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 Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2016 5:27 pm
Justine realized Miguel had gone silent and glanced over at him to see his worried face. Once she gave Melly's hair a good ruffle, Justine stepped over to Miguel's side and brushed her upper arm against his. It wasn't good to worry so much. "Jonathan won't tell on me," she said, more matter-of-fact than she expected from herself. "Jonathan won't chance getting me in trouble if it means Collette hating him. He likes her too much to upset her, and me getting in trouble, possibly harmed, would definitely upset her." She looped her arm through his and rested her head on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Miguel."
Armel didn't know who ruffled his hair, but he didn't have much time to think about it because he suddenly remembered Sir Humbert's orders to Jonathan. "Dmitri! The apprentice guards need the rest of their breakfast. Its delivery is already late as it is." He sniffed and started tearing up again, feeling failure. He messed up. The food should have been delivered by now. The apprentices were surely hungry and they needed food because they work so hard to be use—
"Hey, it's fine," Dmika said as he softly bumped the top of Armel's head. "C'mon, we'll deliver the rest together. Slate! Shale! Watch over the bread for me until Melly and I get back!" He called over to the brothers while he wrapped Armel back up into a hug.
Humbert watched James select his meal from the pile before he returned his focus on the apprentices. "Alright, everyone pair up in human-bear groups. Those of you in human form, practice your offense against those in their bear forms. Needless to say, those of you in your bear form are playing defense. No weapons. Just hands and claws. Begin!" And with that, the young bears began sparing.
Bera stared at Abigail and her newborn cub, assessing she would not be a threat to her throne. However, the new cub's name did peak her interest. Amaya. The name of the First Queen's daughter. Not a name that meant bear, but a name that was from the first princess of the polar bears. Night rain. Truly a beautiful name and truly not of the noble names, yet it fit their standards in a roundabout way.
Unfortunately, such subtleties were lost on their husbands. Arcadius was upset his firstborn was a female. Not the typical litter of twins, or even the rarer, but more common litter of triplets. He didn't see the worth of a daughter as a chess-piece in the board game that was the throne. If he moved his daughter in the right direction, she could become the queen piece, in a sense, for his family. If she could secure herself as the favorite mistress to one of Bera's sons, such as Dov or Gerben. Even Otso and Nita could take a liking to her. They would be willing to over look her mother's heritage.
But alas, males were limited in their intelligence. It was not their faults, but it still was a headache at times. With a sigh, Bera motioned to Nanuq that she was ready to leave. Then, almost as if she remembered something of great importance, Bera said over her shoulder to Arcadius: "Be sure to leave your wife alone, Arcadius. Let her sleep in peace with your daughter, or else you will lose your life. This is my advice as a mother. We kill for our cubs. Abigail will be no different."
With that, Bera was on her way out. Nanuq would follow her if he so desired. If he did not, he was within his right. After all, Nanuq was the king.
[Hey, Loiiy, all the bears have human names and a bear name, right? What would their bear names mean? Would they be like "Peach Blossom" or "Dark" like human names, conjugated in bear language to be names, but not just words. It's like with any human language where if you speak the language where your name comes from, you know the meaning of the name. Does that make sense?]
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Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2016 7:18 pm
"Well then lucky for you he behaves like he's love struck." Miguel said with an edge in his voice which was rarely ever there. He was usually soft spoken and gentle, hardly even sharp toned. As she looped her arm through his and rested her head on his shoulder, he was easily softened. "I know you are as feisty as any proud female bear should be, but I really wish you would be a bit careful." He spoke softly and carefully now, in a voice low enough it was meant just for her ears.
"You could easily stand with the nobility, draped in jewels, and be the better of all of them, but that is not what either of us were born into. One wrong word to the wrong bear, and there may not be any way for you to get out of it. Nor any way for me to help you." He turned concerned eyes on her. "I don't want to see you hurt for that fiery personality of yours, even though it's the one I love." He by no means wanted Justine to ever be docile, and he hoped she didn't mistake him. He just wanted her to be cautious, so she could continue being herself.
"Anyways, this food wont make it's self now, and our family wont thank us for standing around and watching. Shall we?" Miguel dove into his work, taking over for Melly and Dmitri with the bread.
James sat down to watch the younger bears sparing while he ate. When he was done, although he wasn't required to work again for a while, he marched in between them carefully, handing out tips every now and then. 'Spread your feet further apart', 'your left side is wide open', 'good blocking,but be more aggressive', and so on.
When he's made the complete circuit back to where Humbert was, he looked up at the Commander. "They are coming along well, but it might help motivate them to see what a real fight is like. What they could be facing, and how their training will pay off." He offered his advice politely, carefully minding his rank. "Although your experience far outweighs mine, I could hold out for a little while in a spar with you. Should we demonstrate for them?"
