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 Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2008 5:39 pm
Oiorpata headed to where the Queen had pointed, the clan cave she spoke of. This place and its treatment of males was far different than her mother's, a bit more peaceful than her mother's ideal that was upheld by her group. Perhaps they could use a bit of this, a bit of tolerance. After all, their ways chased her brothers away.
Conveniently ...or perhaps just the opposite, the Queen had even invited her to stay "as long as" she liked. Which could mean forever. But she couldn't leave her mother that easily, she knew that. And even though she was competitive, she still looked positively on this. Even a bit jealous since it was her sisters' and she wanted something that was her own.
Oreo drew near the cave. She wondered what exactly her sisters looked like.
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Posted: Wed Jul 09, 2008 2:13 pm
They were plaguing her, driving her insane, and there was nothing that she could do about it so long as she stayed here. No, she had to go on, had to look somewhere else for a cure to the images that plagued her mind. Even now they floated around in a happy dance, for they always seemed to be happy. Very rarely did they get upset, and insofar the only occassion that they had shown any anger was when Hurul-Ayni had approached her and told her directly that the orbs were not real. She hadn't believed it then, but she believed it now. She could no longer be deluded by childish illusions, and so now her thoughts were constantly plagued by ideas to get rid of them. Yet, she hadn't come to any conclusion yet. All she knew was that the solution wasn't here in the Kunanda'Nakhun. It was out there.
Yet... she loved her home, and wouldn't leave it even to seek out the mother that had left her and her sister there. The Kunanda was her home, and if she left, she would always return to it. There was no doubt in her mind that she would have to leave, and soon, lest the orbs drive her insane by their mere presence. At current time, she was trying to sleep and devise a way to inform her sister and Usha that she was leaving for a little while. It would be hardest to tell Sanuye. Nuksani knew that her sister would want to come with her, and for some reason she couldn't let her in her heart of hearts. Sanuye needed to stay here, there was no reason for her to leave.
Nuksani was round by the sound of someone outside, and she opened intelligent dark eyes and looked out to the entrance of the cave. With a yawn she stood up and strolled outside, to be greeted by the sight of a red lioness. "Hello?" Her voice carried a distant echo of curiosity, but her face remained neutral, and she didn't examine Oiorpata any more than a first glance. She could not remember exactly what her sisters looked like, and so the idea did not even cross her mind that they could be remotely related.
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Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2008 1:09 pm
Oreo looked at her with a skeptic eye. She had yellow like Balaa but red like herself. No grey like Balaa, no design like Balaa's. So if this was the sister, she had no clue. Especially since the Queen and the rude lioness had yellow. So this could very well simply just be a member of the pride. And of course, the other didn't take her for anything.
"Hello," she replied politely enough. "Who are you?" Yea... maybe she shouldn't be the one asking questions. But whatever. All that mattered was that she got her answers and got them soon. She had come here for a purpose and planned on completing that purpose.
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Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2008 1:18 pm
Her brows furrowed as Oreo posed to her a question, and there was a distinct look of distaste on the yellow lioness's face. Nuksani further left the mouth of the cave, bringing herself closer to the stranger. Yes, this was certainly someone who didn't belong to the Kunanda'Nakhun, and so Nuksani should give her a little leeway. But, she wouldn't, because she had enough weight on her shoulders and would not put up with someone as abrasive and demanding as Oreo. Her lips curled up, tension lining her shoulders. She sat down in front of Oreo, and distracted herself by looking down at her paws. Out of the corner of her eye she saw an orb flicker tauntingly at her, but she refused to acknowledge it. She would not show her weakness in front of this stranger.
She tilted her chin up and looked expectantly at Oreo. The lioness was going to have to either rephrase her question her introduce herself first, or else she would get nothing from Nuksani. The yellow lioness would not be so rude as to leave, and if Oreo failed to shapen up, she'd direct the red lioness on to someone else. She had no clue that they were sisters, if not by blood, but by the bond of their mothers. Perhaps even if she had known that Oreo was her sister, she would not have treated her differently. All she had was Sanuye, and for some reason she was content with that. She didn't need anyone else, right?
