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 Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2009 3:40 pm
 Joshua breathed a sigh of relief, glad she wasn't mad at him for asking. He paused, considering where to start. The thing he really wanted to know was why the mermaid felt so at ease in her own family. 'I don't think that's a good question to start with though. If I ask that one, she might just shut me out and not answer anything.' He decided to tread cautiously through this potential mine field. "So the clans are rules by a patriarch? Always male?" Joshua thought this might be a safer question to start with. Safer being key as he felt this whole subject had the power to go wrong with one misspoken word on his part. 
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Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2009 5:22 pm
"Not always," said Katalina quietly. It was a good place to start. "Usually, because males are considered stronger leaders than females. The children of the patriarch - or, yes, matriarch - are all considered as the next leader of the clan. The line of succession is based on strength of character, not gender. My brother has the strongest claim to the leadership after my father, but if he proves weak of heart or disloyal, one of my sisters could be chosen instead." She gave a ghost of a smile. "Technically, I could be chosen as well, but an absent matriarch wouldn't do the clan much good."
Joshua had chosen better than he knew when it came to questions - this was a point he might have to know later, she thought. When she got into her own backstory and that of the rest of her current clan.
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Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2009 7:56 pm
Joshua felt a wave of relief go through him. It seemed he'd chosen his first question well. "Makes sense. Much more sense that a lot of the human ruling lines." He shook his head in irritation at the folly of humans. 'I mean, if you look at history, the women were often strong as well. And who said that the first-born male was always the best for the job. Merfolk have the right idea - choose the best sucessor.' "Is there a sort of heirchy below the leader? Or is the rest of the clan considered equals to each other?" Joshua figured he would work up through his questions until he felt he could ask about Katalina specifically. 'And of what drove her away. If anything. It might of been something completely fine. But the tension in her family suggests otherwise.'
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Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2009 9:15 pm
((hi guys, i'm back! and tired...update?))
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Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2009 10:36 pm
((OOC: Welcome back! Not much has really happened that concerns you guys, except that Katalina and Joshua are back at the beach.))
Katalina frowned. "Hierarchy...Well, sort of," she said uncertainly. "I don't know if it's in the way you mean. But the one chosen as the next leader, and his or her children, are often treated with a certain amount of respect - because of who they're going to be. You might consider it as three tiers of power - the leader, the successor and the successor's children, and the others. But that's not quite it, because the successor doesn't really have any power until they become the leader - they're just a little more respected." She shrugged. "So, long answer short, not really."
She was beginning to relax a little. These were questions she could have answered in her sleep. Nothing complex, nothing she had to dance around - just questions about politics and history. If they were all like this, she had nothing to worry about.
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Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2009 5:46 am
Joshua nodded. 'Humans really do have it backwards. Merfolk managed to find the right way to do things.' "Once the successor is chosen, do they have to take leadership?" He felt like he was treading on thin ice. Now he was getting closer to his real question. This was where he had to tread carefully or risk upsetting Katalina. 'And I don't want to do that again. Once is more than enough.'
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Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2009 10:04 am
Katalina thought about it. "Now that you mention it, I don't really know," she said. "I would assume not, because having a leader who doesn't want to lead would hurt the clan. But I've never heard of any successor turning it down - as you know, they're chosen for it because they would make a good leader. That includes ambition, I suspect." She'd heard the tentativeness in his voice and knew that the hard questions were coming. But she could handle it, she decided. Sure. Maybe she could finally let the wound heal by letting it out.
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Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2009 3:39 pm
'Okay.....So it wasn't that she was chosen and didn't want it.' Joshua tried to think of a nicer way to ask his next question. "Katalina? Um....I'd understand if you don't want to answer, but...." His voice trailed off for a moment before he decided to just ask. "Why did you leave your family?" Mentally, he winced and hoped she wouldn't get mad. He'd been curious about this since she'd first told him she was on her own.
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Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2009 3:53 pm
Katalina flinched a little. Then, with a small sigh, she settled deeper into the water. "Well," she began. "Although we're all possible leaders, the way I told you, the children of the successors are used as bartering tools among the clans. To forge alliances, and such things. Something like the way humans used to do it, if I have my history straight," she said softly.
"Mother, for example. She was a daughter of the successor to their clan, and not the strongest prospect, so she was given to my father - as a show of friendship." She gave Joshua a little, weary smile. "I think you can see where I'm going with this. As the eldest daughter to the clan successor, I was a good trade to form a strong bond. It wouldn't have been a problem...if. If there hadn't been--"
She stopped for a little while. Then, almost painfully, she looked down. "I'd fallen in love. I was young - much younger than I am now, and I'm still barely considered an adult." She shrugged. "I never told him, but I couldn't bear to be sent away to live with anyone else - not if it meant to live among strangers without him."
Giving Joshua another of those sad smiles, she said, "So I left, and I didn't look back. I've been happy on my own, and things have moved on in the clan without me. Mostly. My parents haven't given up on me taking my place in the clan completely, but I hope they will soon, so I can visit without guilt. Any other questions?"
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Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2009 4:12 pm
(( Has Joey posted?? Or has he not come back from trip as far as we know? ))
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Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2009 4:37 pm
((*jumps up and runs forward* I hath arrived!! *trips and falls on face* stressed ))
Joey nodded and smiled. "Good." He looked over at Katalina and Joshua. They seemed to be wrapped up in something, so he decided not to disturb them.
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Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2009 5:21 pm
((Welcome back.))
Joshua listened quietly as Katalina spoke. He didn't interrupt for fear of making her stop. It was nice to finally have the full story. As to her question, Joshua could only shake his head, struck speechless. Of all the possibilities he'd thought of, somehow love hadn't been one. He tried to think of something to say, something to cheer her up. "Well, at least some good came out of it. I got to meet you!" Joshua gave her a smile, trying to get a real smile from her.
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Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2009 8:26 pm
Now that the story was out, Katalina felt ready to face anything else he might ask. When he didn't, she felt somewhat better - at least his curiosity didn't push her too far. That was something to be thankful for. When Joshua joked about the good coming out of it, Katalina's expression grew faraway. Though she knew he'd meant it as a way to make her smile, she also hadn't told him everything yet. For example, what had passed when she had brought him to visit the clan. "Yes, there is that. I got to meet you," she said softly. "That's something I'll be able to take with me, I guess."
Hesitating briefly, she added, "Joshua?"
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Posted: Wed Mar 18, 2009 5:46 am
Joshua felt his smile fade as he saw the faraway expression on Katalina's face. He looked at her curiously when she said his name. "Yes? Something you wanted?" 'Does she want me to answer questions about my past? If she does, I guess I'll have to answer. I mean, she shared her past. It would be wrong to not return the favor if she asked.'
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Posted: Wed Mar 18, 2009 1:10 pm
Katalina smiled at him, however briefly, wondering what he thought she wanted to ask him - or tell him. "Thank you for not asking me who he was," she said simply. He could have asked me, and he didn't. Most people would have asked, she knew. I can trust him not to push too hard. Maybe it's his own past that keeps him from digging too deep. Either way, it means he's safe to talk to, if I ever have to.
She glanced over her shoulder to see that Joey and Aoife had somehow gotten to the beach without either her or Joshua noticing, and a small smile crossed her face.
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