Nanuq couldn't help adding a nod to his wife's advice. Even pregnant females were as ornery as lion seals if you ran into them, and if their newborn cubs were in danger, Nanuq had seen nothing more deadly, himself included. Even he was weary of crossing a female's cubs.
As Bera departed, Nanuq couldn't help one muttered comment to her mother, before he too departed. "She's as beautiful as her mother has always been." Spoken too quietly for Arcadius to hear, but Abigail still stiffened, and the King chuckled lightly. No, he would make no move to posses her himself, but that didn't mean he couldn't remind he that if he wanted to, he could.
With that he bid them farewell and vanished after his wife.
Abigail's eyes quickly turned to Arcadius's face after Nanuq had departed. Surely he had heard the King's comment? But she relaxed as he did indeed seem to have taken no notice. His puny brain must still be trying to comprehend the King and Queen's warning. That a female of any kind should be feared by him was something that had likely never occurred to him until this day, and now it had twice within the hour.
As he left her cave, muttering something about work to do, but no doubt off to visit one of his 'other ladies', Abiagil relaxed with her cave to herself again. Hers and Amaya's. "They are awful my darling, all the nobility is it seems some days. Things weren't always like this Amaya, and when you're bigger I'll tell you all about the ways of the First Queen, and how things used to be run. How they will hopefully be one day again, before I am dead and gone." She closed her eyes, and curled around her daughter, dozing but forever cautious.
Amaya didn't understand what her mother meant, all she knew was that she liked the sound of her mother's voice as it soothed her to sleep.
[I imagine their bear names would have meaning to them, but spoken they would sound like a series of growls and snarling, ect. Bear noises. But if the bear picked names, I always like them being long nature names. Things that would mean, 'fur whiter then first winters snow', 'runs faster then the eagle flies', 'stronger then the frozen ice' ect. Should we pick bear names like that for them too? ]
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Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2016 8:20 pm
Justine sighed as she nuzzled her face into his shoulder for another moment. She understood Miguel's reasoning, though she silently disagreed fiercely with his mention of what she'd be like as a noble. All those jewels and pompousness was not her. If Justine could choose, she would always pick this life, surrounded by bears who actually loved and cared about her. A life with Miguel and the other servants.
And what she wanted the most was to spend another moment close to Miguel, but he was right, it was time to work. She shooed Slate and Shale away from the bread while she washed her hands, letting the brothers return to their own work. "Make sure you don't touch the dough that'd covered with a pan, Miguel, or Dmika will smack us. That bread still needs to rise some more," Justine teased as she poked Miguel's nose with a flour-covered finger. Dmika just couldn't put his dough aside and mark it with a few finger holes like the rest of them, he just had to properly cover the dough so it could properly rise. What a nerd.
Armel parted with Dmitri back to the training cavern where Sir Humbert and the to-be guards were training. Dmika was humming a song about the First Queen while he pulled the food-filled cart. Armel wasn't allowed to pull the cart because of his hand, but it was okay. Dmika said it was okay, that the best way to be useful right now was to allow his hand to heal. That, and to sing along to the song. "Dmika, look, Sir Humbert and Sir James are about to tussle!" Armel loudly whispered. It would be bad if Sir Humbert saw him after what just happened, especially if he was about to fight. These were strong, useful bears. Armel could never become like them, but he could become like Dmitri. He hoped he could at least.
Dmitri ruffled Melly's hair again, finding the young prince especially cute at the moment. His eyes were still red and puffy from before, but now they shined with life and excitement, just the way a cub's eyes should. However, the look disappeared once they arrived at the training cavern. It was replaced by a resigned sadness. "Melly, while they fight, we'll just drop off the meat and head back to the kitchen. They won't even have to see us, okay?" he whispered to the prince, who slowly nodded as his words were absorbed into his young mind.
Humbert grinned, already liking the sound of it. However, James would know that he would never go easy on him just because it was a demonstration. "Never underestimate yourself, James. Experience can be a handicap." As he spoke, he instinctively took on a battle stance, readying himself for a good fight. "And youth can outweigh experience any day if I'm not careful about it," he said with a wink.
Bera walked through the snow tunnels, feeling snow collapse and compact beneath her massive paws. Each step she took was sure and confident; she was power. All who apposed her would perish. "Husband, shall we visit our daughters? I haven't seen our little grandcubs in such a long time." Bera knew their daughters Snæbjörn and Sapata were being good little pawns like she raised them to be. They meekly followed her orders and pleased their husbands, as they were raised to do. It was only her eldest cub, Eden, who threw a wrench in her plans. The ungrateful cub wouldn't take on any male, surrounding herself only with female guards and lovers. How did she expect herself to raise any cubs if she couldn't conceive any? Thinking about Eden irked Bera and made her want to violently lash out at the nearest servant she could find.
[ rofl Well, I always figured they'd be a series of grunts or growls. Actually, I was thinking of the movie Paddington when I was originally writing this. By the way, if you haven't seen the movie, watch it with Lily. She'll love it. It's hilarious and cute.
