[PRP] Battle of the Bards (Geist x Smyg)

[SilverLutz]

It was a fairly dreary day in the Stormborn, heavy clouds hanging overhead and blotting out the sun. It had been rather stormy the past few days, in fact, and Geist was glad there was at least a bit of a break in the rain to get out and stretch his legs. He was getting older now and the den he shared with his parents and siblings was getting a bit cramped now that he, his brother, and his sister were getting to be of the age when they'd start thinking about moving out.

After rounding a rather large puddle, the young male trotted off in the direction of the center of the pride, looking for a meal before wandering around. He was hopeful a Viking would be ending today and he could hear about all the things the Reavers had done, see the spoils they returned with, learn about the brave battles they fought and possibly lost. It was his favorite thing to do!

Geist was a bit disappointed to see that there wasn't any fresh meat around - the Thralls hadn't gotten back from their hunt yet, perhaps - but didn't let it get him down too much. Instead he headed for the pile of bones that was left for the scavengers or for those who wanted to decorate themselves with the carcasses. He pawed the skull of a young gazelle towards him, then another, then one of a zebra, and soon he had a nice little audience to talk to.

"Fear not, ladies and gentlelions, the Reavers shall return soon with wonderful new tales for me to relay to you," he said with a flourish of his tail.  

[mouselet]

Smyg rarely ate when most of the pride was devouring their spoils, preferring to watch the dramas unfold instead. But now, all being quiet, he might as well find something to chew on for a while.

It wasn't uncommon for the lion to come upon others who had also chosen to wait, or were just plain hungry again, but this was not at all a sight he'd expected to see. The black and white furred boy was addressing an audience of skulls. And, to be frank, he was doing a shitty job of it.

"You must be joking," the Bard drawled as he came near. "Nobody talks like that, especially not in this pride."  

[SilverLutz]

Geist was about to launch into a story he had experienced himself when one of the skulls interrupted him. He sighed and glanced at the antelope skull that he had dragged over last, but rather than being met with the spirit of the animal that had been killed, he spotted a brown lion padding toward him between the prongs of its antlers. Golden eyes lit up in surprise and a grin crossed his face as Smyg, one of the few bards of the pride made his way towards him. What luck!

"I talk like that," he said, still grinning, not at all put-out by the incredulous adult. "Nice to shake things up a little, right?" He tilted his head a bit, braid swaying as he did so. He knew the older male wouldn't know him, but Geist had made it a personal mission to...er...well...not stalk, but learn as much as he could about the pride's bards. He wanted to be one, after all! He'd have to apprentice under one in order to be accepted into the small fold.

"How would you get the attention of a bored crowd?" The question wasn't so much of a challenge as it was pure curiosity. Geist had his own way of doing things, but he wanted to learn how the big boys did it, too.  

[mouselet]

"A bored crowd?" the older lion asked snidely. "Such a thing doesn't exist." The kid had distinctive markings that the Bard had seen around the pride, but it wasn't his business to keep track of each and every lion around. There were simply too many for that and Smyg preferred to reserve his attention and interest for the good stories.

"If you want attention, you have to first understand people better," the brown male continued. "But I'm not sure you're capable of such intimation." Pale blue eyes raked the younger lion up and down. "Am I wrong?"  

[SilverLutz]

"You haven't met my siblings then," Geist said, his voice going just a tad dry for a moment. His siblings were great, really they were. He loved them dearly and his twin would often join him on spooking missions, although he was starting to realize the other dark male was usually there to try to hinder rather than help now that he was a bit older. Still, there were times when both of their parents would be away from the den and they'd get into scuffles from being so bored and Geist had quite the time trying to entertain them with stories, both made up and ones he had heard from Reavers and Captains.

"Uh...well...I haven't had much practice yet, no," the younger male said. "Just my family. And they kind of have to listen to me, right?" he added with a little grin and a snicker. He knew some of his older relatives listened to him with about as much enthusiasm a sloth has, but hey. That's what family was for!

"But I can't learn if I don't try," he added, lifting his head a little higher.  

[mouselet]

"Family is family, but what of the rest of the pride? To them, you're a wet-behind-the-ears kid who doesn't know a snit from snot and is too stupid to shut up and actually listen," Smyg replied dryly. Of course he'd run into a foolish attention-seeker, a boy who failed to realize that true power lay in silent observation, not loudly proclaiming.

"Learning isn't simply practicing speaking," the brown lion went on. "It's shutting up and listening to those who know more than you, and watching everyone and everything around you. Think you can handle that?"  

