[PLORPT...?] Ok... So, here's my idea! (Mo & Rais)

[Seruta]

Mo rubbed his hands together nervously as he made his way towards Chief Rais' chambers. There had been many things on his mind lately. Mostly pertaining to the generic goings on at Laisidhiel, but this one idea had been nagging at poor Mo for quite some time. Even more so now that the little ones were almost teenagers.

Luna and Mo had done quite a bit as a pair in the short time that she had been living among them in the Great Tree. Even though they bickered often (in public), they always seemed to understand the other. At least enough to silently agree and continue bickering anyways. They had a family now and Mo wasn't one to go off and find another fauness to mate with. He wasn't that type of a guy. Luna didn't seem to have any interest in any of the other males. In fact, she seemed pretty set on keeping Mo at her side as well.

He sighed and scratched idly at an ear. He was sure Chief Rais wouldn't have a problem with this "crazy" idea that he had, but due to recent events, Mo felt it best to ask him personally and gather permission before enacting.

He approached the door and eyed it in silence for the moment. He wasn't scared or worried about this idea he had in mind. He was merely nervous. Marriage was a big step. Especially considering - if memory served him right - he was the youngest of the council..

He took a deep breath with a ready look and lifted his knuckles to the door frame, knocking upon it with confidence and determination.  

[Teigra]

Setting the empty wooden cup aside, Rais stared at it for a moment in thought. The Seer was getting rather alarmingly adept at sensing when the Chieftain was upset, or particularly stressed. The first couple of times that she'd shown up without warning, holding a cup of steaming tea without a word of explanation, had been...well, somewhat unnerving. After a few instances, however, Rais barely batted an eye anymore when the dark female showed up with a cup of soothing brew. Sometimes they would speak. Sometimes, like earlier, she'd simply set the cup within reach and leave without a word.

He supposed that she'd settled into her new abilities quite well at this point. And strangely enough, he was growing less uncomfortable with the idea of a woman in his Inner circle.

Well, this one at least.

Oh, if his mother could hear his thoughts. That alone caused the corner of the Chieftain's mouth to quirk upward slightly; then the expression faded with the knock at his door. Frowning, as he was expecting no visitors at the moment, he cast his gaze towards the archway. Now, who could that be? Reaching out to push the empty cup to the side, out of the way, he called, "Come in."
 

[Seruta]

Taking another deep breath, Mo stepped into the room and respectfully bowed.

He was ever so grateful that he was FINALLY back to his old self. Fully male and no longer feeling the need to hide in embarrassment because he was gender-swapped.

He stepped halfway across the room before he stopped again. All his gear currently (and proudly) being worn again and!! fitting correctly again!! Yey! If anything, that sight alone would cheer up Rais, if only a little.

Besides... the chest straps to his shoulder pads really chafed when he had breasts... ANYWHO!!

He cleared his throat softly and silently rejoiced in the fact that his manly vocals were back. "Hello, brother." he smiled. "Long time no see, right?" he added jokingly.

After a brief moment's pause he tilted his head, noting the stressed edge around Rais' features. "Is everything alright?"  

[Teigra]

At the sight of his (once-again male) Second-in-Command, the Chieftain's stress lines relaxed and his face broke into a cheerful, if a touch weary, smile. Standing, he crossed to meet the other with a chuckle. "Indeed, Brother. Far too long." He took the other's hand, pulling him in to clap an arm about the other's shoulders briefly. Then he stepped back, nodding curtly. "Yes, all is well, apparently. Though...it is a bit of a shame. You made a pretty woman."

Rais was quick to spin on his heel to head back towards his seat before the other could see the devious grin cross his face. It was an immense relief to see his Adviser back to normal, and with everything else that had been going on, any good news had him practically giddy.

Or at least, in a very good mood.

Of course, such things don't always last. Returning to his seat, Rais reclined, still half-smiling as he asked, "So, Brother. Anything else on your mind? No troubles, I hope?"
 

[Seruta]

Mo blinked and, though happy to see Rais smiling and happy again, blushed a bit. "Yeah, right..." he half mumbled then chuckled meekly.

He shook his head and smiled as Rais further inquired. "Actually, no troubles. In fact, quite the opposite."

Mo relaxed a bit as he continued. "Things about Laisidhiel seem to be mellowing out. All the, er... Fauns, seem to fitting in nicely. I'm sure you're aware that some have already taken to their new lives here." he started, clearly stating the obvious, but all understandable, given his duties.

"And the kids have grown quite a bit." he smiled proudly then readied himself. "Which... brings me to the reason why I'm here, brother." He seemed to take a few moments to quickly organize his words and thoughts, not wanting to blurt everything out all at once, but also not wanting to draw it out and bore Rais before he can get his question across.