Anyways, I do think we should pick bear names for them. I mean, it would make sense for them to call each other by their actual names rather than their human names while they are in bear form. Trying to say Alexandria as a bear is more difficult when the grunting and growling gets lost in translation. However, right now, I believe Armel doesn't even have his bear name, despite his parents giving him his human name.
By the way, I made some N.P.C. profiles for Armel's older siblings in case you want to get a feel of how awful they are.]
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Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2016 4:20 pm
[I've never seen it, but maybe Lily and I will watch it together one day biggrin I gave all my bears their bear names and I found it quite fun! You can see them on their profiles. Awwww, poor Melly! Ick, I saw that, they're awful! ]
Miguel didn't have time to dodge Justine's well aimed attack, and he let out a large sneeze as the flour got into his nose. He stuck out his tongue at her as he worked vowing to get back at her later. "I know, I know." He chuckled. He'd been working in the kitchen for a long time, and he was used to Dmika's unusual habit.
Just as he was diving right back into work, one of the older kitchen women ran into the room, a large smile on her face, and clearly out of breath. Miguel ran to her side to support her, concern on her face, despite her smile. "Angelina, you really shouldn't be running around like that. At your age-"
"Hush Child, I have good news!" She made a shoo'ing motion at him and he quieted. "Tabetha has had her baby! He's small, but he's healthy! She's named him Kip!" Miguel's smile lit his face, for a new extended family member of his hd been born.
"That's wonderful!" He hugged Angelina and she hugged him back. "When he's big enough, I'll go by and visit him." He added as he helped Angelina to a chair. She patted his cheek gently.
James just nodded to his Captain, and focused on him. He set himself into a defensive position, spreading his feet out on the ground evenly. A rare smile lit his face, and he roared loudly to grab the attention of the apprentices around them. No point putting on the show if no one was going to watch. "You first." He gestured to Humbert, being polite.
The mention of his female cubs always sharpened Nanuq's temper. His first daughter, his eldest cub had been his greatest disappointment, save for the one they never spoke of. He considered Eden's failings Bera's fault as she was the one who did the rearing of their offspring. He had since forgiven her, given that their other cubs had turned out strong and healthy, but he couldn't help but feel some resentment for the shame he felt for his eldest child.
He pulled his mind from her, and thought of his behaved daughters, Snæbjörn and Sapata. "Yes, I would like to see them as well." He liked to evaluate how his daughters continued to behave, as well as check on the progress of his grandcubs, making sure his daughters were raising them correctly. Besides, he didn't mind showering a little praise onto his beautiful daughters, as long as they were behaving as he desired them to.
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Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2016 5:33 pm
[I hope you two do, I like the movie a lot. Yays! I've been thinking of my bears' bear names all day today and yesterday...and for awhile, especially Armel's name. And I love those bear names! They're so cute, especially Kip's name. And yeah, poor Melly. Bera and Nanuq simply forgot to give him his name after Bernard's death. Yes, his siblings are awful.]
Justine let out a surprised squeak when Angelina appeared. She didn't think the old female could move so fast, and the fact that she could made Justine worry for her. Couldn't her heart give out with too much exercise? She was quick to wipe the flour off her hands before she went to the old bear's side. Other kitchen bears were gathering around to hear the news of Tabetha's newborn cub. Then, like the grapevine that was the kitchen servants, they spread the news to the others that came in, who would then tell those cleaning out rooms or hunting or whatnot.
Knelling besides Angelina, Justine couldn't help the big grin that cracked through her worry for the old bear. "Our family has grown one cub bigger, eh? Think he'll be a troublemaker?" she asked, which in turn got her a smack on the head from one of the older bears, Slate.
"We don't need another troublemaker. You're one too many as it is," said Shale while making a face at her.
She made one right back at him while stifling her laughter. "Awe, I know you all love me."
Dmitri watched Sir James roar and gather the attention of the apprentice guards as he and Melly unloaded the meat in the pile lying on the floor. It took only a moment, but in that moment, the apprentices roared with delight. From the corner of his gaze, Dmika saw Sir Humbert was no longer in front of Sir James, but running across the younger bear's back before landing behind him. Dmika didn't think that was too impressive, but he guessed if all one had to do to be a guard was fight and do some cool tricks, these apprentices were allowed to have their fun.
In any case, Dmika wanted to leave so he can get Melly back into the kitchen where they were surrounded by love and family. However, things never went according to plan.
Armel starred at Sir Humbert as he leaped onto Sir James, landing first on his muzzle and jumping onto his back. He moved so fast; it was amazing. He didn't think a bear his size, even in his human form, could move so fast. Sir Humbert reminded him of Justine's reflexes.
