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 Posted: Sat Jan 29, 2011 8:18 am
Aesir Having dealt effectively with Zsaria's dilemma, Aesir was feeling very good about himself and very confident in his abilities as a leader. He had been very sure of himself when he first challenged Gunne for leadership, but he'd lost some of that confidence since he actually did manage to take control. Partly due to the methods he'd used to gain the position, but also because his mate, Morrigan, had been discussing with him the other duties a Warlord had to attend to. He hadn't been sure he was ready and able to take on some of those duties, since diplomacy had never really been a strength of his. He was a fighter, through and through, and loved every minute of it. But maybe there was something to be said for diplomacy. All his attempts so far had gone very well, he thought, and it was certainly less physically taxing, though his underworked mental muscles were still sore from the work they'd been put to. As a very physical being, Aesir knew the value of that kind of soreness, and tried his best not to resent it or flinch from it. Right now, he was feeling smug and accomplished, however, and so he thought he might reward himself with a visit to an old friend who had been a Reaver with him when he first came to the pride. The trip to Udayagiri's den was neither long nor difficult, and very soon the Warlord was there, standing outside of the entrance. He roared softly to announce his presence. Udayagiri He hadn't been asleep, thank the gods, when he heard that all to familiar roar. Otherwise the big, muscled Reaver might have been startled into a fit of awakefulness. Purple eyes darted to the mouth of his den before he moved off his bed made of pelts from things he'd killed. Udayagiri had been quite surprised when the smaller Aesir had taken leadership, but it was a pleasent surprise, honestly. He had known when they first met that the 'kid' would do something major within the stronghold. Oh, if only he could have seen this coming! His chest actually swelled with a bit of pride when he saw the smaller lion. Naturally everyone was small compared to him, because he was big, lumbering and looked extremely clumsy. Poking his head out of the den, he smirked and nodded his head before sitting down next to him. This was one man he actually spoke to. "Didn't expect to see you here." OK, so it wasn't a lot, but it was talking.
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Posted: Sat Jan 29, 2011 8:19 am
Aesir Aesir grinned at Udayagiri. As always, his grin came easily and with a hint of menace. Since he was a cub he had been the sort to bully and intimidate, and it had been a magnificent discovery in his adolescence that he could threaten people just by smiling at them the right way. He'd practiced and practiced, and now it took more effort to look reassuring or actually friendly than to just allow a hint of menace into his expression. His friend would know he intended no harm or violence. "I thought I should come visit you. It's been a while," Aesir explained. That was part of it. But also if he wasn't in his den he would be much more difficult to find, which meant he'd have a bit of a respite from potential problems. Not that too many people sought him out to act as an arbitrator or judge. His people could solve their own problems, and usually did. But just the same, he'd just had a victory and he felt like gloating, though not too much. It also occurred to him that he hadn't asked Udayagiri to come on his viking, and that his friend might be offended by being excluded. It wasn't that he'd done so purposefully, but rather with planning, which might be even worse. He owed his friend an explanation, and perhaps that was really why he'd made his way to him so soon after inviting Zsaria to come viking with him. "Also, I want to explain to you about my viking." Udayagiri That grin that came over his friend's face was nothing new to him, so it was half over looked. Yes, it was quite difficult to find the hulking male once he'd left his den for the day. He did all kinds of things, all of which were repetitive until someone decided to take him out on a viking. That hadn't happened in a while, though and he wasn't sure why.. He'd been more than a little insulted by this fact, but had gotten over it quickly enough observing the newer members of the pride and putting them into mental slots as failures or diamonds in the roughs. "Your viking, eh?" Maybe Uda would be asked to come along for this one. Vikings were a good way to spend his time; doing something other than wander, observe. He hardly got Challenges anymore, which pissed him off to no end. But, he knew he was intimidating. He'd been told that many, many times. "Tell me, then."
