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 Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2012 6:42 pm
Well. What was Amalthea is going to think? Horatio had found another slave that was following him around, but it was more because Akemi was bored than that she was new. This one was a lot more stubborn than Kalila had been, and Akemi wasn't afraid to speak her mind. At least to her fellow low-class lions. She was smart enough to not talk back to anyone above her (though it was hard to resist if the other lion was only low-middle class). "Er, Amalthea?" Horatio called for his mate, not wanting to get too close to their shared den. If only because he wasn't certain that Laelia was doing any better about her love life situation. He didn't want to just burst right in with Akemi. Akemi was bored, and figured that following a fellow slave around for a bit would be entertaining. So far, it hadn't been, and so she sat down when Horatio paused, giving good look over on her front claws. She was going to have to be more careful if she wanted to keep herseulf useful in hunting. Dull claws didn't bring down a meal. She was hoping that she could snag herself a male, but many of them didn't want to give her a second look, being in low class.
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2012 8:11 pm
Amalthea had been keeping busy with Laelia for so long, it had seemed so strange when suddenly she seemed to disappear completely. It was almost like she was avoiding them now, but Amalthea couldn't figure out why. She didn't need to be embarrassed, they were her parents.. and she had certainly done worse as a cub. Cubs has less sense of outside perspective and cooperation, it kept things interesting enough when tempers flared.
She'd been staying close to home, hoping Laelia might drop by- she was surprised when she heard Horatio call out to her from a distance. It was strange but she didn't really think about it until she appeared and spotted him standing with another lioness. One she recognized this time, another slave.
"Hello," she said.
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2012 9:18 pm
"Is Laelia still around?" He swore, it was so hard keeping up with girls, he didn't know how his mate was able to keep track of their three. Perhaps because she was in in of the same, in a way. Horatio just counted his blessings that his beautiful mate was so level-headed. She did put up with him!
"How are you doing? Oh, we have a visitor...Akemi?"
Akemi nodded, a little disappointed that so far this seemed boring, but she wasn't going to cause trouble. At least not yet. With a smile that was a bit too friendly, she nodded to Thea. "Hello. I didn't have anything to do, and I've not had the pleasure of making any close friends, so...here I am!" She resisted jabbing at the fact that she didn't have her own family to be with in her off time, but that might be a bit much. She was trying to be nice, make allies....all that.
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2012 9:23 pm
Amalthea looked from the stranger to her mate when asked about Laelia, shaking her head and shrugging. She didn't know what to make of Laelia's sudden disappearance and apparent avoidance but it sisn't seem a good time to discuss that.
"No, Laelia hasn't been about for a while now, but I am doing fine," she said, glancing over to Akemi with a smile, "It's a pleasure to properly meet you Akemi, I'm certain I've seen your around."
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2012 9:32 pm
"Well, I guess I'm a great father, huh?" Horatio was clearly observant on her issues. "I never really had that sit down talk with her like I should have." He was going to have to see if he could seek her out to check on her. He was just going to have to be careful about it....but nothing could make him happier that the Great Lion favored his babies.
"Pleasure," she said with a bit of a purr at the end. "I've been busy, doing my best to help out in the hunts when asked. I'm only really good for hunting, I'm glad that the majority of those in the classes above us realize that." She really didn't know the forte of these two, but she was fine with it. Small talk attempt was probably going to fail, but Akemi did like to talk about herself. "Is your daughter well?"
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2012 10:18 pm
Amalthea glanced over to Horatio and gave him a small, reassuring smile but it was hard to discuss their own family issues when they had company and another conversation going on at the same time-- but of course, Akemi asked what was going on with her daughter. She would have to inform Laelia that not everybody was aware of it so she didn't have to be so upset now that she had an example.
"Our daughter has just run into a bit of trouble with a boy," she said, smiling, "She's fine." Well.. she would be fine, but she would have liked to know where she was.
"I don't think I've seen you around so much, do you tend to hunt more during the day or night?" she asked curiously. Akemi was familiar but not that familiar. Just enough that she knew they were in the same class, but everybody was supposed to know the others in their class.
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2012 10:28 pm
Horatio felt that Amalthea was telling him to shut up, in her own way. He didn't think it was that bit of a deal, but then again females could be so complicated about so many things. He was going to drop the subject but Akemi kept pushing it. And since...well, he was sure that Akemi could walk all over him if she tried, he was just going to let it keep going instead of changing the subject.
"I started out during the day, but I'm trying to adjust to more night time hunting. I think I'll try to stick with the later daytime hunts, though, I seem to work best in those." She had finally set her other paw down, her black toes playing with the grass below her. Hunting sounded like fun right now, since nothing else interesting was going on. Well, except about this talk of Laelia. Akemi did her best to know everyone in the pride, even if they didn't know her, but it was hard. There were just so many damn lions here.
