It seems the line had become diluted, weak in his time away from the clan. Foolish chits, a creature pure of blood and far more true to the old ideal than any of these lost souls was in their midst. He had a lot of work to do. Much to improve on, and these children would listen and learn. Lest they wanted a body part seperated from their forms; he is not above that. Gwyn has never been a gentle soul, and his lessons would be swift and violent.

Stragglers arrived, drawn to the mire by imperceptible gravity. A yearling arrives first, a gruesome scar twisting the side of his face into a manic grin. The brute is not willing to turn his gaze from the one who had called the meeting, so watches him from his peripherals. Noting the dour expression, the judging of the demon before him. That was marked, stored away, and the child was dismissed. Attention now drawn to the eldest among the group aside from him. One who dared challenge him. This deserved more attention, so his skull turned to the side, reserving one whole eye for the strange midnight male. The other remained on the upstart, the liar, his aunt clothed in her sheep's disguise. He regarded the stranger, single balefire orb running over him and finding him... lacking. "You should" he rumbles, the simple reply a warning and a promise in one. Cross the male if you wished. It would be your end and he would be content to claim your skull to perch it atop his permanent den. A grim reminder as to what the gargoyle would do if pressed.

Then, with the same nonverbal snub that the youth had earned his attention fell completely upon the ruby colored youngster. Balefire lingering on the others face as he spoke, completely unaware his aunt peered at him from behind those eyes. Instead, somehow, he looks down his nose at the other; quite the feat with their identical heights. Waiting, watching, judging. A Casimir was a far worthier opponent than any he had challenged as of late. However whether this line should call themselves Casimir was yet to be seen. Yet to be decided.

Did he now? There is no response at the observation; it didn't warrant such a thing. Sure, he was foreign to these strangers, but he knew his place in their family was far higher than these upstarts. He continued, explaining their relationships to Gwyn who stored away the information. Bael had reproduced? That was rather surprising; his cousin hadn't been the smartest. The other two descended from his brother; grandchildren which made him a great uncle. Wasn't that.. unsettling. Silence stretched before quietly, commandingly he spoke again. "I am Gwyn Casimir" he begins, letting his eerie stare sweep over the others. Marking them all with it so they understood. "Son of Behemoth and Koralia, brother to Crowley, grandson of Bhagul, nephew of Jezebella, Cousin to Bael" he states, his gaze retuning to the red male. He could and would one up them all when it came to the name game. He was Casimir, his line stretching from the source with far less muddying of the blood than any of the welps here. Balefire burned unwaveringly at the youth. Try him, he seemed to dare. Try him and watch as your world burned down.

Except their stand off was rather rudely interrupted. A child walks into their midst, demanding to know why they were here, who they were, where the food was. First off her priorities were completely off. Second she was dangerously bold. Lips pulled back from ivory, a sneer carving its way onto his face as his full attention snaps on the babe. A fully grown and rather pissed male paying attention to a chit far too small to challenge him. "Listen to your older relative girl. Or you will loose that tongue you are so fond of running. " he tells her, the threat all but a promise. One did not speak out of turn, it was not done. Particularly when one was female. Whoever's child this was needed to get her in hand before he made good on his threat. "Stay out of our way " he adds, pinning her beneath his furious gaze for a few moments more. Then his attention slips back to the red man, only briefly passing over the departing Rythian, before focusing on Vine. Holding the other's gaze with the inferno within burning out of orange eyes. Subconsciously he is slipping into a battle stance, not backing down. The girl aside, he was the one who would be taking the reigns of the family here. Not this boy. Oh no, he was more than prepared to fight for it. Let the child come, he would tear them asunder. Well, maybe not completely asunder, he amused, his weight lowering on bent limbs, but enough to make a point, an example. Gwyn was not to be crossed.

@Rythian @Viné @Wodnik @Asura @Raum @Serpent

"We are all Casmir. Exact pedigree negligable." Akuma's smooth, calm voice rumbled as he approached but did not come too near the apparent stand off of sorts. The family had never placed one branch before the other historicaly.. well not officially and out loud anyhow. There is a faint smile on his face as he came to stand more or less at Vine's side a little distance off, looking aprasingly between the two. Now what was up here? He was likely the oldest present but had not seen such inner tension seance the 'Bael incident'. "It is against family law to fight amongst ourselves." He calmly observed reading the tension and Gwyn's stance. And to maim their own youth for that matter. Punishable offense actually.

@Gywn @Vine

Quietly for the moment the young clay hued warrior followed his father's path, curious to see what this family gathering might have to offer. And it swiftly seemed 'drama' might be what was on the menu for the day.

