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 Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2012 6:44 pm
 Even though Maysa had been alone for most of her life, ever since she left Jael in the oasis, she'd never felt more alone. And she couldn't help but blame herself. Maybe if she'd been more ... everything. More intelligent. More charming. More patient. More beautiful, Jael wouldn't have been so upset with her that night. It wasn't like she had been serious about that male she'd met that night. She'd only needed to feel good about herself since she always questioned whether or not she was worthy of Jael since he never confirmed it. And now Maysa was wandering the world alone. Again. At least she could take some comfort in that fact that Jael wasn't taken from her by poachers. She'd left him very much alive and he would forever stay like that. Nothing could take Jael by surprise and so she was confident in his survival. At least she was confident in that. Maysa sighed and looked around. She was tired. Tired of everything. She found a nice flat rock and settled herself in the sunlight. Maysa enjoyed sunning and she took what comfort wherever she could. "Ah. Sun, you are my one true loyal lover."
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Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2012 7:38 pm
 Aesir blinked at the bright sunlight. In his pride's lands the light was usually filtered through fog or clouds, but out here, fairly far beyond his lands' borders, the sun was hot and bright. It didn't suit him. He was a large lion with thick, dark fur. Sun like this was nigh unbearable, and it had been like this all day.
He was not in one of his better moods, and that was why he had removed himself from the rest of his raiding party. There was no sense in snapping at them. It wasn't their fault he was in a bad mood. Well, it was, but it wasn't anything they could help. His cubs just were too...excited about everything. It did not make them a good viking crew. Their inexperience grated on his nerves.
As he walked under the sun, he thought he was hallucinating at first when he saw a lioness who resembled at first glance his mate. Seeing Morrigan, or someone who looked like her when he did not expect to was jarring. At least initially. Then he was reminded of how many days he had been away from home, and how long it had been since he had covered a lioness.
"I make no promises of loyalty," he said, speaking in response to her words to the sun. "But I could be your lover for the afternoon."
It was uncharacteristically generous of him to give her this much of a choice. Probably it was only her resemblance to his mate that had earned it for her. He respected Morrigan.
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Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2012 8:20 pm
Maysa's eyes had slide shut as she relaxed in the sunlight. Her sun bath taking the stress away for the moment. At the voice, her eye's snapped open and she focused on the male very near by. Why was it she always felt like prey in moments like this? She really needed to have a good talking to by herself. Even Jael had made her feel that way sometimes. But not in the same way.
She focused on the male. The liquid sunlight, the lava markings reflected the sun against his dark fur. He was handsome, but at the same time, Maysa thought he looked, almost scary. A scary handsome male. That wanted to be her lover for the afternoon. That didn't sit well. Not with him still so close to her heart and on her mind. It felt ... disloyal. It wouldn't be like flirting with that male before. This was on a different level.
Maysa gave the male a small smile. After all, he did boost her confidence with his offer. Though when she was feeling more like herself, Maysa knew she should have been upset at the offer instead of courting her the way he should have. Normally she deserved more than a statement. But she was still feeling very low. "I'm afraid I'm not feeling up to a physical lover at the moment."
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Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2012 11:46 am
Aesir strolled closer to the lioness. As she relaxed on the rock, obviously sunning herself, she had looked like Morrigan, but her voice did not remind him of his mate at all. His mate was born into the Stormborn and spoke that language first, and so when she spoke the common tongue of the rogue lands there was a burr and a deepening of vowels. This lioness did not have those tendencies.
Looking at her, seeing her small smile, Aesir decided she wasn't quite as much like Morrigan as he had though. But, aesthetically, she would make a fine match with his son Hroarr. Maybe instead of taking her for himself, he would bring her back as a thrall to gift his son with. It was time the boy took on a thrall or two anyway. Those thoughts were better not shared with the potential thrall though.
"You aren't ill or injured?" he asked. If she was, that would make his life a little easier. Depending on what kind of illness or injury he was dealing with, he might not want to bring her back. Defective thralls weren't good gifts.
"I could be gentle," he said, even though he had already decided he wouldn't be taking this female for himself. She would be a thrall and a gift, or else nothing.
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Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2012 2:46 pm
Maysa had her doubts about him being gentle. He didn't look gentle. Jael looked gentle, but he wasn't. Not entirely. He knew her too well. This mal though was more than he appeared. And he made her kind of nervous, and not in the entirely good way. It wasn't entirely bad either, just outside of her element.
She bit back a laugh about sickness. "In a way. Broken heart." And a broken confidence. She should be ... more, but she wasn't. At least she could admit to both. That had to be a good sign. A sign she was healing.
