[PRP] Council Meeting

[Meepfur]

Psyche had thought herself nervous when she was first summoned by Tapana, but that had been nothing compared to her anxiety level since being appointed to the position of Magistrate, which had reached an all-time high now that Agni-pariksha had called a council meeting: a council meeting that would be the former huria's first. Not for the first time, she thought to herself that she should have been rude and left Tapana's original summons unanswered as others presumably had. If she'd known what it had been about...

But dammit, she still would have gone anyway, assuming there wasn't the faintest chance that she was actually being seriously considered, much less that she could be chosen over the others who'd presented themselves. She'd done her best to avoid them since, fretting that they might resent her, that they might see the same weaknesses she saw in herself. All in all, she'd kept her head down as much as possible, though she knew she shouldn't be. She was a Magistrate now, and somehow or another she was going to need to learn how to act like it was a position she had earned and belonged in.

Psyche was quiet upon arrival at the council chambers, and though she didn't carry herself with the clear confidence so many Firekin possessed, she at least managed to hold herself composed and mostly still, head not bowed and paws not shuffling with nervous energy. She'd never felt more out of place in her life, and for someone who'd been out of place her entire life, that was saying something.

Her only reaction to Agni-pariksha's declaration was to fix her gaze on the pregnant Regent, ears swiveled forward attentively, waiting to hear what these changes were. The spark of curiosity offered a welcome reprieve from otherwise anxious thoughts.  

[Andranis]

Sometimes, he had to damn the sun. Normally Na-atesh didn't let the burning light get to him, as much as it soaked into his pale coat to try and burn his skin, but today he simply felt irritable. It was the perfect set-up for a fight of some sort, be it physical or verbal. The question was what the tipping point would be.

As he walked into the meeting, he eyed Agni-pariksha, frowning. "Is this a meeting to tell us you announced your stand-in while you're taking care of your cubs? Because that's not exactly something that needs changing." He had no idea what the gravity of the situation actually was, though. How could he? Agni-pariksha kept some things secret. Everybody did. If there was one thing they were ALL unified on, it was secrets.  

[Andranis]

If she'd expected Na-atesh to react with anger or fire, that wasn't what Agni-pariksha GOT. While he weighed to gravity of her words, and Na-atesh's eyebrows went up in surprise, what came from his maw instead of angry words or confrontational words was, "It's about damn time!" He motioned with one paw, toward the greater pride, and said, "You wanna know why I have no mate yet? That EXACT reason! Finding a lioness that's NOT related to half the pride is damn near impossible, and the ones that AREN'T, I'd have to get along with long enough TO have cubs!"

Which Agni-pariksha was NOT one of those lionesses. In fact, it seemed he rarely found any that weren't already somebody's mate. Or they just weren't interested in him. That wasn't getting into the added problem of their cubs having the exact same problem anyway, trying to find mates that weren't related to half the pride.

"If two lions are miraculously unrelated to half the pride and get along well enough to have cubs, THEIR cubs run into the same problem, and even bending six ways to the rainy season won't help when the half of the pride not related to the other half... Winds up related to each other instead! If we want to keep our pride alive, we're going to have to find other solutions."  

[Meepfur]

Psyche flicked her gaze briefly to Na-atesh when he spoke, a small frown she couldn't quite repress in time pulling at the corners of her mouth. Her first official impression of the palest councilmember was that he was flippant, bordering on disrespectful, and it was a disappointment. But she nudged the feeling to the back of her mind, choosing not to dwell on first impressions; rather, she would wait to see more of him before making any judgements.

The rest were as quiet as she was, waiting for Agni-pariksha to enlighten them as to the reason they were all here, and with very colorful language at that. It was...delightfully unexpected, actually, and took the slightest edge off her nerves, turning her little frown to an amused half-smile. And then Na-atesh boomed out his approval, and she was suddenly less disappointed than she had been a few moments prior. She glanced to the others, so eager to see what their reactions would be that she almost forgot that her reaction was of some importance as well.

s**t. Psyche started to scuff her paw across the ground in front of her, but stopped abruptly upon realizing that she was fidgeting. "I agree," she said simply, softly, before allowing curiosity to get the better of her. "...who did you choose?"

