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 Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2007 9:27 pm
Loki eyes the area around him skeptically, wondering why he was in an open meadow with no snow in sight. He'd been wandering for a few days on leave from the tribe, knowing he could trust the senior members to keep everything in working order.
But he hadn't expected to find himself in a blazingly hot (to him, at least) grassland. It had been a long time since he traveled more than a day from the Kousetsu lands, and he was approaching on almost three days worth of wandering.
Well, aside from the heat, it was as good as place as any to stop and colelct his thoughts; he could hear the sounds of a stream or even a small river running somewhere to the east of him, and there was likely to be food in these grasses.
Wondering if anyone else was out wandering here, moved to sit on one of the rocks jutting out of the grasses, watching for any neaby movement.
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Posted: Mon Dec 31, 2007 11:05 pm
 Vogue swished her tail playfully behind her, watching the elder from her perch in a tree. He was quite a looker, and she especially liked what he had done with the tattoo around his eye, and the chain on his ear. She wanted to touch it, actually. She bet it would make a really lovely jangling sound.
Lovely...she considered that word as a description for the elder below her, and discarded it. No, handsome seemed a bit more fitting.
Of course, she had already promised to herself that she would never earnestly pursue a male, but what was the harm in admiring? And he definitely deserved the admiring.
She gracefully leaped from the tree, landing perfectly on all four paws.
"And to what do I owe the pleasure of your company?" she fairly purred, a grin spread wide across her face.
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Posted: Mon Dec 31, 2007 11:47 pm
Loki glanced over as he caught sight of he moving female; so he hadn't been imagining things. If nothing else, it was pleasing to note that his senses were still sharp.
He studied her for a moment, pleased to see that she didn't look like she wanted trouble. And, in fact, he almost got the feeling that she was looking him up and down...and flirting. Interesting.
"Just passing through," he said with a small smile, looking over his shoulder at the very faint mountains that started the borders of his home. Once his gaze returned to her, he tilted his head in curiosity, his piercing swinging back and forth. "Ah, forgive me, I fear I have forgotten my manners. The name's Loki, one of the Elders of the Kousetsu Tribe."
With a smirk, he added: "And to who exactly am I speaking?"
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Posted: Tue Jan 01, 2008 5:50 pm
Vogue circled the elder, tail swishing behind her the whole way around. She tilted her head as she eyed him, not sure herself whether as a mimicry of him, or one of her natural motions. It had been a long while, since she had been around other foxes.
Once she had completed her circuit, she sat down in front of him, raising her head to look him in the eyes. If she was standing, it would be far too easy for her to reach out a paw, and poke his piercing, and they weren't yet well enough acquainted for that. Even if he hadn't been an elder, she would have done the same. She did respect authority. When it was being used. That didn't stop her from making friends with authority, though.
"Kousetsu," she repeated, trying out the feel of the foreign word on her tongue. At the same time, it was vaguely familiar, as if something from a half forgotten dream. Of course, she knew it was a tribe, but knew no more. Other than it was not the tribe that she wished to join. She had already decided on that count.
"Loki. A pleasant name for a pleasant fox. I am called Vogue. Currently of no tribe." Her tone on the last promised that status was soon to change, however.
From her sitting position, she somehow managed to sketch a sweeping bow. She was talented like that.
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Posted: Tue Jan 01, 2008 7:54 pm
"Currently?" Loki asked with a deep chuckle, moving to lay down, but with his head raised so that they were on eye level. "Have you found a tribe that suits your fancy, then? Perhaps I have heard of it."
After spending long periods of time as as Elder and a parental figure to some, Loki was sharp enough to see the way Vogue's attention seemed naturally drawn to his ear. Deciding to relieve her curiosity, he tossed his head to move the hair out of his eyes, the chain and discs clinking together.
Loki was quick to see that Vogue was a natural flirt as well, but he didn't much mind--he was loyal to his own mate, and he didn't get the feeling Vogue's interest went that far.
Her markings interested him though--uniform in color, but shifting into random patterns. Perhaps it was indicative of her character?
He grinned to himself; today should be interesting.
