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 Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2011 2:04 pm
 Charon didn't usually listen to gossip. After all, who could tell whether it was even factual or some fancy made up by a bored lion to see what affect it might have on others? This time, however, he had not been able to stop his ears from twitching. Love was in the air and normally such a thing would hardly be the topic for gossip. This time, however, there was slightly more to it.
And certainly, love between a high-class member and a low-class member was bound to bring a few raised eyebrows and disapproval. His mother, when she'd heard the news, had been more than disgusted, muttering something along the lines of; 'a disgusting thing: giving up rank and respect for a male.' Then again, he could understand that from her. His mother had never been very lucky in the ways of love and such feelings had seemingly broken her in the past.
But...was it really so horrific? To look beyond rank and allow yourself to fall in love, no matter the rank? Charon didn't think so and he secretly cheered at the very idea of someone looking past rank and class. That had to be true love, didn't it?
In any case, it was nothing to do with him and he was quite happy to let such things flow on by with him nothing more than a fleeting spectator. It was nice, at least, to see others happy and getting on with their lives; not feeling tied down to duty and responsibility...He sighed softly at the thought and stretched out on the grasses, enjoying the touch of dappled sunlight across his back. Responsibility was a hard thing at times. A tiring thing...and speaking of which, his mother would probably already wonder where he'd gotten off to.
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Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2011 2:14 pm
Rika had nowhere in particular she needed to be that afternoon and nobody seemed to need her, even when she wandered through the busier areas of the pride. She was happy to walk about and enjoy the day.. until she spotted a familiar figure laying in the grass. Charon was a friend and, conveniently, he was not far above her in rank so she felt far less insecurity in going up to him.
"Good afternoon!" she called, approaching him cheerily.
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Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2011 2:36 pm
Imarika's voice was one that put a smile on Charon's face. He wasn't the most social of creatures - tending to be a little awkward in conversation - but she was one he felt more comfortable in speaking with. She was cheerful and easygoing and he found it reassuring. He didn't have to watch his words or tread carefully around her...not like he had to with his mother. One wrong step with her and she'd go off on a rant. Even thinking about it tired him out.
"Afternoon!" He replied, shifting to get up onto his paws. "You look happy today! Uh, not that you shouldn't be...but yes, uh...hello!" Okay, so maybe he was still a bit awkward. He flustered a moment before regaining himself. "How's everything? It's been a while since we last spoke." Too long, in fact. He really shouldn't isolate himself so much. "Your family are doing well?" He wondered whether she had heard the gossip. He supposed that she must have done, after all, a slave hooking up with a high-class was bound to stir up excited chatter amongst his once-fellows.
He supposed that being male in the pride did have certain advantages. A male could marry into a rank whilst a female was stuck in hers. However, at least being female, there was no chance of losing rank if you fell in love with someone lower than you. Unless...unless you were already low.
He shuffled his feet, suddenly feeling awkward again - which he shouldn't have, considering Rika looked bright and happy.
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Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2011 3:49 pm
Rika couldn't help but giggle when he stumbled around saying hello. She did feel rather cheerful today, it was a good day so far, and it was fair for him to comment on that.
"Hello," she repeated between his stammering questions, "It has been a while since we spoke, too long, really. Everything is good, everybody is fine."
She smiled at him, wondering why he was suddenly looking so awkward.
"How are you?" she asked, "How is your mother doing?"
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Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2011 3:54 pm
"It really has. I'm sorry... that's probably my fault. I'm not the best at being social." His ears flattened back into his two-toned mane and he gave her an apologetic look. "I'm glad to hear everything's okay with you and your family, though."
He gestured vaguely with a paw. "She's...the usual. No, that's not true. I think she's doing better. She's not had any of her visions in a while and her temperament has been more settled. I just worry that something else is going to come by and send her back over the edge." Him, included in that 'something'. "I've been trying to give her a bit more space but...she doesn't like being left alone too long." It was probably true that in his attempts to help his mother he was actually worsening the issue. His constant care had made her dependable on him and when he did want to get out by himself she often stressed herself out over when he was going to return. His mother was not happy and the likelihood was that she was never going to be happy.
And then, somewhat tentatively. "Have you heard the news going around?" Better to call it news rather than gossip. It sounded better that way.
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Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2011 4:33 pm
She was used to him saying he was anti-social, which said enough about him being social in her opinion, so she simply didn't comment on that particular fact. She was happy to smile at him despite the slight awkwardness.
Her ears perked up when he tried to wave off the question about his mother and her smile brightened when he said she seemed to be doing better- that was a very good thing, though it made her wonder why he didn't look much more cheerful himself.. then he got to the worries that something would push her back over the edge.
"You shouldn't worry so much," she said uselessly, though she wasn't sure what else to say-- and it didn't matter, for very quickly the topic changed.
"What news?"
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Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2011 4:38 pm
He gave her a small and somewhat lopsided grin. He was a worrier. It was what he was best at - though knowing that fact didn't make him happier for it. "I try not to, I really do. I just...feel at a loss for what to do." Again he waved it away. No doubt he'd always be powerless to help her, though he did what little he could. He brought her food and offered her an ear so that she could talk through all the weird visions she had seen. Apparently talking about them helped to make them less horrible...or something.
He gave a small shrug and then focussed in on her question, suddenly feeling awkward and embarrassed. "Oh, um...well..." His eyes shifted from side to side, clearly unsure with how to continue.
