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 Posted: Sun Oct 09, 2011 2:42 pm
 Yareha was at the watering hole. The entire atmosphere was much more relaxed than it had been in weeks and everyone was less exhausted and much more cheerful. Aside from those who were simmering with resentment over Selene's probable betrothal to Fuu (and who was he anyway, some random prince from another pride?), everyone was pretty happy. The white lion was, for the most part, fairly content at the moment. Not to mention the situation with Mazin, but he was trying to avoid thinking about that. Unfortunately for him, the cousin in question was headed straight for him. Along with his oh-so-pregnant sister Aysu (and that was yet another part of this whole mess) and...someone he'd never seen before in his life. In fact, Yareha was fairly certain the grey lioness wasn't a member of the pride. Which made her... "Is that another rogue, Aysu?" he demanded as they came into speaking range. "Haven't you caused enough trouble lately?" Shouldn't she have learned to leave well enough alone?
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Posted: Sun Oct 09, 2011 7:40 pm
Aysu was in the lead of the little group headed for the waterhole but she was still calming down from the last little discussion with Iei and Mazin and so she was completely blind to Yareha's proximity until he heard him shouting at her. Her ears turned back and she glared at him.
"Go away, Yareha," she snapped, not at all interested in his accusations. He was the least supportive brother ever! Except she was sure a couple other ones felt similar to or worse than him. Mazin was aware of Yareha long before he shouted to them and he could see the way his cousin was looking at them, even before they were really close enough to see it clearly. Maybe it was just knowing what was going on with his cousins but he was ready for it- he slowed down a bit to make sure there was some distance between him and Aysu.
"Her brother," he explained quietly to Iei.
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Posted: Sun Oct 09, 2011 7:49 pm
 Ieiunium was just following Aysu and Mazin quietly, not to mention apprehensively, when someone started shouting at her guide. The rogue lioness had been nervous enough just being around so many strange lions in a pride that she definitely didn't belong to and now this. And it seemed that Aysu's bad mood wasn't subsiding since she was just short of yelling back. The grey lioness felt guilty since she knew it was partially her fault that the black lioness was so upset. So she wasn't entirely surprised to hear that the white male was Aysu's brother - in the rogue lands, you generally had to be related to someone or have some other very close emotional bond to feel that strongly about them and their actions. "'Another rogue?'" she whispered back to Mazin. She didn't like the fact that the stranger was prejudiced against her just because of her status as a rogue. Iei wanted to at least know why he was inclined to hate her so. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "No," the white lion replied, the edge of a snarl in his voice. Aysu got away with far too much - dad must've spoiled her rotten. She couldn't keep doing things like this to the pride! "When are you going to stop and think?" Yareha hissed at his sister. "The pride's in no state for this kind of crap!" There were enough internal troubles that even Fuu's upcoming initiation could cause negative ripples if they weren't careful. The Mwezi'Johari might be recovering, but things weren't back to normal yet. He ignored Mazin and the rogue for now. His cousin wasn't the type to have come up with whatever harebrained scheme this was a part of, and the poor lioness looked absolutely terrified - he doubted it was her idea either.
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Posted: Sun Oct 09, 2011 8:02 pm
"Her cubs' father," he explained, daring to speak up a little louder since he didn't want to have to repeat that and risk being heard more than the once. It was had to explain the full situation in hushed tones.
"Another bad timing thing," Mazin added thoughtfully, hoping it didn't give her the wrong idea about the pride's standards regarding lineage. This was really more of a family specific thing, though the pride was careful with rogue breedings for the whole class evasion thing.
He frowned as Yareha got more vicious, knowing Aysu was already on edge but Yareha intimidated him. He looked from Yareha to Aysu, but it didn't look good.
"She's one rogue and she needed a safe place to stay for the night," she shouted back, her voice filled with rage and very nearly cracking. She was growling but she managed not to say anything else that was on the tip of her tongue, though she was dying to just yell at him. Him and his stupid face and his stupid, insensitive accusations.
"The pride is not xenophobic, rogues are around all the time- or they were."
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Posted: Sun Oct 09, 2011 8:12 pm
"Oh." Iei supposed she could better understand what the white lion was thinking now. She sure wouldn't trust Aysu that much if she was in his fur. The black lioness seemed to have a distinct tendency to leap before she looked, at least from what the rogue had seen thus far. She crept towards Mazin, intending to hide behind him for the time being. He was closest and the nearest thing to a known quantity in this strange pride.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Oh, is that what he told you?" Yareha spat. He'd never actually gotten Aysu this mad before, but damnit, he was angry too!
"I seriously doubt that there were so many rogues around the last time the pride was this insecure! And I'm sure that the lions who were living here then had more sense than to go allowing strangers in until things were settled!" The white lion was snarling now, claws unsheathed and digging ruts in the dirt beneath him.
In truth, he'd all but forgotten about the rogue present and Mazin. It was Aysu's judgement he had lost faith in.