"I understand that there's been a bit of an issue brewing from our sister, the Pathfinder, and her... situation." He quickly lifted his finger as if to stop Rais from saying anything at all. "Now, I'm not wishing to dive into that boiling pot, so give me a moment to continue..."

He fidgeted, most likely in a noticeable fashion... ok... now he was stalling.

"Given that situation, I felt it only fitting that I should approach you directly before taking any personal action. I've had plenty of time to contemplate the pros, cons, benefits and errors that may occur from this decision, but... I..."

It was here that he realized that he was so incredibly tensed and in fact, not inhaling at all all. He took a deep inhale and forced himself to relax a bit. "I... would very much like to ask Princess Luna for her hand in marriage, but I wanted to hear your thoughts on the matter first..."

There. He said it. The question was out there. Inwardly, he coiled, preparing for an uproar, though all at once not expecting one at all. His golden eyes lifted to meet Rais' directly as if silently searching for his approval...  

[Teigra]

Relieved that for once, someone was at his door for something other than bad news, Rais reclined, seeming much more relaxed himself. In fact, he seemed quite the foil for his suddenly anxious Brother. Though he tensed momentarily at the mention of the business with the Pathfinder, he let it slide as Mo continued speaking. Instead, he was having a hard time keeping a straight face as the poor man stumbled over his words and Rais realized just where this conversation was heading.

'Breathe, Mo,' he thought in silent amusement.

Yet, the Faun Chieftain kept his expression neutral, making a steeple of his fingers in a seemingly thoughtful manner. "Let me get this straight: you're wanting to propose to the dark Fauny princess, yes? And you're here, asking me, what my thoughts on the matter are?" He leaned forward, resting his elbow on one knee. "I have one thought..." He fixed his piercing gaze on the Adviser.

"It's about damn time."

Rais serious expression cracked at last, unable to hold any longer. He stood and moved to clap the other on the shoulder heavily, a congratulatory gesture. "Seriously, Brother, there's been talk around the Tree for a while now. Though, I suppose I could see reason in waiting a while, given the situation...didn't want to be the one wearing the flower, hmm?" He winked, then paused for a moment in thought, a frown returning.

"Dammit, I owe Vanya two mugs of Mojo's newest seasonal brews," he grumbled, then turned on Mo again. "Life lesson for you: Don't make bets with Seers. Really should have known better. Isn't that cheating? I think it is. Maybe that argument would work..."

All the while brushing off the talk of bets, Rais gestured Mo towards a second chair while returning to his own. "Bah, enough of all that. Happier talk. So, when's the big day?" he grinned.
 

[Seruta]

Mo blinked, seemingly frozen in worry as Rais seemed to look emotionless or worse, disapproving, as he leaned forward. The words that followed, left Mo stricken to his spot in more so confusion over what he just processed. 'About time?! Really?!' he thought to himself, clearly in visible confusion until Rais slapped his shoulder in congratulations.

"Oh... uh..." he rubbed his neck softly. "I hadn't really asked her yet. Much less made the journey to the top. Like I said, I wanted to hear your thoughts on it first. Which, clearly you're in approval." he chuckled a bit then flopped with relief in the chair offered. "Though, in all honesty, I highly doubt she'd turn me down."

"And you owe Vanya drinks?" he asked, finally realizing what Rais was saying. "I never pegged her for the drinking type. It's always Tea or Water when I'm around... And yes! I'd definitely consider that cheating!" he laughed.

There was a moment before he reclined completely, looking to the ceiling of the room in momentary bliss. "I had pictured a ceremony being held during sunset. maybe near the lake where all the stars can be seen over the water as they come out to play... She loves the night sky here. She says it reminds her of her old home..." His eyes darted softly about as he thought about this longer. "Early fall, maybe? when the leaves are starting to turn? And it won't be too hot or cold, either..."  

[Teigra]

Rais chuckled again, unable to help the amusement he felt at seeing Mo so flustered. "Of course, I approve. Why wouldn't I? You'd have heard an earful by now if I didn't, male or not." Would the teasing ever stop? Maybe, but not for a long, long time. "I'll leave all the details to you then, Brother. Any woman would be a fool not to accept an offer from such a catch." Though he chuckled, no teasing was meant at Mo's expense this time.

As for the Seer, he shrugged. "Apparently so. I never did either. Maybe the wager was to bait me into taking it, you think? Tricky damn women," he muttered, shaking his head, though he was still smiling and his tone light. "I'm going to see if I can get out of this one on a technicality of cheating seers. If not...maybe it'd be amusing nonetheless if she did drink 'em," he laughed at the thought.

