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 Posted: Sun Dec 11, 2016 11:17 am
[Will edit a title once inspiration hits ;P ]
Xochipepe had been within the pride for a month or so now, slowly getting used to the way of life and extending out threads of friendship wherever she could. Women, it seemed, could be given a little bit of a hard time - though it was noted that they could also achieve the heights of males. That had been proven when, shortly after she had joined as Freeborn, a female rose to the glorious rank of Warlord.
It was an inspiration, even to a new member such as she.
She was young, bold and had great hopes that some day she could become a reaver and walk the unclaimed lands as part of a warband - and not just as a hopeless rogue.
Yes, this was everything she had ever wanted! Well...almost.
There was the one small thing that was missing; her friend and much missed shadow, Zili. He had failed his initial challenge and, after he had told her to go on without him, she had not seen him since. As time went on she began to wonder whether she might not ever see him again. Perhaps he was alone again out there and it was all her fault.
Still, that drove her ambition, too. If she was a reaver, she could look for him when out on vikings. It was something to hope for, at least.
Stretching each limb and then the curve of her spine, the unusually-marked female left the shade in which she had been lingering and made her way out across the compact earth; turning her ears this way and that as if to pick up on anything passing her by. This pride was all hustle and bustle and she noted, with a smile, the many voices of nearby lions and lionesses going about their daily duties.
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Posted: Sun Dec 11, 2016 11:39 am
  "How is it... That every time you come home, you seem to be missing more and more fur tufts...?" The lioness squinted, raising a paw to examine him between her 'thumb' and 'finger'. One of her eyes closed eventually so that she was squinting through the hole she had made with her paw, and her maw had scrunched up in thought.
She wasn't going crazy, at least she didn't think she was.
Every time that her brother left on a Viking he seemed to be missing fur, on one of the times it had been so bad that almost all the fur on his back was missing. Admittedly, she had later found out this was courtesy of the lioness who he had very honourably trained until she was capable of proving herself worthy. However, on this occasion he didn't seem to have any 'friends' with him, and he was still missing an absolute bucketload of fur.
Suffice it to say that she had examined each of his band as they had come home and while a few had scars and bruising, none had come out as worse for wear as her brother.
"Like, let's be real here - what did you do this time?" she asked.
*****
Unsurprisingly, her brother's expression was vague.
Tethys had grown to realise that the more information he kept, no matter how mundane it might be, from his sister... The more agitated she got. Quite frankly, it was far more entertaining to watch her huff, pout, tut and otherwise cast eyes in his general direction until he was ready to put her out of her misery. However, on this occasion he really had nothing dramatic to surprise her with.
You see, on this occasion he had lost most of the fur on his tail through clumsiness.
"Nothing -" he paused. "Technically," he added in a thoughtful tone.
He swung his tail round to inspect the bald patches, all things considered he thought he looked rather dashing at the moment. He could even see the little cuts that were on it and everything. If he was lucky, the fur on his tail would grow back but 'scar' so that he had those curious little lines - alas, something to hope for while it was on the road to recovery.
"Truth be told I just got it stuck," he smiled winningly and waved his tail. "Slipped, rolled, hit a rock of some description, bounced a few feet and then found out it was stuck between a rock and a hard place. It was a smashing display, I got applause!"
The smile didn't even leave when his sister's expression turned in to one of disbelief.
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Posted: Sun Dec 11, 2016 11:47 am
Xochipepe didn't mean to eavesdrop - she really didn't! But the pair of (who were clearly siblings) were speaking so animatedly and in such a familiar manner, that she couldn't help but tune in on their discussion - or the last part of it anyway. Despite herself she gave a laugh and turned to put faces to the voices.
That was when she knew they were siblings.
Their pelts were quite distinctive but in a handsome way rather than a freakish way - like her own. Striking with white and that slate-blue that framed their green eyes. In fact, if she didn't know any better, she'd say they were twins! Curious!
A few seconds later she realised that if her initial laugh hadn't caught their attention then her staring certainly would. She was supposed to be making friends, not alienating people! Quickly, with an almost scrambling motion, she made to close the gap a little and moved to introduce herself before her face put them off.
"Sorry, I couldn't help but overhear! I'm new here! My name is Xochipepe. If I heard right, you're both reavers?"
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Posted: Sun Dec 11, 2016 12:10 pm
"Hah, see, even this one agrees with me, it's worthy of applause!" Tethys turned to acknowledge the red lioness as she approached, the same ridiculous smile on his maw as he always seemed to have when he was midway through his attempts to drive his beloved sibling insane. So far all his attempts had failed, then again she had the advantage of growing up with him and she was, by now, done with his crap.