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Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2008 1:26 pm
Oreo raised a brow. "Well you're clearly not deaf but you must be pretty dumb to have such a smart-a** look on your face. Now would you like to answer my question or would you like me to make you answer my question. I came here to find my sisters not to p***y-foot about. And that's the only way you're going to get rid of me. They mean a lot more to me than you could probably comprehend."
She hadn't trekked all this way just to be mistreated by lioness after lioness. This was the second lioness to give her crap. Only one had been nice, the Queen. That made only about 33.3% of them nice which clearly wasn't worth it. She got respect where she came from. This place clearly needed its hedges trimmed.
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Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2008 1:33 pm
She was shocked by Oreo's audacity and abrasiveness, and how downright rude she was being to a member of the pride that she was a guest in. Usha had to have been the one to let this lioness into the lands, because she was certain that no one else would be able to tolerate the red lioness. With a growl of impatience, Nuksani stood at full height, the yellow lioness doing her best to show that Oreo was pushing at her last vestige of patience. With intent in her every step, she moved closer to the red lioness, putting herself close enough to Oreo to be unable to defend herself if things got sketchy. But it was a gesture intended to intimidate, since Nuksani could not bring herself to trade insults with the lioness.
"You continue to talk like that here, you will no longer be welcome, and you will not be able to see your darling sisters. You will act with respect when addressing any member of this pride, and if you do not I will personally see you out. Now, I advise you cool your head and think carefully on your next words. You will not be forgiven if you insult me, and by connection, this pride, any further." It was a warning, and even if she found out Oreo was her sister, Nuksani would see her out of the Kunanda'Nakhun. She would not put up with this lioness's attitude.
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Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2008 1:43 pm
Oreo looked right back down at her. Her mother had no tolerance for males. It worked pretty much the same with her, except she could channel it however she pleased. And it so pleased her. Oreo was competitive. For that she needed drive. And her drive came from her temper and her hate of losing. It also meant she had a pretty good backbone and a strong supply of confidence. Balaa hadn't mentioned they were warriors so Oreo didn't even think the girl could match her if it came down to that.
"I'll have you know I was invited in by the Queen to see my sisters who happen to be under her care," she exclaimed saying the last part slowly as though the other might need it enough to let it sink it. "So I think it might be you who gets in trouble for not telling me where they are. There's only one way I deal with problems.
"Now I hope you understand, I'm a guest of the Queen which means I'm to be tolerated and means that perhaps I should be given a little respect. Did you ever think that I might be royalty? That I might be giving you all the respect you deserve as an inferior rude enough not to even answer a simple question?"
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Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2008 1:53 pm
Oh god.
Oreo was here to see her.
It wasn't hard to piece it together when Oreo had said that her sisters were under the queen's care. But Nuksani didn't want to believe that she had a sister so outright rude and disgusting. No, Nuksani didn't want Oreo for a sister, not after her haughty attitude and the insults that she had dished out to Nuksani. "And I'll have you know that you were indeed fortunate to get the Queen's acceptance to be a guest here. I happen to know that if Hurul-Ayni, the Queen's beloved, saw you, she would not let you within a five foot radius of your sisters, because you are a disgrace to them, and a disgrace to your mother and her lover." She snorted then, dark eyes sharpening with hate.
"I would be the last lioness to get into trouble, and if you were royalty, you would know that I am the queen's daughter, and that insulting me as you have would get you dispelled from these lands. You are nothing. You may be a guest of the queen, but as a guest you agree to respect the members of this pride, and it's clear that you would not. Even a proper monarch or one of royal blood would know not to insult a queen's beloved pride members." She shook her head, laughing softly, as if in disbelief that a creature like Oreo could even be born. Nuksani felt no guilt for saying what she had and claiming Usha as her mother. Usha was, in a way, her mother. They were not blood related, but Nuksani had been under Usha's care, and had learned from her. Usha was as much her mother as Baala was.
"My advice is to shut up, and not disgrace your sisters further," she said in a snarl.