"Ah, well, if the boy is making her cry, then he isn't worth her time," Akemi said, making assumptions left and right. Girls usually cried pretty easily, too.
Horatio just....sat and stared. Females, wayyy over his head.
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2012 10:45 pm
Amalthea nodded as Akemi described her hunting preferences. Everybody had their own, some based on skill, some based the natural preference of the pride for the night.. but whether they wanted to spend it working was the big question, really. That was why she, too, preferred to hunt at dusk when given the choice.
"Unfortunately, that doesn't take away the sting of betrayal," Amalthea said with a sigh, though she agreed with Akemi's assessment of the situation, "Do you have a mate?"
She couldn't recall any marriage recent marriage ceremonies for slaves but they were rarely made a big deal of. And she wasn't sure about all the gossiping she and Horatio seemed to be doing about Laelia's situation.. but it was a side effect of hiding in their den. Perhaps that was why she was gone now.
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2012 10:56 pm
Horatio...didn't really know what that felt like. How it felt to be denied, or betrayed, or anything like that. Though he had had to fight to show Amalthea that he wanted to be with her, rank be damned, he had gotten his love. Perhaps that was why he was struggling to help Laelia in her situation.
"Ooooh, ouch," Akemi winced. "Betrayal? I can't blame her then." It was almost like Akemi didn't want the full story. No, she'd rather hear of happy stories (even if she'd be jealous of them), then the fact that a male scorned a female. b*****d.
"She is better, though," Horatio pipped in.
Akemi only nodded, and then realized Amalthea's question. "No...there's...well. It seems I can't get anyone interested in me, for my rank." It was truthful, and it hurt. A lot.
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2012 11:05 pm
Amalthea looked over to Horatio with a smile. The whole story was a strange one, some of the details were fuzzy because truthfully, Laelia didn't even have them all.. but it didn't change how it looked or felt to her. Her mate's confidence that she was getting better was reassuring, all Amalthea could do was worry and it was tiring.
"Ah," Amalthea said when Akemi explained her problem, offering a hopeful smile, "You never know. Did anybody tell you about Unyezi?"
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2012 11:20 pm
Akemi glanced around, but there was no reason to. "I've heard whispers of it, though it seems that its not a topic up for conversation anymore. Only when I seem to be too friendly with other males not of low class does his name come up."
Clearly this meant that no one would want to step down to her rank. Now she wanted to cry, and she didn't even have a male to direct her anger and frustrations at!
What. What just happened? Horatio was looking betweek an upset-looking Akemi and a tired Amalthea, and wondered just what he had screwed up. If he had at all, but you never knew. Once a female was on the brink of tears, she could lash out at you for just coughing.
s**t...he'd better not sneeze soon! "It'll happen, that's how I am here with Amalthea now," he tried to reassure Akemi.
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2012 11:31 pm
Amalthea took a seat now that they were on a conversation that appeared like it would go on a bit more. She smiled at Horatio when he gave a brief version of their situation. None of the married male slaves started out as slaves, in fact.
"Yes, Horatio left the lower-middle class for me," she said, "And he's not the only one who has done it. Ulivuma is another slave, he was a member of the high class before he met Mawu. Unyezi, though, wasn't just a member of the high class. He was the king."
She sighed. It was one of the more romantic and hopeful love stories for the slaves, if only because it was recent enough to know was truth. Akemi couldn't have known all the details the same way being so young and born outside the Mwezi'Johari.
"Of course he married a high class lady and they produced an heir but as soon as their daughter was old enough to take the throne he stepped down," she continued, "He left his mate for a lioness he had fallen in love with in his youth, a slave."
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Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2012 4:00 pm
Well, Horatio hadn't been that heroic in his love for Amalthea, but to be honest...it wouldn't have mattered what rank he'd had had in the past, he still would have given it all up for Amalthea. His charming wife....so crazy to think of! He'd have to tell her later, though, as he didn't want to suddenly shower her in affection and leave Akemi feeling alienated.
"Wow," Akemi said, amazed. "That's so hard to believe...but its incredible." Bitterly she felt like no one would ever do that for her, but....hopefully one day she'd find herself someone. She was tired of being alone. She just didn't want to really wait for something to happen though, either.
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Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2012 4:06 pm
It was an awkward story to explain after Horatio mentioned his change in rank, it was no less noble and she loved him more than anything else.. but the story of a king who would give it all up to be a slave was the most uplifting to someone who didn't think it could happen.
"It was some time ago, long enough that they have had two litters since," she said, "but it is the truth. Unyezi and Nerit are slaves like us, you might have seen them about."
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Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2012 4:15 pm
Horatio figured it was like those fairy tales...they had to start from somewhere, right? He figured that in a few more generations down, it would seem almost mythical in the Mwezi'Johari.
"Wow....I may have. That's so neat, thank you for sharing," Akemi said, her own mind awash with hopes and dreams.
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