Maybe if he wasn't so absentminded while watching the spectacle, then he wouldn't have slipped on a small patch of ice and fell against the wagon that held the food, which wouldn't have slammed against the nearby wall because it was empty, so it moved faster than it would have if it was full. And, of course, he fell on his broken hand, which made him cry out just a little bit.
Needless to say, it was enough noise to catch the attention of every bear in the kingdom. And, more importantly, Sir Humbert's attention. The captain of the guard was already angry at him as it was, and he was certain seeing him again would only make him furious. "We should run," he said to Dmika through the pain.
"Ya'think, Mel?" Was Dmika's only response before picking him off his feet, placing him in the wagon, and pulling him through the entrance of the cavern. Neither of them looked back to see if Sir Humbert or the others were following them. They knew exactly who caused the commotion, so they'd find him eventually.
Humbert was enjoying the fight, or at least the start of the fight, but the commotion in the back of the cavern, where the food was kept, caught his attention. <******** Hell." He snarled as he glared at the prince and servant while they made their retreat. What made Prince Armel think it was appropriate to return after he sent Jonathan to return him to the kitchen. Did he enjoy making a mockery of him and the guards?
Shaking his head, Hum was pissed, but he wasn't going to stop this fight. The apprentices deserved to see this fight to the end, and the prince knew he would come after him later. It didn't have to be now. It was best for the prince to anxiously wait for his punishment. Their Majesties surely would not allow Prince Armel to go unpunished for this mockery. "Don't hold back, James because I'm not." He would show the apprentices what it meant to be guards and the great things they could do with their training and dedication. He would not let a weakling prince to tarnish his reputation or the reputation of the other guards. No, he would not.
"Splendid," Bera said as she changed the direction their traveled. "Afterwards, we should eat. I'm beginning to feel ravenous. How about you, my king?" First, they would visit Snæbjörn because she was her second eldest daughter, so she had the right to be visited first. Of her two noble daughters, Bera was most proud of Snæbjörn for giving her husband seven sons in three litters. She knew this season the two of them were taking a break from having cubs. Seven strapping young males were a pawful after all, so her daughter deserved a break.
[Think we should time skip the visits? It's all boring, awful visits.]
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Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2016 12:49 pm
[ I loved the ones you chose, especially Melly's. Yep, Kip's a tiny bear so therefore cute name! That's so sad. I got Arcadius a name too. ]
Angelina shook her head and said something about Kip being very small and quiet, but her voice was drowned out by the rest of the talk.
Miguel chuckled as Justine and Slate bantered back and forth, he loved the sounds of his family laughing together. At Justine's last comment he turned to her with a smile, "We do," he promised her a big smile on his face.
Miguel couldn't wait to meet his new little brother, he loved little cubs! Even if they were clumsy in the kitchen at first.
James was embarrassed at first by how quickly his Captain managed to take him down. But as the young Prince made a fool of himself again, James stood to his paws, prepared to take advantage of Humbert's distraction. "Don't worry, I'm not either!" He roared with a toothy smile as he aimed to slam his paw into the older bear's face. Not being distracted in a battle was important and even the best bears could fall victim to it, including Captains.
Nanuq slid his eyes over Bera, before looking back at her face to answer. "I'm always hungry, my Queen." He replied as they walked. He wondered how big his Grandcubs would be by now. Snæbjörn would have them all trained to be wonderful allies for himself as King, many loyal strong blooded bears for the King. Not that they should ever need to prove it, he hoped, but none the less.
[Sure, too many NPC's besides.]
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Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2016 7:28 pm
[Thank you. whee I thought long and hard about Melly's name. I've been thinking about it since before we started the one-on-one role play. Cute names for tiny bears, I like it! And yes, it is sad they forgot to name him, but they have been awful parents from the start. I think Arcadius was born for his name. So scary.]
Justine beamed at Miguel and wrapped her arms around his waist, deciding to ignore whatever quip Slate said because she had the bet bear by her side. "Now, yer not jist sayin' dat so I won't beatcha up, now are ya, Miguel?" she teased as she slurred her words into a funny accent she once heard from a movie.
Humbert barely dodged the swipe to his face, his foul mood gone for the moment. Good, James was in great form. The swipe was well-aimed, but Hum was faster. He took the opportunity between the swipe and dodge to aim a swift kick at James' rib cage. If the apprentices were as bright as he knew they were, then they'd infer his attack was based on James' exposing a vital spot for attack during his attack. However, this move could leave Hum exposed as well, so it was up to James to quickly parry the attack or fail to parry it.
Annabelle lumbered down the snow halls, her massive frame dwarfing many of the males she and Collette passed by, including guards and noble bears. She could see the resentment in their eyes at having a female as large as her exist, let alone in their presence. That was what she liked about these males, they were so blatant in their insecurities, they made for easy pickings when she searched for a mate or two to father her cubs. The males that did not mind her size or refused to let it be an issue were the ones she liked. It was disappointing few males were like that, but the ones that were often had handsome faces and good health, which in turn made her cubs as precious as life itself. Her first litter of cubs, the one before Collette and her siblings, were two strong she-cubs already blossoming into bears her size. She expected Collette and Justine to become as large as her while Dmitri towered over them all.