Kurai took up a position near his parent and a red youth with a white rump around his age perhaps.
Hellfire eyes split time looking at the large aggressive seeming male his father addressed... and the few others gathered. A wide variety of colors, it seemed his family was quite diverse in the looks department. And Size.

Now then. His gaze shifts back to the hostile seeming male... what was all the tension about? Like his father said .... Casimir were not meant to quibble with one another.

ooc: plz continue to skip Raum and serpent. I don't feel like spending a million hours describing the fact that they're standing and watching lol

Raum opens his mouth, Viné suppressed a twitch of a lip at his words. This was not the time for spitting barbs, not when they knew nothing of the stranger between them, other then the fact that there was a strong chance he was related by blood. But it was Asura's voice that bristled her fur. Her split eyes snapped to the young child. "Asura, you know very well why we are here and it is the same reason your parents are not. Like all of us you must learn to care for yourself. No one has time for your whining. Stop acting like a child." The beast snapped her jaws in her direction. Not even six months old and already a spoiled brat, this would not do well at all. Wodnik had the same idea and he let the younger male's words finish off her own.

It was the grumbling of the beast before them however that drove a nail into her fate, or at least the one Viné hoped to thrust on her, but they would get to that in a moment. "I would have to agree with Akuma, Gywn." The deep red male replied, done with paying attention to the child and hoping Wodnik would take it upon himself to handle her. "To an extent." Now that the other male was here, lucky that it was, Viné felt freer to show her paw to the main branch male. "Akuma and I have come to an agreement, you'd be unaware, but we have been rather burned by our last patriarch. Leviathan, I mentioned, nearly dragged the Casimir to ruin with his petty vendetta against a woman and then against my own father. The details are unimportant, as such the two of us had come to an agreement for the branch families; we stand as heads of our own respective lines. Akuma and his children and siblings, me and mine. When it effects the Casimir as a whole we come together as a council and decide not just what is best for the whole, but also for the lines." Viné paused here to watch Gywn's reaction, hoping for at least a flicker of interest in these words. Regardless of what she saw there, the male voice continued, his eyes glancing to Akuma for agreement on what he was about to say. "I'd invite you to join us in this. And as proof of our pact I would give you Asura there and offer Raum and Wodnik the choice of joining you, as they'd both fall under your line by our rules." It would cripple Viné to be sure to lose them, as it only left him with Serpent. The greater loss being in Wodnik whom actual held use, but Gwyn doesn't need to know that bit just yet.

""

don’t get caught, i’m dangerous

it’s always been like that.

code by corvus

He listened as the two older males spoke, seeming to attempt to settle things between themselves. He made no comment of his father almost undoing them all, for he knew nothing about it, having been too young at the time. Seemed his father hadn't been good for much, unfortunately, with the possible exception of siring him. He also didn't know how their lineage fell out, so he was intrigued to learn that he was from Gwyn's side of the family as Vine continued.

"I am agreeable," he said. Honestly, Gwyn had attracted his attention much like sort-of uncle Ifrit had. He had a strength and haughtiness that Wodnik hoped to one day possess himself. When he was fully grown, and had his full mane, and some battles under his belt perhaps. Not that he had anything against Vine of course, but still. There was something to Gwyn and he wanted to get to know the other male better.

Although... did they really want Asura? He... kind of wasn't sure about that. Sure they weren't supposed to fight each other, but couldn't he just smack her a little? Best not to, he guessed. She was on thin fucking ice though.

@Gwyn

@Wodnik was the first to snap at the girl, which caused the 4-month cub to turn round to her older relative and bare her teeth, emitting a girly growl. She was in no place to issue a warning to a male, but who was she to know that? She'd had no teaching before Bhagul and ran off into the shadows without a warning, taking her siblings with her. She was damaged goods -- abandoned at a young age and surrounded by family that didn't care an inch about her. Why should she care what happened to her right now?

@Gwyn is the next to snap at her, which causes the girl to withdraw her teeth from the attention of Wodnik. The warning that Gwyn issued was unexpected, so she jumped a little and drew away. There was a little voice in the back of her mind telling her to be strong: she was surrounded by males and had to stand her own ground where she could. But before she could say anything to Gwyn (whom right now, she did not like), @Akuma had arrived and somewhat defended her corner. Fighting among family was not allowed, not here, so why should she bare the front of it? The words of the former King gave her some confidence, so the child found herself coming out of her defensive stance, and instead standing her ground a little more.

@Viné's word cut deep as she listened to him scold her - the third scolding within minutes - and at last she emitted a sigh. Not one of defeat, but one of boredom. This topic was old now! Her dual-toned eyes remained fixated on Viné as he spoke, absorbing the information that she was going to be pawned off to Gwyn without a choice. Already feeling frustrated and defeated, the girl looked to Viné. "You're not much of a stand-in Dad." She remarks with a slight spit, bitter of the lack of empathy that the Casimir had shown to her.

