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 Posted: Sun Jul 17, 2011 11:08 am
 Luoji woke up with his heart pounding. This had become a daily occurrence since he had overheard the meeting held by Sendatu. His dreams were plagued with a great war in the pride and his sister caught up in the middle. He shook his head, trying to forget about it. It wouldn't help any getting stressed out about a silly dream.
He looked over to see his sister, but she had already left to go do her duty to the pride. It would have been nice to see her, he thought, but everyone has their job in the pride to do. His job wouldn't start for some time, so he had some free time to go look around the pride. As a new member he was still getting used to the pride.
He walked out of his den and looked around to see anyone, hoping someone could help show him around so he wouldn't get lost.
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Posted: Sun Jul 17, 2011 11:23 pm
There were quite a few things that Nikomachos had never told anyone, more things that he had told only a select few, and many things that he had used as half-truths to gain himself a better standing. For such was his life - it didn't matter what others believed or how much he misled them (though he did do his best to keep that to a minimum... plausible deniability, and all that) if the ends justified the means. And in Niko's world, justification came easily. If he could answer "yes" to any question relating to bettering his own welfare, then it was justified, and it didn't matter if somebody had been thrown over a cliff for that simple little word.
Of course, there weren't altogether too many creatures, lion or otherwise, that understood his entirely selfish existence, which was why so few of them knew anything of it to begin with. That was Niko's business, and while he cared little for their judgment, he doubted that he had the energy to expend on creatures trying to accuse him of being a b*****d. Perhaps he was, but that was for him to decide on his own.
No, it was simply easier for the most part to take the other route, the one that involved wide smiles and shallow small talk, the one that meant dipping his head and uttering a good morning in passing. It was simply easier when everyone thought he was a helpful member of society. There could be nothing further from the truth, but Niko had realized that it was the most... useful image to project. So helpful he would be.
His bright, jade eyes found the gray-pelted form of a lion, one that Niko recognized as a member of the group that had recently arrived at the pride. Niko himself was not much more experienced in the ways of the pride, but perhaps he could help the lion. He seemed somewhat lost. Wandering up to the lion, he smiled. "Good morning." He said, sounding rather too chipper for his taste. "Do you... need any help? I'm Nikomachos."
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Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2011 3:11 pm
Tiemosa was on the prowl… but it was not for prey today. The lioness often got up early in order to stalk around and see what everyone was up to, especially lately. Things in the pride were getting… complicated. And also, interesting. Tiemosa would never abide missing something if it happened on account of being asleep.
Tiemosa also did not walk in plain sight today. She often thought of herself as hunting when she did this, but it was a different kind. She was stalking, but her intended catch was information. She prided herself on knowing all the goings-on of the pride, and she would be remiss if she let herself fall behind now. Part of her eagerness was mixed with nervousness, but she would never allow herself to admit that. All she knew was that she felt better keeping abreast of things.
Tiemosa was moving past the dens, keeping to the shadows and being as discreet as possible. That did not come easily to the often loud, brash lioness, but today it paid off. As she rounded a corner, she spied something interesting. That brightly colored male Nikomachos was approaching that grey male, Luoji. Tiemosa knew that the latter was a relative newcomer to the pride, and though she’d often seen Nikomachos around she wasn’t too familiar with him either. All she knew were things she had heard.
She thought it might be worth overhearing what they had to say, and so she hid herself in the shadows, just close enough to hear their words but keeping as still as possible to avoid drawing their attention. She only prayed they didn’t look this way… she was more or less in plain sight, even if she was trying to look discreet.
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Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2011 5:03 pm
Luoji was thankful when he saw Nikomachos. If he didn't see the other lion he might have spent a good portion of the morning looking for help. He looked at the purple lion and grinned at him. "Yes I do Nikomachos. I am a bit new and I was hoping to get a be shown around the pride." He said in his low voice. "My name is Luoji by the way."
There was something about the other lion, he almost felt familiar. Luoji tried his hardest where he had seen him. Than he remembered where he thought he saw him. "Where you at Sendatu's den the other night?" he asked far more bluntly than he had intended. He remembered that the meeting was a bit secretive and that he should probably be careful when he mentioned it. If he said something wrong he could end up in big trouble.
