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 Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2014 5:59 pm
 The storms in the pride were growing more frequent. Older lions talked about what that meant using terms like omen and potent and breytast vindar, but Tall wasn't worrying about that. Tall was worrying about what would happen if his grandfather found out about how wretchedly his first meeting with Naaja had gone.
It had been made clear to him that he really had no choice in the matter, and he had been willing to give her a fair shot, but that ******** slave of hers had ******** everything up. It was very clearly that b*****d's fault, but it was going to fall to Tall to fix things, apparently. Which was bullshit, but unsurprising. Life tended to work that way.
"Head in the game," he muttered to himself as the wind abruptly changed directions and he could suddenly smell the other reaver who was out with him. "Bruten, wind."
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Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2014 6:10 pm
 Bruten's own thoughts were not on the current viking, but on a certain chocolate-pelted female who had utterly captivated him. He still wasn't completely certain what the ******** was going on with Brynja, and part of him thought that it wasn't his place to discuss it with anyone. The important thing was that Yakuti hadn't been with another. She was his, and only his, and she was also far more multifaceted than he'd first assumed her to be. She was not entirely a proper freeborn lady, as he'd learned in the days past. Grunting to himself to clear his head, Bruten approached Tallskog from the lion's left flank, shrouded by a cloud-filled sky and tall, tall grass. Tallskog wasn't what Bruten would consider a friend, and he'd heard the odd whisper of marriage between the lion and his sister. It hadn't been confirmed, as he hadn't yet spoken to Naaja about it. Inhaling deeply, Bruten tried to catch the scent of anything that might prove fruitful to pursue. He kept a close eye on Tallskog in an attempt to gauge the other reaver's mood through the thick reeds of grass that swayed in time with the cool breeze.
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Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2014 6:34 pm
Tall's mood could best be described as distracted. There wasn't any quarry for them to pursue, which was undoubtedly for the best since his head was most definitely not in the game, but then again, maybe if there had been something for them to stalk and chase, he would be better able to focus. As it was, he kept wondering how much Bruten knew about the marriage planned between himself and Naaja.
"Nothing?" he asked, mostly to confirm his own findings. He doubted they wound find anything. In weather like this, most prey stayed hidden and only the stupidest of lions came out. Or the bravest, Tall corrected himself. He and Bruten weren't stupid. They were brave.
Directing his gaze to the sky, which was growing dark overhead, Tall calculated the odds of them getting to anything resembling shelter before it began to rain and decided they were going to get wet. As he considered this he asked, basically out of the blue, "So what is it with your sister and that thrall, anyway?"
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Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2014 7:19 pm
"Nothing," Bruten grunted, feeling rather sour about the lack of pursuit. Not every viking could result in a successful gathering of thralls or goods, and despite knowing this, Bruten couldn't help but feel a little irritated.
Glancing up at the sky just as Tallskog had, Bruten let out a resigned sigh before peering over at the other reaver. He hadn't been expecting the question, and he paused briefly as he thought it over.
In truth, he wasn't sure what was up with Naaja and the fey-blooded b*****d thrall she'd been given.
"What do you mean by that? He's a thrall. A protector." Bruten looked thoughtful. "Are you insinuating there might be something... else? Between them?"
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Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2014 7:44 pm
It occurred to Tall after he'd spoken that, phrased that way, his words might be provocative, like he was implying there was something between Naaja and the white b*****d. A brother could be forgiven for taking exception to that, so he watched Bruten carefully for signs that he was going to try to remove Tall's head. The thoughtful expression reassured him somewhat.
"I don't know," he said in a more conciliatory tone. "I guess I'm just wondering why she has him. Did she ask for him or something? He's kind of a b*****d."
And Tall hated him. If, somehow, he managed to salvage things with Naaja, he was going to insist that she get rid of him. Which was part of why he asked. He wanted to be sure there wasn't anything between them that might offend her or cause her to put up a fuss. He didn't know what to make of the interaction he had observed between them.
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Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2014 7:54 pm
"My sister is a lady," was the first thing that Bruten said, taking the time to enunciate each word very specifically. Despite the fact that Tallskog hadn't asked, Bruten felt it necessary to get that point across. Naaja was a lady, the Warlord's daughter, and Bruten wanted to make it perfectly clear that she should be treated as such.
"She is a respectable lady, and she would not demean herself by becoming involved with a thrall."
Bruten grunted as a fat raindrop splattered between his shoulders.
"Her only downfall is that she's got something of a tender heart," Bruten continued, "and in a moment of... weakness, she asked for this particular thrall because she felt sorry for him - or something equally ridiculous, I do not claim to know what goes on inside that head of hers."
Bruten fell quiet for a moment.
"Are the rumors true, then? You're to wed Naaja?"
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Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2014 8:17 pm
Tall's first instinct was to point out that of course Naaja was a lady. Her father was the warlord and to his knowledge she had never done anything which would make people regard her as anything less than a lady. He refrained, however, sensing that it would be unwise to interrupt with anything that sounded even a little argumentative. He and Bruten were not friends.
While Bruten continued to describe his sister's goodness and gentleness and general nobility of spirit, Tall felt raindrops plop onto his nose and ears. Here it came. It was that time of year. People got rained on. Particularly people who went out in the open when the sky was darkening. That kind of person deserved to be rained on, Tall supposed, even though he was in that group. He was getting rained on, too.
"Is is possible her thrall does not understand the nature of their relationship? He clearly thinks he has the right to behave with as much familiarity as he wishes. The way he acts is offensive - to her and those around her." People like Tall.
