[PRP] Seeking you (Raskogr x Seqineq)

[Tanakako]

Raskogr padded hurriedly up the path, his mind a whirl with troubled thoughts Brummen had planted, however innocently. The big reaver had shaken the skinny Lawspeaker so badly that he hadn’t even waited for the sun to shift in the sky before he set out to track down his betrothed. Not only did he need to finally bring up the wedding with her, he had to try and convince her to stop her brother organising some kind of mass orgy before hand. He could handle a feast or something, but nothing else. And he was sure Seqi would at least agree with him on this matter, extra females were not required. Then there was the matter of his brothers, the wedding itself and just what in the StormLord’s name were they actually going to do about the whole thing.

Stubbing his toe on a rock he cussed sharply, then forced himself to slow down. It was all very well rushing to find Seqi, but what was he going to say to her? He couldn’t out right accuse her brother of trying to ruin the wedding. Brummen wasn’t, he was just….. being a Reaver, so far as Rask could tell. But he had to get her to make her brother stop.

Scowling he picked up his pace, still having no idea just how to broach the topic with her, but once he had found her, he could worry about what to say. Not for he first time he cursed just how big their land holding was.

Princess_Feylin

 

[Princess_Feylin]

Seqi had recently been swimming with her sister. It was an activity the two of them enjoyed, and doing it with someone was always pleasant, not to mention safer. As such, she was still damp and more than slightly floofy-furred when she noticed her betrothed stalking about, looking more disgruntled than usual. She smiled to herself, quietly amused by Rask's perpetual foul humor, and quickly bid her sister goodbye. Reka left with a roll of her eyes.

"If you keep making that face, it'll freeze that way," she said, falling into pace with her scowling fiancé.

She debated the wisdom of asking him what had him in such a foul mood. On one hand, it would be the polite, expected thing to do, particularly given their relationship. On the other hand, Raskogr was the sort of lion who was never annoyed about just one thing that could be quickly laughed off. In fact, she wasn't sure he was capable of laughing things off. Which meant she could be in for an earful. And this while she was looking damp and bedraggled. Lovely.

"Anything I can do?" she asked.

Tanakako

 

[Tanakako]

Her sudden appearance at his side startled him into emitting a rough growl, his thoughts escaping his mouth with the sudden disturbance of his focus. Turning his head he frowned at her, or rather, was frowning when he looked at her, for only Seqi would see the difference between what he was currently doing and when he was actually frowning at someone on purpose. His ire was not directed at her, and so he was looking at her while frowning at something else.

Before he spoke, he took a moment to look her over, noting the wet and slightly frizzy appearance of her fur. For a lioness who usually looked spotless, it was surprisingly to see her looking less than groomed. Not that he would call her obsessed or anything, he was just not used to seeing a wet Seqi and it was just a little distracting... Realising he had yet to explain himself he frowned harder, hiding his embarrassment at being caught staring. She was lovely, even damp and frizzy, and he had no idea how to tell her so. Instead he sighed and pushed the thought away, his frustration at being unable to communicate with her properly only added to his current bad mood, and resuming his fuming over Brummen’s little visit.

“You’re brother wants to throw me a party before our wedding.” He said, deciding to just dive in and get to the root of the problem. It infuriated him that he could argue with the best in the pride, list rules, regulations and presidents for all manner of situations, and yet when it came to Seqi, he found himself completely unable to speak with anything resembling eloquence. It was maddening, but it was also a problem for another time.

“Also, we should decide on the wedding day. I’m sorry I’m not the chief Lawspeaker yet, but I think I have a strong enough position now to fulfil our agreement. I have an apprentice too.” He said, watching her intently as worry that she would refuse overpowered his annoyance at everything else for a moment.

Princess_Feylin

He doesn't deserve such an understanding fiancee. lol

 

[Princess_Feylin]

At Rask's growl Seqi fixed him with a look that said Really? She wasn't particularly bothered by his frown, but she couldn't help wondering if a part of the reason for it was because he was seeing her looking disheveled for the first time in...possibly ever. She usually took more care with her appearance when she knew she'd be seeing her fiancé.

