Though distracted, both Mae'alla and Livius hadn't gone unnoticed to him and no sooner had he acknowledged Vishaka than he beckoned both of the lions forward, motioning to Nche in the process. It was Nche who would determine if they were suitable first, that was always the way after all, but all being well it wouldn't be long before the lion provided his welcoming spiel and handed them their necklaces.
The sudden surge in lions meant that he would have to be a touch more efficient himself and with that in mind he offered a wink towards the Death Priest before peering at the pair himself. Perhaps he was being a touch too hopeful, but it seemed like these two had hit it off before they had even been brought in to the family? He would certainly hope that the fates would deem it appropriate to make sure they didn't get sent into the same house!
"Perhaps you might do the honours for this pair, Nche?" he offered softly.
Straye
She has been rolled in to the Agadi family!
Rulerr
He has been rolled in to Itiri's family, the Akaraaka!
oo DeD
Posted: Sun May 02, 2021 11:59 am
He had remained off to the side to observe for the time being. He had, for the most part made his decision to remain already. He'd had previous conversations with the Onyeisi and following those he had concluded this place was the one that had 'called' to him. Nevertheless he hadn't taken that last, official step just yet and given the sudden swarm of lions, he might have to wait a little longer.
...One that had only just appeared did catch his interest though and he swept forward quietly to address her. Why? He wasn't entirely sure of why, but even he could accept that on occasions an individuals actions were not always clear to them at first.
"If you loiter you will fall further behind in the queue," he warned gently and nodded towards both Nche and Itiri. "I have been here from the beginning and yet I believe I may have fallen to the back," he admitted.
"At the very least, neither of them seem inclined to bite."
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Epine de Rose
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Posted: Sun May 02, 2021 3:34 pm
Epine de Rose
Straye
Rulerr
oo DeD
Nche watched the pair of lions with a warm smile. It was refreshing to welcome the new faces. The pride had been so secluded for such a long, each new face brought a wash of new opportunities and experiences.
He watched the pair that had approached them for a while, simply observing as they interacted first with one another then with Itiri. The Death Priest would have seconded Itiri's sentiment. The pair certainly seemed to get along well from the start. Good notions of what to come, perhaps?
The lion moved to Mae'alla first, taking a second to look into her eyes she might have noticed a brief moment where his vision looked distant, like a thousand yard start, before he snapped back to reality.
"Your family is Agadi, representative of Old Age. Even Old Age is welcoming of new life. Your kin will meet with you soon to formally welcome you." He gave a quirked smile before turning to Livius.
The same look crossed his eyes. This time it seemed more brief than before. "And you, friend, belong to Akaraaka. The family of Fate, and of our Onyeisi." Nche looked then to Itiri. "I trust that he or his kin can show you around, when the time is right."
Posted: Sun May 02, 2021 3:46 pm
Epine de Rose
"Not yet, at least," Eeru mused. Her words seemed joking though her tone was rather dry. And if she was actually concerned that some of these lions might bite, she certainly didn't show it. No, this lot seemed painless enough.
She let her eyes linger on the small gathering as she spoke, letting quiet settle around them again before she turned to look to the lion to whom she was speaking. Eeru looked him over briefly, taking in his muted hues and the marking that adorned his side. He was new to this place as well, hm? From what she could tell, most lions here bore muted colors such as his. She wouldn't have been surprised if he had said he was from here. But perhaps that marking was a bit more exotic than what she had seen thus far.
Eeru gave an acknowledging "Hmm" and glanced back to the group before giving him her attention once more. "Well I suppose that's the price we pay for lingering, no? At least there's company in the back of the line."
Her expression still relatively flat, she nodded her head in greeting. "I'm Eeru. What brings you to these parts?"
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Epine de Rose
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Posted: Mon May 03, 2021 2:29 am
"Instinct," he replied simply. He would have mentioned that 'voices' had brought him here, little musings that spoke of distant worlds, but even he knew that such things were taboo and a touch questionable. Or at least they were questionable when it came to those who gave no signs of possessing a touch of the divine. Safe to say that Jo was fairly confident he had no blood in his line that would give a nod to that and as such, he might simply be classified as mad.
"I followed my paws here, met several individuals heading in the same direction for their own reasons and chose to remain here," he added. He was sure that several of those that had wandered into these parts had left again, uncomfortable with whatever they may have heard, but others had stayed and he recognised one or two of the faces that now loitered nearby. They had found their families even if he had dawdled by quite a bit.
"I am Jotuhn," he did at least remember to introduce himself at the end, though even if he had gotten the greeting the wrong way round he didn't seem entirely put out.
