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 Posted: Fri Jul 12, 2013 2:28 pm
 It had been a few hours since he'd woken up and been introduced to life in the pride. Najisi looked to the sky, scowling at it. "Damn you, Afa'kivuli, turning your back on me like that!" He gave a snort, then turned back to his pacing. He was supposed to be a KING.. Of course, the weight of it being expected of him from a young age had made him nervous and, when his mane had grown in and he was old enough, he ran. He'd gone looking for answers in his life, who his mother was, his family. He'd known nothing but growing up around a god, and knowing about multiple gods. There was so much he had yet to learn, including if Afa'kivuli was even Afa'kivuli still. Xavier had told him gods tended to be reborn. Few were still in their original life, so for all he knew, Afa'kivuli was an entirely different god now, not the one Xavier had met in passing forever ago.
The gold lion paused, before flopping down. Maybe this wouldn't be TOO bad... After all, the way the pride the lions that had raised him had been TRYING to set up had a form of slavery... Temporary slavery to learn humility and understand hardships. What was this but another hardship? Except his only hope to ever NOT be a slave was to marry someone a higher class than he was. His face wrinkled up in displeasure. He wasn't about to do THAT. He'd been raised by lionesses and a god that didn't exactly TAKE mates, so why should he? Then again... He rolled onto his back, a smile slowly spreading on his face. He could take one TEMPORARILY... And then leave her at the first opportunity, or--
Najisi sat up, ears flicking as he looked around, hearing something. Was it another lion to come order him around and openly deride him?
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Posted: Fri Jul 12, 2013 2:43 pm
Shangyue was very pleased with himself. He had managed to recruit more lions to the pride and, though he had not guessed this would be the case, one had wound up a slave. This was very promising, he decided, though he had to keep his thoughts to himself. His mind was not yet completely made up on the path from here.. and there was still so much time.
It wasn't terribly hard to find Najisi, he was being watched after all. Not too closely but he was in a fairly restricted area while he was being given time to adjust to the news he had been given just earlier that night. It meant Shangyue would need to be careful but he would manage.
And, since he wasn't exactly moving quietly, he wasn't surprised when Najisi suddenly popped up out of the grass and looked around.
"Najisi," he called out.
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Posted: Fri Jul 12, 2013 2:57 pm
The gold lion relaxed a bit. It was the violet-hued adolescent who'd convinced him to join. He'd know idea of it, but usurping was in his blood... In a way. It lent well to wanting to aid the younger lion, if only by a few seasons, in attaining his goal before he was a crippled old bag of bones. Who wanted to be king or queen when their fur paled with age?
"Shangyue.." He rose to his paws, stretching out. "I take it you've been watching me pace this lonely patch of grass for a while?" For that matter, had anybody else been watching him? He knew there were likely guards around, watching to make sure he didn't do something rash and stupid, but how much attention DID they pay? Probably came to check on him now and then... He didn't pay them much attention, and while it had occurred to him that he COULD always try to run, he'd sworn to help Shangyue. And there were guards on the border... There were DEFINITELY guards on the border.
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Posted: Fri Jul 12, 2013 3:04 pm
"No, not long," he said, shrugging, "I figured you deserved as much privacy as you could be given for a while but I wanted to come personally make sure you didn't take it too hard."
The prince smiled. It was apparent that he was not put off by having a new 'friend' in the low class. Looking carefully, you might even guess (correctly) that he was downright glad. But his job now was not to be seen feeling that way. Or overheard explaining why.
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Posted: Fri Jul 12, 2013 3:12 pm
It was Najisi's turn to shrug. "What is life without a little humility? The ideals I was raised on dictate that everybody should know hardship to truly be happy with life." Ironically, it came from someone who had no qualms about taking the curses laid upon others onto himself. He was stuck an adolescent as a result... Hardships, indeed.
"I think my only problem with it is that my only way out of it is to marry someone in a higher class..." His face wrinkled for the second time in only a few minutes. "I'm not sure I'm the type to settle down, though... Not unless it was purely political." Would there be love involved? Najisi wasn't sure.
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Posted: Fri Jul 12, 2013 3:23 pm
Humility was not something Shangyue had any personal interest in, though the idea of personal hardships being necessary to find true happiness was an interesting one he decided quickly was best not to discuss. He was distracted by Najisi's sour perspective on getting out of the low class.
