[PLOT] Mad Eyes, No Surprise [Sera, Kenina + Kimacho] [DONE]

[Chibi Sheepcat]

After several false starts, Kimacho finally thought he was on the right path. It was hard to ask after a Firekin member when her only description was "a striped face and mad eyes." He had had a feeling that using such a vague and rather unpleasant description of the lioness in question would only get him in trouble. Trouble was just about the last thing that he needed, but it seemed to find him wherever he went. It was all he could do to avoid it, and thus he did not believe in needlessly trying to seek it out. Still, finding Serafina was proving to be harder than he'd originally thought.

His luck took a turn for the better when he finally spotted a lioness that fit the description. She was as red as the last Firekin he'd met, perhaps even brighter, with some bits of white and a smidge of black. It was like Azar had said: you couldn’t go looking for a Firekin by their colouration alone. This young lioness's face might be considered striped, but there was something about her that made him wary. Perhaps this would be the one. It was worth a shot. Kimacho approached the Firekin carefully, stopping at a respectful distance and calling,

"Excuse me, miss. You wouldn't have to be Serafina, would you?"  

[Daffupanda]

Serafina was hungry. She'd accidentally allowed her snack to escape; mother had always told her NOT to play with her food, but the temptation was just so great sometimes! The girl grumbled under her breath as she glared at the small opening in the rock, where the mouse had run for cover in an attempt to evade her, "Awww..." she extended a clawed paw and scratched at the rock's surface, but the effort was in vain.

Sitting back on her haunches, the girl whined loudly, her ears flopping back against her head in her frustration, the sounds she was emitting and her posture making her look very much like a harmless child, "That isn't faaaaaair! I caught it fair and square!" she continued mumbling till a Kimacho's voice interrupted her. Instantly, the girl turned to face Kimacho, her features distorting. Something about the way she looked instantly changed; from innocent and childish, to angry and dangerous, "What the ******** hell do you want, old man?! Can't you see I'm busy?! I'm not in a mood for a fight, damnit! Go duel someone else! ******** YOU!" that said, she turned to glare at the opening on the rock again.

That lasted a moment however, for soon enough, the large teen turned to look at him again, a mad grin starting to appear upon her features, "O'course... I CAN be persuaded..." something about the tone in her voice seemed to indicate that it was quite probable Kimacho should NOT persuade her.  

[Chibi Sheepcat]

Oh... my. Azar hadn't been exaggerating about the mad bit. The change in facial expression was quite frightening, and her language only added to her presence. This was a lioness that you wouldn't want to get on the bad side, if possible. Kimacho wasn't even sure Serafina had a good side, much less a bad one. Judging by her temperament, it was likely even those she tolerated were subject to these mood swings. If Epesi had been killed in blind rage it was very likely that this lioness had done it. All the lion would have had to do was look at her the wrong way, and Kimacho had no doubts that Serafina would have been eager to "start something." Still, Epesi would have probably backed down, never one for such fights. He would need to speak with her further to get a better understanding of the situation.

"Unfortunately, I did not come to duel with you, though perhaps that is fortunate since I do not think I would make a very worthy opponent. I am Kimacho. I merely wished to ask you a question about Epesi. He died recently?" The detective hoped to jog her memory with the last bit, which would serve to take her mind of the topic of duelling. He was treading cautiously around this lioness, not wanting to have her claws in his face before the meeting was over. "I was told that you and Epesi got into a fight before his death. I was wondering if you could possibly tell me what the fight was about?"  

[Daffupanda]

The insane look vanished for a moment when she was rejected, and the girl made a face, "Awww... you're no fun. You're a fun bum," she told him unintelligibly, then flopped herself on the ground again, rolling over so that her tummy was facing up and she was able to look at him upside-down. A giggle escaped her as she watched him, "Much better like this. You look funny," it was obvious the girl's mood swung around like the branch of a tree in a storm; not only that, it was very apparent that she was straightforward and lacked any actual 'sneakiness'. She was dangerous, yes, and probably not the best lioness to pick as company, but she didn't seem to be the brightest star in the heavens either.

His words made her pause, still in that same upside-down position, "Dead?" she asked, then a stray thought entered her brain, remembering all the fuss she'd seen that morning. Huh! So all that stupid fuss was over a dead lion! Imagine that! Then she snorted, remembering her fight with Epesi, "Well, good riddance! Dummy had it coming!" a pause followed her words and she rolled over to face him right-side-up, "He owed me a rematch. I was gonna win that one. I was gonna rip him apart and tear his eyes out, I was!" a mumble followed the words, "Kenina told me to leave him alone though... not yet, she said, not yet," the mumbles turned to grumbles, "She's no fun sometimes."  

