[PRP] A Consensus (Itiri x Kamili)

[Epine de Rose]

How many had he spoken to now? He'd lost count, but all things considered the young leader was happy that he was making such progress. He still had a ways to go and there were still others who had their reservations about approaching him but he was slowly but surely beginning to gain an understanding of the differing view points in his home.

Suffice it to say that there was a noticeable enough split within the pride, almost down the middle, with many having reservations about his actions...and others that were completely on board. It made it abundantly clear that he still had quite a bit to go before he gained their trust and brought those who were not sold on the changes into the fold. Fortunately he'd always known that that was going to be one of his greatest challenges and he wasn't disheartened.

If anything he was motivated, spurred on by their willingness to tell him they were not as content as he'd like. It gave him purpose, gave him a direction, and once he'd worked out how to find a compromise for the views he'd been given...well, he'd put that forward to each member individually.

For now though, it was break time and it was relief that he lay down on what had quickly become 'his' rock. If anyone needed to find him in an unscheduled and unannounced way then this was probably their best bet if they were to find him!

Pollack

 

[Pollack]

For so long the pride had been static and unyielding to even the mere thought of change coming to their way of life. Ranks were held for years, families rooted in tradition, and there had been previously a nearly overwhelming standard that hovered over the heads of all the pride's members to uphold the status-quo that had served the pride for many years. Yet with the death of the previous Onyeisi a great wave of unrest and change had swept over the pride. Leadership had been changed, pillars of the community torn down, new ideas and blood was being introduced into the pride (albeit at a snail's pace) to the pride with the new members - and more importantly - new leadership.

For those remaining in the family she had married into this was the talk of disgust. They had sided themselves with the more traditional advocates and seemed hell bent to continue to be a very loud annoyance to well quite literally anyone who had been willing to listen behind closed doors.

Kamili wore her usual face of indifference to the whole matter, though admittedly she did watch with interest from the wings how the pride's dynamic was evolving. She admired the Onyeisi for his actions, and she couldn't say she didn't welcome the prospect of new voices and opinions coming into the fold. However her family expected her to continue to uphold the strict rule set and image that they had restricted her with once her husband had died. Being a outspoken advocate for reform was certainly not something that would be allowed. Dignity, grace, and a sense of aloofness to the day to day activity prompted by (massive) grief was expected of her.

And so she had become one of the pride's wallflowers. Faceless, quiet, forgotten about. She spent her time mostly in her own head, not much unlike the dark male perched upon his favorite rock that she had been mindlessly wondering directly in the path towards. Although why Itiri spent his time calculating and trying to think over ever possibility Kamili took a more romanticized approach, spending most of her time daydreaming about futures that couldn't come to be.

What she certainly didn't daydream as something in the realm of possibilities was for her to be so caught up in a particular fantasy that she walked herself right into the very rock Itiri favored so much!

One dull thump of her head smacking against the rock followed shortly by the instinctual sharp pitched squeak of surprise was all of the warning Itiri would get that he was no longer alone to be left in peace with his thoughts - he now had a situation to deal with!

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

She wasn't that old and he knew better than anyone not to call any lioness by a role they had not confirmed. Thus, he avoided calling her 'nanny' and certainly avoided implying that she might be hard of sight. That being said she wasn't someone known to him despite the fact that she clearly carried herself and smelled like one of the pride.

...Ah, but she was yet another he had yet to meet despite living here the entirety of his life. This was now a running theme and while he had felt uncomfortable and sheepish to begin with, he now embraced the opportunity. Even his father hadn't known everyone, in fact their father had virtually hidden from the world and let the Amoosu lead the way. So the fact the young leader was now taking steps to actually be the life of the pride was better than previous examples.

Right?

He glanced down towards his new visitor with interest and allowed her a few moments to recover from whatever dazed state she might have gotten herself into as a result of her collision.

"Hello," he offered when he was sure she'd had enough time to at least blink the dazzling away. Now how did he approach the rest of this conversation? Given she had literally just walked into a rock he wasn't sure how to be diplomatic about it without sounding patronising!

Pollack

 

[Pollack]

Rocks, trees, and other large objects were entities that Kamili had more face-on interaction with that she was care to admit to. Although she was keenly aware to few who actually noticed her toddling around the pride in her day to day how blind or just plain mentally handicap she was rumored to be! A rumor she didn't attempt to quell in the slightest. It gave her ample opportunity to be left alone in peace and quiet to handle her business.

Although she never expected to be appearing so oblivious to one of the most important people of the pride!

Wobbling back a few steps Kamili flopped down to her rear, one of her paws coming up to tenderly rub against the still throbbing spot right in the middle of her forehead. "D'oh," she tsked under her breath, silently cursing to herself for once again adding more fuel to the no doubt already bruised and raised forehead. She was still oblivious to the fact that she had just made herself known and now had quite a captivated audience above her head. Well until...

Hello

With a few very confused blinks Kamili's eyes gradually rose to meet Itiri's gaze. Her face slowly morphed into a look of embarrassment and horror as the realization set in more and more to her.

She had not only walked into a obviously reserved and private time for the new Onyeisi, but she had to do it in the most obtuse manner possible!