[SilverLutz]

Ah...and here it was. Geist's grin couldn't have been much bigger. He'd practiced a spooky smile to scare young lions and Thralls at night when his pale skull marking and golden eyes stood out and his dark pelt blended into the darkness, but now it was a full-on genuine and delighted grin. The question made him nod and he raised his brows just a bit, demonstrating just how ready he was by not replying verbally at all. If Smyg was about to offer him training on being a true Bard he was going to be all ears and no voice until it was actually time to relay a story. He was young, but was chomping at the bit to learn.  

[mouselet]

"Hmph," was the brown lion's only reply, but a slight curl to his lips betrayed Smyg's pleasure at the responsiveness the boy displayed. He wasn't really interested in a protege, but who was he to deny such a receptive audience? After all, he was a Bard.

Nor did he think this boy threatened him in any meaningful way. There were very few Bards throughout the Myrsky Syntynyt, and while more could mean more competition, it would also ensure that more of the stories of the pride were witnessed and retold. Besides, competition was healthy in all respects. It would please him to partake in a contest of the mind, rather than the body.

"There is no such thing as a bored audience," Smyg continued his earlier statement. "There's a group of lions gathered in anticipation of a grand event, and there's a group of lions drawn together by mutual interest. If nothing catches the eye of all, they will most likely strike up conversations with those around them, alleviating boredom before it occurs."

Now Smyg smiled, a sharp-edged grin that made him look more like he wished to shed blood than share information.

"The trick is attracting the attention of lions whose chief focus is on something else. There are a multitude of methods, and a skilled Bard knows them all."  

[SilverLutz]

Geist was pretty sure he was trembling in excitement as Smyg began to speak. This was it! This had to be it. The Bard wouldn't just tell him how to do bard things without reason. Oh, his brother was going to be so jealous. They both had different desires in life and to know that he was setting out on his path first...well. He may be the youngest of the three, but it was nice to be getting a head start.

He listened intently, nodding slightly to show he understood. Clearly a crowd wouldn't remain a crowd if they were actually bored, but the worst fear of a Bard was to not be entertaining. It was true they held a historical responsibility in remembering stories that were passed down, but part of the deal was to tell them in entertaining ways.

"I guess just having a good opening line isn't going to cut it sometimes, huh?" he asked, glancing at his collection of skulls. Ladies and gentlelions might work for this lot, but for rowdy Stormborn felines? Probably not.  

[mouselet]

"There's a time and a place for it, at a prearranged performance," Smyg replied not unkindly. He still thought the boy's...choices...needed maturation, but that wasn't something he felt like getting into today. The kid had a very long way to go in most respects.

"Sometimes, you don't even need to speak in order to catch and hold the pride's attention. The day you can do that is the day you can call yourself a real Bard." The brown lion reflected upon a day when he'd done just that. It had been risky, but oh, so fun! Not to mention he thought his sarcasm and parody had come across rather well...

"It's never about being the loudest or the most outrageous. It's about being the one who knows what your audience wants at a given moment."  

[SilverLutz]

Ah, that made sense. Geist nodded again, golden eyes just about twinkling with delight. This was just the tip of the mountain when it came to things Smyg would surely teach him and already he was eager for more. For a moment he was lost in thought, picturing himself with a glorious mane and a commanding presence, one that both cub and Captain alike would turn to watch him as he sang or told a tale of his own weaving.

"That's what you meant by reading people," he mused softly, finally getting up from his seated position. He focused on Smyg, a determined yet delighted look on his face. "Well. Care to show me how it's done?" There were always lions somewhere in the pride that could do with a little story, especially after the awful weather they'd been having that had kept most of them in their caves.  

[mouselet]

Smyg smirked. "Ah, but will my demonstration be lost on you? Now that's the real question," he replied, watching the boy carefully. Beneath those gaudy markings he thought he could see the adolescent's brain beginning to churn in a useful manner. Well well, it seemed there was some potential intelligence hiding after all. He'd almost given up hope on the subadult.

"Perhaps, perhaps not," the older lion answered himself aloud. "I suppose there's only one way to find out." He began walking towards a more populous area of the pride's lands, not looking behind to see if his shadow followed.  

[SilverLutz]

Geist scoffed at the question. He was young, but he was focused and ready to start learning. Other lions his age could go out on Vikings and become Reavers so he was more than ready to start studying the ways of the Bards.

"I suppose there's only one way to find out," he echoed to answer Smyg's question, a little grin on his face as he followed the larger male without question. Smyg's personality seemed to be quite the opposite of his own, but opposites attracted and Geist could see the value in learning from someone who had a completely different look at the world than he did. This way he was sure to be one of the best!

FIN