Ifrit:Ifrit stopped to scratch behind one ear as he made his way towards the scholars' caves. It wasn't time for his lessons, wouldn't be for quite a bit yet, but he was going anyway. It was time he could use to study and time to get away from his brothers and sisters.
It wasn't that he didn't like his family. He did, really. Love was a foreign concept to him despite his parents' obvious affection. He just didn't really get it. So he wouldn't say he loved his family, but he did like them. It was just that he learned too many things too often, it got really loud at home sometimes. Both in his ears and in his mind.
It was quieter in the scholars' tunnels. Everyone was off doing their own thing, it wasn't as difficult to get some space to himself.
Bahija:
The groomed. Bahija. Taken under the wing of the Queen, or so the rumors had spread. Being prepped for when the Queen's sons came if they had not found a mate outside their home. That honor, for a cubnapped linage? From the lowest of the low? To climb the ranks and being born in to nobility? OF COURSE, her mother would agree to being arranged her daughter's future. Who would think any different, especially in a pride where connections could save your life. Bahija was instilled that as soon as she was born. Not like she wanted to know about it. She had come to understand that family was everything and one day. She would need a suitor, and many whispered of the Queen's sons, but again. Just rumors.
An early riser, and not much of any cub-play. She was escorted by a guard to the scholar's tunnels. As soon as she was in the vicinity of the scrolls, she bowed her head to the guard. Pulling out the a scroll or two so she could recite it. Early bird gets the worm. But being bright and early, she had missed that a cub was also in the surrounding area. She was radiant, surely she could have easily picked to be a Geisha- a high priced one at that. Her looks- she adorned the beauty passed down to her. Her deposition like an angel... a real lady in the making. With dainty paws, and natural born grace...
Ifrit:
Ifrit made his way towards where the records were kept, hoping to find something on military tactics for once. So far, he'd been unsuccessful on his own, but was sure there had to be something somewhere. He just needed to find it.
It wasn't that he was interested in fighting or even leading anything. He liked to council. Perhaps he aspired to be a councilmember one day, perhaps not. He couldn't See the future after all, only the past.
And clearly sometimes not even the present, for it took a sudden thought intruding upon his own to alert him that he wasn't alone.
He turned, gold eyes blinking as they found the girl-cub who was also there. Really? She was training to be a scholar as well? He wouldn't have believed it if he didn't know it for a fact. She looked like someone who'd be better off as... a geisha maybe or even a priestess or witch doctor like his sisters. But a scholar? It didn't really make sense.
Still, he kept his surprise to himself, only raising an eyebrow at her before turning back to his search. It was a rude greeting to be sure, but no one ever made the mistake of asserting that Ifrit was a good, polite young male. If one wanted polite, they needed to talk to his sisters or parents. He had too much of his uncle and grandfather in him. Or perhaps he was just a little hellion like most young boys were at that age. He was just too mature to show it by pushing, name-calling, and pulling tails.
Bahija:As she pulled out the scrolls, she tried to study. Not only study but recite them so she could memorize them. This was up until she finally heard the footsteps about the room. ""If you are not a guard, you should announce when you come in to a room, especially when there is a female- unless you want me to call my guards." Protective- no so much but she wasn't dumb. Royals were always targets especially for cubnapping. She was a proud child of Ajani, and Rada. They were high in rank, and although she didn't hold their titles' she did hold their power and protection. Weilding it though, was only when in danger.
This was a matter of respects as a pure female. Nothing could challenge that- or she would be worth nothing if found tainted. "What is your name..." She asked suspiciously.
Ifrit:
Ifrit turned away from his searching with a small smirk on his maw.
"A bit of a firebrand, then. Wouldn't have pegged you for that, my lady," he replied, a bit of a tease in the bow he gave her.
"Because you asked so nicely, my name is Ifrit." Father would be so very disappointed in his lack of manners. But he was going to be a scholar, you didn't need manners when reading. Speaking of, he had begun to grow curious over what she was reading. So much so that he left the shelves and padded to her side, peering down at the scrolls.
"What have you there?"
Bahija:
"I wouldn't know that an ill mannered cub would be a scholar but there is much surprise between us both isn't there." Giving him a look, then bowed when he gave her his name. Power. That in a name. "Bahija, daughter of Councilmen Ajani and the Royal Guard Rada." Then she went back to reading the scroll. It was then that her fur stood on end when he approached her, and softly she rose her eyes to greet his. With closeness.
"Charts with marks.." She pointed and followed the maps. "This one marks where a pride is.. The many ways to get in. I'm sure this would have to be a tactic for taking it over." Then looked at him once more. "If I were to pick the best way, I would pick this one." A small slither of a tunnel. "One here of course. The other should go straight up to their main entrance. I'm sure that most would say the same. But if you drop a cub in to every pride- or near one they would make beautiful informants. But just as well- a beautiful Geisha would simply due when in the front."