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Posted: Sat Jan 29, 2011 8:20 am
Aesir More diplomacy, Aesir thought with a grimace. He'd thought he was coming to see Uda to get away from being diplomatic for a while. So much for that plan. Without worrying about whether it would be polite to do so, since the Stormborn didn't really tend to care one way or the other about such things, Aesir sat so he could at least be comfortable as he had this conversation. "Yes. I'm not asking you to come with me, and here's why: you're someone I am known to be friends with. Being still new to my position, I do not want to be seen as playing favorites among the pride. With the exception of Taraxa, I'm taking people with whom I'm not familiar or who are new to the pride." It was a way of winning them over, in other words, and also of letting people who had been maybe a little too happy to see Aesir's fall from grace know that he wouldn't be holding grudges against them either. Though he also hadn't invited any of them, because he really didn't want to have to kill them with so few witnesses. If they challenged him, he would kill them, but he needed to do it in a public forum, not out and away from the pride. Aesir couldn't explain all that, though. Udayagiri "Very sensible." So his initial rage had been washed over with simple words. A flick of his tail and a nod of his head confirmed this. His purple eyes looked to his friend once again. "Very good then, actually. Maybe I'll get a few Challenges." He smirked at the thought. His toes curled in the dirt and he let out a yawn. "But, I can see you're not wanting to talk about politics." So, instead, the big male got to his paws again and shook out his fur before stretching. He motioned the other to follow him. He wanted to get out, though. He wanted to go on a viking and bring thralls back, bring loot and what nots back. He wanted to get OUT. Not that the stronghold wasn't nice, but it wasnt for a guy like him to stay inside all the time. He half wanted to tackle the other man into the ground to have a bit of fun, but what would that say to the rest of the pride? That he was gay, that's what. So, he refrained from doing so. He was the type to make fun of the ones that are found out.
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Posted: Sat Jan 29, 2011 8:22 am
Aesir Aesir barely stopped himself from sighing with relief when Uda accepted his explanation. It was the truth, though he hadn't consciously considered it that way. Well, he had and he hadn't. Morrigan had suggested that he might do better to win over people whose allegiance was uncertain by taking them with him, since it was considered a mark of favor to be asked, but it had been Aesir's decision to keep it to either new members or members with whom he had only rarely associated. "I'm glad you approve," he said with a wicked grin that was deliberately wicked. He was maybe teasing Uda just a little. After all, it wasn't as if the Warlord needed anyone's approval. Gunne certainly hadn't cared if people agreed with him or not. "You might get more challenges if you spent more time on guard duty, you know," Aesir pointed out as he followed his friend. "I mean, I know it's mostly tedium, but lately there've been a lot of lions just showing up saying how wonderful they've heard we are and how they think they're equally wonderful. Someone like you could put them in their place." Aesir actually missed doing challenges, too. As Warlord he could certainly take his turn on sentry duty, but if he accepted a challenge and lost, that would not look good for him. Which meant no challenges for him. It was one thing for him to spar and lose, because at least he would be losing to a Stormborn. It was something else for him to be defeated by an outsider. Ignore the fact that he had been born an outsider, himself. "And I really don't. Want to talk about politics, that is." Udayagiri Uda couldn't help but let out a rumbling laugh at the warlord's teasing and he shrugged. It was better to say he agreed than let Aesir think he was a bitter fool. Sure, he missed going out, but there were things to tend to here. It wasn't as exciting, but at least he wasn't dead or on someones bad side. That's the logic he looked at in these kinds of things. However, he couldn't keep the cringe at the word 'wonderful'. This pride wasn't wonderful. It was tough and hard on it's members, hardening them into forces of cunning and bruth strength. It wasn't wonderful. "Ugh. Stupid lions, then. I'll go on guard duties more, I suppose." A twinkle was in his eye as he talked and then sighed and shook his head. "Wonderful? That's a dumb word." Oh, yes. He was quite the charmer, wasn't he?
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Posted: Fri Mar 18, 2011 6:24 am
Aesir Aesir was hard put not to laugh at his friend's assessment of the newcomers' use of the word wonderful, which had been paraphrasing on Aesir's part. It was true that lions were coming to try their luck at fighting their way into the pride in increasing numbers, but he didn't think a single one had actually used the word wonderful to describe the pride. Probably for the exact reason Uda had said so derisively. It was a stupid way to put it. "Sometime we should go practice together on the sands," Aesir said. "Give the people something to look at. Not now, though. I'm supposed to be paying a call on one of the Lawspeakers." Aesir grimaced. All that he knew of Stormborn law had been picked up incidentally, and mostly from the stories he'd heard told. No matter how much evidence he saw to the contrary, he couldn't get it out of his head that Lawspeakers were all a dry and dusty lot. He was not particularly looking forward to this meeting, since he was there to make arrangements for what would happen if he died on this viking. Udayagiri Agh, Lawspeakers were some of Uda's least favorite people.They put him to sleep more often that not, and then yelled at him for snoring. Everything was aggitating the big male today. The big male shifted and laid down on his stomach before nodding a little. Yes, yes, they should go practise sometime. "I look forward to handing you your a** yet again." The truth was, neither of them won. Aesir was skilled, very much so, but Uda had his weight and build as a one-up. And he did throw his weight around quite often when he was sparing. He couldn't help what slipped out of his mouth next, "Or you could point me in the direction of someone worth my time." The self assured grin on his face was definately warrented. Not everyone could speak to Aesir this way and get away with it. Sometimes Uda didn't, but that was on a rare day. "'ve been thinking how all the females here aren't.... .... challenging enough." He changed the subject since Aesir didn't want to discuss politics, and Lawspeakers were exactly that.