However, Annabelle had to keep her amusement clean from her face, or else some cowardly noble would send a few strong guards after her to "teach her a lesson" about her place in their society. At the moment, it was her current lesson with Collette, but both of them were failing miserably. The two of them could not stop giggling at the males as they passed by. Such pathetic lumps of fur. They weren't worth much once they gained an ego.
[Shall Annabelle run into Arcadius, just so he can be placed in a fouler mood than before?]
Armel
Bera
[Yes, so many of them. And I feel like it would be a good time to time skip after Hum's and James' match to post in the throne room where Their Majesties are listening to Hum and James complain about Armel. What do you think.]
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Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2016 7:48 pm
[You're welcome! Yep! They really have. He was. ]
Miguel smiled down at Justine, and her silly accent. "Na Justine, I 'aint foolin' you." He tried to copy her accent, but he ended up giggling.
"Anyways, the bread is going to be sad we're ignoring it. Even with news of a baby, the food doesn't make its self!" He cast a smile at those around him, then made his was back to the bread, kneading it as he'd been taught.
James was irritated that his blow missed, but with the adrenaline in his system, he still felt strong and aggressive and was enjoying the chance to test himself. He never had any chances to test his skills now that he was no longer in training.
Humbert's kick did hit James in the ribs, but he had managed to predict it in the last seconds enough to move back away from the blow, so the impact was a lot less then it he had taken it full on. Thinking quickly James reached out with his muzzle, trying to snap his jaws on the older bear's foot which had hit him. He would not bite hard enough to injure Humbert permanently, but he wasn't holding back either.
Arcadius was ready to rake his long claws or snap his jaws at anything that came to close. His morning had been disappointing and infuriating, and he felt as if he nerves were frayed. If a servant even so much as looked at him wrong...
A daughter for an heir, a disobedient wife, and the King was all over her too. She's mine. Oh yes, how he would love to crush the life out of a tiny servant, if one gave him an excuse.
[Yes, let's ruin his day! ]
[ Sure, James can complain about Armel not minding his place in society all day!]
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Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2016 9:16 am
Justine tossed her head back and laughed at Miguel's attempt to imitate her accent, more so when he giggled about it himself. However, the fun was soon put on hold as Miguel took hold of the situation and brought everyone back to order. Miguel would make a good head-of-staff or whatever, she thought as she hummed her way back to Miguel's side and joined him in kneading the dough. She wondered what kind of bread they would be making. Baguettes, plain loaves, it always was a surprise.
As she thought about it, Justine started to grin like the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland. Deciding on her course of action, Justine nudged Miguel with her arm to draw his attention. "We should bake Melly some special bread today, Miguel," she said as she sprinkled flour on her lump of dough. Then she continued, "I know that even if he doesn't know it, bread and soup are is favorite dishes. It's been a rough morning for him..." Placing aside the dough as Dmitri liked, Justine lost her train of thought. It had been a tough morning, and Melly did deserve something special.
"We should celebrate the arrival of Tabetha's new cub with Melly, plan a welcoming party with him for Kip. What do you think? I think no one in the kitchen would disapprove." It would also serve as a good distraction for Melly. The troublesome prince was always getting hurt and feeling depressed by his very existence. This would definitely cheer him up.
Humbert felt his kick connect, but it lost a good majority of its impact. At most, he probably bruised a few ribs, though he really shouldn't aim to break them. What's more, his foot was now caught in the massive jaws of James, but that wasn't such a bad thing. Taking the opportunity, Hum performed an in-air sit up within a matter of seconds and aimed two fingers at James' eyes and a fist at his snout. Which distraction his former apprentice would take, it was for him to decide. Either way, it meant freedom for his now bleeding foot.
As she and Collette walked down the halls, Annabelle noticed the ever-brooding Lord Arcadius. Not her type of bear, especially with his small brain. However, he was attractive and probably would have beautiful cubs with Lady Abigail. Ah, that's right. Lady Abigail is due any day now, like Tabetha.
Motioning to Collette, the two slowly approached the brooding lord. Up close, he looked even fouler than normal, prompting Annabelle to wonder what happened despite the number of possibilities. "Good morning, Lord Arcadius. Can my daughter and I do anything to assist you? Perhaps you and Lady Abigail needs your room tidied? She struck up the conversation and tried to be as dutiful as possible. It helped to distract males smaller than her—which Arcadius was—when she approached them for maid duties.
