[PRP] Yeah, not impressed (Seqineq, Raskogr & Ragnvard)

[Princess_Feylin]

Once it had become apparent that Seqineq really was betrothed, and that Raskogr seemed willing to go through with it (she had spent a decent portion of her youth wondering about both of those things, all the while quietly preparing for the possibility that they were both true), it had also become apparent to her that she would have to get to know the family she would be marrying into. After all, in old blood families, you never just married the lion you married. You married their whole family. So she had made it a goal of hers to get to know each of Raskogr's brothers, in addition to his parents.

Fortunately, arrangements were in place to make meeting her new family fairly easy, as she had only had to speak to her mother, who had then spoken to Raskogr's mother, who had graciously invited Seqineq to join the family for dinner. Now, after everyone had eaten, it had been suggested that Raskogr walk her home, which was fine by Seqi, right up to the point where Raskogr's brother Ragnvard volunteered to come with them. "To keep them honest."

Throughout dinner, she had found herself slanting glances at him, trying to figure out whether he was going to be a problem, although she had remained perfectly pleasant and polite. She was determined to remain so until she was at home, where she would probably have to tell her brothers to jump off a cliff to get them to stop teasing her. So she began by thanking Ragnvard oh-so-sweetly for his offer of companionship.

"It will be so nice to have the chance to get to know you better," she said with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

Tanakako

I'm sorry. I really just couldn't resist an opportunity to RP the first time Seqi and Ragnvard met. Sorry for giving you two people to RP, but I thought it might work better if Rask was present.

 

[Tanakako]

Raskogr

He had been dreading the family meeting where his betrothed finally met the rest of his siblings. He hadn't needed to worry about his parents, both of them were normal. But the thought of her anywhere near his middle brother made him break out in twitches, and there was no way on this rocky earth that Rayn would behave herself for the entire meal. Indeed, the youngest of the siblings had proven to be as devilishly sharp-tongued as she usually was, though she did manage to keep herself just on the right side of polite to avoid their father's stinging slap. But she had earned several looks from the big dark male, a comment from their mother, a sleek creamy lioness, and very many glares from Rask himself. Ronan had stayed apart from the sibling banter as was usual for him, keeping the majority of the family between himself and Ragnvard at all times and speaking only when directly addressed.

Of his siblings, Ronan was the only one Rask could stand to be around for any length of time. Rayn was a pain in his paw constantly but at least he could usually ignore her barbed tongue. But the one he loathed most, was Ragnvard. He had been grateful when the gathering had finally ended and he and Seqi could escape. Grateful, that was, until Ragnvard had spoken up.

Sending his older brother a withering scowl he had been forced to accept the red male's offer, but carefully kept himself between his sibling and Seqi as the three of them set off for her home. He certainly didn't trust Ragnvard an inch, and refused to let the male near his betrothed.

Ragnvard

The meal had been interesting, but with his parents there, and Ronan constantly making the fur along his back prickle, the big red male had been forced to hold his tongue, only subtly encouraging his younger sister in her own attempts to provoke some kind of reaction from their guest. And every so often intervening on Seqi's behalf against Rayn, ignoring his sister's annoyed glare in favour of currying the affections of his brother's soon to be wife.

Now that they were alone, relatively speaking, he sent Seqi a warm and friendly smile over his skinny brother's head. "I assure you." He replied, his smile still in place as he gazed at her with appreciation. She was a very pretty female after all. “The pleasure is all mine.” He winked at her playfully, ignoring the darkening scowl Rask was shooting his way. “So, tell me Seqi… what do you make of our little family?” He asked, his tone interested and encouraging.

Princess_Feylin

That's fine, its probably safer for Ragnvard, he is likely to drive her nuts. lol

 

[Princess_Feylin]

Seqi wanted to glance at Rask before answering his brother's question soliciting her opinion of their family. She was sort of hoping his expression would give her a clue as to where he thought his brother was going with this. It was a fairly loaded question, all things considered. She couldn't do that, though, and she was somewhat irked by Ragnvard's wink. The two of them were not conspirators.

"Your family gatherings are quieter than mine," she told him, thinking of her brother's tendency to speak in a tone best described as booming or thunderous, and the fact that the rest of the family had to speak almost as loudly to be heard when he got going.