Maysa wanted to blame it all on Jael. Ever since she started with him her otherwise rock hard and steady confidence has been shattered more often than her parents and her family would approve of. She was too beautiful for the lack. She really should just take the pleasure he offered and leave, proving that her confidence was on the mend, but somewhere inside of her, she wept at the thought.
Time to change the subject. "What is a handsome lion like you doing out here? I'm sure you have a female that should be tending to you somewhere."
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Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2012 5:16 am
Broken heart? What kind of flower-blooded hurt was that? No Stormborn in Aesir's acquaintance would ever admit to such a thing. Certainly they would not claim it as injury or illness. Not even "in a way." Definitely this one was fit only to be a thrall, even if she was easy on the eyes. He wondered if she was even capable of bearing sons.
"Idiot," he muttered.
He was actually referring to her, but there was always the possibility she would think he meant the lion who had broken her heart. Aesir was capable of being charming, when he had to be, but by and large he was not charming. He was powerful, physically and in presence, and it was easier to impress and intimidate people that way than by being sweet and charming. He had charmed Ragnhild to achieve an end, but since then he had not put much effort into charm.
"I lead a band of warriors. We are on patrol."
Well, that was one way to put it. He did lead a band of warriors, no question, but patrol might be pushing it. They were looking for likely new lands and peoples to conquer. Actually, the lands had already been found, but Aesir had wanted to come in person to see them, and he'd brought along some of his offspring. Those who had expressed an interest.
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Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2012 8:11 am
Maysa stiffened. She may be low on self esteem at the moment, but she wasn't that low. If this male couldn't appreciate her beyond her beautiful coat, he wasn't worth indulging. Ironic really when she would have prized his admiration of her beauty more than anything once. Now Jael had spoiled her. She was still beautiful and should be recognized for it, yes. It honored her and her family, the coats prized by poachers, but that didn't mean Maysa liked not being treated like a person with a mind or a heart.
Obviously this male had no heart. At least non to see under his black fur. It was probably melted away by his liquid sunlight markings. Little matter. Maysa knew when she wasn't being received the way she deserved.
Maysa stood up stretching. She wasn't as large as the male, that would have been a feat, but she was muscular under her beauty, she had to be when she had to fight for herself against lions, lionesses, other predators and poachers. A few pops sounded as she lengthened her spine to get any of the laziness out.
"Well, then I'll not keep you from your band of warriors. As I don't have the ordinary forms of hospitality, stores of supplies, shelter, shade even. to offer you, Warrior, I can only say good day and may the sun shine down favorably on you." There, that hopefully would be enough to end this meeting.
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Posted: Wed Feb 15, 2012 5:27 am
Aesir watched appreciatively as the outlander stood and stretched. She was weak in spirit, but that wasn't undesirable in a thrall. And she was undeniably attractive, which was a fine thing in a thrall, though of course it did nothing to indicate other uses.
"Were you going somewhere?" Aesir asked, moving closer in a movement that seemed improbably smooth for a lion of his size, and yet was undeniably threatening.
He circled the rock so that the sun was at his back. His dark figure might have become a bit more looming than it had been before, with the sun allowing the shadows to elongate and enlarge his form. It wasn't something he even thought about anymore. It was natural for him to put the sun out of his eyes in readiness for a confrontation, and this would become a confrontation if she tried to leave.
"If you are lacking those things, I can offer them to you. My band has all of those things, and would gladly share them with you in exchange for your company. My daughter would probably appreciate come feminine company for a while."
He doubted Kazul would be very impressed by this lioness, actually, but it was possible. And she really was along on this viking, so Aesir hadn't been completely misleading to mention her.
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Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 3:16 pm
Having spent most of her life in the sand duned deserts without shade or any shelter from the sun except in oases, Maysa barely blinked at the male's change in position. It wasn't lost on her the threat or violence waiting to be unleashed from this male. And he thought this was attractive?
Biting back a sigh, Maysa gave the male a dazzling smile. She couldn't afford not to be confident around this male. "I was playing on going hunting. Do you object? Most males I know prefer the females to hunt and as I said I have to supplies to offer in way of hospitality."
She had to think and talk herself fast out of this mess she'd found herself in. She ignored the comment of the male's daughter. Maysa's presence usually evoked two not so honorable reactions from other females. Jealousy being the lesser of two evils. At least that was what her family had always said. Maysa had found their experiences held true. Jealousy was the lesser of two evils.
Now she just had to use her weapons to the best of her ability.
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Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 3:41 pm
Actually, he didn't think this was attractive. When he decided that he wasn't going to have her himself, he decided he wasn't interested in attracting her. It would be more important to him to intimidate her. He didn't want to damage the goods transporting them to his son.