Ifrit:
Ifrit chuckled at her tart reply. Firebrand indeed, she'd be interesting if he actually liked people. Which he really didn't. But she certainly rose above the rest in that regard. Bahija, daughter of Ajani and Rada, she certainly had some background there. Of course, he wasn't one to sniff at either... at least in part. His parents friends of the royal family and grandmother a known seer and friend of the queen. Such a pity his grandfather and uncle had to ruin it for the rest of them.
Still, he filed the information away, in case he needed it.
"That's interesting," he murmured as he looked over her shoulder and listened to her speak. Surprise, surprise, she really did belong there. If she wasn't just regurgitating something she'd heard - which he didn't think was the case with the way she spoke - she was really rather clever.
"You'd use cubs as informants? Doesn't that open too many problems? We can be awful at keeping secrets." Some, not all of course.
Bahija:
"Cubs are easier to manipulate." Turning to him fully. "Nannies teach us that our pride is everything. The beginning moments, a child is engraved with these teachings. You place a child elsewhere. They will form to look and act like them, but truly they will never BE them. Thus blood will call blood. Wouldn't you agree?" Lifting her head up as if she knew she was right on all accounts. "We don't need to know secrets. A blank slate will due with the duty of our pride at our core. Honestly.. you should give our nannies more credit.. Unless......" Looking at him suspiciously.
"You weren't raised by a nanny were you." Eyeing him.. watching now, is reaction with detail.
Ifrit:
Point after point after point. She really was good. But she seemed to be missing part of the whole puzzle, ah, there it was.
"No, not really." He probably should have been, but they just hadn't been. Mother and Father took care of them, with Grandmother's help. Grandmother had been a nanny, briefly, and one of his aunts was, but that didn't really change his upbringing. Mother was rogue-born, Grandmother was rogue-born. Pride was important, but at the end of the day there were a pawful of things that might just come before it.
Not that he'd share that upbringing with anyone of course.
"Like you said, cubs are easily manipulated. I wouldn't be surprised if you put a cub in a pride to spy and find out they've turned sides. Adults are less malleable," he replied with a small wave of his paw. When was the last time he'd had a conversation like this? Had he ever? Maybe with a teacher, but that wasn't a conversation, that was instruction. Ifrit settled down so that he was lying and facing her and propped up his chin on one paw. He was actually eager to hear what she had to say next.
Bahija:
"Double agents..." She smirked. Maybe he was suppose to be in this rank. "I suppose youre right. There comes marriages and what not." Giving him a soft nod. "Adults aren't always welcome. Usually cubs would gain free access more times than naught. Unless you are with cubs. Then there IS that too." Rolling up the scroll. "Nannies are the first you see other than your parents. When they work the nannies take cubs in to their wings. Feeding them endlessly about loyalty to the pride. Our blood. All as one. Connections, is what gets you things.. Ranks and wealth." Sighing. "Without having to sell one's entertainment." Her eyes went to him.
"Why are you not in the fighters rank..."
Ifrit:
"True, but I still think cubs would be too much of a liability. Maybe our age or a bit older, but any older than that and there might not be the trust you talk about. And any younger would be too unpredictable." His brothers and sisters were certainly a testament to that theory.
He didn't exactly agree with her. There were plenty of ways to get what you wanted beside connections, though they helped. Brute force was one way, a smooth enough tongue could get you almost anything if you tried hard enough. And, well, he had his own unfair advantage. He didn't need connections when he had dirt on what seemed like every creature he met.
"Isn't my thing. I'd much rather study the records and form new strategies for the fighters to try," Ifrit replied, his posture relaxing all the way to his eyelids resting almost at half-mast as he watched her roll up the scroll. Only his tail continued to lash back and forth.
"I think I can see why you're not working towards some other ranks. But why scholar and not.... priestess or witch doctor?"
Bahija:
"Exactly, Tender minds." Shaking her head.
"Other ranks, meaning entertainer right." Looking to him with soft eyes that gently batted, only to show that she COULD have been an entertainer. But hadn't. Then she looked towards the outside of the tunnel. "I do not only get taught of scholars but rather I am suppose to have a taste of everything. Father says that it will round me out and would help benefit the pride more. I want to make my Queen proud." Bowing her head softly as she thought of her. Then slipped the scroll back in. "But my heart is where I can gain knowledge of everything, but not many females aspire, and I... simple do."
Scholar Teacher:
"Mmm I see the early birds do get the worm." Noticing his scrolls moved. "A lesson in Military tactics is not what I had in mind~ you two should have been practicing your main locating stars. Guiding stars help navigation when out." The teacher fixed his glasses and settled in. Pulling out star maps.
Bahija:
Bahija couldn't help that when she did move to settle in her usual spot, to look to the cheetah cub that had questioned her tactics. Then silently looking to the teacher. "The stars.. North Star.. Branch Star- Moon star." Not once after- giving the boy another glance throughout the class... As if they never spoke. Completely she put her thoughts in to her work.
Ifrit: