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 Posted: Thu Dec 25, 2008 8:27 pm
There was something to be said about your relationship with your sister when your mother and her lesbian friend had to arrange meetings between you. In the rogue lands. And then make sure to remind you that they would be not too far off 'just in case.' Meeting with her sister had somehow become the equivalent of bringing a boyfriend over and having her mother walk by the open door every five minutes to "check up." Not that she was trying to secretly hit on her sister or anything. Perhaps that was a bad example.
But if Kitambi was being completely honest – and she usually was – she was a little anxious about this meeting. Her sister had become the pride queen of the Mtaishi'miele. She would be the pride queen of the Nchi'mahadhi. Seeing as the prides were allied, they had to maintain a good relationship between them to ensure no fighting. Though, that might prove difficult since calling Kitambi and Waseme's relationship "tolerable" was stretching it.
Still, there she was, at the appointed meeting spot, waiting for her sister. She had to try right?
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Posted: Thu Dec 25, 2008 8:48 pm
Strike two stones together and there's bound to be a fire.
If there was one thing they could agree on, it was that they needed to start agreeing. The Mtaishi was not Waseme's birth pride. She had learned early by becoming queen she was breaking the rules, the traditions she took to heart as if they were her own from the start. The little brown cub with half a black face (she'd outgrown it, thank the gods for being able to do that) was not reborn from the spirit that lingered there and nothing would change that. For a time she feared Safi'Painti may grow angry with her and smite them all. But she didn't, so Waseme, who was more of a believer than the queen before her would ever be, figured the spirit had an eye for the underdog.
Former underdog. Now, she was a queen. Maybe not of the Nchi, but her pride was just as good. They were basically one pride anyway--sharing food, skills and even talk of swapping kids if need be. That unity between the prides, between the first queens they didn't have, was what they were here to protect.
Waseme approached her right on time; she'd have been there earlier but there was another squabble between Bandele and Lakisa about who should get more students. Ugh.
"Kitambi."
Ah, formality.
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Posted: Thu Dec 25, 2008 9:03 pm
Kitambi had the tiniest sliver of hope that being queen would help their relationship. After all, the first had originally initiated because Waseme felt it wasn't fair that Kitambi was the queen and not her. It had then been perpetuated by pride and resentment, spiraling downward until they were more safe apart than together. But hopefully that would change now that they were on equal footing. It would be a step in the right direction, if anything.
"Waseme." She sat up straighter when her sister approached, bracelets clinking together as she moved. Kitambi had often wondered if Waseme would get rid of the bracelet that Nsundu had given her during their naming ceremony, or if she would keep it as a sign of her heritage. True, there was nothing terribly exciting about being related to Nsundu, but there were some good lionesses in her lineage. Sen probably did too, barring the fling gene which both she and Nsundu seemed to share. That was part of the reason Kitambi didn’t mind having a mate. It was a good way to avoid having multiple litters sired by a lion you met once and dragged off to a cave.
"How are things going in the Mtaishi'miele?"
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Posted: Thu Dec 25, 2008 9:12 pm
Much as she disliked some of Bandele's behavior, he had a quirk about him very few did.
Most were likely to go easier on those grandfathered into their good graces as friends than a stranger no matter the reasoning on both sides. Most would also be quick to anger with long time enemies even if they no longer had a reason. Waseme was one of the most. Bandele fought with Lakisa a lot, but he saw her side too. He just couldn't see it as right. Waseme, on the other hand, didn't even want to look through her sister's proverbial window to the world. The damage had long ago been done. Sharing titles wouldn't fix it.
But, still, she would act like a proper leader and do her best to impersonate the kind of discussion Sen and Nsundu would have had. Minus the talk of caves.
"Well. The rains have been gentle and we're preparing to find new bloodlines for the next generation of Hasana's family." God, that family. So freaking many of them. Always six or seven, at least. "And with you?"
By 'you', she obviously didn't mean Kitambi personally. As far was Waseme was concerned, they spoke as embodiments of their prides.
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Posted: Thu Dec 25, 2008 9:29 pm
The two of them would be hard pressed to imitate the kind of talks Nsundu and Sen had. They would be hard pressed to even mimic their behaviours, firstly because they were not as good looking as the previous queens (that was important) and secondly because they didn't have the personality to pull it off. Kitambi was too uptight and Waseme was just… Waseme. Thus they could never be lesbian buddies like Nsundu and Sen. Not to mention they were sisters, but these days that hardly stopped anybody.
Still, Kitambi did her best to be attentive and look interested. "The next generation from Hasana? You'll have to pass on my congratulations to them." That family must be the sole populator of that pride. Between Hasana, her made, and her six thousand children, they must have an army over there. An army of flower-wearing lions was not all that threatening, but Mwokoti could cover that base. Her lantern could be used to wound people. That made her dangerous.
