[LOG] The Sister (Joya and Sollunta)

[Princess_Feylin]

Joya

Joya surveyed the small, haphazardly stacked heap of trinkets and shinies that she'd been accumulating in her corner of the corsairs' space. They were gifts from a few of the crewmen of the pride. Originally there had been two piles. One was made up of presents from people wishing to impress her brother and the other made up of presents from people wishing to impress her.

Her brother was growing in power and authority in the pride, and clever pridemembers were throwing in their lot with him and hoping to curry favor with him through her. Such efforts were amusing to Joya, since Blackbeard didn't listen to her any more than he did anyone else, but once they began to clutter her space she ceased to be amused.

"Slave!" she called, her voice ringing a little shrill. "Come here."

It made no difference to her that there was no slave within sight. She fully expected somebody to hear and come running, or find a slave and send them running. She was an important lioness, in her own estimation. Her father led the pride and her brother would be the next leader, no matter what anyone else said. She expected to be obeyed and anything else would turn her temper nasty.

Sollalunta

Sollunta was exhausted. Blackbeard ran her ragged, and the pride on the whole was not inclined to be kind to her. A slave wasn't there to be kind to, they were there to work. And miserable work it was. Occasionally someone would have an easy task, or make an effort to not run her too ragged, but truly she felt more like a tool than a person.

She had finally gotten a little moment to herself. A little quiet in one of the dens for the slaves. No one else was there at the moment, which made it easier for her to pray...A silent, desperate prayer for salvation and deliverance.

Cut short by a cry like nails on a chalkboard. Without hesitation she was on her feet and running for the voice. Swift claws had taught her not to drag her paws, and Blackbeard's promise of an untimely death had been repeated, and hung over her as a thick cloud.

 

[Princess_Feylin]

Joya

Joya did not look up when she heard the sound of claws moving over rock, bringing a slave running at her call. This was no more than she expected, and so she certainly wasn't about to make a big fuss over a slave doing their job and comming when summoned.

"Come here," she ordered, still without looking up from her trinket stack.

She had only just now noticed that the two stacks had merged into one heap and she was glowering at the mess with an expression reminiscent of her brother's, although he was significantly more terrifying than she could ever hope to be.

"You're to help me dispose of these things," she explained. "They're useless to me and I intend to throw them into the sea somewhere the tides won't bring them back."

She didn't want anyone else to have these things, even though she didn't want them.

Sollunta

Sollunta's nervous state was not improved upon by the sight of whom had called for her. She knew that she was Blackbeard's sister, and that made her more anxious to please. More eager to be away quickly. She eyed the pile of treasures. Odds and ends, this and that. Anything the prideor its members found valuable. It was massive, but she could see why it would be in the way. It had started to collapse in some places.

Careful not to look at Joya, to keep her eyes turned down (she'd been taught over the days to do this), she bobbed her head submissively and edged towards the pile. "Yes ma'am," Her voice was muted, flat and dull. "Would you like me to find such a place, or have you one in mind?" She didn't dare to just start moving the items.

 

[Princess_Feylin]

Joya

"Why do you ask? Do you know of such a place?" She squinted suspiciously at the slave.

She now noticed for the first time that she did not seem familiar. Hardly a surprise, that, given Joya could rarely be bothered to take much notice of slaves, but this slave seemed even less familiar than most. After a few moments of prodding and nosing the jumble from one to two, she spoke up again. "Pretty, aren't they?"

"I expect you're as much a thief as everyone else here," Joya mused. "So don't touch anything until I've separated the trash from the rubbish."

In her opinion, there was little difference between the two sorts of gifters, except in the way their gifts ought to be disposed of. Those who were courting her, she wanted them to know she had rejected them and their presents. Those gifts she would arrange to have wash up again. Those who were actually courting her brother, well, it would be more convenient if they did not know what had become of their attempts at bribery.

Sollunta

Sollunta was careful to resist making the grimace that lingered on her lips when she was accused of knowing of such a place. Of course she didn't. "No ma'am. I just..." It was so frustrating, genuinely wanting to be helpful, but to be unable to for fear of pain. Never mind that these lions seemed determined not to believe in her character. She was swiftly coming to think they were all as bad as Blackbeard. "I am simply eager to please. That's all, ma'am."