"I was there to get herbs for my sister." He continued quickly, hoping not to sound suspicious. He really didn't want to get involved with pride's troubles, especially because he just joined the pride .
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Posted: Tue Jul 19, 2011 3:51 am
"Ah, yes, it can be overwhelming," he said, nodding his head understandingly. "I myself am not altogether too old a member of this pride. It can take a while to adjust, but then again, it happens to everybody." Lie number one. Niko had never had any trouble acclimating himself to... well, anything. Friends, places to sleep, food... they could all be replaced in the blink of an eye. He had never had incentive to treasure anything material, and even less to hold dear anything spiritual, immaterial. The way he saw it, nothing was indispensable. The world was really just an endless supply of resources offered up to him on a platter, so if he lost one thing, it would be no trouble trying to find it again.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Luoji. I would be more than happy to show you around," he added, turning to set off at a leisurely stroll. It was better that way anyway. Hidden eyes and ears had a greater chance of letting up if they were walking... not that Niko had noticed any on his way over, but he had come to accept that mild paranoia as an occupational hazard. There was always something to be wary of, in any case.
At Luoji's question, Niko fell silent to ponder his options. There were many things he could say in response. Flat out denying that it had ever happened was the first to cross his mind, but there seemed to be little deniability in that answer, and no doubt Luoji would slowly come to realize the truth if he but thought back on that fateful night.
"You're right, I was," he said, ending the brief silence. A careful balancing act was in play here. He couldn't very well let the silence drag, but neither could his words sound too ponderous. Either one would have given his hesitance away, and that simply would not do. "I myself originally approached her for some medical advice. With the weather... bit of an upset stomach and all, you know. Anyway, I did get caught in that... little get-together." He nodded slowly, thinking back.
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Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2011 1:22 pm
Tiemosa’s ears perked when she heard Luoji speak. Nikomachos had been at Sendatu’s den? She wondered what for, but kept her mouth shut to hear more. This was juicy, and she didn’t intend to miss out. When Nikomachos started walking, she sighed inwardly. It would be much harder to remain unnoticed if she had to follow them… but she would try.
Slinking out from behind her cover as the males moved, Tiemosa tried to keep a careful balance of just enough distance to not be right behind them, but not too far that she couldn’t eavesdrop, either. She was finding it difficult. The snow already didn’t make it easy for a brown lioness not to stand out, but being along the rocks provided a little camouflage. Or so she hoped…
So both lions seemed to have their own reasons for being near Sendatu’s den… Tiemosa frowned. She didn’t know either of them well enough to guess if they might be lying. She’d seen Luoji’s sister and knew she was a rather smallish lioness. Did hat mean she was also sickly? And maybe Nikomachos did simply want to speak to Sendatu about nothing? Tiemosa couldn’t count how many conversations she’d listened in on before, with other lions, only to hear nothing but chit-chat. It was annoying, but sometimes truly all some lions did was idly chat.
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Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2011 10:39 am
Luoji stopped for a moment. For a second he thought he saw something move in the corner of his eye. He was worried about being caught talking about Sendatu by the Queen or any of her followers. Nor did he want Sendatu and her gang over hear him. He decided that there was no one there and he was just being a tad paranoid. His focas went back to Nikomachos once he was sure that no one was their.
"I was wondering do you agree with Sendatu and her ideas for the pride?" He asked speaking under his breath. He didn't have any real loyalties to either Sendatu or Isolde and he wasn't sure which side he should pick if either.
He wondered if his sister had any idea about what the pride was going through. To himself, he wished that that she would never find out about it. He did not want his sister to get hurt in any way. "Are you on either side?" He said even quieter, he hoped that the question wouldn't cause too much trouble.
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Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2011 7:06 am
It wasn't quite in Niko's nature to divulge the information that Luoji was asking of him. He balked at the idea of answering at all, but silence, he knew, could be every bit as incriminating as a flat-out confession. Neither were what he would consider... solutions to this sticky little situation.
Experience had taught Niko to make it a point not to let anyone know what he was really playing at. Which side he was on was strictly on a need-to-know basis, and as far as he was concerned, nobody else was in the need to know. Not only was it none of their business, it also had the potential to become a liability, should anyone know the truth of the matter.