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Posted: Sun Oct 09, 2011 8:25 pm
As soon as Yareha mentioned the father of Aysu's cubs, Mazin knew this was not going to end very well. Aysu didn't talk about the lion who had gotten her pregnant, she was very private about it- even with him, and they had been talking a lot lately. He went to move forward to stop Yareha before he said anything even more hurtful but Iei had moved to hide behind him and he was stuck.
Yareha was not helping to make a good impression.
Aysu froze when Yareha brought up her one-night stand, her eyes filled with hurt and hate. Yareha had no right to talk to her like that, they were of equal standing and they were family. Whatever thoughts she had about who might actually be her worst brother were very quickly replaced with the absolute certainty that it was Yareha.
Iei wasn't even the only rogue in the pride, though perhaps the only one with no current intentions to join. There were two juveniles who had joined, though they were far too young to be initiated tomorrow anyway. And there was Fuu, though there was no word that he was anything but a visitor from another pride- as good as a rogue, really.
"Yareha--"
She tried to speak but she didn't have any words ready, even if she had all of the arguments in her head.
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Posted: Sun Oct 09, 2011 8:37 pm
The grey lioness wanted to curl up in a ball and hide from all the shouting and anger in front of her. She was grateful that Mazin wasn't getting involved, but also uncomfortably aware of just how many people were at the watering hole - and every single one of them was staring at them. She just wanted them both to stop! They were siblings, right? And outside of a pride, they'd depend on each other for safety and protection and couldn't afford to offend each other so horribly.
Not that it didn't happen, of course, but she didn't want these two, strangers though they were, to have a complete falling out over her. Iei screwed up her courage and stepped around not only Mazin, but Aysu as well.
"It...it was my fault," the grey lioness said, the words starting as a wavering whisper and gaining strength as she spoke. "I was looking for a place to spend the night, and Aysu invited me to stay here." She managed to hold her head up proudly and look into the white lion's blue eyes - the same color as his sister's.
"Please, don't blame her!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yareha was mustering both breath and words to shout his next argument when the unexpected happend - the rogue came between him and his sister and asked them to stop. She wasn't even shouting, and though she was clearly uncomfortable, she'd still tried to stop them.
The white lion stared at the grey lioness, dumbfounded and silenced. She was absolutely nuts to interfere in a fight between one lion she barely knew and one she knew nothing of! He could only respect such bravery, but still!
Then the sense of her words penetrated. She was asking him to not blame Aysu and it was true that while he hadn't cared for his sister mating with some rogue, it was more true that he blamed her for not getting the guy to stay. He was angriest because some stranger had knocked up his sister and then left, not sharing the responsibility for the cubs that were soon to come.
"Aysu..." His voice was softer now, tone apologetic. But he just couldn't find the apology he wanted - needed! - to say.
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Posted: Sun Oct 09, 2011 8:50 pm
Mazin was getting used to having eyes turned his way but he was very nervously aware of the fact he was apparently involved in another very public argument. It was another thing holding him back, though he felt the same need to intervene that Iei felt-- but he was stunned when she stepped forward and tried to redirect the blame.
He took another step back, not to remove himself but to get a full view of what was going on before him.
Aysu was holding her breath, though she didn't realize it, and her eyes twitched as she was caught somewhere between a hateful glare and tearing up. She didn't manage to breathe again until after Iei had stepped in- and her first instinct was to argue with her, too. It was most certainly not Ieiunium's fault, it was nobody's fault, she wasn't a threat of any kind.
And then, suddenly, Yareha sounded apologetic.
"No!" she shouted shakily, still struggling to find the words she wanted to say, "You can't just take it back because a stranger told you to!"
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Posted: Sun Oct 09, 2011 9:02 pm
Iei looked back at Aysu and smiled sadly. "Sometimes we strangers see things more clearly than you can because we're not really involved in your problems," she told the black lioness. There was a lot more she could have said, such as how she was sure that her brother loved her a great deal and was only frustrated on her behalf. Or how a pregnant lioness really shouldn't be going through such emotional drama so close to her time.
"If stopping this argument is the only thing I can do for you, let it be my thanks for letting me sleep safe and sound for one night."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yareha watched the stranger lioness and, more importantly, listened to her words. She was right. Totally and completely right. And that was why he had to apologize to Aysu.
"I can and I will," he told his sister. "She's right and I'm...sorry. Really sorry." The white lion hung his head. "I never should've shouted at you...or brought up the other rogue." He paused. He really wanted to tell her how he thought the stranger male should have stayed, so that he could raise his own cubs, how he thought it was unfair for Aysu. But if his sister was his biggest concern...shouldn't he have simply planned to help her himself? The hunter felt unbelievably guilty that the idea hadn't even occurred to him until now. And, he suspected, Aysu wouldn't want to hear either part of that.
"I promise I won't bring him up again if you don't want me to," he told her sincerely, blue eyes looking straight into blue eyes.
