[META] Part 2 - So They Say

[Annchen]

Halvdan grinned at the other reaver for backing him up. Gaved seemed to have a personal problem with Captain Ruzanski, but there were apparently more than one reaver that had a problem with Gaved, so Halvdan was not going to worry about it. Something was going on with the captain that had brought Halvdan back from his accidental exile, but whatever it was Halvdan still felt indebted to him.

"I know that Ru color, for young people," he said to Gaved and the others nearby. It was what he had heard, and it sounded pretty good so he might as well share it.

((I had company over yesterday, and I wanted to give people a chance to react and not post too quickly before that. This is fun!))  

[Princess_Feylin]

Kvinna didn't quite shrug the young freeborn's apology off, but at the same time she didn't really know how to respond to it, either. There wasn't a lot she could say.

"I'm only a thrall," was what she settled on after a moment's consideration. That ought to absolve him of any and all guilt he might be feeling for not knowing her name. "There's no need to apologize."

Damn. Now it sounded like she was chastising him. Oh well. As far as she knew there was absolutely no way to go back in time and unsay things that were not well thought out. She ducked her head in hopes that she would be forgotten quickly and replied to Aluka.

"I don't know, really," Kvinna said. "I don't hear a lot, but I had hoped you might know more. I agree, though. I don't think Ru's flowers have anything to do with it."

The idea that perhaps Ru was being sent away for his own protection was intriguing though. Whose protection, exactly, did that mean? Was it for Aesir's or for Ru's?

So now she was off once more to seek clarification, this time from a vaguely unfamiliar lion that she doubted was a thrall, but who probably would not recognize her as such, either. She raised her voice and tried to speak clearly over the crowd as she addressed him.

"ASUS began to be sent?"

Annchen

 

[Annchen]

Princess_Feylin

A lioness he didn't know had called out to Halvdan, but he wasn't sure what she was trying to say. From the tone of her voice he figured she was asking something. And... it might be polite to answer? Only problem was - he couldn't understand what she was trying to say. Better to call back and ask.

"Who the hell is Asusasussut?" he called back through the crowd, "Is he sending you somewhere?"

(("ASUS asus sut (CTS) to send me?" oookaaay))  

[Princess_Feylin]

What? There were really too many people around. Kvinna couldn't hear anything at all, it seemed, and that was making her frustrated.

"Never mind!" she called back, taking a chance that she would continue to be forgettable in the minds of the freeborn and that this particular lion would not remember later that she had first addressed him without proper respect and then basically brushed him off.

She looked around for Voldemaras, the lion who was her owner, but she did not see the large soot colored lion anywhere. She saw other large, dark lions but she had already learned to recognize the form of the lion who owned her. It had seemed a prudent thing to do when it became apparent she was not going to be escaping the pride and thralldom.

If Voldemaras was not here, he was probably at the den, which meant she ought to be there, too. Before leaving, she turned to a random lion and repeated what she thought she might have heard from the unfamiliar lion:

"What is Asosasosot? Send some or not."  

[Tanakako]

Such a large gathering of chittering, gossiping lions could not be missed, even by someone as self-absorbed as Samael. The black and grey patched lion had certainly not been invited to the current gathering but upon hearing the many rumours floating around had been unable to resist inviting himself.

Striding up through the middle of the loosely gathered pride members, he rounded on no one in particular and shouldered his way up next to them, pulling himself up to the best height he could manage for such an average lion. "I heard that Ru is flower-blooded." He announced all of a sudden and really rather dramatically into the middle of the on-going discussion and flying gibberish.


(Hope I did that right. Didn't have time to look at this thread till tonight and Samael is jumping in late.)  

[Andranis]

Jovi of Shadows

The black and cream reaver gave a snort of laughter, deeply amused by Thokk's words. "Oh, it does, indeed!" He then frowned, listening to the words of the others. Somewhere to his side, someone else said something else, he wasn't sure. He turned back to the thralls, and the priestess. "I think Asosasosot is a rival for this... Dosiza lioness." A flick of the ear, and Yu turned his attention to Samael. "Yes, I think I heard that somewhere..." He paused. "How did that get to being about his flowers being untied, anyway?" Not that he doubted EITHER flower-laden statement.

