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 Posted: Wed May 10, 2017 4:43 am
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She was, for want of a better word, a touch bored.
Life as a warden had been quiet and she had always been one who sought out adventure and intrigue. Not that she didn't like her new home, it was certainly taking her a while to get used to it and she was learning plenty of new things, but every now and then she did rather miss the drama of the outside. Add that to the fact that Azar had been decidedly quiet as of late, or might very well have been avoiding her, and the young lioness simply didn't have any sport.
She had come to the conclusion that she was just going to have to make her own sport, and that was likely going to come in the form of Shakti who was a bit of a firecracker herself. For now though, the black lioness had elected to simply explore several of the outcroppings near the outer rims of the sparring rings. She wasn't terribly close to one of the borders, but with concerted effort she probably could be.
So far, she'd found exactly what she had expected, which was next to nothing. The place could be a touch grim to say the least, and the colours much the same, she would almost gone so far as to indicate she might miss some of the 'seasons' if she never saw a shred of green anywhere!
...Ah, but all she needed to do was find an oasis or something, right?
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Posted: Wed May 10, 2017 6:41 am
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Tapana had been reclining in the very outcrop Asyira had found herself in - having taken a break from trying to find her counterpart in the sparring arenas. Angi-pariksha could usually be found there but apparently today, her attentions had been elsewhere, leaving the other regent at a loss.
These were difficult times for Tapana who was not on-board with change and yet being dragged behind regardless of her values. She was outnumbered, after all, and she was not so proud that she would not admit that she was on the losing side. At this point in time she figured only an untimely mishap would draw support back to her and she did not have it in her to try and orchestrate such a thing.
She just wished she'd been more in unity with her partner than at odds. But what could she do? She'd been voted in for her values and personality, after all, so she could only do as she had promised to do. Even if she was in the minority, she would still give them a voice.
"If only Finar-si could..."
She paused, then, realising she was not alone, and rose to her paws at the sound of an approach. For a moment she thought it might be someone come to collect her for another meeting so she was relieved that she did not recognise the face of the lioness who moved towards her. "Seeking solitude?" she asked, if only for an excuse to announce her presence.
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Posted: Wed May 10, 2017 6:51 am
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It was a face she didn't recognise either... No sooner had Tapana made Asyria aware of her presence than the lioness was peering towards where the red lioness had taken refuge from the sun. This was another one she hadn't yet had the good graces to meet, but so far she could safely say that the majority of those she had met, appeared to be red in colour rather than black like herself... What she a bit of a minority in this one, or was she simply looking in the wrong places?
"Entertainment, actually," Asyria responded after a moment of pause and shook her head. "I'm still finding my feet as it were, learning to live in a world that is almost completely devoid of colour," she pursed her lips thoughtfully and then smiled. "Not that it's necessarily a bad thing but a little bit of green really couldn't go amiss out here if I'm honest," she elected to keep her distance on this occasion. This wasn't Azar and the lioness certainly seemed to be the blustering sort, so she didn't seem like the ideal candidate to terrorise.
"It would break up the beige a little bit," she pointed out and shrugged.
"We've never met," she stated and cleared her throat. "At least I don't believe we have. I'm Asyria, one of the new wardens."
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Posted: Wed May 10, 2017 7:22 am
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"Firekin have always been a little wary of green." Tapana replied, "but I won't pretend to understand how hard it must be to make the transition from the rogue lands to here. Perhaps some never quite get used to it, but, if you are new, then maybe all you need is a little more time." She wondered, when the Firekin ventured out, whether it would be the ex-rogues who would be most eager to revisit the lands they had left behind. She'd have to make note of it.
She took a seat, then, and stretched out her forelegs, curling her neck and arching her shoulders. When that was done, she returned her gaze back to the female and realised, quite suddenly, that she recognised the name.
"Ah," she replied knowingly, "so you are Asyria. We may not have met but I recognise the name. In fact, I was just speaking of you only a few days ago." she paused, realising she had not yet given her name. "I am Tapana. It is good to meet you. And a warden, you say? Interesting! I had assumed you would have been a guard."
Perhaps, Tapana mused, she did not know as much as she thought she did!
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Posted: Wed May 10, 2017 7:27 am
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"You were?" Asyria didn't often look startled, but today was one of those rare days when she was. She hadn't really made a name for herself in these parts, at least not to her knowledge, so she did have to wonder what on earth she'd done. "I guess it was about the fact so many new faces joined recently?" she offered helpfully. After all, she had entered these lands during a period in which the border seemed to have been opened, she might very well have been assessed in the process!
"I hope I made the cut them," she added after a few moments before pausing. Unfortunately she wasn't quite able to hide the arching of her own eyebrow as Tapana continued. It appeared that Asyria might have misjudged what the conversation was about, if Tapana didn't yet know what she did. If she had been in a discussion regarding new faces then she would have known surely...?
"Ah, no..." Asyria shook her head. "It's not really a life suited to me," she pursed her lips. "Though I do have to wonder why you would have thought I was part of the guard," she shook her head. "Perhaps a mishap with something administrative?" she mused.