When it became apparent that her answer had not been sufficient, Seqi added, "I was a little surprised to have been spared the third degree. Rask warned me that your sister would probably have a lot to say,and that she has a memorable way of phrasing her thoughts."

Specifically, Rask had said that Rayn could be sharp-tongued and rude, and that he wouldn't blame Seqi if she smacked her, but he'd rather she resisted the impulse because Rayn would definitely smack her back. The implication that she couldn't handle herself against Raskogr's sister hadn't lain well with Seqi, but she'd had no intentions of getting into a brawl with his sister, no matter how ill-mannered she proved to be.

Tanakako

 

[Tanakako]

Raskogr

Being wholly occupied in giving his brother the evil eye, Rask wouldn't have seen his betrothed's glance anyway. Instead he was keeping a close and not-at-all-discreet eye on his older sibling. However he did glance at her as she spoke, unable to hide his pleased grin when she sparred Ragnvard's comment right back at him. It made him feel good that she wasn't taken in by his brother's easy charm and muscular body as so many of the pride's females seemed to be. He had always thought her exceptionally smart, far more so than anyone else he knew, but he had still been worried about her meeting Ragnvard. Yet it seemed he had worried over nothing. Not that he was going to let his guard down, Ragnvard wasn't known as a silver-tongued snake for nothing.

Ragnvard

Her response made the large Captain laugh aloud, a deep pleasently rumbling sound as he regarded her with delight. "Touché." He agreed, knowing she was too smart not to have spotted his attempt at getting information from her. "Indeed, our baby sister is certainly a wild little thing. Causes our parents all sorts of trouble. But she is a good girl at heart." He replied, a fond expression on his face. Rayn was, after all, his co-conspirator in many things, his little shadow and protégé. Her bold, brash nature and fearless manipulation of their fellow pridemembers provided him with great entertainment and many an opportunity of his own. It was well worth the price of occasionally having to defend her honour when she picked the wrong reaver to swindle.

"You don't have to be polite though. I know Rask here has explained the 'family disagreement' to you." He made air quotes around the word with one paw, not even pausing in their walk. "And since you are soon to be marrying into the family, I'm curious as to what you think about it, and us." He grinned his 'no harm no foul' expression of absolute sincerity.

Princess_Feylin

 

[Princess_Feylin]

Again, after carefully mentioning Rayn's restraint, Seqi had to resist the urge to glance over at Rask. The fact that he had positioned himself between her and his brother would have made it easier for her to exchange glances with him, had he been looking at her, but it meant that most of the conversation she was having with his brother was being conducted literally over his head, which she didn't care for.

Instead, she narrowed her eyes at Ragnvard. He was being perfectly pleasant, but something about the way he addressed her just struck her as...off. Judging by Rask's stiffness, it was possible his brother was just trying to use her to provoke him, and she didn't intend to be party to that, so when Ragnvard said she didn't have to be polite, she decided that she would take him at his word.

"Fine. I think that your parents didn't tell you 'no' often enough. I also think that you like being the cause of a schism in your family, or else you'd take the necessary steps to mend the rift before it becomes irreparable. I just don't know why." She almost stopped here before realizing that if she did, it would just give Ragnvard the opportunity to try to answer her. "You should know, I genuinely don't care why you want to continue this feud with your brother. I'm not marrying you or Ronan, thank the gods."

Tanakako

Probably not the most politick she could've been.

 

[Tanakako]

Ragnvard

Ragnvard tilted his head as she started to speak, impressed by her boldness. Seriously, why was she aligning herself with his useless lawspeaker brother? It was baffling to him, for she was far too smart and of apparent good judgment to make such a poor choice. Unless of course, his career was what had attracted her, that, and the fact that he was so easily manipulated. A fact that Ragnvard had discovered long ago when they were all still cubs together. Arching a brow at her candour he grinned again, pleased by her metaphorical bite. Here was a female who could easily rival any of his reavers with her formidable mental ability.