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Posted: Wed Jan 02, 2008 8:54 pm
The piercing made a sound even more lovely than she had imagined: a melodious clinking, clanging as the chain and the disks struck one another. She contemplated getting a similar piercing herself. Perhaps not exactly the same, but something that would make an equally pleasing jingle.
"Indeed I have. The Sanguinge Syndicate is the one I want to join. The one I will be joining, once I'm ready."
She took a lighthearted approach to life; but this one thing was the exception. She was serious about her desire to join the Syndicate, and she knew she wasn't ready yet. She had heard of the test those who wanted to join had to take, and she knew she wasn't ready for that. Not yet.
And there was another reason for her delay, as well.
"What do you know of the Syndicate?" Vogue asked lightly, as her tail swished behind her, the lazy sway slicing through the lacy daisies behind her.
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Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 5:31 pm
"Ah, the Syndicate," Loki said with a knowing smile and a chuckle. "I cannot claim to all of the information on the group, for times change quickly in human cities, and I am but a mountain fox."
He grinned at that, remembering the adjustment he'd had to make quickly when he visited Sonia some time ago.
"In any case, the Elder, Sonia, is an old friend of mine, though it has been a long time--indeed, possibly before you were born-- since I've talked to her. But when you find yourself ready to make the journey to Metropolis, you will find her to be just in her decisions, and all-together a kind fox, though she has been hardened greatly by city life. The Syndicate itself is intricate, and one must see it to truly understand it. But not all the members are in the same place at once, and not all take as kindly to outsiders as their Boss. Remember that one, and do not trespass needlessly when you feel your time has come. Overall, a fascinating group, with the greatest array of artistic talents I've seen."
He studied Vogue again, trying to see what made her so sure she was designated for Sonia's tribe. "What art form do you claim as your own, Vogue?"
Personality-wise, he thought she's fit in, but it was not his palce to judge eithe.r The noly ones who could truly tell if this young vixen was meant for th Sanguine Syndicate were the Syndicate members, especially Sonia and the appointed Devil's Advocate.
Loki chuckled at that one; he was sure that if a Devil's Advocate was required to become an Elde,r he's have likely stayed an adult his whole life--he was not meant for that type of questioning.
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 5:34 pm
"Possibly before I was born? I'm flattered you think me so young. Or is it that you are older than you appear? Based on your looks, I wouldn't think you are much older than me at all," Vogue gave a half-smile as she glanced up and down the elder.
"For someone as old as you're implying, you've aged quite well." The smile grew, amusement spreading across her entire face.
Still, she listened intently to every word Loki spoke about her future tribe. She wanted to know everything, to be ready for the test.
"I'm not sure yet. I like making pictures, I like playing with words, I like music, but I haven't found one thing that's mine yet. That's why I don't consider myself ready yet. If I don't even know myself well enough to know my art, there's no way I can face the Advocate." A wistful smile, now. She was impatient to join, but not enough that she would take the risk that she could never enter the tribe.
Still, she wasn't too concerned about not knowing her art yet. Something would happen, and she would discover something new she hadn't tried yet that spoke to her. Or she would find something new about what she had already tried, and that would decide her. Either way, she would know when her Muse came. And anyway, for now, Vogue couldn't think of any way to chase her Muse down.
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Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 11:32 am
"I was born in the transition from winter to spring," Loki explained. "Forgive me, but I have not met many in some time that are older than myself, though there are many."
He waited patiently for her to stop speaking, smiling slightly. "Well, I wish you luck when you are ready to try and gain entrance."
He grinned and added: "And I would not say I have aged well. I do not look old, but I'm very poor at acting my age as well. Not many others will believe me when I say I'm older than them."
It really didn't bother him, for the most part, when people thought he was so young. It was an advantage some times, and at other times it was just amusing.
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Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2008 2:11 pm
"I was born just at the start of summer. So you are older than you look. Which isn't too terribly hard, I must admit," Vogue grinned, flicking her tail back and forth.
"You think I have a good chance of joining, then?" She tilted her head to one side, studying him. He knew the elder, so he would know quite a bit about that. She hoped he wasn't just saying that to be nice. Joining a tribe of fellow artists was the one thing she wanted the most in the world.