"Things are looking good here as well. A few new members and many are returning from their drum quests. We hope to see some new cubs around once Isithunzi's brood grows older." That lioness definitely had Hasana genes. "Have you been down the pass recently?"
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Posted: Fri Dec 26, 2008 4:42 pm
Indeed, Waseme was not anything like the queen she followed in the paw prints of. If she was, she'd of had no problem having relations with her siblings. Sen was weird before it was normal. Now, she was almost part of some sort of weird clique who could all sit together at lunch and talk about how cute their brothers were. This is why Nsundu had only had two girls to start with. To avoid that.
She nodded and made note to tell Hasana Kitambi sent her regards. At the least she could pass it onto one of her relatives and it would reach her eventually. Or she could just tell Lakisa, then everyone would know. Even lions not in the pride. "I'll do that."
Waseme couldn't scoff at the Nchi traditions because she was raised with them as much as the Mtaishi's. Other than the hierarchy system, she had no qualms with the pride; it was their queen she didn't like. "I see."
Sen had told to discuss trade. She'd get to it.
"I have. The mountain seems to be falling in on one part of it."
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Posted: Fri Dec 26, 2008 4:58 pm
Falling for your brother was so last year. You had to take it to the next level if you wanted to be cool. Sister x sister was always better, and if you really wanted to push it, might as well try brother x brother. No doubt that would get some attention. It would be a lot easier if Kitambi and Waseme actually liked each other in a completely platonic way for starters, but who needed development? All Waseme had to do was share her tragic mom issues and everyone would understand.
"Thank you." Kitambi did try to sound interested and pleased; however it was hard to ignore the rather large distance that separated them. They were as far apart as politeness would allow, but even further in terms of their own relationship. It was almost the equivalent of sitting across a gorge and exchanging pleasantries.
"Is it? We should have a look at it at some point. Make sure it doesn't collapse when someone is passing through." She had been afraid it would come down while she was transporting Jun through.
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Posted: Fri Dec 26, 2008 5:05 pm
Hater.
Waseme was fine where she was. Sure, that 'where' was close to out of hearing range, but the important thing was it wasn't, so there she would stay. It also made it easier to flick her tail behind her without Kitambi seeing. She only did that when she wanted to maul something. "Mm."
We? Psh. She had no interest in any 'we' past this exchange. There were messengers for a reason. "I can send someone to look." Like Hari. If anyone was gonna get squashed it should be her. Besides, she was always wandering around in those mountains anyway. Yeah, that's right, she'd seen her.
"Any other issues?"
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Posted: Fri Dec 26, 2008 5:38 pm
"That would be acceptable. I shall probably send one as well." Jun could go, or Binafsi if she was not needed. The passage on the Nchi side was fairly well-maintained as far as she knew, and thus she did not intend on sending anyone to their doom. Personally, she didn't see why they couldn't send that god of theirs to fix it from above, but perhaps she was not at their beck and call. Still, the quicker it was fixed the better.
At the question Kitambi tilted her body to scratch an ear, using the pause to think. Was there anything else to discuss? Pride-wise she could think of nothing. There were personal matters, but rulers must never let their personal problems get in the way of relationships. At least, that was what she believed, and it appeared her sister felt the same.
"Not that I can think of. Was there anything on your side?"
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Posted: Fri Dec 26, 2008 5:51 pm
If Waseme had been a mind reader she just might have finally gone off on her sister. She couldn't imagine Mwokoti answering them unless she felt inclined to do so. The pride had her and Ukali to think for making it through everything. In a way, she felt the Nchi did too. Maybe the whole world. What would have happened if more gods got drug into a battle like that?
She pondered Kitambi's question. There was the issue of trading cubs, again, popping into her head. But Sen was ridiculous. If they traded cubs, those cubs would breed with someone in Hasana's family and it'd still be the same problem. She'd have to drag in new couples entirely. Not anything she needed Kitambi's help with.
"No, that's it. I guess we're done here."
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Posted: Fri Dec 26, 2008 6:25 pm
Kitambi knew very little about gods, even though her pride did have a representative one. Kazi was never around, and Nsundu had never exactly spoken fondly of him. While it was true that he wasn't at their beck and call, it was also true that he didn't seem to have any interest in the pride at all. Mwokoti, on the other hand, seemed quite interested, and thus she saw no reason why you shouldn't be able to call on a god. What else were they there for? Having more gods?
New couples seemed an issue in every pride but the Nchi, who just solved the problem by breeding with members outside the pride. It was unorthodox, but Kitambi didn't really care. Nsundu had impressed upon her that a lioness should be able to do as she wishes, and the same for a lion to some extent. If a lioness wanted to go have cubs with an outsider that was fine. If a lion did, that was also fine, but he had to at least make sure the cubs were in good hands. Then he could leave.
"I guess so. See you… next meeting." Kitambi stopped herself from saying 'around', since this was a strictly business no pleasure meeting. "Say hi to Sen for me." Yeah. Smoothe.
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