( I'm not opposed to having her claimed but I'd like an OOC say in where she goes so please ask me in discord first <3 I would also prefer to avoid a drawn out fight over her )

Yrid licked upon her slightly parched black lined lips as she walked a path close to the rolling waves of this thin and narrow stretch. Probably the thinnest part of the passage, or atleast the thinnest that Yrid herself had seen on the trek inwards. A multitude of scent washed over her, almost overwhelming in the most delightful of ways. A crowd. You could hide in a crowd, to a crowd you were nothing and a nobody. It meant you could be anything you wanted in the end, fashion yourself into the creature you always dreamed you could be. The life Yrid wanted to lead but had always been stifled and held back by the history and past she had.

Abruptly she turned for the sea water, throat still craving a drink it would not find just yet. She carried herself with a few long strides into the waves, over some rocks and sand, until she was deep enough that she could bend herself down and submerge her head without her feet losing grip on the ground. She plunged her head into the surf, held her breath while opening her eyes to see the rolling white of a passing wave, the shifting of different colored sand grains. Yrid held her breath until her lungs began to burn and her toes curled with the pain. It was involuntary when she finally rose up out of the water. She lifted her head out of the blue and green sea, gasping aloud with relief as she took an overdue breath. Baptized, renewed into -

Anything.

Tiamat had not made the trek to the passage in some time, having avoided it in the later stages of her pregnancy. After giving birth she had been immediately challenged for her crown and that had distracted her for a little while longer. Her wounds were scabbed over but still rather fresh, and still she made her way, sore body and all, to the recruiting grounds. The work of a queen did not end simply because she had children and healing wounds, after all.

The passage was quiet today. It felt almost empty as she approached the sandbar that led from the mainland to the island. She lifted her head and took in a deep breath of the cool, salty sea air. Mingled with it was the lightest, fresh scent of someone new and she pushed forward at a walk, taking her time with her injured body.

It wasn't long before she spotted a stranger, head shoved beneath the ocean waves in a strange manner. Raising a brow, she approached, watching curiously as the lioness pulled her head from the waves with a gasp, drinking in the air she had denied herself. Tiamat's tail twitched behind her as she watched, not quite sure what to make of the woman.

She was a small woman and her pelt was a soft peach color that almost seemed pink to the Lagoon Queen. It was accented with lighter sandy and white markings. As the woman regained her breath Tiamat cleared her throat, announcing her presence, before saying, "Welcome to Amaryllis."

@Ýridhressel

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When she feels like she can breath properly again she hears a voice. Yrid has just begun to ponder what to do next, where to go, and how far fresh potable water might be, when Tiamat's greeting rings.

She muses a moment and then a throaty hum of laughter bubbles up in her. Warm, inviting like a hearth fire that whisks away the cold. Is it everything they say it is? Yrid asks as she steps out of the water and gives her shoulders a light shake. A pair of royal purple gem like eyes gaze back expectantly towards @Tiamat. Blinking once methodically and then watching like some manner of student. Just what exactly small Yrid has heard is blatantly left open for the Scillian leader to decide herself. If Yrid has even heard anything at all, which debatable. Far be it Yrid's job or want to decide just what is most notable or important to divulge about this land.

The woman laughed, warm and bubbly, and Tiamat found that she liked this woman, if only for that single fact. She was an anomaly; interesting, something to learn about. Tiamat was drawn like a moth to a flame, her curiosity piqued.

"That depends," she answered with her trademark smirk and a shrug of her shoulders. "It's a bit of a mess, in my opinion." Kings and queens, all vying for thrones. Violent wars, heathen beasts, barbarians. Cultured and uncultured alike lived here, and the community was varied and intricate. She still felt that she had only begun to scratch the surface of this place called Amaryllis, and she had been here for years.

"Plenty of opportunity though," she added in, with a nod to the stranger. "Want a crown? I'm sure you could find one. Or you could live alone, or find a pride to make your home in." She lowered her haunches to the ground rather unceremoniously. A self-confident queen who didn't need graceful movement to make it clear that she was a ruler in her own right. "You seem to like the ocean," she said, waving a paw to indicate what she just witnessed. "I am the Queen of Scilla Lagoon. Plenty of ocean there, if you'd be interested."