"Well, I like you just as you are. I think you'd be boring if you acted like an old fox. You'd spend the whole day going on about how things were better back in your day!" A titter, tintinnabulous in tone, burst forth from between her teeth.
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Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2008 1:29 pm
"I cannot truthfully say," Loki admitted with a small smile. "Would I say so? Yes. But I am not Sonia, and I do not know all of the criteria for joining the Syndicate, save you must face an appointed Devil's Advocate."
He shifted some, leaping gracefully off his perch to stretch amongt the grass; the heat made him drowsy, and he needed to remove the lethargy from his body if he was going to be able to keep speaking coherently.
"Mm. Perhaps things were better back when I was still new to this world," he mused quietly, looking out over the meadow. "But I learned that looking into your past does not reveal much, save that you have accumulated more days alive and more regrets you cannot fix. I suppose, as an Elder, I am forced to live in the present, especially with the dangers our lands have bene known to face."
He turned to look at her and grinned. " Perhaps that's why I still act young; I am always surrounded by youth such as yourself."
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Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2008 8:32 pm
Vogue nodded. She knew about the Devil's Advocate, too. She knew that they were supposed to make you seem undesirable for the Syndicate, but what would they use against her? She knew she had her flaws, but which would be important enough for the Advocate to use it? How could she counter it?
She had thought these thoughts time and time again, and still had no answer for them. She was determined that soon she would, though. Soon!
"Perhaps they were. Things are they are now, though, seem just fine to me." She turned, taking in the whole meadow. "The grass is green and lovely, perfect for plant eaters. And when things are good for plant eaters, things are good for us.
"The sun is shining. There is water nearby. And of course, the wonderful company goes without saying. I wonder how it could be better than this."
Smiling widely as she herself had just realized how perfect life was, Vogue flopped down in the grass, simply staring at the sky, her earlier thoughts completely forgotten.
"Maybe that's why," she agreed, finally remembering he had said something else. "I sill think it's because acting this way is far more fun."
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Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2008 2:19 pm
"True," Loki conceded with a grin, moving to join her in the grass. "Life would be dreadfully dull if I acted the part of a staunch, stern Elder; that's just not my cup of tea." He could probably count on one paw the times he'd needed to be dreadfully serious; his tribe wasn't full of angels, but they generally kept themselved out of trouble, and they were fully aware that, carefree or not, Loki did not just let everything go.
He stretched and yawned, grateful the sun was being temporarily shaded by some clouds. The Elder studied them for a moment, wondering if the abstract shapes held any significant meaning, some message that a deity had spelled out, but that the foxes below were too ignorant to understand.
Rolling his eyes at himself for dwelling on the clouds, he clacked his teeth together against the inner portion of his lip ring, trying to think of something to say.
"Do you have any family, Vogue?" he asked out of the blue, suddenly curious.
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Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2008 5:57 pm
"Never had tea," Voge commented wryly. She supposed that would change, though, once she got to the Metropolis, and joined the Syndicate. It would definitely be different, living among humans, compared to living out in the wild as she and so many other modis currently did. Still, though, she would make the adjustment. Anything for art.
"Not that I know of," she said with an unconcerned shrug. "More or less raised myself, with help from the occasional modi who would take pity or the poor kit and bring her food, or whatever. It wasn't that bad though, really. Plenty of food, few predators...I grew up in a really good place."
Yes, she had gone hungry plenty of times. Yes, had been forced to hide from the occasional predator. But it wasn't as if her entire life had been spent worrying about dying one way or another. Nope, she had had it good.
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Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2008 12:44 pm
"I'm jealous," Loki said with a wry chuckle. "My family is apparently so enormous, I don't even know who all's part of it. There's my nephews, my mate and my adopted daughter and her mate and her children....but you lose me after that."
He could vaguely remember the days when he had fended for himself, but the memories were hazy at best. Most of his memory was dedicated to his time with Kousetsu now, as governing the tribe had become his life. Sometimes, he even felt like he'd lost who he was and had just become a shell, a machine others went to for advice.
Once more, he rolled his eyes at himself for his thoughts, knowing perfectly well they weren't true.
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