye to her downfall. As she now stood at the booth she realized just how bad she’d been set up. Aneka succeeded in tiring her more than she cared to admit.
The booth was operated by tickets that went towards a raffle, so the more tickets entered the greater the chance of winning. The booth was also Aneka’s idea. She claimed it was a subtle nod to Ix’chel, the Mayan moon goddess of love and fertility.
Aneka had the booth set up between the stalls on the main road of Golden City, wanting to get the booth as much traffic as possible. Okoye’s only stipulation was that each kiss is on the cheek, and she made sure to watch each person sanitize their cheek before a kiss was laid.
Initially, there was no line at the booth due to hesitation. When there was word of a kissing booth being at the parade no one had a clue that thee Okoye would be manning it. So when they saw her, and her forced welcoming smile many thought it was a joke.
“Eh? A kiss and she runs her spear through me tcheww!” Said one man in passing.
Okoye didn’t mind, the fewer people she had to be in contact with the better. As time moved on and passerby’s realized this was no joke, they started to trickle in. Many of them were admirers of Okoye that would’ve never gotten the time of day under any other circumstance.
She’d heard people buzzing about the Talokanil being present at the parades and how they seemed to be enjoying themselves, but she’d yet to see any of them venture past the parade onto the streets. Okoye couldn’t help but wonder how Attuma was enjoying himself.
Over the past year, they’d spent a lot of time together, mostly attending to business and legal affairs. On the few occasions that they stayed for extended periods, Okoye always found herself with Attuma. Whether it be showing him around, sparring together, or even introducing him to the best foods Wakanda had to offer. Once she moved past their initial encounter with each other she was able to enjoy the time spent with the General.
Okoye turned away from the booth window for a moment to reapply the red lipstick she’d nearly smooched off. As Attuma wandered through the crowd on the busy street he stopped at a few stalls, looking over the many knick-knacks, fabrics, and woven items the vendors had to offer. When he stopped at a fruit stand he saw a red and white striped stand with a huge pair of puckered lips, under the lips were some English words he couldn’t quite decipher. He thought it was a little odd but his interest was piqued nonetheless. When Okoye appeared under the set of lips his eyes nearly bulged out of his head. She was standing there clad in a red and gold beaded crop top looking ever enticing. Attuma watched as the people in line at her booth dropped various amounts of tickets in a box, and then he saw Okoye lean over and peck their cheek. His heart skipped a beat at the thought of him being on the receiving end of those beautiful lips at the same time a knot settled in his gut at the sight of the many others that’d been blessed by his warrior.
With the help of his Kimoyo beads Attuma was able to acquire a stack of tickets and he made his way to her booth. There were only a few people ahead of him, as most people began to make their off the streets and to the main road where the grand finale performance was taking place.
Okoye looked up and saw Attuma looming over the few people in line and smirked to herself. She was beginning to wonder if this was part of Aneka’s grand scheme as well. If it were she wouldn’t complain too much; though she still strongly felt that Aneka meddled in her business far too much.
The closer he got the more jittery Okoye felt, and she couldn’t exactly pinpoint why. They’d spent copious amounts of time together previously but the thought of intentional physical contact with him was sending her mind on a trip. She cleared her throat and willed her nerves away once he was directly in front of her.
“Okoye,”
“Attuma,” they spoke at the same time and it made Okoye chuckle softly. She tilted her head and a small smile appeared.
She always enjoyed seeing Attuma in his casual garb, especially when his hair was free as it was now.
“I have these for that” Attuma dropped about 50 tickets on the stand as he pointed at the puckered lips above their heads.
Okoye gasped, chuckling harder at the pile of tickets that’d begun to spill over. “You didn’t need anywhere near this many,” she said still unable to control her giggles.
“Are these not a display of affection?” He asked, puzzled by the whole ordeal.
“No General, these are entries into a raffle... it’s just for fun”
He took her words and pondered on them for a moment before answering, “I wish you to have them anyways, I have no other use for them.”
He watched as she popped the lid of the ticket jar open and deposited the lump in with the rest. Then she handed him a sanitizing wipe.
“For your cheek… you know for germs” she explained when his brow shot up.
“Now what?” He discarded the towelette and eagerly waited for further instructions.
“Turn your head and lean over... no funny business” she warned playfully, unsure where that tone came from; as they’d never had banter like this before.
Attuma shrugged and followed her directions. As he went to get another glance at her she was in the process of giving him another warning glare; and the short change of direction his lips caught hers. The contact caused her breath to hitch, and pause in her throat. Her mind exploded then cleared of everything, but the feelings that arose from the way his lips massaged hers. Nothing in her being told her to pull away and scold him so she didn’t. Attuma leaned over the booth counter further than he already was, and raised his hand to her cheek to hold her in place. He was surprised yet thankful that she hadn’t pulled away and gouged his eyes out as she had threatened previously. Okoye was lost in such a haze and wouldn’t have cleared the lovely fog unless she hadn’t heard Aneka snickering from behind her.
She broke the kiss and immediately her fingers flew to her tingling lips, as if she was capturing the missing contact and saving it for later. She was slowly catching back up to reality and once it all dawned on her what just happened her eyes bulged with realization. She looked to where Attuma had just been standing, robbing her of her breath and wits; but he was gone. Finding each other in crowds seemed to be their forte, but the one time she actually wanted to pick him from the bunch, he managed to make himself invisible.
Okoye took a moment to steel herself, before facing Aneka. She cursed to herself, of all people to witness that, it had to be Aneka. She turned around, fully expecting to see one pair of glittering eyes but was thrown off when she two sets of mischievous eyes peering at her. Aneka and Riri.
Bast…
“What do we have here? Okoye, of the Midnight Angels” Riri started, smirking as she looked from Okoye to Aneka.
“Okoye, a known loyalist of Wakanda” Aneka added, emphasizing with the Wakandan salute.
“Okoye, smoocher of Attuma, General of Talokan” Riri snorted and gave Aneka a high five before they broke into a fit of laughter.
“Get your jokes out now because if I hear anything about this-“ Okoye’s threat was cut off by Riri failing to contain her laughter.
“You’re the one that turned the innocent kissing booth into the make-out booth Usisi, but do not worry.. your secret is safe with us” Aneka smiled, holding her hands up in surrender after nudging a very amused Riri.