"And you?" he asked after a moment. "Accidental, or deliberate arrival?"
oo DeD
Posted: Mon May 03, 2021 3:59 am
As Itiri's eyes fell upon them, a shyness passed over Mae'alla as she lowered her head in a greeting, a kind, albeit timid smile inching its way across her muzzle, warming her spring green gaze.
As he beckoned the male at his flank, her head turned and she inclined her head in greeting once more, lifting her gaze to the searching pink eyes of the Amoosu.
Her spritely green gaze watched as his expression seemed to stretch beyond her - distant and far away; then there was a change and he was seeing her again, her kind face and patient gaze, unperturbed.
"Agadi," she said softly, feeling the name with her voice. As he explained her family would come to meet her, excitement and trepidation made her heart skip a beat. As he turned to greet Livius, she stepped back half a step. "My name is Mae'alla Agadi," she whispered it under her breath, a feeling of peace settling over her.
Turning her head to watch the interaction pass between Livius and Nche, her ears perked forward as the Death Priest announced the family name.
Fate. It was funny because it seemed as if Fate had already played such a paw in this day.
Her tail swayed and she could not help but prance in place, excitedly. She bowed her head to the Death Priest and the Onyeisi, thanking them both.
"Livius Akaraaka." She mused, turning and giving him a smile that seemed to be for his eyes alone. Her purr returned full force as she stretched, turning her face up towards the sun as a breeze blew across the plateau.
This was where she was meant to be. She could feel it in her heart and soul.
[WC: 287]
RuIerr
Eeeeeeeee~
oo DeD
Thank you so much <33 I hope for more opportunities to roleplay in the future :3
Epine de Rose
Much appreciated~ I look forward to Pride Roleplays in the future biggrin
"Mmm," she mused. Her shoulders rolled and her tail twitched a couple times behind her thoughtfully. His reasoning seemed to be the most common one, from what she saw. Word of the pride out in the rogue lands was still sparse and vague.
"A bit of both, I guess." Eeru glanced to him again with her blacked out eyes. Rogue life was dull enough to warrant settling down somewhere. It seemed hard to get solid info about this place. Lions seemed to know that a pride existed here but… she shrugged and looked around, her sight pausing on each of the natives around them. "Lions talk about this place like it's a myth. Mysterious, very little info. It didn't seem like anyone really knew about it. And it didn't seem like anyone was leaving. I guess I was curious as to why that was, good or bad."
Her mouth quirked a little to one side in a tight, lop-sided smile. "A dangerous curiosity I guess, in retrospect. But it worked out, so I'm not complaining."
For Eeru this was a wordy conversation, but it was… pleasant to talk to someone. Someone who wasn't over-the-top and in her face, anyway. This place didn't seem to be full of those types of characters. Not that she had seen, at least. It seemed… Peaceful. Something about the somber quiet of the pride made her feel settled and comfortable.
Epine de Rose
Posted: Mon May 03, 2021 7:30 am
"Well, if it hadn't been real then perhaps you would have found something else. Alternatively it might have been and fallen to ruin, the lack of detail could be driven by several factors," he mused. He hadn't delved too far into their history, but from what he had gathered from some of the replies he'd received, something had happened that forced them in to total isolation. It was a subject of interest to him and in time he would be most curious to explore it but for now...
"At some point, even I would like to ascertain the reason for their secrecy," he admitted with a half smile. "Perhaps they cultivated rumours and mystery to protect themselves," he shrugged. Though from what he had no idea, after all, they weren't exactly close to any local pride so what did they have to hide from?
...One day he would understand.
"Nevertheless I prefer the quiet life and I will not complain if this is where I have been led to find it," he conceded and pursed his lips. Had a spot become free before the Death Priest? He motioned towards him with a raised brow.
"Though before one begins planning for the future, perhaps it is best to confirm that the future lies here," he concluded.
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Posted: Mon May 03, 2021 7:59 am
"True," she replied briefly after a short moment of consideration. Eeru returned his smile with her own. She was glad that someone else was curious about the hush-hush nature of this place. About the lions that adorned themselves in bones and had a position of leadership called the "Death Priest." Morbid things, to be sure. Hopefully the bones weren't from those who had tried to escape before.
The lioness gave a hum of understanding when he referenced a quiet life. "A quiet life sounds nice," she conceded in a soft and even tone. Rogue life was unpredictable. And perhaps that was entertaining for a while, but you could only run for your life or have your meal stolen from you so many times, y'know?
"True enough," she confirmed to his final statement. Eeru led them to the pair of lions as a space opened up and sat.
"Chieftain," she started, speaking to Itiri in her quiet and distant voice, "Death Priest," she continued, turning her eyes then to Nchekwube. "I believe I'm ready."