Armel
Bera
[James really does not like Armel. sweatdrop ]
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Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2016 8:36 pm
Miguel smiled fondly at Justine at her suggestion. She really was kind, thinking of something to cheer Melly up. "I think that's a wonderful idea!" He exclaimed, still kneading his dough. "We could make a sweet bread, and maybe if we ask really nicely, Angelina might know where we can get some honey too!" He was already forming a plan in his mind as he talked. A party would certainly lighten Melly's mood, and he didn't know any bears who could throw a better party then then his Kitchen family.
"Think you still have cub eyes good enough to work on Angelina?" He asked Justine in hushed tones, shooting a look at the older woman, who looked like she had fallen asleep on the chair he had left her in. She really was getting older.
James certainly didn't want the claws in his eyes, so he opted to avoid that blow, but as he did it took him straight into the path of the blow aimed for his snout, as he knew it would. He growled as he felt the blow smack into his face, and took a second to recover. It stung for sure, Humbert wasn't a small or weak bear by any means, but he would be alright.
He reared up onto his hind legs and roared a challenge at the Commander, a large smile on his face. Usually James took no joy or sadness from his job as an officer, it just was what it was, and he was proud to uphold and fulfill his duty. But when he did get to fight in combat, that was when he felt truly alive.
Arcadius heard someone address him, and he though he was finally going to get the chance to take off the head of some lowly dumb servant. But as he turned towards the voice he saw Annabelle and her daughter Collette. His eyes rolled over them both in turn, for now ignoring what she former said to him.
Annabelle was a bigger female then he usually preferred, but he had to admit he found her beautiful, only a blind bear would not. And her daughter Collette was beautiful was well, she was shaping up to be very much like her mother. "Our rooms are fine." He rumbled to her, not bothering to add any thanks on the end.
Then a thought occurred to him. With Abigail watching their- no, her daughter- she would be unavailable to him for some time. He eyed Annabelle again. "Actually, they could use some tidying after all. If your daughter would see to that." He didn't want the cub around while he talked to her mother.
[He's a kind bear at heart, and he doesn't hate Armel, it's more that he's annoyed by him. He was raised by his parents to believe that everyone has a place in society, and no one is less then someone else. A Servant is as important to a kingdom as a King. But is someone doesn't stick to their role, or neglects their duties, that is what causes kingdoms to fall.]
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Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2016 8:43 am
Justine giggled, happy Miguel approved of her idea. It wasn't every day that she did think of something so constructive. Of course, she was constructive every day, but this was for the sake of someone else because she wanted to make him happy. It was different. Melly was like a little brother to her. "Just leave it to me, Miguel. I'll win her over," she said with a mischievous grin.
Humbert recovered his foot from James, like he knew he would, and put some distance between them. He would definitely be favoring his other foot for awhile, but it was worth it. This fight was well worth it. A challenge he did not get to enjoy often enough. So, when James roared the challenge, Hum did his best to answer it with one of his own. Yes, this was a challenge he needed to distract him and test his skills.
[Loiiy, Hum's still in his human form and the captain of the guard. Commander comes later, in like another two years. Ah, but Hum and James are so fun together.]
Charging at James, Hum prepared to hoist the young guard over his shoulder and teach him what strength from over fifteen years of training meant. And it didn't help that he could show off to the apprentices, too.
Annabelle observed Lord Arcadius, noticing the shift in his thought process after his initial response. Oh, won't he be in for a surprise, she thought as she nodded to Collette. "Finish the room within thirty minutes. Then I will come and inspect it. I will be in a neighboring room if anything arises until then."
Collette nodded before she rubbed her head against Annabelle's leg. "I will do my best, Mama. See you soon." Collette glanced at Lord Arcadius for a brief moment before bowing her head and left. Collette was just as sharp as Annabelle raised her to be.
Then, to Lord Aracdius, Annabelle bowed her head. "Thank you for allowing Collette the opportunity to hone her skills. And please excuse me while I return to work." She gave a pause, allowing the lord to interject if he wished, and she was sure he would. He had no tact at all. He made his advance on her obvious, though even if he was subtle, Collette still would have noticed. He was the type of bear to seek the company of other females while his wife was pregnant. No tact at all.
[James was raised by wise parents. I hope he and Armel will get along, but that won't happen, will it? If he's annoyed now, he'll be more annoyed when Armel joins the guards as an apprentice. sweatdrop ]
Armel
Bera
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Posted: Fri Mar 04, 2016 9:04 pm
Miguel smiled at her. "I knew you could." He reached out a hand to ruffle her hair as he might have when they were younger, then stopped, thinking she may find it insulting now. She was not a young cub anymore, neither of them were. So he moved his hand back down to his side, and watched her go work her magic on the older woman.
[Oh geesh! Sorry Snow! ]
James cast a crooked smile into the crowd that was watching, it seemed the apprentices were enjoying the show. They were jeering and shouting loudly. Most were cheering for Humbert, but James was surprised by how often he heard his own name in the cheers.
As Humbert charged, James braced himself to take the impact. They collided with a 'umph' from James, he tried to push back against him, but felt his own feet sliding back. "Been a while since we've been able to spare." He spoke with humour, though his voice also revealed the strain.
