we meet again
With a warning in the back of his mind, the mauve lion set out in pursuit of the Cove. Having not been back this way since he first talked to Jewel, it felt strange to return to the shores of the south knowing that she no longer ruled. What Vasilis said of the Cove, though, would lead the Hodari to think that something very similar to what had happened in Firnen had happened here. Jewel trusts them wholeheartedly. The Yeager's words echoed in his head as he wondered who these new rulers might be. Upon nearing Caladan, however, there seemed to be something familiar within its scent lines. Having not seen the Tollaire in a very long time, though, it didn't immediately jump to the forefront of his mind that Drakon was the new High Sovereign. It wasn't like the mauve lion had been close with the male anyway, despite his former alliance with his father and family connection to the Firnen king's step-mother. Whatever the case, Roan didn't know who he was calling for as he issued a few casual chuffs in hope to seek an audience with the new leaders. He'd then allow himself to sit at the borders in wait, simply curious as to who Jewel might have passed the pride onto.
@Drakon @Hecuba
No fights in progress
No fights in progress
No fights in progress
No fights in progress
No fights in progress
Finally, he made it to the borders and spotted the familiar form of the Hodari. Fiery jewels squinted slightly before he realized who it was. "Roan?" It was a question, sometime's he couldn't remember half of the children of the Hodari man's line but he tried. "How can I help you?" Even if that wasn't the young man's name, he would still ask the question of why he was here. Sitting down patiently.
Although she heard the call from the borders, it was only when @Drakon called out that she actually perked up from her nap. Nothing personal, @Roan, she was simply a lazy bitch on occasion. She picked herself up and sauntered her way to the borders, flashing a grin at their guest. Should she have remembered his name? Yes. Did she? No.
"Hello there."
(ooc: Orca is still welcomed to hop in whenever, but I just wanted to keep this moving.)
Roan waited at the borders with wandering thoughts as to who could have taken over in Jewel's stead. It was actually kind of sad to think of the woman having passed along her crown, having been the longest standing ruler thus far, that Roan was aware of anyway. Soon enough, though, the mauve lion wouldn't be left to wonder for much longer as a familiar pale figure soon arrived to greet him. Why was he not surprised to see Drakon answering this call for a leader. The Tollaire would earn himself some brownie points for actually remembering the forgettable Hodari son's name correctly, prompting a small grin to cross the Firnen male's before Hecuba arrived too. "Yep," he confirmed when his name seemed to be a question. "Good to see you again, Drakon. Hecuba," the masked lion greeted with a nod to each in turn. "I heard that Jewel had stepped down, so I wanted to see who was leading Caladan now. I initially wanted to talk to Jewel and let her know that leadership has changed in Firnen as well, but I suppose that I should be talking to you two now, right?" Roan remained respectful in his words, allowing an opportunity for Drakon and Hecuba to confirm their new positions. He had called for the leaders, so it really wasn't a necessary question to pose when the pair of Tollaires had been the ones to heed the call.
@Drakon @Hecuba
"You would be correct. Jewel had been attacked by some rogues - or so we think - and lost to us for a brief moment before returning. She's healing and both myself and Hecuba thought that she wasn't strong enough to fight and protect the pride like it needed so we asked her to step down." Which shockingly she did and that had surprised Drakon for a split second when it all happened. "Perhaps we can form an alliance then?"
Anyway.
She was more than happy to let the men handle all the boring discussions about politics. Hecuba was a queen, and as such, she was expected to look pretty and pop out cubs to give her king a handful of heirs not meet and greet with neighbors. Gross.
Ah, she was far too big of a bitch to sit on her ass all day and do nothing. "Staying allied with family is important," she offered completely unhelpfully.
@Drakon was quick to confirm Roan's suspicions which helped to alleviate some of the anxieties that were building at the thought of starting alliance talks. He walked into this without a clue as to whom he would be speaking with, only to find a pair of familiar faces on the throne. He'd listen respectfully as the king recalled Jewel's departure from ruling the pride. The only silver lining being that she was still alive at least. "I'm sorry to hear that. I'm glad she's on the mend, though. I had heard about the attacks, too, when I heard about her stepping down." So at least Roan was a little caught up to speed about what might be going on around the shore.
"Firnen changed hands in a much calmer situation, at least. Avreya was called to return to her family outside of Amaryllis, so she asked me and a lioness named Ismae to take over in her stead." Of course, that begged the question as to why the mauve lion was currently alone in his particular meeting, so he went on. "Ismae, though, has recently sustained some injuries of her own, so I'm flying solo for the time being." Not that either asked about what happened in Firnen, but Roan figured it was best to explain how he had found himself as the new Rainforest leader.
Now that all was caught up, however, it was time to think about an alliance as both Caladan monarchs mentioned it. It really warmed his heart to even hear @Hecuba call him family. Sure, the Jungle and the Coast had been allied when Dero and Drakon were king, respectively, but Roan wouldn't assume that that relationship automatically extended to him personally as well. Hanneth was family to the Tollaire, after all, and the mauve lion was just her step-son, if there needed to be a family connection. "I'm happy to hear to say that," Roan commented with a small smile towards the queen's words. "I'd love to form an alliance between our prides. Do you know what sort of agreement Jewel previously had with Firnen?" Though he wasn't sure if it even mattered, for certainly the trio of royals could come up with their own alliance terms, Roan was still interested to know what Avreya had previously agreed to, if Drakon or Hecuba even knew.
It made sense. It was the same reason Ismae wasn't leading with him either, giving her time to heal and all. To hear that Jewel was in such rough shape, though, was a little disheartening since she was the only leader still standing from the first claims of Amaryllis, aside from the natives, that is. No one ruled forever, though, Roan supposed.
As for Ismae returning to the rank of sovereign, the Hodari was both eager and apprehensive at the same time. She had needed to step down so soon after taking over that he hardly felt like he had done any of this with her, so the mauve lion was already falling into his own routine and objectives without Ismae's input. On the other hand, though, Roan could certainly use the help in recruiting and keeping the pride active. They'd find their balance eventually. "Me too," he'd nod in agreement without expanding any further. He was here for a reason, after all, and now the trio of royals was getting down to business.
Though he was a little disappointed in the fact that between the three of them, no one seemed to know the terms of the original alliance, it did also pose the opportunity to start anew and create terms that worked well with the new regimes in the two prides. Just because the pride was passed down to an existing member didn't mean that the ruling would be exactly the same as the predecessor. "Yeah, me neither. I know we were allies, but I don't know what Avreya or even Kimagure ever agreed to with Jewel. Guess we can just start fresh between us." It couldn't be too hard, right? Roan had already lived in a pride that was allied with Drakon before. "What about my father, when you guys ruled the Coast? Do you remember what agreements you had then? I don't imagine I rule much different than he did." It was all he had ever known, so why would Roan seek to be much different?
@Drakon @Hecuba