"I'm fairly certain that she was laughing at you for your stupidity," Dione remarked, tone dry as she too turned her gaze towards the approaching lioness. However, when Xochi asked if they were both reavers she afforded herself a snort of laughter. "Oh no, I have no inclination towards seeking 'glory' on the outside by finding little trinkets that might gain favour with the Warlord," she replied.
"Hey now," Tethys murmured and shook his head. "She's awfully harsh, she's getting bitter in her old age you see," he whispered. This of course was absolutely ridiculous given that neither of them was that old.
"My aspirations are aimed squarely towards the priesthood, now him..." she motioned to her brother and rolled her eyes. "His Lordship, Derptastic the First, would be the Reaver in this family," she remarked.
"Really bitter," he repeated to Xochi and shook his head. Both eyebrows raised at this and then he tilted his head to the side. "Why do you ask, were you after something?"
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Posted: Sun Dec 11, 2016 12:33 pm
They drew her in with their open friendliness and charm and held her firm. They did not seem startled by her physical appearance, brushing over it as if she looked like anyone else. The lion she had fought and beaten during her challenge had been right, in that case. Lions here really wouldn't care too much about her looks.
"No, no, not laughing at you." She replied, "it's just nice to hear how much the pair of you care about one another." For the first time in a long time she had the slight twinge of homesickness and the longing for her own siblings. She had not seen them since her adolescence and she had absolutely no idea where any of them might be now. A sorry state of affairs, in truth. She ought to have kept better contact with them.
Her eyes brightened at the prospect of speaking with an actual Reaver and she straightened immediately, blinking up at him hopefully, "nothing too specific. Well..um...I want to become one - a reaver, I mean. I want to earn glory by finding little trinkets, too." She grinned, casting the female an amused look. "But it's mostly getting the chance to wander outside of the pridelands that I am after. After a while, I get itchy paws, and that's stopped me from joining a pride in the past. I want to make this work so badly. I can't become a rogue again."
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Posted: Sun Dec 11, 2016 12:53 pm
The twins had seen a lot in their time, and if there was one thing that didn't faze them, it was odd coloured coats. Honestly, they would have found it to be a baffling encounter if someone were particular about a particular colour. If one was going to be worried about anything it was whether or not they were bigger and stronger than you... it wasn't as if the fur secreted toxins that might kill them!
"Care about one another?" Dione asked and immediately ducked away from her brother's paws as he sought to bear hug her. She knew how it would end otherwise, with her own hair messed up and her brother with another of his toothy grins. "Yes, I suppose you could say that," she glanced briefly at Tethys and then returned her attention to Xochi. "We're flesh and blood I can't really avoid putting up with him," she mused.
"And without me she wouldn't be able to get half the junk she needs for her studies anyway," he wiggled his paw toes dramatically and widened his eyes. "Yet she never says thank you, you'd think I was indentured to her as well even though I won my duel fair and square -"
"You knocked yourself out on a rock," Dione corrected him.
"Yes, but not before beating the Reaver," Tethys replied smoothly, as though it was nothing to be embarrassed about. "He even conceded I had won, I hit him more times than he hit me," he pointed out. It was then that he glanced at Xochi again and pursed his lips. "It's not...too difficult to become a Reaver so long as a Captain is prepared to take you out with him," he said after a few moments of thought.
"I can always request that you come with mine or..." he squinted. "I could ask around and find out if any others are due to leave and willing to take you..?"
Dione cast a sidelong glance towards her brother at that.
"You can at least take his word for it on that score, he is rather trustworthy in that respect."
"Gee thanks." The male responded. "What's your name anyway, don't say 'red', I'll be sending a strongly worded message to your parents for a lack of creativity otherwise."
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Posted: Sun Dec 11, 2016 1:10 pm
Xochipepe continued to smile despite the muscles in her face beginning to ache from the effort. She felt happy. Happier than she had in a long, long time. This was what she had always envisioned. A home. Friends. Family. This was what she wanted for Zili, too, if he ever made it in. Surely if he knew what he was missing out on he'd be desperate to join her, too. He had been lonely as well. Companionship would be good for him.
She laughed again, "I'm sure it's implied."
She was curious, then, to what sort of things the female might have wanted from the outside lands. A priestess had something to do with the gods, right? If one believed in such, of course. Xochi had never had any real experience or teaching in the deities so was naive when it came to the powers they held and the way others saw them. If she had known that Zili's father had been a god, she'd have fainted from the shock. Zili was nice enough, but not what one would think of as the spawn of an immortal.
She gasped, eyes widening as the male offered to help her. They barely knew one another and yet he was going out of his way to aid. The kindness of the act took her by surprise and it took her a moment to gather herself.
"You would do that...for me?"
She snapped to attention and answered, "my name is Xochipepe." Her parents had given her a good name, at least, to make up for her somewhat unsettling appearance.