"If, um. If I may ask." Great, Psyche. Fidget and throw around the 'ums,' good way to look like a Magistrate.  

[Kimaria]

[Sorry for the delay. This RP might be difficult for Tapana and, as a result, for me, too! There will be much anger ahead...sorry ;o; ]



Tapana had taken a seat in silence and waited without a word whilst the council gathered - a little separated from the magistrates as if she sensed that she'd need some personal space during this meeting.

Although she could not say that she and Agni-pariksha had worked together for years, the female liked to think that she knew the other regent well enough to know something was brewing - and not just the cubs in her belly. It made Tapana feel nervous in a way that she never had before. Nerves, after all, were not a thing experienced much by a Firekin with self-confidence such as she - even when running for promotion. And so, there she sat, chewing silently on her nerves as if she might ground it to dust between her teeth and take back her usual unwavering confidence.

Her eyes were fixed on her 'other half', waiting. Waiting...

But I do want to talk about our breeding rules

And then, at that very moment, Tapana knew her instincts had been right and the emotions swamped her, so intense that she felt - for a horrible moment - that she might start gagging in an attempt to lessen the extent of their effect on her. In fact, she was struggling so hard to maintain her dignity in the presence of the council that the blood rushing through her ears almost muffled out the last sentence completely.

The regent had bred with a rogue.

The regent had bred with a rogue.

The regent had bred with a rogue.

It didn't matter how many times she seemed to be repeating it, over and over, the statement seemed too ridiculous to be true. If it had come from anyone else, she would have laughed in their face. But it had come from Agni-pariksha herself.

The regent had bred with a rogue.

The horror and anger of what had happened seemed to be made so much worse by the fact that it was Agni who had gone against the rules. Agni, who she respected and cared for, who had brushed away a life-time of tradition that had given the Firekin their reputation. There was much pride to be had in having a vast and complex ancestry. Nothing wrong with the potential difficulties that it brought. And were the dozens of new lions not enough for them? What would they do then, see the Firekin become like any other pride? Raise fatherless runts who'd ultimately see the Firekin diminish in size and strength? Because, as far as she could see, letting 'just any' bloodline into their pride would guarantee that everything would come to an end.

She blinked, realising she had risen to her paws, a growl tickling ominously at the back of her throat. She prided herself in keeping her anger in check but this...this was too much.

"How could you do this?" she hissed the words accusingly, "how could you let your cubs be sired by some bloodless rogue?"

"You all speak as if there is no hope for our future generations. As if it would be a tragedy for them to breed with our most famous bloodlines instead of the honour that it truly is." She curled her lip into a sneer, "fresh blood joins this pride often enough that if cubs were your dearest desire, you could find someone if you truly wished." Her claws curled into the sand even as her tail thrashed behind her. "Did anyone stop to think of the scandal this would cause? That because the regent has bred with a rogue then we will all be allowed to do as we please?"

She was...rather angry, to say the least.
 

[Meepfur]

Well then.

Psyche's gaze flicked back and forth from Regent to Regent, watching the exchange with fascination and no small amount of concern. She had not expected such an outburst from Tapana, although more accurately, she had assumed that Agni-pariksha would have already spoken with her counterpart. But, as usual, assumptions were worth very little at all. Her tail twitched nervously to and fro while she processed the goings-on and her own thoughts on the matter at hand, which she was not looking forward to voicing. It was incredibly tempting to leave her involvement with 'I agree,' but she knew that that wasn't a real option. Why couldn't her first council meeting have been about something boring?

Paws pushed at the send, and this time she let habit have its sway. She could speak up or she could sit still and poised, but not both. "Is it really an honor to breed with the famous bloodlines? To be descended from the Kings of old?" she asked, tracing little nonsense patterns in front of her. If she focused on that instead of the rest of the council, it was easier to speak. "I'm not very proud of it, to name as ancestors lions who kept slaves, or one who killed his own daughter for doing what Agni-pariksha has done."

Ears flicked forward and back while her eyes remained fixed downward. She was still dying to know who exactly was the father of Agni-pariksha's cubs. 'Ally' narrowed it down, but still...  