Nche watched the pair approach, looking them both over with interest. Another pair, hm? He was admittedly fancying himself a bit of a matchmaker following the union of Itiri and Aphelios (even though he really didn't have that much to do with bringing them together). Was he just riding that high? Or was he really sensing some possibilities between all these newly met strangers?
"Welcome, friends," he said warmly to them both. As Eeru met his eyes, Nche's vision went distant and empty. Seconds passed as Nche's vision instilled a feeling within him. Less a traditional "vision" and more an intuitive sense within him, Nche felt the nature of this lioness. Nothing concrete, only a faint feeling of her being unassuming but well-meaning. Thoughtful. More importantly, nothing ill-intentioned. At the same time, this feeling of intuition brought the name of her family to his voice.
"Nganga," he said with a smile. "They shall be your family. The family of Pride." Though something in his gut told her that she'd be moving in with another family before too too long…
"I hope you find peace there," Nche continued, turning his eyes then to Jo in welcoming anticipation.
Epine de Rose
Posted: Mon May 03, 2021 10:15 am
Was that all there was too it? Jo hadn't spent much of his time staring idly at the Death Priest as he conducted his affairs and it was only now that the lion had been able to witness the manner in which he determined if one might join. It wasn't quite as disturbing or disconcerting as might have been implied. Perhaps others were easily spooked, but in his case he felt at relative ease as he observed what he would soon experience.
"What a curious notion," Jo murmured, moreso to himself. If Eeru had been prideful enough to be placed in such a family then she hid it well, either that or the manner in which selection was done was a touch more complex and the names of the families a little more nuanced. History, tradition, all of which he would need to bury himself within to fully understand the manner in which this pride functioned.
Nevertheless he soon returned his gaze to Nche and gave a small bow of his head in welcome. If he were to join then he too would have to go beyond Nche's vision and find himself birthed into a family.
Even if he found the name of it to be similarly peculiar...
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Epine de Rose
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Posted: Mon May 03, 2021 11:46 am
Eeru murmured a few words of thanks before stepping back. She settled by Jo's flank, shifting her weight on her paws a bit as she let her line of sight fall to the ground. To be honest, it was a little… unsettling. There was something trance-like about how the Death Priest's vision changed. Like he was looking through her. Or deep into her soul through her eyes.
As Nche himself shifted before them to face Jo, she looked back up. She watched his face this time, looking to see if she could see the same change in his eyes. Maybe it wouldn't be as odd when he wasn't looking directly at her.
"Mm," Nche hummed, bowing his head in return to the pale pink lion. As they both raised their head the Amusu met his gaze. And like a switch it happened again. His eyes unfocused, his vision appeared empty. And after a few moments he snapped back.
Again, Nchekwube acted upon instinct. Upon his feeling. "And you, friend, are of the Elo family. They represent Venom. I believe you'll find them to be welcoming. Don't let their namesake lead you to believe otherwise," he said with a toothy smile. Nche found that some lions were sometimes unnerved by what their new families represented. The nature of the families and what they represented—ways of death—had been commonplace since birth so while he couldn't really feel their sentiment, he supposed he could understand how their ways might be a bit… strange.
He nodded then to both lions. "Your family members will meet with you to show you around. Welcome to the Death Keepers, friends."
Epine de Rose
Posted: Mon May 03, 2021 11:53 am
Evidently he was less discomfited than most, the process seemed natural, even if it looked a touch unusual, and then it was done. Whatever guided the Death Priest saw no reason to prevent Jo from taking his place within society and within moments he too had found himself settled into a house.
"So not a commentary on one's personality then," he concluded, a musing mostly to himself as Nche reassured him he would be welcomed. He would of course seek them out and introduce himself in a short while, but for now he merely took the necklace he was offered by the Onyeisi who had at least managed to spare a moment between his own conversations to ensure both Eeru and Jo were acknowledge.
"My thanks," he added to Nche before turning his gaze back to the young lioness. "Well, I suspect we should greet our new found relatives, should we not?" he hazarded before clucking his tongue.
One could only hope that discussing the weather would be considered socially acceptable for them. Suffice to say he was not the most interesting of lions, one rarely was when scholarly endeavours were more your speed.
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Posted: Tue May 04, 2021 9:07 am
A faint expression of amusement crossed her face as Jo spoke. Not a commentary on personality. She had hoped not: Eeru didn't take herself as a particularly prideful lion.
The white lioness nodded her head to him and began to lead them away. "I suppose we should" she mused after waiting for him to join her. "I admit, it's a relief knowing that you're not necessarily venomous," she said, following shortly after with "as far as we know, at least."
Her effort at a quip, apparently? It was delivered to that same nearly flat tone. Like her voice was mostly desaturated of color. If Jo was indeed not the most interesting of lions, he hopefully could tolerate similar company.
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