Alas, damaged goods never did get much care given to them.

code to kay + image by irish

There is only more fuel to the fire of shame, of disgrace to be added to his once mighty family. A small male(oh how Behemoth would writhe in his grave) came in speaking. Admonishing him. Balefire slipped from Vine, boring into the newcomer and his child. A slight sneer on his lips. "My, how the Casimir have fallen." he begins, watching the newcomer, one who was about his age, perhaps slightly older. He hadn't been killed as a child, or given up as a child had he? Tut tut. They had not been forced to resort to that in his day or in his own life, but it was an unwritten rule. One that hadn't transferred to these lands apparently. "Petty squabbles, yes, we do not fight. If one is going for a pride, to war, we support each other. However, fighting to determine the leader of the clan? That is fine. We have always been a family of rule by might... or at least we were " he continues, his disappointment in the elder small male more than palpable in his deep tones. If one was not willing to take what they were owed then how could they be Casimir? Cowards, the lot of them. He held his gaze on the uppity shrimp for a long moment, letting the weight of his disapproval truly sink in. Then back to Vine.

Agreed with Akuma? The small male then? To an extent? The sneer returned ever so slightly, but he listened. Pondered the state of things to where this solution had to be offered, proposed. He stood by his earlier statement; the family had fallen in the absence of strong leaders from the main line. As Vine went on, his sneer faded, returning to the impassive expression he had been wearing. Not giving anything anything away. Allowing him to decide without being swayed in any direction that the other's might want. The pause was noted and ignored the man weighing the final part of the offer for long moments before speaking.

He found much of what they said agreeable. To a point. There was the issue of the chit(who had been cowed oh so nicely by his threat) and the fact they wished to form a council of equals to decide the fate of the family as a whole. They were not equal. These fallen Casimir could not hold a candle to him. They would have to learn to accept that.

Else the fight his stance promised would take place, probably between himself and the small male. Vine, he had very little issue with; he spoke well, and would likely accept his proposal because of his youth. "Your proposal is sound, to a point. When we come together I will be the tiebreaker if there is one needed. You two since you seem quite close; do not discuss without me. No decisions for the family as a whole will be made without myself present. I also reserve the right to not involve my branch, to abstain, if I disagree with what you think is "best" for the line. " he states, his voice leaving no room for disagreement. It was his right as a male of the main line to have more power than the other two. They were lucky he did not demand more of them. Besides he had played second fiddle for far too long as a boy; he refused to play that role again. His power would not be diminished. "I will take Wodnik. You may keep the child, Asura?(he is not sure because well, all these names are unfamiliar to him), and I do believe I would need to talk to Raum(he had been introduced, yes, but at the same time... again new to these branches) before welcoming into my ranks." he continues, addressing all vine's concerns. His gaze then flicks to Raum, settling for a beat. A promise of sorts in it. Then to Wodnik, who announces his intent to join with him. He inclines his head slightly, accepting the offer as it was given. He then flicked an ear, asking the youth to join the male on his side. To stand by him. A test of sorts he supposed; if he truly wanted to join Gwyn's patch of turf, then he would have to stand against the others when there was a disagreement. Like there could be one brewing now.

To say a good part of him wanted the hammer to fall, for the others to break out with tooth and claw was a bit of an understatement. He rather wanted the chance to put these fools in their places. To prove to him that they deserved the name they proclaimed to carry. However, he would not start it. Oh no, that would be terribly uncouth, but he would most certainly finish it wouldn't he?

@Viné @Wodnik @Asura @Raum @Serpent

Lingering on the fringe of the meeting by now he was more or less ignored and that was fine with him. He still was not sure what brought him here and was putting it down to just being his usual troublemaking self. Ebony tipped ears lifting and trying to hear the last few scraps of words before leaving fully and something about this meeting resonated with him and brought up a memory.

Something about understanding the reasons behind branching even though he understood Gwyn's fury and would find the clay demon agreeable that it seemed weak to break apart a family instead of fight for whom should lead them. Yet something stirred like a waking dream in his mind. Something about no longer wanting to be a Miroslav and breaking away from that line to forge anew. He did not know why the name Miroslav was popping up now and he didn't understand the connection it had to him. Just another freaky weird vision as it seemed to happen more and more since arriving here.

Finally with an inaudable sigh Rythian would retreat. There would be no fight here today and also he found no answers.

-exit rythian-

OOC: Feel free to skip Kurai who is just low key glaring at Gwyn for the disrespect to his dad and is soaking everything in.

