She had given up the banter for now, but Roseate isn’t so naive to believe he has won that quickly. Not that it was a competition. Well no, it was. Just more of a game than a set “win or lose”. His whiskers twitched with mild amusement.

The rosy lion settles to his haunches, tail flicking against the grass as the woman finally gives him an introduction. “Wolfbron Bluffs,” he echoes, glancing her up and down, “That some sort of pride?” He hadn’t recognised the scent in all honestly. It was tough getting used to these sort of things, especially for a lifelong rogue. “I’m Roseate. Of nothing, I guess.” he grinned. “How long you been living at that place?”

Tail flickering a few times behind her she quietly tucked her tail around her body. Playing hard to get was fun, but it could be a bit tiring and as cute as this guy was she needed a break from the witty banter. At least for a few moments. The game was one of give and take. Ears twitching as she listened to his inquiry about the bluffs. ”Yes, indeed it is a pride and no I haven’t lived there long. Just a few weeks. I was met in the passage by a few of the leaders. The bluffs felt like the right place for my goals.” She explained but didn’t go into too much detail. He didn’t need pride details. Not unless she could talk him into joining her within the pride. He did seem like too much of a free spirit wild boy to join a pride but who knows.

Hearing that he was of nothing well maybe her little idea could pan out, but she wouldn’t hold her breath. Still she spoke again. ”Oh darling don’t be so modest. You are not nothing. You just haven’t found your something.” Her words had passion in them, but at the same time were calm and smooth as they left her lips. ”Who knows Roseate perhaps you something is within a pride within Amaryllis.” It was a question, but not asked as a question. Instead she said it in a matter of fact fashion. “A fierce young lion such as yourself, I beat you’d make a fabulous king.” Finishing her last statement she gave him a cheeky wink and a mischief in her smile as she looked at @Roseate.

+5 Gather information about a character - 1/2 - Assassin (Name and lack of pride)

So Roseate's gut reaction had been right - it was a pride. She spoke confidently of it, but he soon discovered it was a recent change in her life. "The passage? I got suspicious someone was gonna ambush me or somethin' - I walked right through." he shook his head, "They promise you anything good?" He'd never joined a pride, but if he did he knew he'd make them work for it.

Ros is a touch bemused by @Arjana's assuring words. "Oh no no, you got me wrong." he says with a chuckle, "I like it that way. I can't stand anyone bossing me around." but her suggestions weren't done and his mild amusement turned to a splutter of deep entertainment. "Me? A king?" he snorted, "No way. I'd rather fight three entire prides alone than ever be in charge of one" he shook his head firmly. "Arjana, how old do you think I am anyway?" He suspected his mane (and stature) had made him seem far younger than he actually was.

Oh so he was a wild card. Someone who liked living large and free from the collars of a pride. Taking it all in she nodded her head softly to herself before shrugging. "I guess I had been used to living alone for so long I got used to that feeling. I laid down and took a nap in the passage woke up to being surround by others wanting to whisk me away." Well it wasn't completely like that there had been some chatting between the hello and that my pride his this blah blah stuff. "Just the normal stuff prides spill out. A place to survive, rest, call home and a place to find a strong mate to start a family." She assumed it was the normal stuff anyways. Her take on pride like from her birth pride was anything but any of that stuff, but so far she found the Bluffs to her liking. The landscape still needed to get used to but, hey that was anywhere one was to go at least it wasn't a wasteland.

Having other things on her mind she blinked away the pain and pitifulness thinking about her birth pride brought her. Listening to @Roseate speak and ask his question she just stared at him for a moment. Than with a calm, and collected voice and a straight face answered. "Three weeks." After that she went silence. Honestly it didn't matter how old he was, she still meant what she said to him.

"Gotta drive a hard bargain," he said with a toothy grin, "It's how they getcha." He couldn't understand the appeal of the things she spoke of, but he also wasn't the type to tell people how to live their lives. If that was her goals, all power to her. He would just ensure the question of "what if" was sown in the complacent's minds. But she didn't seem so. So Roseate bobs his head. "Never quite understood it." he admits, "But if it's power you want, or respect..." he shrugs, "It's a good way to get it."

Roseate stretches his paws into the dirt and waits for her guess. He arches a dark brow. "No, seriously." he hums with pricked ears. "I probably look like a youngster, huh?" Maybe he was giving it away with his pressing.

