Poltergeist first frowns at the lioness' comment about @Laveau and her eagerness to speak with the king. Really, though, there is no hint of jealousy within him. He doesn't care if she wanted to lick the king's toes. She could warm his bed when she wasn't warming his. Whatever.

@Ludivine questions their skill lines and Poltergeist smirks. Of course, @Recluse beats him to answer again, but he has a bullet in the chamber for when he's allowed his say. Hearing the comment that rolled from Recluse's tongue, that smirk lingered. Secret Black family humor. Ah, yes. "Doll, if I had intended to use my skills against you, I'd have left out all the good ones. Guessing games are my favorites." Poltergeist widened his grin at Ludivine and tipped his head. Find out?

Poltergeist was relieved they didn't have to bother selling themselves any longer. It would appear Recluse's fight for the Lagoon recently had not gone unnoticed. That and, he was sure, his former relationship with Caladan Cove. "There's plenty of stock outside the pride lands for that," he answered @Gauthier , offering a small grin as he stepped into the Cove's territory. "Thanks for the welcome." His eyes fell to the king first, and then to the lioness at his side.

Without further objection, Poltergeist planned to pick out a den big enough for him and Laveau, and perhaps persuade Recluse to pick one nearby so that they could be neighbors. /exit

art + code

Thought her smile lingers, a brow is quirked in response to @Recluse's response to her question — almost as if threatening with something more than just mere poisons — but she doesn't contest his words any further. It isn't her place to say more on the matter, deferring to her King to make a decision on the matter. He's heard her thoughts, and with it, he can do as he wishes. Ludivine remains silent through the rest of the conversation between the family and @Gauthier, a loyal watch dog at his side, her body still prepared if necessary.

In the end, he chooses to allow them inside the boundaries of their domain, welcoming their skills to be used for them, not against them. She acknowledges his words with a nod of her skull, thick fur ruffling around her head like a false crown.

But then one of them makes a misstep. Doll. The word rattles around in her head as her salmon gaze twists to face @Poltergeist. The smile on her face doesn't falter, a minuscule twitch of her muscles the only thing giving away her reaction to his comment. It may have been innocuous to him, but for her... For her, she's torn the lip off another for a much lesser crime, and nothing was stopping the Dieudonné babe from unleashing her wrath upon the cotton candy coloured brute — pridemate or not. For his sake, he should be thankful she chooses not to feast upon him immediately.

Instead, she watches him waltz into the territory and head further in, before her attention returns to Gauthier, a smoldering heat deep in her eyes now. One of fury.

“Let's hope they learn manners quickly,” she muses with a huff of laughter, gaze rolling briefly to the remaining Blacks, Recluse and @Laveau, clearly uncaring whether or not they heard her words. There's an edge to her words — Gauthier had seen her once already. Bathed in fury and the blood of her target. She could rage like an inferno should her ire be stroked enough.

With that, and nothing more to add, she too turns and heads back deeper into Caladan Cove territory, wishing to soothe herself out of her anger. For now.

exeunt Ludivine

Recluse would study the lioness as she reacted, with great restrain and subtly to his brother. He could already tell he wasn't going to like this lioness, both due to his upbringing and his distrust of anyone that so much as looked at @Poltergeist in the wrong way. Lionesses in Amaryllis behaved in a fashion he would never have seen growing up. Hopefully, her habits would not rub off on @Laveau.

He would dip his head in understanding, given welcome to the pride by @Gauthier. "There may be things of importance to discuss later. Perhaps in private when you have time. Nothing urgent. We can talk later after we have settled." He would glance pointedly at @Ludivine as he spoke the words 'in private' to the king. He would rather not have this lioness in his business. With that, he would make his own exit.

/ exit Recluse

image by moogle/code by saph

Laveau watched the exchange take place, along with her husbands swift exit, she watched the way the lioness reacted, her brow quirking in interests. Hmmm. She would hum in her head, the fury and fire in the other woman was a burning inferno and Laveau wanted to ignite it, but she stayed quiet, her duty and up bringing being raised in the Black family saw to her manners.

Recluse takes his leave after a last few words and Laveau pauses, dipping her head down in respect before speaking, "I hope to be seeing you both after we settle in." She gives a sly smile to them both before turning and following after her mate and his brother, half heartedly.

/Exits

hail to the king
kneel to the crown

royal flames will carve a path to chaos
bringing daylight to the night
let the water flow with shades of red
arrows black out the light

Doll, the lion begins, and Gauthier winced with the implication of anything less than what Ludivine truly was. Voracious, persistent, brutal, having taken her choice cut from a man who had fallen prey to underestimation already, doll would not have been his first decision in patronization. But they would learn, surely. A man of primal pleasures, he would never stand in the way of the natural progression of slights. Not even in his own pride. More wolven than civilized, he understood too well the organic development of a pecking order.

Yet Ludivine does not falter, rush, tear into their newly acquired subjects with anything more than the already planted grin. (They say a smiling woman is the most dangerous of all creatures.) Perhaps something more brewed behind the masque of amusement, but what stood the test of patience was an example of well enough restraint: a well done would be in order, not ripping into our brand new recruits, but one can only marvel at the idea of what writhes beneath the surface of utter control.

Grace. Gauthier nodded for Poltergeist's gratitude, but the rumble of a suggested manners rears its head into the cold. Laughter trickled up the well of his throat, tangled in the corners of his grin. He didn't doubt she would choose her own brand of enforcement with time.

But ah, there are things to discuss, as cropped by the joining Recluse, and the heathen king is not so clueless as to catch the desire for privacy is borne of a quick glance toward Ludivine's retreating form. So be it, he would let the family settle in to their respective hovels in what familiar corners of the Cove they could find, hopefully un-scavenged by the recent storms that left much of the recognizable bay in disarray. Then he would sate his curiosity.

He nodded to Recluse and Laveau as they took their leave, turning back to his own matters to tend to.

exit.

Art © Ryuu