Akuma heard Kurai growl very softly at the large lion's words, and flicked his tail against the boy slightly to signal silence, for his part not seeming bothered at all....in fact...if anything a wicked expression flickered behind his gaze. "Oh I would have to agree." he rumbled silkily, aiming to hold the larger male's gaze with one of simmering pyre stone, unflinching and well matched to the dark smile curving the edges of his lips. There was indeed a shame here.

It was a struggle not to scoff and call bullshit. A soft exhale escaped regardless of his efforts, although he did manage not to comment on the idiocy of that idea. "Each generation constantly tearing at each other for the title. We are too ambitious a line for such. Which is why it was not our tradition. Rule others by might not tear through ourselves." Do not deem to attempt a lecture on his own family traditions. If everyone felt 'entitled' to challenge for the position, then the position would be in constant flux. Leviathan had been leader by virtue of his line, not battle. This had been the way. Although they were discussing a change now.

He and the hulking brute seemed equal in age, the same generation, so 'it was always this way' does not work on him the same as it might a family youth. The tiniest sliver of sympathy for her situation felt. At least his parents had not dropped off the face of the land. Vine handled addressing her quite well - although, to be fair, she WAS a child. If a poorly raised and disciplined one.

Vine went on to agree with his words. 'To an extent' of course. Naturally. Nothing was really honest or straightforward with this bunch. Trust would be a fatal flaw. He gave Vine a slight nod agreeing with the way the other male had laid it out and the terms, aaanndddddd then Gywn spoke. Akuma watched him calmly untill he was finished and added his own....well...terms? Well clarification to the situation in that smooth, calm tone with its own firmness making it clear that he too would not be moved. "Equal power and voice by all respective heads, the point of a council. While I will discuss what I wish and with whom, I do agree no decisions regarding the family as the whole without all three present. We too of course will reserve to power to abstain our own branches from a decision should a issue fail to come to consensus and we feel it is not the best for the line."

Screw 'tiebreaker'. He did not believe in such things. Either they could discuss a mater until it was resolved or a compromise was reached, or all three heads would be free to do as they saw fit with their branches on the matter. He wanted to make it clear. Each. Had. Full. Say. Over. Their. Branches. He would not give an inch of his own power or control to intimidation, only compromise through cooperation for the good of the clan. Three branches working together and growing to raise the family to unequalled power, that was the goal. If they could avoid civil fall out of course.

It seemed the poor girl was unwanted by the brute. But perhaps that was a blessing in disguise? He doubted she would enjoy the experience given the 'screw anyone including family to get what I want' vibe Akuma felt he was sensing from the other male. That mouth of hers would likely be absent a tongue before long. Woodnik seemed on board for staying with Gwyn and Akuma hoped Vine had made sure the youth was more loyal to Vine than mercenery like or that could come back to bite the red lion on the ass.

code by corvus

The red male grunted at the words How the Casimir had fallen, but it wasn't untrue of course. "The Casimir nearly lost everything because of our last leader." The younger male replied dryly. "Akuma and I agree that this is a decent way to prevent such decimation to our blood again. We are all Casimir, but we are not beholden to one single male's whim's and pettiness. Bloodless though it might be. We have lost enough blood." The male continued to listen, but had honestly already decided that Gwyn would be more a liability then a willing participant. His demands however, who did he think they where? With those terms, he was head of them all, if not in name. His tone, as well, would have made Jezebella's lip twitch, had her mask of calm not been so very practiced. Not a slip of annoyance would pass her face or color her voice. They were not children that would nod agreeably to whatever the older-in body-alone male said without careful thought. Instead a flick of a smile crossed Vinés face, his eyes still boredly fixed on Gwyn . "As long as you give us the same courtesies. We seek an equitable continuation of our family after all."

His gaze shifted slightly to Akuma so that he was addressing both of them, what was good for Gwyn would be good for them all. Jezebella would not be culled by an upstart boy who had a head too big for his neck. "Agreed. We gather together or not at all. Line are free to abstain from decisions if they think it does not befit those they rule." And then, in a class act, as if the thought had just occurred to him, when in fact had been the first thing that came to mind at the end of Gwyn 's terms, "Oh, seems we wont need a tie breaker in this case." There was no main line, as far as the younger branch leaders were concerned; and Gwyn should realize that he was only ruled of those who chose to follow him, and those did not include the males before him.

The red male's gaze flicked to Akuma once more before turned solely to Gwyn again. "Akuma and I have an agreement. We came to it without blood, however, if you prefer the old ways... Prefer we prove the strength of our convictions..." Viné's paws spread slightly, his tail waving loosely behind him as his head lowered slightly, and his ears vanished into the dark of his mane. A rumble of preparedness, low and steady with the exhale of a clam breath; if Gwyn wished to fight the alliance then they would.


@Gwyn @Akuma @Wodnik @Asura

""

don’t get caught, i’m dangerous

it’s always been like that.

code by corvus