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Posted: Wed May 10, 2017 8:04 am
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Several emotions crossed her features - Tapana hadn't even said much at all, but it was enough to throw Asyria for a loop as she attempted to gain a hold of exactly what had been implied. Now, in any other scenario, this might have implied that she was in a tryst with someone, that one she wasn't naive to, but this was Azar. Of all the people to imply that, she wouldn't have thought it'd be him and as a result, she was rather doubting her own interpretation of Tapana's words.
"Azar?" she repeated and then raised a brow.
How best could she approach this without exposing herself to being utterly clueless as to what might have been implied. Perhaps it was due to his blustering ways and his rather vocal dislike of her, she might have found him entertaining but she doubted the feeling was mutual. Ah, but that made sense, maybe the sensitive issue was that there was simply a mild dispute. Quite frankly she was impressed by Azar's tact if that was the case, he wasn't one to keep his mouth shut about how he really felt!
"Honestly that usually is what he's doing," Asyria confirmed and shook her head, finally catching up with her thoughts. "He's not one to be put on the spot often, how did you manage to catch him out?" she queried with a grin.
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Posted: Wed May 10, 2017 8:15 am
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Tapana laughed at her question, "I enquired as to whether he would agree to partner with me in order to sire old-blooded children. We are lacking in more traditional-minded males these days, particularly those willing to speak out about it. I hadn't realised, of course, that he'd found affections with someone else."
She had been quite surprised that someone as unsubtle as Azar'bijan had been able to keep something so close to his chest but, perhaps, this was a very new thing. Besides, eventually she would have realised that he was not a follower of Finar-Si and might have regretted her decision at a later date. Tapana's devotion to the old Firekin deity was remarkably strong.
"Needless to say, he was rather surprised at my question. A lesson to be learned for next time, I suppose. A less direct approach might have less of a chance to scare off a male." Although that would be tricky, in itself, seeing as Tapana was direct in most walks of life.
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Posted: Wed May 10, 2017 8:25 am
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Haaaaaaaaahahahahaha!
If she could have roared with laughter in those moments she would have - so that was what Tapana was talking about. Azar hadn't wanted to disappoint this particular lioness and as a consequence he had used her. Now that added an entirely different level of amusement to the proceedings given that he wasn't her greatest fan. Of all the lions he could have picked, he'd pulled her name out of his a**? Honestly she was going to take this one as a compliment, she was doing something right if she was getting to him enough to be his go-to.
"Well I suspect anyone would be surprised when propositioned, isn't that part of the point?" she offered after a few moments. She had recovered remarkably well and at a quick enough rate for her to be satisfied. "I would have assumed it would be an honour to be propositioned," she pursed her lips thoughtfully. "Courtship and general arrangements for family units here can vary a little from standard," she pointed out.
It was an observation she had made, though she wasn't one to talk given her own father.
"I'll have to pick his brain," she confessed with a wry smile. "Though I wouldn't suggest changing your approach in the grand scheme of things," she tilted her head to the side. "There are lions out there who respond better to the direct approach, bit like my father to be honest," she paused briefly. "There's bound to be someone here who'll respond to it," she finished.
"Least I'd hope so, half the males here are stubborn and hard headed."
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Posted: Wed May 10, 2017 8:44 am
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"Yes, relationships in the Motoujamii are complicated things. An arrangement could take many years. Some will lead you to think it's basically impossible - which isn't true, of course. Perhaps I'll save myself some work and visit the Matchmakers. That's what they were promoted to do, after all." Yes, there was no point getting stressed out over such things. It would be nice to sit back and let someone else do the matching for her. Then she could just do what was necessary and spend her time elsewhere.
Tapana stood again and cast a glance back towards the sparring grounds. There were many males there already but none who were quite suitable enough. Perhaps what she was looking for was impossible, but she wouldn't give up without trying, at least. If she failed in her quest,then perhaps that was the proof she needed to realise the council was right about needing new blood.
Maybe the old blood was already lost...
"I've never seen much point in dancing around such matters," she replied, "our lives are short enough as it is. A wasted day is a terrible thing. In any case, it was nice to meet the lioness who caught the corporal's eye. Hopefully our chat was perhaps a little entertaining."
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Posted: Wed May 10, 2017 8:51 am
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"If someone else can do the job for you, then it would make sense to challenge them," Asyria said with a wry smile. She was fairly certain the matchmakers would want to prove they existed for a reason, and might even still be needed if a time came when rogues or external affairs were much more common. It was as good a time as any for a rank like that to show it's strength, even if Asyria hadn't yet been made aware of the fact that the Firekin would be heading out into the world for a time.
"If you have other things to do, then you should be attending to them, it's just more efficient that way," she added. Asyria wasn't really the sort to swing either way when it came to relationships. Her father had been an unusual one in that he seemed to have fallen in love at one point, but then they had both parted ways. His definition of what might have been 'normal' was all but lost on her... Although she hadn't really asked him either.
Maybe she should pry the next time he was nearby.
"If you don't mind though, I think I might catch up on our workaholic corporal," she mused, a smirk teasing on her lips. "I have a few questions for him regarding the opportunity he just passed up," she explained and gave a slight bow of her head. For now, Asyria would remain unaware of Tapana's importance in the pride, but no doubt she would soon find out.
"It was a pleasure to meet you, hopefully we'll cross paths again," she finished, spinning on her paws to trot off in the direction of the borders where she knew the gruff corporal was probably hiding...
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