"Ancestors end me now," She softly proclaimed, not realizing that in her mortified state that her thoughts had been vocalized out loud. Well, not at least until it was well and truly too late to take back her self deprecating wish. Letting out a low groan her paw dragged down her face.

The ancestors would be kind to end her suffering least she further dig herself down a hole! But manners, ohohoh my! She needed to remember her manners!

With a bow of her head Kamili grimaced, "I am so, so sorry, Onyeisi. I-I..." Sucking in deep breath her shoulders quaked with nerves. Oh, surely he would not be happy about such a interruption. He would be upset, eventually the news of what upset him would get out and then her family would learn of her transgression.

She would have hell to pay for this.

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

Itiri's eyebrow shot up at her rather dramatic reaction to his existence, he wasn't aware that he was quite so frightening? If anything, he'd assumed he was quite pleasant and approachable. Evidently this was wrong and he couldn't do anything other than casting his head to the side and regarding her with what could only be described as bewilderment.

"That's a little extreme," he remarked after a moment or two. "Your headache can't be that bad surely?" he shook his head as he glanced down at the rock he was one. Sure the thing was hard but she hadn't ran into it, she'd just sort of meandered into it instead. Based on previous personal experience she'd have to go at a much more rapid rate to cause any significant damage.

"Unless you already had one... in which case I would have suggest consulting the healers rather than you know; expiring."

Still...

"Not quite sure what you're apologising for though, you didn't hit me after all and I'm fairly sure that the boulder has seen more than its fair share of unexpected collisions."

Pollack

 

[Pollack]

When didn't she have a headache would have honestly been a better question to ask. Between work, her personal life, and all of the constant background bickering it was quite hard these days for most not to have some form of ache in their skulls. Even so, his comments drew out a quiet but genuine chuckle from her. "That would be an awkward encounter seeing how I...am a healer," she admitted sheepishly.

A healer that often needed a good dosage of her own medicine, but dammit she was a trained medical professional none-the-less!

"Treatment plan: Take two more hits to the head to make sure the lesson of properly looking where you're stepping to steep in," Pausing for a moment a half smirk dashed across her face for a moment as she found herself amused by the same tired - and often ignored - speech she gave most patients. "And come see me in the morning."

Ah, but alas as quickly as her peak into her sense of sarcasm came it was gone again.

"Is it not expected to apologize when you disturb your king's peace and privacy?" She asked. It was her turn to be bewildered, complete with the same tilt of the head to one side! How could he be so casual about such a breach of etiquette!? "Historically speaking there have been others who have been exiled for less."

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

"Historically speaking the Onyeisi of the pride have forgotten the ways of the pride and have let the Amoosu lead it," Itiri replied coolly and shook his head. "They are not equipped to handle matters of the living and are best suited to snorting the crumbling bones and stale dust in the catacombs," he added.

He had respect for the Death Priests, they played a critical role in the pride by ensuring each and every one of them joined with Death when their role in the cycle of life had ended. Yet his father hadn't been innocent of ignoring the obvious - he had rolled over and let the priests do as they pleased. He had let them dictate the ways of the pride and in doing so it had almost killed them.

Itiri had no reservations about what needed to be done to fix this issue and he had started to do that. Where his father had been unable to put a paw down and reinforce where the lines were drawn, he had no qualms about doing it.

...More importantly, he'd use force if he had to.

"The Death Priests have little grasp on the nuanced aspects of how to be alive, their expertise is in bones and bones alone. Their views? Exceedingly backwards and without any necessity for foresight because they don't need it to tend to the long dead." He shrugged and regarded the lioness for a moment.

"I can assure you that you will have to actually commit a crime before I'll consider any form of punishment, unlike our fabled priests I haven't had the ritual to ram a branch up my rear end and I can't say it appeals to me," he stated bluntly.

"That aside, if I'd wanted privacy I wouldn't be out in the open... If anyone thinks privacy is attainable when they're in plain sight then they are terribly presumptuous. A pride member can't be chastised for approaching someone who has made themselves available..."

"Or rather they shouldn't be, it's not really on my radar personally but others may differ."

Pollack

 

[Pollack]

Her demeanor perked with his curt reply. He actually had a point! All she had heard from her family about their new Onyeisi was how he was naive, childish, and a foreboding tyrant in the making unless someone dared to challenge his new regulations being set in place virtually every day. But Kamili was seeing none of those features in the male before her. He was radical in his views but in a much needed progressive direction than what his father had been before hand.

Young, full of ideas, ambition, and if the rumors were to be believed the will to execute those actions even if they crossed moral likes.
He had just won the respect of at least this small Di-anyi.

"You're right," She replied just as coolly as he had. Her lips pursed as she second questioned if being open about her agreements would be wise for a moment. No, he had been blunt with her, he deserved the same respect to be spoken to honestly in return. "The pride has been like a dammed water hole for too long. It's gone stagnate over time. Why it might be teaming with life on the surface truthfully it's water is unhealthy and eventually would evaporate under the heat of the sun. It might not have happened quickly, but it was a fate that was still inevitable."

