The POV switches some in this chapter between Erik and T'Challa. Thank you to all those lovely people who follow, favourite and review!
Disclaimer: I do not own Black Panther.
He wakes up back in his cell with a message on his tablet.
'Find the panther.'
There's an arrow pointing and Erik looks to the glass wall of his cage only to find it covered in light pictures of a forest that move gently according to whatever program Shuri has set them to. Erik blinks and then notices the eye of a black panther sticking out from behind a leaf. He walks over and feeling rather foolish taps the eye. The panther hops out from behind the plant, gives him a saucy smile and dissolves. His tablet beeps and Erik looks down at it to see he has received information from Shuri. He opens the package and finds a full sleeve of information on elder Kintasi.
"Cute," Erik says dryly, but settles in to read.
"So, what now?" Shuri demands of her brother as he enters the lab for the morning.
"Now we make calls," T'Challa. "The elders have grudgingly signaled their acceptance of our plans."
"Yes!" Shuri says.
"So which do you want?" T'Challa asks. "The bloggers or the celebrities?"
There is actual strain in Shuri's eyes. On one hand she wants to talk to some of her favorite actors, on the other hand she suspects that T'Challa would be the better person to contact them.
She finally heaves a sigh and says, "You take the celebrities. I'll take the bloggers."
T'Challa nods and send a schedule to her kimoyo beads. "Book them according to that," he says. Shuri nods and then the siblings start calling, pitting all their charm and personable skills into play.
Shuri gets the easier job. The bloggers are all excited to come. They are practically salivating at the chance to visit Wakanda, all expenses paid by the way, and document it. Shuri assures them that it's no holds barred, the wankandans will not control what they chose to show the public. Of course, there are some areas that they won't be allowed to film at but the bloggers accept this.
T'Challa on the other hand has to go through all various communications managers, has to convince them that yes, this is not a prank he is the king of Wakanda, before he gets to talk to the celebrities themselves. And even when he gets through, he has to persuade them that the cause is a noble one and then they have to find out if their schedule even permits them to come to Wakanda.
It's a long process, and his mouth is dry pretty soon. The Dora Milaje who have accompanied him this morning, hand him bottles of water and remind him when it's lunch. He catches looks between them that say 'We are guarding a child.' But it is all fond so T'Challa doesn't worry, just thanks them for putting up with him.
He has a virtual lunch date with Nakia. She's over in Oakland organizing the center there. They chat over lunch through the screens and she spends most of the time babbling about the children there. T'Challa cannot help but smile at her. Nakia is always ready to help people and it is always with the same enthusiasm. It's why she's so good at what she does and why he put her in charge of the outreach programs.
"How are things going at home?" she asks him as she finally winds down.
"I think they are about to get very interesting," T'Challa tells her.
She cocks an eyebrow at him. "They weren't interesting before?"
"Not like this," T'Challa smiles back.
"Hmm," she says. "Remember, don't overwhelm yourself," she warns. "It's easy to do when you want to help people." Her voice holds tone of experience. T'Challa nods solemnly.
"I will not," he tells her.
By the end of the day they have three travel bloggers coming in the next week along with two foodie bloggers and T'Challa has secured dates where four major celebrities will vacation in Wakanda. It's a good start.
It's time for his next meal and Erik is about ready for it. He stretches from where he's been sitting cross-legged on the floor, working on his web. His operatives had found something hinky with the financials of a certain philanthropist to African countries and he'd spent the last five hours, trying to untwist the weirdness. His operatives too are invested in the question which is good. Erik doesn't have to worry about them questioning his orders too much. Still he's hungry. Whatever his cousins had used to put him to sleep had caused him to become ravenously hungry. Well, Erik suspected that it wasn't the sedative itself but rather his body's fight to get rid of the sedative quickly. If it had been a smaller dose he'd have been up sometime in the middle of the night but princess had calculated pretty well and had capped him out until morning. Erik sort of regrets not killing her because she looks to be the one who might oppose him the most in getting out of here and putting his own plans in motion. T'Challa, T'Challa is too soft.