Aracadius nodded in satisfaction as he watched the little child scamper off to do his bidding. She better not do it poorly because she was rushing, or he'd have her clean the entire floor again, using nothing but her tongue. The thought gave him a moment of sadistic joy, before her mother interrupted it.
"Actually, I do have something you could do for me. Much more enjoyable then whatever else you had to do." He drew his head up high, he was an important bear. "I am feeling lonely as of now. My wife is very busy... female things she has to do, very boring, and I would enjoy your... company, for a while." She would be insane to oppose him. It was well known his temper ran sharp and besides, his chambers were nicer then probably anything she had owned or would own in her life. She could enjoy it, and him, if only for a little while, while he allowed it.
[He's be very annoyed, and likely hard on him as a result]
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Posted: Sat Mar 05, 2016 8:11 pm
Justine was somewhat disappointed Miguel didn't pat her head; she loved when he did. She felt more close to him when he showed that kind of affection. However, it wouldn't have been a good idea. They were still preparing the dough after all. After all, Miguel would remain her favorite bear no matter.
So, without thinking too much on it because it was bad to linger on disappointing things, Justine knelt beside Angelina and poked the old bear's shoulder. Once, twice, three times. Gentle, nothing rough for the retired bear. Then she rested her head against Angelina's lap before speaking. "Hey, Angelina..." Justine whispered as she looked up at her. "When Kip is old enough to meet everybody, can we throw him a welcoming party? He may be tiny now...but Tabetha is his mother, so he'll definitely grow to be big and strong and kind and loved by everybody." Justine decided to get right to the point the moment she opened her mouth. She had planned to be more roundabout, but she realized that may put off Angelina.
[Nah, it's cool. I just didn't want you getting confused about why I use words like "fingers" or "hands" instead of "claws" or "paws". I can get confusing real quick. By the way, do you want to roll dice to see who wins their match? I think they're pretty evenly matched.]
Humbert grunted back, then said through gritted teeth, "That's because you've been busy, making no time to visit your teachers." Hum was satisfied knowing he could slide James back so far with his strength alone, but with the jeering and cheering of the crowd, he wanted to show off. He wanted to lift James off his feet and superplex him. That would really get the apprentices going, but James was heavier than he had been a year ago. It demonstrated how well his former pupil had grown. Hum could not have been more proud of James. Of course, he was proud of all his students, they were the future of the guardsmen.
Annabelle stared at Lord Arcadius as he spoke, taking the roundabout way of saying he wanted sex. The lord truly had zero tact, and no knowledge on her sex life. He raised his head to remind her of his status; he spoke of his wife's pregnancy as if it wasn't the most important moment of his life; and he was simply revolting.
Lord Arcardius wanted her in his marriage bed, something she considered sacred. Though Annabelle would never be the marrying type, it wasn't in her nature, but she knew many bears who were; and the knowledge their mates allowed someone else aside from them in that bed irritated her beyond belief. What's more, Lord Arcadius was asking her as his wife lay in labor with their first litter or already birthed their first litter. Finally, Lord Arcadius thought she would spread her legs for any male at any time. Wrong. And if he thought she'd regret refusing him, his blood would paint these icy walls as proof of her "regret".
"I must decline, Lord Arcadius. Request my company again during mating season, and I may give you a different answer," Annabelle said, cool, yet polite and vague. "Aside from that, I would need to inform Lady Abigail on the matter. She would need to know of any cubs that may result in our joining. You understand, Lord Arcadius. You are an intelligent bear. It must be this way." Obviously, she didn't want her cubs and Abigail's cubs becoming sexually involved with each other. It was disgusting and unhealthy.
Armel barreled into the kitchen with Dmitri, both riding the wagon, and they crashed into a pile of dirty kitchen rags. Oh well, they both smelled like fish and seal fat anyways. And, after their escape from the training area, it was refreshing to just laugh at themselves for their entrance. It was a pretty grand entrance. "Okay, let us never do that again," he said to Dimka as they climbed out of the rag pile.
"Which part? Earning the wrath of Captain Humbert or crashing into the rag pile?"
"Hmm...both."
"Agreed."
Dmitri's gaze switched from Melly to surveying the rest of the kitchen. It looked like their entrance only gained a bit of attention. Melly had already caused trouble earlier with Jonathan, but now he and Dimka recklessly crashed into a soft pile of filthy kitchen rags. However, it was only the older bears, those in change of them, who seemed interested in their antics investigating their antics.
Now that Dmitri thought about it, he didn't want Melly to be scolded because of his decisions, but then again, the bears here weren't too harsh on them. It was preferable to be scolded by the chiefs and food-gatherers than by Their Majesties. That's what Melly must be thinking. He had a worried expression plainly on his face, which was a good sign despite how it wasn't good he was worried. It meant Melly trusted him enough to show his true emotions. Melly took his time opening up to others, but Dimka was certain that, once he opened himself up, Melly would open himself fully and accept everyone with that dazzling smile and breath-taking laughter.
