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 Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2016 3:26 am
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Tapana, yawning, rubbed a paw across her face and over her whiskers, wondering - not for the first time - why she had signed up for this. Being regent involved more talk than action and her paws itched to get back out amongst the people and away from the dens. Today, however, she'd scheduled another meeting with her counterpart and the new members.
Since their initial meeting, her intrigue had not lessened in the slightest. Talk of this 'seer magic' seemed like an invaluable resource. It seemed crazy, in truth, that they'd gone so long without trying to harness it. Still, with new leaders, what was to say that they couldn't now bring this strength to the forefront? It would require careful integration, of course. Firekin were many things, but ironically change had never been their strong point.
And she wasn't yet sure how Agni-pariksha stood on this subject. Perhaps today, she would find out.
Stretching, she pushed herself to her paws and began the short walk down to the designated meeting point, putting on her 'game' face and donning her 'leader' persona.
Ah, being regent wasn't all so bad.
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Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2016 4:00 am
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Despite her generally rough and informal nature, Agni-pariksha was early for their scheduled meeting with the seers. She paced silently, looking grim, as she waited. There was a lot of information to take in after the recent arrivals, and she had no idea what to do with it. She hadn't been able to get anything useful out of her father or Nawvlee, but she knew that she needed Tapana's input to know what was actually needed at this point.
Truthfully, she was worried. The Firekin served themselves and they did a damned good job of it, but if the Nergui served a god.. that could make them tougher to break. It gave her a headache trying to figure out how to handle that. She didn't want to just leave things as they were, and she knew Tapana didn't either- nor did a good chunk of the pride, if their election was any indication.
"Tapana," she greeted her fellow regent upon her arrival.
They were not late. Adanna would not allow it to happen again- but they were still the last to arrive, though appearing just behind the second regent. The worst part of preparing had been finding her idiot brother. He seemed to be enjoying his freedom and new pride well enough, but he was most glad to be rid of his sister's constant lurking in his shadow.. and she was glad for the freedom from the dumbass as well, but they were still far from off the hook here. She's spoken to Nawvlee but it didn't offer much reassurance.
Adeyemi trudged along behind his sister, looking and feeling indifferent. They couldn't help who their parents were and there was only so much they could do to manipulate the talents their mother had somehow given to them. At least, he didn't seem to have much control over it. He'd resigned himself to being useful other ways but, unfortunately for him, he was involved in the rest of this. |
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Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2016 4:19 am
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Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2016 4:35 am
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Agni grinned back at Tapana, put at ease just by having the other regent there with her. It was good to share the responsibility of thinking about all of this Nergui garbage. And, unfortunately, the council was too small and the information still too vague to get more lions weighing in. She sat herself down by Tapana and looked expectantly at the siblings.
"It did," Adanna said, "I hope if he had any reservations about us, he would talk to us."
Unless the regents were about to do the talking about it now, but she doubted that. It seemed even more unlikely that he had skipped them to warn the regents when Tapana moved right on to business.
"I'm ready," she said, "But.. how much do you both know about what seers can do?"
Adanna stood opposite the regents but Adeyemi decided that once they were seated, it was safe for him as well. So he sat down slightly behind his sister and off to the side a bit, waiting to see what would happen.
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Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2016 4:44 am
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Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2016 5:11 am
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Agni-pariksha wanted very much to look from Adanna and Adeyemi over to Tapana, as if eye contact would somehow help them 'discuss' what the answer to the question was. What Tapana said was more than she knew, at least in the details.
"Isn't it like fortune-telling?" she asked, "Predicting the future."
That was, really, all she could guess about it. Unless seers were omniscient by some virtue of their 'stolen magic' (as the Nergui might claim it to be) .. but she doubted that, based solely on the hesitation from the other two. It made her skeptical of the endeavor, though not hopeless.
Adanna nodded a bit to each regent as they offered what they could about it. Truthfully, much of her own broader knowledge of the gift came from their stay in the Nergui. If she hadn't been there, she might have been left with only her own experience to guide her. Of course, who could tell what Mother would have been able to teach them if she had stuck around.
"It's not just the future," she said carefully, "Seeing into the past is as common. And control is possible, but requires more practice than we've had."
"I've had no practice," Adeyemi interjected, "Happens mostly when I sleep. Realizing it's not a dream is the first step, and that's hard to do if you're just sleeping."
He hadn't bothered trying to practice, but he didn't say that.
Agni raised a brow and glanced to Tapana, then back to Adeyemi.
"Then how do you know it's not just a dream?" she asked, "How do you know you're seers?"
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Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2016 5:33 am
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Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2016 5:35 pm
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Finally, Agni-pariksha was looking more determined than grim, almost cheerful even. If the pair couldn't rise to such a challenge, their usefulness would be forfeit and, depending on their attitudes, their suitability in a fiery pride like the Firekin would be questionable. Based on their limited interactions, she doubted they would back down even if they were lying- and that was why she was smiling.