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Posted: Fri Mar 18, 2011 6:48 am
Aesir The Warlord snorted. "You wish you could hand me my a**. You wish you could get near my a**." At first Aesir wasn't sure what Uda was talking about with the pointing him in the direction of someone worth his time thing. That seemed...random and out of context. Aesir waited for a moment, watching his grinning friend and hoping he would decide to elaborate further all on his own. Because Aesir's mind was still on the idea of challenging and fighting. Oh, a woman. Was that what he had meant? That was unexpected. Not that Aesir had ever doubted his friend liked women, but it was sort of unexpected that he would mention to Aesir that he was sort of on the lookout for companionship. Of the permanent sort or temporary sort, Aesir wasn't sure. "Well, I hear one of the new lionesses who just challenged in isn't quite right in the head. Maybe she'd take a fancy to you," he said with a wicked grin. Udayagiri He rolled his eyes at the Warlord and snorted. No, he wouldn't ever want to be near someone not right in the h-- oh wait. The whole pride kind of was. That thought brought a very toothy grin to his face before he snorted and straightened up. "Shut up, Aesir, I was being serioius. The females are too weak. We need to bring back the ones who fight us the most when we go out." Yes, he liked girls, and he liked his privacy, but he was getting lonley. And with all the cubs being born, part of him wanted little hellions to romp around and carry out his bitter legacy. It wasn't like he was old or anything, but maybe he was more family orientated than he though. He actually, physically gagged at the thought. "I ain't lookin' for companionship or nothin'. Just a passing thought." Best to put it out of his head before Aesir took it upon himself to pick out his mate for him. Mate. That word was so stupid. "Tomorrow I'm going to do challenges." He had a record of winning them and chasing off the losers none-too-gently. One would think he was a Firekin.
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Posted: Fri Mar 18, 2011 7:06 am
Aesir Aesir almost quipped back that he had been serious, too, and that a not-right-in-the-head girl was probably the only kind who would tolerate Uda, but he hadn't been, in fact. It had just been a joke, the kind exchanged between males for generations without count. But if Uda had been serious, really, Aesir supposed he could be, too. "I wouldn't say they're weak," Aesir said, temporarily not thinking of how many times most females had to try their paw at getting into the pride before they succeeded. He was vaguely aware that it was a rare female who won in on her first time. "But what would you do if we did bring back the strongest ones? They'd still be Thralls. You wouldn't take up with a Thrall would you?" It was done all the time, of course. Aesir had done it himself. But never in search of anything serious. Thralls were for taking care of needs quickly and not for forming long-term, or even short-term, attachments. His relationship with Gunne's consort had been a bit of an aberration. "All right. I'll keep my eyes open." He guessed Uda didn't really want anyone else brought in on the matter, like Morrigan, who might be able to do some kind of foretelling which really would point Uda in the right direction. "Good. Get some exercise," Aesir said, migrating vaguely toward the way out. He had to be going. "You're getting fat." Udayagiri "If the Thrall was challenging enough, maybe." Not like he had a Thrall or even wanted one. Uda liked his big den to himself, but... "I ain't gettin' fat. You're just pissed 'cause I'm more man than you." He gave a wink and actually laughed. It was a rough sound, like the rest of him and then stretched out. "I'm goin' a head then. You know the way out, clearly." Another smirk played on his face before he looked serious. "In all seriousness, Aesir, 've just been thinking about it. Seein' hellions running amuck made me want some with my markings. Probably a passing fancy." Like a lot in Uda's life. Whatever, no point in being serious when he was about to go kick some a**. "Meet me in two days and we can spar in the sands. Get the dust flying and whip you back into shape." Seemed the seriousness went out the window whenever Aesir was around. Which didn't make too much sense, but they were old friends. "Give my best to whoever it is warming your bed tonight." Another jab. With that one, however, Uda took his leave with a bow of his head and headed out to scare off males and females a like, and scream at a few cubs.
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