Whatever Seqi had expected might be ailing her betrothed, she had not expected it to be something to do with one of her brothers. Not that they weren't both obnoxious gits from time to time, but as far as she knew, they had mostly respected her request that they leave her fiancé alone.

"Which brother?" Seqi asked automatically, at first hearing only Rask's first two words. It took another moment before she even began to process the rest of what he was saying.

Once she had, she was able to react to that, too, hardly giving Rask time to tell her which of her brothers was responsible. Given the situation, it really didn't matter which one. She could just imagine the circus either one of them would arrange, and how little Raskogr would enjoy it. There was a not insignificant portion of her that was somewhat gleeful at the thought of her betrothed trying to make merry at her brothers' sort of party, and because of that she knew she would make absolutely no effort to put a stop to the plans, no matter what Rask said.

"Don't worry about the party. You know that's typical," she said dismissively.

His sudden decision that they should select a date for their wedding took her by surprise though, as she had grown accustomed to being "betrothed, wedding date undetermined." In fact, it was almost a part of how she defined herself. It would be strange to agree on a date and have to change her self-description to include "betrothed, with wedding date."

Rather than deal with that bit of oddness for the time being, she deflected, choosing to respond only to the last thing Rask said, and so her next words were, "I was aware of the apprentice. Not that you ever bothered to introduce the two of us."

Tanakako

Oh, Seqi has her moments, and she's going to be downright bitchy when she's pregnant.

 

[Tanakako]

He didn't even notice her look, since it was one she wore fairly often in his presence, he had kind of assumed it was her natural one. Instead he felt a deep sense of relief, certain that she would put a stop to the madness that Brummen was going to organise.

"Brum...What?" He had started to answer but her next comment cut him off and left him staring at her in shock. She wasn't going to stop the party? Why? What possible reason was there for the damn thing in the first place. Finally managing to snap his mouth shut he scowled at her incredulously. "But... he wants mint and fruit and fights and women!" He exclaimed, horror twisting in his gut though he was too well schooled at hiding his emotions under his frown to give away just how disturbed the idea made him. After a few minutes of staring flatly at her, his dark brows creased into a deeper scowl that usual, he heaved a huge sight and gave up. If she wasn't going to stop it, it looked like he was doomed to spend a utterly miserable evening trying to avoid everyone while being stuck at the centre of such a crass gathering.

Shaking his head at the whole thing he dismissed her slightly waspish response, unaware that not introducing the two females may have made her angry. "I didn't know you wanted to meet her." He replied with a shrug. "I can bring her by some time." It was a pain, but if Seqi wanted to meet the kid, she was welcome to. Maybe it would even get the over enthusiastic nuisance out of his way for a few hours. That thought brightened him a little and he returned his gaze to Seqi. "Would next week be ok?" He asked, thinking of the wedding date again, having already dismissed the issue of his apprentice from his mind.

Princess_Feylin

Haha!! I will look forward to it. XD
OMG Rask is so useless at this. XD I think his only skill is arguing with folks. lol

 

[Princess_Feylin]

"Sounds like fun," she told him shortly. "Besides, it's expected. If you don't do something like that, people will talk."

"And it will certainly be the last opportunity you have to get intimate with anyone who isn't me. After we're married, if you pull that s**t, and I find out, I'll castrate you and then claw the b***h's eyes out, so if you've got any itches to scratch, you'd better take advantage of this party."

She delivered that last bit in a pleasant voice, smiling cheerfully in a way that almost made the semi-psychotic threat embedded in her words seem like a joke. It wasn't. If Raskogr stepped out on her when they were married, she'd hunt him and the other lioness down and ensure that neither of them ever had the opportunity to have sex again. For that matter, if anyone turned up pregnant after his party and named him as the father, she'd drown their cubs. But she didn't need to tell him that.

"And of course I want to meet her. In the past apprentices have lived with the lions they're learning from, and even though we aren't practicing that anymore, an apprentice is a large part of someone's life, and it seems only reasonable that a lion's wife, who is a larger part of their life, ought to be introduced to them." She was back to speaking shortly. As fond as she usually was of her betrothed, this was an issue that had been bothering her since she first learned of it, although there'd never been a good time to tell him so.