Princess_Feylin

He gave a startled look. ONLY... He reached up, giving her a gentle pat on the shoulder. "No, no, it's alright, it's my fault! I'm terrible with remember who's who and who's what... And don't think like that, please!" He frowned, starting to feel a strange panic. "Just because your rank says you're a thrall doesn't mean you don't deserve an apology from me!" Besides, if word got back to his mother... She'd box his ears good, while Yu and Susu snickered a bit on the side. She'd made sure to impress on him that everybody deserved some level of respect until their actions proved they deserved none... Unless they were the pride leader or outranked you, and then you'd best respect or find yourself in the ground, outside the pride, or in a rank worse than both.  

[Myrsky Syntynyt]

While rumors spread through the assemblage, altering and growing more confusing with each re-telling there were two lions who seemed to hold themselves apart and oblivious to the discussion taking place even though they were the main topics of conversation, though whether this aloofness was innate and unconscious or purposeful was anyone's guess.

Warlord Aesir and Captain Ruzanski were separated by a seemingly short distance, less than twenty yards in all, and yet the space presented itself more as a chasm than a mere shortness of occupancy. They stared at each other across this gap that separated them and for all the rumors surrounding their present situation and the harsh feelings which surely must have engendered it, there did not seem to be much enmity between the pair. Rather, both seemed to wear almost matching expressions of grim determination.

Conspicuously absent from the gathering were any members of the warlord's family. His viking born children were not present, nor were his trueborn ones. Not even Kazul, whose name featured now and again in the rumors being bandied about. Their conspicuous absence might be cause for remark later on, but more likely talk about this occurrence would not center on who was here.

The warlord took a step forward and roared. His roar was that of a lion who was accustomed to issuing vocal commands over the clamor of battle, and so it carried through the hubbub of discussion and snoopery created by those present. He had already had more than enough of this nonsense, and did not wish to see it drawn out any longer.

The captain opposite him did not flinch at the roar, but his eyes widened and his claws slid unconsciously from their sheathes as though in response to a threat. It would have been much easier for him if Aesir had simply decided to challenge him to a holmgang over the honor of his daughter. He still would have found himself defending himself against false accusations, but at least the matter would be quickly settled.

After he convinced his claws to return to their proper place he finally scanned the lions that he had been doing his best to ignore in the hopes that if he ignored them with sufficient determination they would eventually decide that there was nothing worthy of note going on and disperse. It had not been working so far, and that was why he had at last given in and acknowledged them.

Well, what he was doing was less a matter of acknowledging the crowd than it was a matter of him seeking out faces who he already knew would not - and in fact could not - be there. He looked, of course, for Kazul, or even her favorite half-sibling, the fey lion named Odd Haleifr with whom he had spoken earlier that morning. Thinking of that encounter as the echoes of Aesir's roar faded, he touched one paw to the satchel Odd had given him. One.

"There seems to be a great deal of interest in Captain Ruzanski's departure this morning," Aesir said, his voice pitched to carry and echo. "And a number of rumors regarding the circumstances surrounding it. I would like to set the record straight."

As he spoke the warlord made all sorts of mental remarks and clarifications to his words, but no one ever said that perfect honesty and clarity was the best policy when one was a leader. Aesir hated keeping secrets. Bluntness and fearlessness were more desirable traits to his mind than were silence and discretion, but there were some things people just did not need to know.

He glanced at Ru as the young captain scanned the crowd and felt a momentary stab of pity for the young lion. It was unfortunate that things had worked out in this way, but he had to go through with this sentencing now that he had passed it. To do otherwise would make him appear weak. The news had spread too quickly through the pride, though the gods only knew how.

"Captain Ruzanski has displeased me and so I have set him a quest through which he may redeem himself and earn my approval once again." Having a certain sense of the dramatic and being aware of the presence of at least one lawspeaker and two bards, Aesir decided this was a good time for a brief pause. It would also give everyone an opportunity to shut up and listen.

"The captain must return with a god's feather, a sea monster's tooth, a piece of the sky, a treasure from the pirate king's hoard, and furthermore he must find no fewer than ten lions who are willing to die for him. Returning prematurely will mean his death." Traditionally quests did not have more than three things for a person to find, but Aesir had been really very angry at Ru when he came up with this one and aware that he was not likely to get to issue such a challenge again.

Ru stood up straighter as Aesir pronounced his quest, doing his utmost to seem as impressive as a lion in a saga might. A part of him was amused at how carefully Aesir had phrased things to exclude Kazul completely. People wondering what Ru had done would just have to go on wondering, it seemed. A small smirk touched his face, ruining his stoic countenance, but making him look more like himself.

Aesir continued. "Given the difficulty of the quest with which he is charged, I will allow the captain to take with him any companions he chooses, so long as they volunteer. He may number these companions among the ten followers I have required of him."