Laughing easily he gave a lazy shrug of acknowledgment. “True enough. I was quite the precocious child, I will admit to that. Though as to the disagreement between myself and Ronan, well… “ He looked away, the humour leaking from his expression. “.. it’s not one sided.” He looked over Raskogr at her again, ignoring the vicious glare his younger brother was giving him. Instead he decided to annoy his irritating sibling, and besides which he was deeply curious about one thing in particular.

“So why are you marrying Rask anyway?”

Raskogr

Raskogr never did have a very high opinion of his older sibling, but he wondered why he was still surprised every time Ragnvard managed to do something to lower it even further. Rolling his eyes at his brother’s very obvious flirting with his fiancée, the skinny male picked up the pace a little, rather hoping to hurry their arrival at Seqi’s parents den. The less time they spent with his sibling, the fewer reasons Ragnvard would give Seqi to break off the marriage. He still wasn’t sure why she had picked him, or at least stuck with her mother’s choice of husband, but he was fairly sure any proximity to Ragnvard would make any sane lioness doubt the wisdom of joining the Holmgair family.

And then his brother went and did the one thing Rask hadn’t even considered. He called Seqi out on her choice. Whipping his head round he bared his fangs at his far bigger and brawnier sibling. “Stop harassing my bride, Ragnvard.” He spat in fury, tail lashing. It was the first time in quite a while that he had confronted the Captain. Having long ago learned just how futile it was to fight the bag of muscle and claws that was the red lion.

Princess_Feylin

She is great, this is so much fun.
Sorry for the wait. I replied before but my browser shut down and I lost it.

 

[Princess_Feylin]

Seqi should have been prepared for Ragnvard's question. After all, it wasn't the first time she'd had to answer it, or something like it, but previously those doing the asking were close friends or family members, and they had never asked while Raskogr was present to hear her reply. With them, she could be mostly honest, but in this situation she did not want to give her betrothed's brother anything he could later hold over Raksogr's head to torment him with, as he seemed wont to do.

She leveled a cool stare at Ragnvard and replied, "I'm marrying him because I think we will make a good match."

Obviously there was more to it than that, but she wasn't going to go into the details. They were none of Ragnvard's business. She was glad when Raskogr stood up to his brother and told him to lay off of her. Not that she didn't think she could hold her own, but it was...nice to feel like part of a team. She could do worse, she thought, than to be on a team with Raskogr. In keeping with these feelings, Seqi moved so that she stood in such a way as to make it plain she would be willing to fight alongside her betrothed, should things turn out that way, rather than stand aside.

Tanakako

I am so, so sorry for how long it has taken me to reply to this. There was much job switching in the between.

 

[Tanakako]

Ragnvard

The big lion's brows rose at both his little brother's snarling retort and Seqi's response. Disbelief warred with amusement on his face as he regarded the pair of them. Raskogr with his hackles up and fangs barred, and Seqi stood right beside him, proud and defiant.

"Temper temper, Raskogr." He purred in a distinctly condescending manner, starting to get annoyed with the spine his baby brother was growing in Seqi's presence. Turning his attention to Seqi he studied her for a long moment. "Maybe so... " He finally replied, eyes narrowing slightly. It was true that she was bringing out a whole new side to his unpleasant sibling. Raskogr hadn't back-talked in... a very long time. And it had been even longer since the smaller male had bared fangs at Ragnvard. After a long moment he finally shook his head, breaking the intense, thoughtful stare he had pinned on Seqi. "Well, I wish you luck I suppose. You will need it." He returned in an offhanded manner, resuming their briefly interrupted walk towards Seqi's den as if they just hadn't had a moment of sizing each other up.

If he couldn't win Seqi over to his side, he would have to be careful of her... she could turn into a problem, and was certainly a worthy opponent.

Raskogr

Scowling furiously up at his sibling, Raskogr dearly wanted to attack. Despite knowing how futile it was, his claws itched for blood and his fur bristled. Just one hit, one chance to return some of the torment Ragnvard had inflicted on him throughout the years. Payback. Not only for himself, but for Seqi, for his hated sibling's slander of her good name just by his mere presence. But then Ragnvard moved on, leaving Raskogr to seethe silently. His only balm was the presence of his wife at his side. it didn't matter to Raskogr that they hadn't yet had the ceremony. She was his, had been since they were cubs, and he was hers. Just as he had never considered anyone else, he had never even looked at another lioness. It had always been her, from that first meeting where they had played together, so unaware and innocent. Glancing at the stunning female stood beside him he allowed himself a tiny smile, letting her fierce spirit and loyal nature sooth him in the face of his brother's antagonism.

