[PRP] Guards At The Border (Laertes, Beneït)

[Mogami]

Laertes was heading for the border even though he was not supposed to be working at the moment. He sought a particular Guard, one he hadn’t spoken with before and the matter he wanted to discuss required a certain level of discretion. In a pride like the Suka’Fumo, the border might be one of the few places that were truly safe from eaves-droppers.

He knew Vor had come to talk to a fellow Guard named Beneït and it wouldn’t take a genius to figure out the reason why his Seer son would seek out a complete stranger without telling him before. Laertes hadn’t forbidden Vor from telling others of his visions but he also doubted his cautionary warnings were having much effect on the boy. He did not like that he couldn’t control what Vor saw – he suspected that his son might end up seeing things that were far too unsuitable for his age – nor could or should he control his decisions on which visions should be openly discussed. Vor had good intentions and Laertes knew he’d probably do the exact same thing as his son had he been born with the same gift. But despite being a very laid-back lion, Laertes was not foolish or reckless. In such a political pride where lions hid their secrets zealously, he wished news of his son’s abilities would travel slowly though the pride. And so, whenever he heard of his son’s mysterious visits, the Guard often probed the recipients of Vor’s visions for any hidden resentment they might have.

He saw the lion in the distance, noting that he had a great deal of purple on his coat, just like he’d been told. Laertes hoped he wasn’t one of the snob ones. Slowly, he moved closer, allowing his armor to move freely and make quiet little clacking sounds.  

[Wylde Roses]

Beneït heard the approaching lion easily, thanks to the slightly clanking armor that the other wore. Clearly that was what the other intended, and as Beneït recognized him - in a distant, I've-seen-you-around way - he allowed him to approach without comment. Upon getting a closer look at the other male, he realized that he bore somewhat of a resemblance to the juvenile seer that had sought him out previously.

Perhaps that was what he was being approached about? Then again, it could simply be that the other felt like taking his shift early. Possibly. Ben was more inclined to believe that it was related to the young male, however. "Greetings," he said politely once the other was close enough. "Do you seek my assistance in something?" Being rogue-born meant that sometimes all of the formality and traditional behavior of this pride could be rather confusing at times, but falling back on general politeness had serve him relatively well so far.

Beneït was under no illusions that it would get him through every situation he wound up in, however. Hopefully this would not be the time his luck ran out.  

[Mogami]

“Hello, friend.” Laertes said with a small smile, encouraged by the other Guard’s politeness. “You are Beneït, am I correct?” He did not wait long for the confirmation. It would be rude to delay his own introduction and keep that advantage for much longer. “I am Laertes. I'm also one of the King’s Guards.”

Now, Laertes had some experience with this kind of conversation but he still had trouble knowing where to start. Some lions didn’t even believe Vor had any particular abilities while others were so disturbed when his son’s visions came true that they could barely look him in the eye let alone speak. Sometimes, the family wasn’t enough to tell those lions why Laertes was approaching them.

“My son Vormund came to see you a few days ago. I… wanted to talk to you about that.” Laertes’ smile vanished gradually as he waited for any changes in the other Guard’s expression.  

[Wylde Roses]

Beneït nodded, somehow unsurprised that his fellow guard wished to talk to him about the little seer. It must be... somewhat worrying to have a son who not only had visions, but was willing to approach total strangers to warn them of what he had seen. Frankly, Beneït was thankful that he didn't have cubs. They seemed like so much work!

But that was neither here nor there, and so he only nodded again. "Greetings, Laertes. Yes, I am Beneït." He paused for a moment, grateful that his embarrassed blush could not be seen through his facial fur. This was going to be a very awkward conversation.

"I confess I'm not entirely surprised - I noticed the resemblance as you approached," Ben said, outwardly calm while inwardly he was hoping desperately that the conversation would not take an embarrassing turn.  

[Mogami]

Redbud-Tree

“Well, I am a little surprised.” Laertes replied with a small smile, sitting down in front of the other lion. “Not many recognize the family connection. Vor takes after his mother’s side of the family for the most part.” But his son did have received the cheek and toe markings from Laertes and that provided enough clues to his parentage.

So far Laertes wasn’t feeling particularly embarrassed but he certainly would had he simply asked Vor about his latest vision before coming to meet his fellow Guard. As it were, he was falling into the usual pattern he had been perfecting for these meetings.