"I believe I'm available to meet her next week," she informed him, her tone still indicating that she was not particularly pleased with him. It had not occurred to her that he had changed topics and was discussing setting their wedding for next week. Had she realized that, she would have been on the ground, convulsing with laughter.

Tanakako

Meantime, meet psycho!Seqi.

 

[Tanakako]

It took Raskgor a long, long moment before his wife-to-be's words sank into his stunned brain. When they did his jaw fell open in a shocked and astonished expression. "What?" He rasped, unable to get out anything more substantial than that one word for a good few seconds. Not only had he never expected her to agree to him being with another female, but the very idea that she thought he wanted too was just as startling. Had he ever expressed an interest in any girl other than her? If he had it had been entirely by accident and a complete lie, for he had no such aspirations. Maybe she just expected him to be like her brothers? The thought of Brummen made him grimace. He would jump at the chance, and on any female, who showed even the faintest interest in such a thing. Wrinkling his nose he banished the imagery from his mind, grunting low at Seqi in annoyance.

"So... you want this farcical idea of a gathering to happen?" He finally asked, some of the shock easing now but he was still struggling with the notion that she wasn't going to help him put a stop to it. His hide shivered with repulsion when he thought of the horror that was to come, an evening of torment that he would be forced to endure. A low rumbling grown of defeat vibrated his chest as he resigned himself to the inevitable. "Fine." Only she held such sway with the Lawspeaker, and had his mother seen them she would have known that she had picked the right lioness to match to her most reclusive and aloof son.

Her return to a topic he had already dismissed knocked Rask mentally off balance and he had to look back at her for a moment, eyes narrowed as puzzlement crossed his features. He could tell she was angry at him, but he had no idea why, or what he had done this time to deserve it. Scowling again he huffed. "Fine, I'll set something up." Why on earth she wanted to meet the younger female he had no idea. He wouldn't have had anything to do with Pehmeä if he could have avoided it, but she had wanted to apprentice to a Lawspeaker and it was a matter of professional pride that she had chosen him, and he fully planned to make her the best lawspeaker she could be. Not only her, but it seemed that possibly one of his new younger siblings was leaning that way already. The thought made him grimace again but he knew he would never be able to refuse a family member. Well, anyone who was not Ragnvard at any rate.

"What..?!" He said again, startled out of his thoughts by her last comment. "Next week.." He stared at her a moment, cursing his inability to bring his brain to bear any time she stood close to him. She turned him into a babbling idiot and it made his temper rise. How stupid she must think I am. He cursed inwardly, getting more and more frustrated and confused by the way she could disrupt his thoughts with barely a glance. Instead of opening his mouth yet again he simply nodded while he tried to figure out what she was saying. The wedding.... but she wanted to meet the apprentice... Storm above but he wasn't ready for this. Letting out a long sigh in defeat he nodded again. If he couldn't get across to her what he wanted, he would simply ask her instead. "What day are we getting married?" If he knew that, he could organise the meeting with Pehmeä around it.

Princess_Feylin

Sorry, had one of the twice yearly projects land on me at work, but am mostly caught up now.

 

[Princess_Feylin]

Seqi was no longer in much of a mood to smile, even at the thought of Raskogr suffering through a party planned by her brothers. Right now she really just kind of wanted to n** him for being a thoughtless a**, except she was one hundred percent certain he wouldn't understand what he had done to deserve it, and she didn't want to get into the millions of degrees of what was and was not appropriate. He could be infuriating in thousands of ways, and often his very literal mind was amusing and endearing, but right now she was not in a mood to be amused or endeared.

"I don't know when we're getting married," she told him in a tone that almost but not quite implied she also didn't know if she wanted to get married.

He was clearly distressed though, and Seqi was not a cruel lioness by nature, and so she took a deep breath and pushed through her own irritation to address his concerns. It wasn't as if his question was invalid. She just hadn't really expected it, since he'd not shown any inclination to actually get married in the past beyond not actually refusing to do so.