Resuming their walk, and making no attempt to hurry up and catch his sibling, Raskogr shook his head with a snort. "We don't need luck. Stop meddling brother." Taking advantage of Ragnvard's surprise as the big red male stopped and turned back to look at him, he marched right past the brute, escorting his bride with head held high.

Princess_Feylin

 

[Princess_Feylin]

Seqi was, in truth, relieved that Ragnvard seemed willing to let the challenge pass. She had absolutely no desire to come to blows with any of Raskogr's family, but especially not with this particular sibling. It was not just from her betrothed that she had heard of Ragnvard's talent for violence. She was as much a warrior as any freeborn, and a capable enough fighter, but she could not imagine a scenario in which a fight with Ragnvard went in her favor. Even with Raskogr at her side. Especially with Raskogr there, as she had the suspicion that he would be in the way more than he would be of help.

She considered adding something after Raskogr asserted that they would not need luck, but it seemed appropriate to allow him to have the last word here. He was the one who had been living with Ragnvard as a sibling his entire life, and was the most entitled to deliver any put-downs he felt were necessary. She had already said her piece, and there was nothing she really needed to add.

It was not until they reached her home that she was finally able to relax enough to offer the brothers something resembling a real smile and thank them for walking her home. In the pit of her stomach she was convinced that his display of defiance would cost Raskogr once he and his brother were away from her,and she didn't like that there was nothing she could do to prevent it, but she could hardly hover around Raskogr all the time, trying to ward off his brother's ire. It would only emasculate him. She rather dreaded the day when Ragnvard decided it would be more effective to beat his brother in front of her, to thoroughly demonstrate his supposed inferiority.

"Please give your parents my thanks again," she requested, pretending as though nothing had happened. "It was a memorable evening."

Tanakako

 

[Tanakako]

Ragnvard

His earlier grin had faded entirely as Raskogr stormed past. Trouble indeed.... He didn't like this new side of his younger sibling. As a Lawspeaker, Raskogr was a very useful tool, though had always been a tricky one to wield. Now however, if Seqi continued to bring out this more stubborn ..confident?.. side of Raskogr, he could use his position to cause some real trouble for Ragnvard. That made the big male frown. Maybe he should start taking Raskogr seriously. An unpleasant thought for sure.

Shaking himself mentally from his thoughts he followed the two skinny figures as Raskogr and Seqi headed towards Seqi's family den. Once they arrived at their destination Ragnvard smiled, addressing Seqi and thoroughly ignoring his sibling. "It has been very enlightening." He agreed easily. "We should do it again some time." Dipping his head to her he turned and moved a step away. "Come brother."

Raskogr

The rest of the walk was torture. he could feel Ragnvard's hatful stare boring into his rump. And everything in him screamed that turning his back on the Captain was a bad idea. But he forced himself to ignore it, keeping next to Seqi and talking softly under his breath, mainly apologising for his sibling and trying to assure himself that she hadn't hated the entire evening. His family, despite Ragnvard's best attempts, meant a lot to him, especially his youngest siblings, the new litter his mother had birthed not long ago. Rikmóðr especially was his favourite. He had a tendency to trip over her a lot, but unlike any other pridemember, it didn't annoy him. He found her fascination endearing and enjoyed teaching her things. Though he already knew she would never become a lawspeaker like himself, and the thought made him just a little disappointed.

Once they arrived at Seqi's home he pressed his cheek to hers in farewell. For once totally ignoreing the condasending huff from behind them, even enjoying the ltitle thrill such an action gave him. "Thank you." He murmrued with an eye-roll towards his brother lingering in the back, the words sounding more like 'I'm sorry'. "Have a good night, Seqi. I'll see you tomorrow." Reluctantly he turned from her and scowled fiercly at Ragnvard. "Shut up." He snapped, stalking past and heading back up the path they had just travailed down, determined to stay ahead of the Captain.

Princess_Feylin

Done? We need to play Rask with Rikmóðr!