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Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2008 2:05 pm
Oreo laughed long and hard because that was all she could do. And she didn't care what the other thought of it. Shaking her head, she looked at the other. "I am the perfect image of my mothers, carved as they so carved me. Thus I can be a disgrace not to them or my sisters. I am not being rude any more than I so need to be. To have taken my first question as rude was you being oversensitive. As royalty, it's your job to represent your pride at all times which if I do say so - which I do - you've done a poor job. Unless I must take your responses at face value. I must wonder then what has happened to my poor beautiful sisters. Why they must hate you if you treat them like that. Why I bet you even think you're better than them because they're foreign, they're not 'pure'.
"And in terms of 'beloved pride members' one must remember a Queen does not love all her pride members because she does not know them all. If she does, well then, they are quite tiny. Because that's how the world works in case you've forgotten."
Of course, all this while, it was all said in a calm sing-song voice, hinting to rage layered just beneath it. "Maybe this 'Ayni' raised you. Maybe that's all it is. Because if you were anything like the Queen, you'd sure be a lot better than this."
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Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2008 2:15 pm
She was tired of this, especially when Oreo began to laugh. Nuksani wanted nothing to do with the other lioness, not after the insults that had been dished out to her. With a pained sigh, she eyed Oreo levelly. There was no benefit in admitting that they were sisters other than to shock Oreo out of he rown fur, and Nuksani wouldn't take much satisfaction in that. She just didn't want to deal with the other, so the best way to get rid of Oreo was to share her knowledge with the other, and when Oreo realized that she had gotten to see her darling sister and discover that she did not like her, Oreo would be on her way and Nuksani would be left in peace...
Well, she was never left in peace, but she could get pretty close before the orbs began to bother her again.
She ignored everything else that Oreo had said, and instead picked at the lioness's wording. "Whom ever said I was royalty? I said I was the Queen's daughter - I, and my sister, are under her care." She gave Oreo a pointed look, driving the point skillfully home. Now, if the other lioness had any intelligence, she would be able to figure out that Nuksani was her sister, and that she had met a sister only to come to dislike her.
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Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2008 2:27 pm
Oreo just looked at her in disbelief, her tone calm, that of one mentally exhausted. "You serious? You do realize that Queen's daughter equals royalty. Under her care does not mean her daughter. It means she's taking care of you. Taking care of someone is part of raising a daughter but is not all of it. Thus taking care does not equal daughter. Since one can take care of their pet, their niece, or even a kind stranger's daughters. Secondly, why'd you have to be so darn rude when if you have just answered my question, I would already have my answer. Or did you have lots of fun arguing? You certainly look like you did."
This was a waste. A damn waste. Now she knew why Balaa left her daughters here. Because they were a disgrace, not worth taking back with her. They had no respect, no dignity but seemed to think they deserved it given to them anyway. One did not get without first giving. That was not how the world worked. If it was, Oreo would be Queen of the whole darn universe and everything would be perfect. It just didn't work like that.
And of course, it was doubtful that the other even learned anything from this. She probably thought herself above it. What a piece of work. No wonder Usha offered her to stay as long as she liked; she probably hoped that Oreo could fix their nasty ways. They probably only needed a good whippin'. She wondered if anyone gave that out around here. "You know, I always imagined my sisters were so perfect, that they had been left somewhere good where they wouldn't be exposed to the evils of the world." She shook her head.
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Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2008 4:42 pm
She sighed. Why wasn't Oreo leaving her alone now, and why did she insist on explaining things she was yet to understand herself? It was bothersome, and Nuksani didn't want to take the time explaining things to her. "No, as I've stated msyelf as the Queen's daughter, it doesn't mean I'm royalty. It doesn't have to be. Usha didn't raise me, but she was still the person I looked up to. She was the mother figure I had when Baala left me and my sister here." She laughed softly at Oreo's next demand, and wondered idly if she should answer it sincerely. "Because you were being rude to me, and I didn't feel like acknowledging you as family when you weren't going to try and be nice. I didn't have fun arguing. I was trying to avoid it, but you're persistent." She shrugged her shoulders, determined not to worsen the situation, since it would only worsen the migraine she was developing.