Ruffling Melly's already messy hair, Dmitri reassured the little prince. "Smile, Melly. We both carry the blame, but no one can resist a cub with a smile like yours." Then Dmitri ruffled Melly's hair with both hands before twirling him around in a hug. It would be okay. He knew it would be because as he spun the prince around, his worry dissolved into laughter.
[Thought as much. I guess Melly will just have to win him over.]
Bera
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Posted: Mon Mar 07, 2016 10:30 pm
Miguel watched Justine with a smile, which he tried to hide. She really knew how to use her charms for both good and evil. He wondered if maybe she used them on him, to make him like her so much. Whatever it was, he had always found her endearing.
Apparently the feeling was mutual. Before long, Angelina had agreed to et them throw a party for little Kip, and was telling them how she thought they should do it. Miguel listened to her speak, making mental notes.
[Thanks Snow! Was James supposed to be in bear form or in human? Sure! We could so a 1-5 dice roll. 1-3 would be Humbert wins, since he does have more experience, ect. And 4-5 would be James winning.]
James half chuckled. "Duty calls, there's lots for a guard to do." And he couldn't help adding a playful jab at his mentor, though he rarely joked unless in battle. "For those of us who don't spend all our time teaching instead." He truly respected Humbert and his position, but in battle he liked to rile his opponents up.
Arcadius wanted to strike her, for refusing him. What right did she, a servant, have to refuse him?! He would have, but he had hear d a rumour that the King fancied her. True or not, he couldn't take the risk. If the King did fancy her as a mistress, scarring her pretty face could turn the King against him. He hated having to try and dance around the King like that. "Fine." He grumbled, with no pretense of manners anymore, and stomped past her to find more... accommodating females.
[Guess so. ]
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Posted: Tue Mar 08, 2016 5:37 pm
Justine kept her bubbling excitement at bay once Angelina agreed to the party. She didn't want the old bear suddenly changing her mind in the middle of the party planning. If anyone made a loud noise, she'd be on them for ruining Angelina's mood. However, since Angelina was old and hard-of-hearing, she didn't hear—or see—Dmitri and Melly crashing in the kitchen with their wagon. Justine shot her brother a death glare when Angelina wasn't looking, silently promising to smack him for nearly ruining everything and possibly harming the already-injured Melly. Then she returned to being the sweet little cub she needed to be for this party Angelina was planning to work out.
[Oh no, since he was already in his bear form, I wouldn't dream of making him so suddenly go into his human form! And sure, works with me. Would you like the honor of rolling the dice, seeing as you are the queen of the role play?]
Humbert snorted, finding the comeback understated. A guard had everything to do, above and beyond his original call of duty. He opened his mouth to make his own comeback, but James already had another jab to add to his previous one. Hum wanted to laugh at the comment, but he knew that if he did, his muscles would loosen up and he'd lose their match.
Shaking his head against the younger bear's chest, Humbert decided it was now or never. Superplex James or disappoint the apprentices. "Those who teach learn a few tricks or two from their students," he said, straining against James' dense weight. Bears were fat and muscle, and James was a good example of it.
Annabelle readied herself for a fight. If Lord Arcadius thought for a moment she would passively allow him to strike her, he would be sorely mistaken. Yet the opportunity to fight the lord never came. He gave up without a fight. What a coward. Annabelle couldn't stop herself from snorting behind his back as he retreated to locate a willing female. "Pathetic," she whispered under her breath, barely audible. For the noble class, manners truly were only used for ulterior motives. Lord Arcadius switched from polite to impolite in a manner of seconds. Truly a pathetic bear.
After being scolded for several minutes, Armel and Dmitri were freed and sent to clean themselves. They smelled of fat, meat, fish, and dirty rags. Not a pleasant combination. Truthfully, Armel rather continue working in the kitchen with the others, but it wouldn't work. He could see from everyone he and Dimka passed that they truly smelled foul. In addition, if any of his royal siblings or Their Majesties decided to visit for an evaluation of his training and found him in this vile state, both he and the servants would be collectively punished. He didn't wish for Dimka and the others to be harmed for his actions. It was all his fault— "Owwie..." Tearing up, Armel glanced at Dmitri and saw a stern expression on his face.
Dmitri spoke gently to Melly after having clearly seen the worry etched into the young prince's face. "Don't think too much. We'll be fine. Now, come on. The faster we bathe, the sooner we can return to Miguel and Justine. They'll want to hear of our adventure as soon as possible, right?"
"Yes!"
Dimka wondered if Melly knew how easy it was to distract him because the moment he spoke, the worry on the prince's face vanished. The prince had the attention span of a young cub, but that was an endearing aspect of him.
Bera
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