[Chibi Sheepcat]

The more he spoke to this lioness the more he began to revise his initial assessment of her. If she was faking madness she was doing an exception job, and he was inclined to believe that she really did change moods faster than the blink of an eye. Happy and childish one moment, and then aggressive and bloodthirsty the next. It was very unlikely that she would premeditate anything. If she had killed Epesi, she would have done it in a whim and probably come back to the pride feeling quite smug. But she also could have killed him and then switched moods. It was hard to say if she suffered any memory loss when she moved from her "angry" state to her "child" state. This Serafina was a very puzzling creature, of that much he was absolutely certain.

Her response to the death was quite different from Azar's. While Azar had been quick to lash out and deny any involvement, Serafina was making her feelings about Epesi clearly known. She didn't hide the fact that she didn't like him, nor the fact that she was going to kill him during their rematch. Just the description of how she would end him alone was nearly enough to make him discount her entirely. Epesi had been killed, that was certain, but not in the way that she had just described. If it had been her, she wouldn't have been smart enough to do it in a way that wouldn't point to her. The 'not yet' bit caught his attention instantly, but he wasn't sure what to make of it.

"The pair of you duelled before, then. Do you remember if he said anything about a rematch? Did he seem eager to fight with a lioness such as yourself or did he wish to avoid confrontation?" Kimacho was sure she was crazy, but crazy enough to kill Epesi that far from the main group? It just didn't seem her style, nor did she seem to have the ability to plan something that smooth. Perhaps Azar had just been pointing fingers. "And why did Kenina tell you to leave him alone, if I may ask?"  

[Daffupanda]

The way the red female was frowning seemed to indicate that she thought Kimacho was talking too much; too many words, too much talking and not enough action. Growing restless, the lioness offered him a mild growl, her ears flatting back as she moved her weight from one paw to the other, "You talk too much," she told the dark lion with a grumble, "Too much talking, too many words... I don't get you. I don't understand. We fought, he got lucky, s'all."

She'd been about to snarl something at the older male, taking a step forward, her intentions of attacking clearly visible upon her features when Kenina's voice drifted towards her, from somewhere to her left. Instantly, the red female stopped, one paw in the air, making her look awkward and almost off-balance. Her anger melted away instantly, replaced by happiness. She butted her head against her sister's, looking much like a harmless kitten as she nuzzled her. The black female's presence had a strange effect on Serafina; while before her movements had been erratic, difficult to predict, Kenina's mere presence and contact had managed to calm the red female down.

Now, instead of an unpredictable bundle of violent energy, she looked calm. Then, when her sister addressed the male, Serafina tensed up, looking like a spring that had been coiled up; it was obvious she was waiting for a signal from Kenina, almost as if the smaller lioness were capable of controlling and directing Sera's anger towards whatever target she deemed worthy. All in all, they acted like two halves of a whole - dangerous at best, deadly at worst.  

[Chibi Sheepcat]

Serafina seemed to be running out of patience with all this talking. Just like Azar, the moment he started asking the real questions she suddenly didn't want to talk. Were all Firekins like this? They certainly seemed to be very focused on action, with little regard for subtle talks. Nonetheless, Kimacho was pretty much finished with this lioness. Though she had the motive and the means, she did not have – in his opinion anyways – the cunning to do the dirty work. If it had been up to Serafina, she would have killed him in a duel and paraded around the pride after she'd done it. Not to mention she didn't seem smart enough to keep a secret even if you told her to.

When she took a step forward he took a step backwards, taking it as his cue to leave, when another lioness arrived on the scene. The detective tilted his head slightly as he watched this much darker Firekin interact with Serafina, and Azar's words suddenly replayed in his head. 'You better watch yourself round her, ‘specially if she’s got that other one with her.' So this must be... "Kenina, I believe?" The change in Serafina was so drastic that Kimacho almost didn't believe it. She wasn't calm per say, but she had a certain focus that she had lacked before. It was almost frightening to watch her. He had little doubt that whatever Kenina asked her to do she would do without hesitation. It was enough to make him start to change his mind about Serafina. With the motive and the means, and now with the focus, it could very well have been the pair of them. Kenina looked the type to plan and to wait. But why would Kenina want Epesi dead?

"There is something, actually, if it isn't too much trouble. I heard that Serafina and Epesi were fighting before Epesi was killed, and I was interested in the reasons. Serafina has told me that she wished for a rematch. I was curious to know if either of you knew how he had reacted to this." Kenina would be harder to get answers out of, but perhaps she would say something that gave him more insight into her motive for the death of Epesi.  

[Daffupanda]

Technically, Serafina was now only paying minimal attention to the conversation, instead focusing most of her attention on her sister's movements, her golden eyes narrowed. Having Kenina take the lead on the more intellectual part of the situation was just fine in her opinion, though she couldn't understand what they were still doing talking to the old git.

She couldn't remember having re-matched Epesi; she'd be rather let down knowing she'd missed the opportunity of beating the male to a pulp. But then again, Serafina didn't always remember everything she did, so it was quite possible she might have gone to seek out the older male and didn't actually remember doing so... not that she would tell Kimacho that much though. Specially since she was having a rather good time getting under his skin, even if she was finally growing bored, as was obvious by the way she allowed a mild growl rumble through her chest at her sister's final words - something about a lead.