She shook her head and gave her long lost sister a rueful smile, "We're far from perfect. It was a silly illusion you must have entertained. But, one thing you're right about is that this place is good, and it did save me from the evils of the world." It hadn't saved her from herself, but she wasn't sure she wanted to share the depths of her mental illness with someone who had peeved her as much as Oreo had. No, Nuksani was planning on ridding herself of the illness soon anyways, by whatever means necessary. No one else needed to know much about it then, since it would soon be gone.
"Now, I can imagine you want to go now and see Sanuye, perhaps?" Yes, it was Nuksani's attempt to get Oreo to leave her be for a while. The yellow lioness just couldn't deal with her properly right now.
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Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2008 4:54 pm
"And what was I supposed to say? 'Hello, how may I help you?' I wasn't being rude. I was being blunt, to the point. There's a difference. You chose to see it as rude for whatever reason. I don't care to pick one. Don't say you avoided arguing. You insulted me when all I wanted was an answer. And you expect me to take those insults and make myself vulnerable? Of course not. I couldn't be proud to be a lioness if I did. I cannot be at fault for defending myself in foreign territory when a member of the host party is hostile."
She thought she explained herself justly enough. It was that simple. Because it wasn't her fault that they were in this mess. The other had been confrontational, not her. The other one had provided the issues to cause this mess. If anyone had wanted to fight it was the other for choosing to response to Oreo's question as she did, without dignity or respect or maturity. Rather she had been extremely cubbish.
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Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2008 5:06 pm
"You were a guest here, it would have been proper for you to have introduced yourself before demanding to know who I was. I was trying to sleep, and you showed up to rouse me from my slumber. I was within reason." She sighed again, wondering to herself when this was going to end. "I tried not to, but you had it out for me. At first I was only trying to warn you. I had no vendetta against you, I still don't." She sat down and screwed her eyes shut, fighting away the visions and the migraine. But she could practically feel the orbs around her, and they were suffocatingly close. "You need to understand that I am not the sibling you want to meet first, there was probably a good reason my mother placed me here. But, I don't feel like sharing that story with you." Maybe in due time she'd tell Oreo that she wasn't all right, that she had never been all right, but right now wasn't the time. She wanted Oreo to realize that Nuksani had been acting reasonably, but Oreo was so headstrong that Nuksani was beggining to realize that she'd be put at fault anyways.
Finally she opened her eyes, and took a deep breath. Lately she had taken into the habit of not acknowledging the orbs existence, but that seemed to provoke them further. It wasn't easier for her now that she knew she was seeing things. Back when she was a cub it had been perfectly all right to see what she saw, because they had been real. They had been her family. They couldn't be now. She was too old for it, and she realized she needed this problem fixed, and soon. Nuksani just couldn't function like this. She was blundering along and slipping up all of the time.
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Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2008 5:20 pm
Oreo scrunched her brow. WHAT? Hello, Usha said the whole clan shared the den. How could her mere presence wake her up? Magic? Oh no, really she weighed as much as a giant and the ground shook beneath her feet. Oh yes, that was it. "I most certainly didn't have it out for you. I had to deal with a very vindicative lioness to find my way here and was in no mood to waste my time with another telling me my sisters don't exist. So all I did was demand that you tell me. I'll give you that I didn't ask very nicely but you threatened me. You may call it a warning, but where I come from, it's a threat. So naturally I acted defensively."
She shook her head. "A sibling is a sibling. It shouldn't matter who I meet first. It's the job of a sibling to forgive and love their siblings. If they can't do something so simple, then they really aren't worth anything. You're probably perfectly happy without telling me. After all, I'm a perfect stranger who just very nearly got physical with you. And that's fine. Although as a sibling it'd be my obligation to listen and keep your confidence." She personally didn't care to hear it at the moment. Though she sounded calm, she was still angry and riled up, trying to breathe and calm down. Because even though she fought regularly with one sibling back home, she always forgave her ...sorta. It all sorta came back to her when the next fight occurred as though it demanded a tally. And the fact of the matter was she had come all this way, done all this searching not to just sit and fight with a sibling once she found one. And although it had happened, she wasn't going to just leave it at that. Not unless she wanted to be next to dirt.
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