As he listened to Mo relate his thoughts on the ceremony, he nodded as appropriate and paused to consider things as well. "I don't see a problem with adding a little personal touch to the ceremony." He rested his chin on his hand. "The ceremony would still follow Faun traditions, but a location change isn't ground-breaking. The lake would probably keep things cooler as well if the weather is still warm. A meeting of Earth and Water for the ceremony...could be a good omen..." he murmured, half to himself.

"That reminds me," he continued, seeming distracted. "We need to call a meeting soon with our Water allies to discuss important issues." There had still been no formal contact between the awakened Ancients, at least, not involving their leadership. Certain matters needed to be addressed, as well as strategies discussed for planning ahead and sharing information on the search for the other leaders thus far. He shook his head slightly, returning to the moment. "I'm sorry, this is your day we're talking about here. We can discuss business another time," he smiled apologetically. His mind tended to remain preoccupied these days if he didn't watch it carefully.
 

[Seruta]

At this point, Mo figured he was never going to hear the end of all the jokes. He rubbed his neck with a shy chuckle. "I guess you're right. Though the meeting we had the night of the party was earful enough." he teased back.

He then laughed at the comments concerning Vanya. "You will let me know how successful you were, right brother?" He laughed a bit more. "It'll be nice to know if that'll be a usable excuse in the future!"

He nodded as Rais went on about the possible alterings of the ceremony itself. "I didn't want to change the ceremony." he started in his own defense. Not that he needed to defend himself... "I merely wanted to help make things easier on her. Our traditions are far different than theirs as it is. Who knows how different our wedding traditions are to theirs..."

Mo perked up from his personal musings at the mention of duties to be fulfilled. "Would you like me to meet with our Water allies and arrange the time and place? I mean, I assume it would have to be near the water itself." His hand lifted to his chin in ponderment, a finger lightly tapped his chin. "I can't recall ever seeing the Naiads out of the water." he then shook his head and hand. "Oh, no worries, brother. Our duties have just as much importance as our personal lives." he stated simply. "Without a balance between them, one could become corrupt - whether for good or bad."

"Besides..." he chuckled and stood with a stretch. "I still have to take that small journey to the top and then set up everything for the proposal. The rest of the plans themselves can wait until later."  

[Teigra]

Rais chuckled, waving a hand at Mo's objections. "Perhaps I used the wrong word. It's not so much a change to the ceremony when the location isn't exactly set in stone. The ceremony does not have to be held on the meeting dais in the main hall; it's simply a location convenient for many Faun to attend, which is why mine was there. Yours doesn't have to be. There's nothing wrong with having a ceremony outside. Afterall, the Earth is always beneath our hooves, no matter where we go. The ceremony itself remains the same." He sat back, a momentary frown playing over his face. "I realize that our traditions have not been easy for our new brethren to acclimate to. I would not be comfortable with any changes to the ceremony itself, but if the simple matter of holding it outside beneath the stars would aid in the transition, then we shall ask the spirits for good weather and prepare an area for everyone to attend."

"I'll leave it to you, of course, but perhaps after you've asked her, you can discuss things between yourselves and explain some of our traditions to her. Maybe it will help her understand our ways, different though they may be, and why we do what we do." Rais offered his Brother a smile, then it was time to talk business again.

"I would appreciate that if you could, actually. These were once our allies, and they should be once more. There have been some mixed messages though, and it would be best for the leaders of our people to meet and clear up any misunderstandings so that we can be allies once more." Listening to Mo's concerns, he nodded in agreement. "Yes, near the water, but not necessarily in it. They can travel short distances across the land, but must remain near the water lest they dry out. I have been thinking, since we need a location that is comfortable for all without either side feeling threatened, at least until we have solidified our alliance, that perhaps the sacred meeting grounds would be best," he mused aloud, thinking of the location of the fireside induction ceremony for the Council members. It would be the only time the location had been used previously that Mo would remember, but it was a sacred site, open to not only Faun, but the other Ancients. "We will have the Earth beneath our hooves, and they shall have the Water at their backs. It is a shame to think that we must treat our own allies with suspicion, but these are turbulent times and that is why we need to open up relations as soon as possible. We have waited long enough," he said with a sad shake of his head.

"Send a message to the Queen of the Naiads and her Court. Tell her that Chieftain Rais of the Faun and his Circle wish to meet with them. You may include details on the meeting ground and request that a meeting time be agreed to, and..." he paused, checking himself. "You've got this. You don't need me dictating to you," he smiled at his Second-in-Command. Already, he'd watched the boy grow into his role so quickly, despite a few bumps along the road. As important as this meeting would be for future relations with the Naiad kingdom, and later the other Ancients as they returned...he had to stop trying to do everything himself and learn to trust his Circle to handle things for him.

He stood as Mo did, then held out his hand to the other with a broad smile. "Best of luck with your proposal, Brother. And an early congratulations as well."