"No need," he said, baring teeth in a smile. "We have food aplenty, and we would certainly share it with you. It is a custom among my people that once a lion has partaken of hospitality, shared dinner and den, they are considered an honored guest."
Some of that was true. But if he named her a thrall, it wouldn't matter that they had shared dinner and den, as the saying went. She would be a thrall, and the lowest of the low. However, she would not be ordered to hunt or do anything until it was determined that she could be trusted not to attempt flight.
"Come with me," he said, moving closer and letting his burr slip into his accent. For whatever reason that tended to make him seem more intimidating to people. Maybe because it sounded growlier. Whatever worked.
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Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2012 4:59 pm
Maysa didn't like this male's tone. His voice had sounded almost ugly to her. Maysa didn't like it. Like he had rocks in his throat. Even his attitude was horrible. Like a bully. Maysa hated bullies. She'd gone up against a lot in her life. poachers, stampeding elephants, murderous lions, packs of starving hyenas. Jael and the heartbreak he'd caused her. Bullies were the worst and many times before, she'd defended someone being bullied. It placed her own life in danger.
His bullying act was starting to wear on her nerves. Maybe those nerves were more sensitive because of Jael and their fight. Or even just Jael in general. Maybe she'd .... she didn't know, but Maysa felt her backbone fill with her own value. Her confidence once again. Back. A little late, but still.
She sat down and started at the male. She wasn't very intimated. Well, maybe a bit, but she wasn't going to let this male know that. Maysa lifted an eyebrow at the male. She'd sooner let herself be skinned alive by the two-legged poachers than obey. Especially this male.
"That's not acceptable." Maysa didn't explain further. She didn't have to explain to anyone. Hadn't needed to explain, obey or justify herself since the murder of her family pride. She'd be damned if she took it now. Didn't even do that when I was with Jael, she thought to herself.
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Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2012 10:23 am
Aesir wasn't impressed by Maysa's firmness and sudden fluctuation of pride. Most thralls went though something like this when they realized their danger, but didn't yet realize the degree of danger they were in.
"Too bad," he told her. As long as she didn't take flight, Aesir wouldn't be letting her go that easily.
He moved closer, but not too much closer. If she did start to run, he had no intention of chasing after her, and so he didn't want to frighten her into it. That meant not getting too close. She needed to see that he was large, menacing, and that it would be simpler for her to submit than fight.
If she fought, he would hurt her. Aesir wasn't one to hold back in a fight. Even when his cubs had still been cubs, he hadn't been much gentler with them than he would have been with an adult reaver. They had needed to learn to take hard knocks. It had been good for them. The were tough now, and strong.
"We've passed the point where I'm asking."
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Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2012 3:11 pm
Maysa wanted to growl, but she felt that that would be too aggressive. That this male would take it as a challenge. She didn't think she could survive a challenge like that. At least not without permanent damage done to herself. She wanted to growl because she knew that she was going to have to run. Act like prey.
She hated feeling like prey. She was back to square one. When the poachers had cornered her and she'd first met Jael. She'd felt like prey then too. She hated it then. She hated it now. She hated this male for making realize she was going to have to run like prey.
But she'd be damned if she was going to let this male order her about. That just wasn't acceptable. More so than acting like prey and running. At least she could make the explanation of this male being larger and scarier and such. That he threatened her and Maysa wouldn't be able to defeat the lion like she should have been able to defeat the poachers. Poachers were weak. They didn't have tough fur coats or claws and teeth. They had thundersticks and lightning rods that force submission.
"Fine." Maybe the male thought she was speaking to him. Maybe not. Really she was talking to herself. To her instincts. Her sense of survival. Self-preservation. She'd be prey.
Maysa stood gave the male a look. His lower ugliness was showing through his beautiful coat. It was a shame really. But it couldn't be helped.
Maysa raced off into the sunlight hoping the male's eyes were to sensitive.
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Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2012 6:21 am
When she glowered and then darted in his direction, Aesir initially expected that the smaller lioness was actually going to attack him, and so he side-stepped, accidentally giving her a very easy line of flight directly into the sun which he'd been so careful to keep at his back. That...had been stupid of him.
He snarled and swiped at her as she passed him, but had already reached the conclusion he would not be pursuing her should she choose to flee. He would be expected back at camp with the others at some point, and he was in no humor to go chasing surly lionesses. Even if they were pretty.
He squinted into the sunlight at her receding figure and decided that she would be no real benefit to the pride anyway. Pretty, but useless. Not the sort of thing he wanted bringing blood into the pride. Undoubtedly she would have bred at some point, and that would not have improved the pride. That was what he told himself and his companions when he returned to them.
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