Had he been a human, or even had he had human eyebrows and the inclination to use them as humans did, Ru's eyebrows would have shot up on hearing that bit of information. He had not known that he would be permitted to take people with him, and he certainly had not expected that those people would be counted toward his followers. He wondered when Kazul had found time to talk him into such generosity, given he knew how she had spent her evening.

"If there are any present who are willing to risk life, limb, and my ire by accompanying Ru on his quest, step forward now."  

[Jovi of Shadows]

Finding her current company... displeasurable, the priestess quietly excused herself while the rings of Aesir's roar rang over the crowd. She hadn't been talking to the young adolescent, but upon hearing his apology to a thrall, Thokk was almost certain bile had crept up in the back of her throat. What kind of flower-blooded pride was this turning into? Apologizing to thralls! Wearing a rather grim expression the lioness found herself safely away from the little gaggle of lions she had been around, both thrall and fool it would seem. Once more she turned her attention to the two main attractions of this gathering, Aesir and the captain Ruzanski. The explanation was, for lack of a better word, disappointing. With a huff the priestess turned a suspicious glare on Ru, safe in the crowd she was sure he wouldn't see her. What had he done? That was the question that was burning in the back of her mind. And, of course, when asked for volunteers to help him she almost laughed. Help him? Stormlord's sweaty-balls, no.

Among the crowd was a quiet, seemingly disinterested lion. Don had not participated in the gossiping, nor did he have any inclination to believe any of the silly things that had passed through his ears. The large golden lion remained still as Aesir's roar unexpectedly struck out over the clamor of voices, and the pale faced Don perked his ears to hear what may come next. He was a lion of blood-lust and conquest, so the promise of an impossible challenge had enticed him greatly. When asked for volunteers, it came as no surprise when he himself stepped forward. Having recently just come back from Ru's previous viking, he felt honor-bound to do so and show support for the captain. "For glory!" Don proclaimed loudly, in typical Stormborn fashion when presented with deadly, dangerous challenges. The large male strode confidently until he had separated himself from the crowd, where he then stood until told to do otherwise.  

[Andranis]

The young Freeborn listened intently, eyes widening as the terms of the quest were laid out. Oh, that was going to be challenging.. How would he get a piece of the sky? He could understand that getting a feather from a God was possible, and maybe a sea monster's tooth... The pirate king's hoard would be the most challenging part of the more possible terms... But the sky... He shook his head, stepping back. This was NOT for him.

Even Yu stepped back, ears folding back as he frowned. "I am not counting myself amid those seeking an impossible quest..." He shook his head, frowning deeply. Whatever Ru had done, it was a deeply deeply grievous action and Yu wanted no part in it. He gave Norman a shove. "Come on, let's go home... It's best not dwell on the stupidity of others, lest you wish to catch it." He spared a glance at Ruzanski, frowning still. Finally, as they were a distance away, Yu came up with a hypothesis. "Perhaps he was caught with a male Thrall in a... Compromising situation and has to prove he's not got flowers in his blood..."

As his uncles were leaving, Munyu was just arriving in time to hear Aesir's words. The black and white lion tilted his head, listening as their leader spoke. He'd missed out on all the rumors that were floating around, so he had nothing to go on other than what Aesir himself said... And what Ru didn't. Violet eyes glanced around at everyone, soon spotting Don as the other lion declared he would follow Ru. He then looked around, not spying his mother anywhere... And the forms of his uncles leaving. He found a spot he could hop up, particularly stand out, and added his voice to the din. "I volunteer to go with Captain Ruzanski!" Perhaps... Perhaps he could finally find out about these visions he kept having. His mother could make no sense of them, after all, only tell him that they set him apart from other lions because the gods had blessed him with such a gift. Somewhere behind him, he could hear Uncle Yu let out a surprised sound, or at least... He thought he did. So be it if they heard him, he didn't care - He wanted answers and intended to get them any way he could. It was just a matter of leaving before his mother got ahold of him.  

[Annchen]

Halvdan listened as the warlord spoke. It looked as if the Captain that had rescued him had managed to get in trouble during the short time they'd been home. It was probably not smart to take Ru's side in this conflict, but it was more appealing than staying here. He'd go, and if he returned he'd do so with new stories overshadowing his old embarrassing ones. That meddling lawspeaker had made him tell all he remembered about his 'disappearance', and he feared that the lot of them would figure out what he hadn't said. He'd tried to be as vague as he could, but Lawspeakers were supposed to be smart. If Halvdan had started to suspect that the nice lioness that had drugged him was one of the cursed mermaids, they too might connect the dots. And there was no way something like that would stay confidential.