Could they prove it? She needed them to, if she were going believe them.
Adanna sighed, seeing the perfect opening for the information they had to reveal but deciding to come back to how they know they're seers later. Really, their mother only confirmed it. Adeyemi had realized their power and Adanna had realized what their mother was, it wasn't until they shared those facts with each other that it all came together.
Unfortunately, if they were going to prove it, it would be up to her if Adeyemi couldn't control it-- or want to control it.
"I can do it," she said, finally taking a seat so she wouldn't topple over when her mind reached out beyond her body, "Do you have a question you want answered? Or shall I reach out blindly?"
Neither would like if she reached out blindly, she'd have to draw on whatever she knew about the two of them already-- and really, all she knew was gossip. Finding out the truth behind those rumors could prove, ah.. sensitive.
Adeyemi only shrugged and let Adanna take the lead, feeling he'd been clear enough about his inability to control his visions. Most of his visions had been the Hongshan's past, particularly the battle with the Nergui from perspectives that were not his own.. and they lacked the fuzzy quality of a dream. He was confident but unable to prove it to anybody. So he kept his mouth shut.
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Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2016 1:34 am
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With Adeyemi sitting quietly, all attention was focused on Adanna. Tapana couldn't help but feel the slight tingle of excitement at the prospect of witnessing this spectacle, and yet she kept the emotion firmly away from her features as she looked on. She'd celebrate (or rage) later, depending on how this all turned out.
"If I give you a question there is always a possibility that you might be able to guess the answer. I'd rather not risk that. Find something on your own. If it is truth, I won't hide it from you."
It was a somewhat brave response, all things considered, but in truth Tapana didn't feel that she had much to hide.
(LOL, haha, perfect opportunity for their rumours to come to light rofl so tempting!! If we catch each other on AIM, we can discuss if you like, otherwise have fun!)
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Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2016 3:46 am
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Unlike Tapana, Agni-pariksha was searching her mind for questions to ask- questions that wouldn't be easy to know the answer to unless you were there. She was visibly put off when Tapana correctly pointed out that guessing was a possibility, not so keen for a potential psychic (or whatever!) to go prying into her past just because she could.
"Start with her," she said, nodding to Tapana and smiling smugly. Fair was fair, if Tapana was going to put herself out there then clearly Agni had to follow suit.. but that didn't mean she had to go first.
Adanna looked back and forth between the regents and sighed inwardly. She'd had more luck in previous attempts to guide her visions when she knew what she was looking for, and she wasn't especially interested in prying randomly into the pasts of strangers so she hadn't had any practice with that. She and Adeyemi had missed the election but everything was fresh enough that there was still plenty to hear about each of the lionesses and their politics.
The rumors about Tapana were harmless enough, and even without Agni-pariksha pushing to try her past out first, she thought it was a better place to start than trying to nose around into why the darker regent didn't have cubs.
"Alright," she said, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes. She didn't need to be asleep but it was easier to focus away from herself and the present with her eyes closed.
Adeyemi watched Adanna silently, almost curiously. For the first time, he thought about whether or not he ought to try gaining some control over his abilities. When his sister suddenly swayed, he was on his feet to catch her. He stood at her side shaking his head, practically holding her up. It did seem like she had fallen asleep where she sat, and he stared for a long few minutes.
When Adanna's eyes opened again, she was surprised to find herself leaning on her brother and she nearly jumped away from him. She was still getting used to him being supportive, and she hadn't realized her body might relax without her mind on the present.
"Ahem."
She straightened herself up, giving Adeyemi an appreciate smile and turning back to Tapana, wondering where to start exactly.
"You.. have a few secrets," she commented carefully, slowly working to unravel whatever scene had unfolded in her visions. She had been successful in guiding her sight to where she wanted to go, unfortunately interpretation of events was much more difficult. So she started with the easiest.
"But you're good at that, having secrets- keeping them," she said, "Everybody says you were Legate, that you started out as a Guard.. but the truth is that you were a spy. A Watcher."
It was a good thing that Adanna had been paying attention to the finer details of her new pride or she wouldn't have known enough to parse out that interesting tidbit. Considering the spies were, by nature, secret.. maybe that was all she needed to say.
Agni-pariksha blinked at the statement and then turned to Tapana for confirmation or denial. A Watcher? Seriously? That couldn't be true or it would have come up by now, the pair of them were basically acting as Spy Master until one could be assigned. Finding out who was actually a Watcher had been one of the more interesting things she'd learned as Regent.
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Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2016 7:02 am
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Tapana watched and waited, feeling herself leaning forwards in anticipation for an answer - occasionally flicking a smile across at Agni-pariksha and wondering what secrets they might find out about her today. The thought of finding something out about her colleague was strangely exciting.