She paused as she regarded him with interest, her normally glazed over eyes now bright with fire and mirth. "You've begun the long and arduous process of dismantling the dam," She ended her long metaphorical speech with the hint of a smile on her face. For the first time in years she felt true excitement and dare she say there was a inkling of hope swirling in her excitement.

If the power could be revoked from those so high up who abused their status for so long than nobody was safe.

With a gentle shake of her head she couldn't help but let out chuckle at her own misdirected thought process. "But is that what they do inside of their caverns all day? That would certainly explain why they speak like they are crammed full of s**t," She mused to herself out loud.

Focus, Kamili, Focus.

Sucking in a deep breath she recovered from her brief lapse of composure. "As much as I'm sure you have to fight off the more traditionalist views urging you to take up that particular ritual involving your rear I know there are many others who are grateful to see that you refuse them."

"Admittedly, I myself being one of them."

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

Itiri gazed at the white lioness for a considerable amount of time before slowly but surely shaking his head. If she had had these thoughts and she was beyond his years, then why had they been withheld? Had the Death Priests' influence and his father's own inability to listen really resulted in many of those who had seen the decline, refraining from speaking up?

Ah, but if only his own father had been more open to listening to those opinions. It wasn't that Itiri thought he was a coward, not really, even if he had called him one... He was just of the impression the former Onyeisi had given up. In a way that was cowardly, but given Itiri had seen how his 'rival' had been and the influence he had acquired, perhaps at the time there had been no way to resolve it.

...Civil war of any kind in a time of desperation wasn't appropriate.

That being said, when the dust had settled something should have been done and the Onyeisi had done nothing except uphold the status quo. In a way, the lion wished he could go back and speak to his father just to understand him.

"I would blow it up in one shot if I could," he admitted and shook his head. "As for the Death Priests I can only speculate, even I can't go into those hallowed realms but I do theorise it's fairly dusty in there," he confessed. Not that he needed to go in there, while he could talk to the bones it was unlikely they would ever talk back.

"...But if you saw this decline before even I, then why did you not raise it as a concern?" he asked softly. He had an idea as to why, but it was rude to put words into the mouth of another and he might be inaccurate in his assumptions anyway...

Pollack

 

[Pollack]

Her line of work offered her a rare glimpse into the true feelings and status of the pride. It was amazing what some people were willing to open up and speak about when idly waiting for a procedure or trying to explain a injury they had inflicted upon themselves through overworking or poor life choices. At the same time she was forced to live with her family who in all respects of the word were well off within the pride. They held status, good housing, and wanted for little.

She had both sides of the coin right in her back pocket to observe at any time.

"That would be ill advised," She admitted herself. "Too much water at once could overflow the water hole and destroy the ecosystem inside. There would be chaos and damage that would take years to repair. No, you are right to take things piece-by-piece," She finished with a shake of her head.

His actions were already seen as radical and terrified those who wanted the status quo to remain the same. Too much would overwhelm even the normal populous and cause chaos, hell possibly civil war.

Change on these levels had to be slow and gradual, even if it was painful for those who could see how broken the current system is. The general people had to accept their new way of life on their own time and realize how beneficial it was.

Pursing her lips she regarded him with as much suspicion as she had interest. "People have their different motives on why they do not question authority. They are far too numerous to go through as a list," She dismissed curtly. She realized he was asking more for her own reasoning on why she didn't speak up. That in it's self was a complex issue to unpack, especially to someone (even if he was her king) that she had only met!

It was time to leave before he would get the chance to press any further on the matter. This was not the time nor the place to discuss her own personal opinions and reasoning behind the views she had and actions she took.

"I believe that I might have given you more to ponder over than how the Amoosu don't have horrible allergies based on the amount of dust they are surrounded by everyday. So I think it would be best if I leave you back to your privacy."

A soft smile crossed her face as she bowed her head towards him. "It has been a pleasure, Onyeisi. I'll enjoy watching you continue to remove that dam."

With that she began to trot around the favored rock that the dark male loved to perch on. Within a matter of minutes she had disappeared into the night.

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

She'd conveniently dodged round his question and made for a quick escape, he supposed in a way he'd been a bit too direct in his approach. There were more reasons than he probably understood as to why the lioness hadn't spoken up, why none of them had spoken up. Until those barriers or concerns were addressed he was never going to be able to create an open forum like he dreamed of.

While certain aspects of the pride would always be determined by either Priest or Onyeisi, there were others where he felt the lions as a whole deserved an opportunity to voice their views and have them addressed. They may not always agree, but if they could express themselves then perhaps some of the tension would lift and mutual co-operation would be born in the process.

...Ah, but that was another ideal as well.

Itiri shook his head as the lioness vanished from view; he'd always been one to keep his head out of the clouds when it came to his aspirations but he was fairly determined to achieve at least one of them some day. Kamili's words in mind, he'd simply take baby steps in order to achieve that... and if necessary drag the more stubborn ones out of the running waters himself at the end.

Alas, now left in his own company the lion returned to his reverie for the time being. He'd take advantage of the opportunity to muse over this encounter alongside many others until the next interruption and by the time someone else walked into his rock, maybe he'd have another cunning plan.

Pollack

/fin!