She bit back a retort to being called a thief. She'd never stolen a thing in her life. Better just to be quiet, be dutiful. Pray for deliverance from these wicked lions. She waited wordlessly while the lioness worked. Part of her thought to offer to help, but that probably would be seen as an effort to take something.

Eventually her curiosity could not be contained though, and foolishly, innocently, she queried, "Why throw them out, ma'am?"

 

[Princess_Feylin]

Joya

"Simply eager to please," Joya crooned in a mocking tone. "I'll believe that you're simple, anyway. Eager to please, well, I doubt that."

She had never known a slave who was eager to please. They were eager to avoid abuse or punishment by pleasing their betters, perhaps, but that didn't mean that they tried to please because that was what they really wanted. Joya couldn't think of anything more pathetic than a person whose goal in life was to please others though, so she shouldn't hold it against this slave for being like everyone else. Shouldn't, but did. Because she could.

"I'm throwing them out because they clutter my space, and even for me, space is limited. Besides, they mean nothing to me." They were just proof of the position she held in the pride, and that wouldn't change whether or not she had knick-knacks and shells and shiny things to look at as she fell asleep.

"Why? Were you hoping you could keep one or two for yourself?"

Sollalunta

She felt herself wilt a bit at the lioness' scathing words. Surely she realized that no one wanted to be a slave. Her pride was a little more bruised, a little more battered. If she'd had a thought to spare beyond making amends to the lioness, she might have wondered how long until she was totally beaten down.

"No, ma'am. I would never." She murmured, sighing inwardly and staring at her toes. "I'm...I'm just a slave. Not my place. Didn't understand, that's all." It was painful to belittle herself, but what else could she do? She just wanted to go home. Away. Even back to the slave dens where at least she would be surrounded by creatures too tired to bother her.

Maybe she should just get to work. But which pile needed tossing out? And she figured that now the lioness would be set on overseeing the job, and being sure she didn't take anything. She hadn't said which pile. Or where to put them. Oh what should she do? The poor slave was starting to become distressed. She just wanted to go home.

 

[Princess_Feylin]

Joya

Joya took a moment to savor the discomfort she was causing in her unfortunate victim, but only a moment. There was still a task to be accomplished and so she could not indulge herself too much in tormenting slaves. Not at the moment, anyway.

"The pile on my right. Shove it onto that skin there so that you can drag it all at once, rather than making multiple trips. I don't like having slaves near where I sleep. You lot all smell so...foul."

She nodded to indicate a hide that had been worn thin with much use, though what sort of use had caused it to grow so thin would have been difficult to say. It was assuredly not the result of careful tanning, and so it was actually unusual for Joya to have such a thing at all. In fact, it belonged to someone else but Joya didn't really care about that.

Leaving the slave to her task, Joya strode to the entrance to the corsairs' area and sniffed the air. She wanted to get this over with. The weather had been so wretched lately, and she didn't want to be caught out in anything.

"Hurry up!"

Sollunta

Sollunta was all too glad to be able to just get to work. She quickly, but not carefully starting lifting the items into the bag. She didn't stop to think where it was from. No questions asked, you will serve... Blackbeard's terrible voice rang in the back of her mind. From now on, she decided, she would say nothing, unless commanded. It would save time, and shame.

Making haste, she dragged the bag back to the mouth of the den, to be directed where to deposit it.

 

[Princess_Feylin]

Joya

"Come," Joya said without looking back.

Really, she wouldn't notice if anything went missing, but she would care and be very irritated if she ever found out that it was. So Sollunta had better hope that nothing fell off while dragging stuff.

The walk wasn't very long, and in fact Sollunta probably did know about the place. It was where the pride's refuse was disposed of. Whatever refuse couldn't be trusted to take care of itself eventually, that is, which was little enough. So maybe Sollunta's duties hadn't brought her to it yet. But it was an unremarkable section of beach where the tide's current pulled things away from the pride and did not return at any point along the pride's coastline.