"It's not something we can just decide to do on the fly," she explained. "Arrangements for locations and food and decorations have to be made. People have to be invited. Participants have to be determined. I mean, you're technically able to handle the legal portion of the ceremony, I suppose, but I think it'd be a bit odd to officiate at your own wedding. And I'd still like a priestess present to consecrate it in the eyes of the gods."

In truth, she'd already considered most of these aspects and would have little enough to do beyond picking a date when it came to most of the things involving people. But one did not simply slaughter a wedding banquet's worth of the pride's herd without making prior arrangements, and decorations took time to set up.

"If you seriously want to put things in motion for a wedding, I can do that, but I can't give you a date right now. There are too many other variables." For one thing, her father would want to have the priestesses ordain a fortuitous date and some back-up dates just in case the first choice proved inconvenient for too many people.

Tanakako

 

[Tanakako]

Had Rask known she had reason to question his dedication to their betrothal, he would have been able to reassure her. But since he had long assumed it was simply something that would happen, he hadn't ever given the idea of not marrying Seqi a single thought. So the surprise that hit him when Seqi almost sounded indisposed to the idea was like a claw to the face, leaving him gaping slightly at her for the umpteenth time since he had sought her out.

So when she continued to talk and started to go into details over the arrangements, the relief he felt almost entirely blotted out what she was actually saying. It was all he could do to simply nod along and to try and keep his relief off his face. His nodding increased at her question and he finally managed to unstick his tongue and his brain enough to answer without looking any more foolish than he already did.

"That's fine, I can wait until you decide. Your brother wants to know though, so he can organise this party of his..." There were so many thoughts and feelings swirling around his head, emotions that he didn’t deal well with at any time, but today they seemed especially confusing and jumbled up. So instead of trying to sort them out, or address one specific very frightening thought that had been clamouring for his attention, he blocked it all out. The idea that she might re-think her choice of a husband terrified him so badly he simply couldn't contemplate it. Instead he forced it into the depths of his mind were the rest of his emotions were kept. Instead he kept focused on the practical aspects of his conversation with Seqi. Which... had been sorted, now that he thought about it. Yet the confusion and stirred-up shadows inside him refused to quiet now his mission was compete, and he was well aware of just how crazy he must look to her. Tilting his head away with awkward embarrassment disguised under his usual coldly-calm mask of non-emotion, he looked around the area but didn't actually register any of it.

Thankfully, before he started to feel even more stupid stood there before her, he finally hit on something else to say. "I can find another Lawspeaker, if you wish." He meant that he could look for someone to officiate, rather than Seqi herself having to do it. Yet as always it came out muted, almost offhand. One day he dearly wanted to be able to talk to her like any other lion... and not in his own stunted, disafected manner. Sighing internally he wondered if she really would get tired of him and leave. He probably wouldn't blame her if she did.

Princess_Feylin

Sorry I slowed up on this!!

 

[Princess_Feylin]

Sometimes Raskogr could be the most frustrating lion Seqi knew, including all her siblings. But other times his straightforwardness was incredibly refreshing. For instance, right now it made everything much easier for Seqi that he was able to have this conversation mostly rationally, even though neither of them had come to it in a particularly rational state of mind.

"Brummen can sit on a stick," Seqi said, both serious and joking. "This is our wedding, at it'll happen in our time. If he wants an excuse to party, he can look somewhere else for the time being. Though, really, I think this is his best attempt at trying to make you feel welcome and approved of."

She shook her head. She truly loved her family, every single member, which she knew was something she and Rask didn't share. His family was fractured, and she was sorry for that, but she also wasn't stupid enough to think there was anything she could do to repair it. Really, the most she figured she could hope for would be a temporary ceasefire between her betrothed's brothers for the duration of the event.

"I'll leave selecting a lawspeaker to you, then. You know them better than I." Although Seqi intended to change that. If she was going to marry one lawspeaker, she was going to be familiar with all of them. "Meanwhile, I'll gather my parents and find a priestess to divine an auspicious date for the ceremony. Will your parents want to be present at that, do you think?"

Tanakako

I'm excited. This is the most in-depth I've looked at Stormborn weddings, ever. I'm learning so much!

 

[Tanakako]

Her reply startled a smile out of him as he looked back at her, the low rumble of a chocked-off chuckle filling his chest for a brief moment. He could easily imagine Seqi telling her brother to do exactly that. She was a far braver lion than he himself. He kind of wished he could be there when she told Brummen to mind his own business, for he was sure the big reaver would bother her for a date when Rask didn't offer one up.

Nodding his head at her responce he briefly wondered just which Lawspeaker would be best suited to officiate at their wedding. Whoever it was would have to meet Seqi's expectation, he wouldn't let them do toherwise, the wedding was clearly a big deal to her and so Rask was determined that she would get everything she wanted. Maybe he would ask his mother if there was anything in particular she had looked for in her own wedding.

"I am sure they will." He responded, knowing at least his mother would be very upset if he didn't include her in the wedding plans. His father, well, the old lion would probably only be there because his wife desired it. But Rask certainly wasn't going to suggest to either of them that he didn't have to go.

Princess_Feylin

Me too! Are we going to rp out the cerimony/Brummen's party? I think they would both be fun! And if you wanted, Ember is a priestess.

 

[Princess_Feylin]

Seqi smiled back at her berothed, pleased that she was able to amuse Rask with her suggestion for Brummen. It wasn't as if she hadn't said similar things or worse to her brother's face when he became too obnoxious. She hoped, however, that she wouldn't have to spend her entire life defending Rask from her family. That would quickly grow tiresome.

"All right," Seqi said. "I'll make arrangements. Was there anything else you wanted?"

Until a date was nailed down, there was little more she could do to help him, but there might be something else on his mind. Already she had learned that Rask required frequent prompting to get him to tell her the entirety of anything going through his head. He was decidedly taciturn. At least it probably lent him an air of mystery and importance when he was about his lawspeaker duties.

Tanakako

Omigosh. I was looking through Seqi's old RPs and I found this one. I did it before I knew anything about her, but omigosh. I wonder who the lion was!

 

[Tanakako]

He nodded as she agreed to start things moving on the whole wedding thing. Suddenly, he realised just what that meant. They would be married soon. Husband and wife. While he had always assumed they would marry, and the idea of not doing so had never crossed his mind, he hadn't realised just how accustomed he had become to knowing that fact as part of his far off future. Ever since he had been a cub he had known he would marry Seqi, but in that way of things that was knowladge without any real effect on his life. Now, suddenly, it was very real, looming into his immediate future. He was not afraid of the doing of it, it was just that the change from an empherial idea to a statement of fact was so jarring.

Blinking at her again he slowly shook his head. "I don't think so." He replied at last, tail curling behind him in a distracted manner as he sought through his mental notes for anything else that he should be talking to her about. But as he came up empty he hoped she hadn;t bene hinting at something he had forgotten, and that would get him into trouble with her. He had seen his mother and father play out that game many times, and was slightly fearful of Seqi's wrath when he did eventually play and fail at it.

Instead he glanced back towards the heart of the pride. "I was going to go eat." He said, looking back at her. He wanted to ask her if she cared to join him, for he would like to have her company a while longer, but he had no words for it. Instead he nodded in the direction of the food store. "Hungry?"

Princess_Feylin

Ahahaaa Wow Seqi!!! I would have been suspiscious of Ragnvard, but she hates him. XD Rask would be shocked if he knew. Roffle.

 

[Princess_Feylin]

Seqi gave a mental shrug and answered Rask, "I could eat."

There was a relatively large portion of her mind which was having hysterical fits over everything she would have to pull together, ignoring the fact that she had both her own family and Raskogr's to ask for assistance should she require it, and doing its very best not to consider what would happen at the end of all this planning and preparing. Marriage.

She smiled at Rask and fell into step beside him. Time to get started.

Tanakako

Fin?
And I'll probably just say it was a random reaver and she'll never speak to him again, or of the incident. No need to introduce strife for what was undeniably a one-time thing.

 

[Tanakako]

Princess_Feylin

Fin!
Sounds good to me. X3