Shrugging she thought about it for a bit. It wasn’t so much as they drove a hard anything it was more like she was tired and just wanted a better life than a rogue. His words about power and respect got her thinking and it really hadn’t been about either. Not deep down at its core. It was mostly about being lonely. ”I guess. Never really been in a pride that was powerful or very well respected. My birth pride was a wasteland. A laughing stock that not even the hyena’s want any part of. No food, hardly any water. Half the pride died in my first year of life from starving.” She explained. ”I am not looking for power. Being respected in the pride is a nice feeling but so is the idea of one day having Cubs that won’t know the pain of having to lick rocks to live or eating their own siblings.” At the end of her words they trailed off into a low whisper as she turned to look away from him. Shaking her head she took a few deep breaths before sighing as she looked back.

Looking at him and thinking about what he said she was really thinking about just how old he could be. ”Ok hmm... oh older than a youngling? Hmm well than let me see. Did you create the world and all in it with a fart or have I gone too far back grandpa?” She teased with a mischief filled grin. Now she had gone back to her little game to see just how far she could push @Roseate.

Roseate hadn't really been expecting anything deep, but he absorbs it with interested eyes. He liked hearing people talk, but his enthusiasm flickered out quickly as the tale she told turned dark. "That's rough." he mutters. "Why didn't you just leave?" he hadn't ever felt obliged to stay anywhere where he struggled. He didn't understand the intricate ties of family or duty that might cause a person to remain through harship. When the going got tough, Roseate got going. "Good luck with that, I guess." He adds. If she had goals, he wanted her to achieve them.

He's eager to shift onto the lighter topic - she was smiling again and it was easier to deal with than the potential of having to share his own best-left-forgotten experiences. "Yeah that's me," he says with his own grin slipping back to his muzzle, "The allmighty creator of the world. Didn't you know it just by looking at me?"

It is what it is the past and it should stay in the past. Arj only brought it up to tell her story and to remind herself she does what she does in order to have a better future for her future family. She was the last of her family. Of her blood. There was the prince of her past that left after inheriting the pride, but she didn’t know if he was alive. They weren’t even blood family either he had just been the only male left that her father liked after all of his son’s died and his mate got sick. At the question of why didn’t she just leave she raised a brow at @Roseate. ”I was a cub. Besides you might have the choose to live a pride at your will but the same can’t be said for lionesses or cubs. We got to ask and when I was a child asking wasn’t allowed. Even talking about leaving by females was punishable by death if overheard. My father was stubborn, insane and paranoid of disloyalty.” She explained and thinking about it now and the pride she was in now she doubted she could simply leave its ranks at a whim. Not that she wanted to anyways.

Pushing that all out of her head as they talked about the small lion’s age she curiously turned her head to the left. A smile on her face as she giggled at his words. ”Oh my that must have been some bad gas.” Shaking her head she closed her eyes while her giggle turned into an honest laugh. She liked him he was funny and just rolled with things. ”In all seriousness I wouldn’t take you for being old. I am three and I assumed you to be younger than I. Maybe a teenager.” From his words before she knew that wasn’t the case but even if he was full grown that was okay. Not everyone was huge as the world needed some ankle bitters.

Roseate shifted into a lounging position, crossing one paw over the other as he listened to Arjana speak. He didn't quite meet her eyes the whole time, scanning the earth as he considered her words. "Ah, right. I forget about that." he murmured. He really hadn't spent a lot of his life in or around prides. He'd even been born a rogue. Why anyone would keep anyone against their will bewildered him. "Well, it's good you're outta there, hey?" he glances up.

A grin is soon back on his face at the lighter topic. "God, it was!" he cackled, "Don't know what I ate, but phewww...!" He focuses again though as he gets the guess he had been seeking. Another chuckle lifted from his jaws. "Would you believe me if I said I'd just had my fifth turn of the seasons?" he said with a lifted brow. "But I like to think I've kept my youthful charm."

Honestly male could be so dense sometimes but she loved them anyways. Of course she had wanted to leave as a cub, but she wanted to live as well. Arjana had been too scared of her father to dare break his laws, but at the same time she looked up and respected him. It was just how she was raised despite others having told her she need not feel sorrow for when he died. Freedom had been there and she took it with the few surviving lionesses of the pride. It was strange but as a rogue she did so much better yet she had missed the company of a pride.

Even the fact that she was in the company now of this handsome lion couldn’t overshadow the fact that she was thankful she knew again had a home to return to. Even if it is a home that in the end doesn’t work out so far she had enjoyed it.

Giggling she couldn’t help but laugh at @Roseate. She might sound like a cub giggling at fart jokes but she didn’t care. Soon the talk turned to how old he was and she looked at him in amazement. ”Bullshit.” She snapped as she looked at him. “And here I was thinking you were a cub still growing into your mane.” It wasn’t a lie she did think he was still growing into his mane. She was surprised to learn that no he was just that small. ”Well. Color me amazed. You sir make old look good.” She cooed teasing him again and adding a wink for good measure.