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 Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2011 9:02 pm
Luoji nodded his head, agreeing with the lioness. He knew at this point that he should be careful about who he even talks to, though it was tough because his instinct was always to befriend those around him. The only one he should trust was his sister, though he hoped she would stay away from the pride's troubles. He was strong enough to shield her from the trouble, he thought.
"It is nice to meet you Tiemosa. My name is Luoji," he said politely. He couldn't help but watch her curiously. As he listened to her warning he wondered what side, if she was on a side, that she was on. He had no idea who was on whose side. He guessed it wasn't too important until one side attacked. Though it would be helpful for him if he knew more about the two sides.
"I was wondering what Isolde is like? Is she a good ruler? I haven't had a chance to really meet her yet." He said carefully. He figured that this question wouldn't be too dangerous to ask. Sendatu had said terrible about how she ruled and Luoji wanted to know what was true and what wasn't.
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Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2011 4:16 am
Niko nodded lightly in response to the lioness' introduction. "Tiemosa," he echoed in a soft murmur, more to himself than anything. For a fleeting moment, he transfixed his steady gaze on her face, committing both it and her name to memory for future reference. The stare lasted but a brief while, short enough that she might not have noticed, but Niko supposed it didn't make much of a difference either way. All things considered, she could probably already tell that he was acting a little aloof and chances were she had seen the less-than-friendly look on his face when he'd first turned around to face her, so a little more strangeness on his part couldn't much affect her impression of him. It was an unfortunate little slip-up, but nothing that couldn't be remedied.
"Well," he said, feigning hesitance. "It should be just fine if you have a good enough eye for character. I think... instinct would be the best form of reference when it comes to trusting others. Sometimes, mulling things over too deeply can cause more harm than good." He meant that almost sincerely... only almost, because he did have his own motives. It simply wouldn't do if Tiemosa managed to put the entire pride on edge about who could or could not be trusted; those pridemembers were his main source of information, and if they thought something grave was afoot, his job would become doubly difficult.
That and he had been hoping to gain some of Luoji's trust. The gray lion was clearly conflicted, clearly attempting to decide between the two sides of the impending war, and undecided creatures were so much more... malleable. Luoji could become a useful tool, should Niko ever find the need for one, and he would have been more than willing to... "join forces" with the gray lion. Or whatever made him happy. Niko never truly joined anything with anyone, but he could pretend. Pretending was his life, after all.
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Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2011 9:12 am
Tiemosa inclined her head to Louji at his introduction, trying to be courteous. Nikomachos had not introduced himself, and so she just smiled at him. She acted like she didn’t mind, but she did notice. It seemed to her that only one of the males was actually fine with her being here right now. She made a mental note of it for later.
She seemed surprised by Luoji’s next question, however. The way Tiemosa interpreted it, rather than assuming it was only an innocent question, was to wonder if Luoji wasn’t trying to feel her out and see who she supported. Which, of course, Tiemosa had no intention of letting anyone know yet. If everyone knew what she believed, then undoubtedly there would be those that would disagree with her, and then just like that she would have enemies. She thought about her answer carefully before speaking.
“Isolde is… inexperienced but fair,” Tiemosa replied carefully, then adding, “But don’t take my word for it, talk to her sometime. It’s as Nikomachos says; your own instinct is the best guide. The words of others are sometimes not the best source for the truth.” As hypocritical as it was for Tiemosa to say that, a lioness who often was the best supplier of the pride’s rumor mill, she knew there was truth behind it. She glanced at Nikomachos again, wondering if he had anything to add to her opinion of the current Queen.
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Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2011 6:45 pm
Luoji decided that he would have to do some more investigating before he made his final decision on what side to join. He couldn't help but wonder if these two were on opposing sides or on the same side. If they were he found their reactions to each other to be less than friendly. He would hate if his allies were to treat him like that. After listening carefully to Tiemosa he decided to take some time and think about his choices. He no longer wanted to tour around the pride, there were much more important things he had to think about.