"I have no enemies," he rumbled and pushed forward through the crowd, "Might as well see if I can find another sea monster for us to eat."  

[Princess_Feylin]

It had taken Kvinna longer to extricate herself from the crowd than she had anticipated, and so she was still very much present when the warlord roared. She had never heard such a sound and to her disgust she flattened on the ground with her eyes wide and her coat bristling.

Fortunately, nobody seemed to be paying her much mind, other than that unusually polite youth she had left, and his attention was no longer on her. Thank the gods for small favors.

She meant to return to Voldemaras, but at this point she could not pull her attention away from the warlord and Ru. She had never seen anything like this before in her life. It was very dramatic and exciting, even though she had only the faintest idea what was going on. She did feel sorry for Ru though, as she understood that there was a girl he was forced to leave behind.

Kvinna was so busy watching the drama unfold before her that she didn't notice the movement behind her until a freeborn lion with a predominantly black coat marked by green splotches shoved her thoughtlessly aside as he tried to push his way to the front of the assemblage. As he walked he called that he would go, too, and in an undertone cursed the lions who were in his way quite creatively. Creative curses were one of Galning's specialties, though Kvinna had no way of knowing that.

Having seen enough to satisfy her curiosity, Kvinna once more turned to depart. She would be sure to tell Tahti and Meera about this when she got home. They might find it interesting.  

[wooga Paes]

Oooh, that was very interesting. She furrowed her brows slightly, a bit put-off by how impossible the quest seemed. She knew they could get a least some of the things. After all, Aluka herself was the grandchild of a God, and she was well aware some of them would be willing to toss up a feather. It wasn't even a big deal.

Stealing from the pirate king, whoever it was, could probably be done. A few of the other tasks seemed more impossible to her, but... then again, what did she have to lose?

"I will go!" She called out loudly, not afraid of being identified as a thrall now. Aluka pushed herself through towards the front of the crowd. She looked a bit scrawny and scruffy perhaps, thanks to her less-than-ideal conditions in this pride taking a toll on her health. But she was a volunteer!

–

Thorgnyr, for his part, remained silent as he watched. He had no intention of journeying with the captain, but he was briefly amused by the fact that one of his tasks was to get a feather from a god. He considered the possibility of helping Ruzanski out with that one, since all this was probably sort of his fault, but for now didn't make any plans.  

[bipolar bee]

Brynja watched with keen satisfaction as Aesir gave his speech. If only her uncle were here to see this, but the older lion was off on a search for a thrall for the newest member of the family, Naja. Ah, well - the lawspeakers would make certain that the story was kept true and secure.

She wasn't usually one to call out, and Brynja was never known to be a rabble-rouser, but she did make a point to say, quite loudly at that, "The Gods are pleased by this."

How could they not be?  

[bipolar bee]

Asper had nothing to prove - he was no close friend of Ru's, nor did he have issue with the Warlord. However, the crime committed was likely grievous to be sent out for these impossible quests, and there was no sense in letting such a capable captain go out and simply die on his own.

Besides, with Pythis living within the pride now, and the boys nearly grown... the temptation was too strong.

Asper stepped forward and took his place near Ru.

"I will join the Captain, as well. For honor and glory!"  

[Andranis]

Yu felt a horrified panic grip at him as he started to shove through the other lions. "Wait! WAIT!" He spotted the black and white lion, distinguished only by the pelt he wore on his back. "Munyu! You can't go! It's... It's too dangerous for you!" He feared for this lion he saw as a nephew. It wasn't so much for what Susu would do with her beloved little cub gone, but he really didn't think Munyu was ready to go. He still had to... A paw on his shoulder made him turn and look down at Norman, who was shaking his head. "What? He's still too young to go out Viking!"

"He's got a full mane... I don't think he's too young..." The Freeborn looked toward the violet-eyed lion. "He's too young to coddle so much, though..."

If he heard his uncle, he gave no indication. Shouldering his way past other lions, he went over to Pythis. "Animals die, friends die, and I shall die, but one thing never dies, and that is the reputation we leave behind at our death. May we have a GLORIOUS time out there, brother!" It seemed so perfect to refer to the others daring to go out with Captain Ruzanski as 'brother'... He heard a lioness offer to go as well... And 'sister'. While he knew others weren't fond of the lionesses joining in being Reavers and going Viking, Munuyu decided he'd rather be around a Reaver lioness than the priestesses. They were less... Creepy... Though mostly he had his mother to go on for comparison.