The red female snorted slightly, the sound mixing with the growl that still vibrated through her, "Was the Epesi-dude murderer by being ripped to shreds, or beaten to a bloody pulp beyond recognition?" she asked in a very low, cold, dangerous voice, almost unlike the one she'd used earlier. She didn't wait for an answer and instead continued, "No? Well then it wasn't me," of course, after talking, she offered the detective a smirk worthy of the devil himself.  

[Chibi Sheepcat]

She was almost too clever, this Kenina. Even if she was 'part of the bad guys' as Azar had said, perhaps she was here only to keep with the old saying 'keep your friends close and your enemies closer.' Kimacho was sure that they were going to be playing mental games now, where wording was extremely important. Kenina would not give him any information that she had not thought about first. Likewise, he would keep his information to himself. It would be hard to get her to slip up, if she were the guilty one, and even harder to slip Serafina up in the presence of her sister. He would have to proceed carefully.

"Monitoring? No. But looking into duels that are related to the murder of Epesi? Perhaps. I am merely looking for the pieces to a puzzle that will have the answer when all is said and done. I heard that Serafina and Epesi had fought, but if this was normal behaviour for her then that is something worth finding out before and fingers are pointed, don't you agree?" This pair already had a reputation. Azar had hinted as much to that. But he knew he would have a hard time convincing the Regents that it had been them, since there was no current motive for Kenina. It did not seem very likely she would kill a foe for her sister that Serafina could easily kill in a duel. Nevertheless, he was not keen on letting these two off the hook. There was something going on here, and he intended to get to the bottom of it.

When Serafina spoke again, he turned his head to look at her, not providing the answer to her question. She must become smarter in the presence of her sister, he mused. Kimacho had come to the exact same conclusion. But just because she hadn’t killed him in a recognizable way didn't mean she hadn't killed him. He had learned that a long time ago. Kenina's words were much more interesting, however. She seemed to be pointing her own fingers, which was intriguing. "I have no reason to believe it was anyone among us. Innocent until proven guilty, I believe the saying goes. But I am interested in your information, Kenina. Different angles to the same problem are always welcome."  

[Daffupanda]

Suddenly the anger was gone again, and Serafina chuckled darkly, "Ooooooh, Vlam's gonna get it," she said in a mild sing song voice, "Bet'cha he tried for a midnight roll in the den and got a face full of angry mate instead~~" a snort escaped her nostrils, almost as if dismissing the wholse situation she'd just been through, or otherwise suddenly deciding that being a suspect of a murder was not entirely worth her time. Kimacho was simply not worth her time, "I'm hungryyyyyy...." she whined suddenly, almost childishly despite the implications of her previous words, "Kenina, my snack got away earlier, and I've not had luuuuuunch - I can't go back to No without eating! Let's go find food," she reached up and gave her sister's ear a small, rather loving nibble, "Let's just go. I don't like him - he talks too much. Can we go now?"

She offered Kimacho a mild glare before returning her attention to her sister, nuzzling her side the way a kitten might before slowly separating her form from her, "Huuuuungry," it was difficult to believe that this lioness had been the one smirking insanely just moments before; but then again, if anything was clear was that Serafina was an insane creature, leashed back only by her sister's code of morals, agenda and ideals, whatever they might be, "I don't like him. He's no fun. Didn't even come for a duel and is just talking, talking, talking," a pause as her eyes narrowed, the same dangerous demon from before shinning through her features, "Besides, it's not like that," she said in a low, cold voice, "Everyone is guilty until proven innocent - that's how things really work."

That said, she turned around and padded away from her sister, only to stop a few paces away to wait for her, her eyes fixed on Kimacho, as if to warn him against making them lose any more time.  

[Chibi Sheepcat]

Like he didn't know it was murder. Kimacho resisted the urge to sigh. Kenina was very clever, he would give her that, perhaps even more clever than she was letting off now. But it was unlikely she had ever encountered a detective quite like him before. He was an outsider, that was certain, but this was not the first time he had visited a warrior pride. There was much to be learned about a lion by his fighting styles, and playful spars were ideal. Nobody had to die in the end, and he could learn what he needed to know about their true personality. Perhaps he would watch Kenina in a duel one day. He would like to see how she fared.

He inclined his head to her repetition of her statement, choosing to ignore the possibility that she was mocking him. Let her have her say and her opinions. They might be what would condemn her in the future. Kimacho was not here to change the opinions and the mindset of the Firekins around him. He listened intently as Kenina spoke, speaking of a lion by the name of Vlam. A flirt, and a lion that she did not think very highly of, if the wrinkle in her nose proved anything. How very curious. His time for questions, however, seemed to have come to and end. Serafina was getting restless, and now was as good a time as any to take his leave.

"I thank you for your time, Serafina, Kenina. I wish you good day." He bowed to each of them, before taking his leave. Vlam eh? A different angle, that was for certain. There would be time later to investigate him, but for the present he would return to his band of rogues. He had much to think about.