"I have been away from my sister for too long," he stated as he looked up at the sky. It had been an interesting morning for him and he, in someways, learned a lot, though he hoped to find out some more before he choose a side. "I think I will wait to tour the pride when my sister has a chance to come with me. Thank you for helping me out." He nodded his head to both of them. "I would like it very much if we spoke again if that is alright with you."
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Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2011 5:28 am
Niko did not have anything to add. He considered it neither his place nor his responsibility to judge the young queen's capacity to be a good ruler, and in truth, it mattered little to him whether she was. A kind, fair, worthy ruler was nothing if she could not keep her throne, and at the end of the day, that was all that mattered to the spotted lion. Niko knew better than most how easily power could switch hands, how volatile and fragile it all was. So it was just better not to get attached.
"If she's fair, then all the better for her, then," he managed to say, deciding that silence alone would get him nowhere. "She'll have more loyal subjects, and therefore less to worry about." If you... believed that sort of crap, anyway. Loyalty meant nothing. When it all came down to the finish line, the sad fact of life was that the vast majority of creatures would choose their own welfare over an idea or a policy or even a queen. It didn't matter how important those things seemed in peacetime; when war came, survival became the only thing that mattered. Niko should know.
He glanced over at Luoji, nodding lightly. "Go be with your sister, then," he said readily. It was almost... touching that there was somebody the gray lion cared so much about. Almost. "You know where to find us."
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Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2011 8:45 am
“Right,” Tiemosa agreed with Nikomachos, “That would make it easier for anyone. Maybe things will just… resolve themselves in the best way possible.” Tiemosa hated being so cryptic, but she didn’t want to give the impression she was on any side. She had already given away too much in this conversation.
When Luoji spoke, Tiemosa thought his thanks might have been directed at either herself or the purple lion. Regardless of that, she accepted it with a nod. She never minded helping herself to a little credit, even if she shouldn’t have been a part of this conversation in the first place. Still, she felt good about the exchange. She had learned more about the grey male than she would have, she thought, if she had kept eavesdropping. She had a good feeling about him.
Nikomachos, on the other hand, she was still on the fence about. He could easily just be mistrustful of her, and that should would understand, but he didn’t seem as open as Luoji did. It may have meant nothing, but he wasn’t as easy to trust as the grey lion for that reason. Still, he’d done nothing to suggest to Tiemosa that he was an enemy, and he’d handled her intrusion well even if he hadn’t seemed thrilled about it.
“I hope she’s doing well. I’d love to meet her sometime,” Tiemosa responded when Luoji spoke at last, “Come by my den anytime. I love meeting new faces.” Which was true, but Tiemosa also thought that the more friends she made in these troubling times, the better for her. It never hurt to have someone on your side.
“I shall also take my leave, then.” Tiemosa didn’t think Nikomachos would stick around after Luoji had gone to speak with her, and so the lioness was excusing herself to avoid one of those awkward moments, “I have some priestess business to attend to. Do take care, both of you. It was nice meeting you.” The nice thing about saying you have priestess business was that most lions who weren’t priests didn’t know that was just an excuse. Most of the time it worked, anyway.
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Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2011 9:27 pm
"I hope to talk to you soon," he said to them, nodding his head in a fair well gesture, before walking away, back toward his den. If he had some extra time he would have asked about the priestess' duties. He had admired the role since he joined the pride. As he entered his den he saw his sister, still fast a sleep. He smiled at her and laid down a ways from her, not wanting to disturb her. If he knew which side he needed to join to keep his sister safe he would join it in a heart beat, but for now, he would just sit on the fence learning about the different sides and what their goals and ambitions were. He let out a sigh. If he had known about all the trouble the pride would bring him, he would never have insisted in coming here. He just hoped that over time, maybe after the war, it would become a more peaceful place to live.
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