"The...the thing about...Selene?" He had lowered his voice instinctively - though there was not likely anyone else to be around. "I heard some of the others talking about it and...well...I don't know if it's true! I don't like to gossip...I just...uhhh..." He blinked. "Overheard and wondered whether...uh...Yeah..." He was utterly hopeless.
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Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2011 4:44 pm
Rika watched him, observing the sudden change in the way he was holding himself and speaking-- it seemed far less like news by the second and her curiosity rose. When he said Selene's name, though, she knew exactly what he was talking about and she smiled despite his continued stammering around saying it.
"About her and Mazin," she said when he trailed off, "I had heard about it, and I have seen them around together, but I haven't really heard anything official about it. From what I've seen, they're both denying it."
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Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2011 4:47 pm
Oh, so she had known! That was good! She was probably more aware of the situation than he was. "Ah, well, denial...is not so good." So...things weren't as carefree as he might have hoped for them. If they were still in denial than maybe they weren't sure about throwing caution to the wind and making it official.
He sat, somewhat heavily, and cast her a glance. "What do you think about it all? Them, I mean. Uh...do you know Mazin?"
He couldn't say that he'd ever spoken with the male and he'd certainly not ever shared a word with Selene. "Do you think they'll work it out?"
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Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2011 4:54 pm
Now that they were off in to what could be a rather long conversation, Rika took the time to settle down in the grass, sitting down and curling her tail around her feet. Her smile faded as the tone of the speculations changed. Seriously considered, it was not such a certain and romantic thing.
"I have met Mazin. I am familiar with his family, they were born around the time Andy and I officially became slaves," she explained, it might not have been obvious but that said a lot, there was a great sense of community amongst the slaves, "It seems like it should be a simple situation, it doesn't have the same problems as grandma and grandpa's story where Selene can keep her rank, but not everybody who talks about it seems to think it's much better."
She frowned.
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Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2011 5:02 pm
He nodded slowly, thoughtfully. "I was surprised, I suppose, to hear of how much gossip it had spread. Even I heard about it which must mean that everyone knows!" Or close enough, anyway. "But as you say, Selene won't have to give up her position as heir so..." He trailed.
"I really can't get my head around these politics." He shook his head. "If they want to be together, they should be. I just...hope that gossip and...anger...no, not anger exactly." He corrected himself. "Disapproval, keeps them from doing what they want to."
Could it really just be the concern that one day one of the rulers had once been a slave? Did it really matter all that much? "Life always seems so complicated, doesn't it? Even such things as love is turned into something that is stressful rather than a thing to be enjoyed." He lifted his eyes to look at her. "I hope things work out well for them in the end and rules are rules. If they want to be married then who could possibly stop them?"
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Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2011 5:09 pm
"Love is complicated," she said, surprising even herself when voicing her opinion on the topic. She blinked and shook her head, "I mean, with or without love, changing your class is a big deal. Males can gain or lose a lot and females can be tricked or overlooked because of it."
Rika shuffled her paws a bit. It wasn't that she expected she would have many suitors were she a higher rank, she simply thought it would be easier then.. but then when you were, you had to be sure it wasn't just about climbing in rank for your mate.
"Perhaps that's where some of the disapproval comes from, worrying that Mazin is only interested in being high class, in being king," she suggested, trying to focus the subject back somewhere less personal, "He is from a high class family on both sides, after all."
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Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2011 5:17 pm
Wait. What? Tricked or overlooked? Charon's eyes widened in dismay. Males would...would do that? See only a rank and...wait, was that what Mazin was doing to Selene? Was he just pretending so as to climb back up that social ladder?
"I...I hadn't even considered...not thought that..." He trailed, shaking his head in dismay. Well there went his whole ideas of love being what mattered in the end and being a freeing and wonderful thing. It was just another means to an end. Hardly unsurprising, perhaps, but terribly disappointing nonetheless. "I suppose I should have thought of that myself."
But if Imarika had thought of this then surely Selene had done as well, right? Unless love really did blind a person and she couldn't see past his smile to the schemes hidden within. Ugh, now listen to him! He was being judgemental like all the rest! He was jumping to conclusions! And yet...it was oddly hard not to jump to them.
"Well...what do you think, Rika? Do you think he's just in it to gain rank? Do you think maybe his family are encouraging him to?"
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Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2011 5:22 pm
"I don't think so," she murmured when he asked what she thought about the situation, "Or, I don't want to think so. I mean, it's happened before, I don't think grandma and grandpa are the only ones, though they have a recent and well-known story of it now."
She sighed.
"Whatever the case, I'm sure if Selene hasn't considered it, her parents have."
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Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2011 5:28 pm
"I hope you're right. It would be awful if it all ended up in disaster. Broken hearts are not much fun." It turned good lionesses into bitter, twisted hermits, he thought to himself silently. "And here I was thinking it'd all be smooth going." He gave a small, humourless laugh. "I clearly have a lot to learn about these sorts of things."
He sighed. "I suppose, in the end, it isn't our job to worry about it. No doubt Selene's parents are doing enough worrying themselves." All they could do, in the end, was wait and see what happened. He just hoped it was all as innocent and wonderful as he had first assumed.
At least he seemed to be settling into conversation a little easier. Practise certainly did make things easier. He cast Imarika a somewhat brief glance and then continued (down a slightly different line of topic): "How about you, Rika? Any budding romance on the horizon at all?" He was curious to know the answer to that one.
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