[Andranis]

Ears folding back, Na-atesh watched Tapana's expression go through dawning realization and anger. His own lip began to curl back, listening to her tirade, and was prepared to retort when Agni beat him to it. It was Psyche's response, about lack of pride in her familial history, that had his fire temper back. Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, Na-atesh finally spoke, "While yes, she went behind everybody's back, she picked an ally, and since we have so few of those I can wager a guess WHICH ally she picked, and I doubt she picked STUPIDLY. A bold move, yes, but a calculated one." He looked at Psyche, her words weighing on his mind. "And there ARE lions that have no pride in familial history. There's STILL a few of those lions around calling for a return to the way things were before! But while we accept rogues or those who left other prides into our numbers, that doesn't change that not all of them go on to have cubs. Most of them abstain for one reason or another, maybe they're not finding what they feel is the best possible match, or maybe they're looking for love, but whatever the reason is, they're not having cubs to begin with, so letting outsiders in has done us a fat lot of good in regards to the family tree situation! There's lionesses in this pride who have multiple sets of cousins - s**t, there's one litter that has a set of cousins on their mother's side that are also their half siblings through their shared father! Imagine what it's like for THOSE lions! If we lay out what situations it's acceptable in, this is a good idea, it serves to strengthen our blood against weakening due to inbreeding that makes things like the plague that took that SAME tyrant king Psyche mentioned from the pride, and it strengthens the alliances we make with other prides because we're telling these prides, 'We think the lions in your pride are strong enough to sire cubs within our own'!"  

[Kimaria]

[Just to let you know, I am away for the weekend and back on Monday. I might have access to wi-fi, but I might not!]

She flexed her claws again, jaw closed tight. Surely Agni-pariksha could not be surprised by her response? Not after the conversation they had shared about certain...things. Some things could change, yes. But others? Allowing members to breed with rogues seemed a step too far. For her as a more Safi-inclined lioness, but likely for many Simo-minded ones, too.

And this had put Tapana in a difficult position.

She'd no intention of coming out as a secret Safi any time soon and yet she could not stand by and just let this happen without any sort of challenge. Not only that, but she was concerned of the fallout from this. Of any uprising against Agni-pariksha herself. Tapana cared for the other regent. It was that care which had also fed this anger.

The secret plotting. The flaunting of rules and rebelling against one of their most important rules.

It was Psyche's statement that had her withdrawing from her anger a little.

"Our ancestors did terrible things, yes. I know that as well as anyone. But should those evil acts outweigh all the good? There are ancestors who stood up for what they believed in. Our ancestors who made the pride what it now is. Strong. True. Noble. Fierce." No one could tell her otherwise. Blood meant everything to her - even with the 'falling out' she'd had with her parents.

Her ears folded back then - the snarl returning to her lips. "The fools who call for the old ways to return will bark that ridiculous tune until their deaths." She rounded on Na-atesh, "and if you keep speaking of such things, perhaps we will see you demoted to a matchmaker, since you like to prattle on about it so much!"

She bristled, her temper beginning to return to it's original state once more. "Our only ally is with the Ithambo'hlabathi, and if you remember, their culture is even more strict than our own when it comes to breeding. I doubt we'll find the males or females there will welcome our advances. In fact, I'd say that doing so would put an end to our alliance altogether!"

Her eyes turned back to Agni-pariksha - almost pleading with her to put an end to this ridiculous meeting. Put an end to this idea of breeding with outsiders.

"What makes us think the pride would even accept rogue breeding or the cubs that such couplings create? Any Safi still lingering around would rise up at the very idea and even the Simo might have their doubts. Rogues that join us are tested. Those that wander out there..."

She left the sentence hanging, feeling a sudden urge to pace. Her claws tightened their hold on the sand once more.  