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Posted: Sun Dec 11, 2016 1:22 pm
"I mean if you don't want the help..." Tethys blinked rapidly at her surprise. Perhaps she had met a number of the more cold individuals in the pride? He knew there were a fair chunk of them, more inclined to make others "figure it out", rather than to guide them in the right direction... But Tethys had been the sort of lion who appreciated that sometimes you had to do things yourself to get the best results. Frankly, if he was going to eventually become a Captain then you'd better believe that he was going to source the best Reavers too.
...Even if he damn well had to make them himself!
"I mean if you've got half a brain you should be fine," Dione called out over Tethys's surprise. "He seems to cope quite well, he's even had a few compliments, so his Captain must be doing something right," she cast her gaze towards her brother briefly and then chuckled. "My name is Dione, and this big lug is Tethys," she offered at last.
"We're twins," Tethys confirmed.
"You'd never know from looking at us," Dione pointed out delicately, sarcasm dripping from her voice.
"But yes, don't seem so stunned. It's really quite weird," he waved a paw dismissively. "If you want to come and you can follow some form of orders then I don't think they'd have a problem with it."
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Posted: Sun Dec 11, 2016 1:29 pm
"N-no, no! I would love the help," she scurried for a response, not wanting to seem ungrateful and rude. It was as he had thought, she just had not expected assistance so readily. The male was helpful and kind and strong and honourable and...well, a number of other things, too. She'd had a stroke of luck in coming across this pair. It seemed, in that moment, that they were just the types of people she needed to be meeting.
She paused to listen to his sister, Dione, and nodded, admiration clear in her eyes for this pair. The female might not be wanting to become a reaver, but the dedication she had would certainly see her climbing heights of a different sort. Xochi had yet to get her head around everything in the pride, but she suspected the path of a priestess was also something that one could truly aspire to be.
"I will gratefully accept the assistance. Anything to get me a step-up and on my way. I have a lot to prove and...it might be a small dream, but I want to become a reaver more than anything. If you can introduce me to your captain...get me noticed..." she wasn't sure how she would ever repay it but she'd say it anyway, "I will forever be in your debt."
Following orders sounded easy enough. Just do what you were told and do them to the best of your ability. Her enthusiasm was clear in the eager shuffling of her paws.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you. Both of you. It's so good to meet you."
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Posted: Sun Dec 11, 2016 1:39 pm
"All right well that's a little much," Tethys lifted both paws and waved them downwards again in an 'lighten up' kind of motion. She was certainly enthusiastic, that was for sure! He wasn't quite sure how to handle her at the moment but if there was one thing he needed to do, it was correct just one little -
"I wouldn't put yourself in debt so easily for something so simple," Dione beat him to it and shook her head. "Save the debts for something truly important," she added and motioned to her brother's tail. "You know, for if someone saves your life in some way or another, saves a family member, that kind of thing," she raised a brow and gazed pointedly at her brother. "He already has one lioness indentured to him, you proved yourself worthy so you are not of the same rank as her..."
Tethys raised a brow.
"If you got in, then your have your honour, do not lower yourself to unnecessary levels of gratitude," she added and cleared her throat. "You will have to excuse me I do have to take my leave to continue my own studies now that I have some of my supplies."
"I got the ones that were nearby our camps," Tethys replied coolly and rolled his eyes.
"Regardless, it was a pleasure to meet you but I must assume that at this point my darling brother will make further arrangements for your adventure," she had a glint in her eye at this, particularly when her sibling cast her a disgruntled glare. She did respect him and the other Reavers, but it was always nice to remind him that he wasn't a super hero. "Try not to lose any fur, will you?"
"Would you just go already?" Tethys muttered with a sigh, though his sister had already began to wander off.
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Posted: Tue Dec 13, 2016 12:07 pm
Ok, so maybe 'forever' was a little much.
Still, to Xochipepe - who had not been shown any kindness since leaving her family - this was a huge thing. A lion and lioness who had taken the time to help her out despite being a stranger. His offer was a great one, as far as Xochi was concerned, and though she nodded agreeably, inside she knew she'd have to find a way to repay him for this.
Maybe serving alongside him as best as she could would be enough?
"It was wonderful to meet you, Dione. Perhaps we can meet up again later? I have so much to learn about the pride and it would be interesting to hear about your studies to become a priestess." Enthusiasm, Xochi had in abundance. She was desperate to play her part. To fit in. To make something of herself so that her future children could look up to her and be proud.
The skull-marked lioness watched Dione leave then turned to Tethys with a wide smile, "lead the way!"
For better or for worse, he was stuck with her now.Epine de Rose fin? eek, looking forward to the next RP already XD
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