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Posted: Sun Oct 09, 2011 9:22 pm
Aysu was not an unreasonable lioness but she was had far less control over her emotions lately and the amplified frustration with Yareha's sudden and complete change of heart was unbearable. She glowered at him even as Iei spoke and as he spoke, unable to accept any of their words even with Yareha's genuine tone and posture.
Her halted breath was catching up to her and she breathed heavily as she made an effort to respond.. but she still wanted to yell at him and it was harder to yell at him when he was acting like this. Ultimately, she had only the one choice.
She turned around and walked away, giving no second glance even to her rogue guest or her friend as she went.
Mazin, who had almost no part in anything that had been going on, even from the start of the day with Aysu and Iei, was left standing very awkwardly nearby. He was torn between following after Aysu and trying to calm her down (or give her someone to yell at) and knowing that that would mean leaving Iei with someone she had just met.
To be fair, they hadn't met much earlier.
Still, he stayed. And he stayed quiet, looking expectantly to the others.
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Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2011 6:10 pm
The rogue lioness chewed her lower lip nervously. Should she go after Aysu? She was still a stranger - she didn't know where Aysu was going, and she certainly didn't know the black lioness well enough to know what to say if she did catch up to her.
She turned to Mazin instead, cocking her head to one side. "I...hope I didn't offend her too badly," she told the grey male. "Or you," Iei continued, turning to the white lion she hadn't been introduced to.
"I'm Ieiunium," she offered. "I hope you'll forgive me for this...mess."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yareha was mixed up inside. He was frustrated with his sister for leaving, relieved she was leaving, still annoyed with the nameless rogue who'd gotten her pregnant and surprised by the stranger lioness. But there was no use chasing after Aysu. She needed her space, and she'd find him again when she was ready.
Or never. Maybe that was better. Bah, who was he kidding. His siblings might drive him crazy, but that didn't make him love them any less. If he was being honest with himself. He didn't try it very often.
Instead he turned to the rogue lioness - Ieiunium. "She had it coming," he joked. "But really, she'll be fine. She just needs time to cool down and not be the center of attention."
Now that he had the leisure, he actually took a look at the grey lioness. She had some unusual markings, and combinations of dark and light - quite unlike anyone in the pride. All in all, a fairly attractive lioness.
"Nice to meet you," he replied. "My name's Yareha Afaer." He turned to his cousin. "Um...where were you and Aysu taking her?"
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Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2011 6:16 pm
Mazin only frowned, though he made a shaky attempt to smiel at Iei when she hoped she didn't offend Aysu. It wasn't really anything Iei had done, but he missed his chance to speak up as the rogue turned to Yareha. He was back to frowning when Yareha joked, though part of him agreed with what he said.
He was almost started when Yareha asked him a question.
"What? Oh," he blinked, "Nowhere, really, just here to get a look at the rest of the pride, I think." He really hadn't had much control over it, he'd simply followed after Aysu, as Iei had done.
"You can go now," he added, looking back to Iei, "Aysu just wanted to make a good impression of the pride, she wasn't trying to hold you hostage or anything. I'd offer to walk you out but I really can't go that far on my own."
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Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2011 6:26 pm
Iei fidgeted a bit. "I don't even know where I should be..." she pointed out. She knew nothing about prides in general or this pride in particular. She supposed she could just leave, but she didn't want to go with Aysu still angry. The rogue didn't want to think that it was partly her fault and leave with things still unresolved.
She was about to ask why Mazin couldn't go that far when she remembered what he'd recited about being a slave. The lioness' lips twisted, but she didn't say anything. She really couldn't go around insulting her hosts that much.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"A tour?" Yareha asked. It sounded like the sort of thing Aysu would think of. He considered the idea, and then the fact that Ieiunium might prefer to just leave. She was a rogue, after all, and not committed to the pride.
"Well, I can show you around if you want, or I can take you to the edge of the pride's lands. Whichever you prefer," the white lion offered.
He turned to Mazin again. "What about you? Did Aysu hijack your day for this?"
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Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2011 6:30 pm
Mazin noticed that Iei was still fidgeting uncomfortably, it seemed no matter what the situation was, she wasn't going to be very comfortable- though, perhaps, it would have helped if Aysu was the one telling her she could go. But it was unlikely Aysu would have managed that while sounding convincing. Mazin wasn't even sure why it had been so important to her, though he had a couple ideas and none of them were of bad intention.
"Well, I guess so," he confirmed when asked about how he had come to be a part of this, "But I don't mind accompanying you if you want me to come.'
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Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2011 6:38 pm
The lioness considered her options. Yareha could guide her out of the pride's lands. But he couldn't, or wouldn't, find Aysu. And as much as Iei hated being around other people, she hated to leave something unresolved even more.
"How about that tour?" she asked.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I'd be happy to show you around, Ieiunium," Yareha replied cheerfully. He wondered how big of a tour it should be, where he should take her-
He suddenly remembered that it might not be just him and the lioness.
"There's nothing wrong with you coming with," the white lion told his cousin in grey. "But if you've got somewhere you'd rather be, I won't be insulted if you go."
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