“Vor is a Seer. Most lions who were once rogues understand what that means but there are always those who don’t believe him.” Laertes started, straight to the point. “He sees things. Future things that have not yet come to pass. He doesn’t share them with anyone who is not directly involved in what he Saw and I personally feel those things are too private to be asked. Do you believe in Seers, Beneït?” This was the moment when he had to watch for the tiniest changes in expression. It wasn’t easy to decipher people’s emotions in a pride that valued acting as much as the Suka’Fumo but that didn’t mean didn’t try.  

[Wylde Roses]

"There's enough resemblance to make the connection," Beneït said quietly, offering a smile for the other lion. "And to be entirely honest I had been expecting an adult to approach me about this at some point." After all, if the youngster made a habit of this kind of thing, it would only be worrying to his family.

Fortunately.... or unfortunately, because of the nature of the vision the juvenile had reported, Laertes was very direct. The guard in Beneït was relieved, because it meant that this conversation would not intrude into his duties for very long at all. The embarrassed young adult lion, however... well, that side of him wasn't looking forward to this at all.

"I do," he said quietly. "I never encountered one until I met your son, but I was taught about them as a cub." Beneït bowed his head politely. "It must be confusing for one so young to see such things." Things like... sexual encounters and violent attacks. His potential sexual encounter...  

[Mogami]

Redbud-Tree

Sorry! i'm not sure how I missed this one!

It was very good thing that Laertes had no idea just how intimate some of his son’s visions were because he’d go crazy trying to prevent the inevitable from happening. As it were, the Guard was actually visibly relaxing.

“Ah, good. Sometimes these conversations start with a lot of convincing. Those don’t usually end very well.” Laertes chuckled, clearly becoming more and more at ease. “Vor actually handles it pretty well.” Then again, Laertes didn’t really know exactly what went on inside his son’s head especially after seeing things that were definitely not meant for his age.

His next words were more serious and his expression slowly turned grave.

“I can’t forbid Vor from sharing his visions. It wouldn’t be fair to him and he has helped a few people. When he was younger he kept a Guard like us from danger… so it’s not something I can ask him to do.” His expression, his eyes, his voice, everything about the young Guard became softer when he spoke again. “But as his father, I worry. About what he Sees and what people will start saying about him. You understand, right?”  

[Wylde Roses]

Mogami

Beni pawed thoughtfully at the ground for a moment, thinking and trying to put himself in the other guard's position. To have a son that was a Seer, one who sought out the creatures in his visions... it all sounded rather difficult to the young adult. "While I can't say I understand fully, since I'm not in your position," he began, punctuating his statement with a long, rolling shrug, "I can appreciate the need for caution and discretion."

The white-maned lion offered his dark-maned counterpart a small smile, tilting his head slightly. "You need not worry that I would mean harm to him - in fact, I believe I owe him something of a debt." Pawing at the ground again, Beni debated with himself before nodding at last. "I will have to pay him back some time... as his father, I trust you to be able to collect on that debt," he said. This was something of a risk, he had to admit as much... but he did owe Vormund for the advice the little Seer had given him.

"Should your son, yourself or any of the rest of your family need my aid in the future, all you need to do is ask," he added, ducking his head lightly. He owed a debt to this lion's son, and while he couldn't ask a juvenile to understand the depth of someone pledging their aid, he knew the youth's father would understand his offer.

...Hopefully it wouldn't end badly for all involved. Beni didn't think that would happen, but he was no seer. This debt could end up being repaid by his having to wade around a mudhole three times and then climb out to catch a ratel. But in all likelyhood, it might not end up needing to be 'paid' at all. Who really knew until the time came? Not him.  

[Mogami]

Laertes sighed with relief and smiled. Thankfully, this seemed to be one of the easier meetings he’d ever had as the other Guard was both friendly and reasonable.

“Oh no, you owe nothing. Vor didn’t do it for that reason nor can I accept it. It’s enough to know that he helped.” He grinned. He was almost certain he could make a friend out of this lion. “Come by my den any day and you can meet his brothers and sister. I assure you that those three won’t have a vision of you no matter how hard they try. You can meet my mate as well. Prettiest girl in the pride.”

Laertes chuckled good-naturedly.