He hears the outer doors whish open and then seal shut. It's the usual routine when his meals come. Footsteps come, winding their way to his cell and then finally someone appears. Erik freezes when he sees who it is.
His cousin stands there with two trays of food. One he sends through the dip, the other he settles onto his own lap when he sits in front of Erik's cage.
"What the hell?!" Erik demands.
"We had a deal," T'Challa said, like this was perfectly logical.
"What?!"
"We visit more yes?" T'Challa says, "In exchange for you attending the meeting."
"I take it back," Erik snaps. "Awkward dinners was never my thing."
"Too late," said T'Challa. He has a smug little smile that he trying to hide. Erik has an overwhelming urge to flip his tray of food at the glass wall but his body needs the fuel.
"Come sit," says T'Challa, after a moment. "I brought something you might be interested in."
Erik narrows his eyes. "What? Another deal I don't want?" he says cocking his eyebrow at T'Challa.
"Evidence of our other deal," T'Challa says. He taps his kimoyo beads and plans scroll across the screen that appears. The plans Erik had demanded that T'Challa create in case his approach doesn't work. Erik blinks and then grudging pulls his tray from the dip and sits on the floor facing T'Challa, tray in his lap like his cousin.
"Well I can't read 'em form here," he grouses to T'Challa. T'Challa flicks his fingers and then the plans are on Erik's glass wall. He reaches out and enlarges them and begins to read.
Dinner is actually quiet. T'Challa eats while Erik reads and analyses the plans. The plans themselves are…well…They're ruthless. There's a sort of brutal efficiency to them and for the first time Erik feels like he's actually seeing the fruits of Wakanda's warrior culture. If Wakanda truly went for the world, teeth bared, the rest of the world was gonna have one hell of a fight coming to them. Even he hadn't realized the full extent of the capability of the wakandans. The document he's given is still carefully worded though. Erik gets the sense that there are things left out, state secrets he's not supposed to know.
"Didn't know you could be so heartless cuz," he says in grudging approval.
"Diplomacy was never my strong suit," T'Challa says mildly. "And it is far easier to destroy than to build."
"Doesn't change the fact that whoever wrote these is one ruthless SOB."
"My mother will appreciate the compliment," T'Challa says dryly. "Make no mistake N'Jadaka, I have no desire to use these plans. Just because I am capable of making these plans, it doesn't mean that I am capable of carrying them out. And there is no force on this earth that will make me do so."
"But if you fail cuz you will have to," Erik points out. "Deal right?"
"The deal was to make the plans, not carry them out," T'Challa rebuffs.
Erik smiles slow and low, the vicious smile before he made a kill. "We'll see about that Cuz."
T'Challa matches his smile with one of his own. It's the battle-hardened smile of a warrior-king, the kind of king that walks into battle and dares someone to try and kill them, the kind that knows no one can.
"I do not intend to fail, N'Jadaka," he says slowly.
"No one intends to fail, Cuz" Erik replies. "They just do."
T'Challa is still wearing that smile but it gains a chilling edge. "My will," says T'Challa, "Is not weak. My strength of will, will back my intent. I will not fail Erik, simply because I will not allow it."
Erik wants to laugh at the statement but he can't get the laughter to bubble up his throat. His cousin will die before he fails and Erik know first hand how difficult he is to kill.
Soft. T'Challa is softhearted. But damn it all, he's got balls of vibranium.
"Alright cuz," he says leaning back. "Let's see how far that philosophy gets you."
Something in T'Challa relaxes. "Does that mean you're planning on seeing it out then?" He asks.
Erik frowns before he realizes what he said, what he implied: that he wouldn't be taking that one-way trip out of this caged hell.
"I'll do whatever the hell I want!" Erik snaps at him.
"Alright," T'Challa nods. It's too easy, but Erik isn't jumping down that rabbit hole today. He's damn hungry that's what. And now he's gonna shut up and enjoy his stupid food. He tries to ignore the fact that T'Challa is eating the same thing he is.
I hope you all like the first of the awkward dinners!