When Adanna snapped from her meditative state, the regent blinked and straightened, clearly curious to what the female had discovered. She hoped, desperately, that she would speak some truth of her past and secure a potential for seers within the pride.
And moments later, when she spoke, Tapana realised the power had more potential than she had even dared hope. A large grin cracked through her formal mask and, with a laugh, she turned to glance at Agni-pariksha. "So you found me out. It's true. Sorry..." she wasn't sure why she felt the need to apologise to the other regent, but she felt strangely guilty that she had not confessed this beforehand. "I guess keeping secrets has become a bit of a habit."
She glanced back at Adanna, "anything else? Or is it Agni-pariksha's turn now?" She assumed that the seer could go on looking into the past at her pleasure.
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Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2016 5:38 pm
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"Holy s**t, she's right?!" Agni exclaimed, staring at Tapana in disbelief. She already had a significant amount of respect for her as an excellent Guard-turned-Sentinel-turned-Legate, they'd never really worked together but they had been on similar footing in their past employ. And she apologized for not saying anything..! She'd been doing two jobs and, apparently, kicking a** at both of them.
It took a moment and a few blinks before she grinned.
"Impressive," she said, and turned to Adanna when she was pushed for more- half curious about what else Tapana was purposefully hiding and half worried her own secrets would come out. She hardly had any secrets as impressive as Tapana's past work as a spy, but there were plenty of personal items she wasn't so sure about just having blurted out.
While the regents took some time to react to the news, Adanna allowed herself a smug smile while continuing to think through whatever else she had seen. When she was pressed for more, she weighed the options: if she were convinced by that, she didn't need to hear what else she had found.. but would it help or hurt to leave it out? And fair was fair, peering into Agni-pariksha's past seemed the appropriate response.
But she turned back to Tapana. If she knew her secrets, it was more important that the keeper of those secrets know as well. Building trust was more important than guarding her privacy from her partner.
"You're Safi," she said, "You've kept that a secret too, even from your family- that's why you're estranged from them. They're the old faction from the rebellion, right? You still believe in Finar-si."
It was a tough conclusion to piece together from what glimpses she had. She knew just enough about the Safi, Finar-si and gods in general to get where she got. It would be a good point to move on from in the test, too. Interpretation would be harder than seeing.
Adeyemi watched silently, vaguely impressed with the information his sister drew out of seemingly thin air but adding nothing to the conversation. He'd make a fool of himself trying the same stunt right now so he'd watch, learn, and hope Adanna made him look good by association.
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Posted: Sat Sep 03, 2016 3:24 am
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Agni-pariksha's compliments took Tapana off-guard momentarily, her face taking on a more sheepish note. It seemed a hard thing to do to impress the other regent and doing so made her feel more proud than if the compliment had come from anywhere else.
Still, the next fact came quicker than the female had expected, her head snapping around to look at the seer. This time she seemed truly shocked, her eyes widening and her mouth going slack. "You saw that?" It took her a moment to get over the shock of having that particular information out in the open. She supposed, considering it, she should have been a little more concerned about having this part of her life discovered. And yet, somehow, she had thought it so well hidden than not even the prying eyes of a seer could have found it. Not even her family knew!
After gathering herself back together, her reply to this was a little more sobered, "they are and yes...I do. Though, I think that should stay only between us. Not many look kindly upon Finar-Si these days."
This time, she dared not cast a look at Agni-pariksha. If felt, somehow, like a great wrong she had done the other, by keeping this from her. Her more than anyone.
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Posted: Sat Sep 03, 2016 5:20 pm
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Adanna held back a sigh of relief at the reaction of the regent. Few others might have made the connection, especially if any seers lurking within the pride had no thought at all of gods, but she did- and she was right. She smiled.
"Your secret is safe with us," she said, "To be honest, it was a guess based on what I could find. Interpretation is going to be the most difficult part of making use of this power. But we have reason to believe in the gods, a reason to hope to find others who share that, who might be more understanding."
Adeyemi was rather surprised to find that Adanna had guessed something so personal about the Regent, that she had been right, and that she was using it to offer a secret of their own. It was going to happen, they had already discussed that, but he was not really sure it was necessary.
Agni blinked, looked between the two lionesses, and blinked again. What the hell kind of vision could she possibly have had to see something like that- to guess something like that? She must have gone looking at the rumors about Tapana that circulated during the election but..
Never mind that now she had to digest something completely unexpected about Tapana, something completely different than finding out she was actually a spy.
For now, she made a face and focused on the seers, deciding to deal with that revelation later. What a surprise for the Firekin, if they ever found out. Had they really elected a true Safi and a Hongshan for their regents? Ha!
"What do you mean? The Hongshan don't worship any gods," she asked.
"No, they don't," Adanna agreed with Agni-pariksha, "But they had one living with them."
"Our mother," Adeyemi added helpfully.
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Posted: Mon Sep 05, 2016 7:14 am
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