"As for the rumours, at this point I couldn't say." He huffed with irritation and swished his tail between raindrops which were falling closer together. "We arranged to meet to discuss the betrothal and our expectations, but her b*****d thrall ******** things up."
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Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2014 5:51 pm
"I have not spent time with my sister's thrall. I do not have the luxury of spending as much time with my family as I would like. I hardly speak to my father, let alone my sister. If what you say is true, then the thrall needs to be punished. As I've said, my sister is far too soft-hearted to do so." Bruten's ears flicked back as a particularly large raindrop pelted him. He didn't mind getting wet, really. He wasn't vain and he wasn't flower-blooded. It was a part of being a reaver, in all honesty. "I will introduce myself to this thrall. Perhaps I will place him in Kjar's care for a short time, or perhaps I will deal with him myself. If he is as disrespectful as you say, I have little doubt that my sister is far too lenient with him." Bruten shook his head and glanced at Tallskog. "Do you have issue with my sister? Do you find her unbecoming, or unsuited to your tastes?"
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Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2014 7:32 pm
Bruten was not being particularly helpful, but maybe Tallskog had been overly optimistic in thinking that he would be. It wasn't as if Tall was all that involved in his sisters' lives. He hadn't even been among the first to know when Creiddylad had a litter with some outlander born lion. He'd heard that from someone else, which had been embarrassing, to say the least. Why hadn't she gotten a new a*****e ripped? Or maybe she had, and he hadn't heard about that, either.
"I shouldn't have troubled you with it," Tall muttered. He didn't think know how Naaja would feel about his interfering with the way she handled her b*****d thrall, but he really did mean well. He had wanted to know if this betrothal was in the way of some perverted thing between her and that b*****d, and if it was, well, he would have taken some sort of steps and actions. He wasn't sure what kind yet.
Tall flicked water from the tuft on his tail before answering the question Bruten put to him. "This is going to sound stupid, but I really have not given that a great deal of thought. The betrothal was arranged by my grandfather and I guess your father. I don't think my feelings toward her really matter one way or the other."
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Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2014 8:29 pm
Bruten wasn't very good at being sympathetic. It wasn't something he really felt comfortable with faking, either. What if he did it wrong, and came off as weak-willed or flower-blooded? He grunted and glanced over at Tallskog before turning back towards the small group they'd travelled with. "You should have expected the meddling," Bruten replied gruffly, "and you should have also taken the initiative. I found my own wife, and while I'm sure it isn't one who will please my father, she is Brynja's adopted daughter, and that brings at least a little respect." Bruten fell silent, his thoughts once more returning to the troublesome thrall his sister had found herself saddled with. "I will deal with the thrall. Approach my sister again. Bring her something nice. Something that she can show to her twittering, fluff-brained friends. The thrall will no longer be an issue after today. I will break him, or Kjar will break him."
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Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2014 8:42 pm
Tall hadn't thought to marry at all. Not for a few years, anyway. But he didn't mention this fact. It would sound whiny, and although he was occasionally known to whine, he wouldn't have chosen Bruten as someone to whine to. Besides, at this point he had no real objections to the proposed marriage except that he hadn't had a say. He was trying to figure out how to salvage things with Naaja, since they had parted badly.
"Congratulations," he replied automatically to Bruten's announcement about having found his own wife. "Though I'm surprised you're willing to overlook that litter of hers."
Brynja was related to him, after all, and although he hadn't a clue what was going on in his own sisters' lives, he had not managed to escape hearing about his cousin having a litter of cubs. It had been amazing that Brynja hadn't turned the adopted lioness from her den for that, since it had not reflected well on her as a mother or a guardian. Being part of his family carried a hell of a lot of responsibility.
"I can do that." He shook wet mane out of his eyes. A nasty grin spread across Tall's mouth at the thought of the b*****d being broken. He knew when people spoke of breaking thralls, they meant only breaking their spirits, but he would not have minded seeing the b*****d broken in body as well. He would actually have preferred to have a hand in the process, himself, but at the moment he had no right to do so, being only betrothed to Naaja, and tenuously at that.
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Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2014 8:57 pm
Bruten hadn't been expecting Tallskog to make that remark, not because they were discussing Tallskog's own family, but because they were discussing Bruten's betrothed. Bruten, son of the Warlord. And so, because he hadn't expected the remark, Bruten didn't know how to respond. He knew that Brynja was the mother of the cubs, just as he knew that Yakuti had never lain with another - but he wasn't going to say that to Tallskog because it really was none of Tallskog's business. "You forget who you speak to, reaver," was the only thing that Bruten could think to say, and the unsympathetic ear that Tallskog had in Bruten was suddenly even more unsympathetic. It was made obvious that Bruten had nothing else to say to his future brother-in-law, as he picked up his pace and moved back the way he'd come. He was the son of Njal, and he deserved more respect than that.
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Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2014 6:13 am
"I don't think I do, reaver," Tall replied, deceptively mild. He even smiled.
Of course, his smile came because it had occurred to him that Bruten was marrying into his family, and no matter what he might think about his importance in the pride, Tall didn't doubt Thorgrim would disabuse him of those notions soon enough, once he was one of the family. Everyone in the family danced to Thorgrim's tune, whether they were born in or married in. Bruten just hadn't figured that out yet.
He didn't chase after Bruten or make any move to get out of the rain. Although he had undeniably managed to offend him, he had also gotten at least one useful suggestion out of Bruten regarding Naaja. Bring her something nice that she could show off to her friends. Now he just had to figure out what she would consider nice.
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