"To be honest..." (lie number two; Niko was technically never... honest) he said carefully. "I sometimes think it isn't quite my place to judge whose ideas are better for the pride. After all, I still see myself as a bit of a newcomer to the pride, and... meddling with its affairs seems a little... above my pay grade, as it were." Which was anything but the truth; he had absolutely no qualms about meddling in anybody's business if it meant that he could get some benefits out of it. But that, too, was on a need-to-know basis.
"But me, I'm on the winning side." A slight smile flitted briefly across his face, until he realized that what he had said was a slip-up of sorts. There could be all sorts of implications in those few simple words, perhaps even too much information. He could only hope that Luoji hadn't picked up on what it meant. His ears twitched and he turned his face away momentarily to hide the involuntary frown that had come to alight fleetingly on his brow.
And that was when he saw... color among the snow. The frown deepened, and he fought the urge to whip around. "We're being followed," he muttered darkly, both frustrated at the intrusion of privacy and worried as to how much their shadow had overheard. Mentally, he cursed himself for allowing himself such a terrible mistake. What was now a simple overheard conversation could one day prove fatal, and that he did not anticipate with much eagerness. "I'll get rid of her," he added, turning to shoo the intruding lioness away. There was a dark gleam in his eye that suggested he would not be altogether gentle about it either, should she but give him the chance to react.
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Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2011 7:54 am
Tiemosa has been spotted. She had begun to worry when the grey lion faltered for a moment, but she had thought she had been overlooked then. Now the brighter colored male, Nikomachos, had definitely seen her, and even turned all the way around to confront her. Now she had a choice to make - run away, and in doing so look suspicious as hell, or confront right back and see where it got her. To Tiemosa, there was only one solution.
Moving forward, she plastered a very innocent smile on her face, and tried her best to pretend to be sheepish. There was no use in pretending she hadn’t been spying… it was obvious. “Sorry!” She offered, coming to stop deliberately out of paw’s range (you know, in case they were really mad), “I saw you walking and I… well, there’s been so many weird things going on around here, I thought something might be going on. Forgive me?” Normally, Tiemosa’s method might have been a tad more… brash. She typically only humbled herself to her betters and no one else. But something about the stance of Nikomachos and the look in his eye made her nervous. She looked over at Luoji, hoping her apology offer would get better results out of him.
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Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2011 12:22 pm
Luoji listened to Nikomachos carefully. He still had no idea which side he was because he didn't know which side was the 'winning side'. If he asked he would feel like an idiot so he decided to just drop it. Perhaps he could ask another pride member their opinion on the matter. Once he figured out which was the 'winning' side he would be sure to join that side to make sure his sister stays safe.
His attention fell back to Nikomachos when he said that they were being followed. He looked to where Nikomachos was looking, wondering who could be watching them. When the lioness moved forward, Luoji watched carefully, not knowing if she was to be trusted or not. He felt that she seemed harmless enough. If he had been in her paws he would have been curious about what was happening in the pride.
"I forgive you." He said slowing, looking into her eyes. "But don't go around listening to others conversations like that. Next time you should just ask to join in."
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Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2011 6:42 pm
Niko wasn't quite sure whether to feel irked by the way she had foiled his opportunity to let a little tension out of his system or relieved by the fact that her apology had saved him from what might have become the origin of some unpleasant rumors about him. Saying a simple sorry was never enough to correct an offense (and this certainly was an offense of sorts in Niko's book) in the violet lion's eyes, but in the presence of another lion, there was nothing he could do.
Especially when Luoji seemed so receptive to the idea of forgiveness and forgiving her. Niko restrained the look of surprise that threatened to replace the gleam in his eyes. Yes... yes, most lions were less careful than he, less suspicious. And he supposed that was alright for creatures less understanding of the nature of others.
But even Niko couldn't quite stop himself at Luoji's next words. "Ask to join in?" He echoed, eyes widening briefly. That seemed like more than forgiveness; it almost sounded like... an invitation? He blinked, doing his best to wrap his mind around the idea. Why would... how could they possibly invite this spy into their midst?