[Andranis]

"Clearly we need more alliances, then! There's other prides out there, surely, who are strong. Lions who value strength as much as we do. How many Huria have been sent out into the world? We can surely send birds to them to ask if they would think a pride they've settled in worthy of creating and strengthening alliances with us by more blood than what we sent there." Where did many of the Huria go, once they left? It was a question he often pondered, with his sisters out there. Where had they gone, had they joined new prides? Would they, given the opportunity, send children back to the pride? "I trust the lions of this pride to go out and determine that a lion would make a valuable contribution to the pride's genes, Andhaka was clearly a very good start. I say we send parties out, to find us allies that we can assure the ability to reproduce with."  

[Meepfur]

Having said what little she had to say for the time being, Psyche looked up from the ground when Tapana acknowledged what she'd said, but didn't reply. She had little love for the royal branch of her pedigree, holding in infinitely higher regard her grandfather who'd once been a slave, but now was not the time for deeper discussions on bloodlines and heritage and opinions thereof. She opted to observe for a bit, ears flattening at times in reaction to some of the bickering.

Na-atesh had quite a bit to say on the matter, and rather emphatically - loudly, even - while the other two Magistrates had yet to speak a word. Psyche, who had done little more than glance at the darkest Magistrate, was dreading the moment Ukame'chaka might decide to speak up, as from what she knew, the lioness was very firmly in the old Safi camp and bound to add to the arguing. The former huria was especially leery of Safi-types in general, assuming they disapproved of the allowance of colors like hers back into the pride...not to mention her presence on the Council. Nawvlee was curiously silent, but as the oldest and longest-serving of the group, it would follow that he was less inclined to arguments. Still, she was dying to know what his opinions would be.

Ears twitched forward again when Agni-pariksha revealed the father of her cubs, and though she remained quiet for the time being, she did nod. It was a perfectly sensible choice, not just for the chance at strengthening their alliance with the lions there, but for more traditional reasons as well. He was red, after all, and no one could argue that he was untested or unproven; the leading males of the Ithambo'hlabathi fought for their positions not just once, but repeatedly, and even to the death. Personally, Psyche thought the other one more handsome - and he was larger - but of course, she understood deeply the issue of his tawny color. Still, she'd almost settled there, and if she had, there was a good possibility she'd have little tawny-and-gold cubs scurrying around by now...

She frowned, disquieted by her own musings, and pulled herself back to the present to address Na-atesh's question. "I don't know how many there are. Does anyone really keep track of us?" 'Us,' because regardless of the loosened restrictions, huria still was and always would be an integral part of her identity.  

[Kimaria]

Tapana fell silent to listen to Agni-pariksha, the cogs turning behind her eyes as she processed all the information coming at her. She knew the basics about the Bonelands and recognised the name of the lion - though she had never met him. Andhaka. A leader - a king, in his own right - she supposed. Still, it didn't make this pill any easier to swallow.

Tapana might have held onto more Firekin traditions than anyone knew, but there were far more devout Firekin in the pride than she. What if there was some sort of uprising because of this? Agni-pariksha might have put herself in harm's way because of this stupid alliance breeding. And what then? The very idea of it had her on edge, not to mention the fact that she was doubting the very founding of her beliefs.

She understood that people wanted more mates to choose from but she didn't understand why they could not approach the new-bloods entering their pride if they didn't want the hassle of a huge family line to contend with.

"We have no substantial records of the huria," Tapana replied, grabbing hold of something that wasn't directly to do with the scandal.

"They have always been allowed to visit the desert but I don't know many who have done so - if any at all."

She sat, then - a moment later - stood again.

"If you wish to send your little birds out to find our huria, then feel free. You'll likely be creaking of old age by the time they find anything. I, on the other hand, have better things to do."

Like privately freak out over what was happening.

If she thought about it too much, the anger and nervousness was joined by an equal slice of panic and that was also a foreign emotion to her. Part of her wanted to cover this all up and pretend that the regent had fallen pregnant with a Firekin's cubs. She already knew that Agni would never agree to it, though. She seemed set on making this public, for better or for worse.

"You can talk about this all you want, but I cannot agree to this change in breeding rules. Our new members are tested in combat. Rogues, out there, are not. And whilst I acknowledge that you chose well enough, Regent, not every Firekin female looking to have cubs will be in a position to breed with someone of Andhaka's equal." She shook her head, "what will we do when this scandal is out in the open?"