"Love is certainly not a necessary part of marriage here, though one could argue that there is an implication that fidelity be a part of it," he said thoughtfully, "Not that anybody has ever been forced to wed for choosing to reproduce and I'd be surprised if nobody was ever unfaithful."
Political marriages existed. His uncle had been part of one, Shangyue had never understood why he had made the foolish decision to dissolve the marriage and be with the slave. Surely he could have had it both ways if he just tried harder.
"I wouldn't rush into anything, though," he said, glancing around to reassure himself there was nobody close enough to overhear, "You have something everybody around here takes for granted."
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Posted: Sun Jul 14, 2013 8:07 am
His eyebrow quirked up. "What, perspective?" He wasn't sure his perspective was one that everybody wanted. "I certainly have my fair share of nasty looks from other lions..." The stance on how slaves were treated, he'd noticed, varied not only from pride to pride, but even down to LIONS. There was at last one white lioness with gray markings that had tried to CODDLE him. She'd been rebuffed swiftly, not because he didn't LIKE her, but he'd been coddled too much as a cub.
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Posted: Sun Jul 14, 2013 2:29 pm
Shangyue let Najisi get out his thought but shook his head earnestly. He might certainly have some perspective the others lacked but that wasn't what the prince was getting at, it wasn't relevant to their conversation or alliance.
"No, you have freedom," he said, emphasizing perhaps the last word any slave might have guessed he would say, "Not in the traditional sense. You are bound to serve the pride but it is to gain the favor of the Great Lion. Because he doesn't watch over you."
His voice had lowered, like was sharing a secret. And perhaps he was. It was a very unusual way to look at slavery in the pride, to say the least.
"So long as your act on behalf of or for the benefit of a higher classed lion, you share in their favor."
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Posted: Mon Jul 15, 2013 7:41 am
Both eyebrows went up. "I didn't look at it from THAT perspective..." He lifted a paw, rubbing his chin. "It makes me wonder how much I can get away with, now..." There were some dangerous implications in his words. Very dangerous.
Najisi sat down, considering the benefits of NOT being watched by the patron god. "What COULD I get away with...?" He licked his lips, a dangerous glint in his eyes. "And how much of it would be seen as simply trying to get Great Lion to pay attention to me?"
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Posted: Mon Jul 15, 2013 3:47 pm
Shangyue's smile changed ever so slightly at the reaction Najisi had, he was very pleased. He wasn't even a little put off by the question of how much he could get away with. A lone slave could only do so much damage on their own, they needed to work together and if they ultimately wanted to get away with it, they needed the support of the pride nobility.
"Alone you would not accomplish much," he said carefully, his voice still low, "But I think together, we could get something done."
The prince had not made his intentions a secret when recruiting his new friends but whatever his plan was, those who woke as slaves were certainly being given a different impression of it. Despite the danger they presented, by his own logic, he trusted them a great deal.
He glanced around again and allowed his voice to return to a more comfortable level.
"In the meantime, I suggest getting more comfortable in your class," he said, certain there was no better way to determine how the existing slaves felt than by having his own insiders there, watching, "I'm sure they're the most welcoming bunch in the pride."
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Posted: Sat Jul 20, 2013 12:50 pm
He had a point. Multiple points, in fact. The gold lion's tail flicked as he thought on it, then nodded. "I'll get to know the other slaves..." He grinned, most of his teeth showing, before he dropped his voice low so only Shangyue could hear. "Perhaps... Some will even be more than happy to join you..." There was, likely, someone who would. It was just a matter of talking.
He looked over at a rustle. "Hmmm, I think someone's coming back by on a patrol..."
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Posted: Sat Jul 20, 2013 1:08 pm
Shangyue smiled at the quiet comment, confident that Najisi would indeed be a strong ally and valuable asset to the plan as it unfolded. But there was no way he could respond, he heard the rustle too and knew their time was up.
"Have a good night, Najisi," he said, nodding and then turning to walk off before they could be interrupted.
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Posted: Sat Jul 20, 2013 1:10 pm
"You, as well..." He paused as he got ready to lay down. "Your Majesty." Long live the king...
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