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Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2011 5:16 pm
The lioness did her best to continue to look sheepish and sorry, but in her mind she was rejoicing. Just like that, she wasn’t going to get her head bitten off, and they were inviting her to join to conversation! Or, well, Luoji was. But she didn’t wait to hear the opinion of Nikomachos before jumping right in, in case he disagreed. “Oh, thank you! You’re very kind, and I will be sure to in the future. Had I known you would be so nice about it I surely would have in the first place. As a priestess, it does my heart good to know that there are so many good, decent lions left in our pride…”
She paused a moment, thinking, and then decided she might drop a little bait and see if either of them took it. “I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors yourselves, of late. I’m not sure what’s been happening, but I’m very worried. Normally I would never eavesdrop, but I’ve been so concerned…”
Well, she was lying about that last part, but she told herself that it was all for a good cause. After all, there certainly were things going on around here that made her worried. She looked back and forth between the male lions, trying hard to study their features and waiting to see how they reacted.
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Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2011 10:41 pm
Luoji nodded his head to the lioness as she spoke. He understood how limited information was around the pride currently. The only reason he had any clue about what was going on in the pride was because of pure luck. He could only imagine what others, who lacked information, were going threw. He wondered if they even knew that the pride had begun splitting their loyalties.
He felt a little embarrassed when she said that he was a decent lion, after all he was just being polite. "I have heard some rumors, but it is always hard to tell the truthful ones from the deceiving ones." he said to the lioness. "I am also concerned about the pride and so is Nikomachos I believe," he nodded his head toward the lion.
He had no idea what he would do if war broke out in the pride. There was no place for his sister and him to go. He just hoped that it wouldn't come to a war, or at least if it did that he was on the winning side.
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Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2011 11:00 pm
He supposed this particular intrusion was something he would just have to live with. Luoji being too polite for his own good and the lioness being to curious or eager for her own good... it all culminated in what Niko imagined to be an inevitable conversation with all three of them involved. It wasn't ideal, but... one had to roll with the punches, and at the very least perhaps the lioness could provide some information. Though he doubted it.
"Hm, yes, concerned," Niko agreed readily enough, but he didn't elaborate as to what exactly it was that worried him. They could assume he meant the pride if they so desired. The less said, the better, especially now that the lioness was actively participating in the conversation. Not only was it in Niko's nature not to trust, but she had also done nothing to suggest that he needn't keep up his guard around her. Quite the contrary, in fact, and he was convinced that if she could eavesdrop on him once, she could just as easily do it again. Wouldn't normally do it, his a**; Niko knew a spy when he saw one, and this lioness seemed to fit the bill as well as any other. Guilty until proven otherwise. "But I'm sure we know no more than you," he added pointedly.
It might very well have been true. After all, how was Niko supposed to know how much the lioness knew? He allowed himself a sideways glance at her. "And what is your name?" He asked, erring on the side of caution. The more he knew about her, the less he had to worry. It was a shame that such a pretty creature should have taken such a job. Yes, he was convinced that she was a spy - perhaps not a very good one, but a spy nonetheless.
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Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2011 7:22 am
Tiemosa frowned a little. The males seemed to be guarded now. Before they saw her they had been sharing much more, and now both of them seemed to have turned tight-lipped. She didn’t blame them, but it was disappointing. She supposed she could gain their trust by sharing some of the things she had found out herself… but she decided against it. It wasn’t worth putting herself at risk for, when information from her mouth might fall into the wrong paws and, for all she knew, end up coming back to haunt her. She was known around here for her information gathering, but she didn’t want anyone thinking she knew too much abut anything. Safer that way.
She figured she had heard plenty already today. Best to play it safe and act dumb, she thought. The lioness nodded gravely as both Luoji and then Nikomachos admitted to their concerns about the pride, and waited a moment before she spoke again. “My name is Tiemosa,” she told Nikomachos, in response to his question, “And yes… rumors have been flying around. Things are… strange lately.” She waited a moment, and decided finally that this conversation deserved a little honesty in it. So she added one final message: “I think we all need to be careful, and think hard about who we place our trust in. I mean that sincerely.” She gave meaningful glances to both males, to be sure they got the message. They could interpret it how they liked.
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