@Ýridhressel

image by rabbit, code by anyu

Run Little Girl Run

Little girl gone Got a gun from a gangster Run little girl Run little girl Bitch ha Say that again I didn’t quite hear ya Messed with the wrong bitch in the wrong era I been at work And I got my badge of honour Honey I’ve changed so much since I last saw ya Hands off my hair, how very dare you Ding ding Hold my earrings for my debut Cause I pack a punch backed into a corner Come at me, don’t tell me I didn’t warn you Little girl gone Got a gun from a gangster Run little girl Run little girl Bitch ha Say that again I didn’t quite hear ya Messed with the wrong bitch in the wrong era I been at work And I got my badge of honour Honey I’ve changed so much since I last saw ya Hands off my hair, how very dare you Ding ding Hold my earrings for my debut Cause I pack a punch backed into a corner Come at me

A mess? Oh dear. Yrid remarked with a bit of humor. It was refreshingly honest to hear @Tiamat's assessment if not a little unexpected. But Yrid could work with a mess. It must really be a mess if crowns are just found laying around like that. Usually lions like to gobble up everything they can.

She lightly rasped her tongue across the roof of her mouth, making a light click sound while shaking her sunkissed head side to side. "I couldn't actually care less about the ocean." Yrid remarks with a grin. On a good day sure, a beach trip sounded lovely. But right now- thirsty as she was she felt a particular hatred for the ocean that couldn't satisfy her. "A Queen however? That I like." The grin deepened, settling firmly into her cheeks and into each etched line of her expression. A little flattery never hurt anything right? Yrid herself was no stranger to the world as a whole, how it worked and how best to maneuver and survive. In the absence of anyone she could truly trust those in power were the next best thing.

Tiamat offered the woman a little smirk. "Well I did not say they were just laying around," she said with a chuckle. "Though sometimes that is the case. There's always a fight for it, though." Because she was right. Lions did gobble up everything they could get their paws on. The crown she had claimed had been left lying in the sand, but she had still had to face Tinuviel for it.

Tiamat had misread the woman and the ocean, it would seem. She claimed to have no particular interest in it, so Tiamat wondered to herself about finding her with her head beneath the waves. But she said nothing to the matter, taking the time to listen instead. "Well, if you like queens the Lagoon has two," she added, her smirk widening. She was teasing, though it was true that the Lagoon did have two queens. "What is it you're looking for here?" she questioned, trying to coax more information out of the woman. She'd love to convince this woman to join her. "The Lagoon has plenty of ranks available, if you want that sort of thing. And I always need lions willing to work."

@Ýridhressel

image by rabbit, code by anyu

Run Little Girl Run

Little girl gone Got a gun from a gangster Run little girl Run little girl Bitch ha Say that again I didn’t quite hear ya Messed with the wrong bitch in the wrong era I been at work And I got my badge of honour Honey I’ve changed so much since I last saw ya Hands off my hair, how very dare you Ding ding Hold my earrings for my debut Cause I pack a punch backed into a corner Come at me, don’t tell me I didn’t warn you Little girl gone Got a gun from a gangster Run little girl Run little girl Bitch ha Say that again I didn’t quite hear ya Messed with the wrong bitch in the wrong era I been at work And I got my badge of honour Honey I’ve changed so much since I last saw ya Hands off my hair, how very dare you Ding ding Hold my earrings for my debut Cause I pack a punch backed into a corner Come at me

Two? Now that's how you get shit done. Yrid's features bubbled once more with a warm laugh, seeming quite fond of the idea of not one but two women in charge. Really though it seemed the best way to get through life- men did often ruin things for the rest of us no? Yrid did not want to be alone out here in this unknown landscape but @Tiamat did make it sound intriguing. She'd need to find somewhere to stay and lions to assimilate with.

But what exactly it was she wanted? Yrid couldn't even say for sure herself. Afraid there's nothing special or grand I'm looking for. Same as you I imagine I'm just trying to make sure I can live my life comfortably, keep myself occupied you know? A muted peachy brow furrowed and then lifted. Yeah, I'm willing to put in some work. In exchange for that comfort and capacity to live life that is. Right now Yrid had no reason to believe Tiamat couldn't offer food and shelter, but long term? If things were as much a mess as the woman has said they were? A revaluation may be due in the future...

Tiamat's response was a broad smile. Finally, someone who could understand just how useless some men could be. Women had always ruled her clan, and for good reason. It was a good feeling to run into someone who seemingly shared similar opinions.

Rolling her shoulders in a shrug, Tiamat made her offer. "You're welcome to make the Lagoon your home until you figure that out." She could certainly help the woman stay occupied, after all. There was never a shortage of work in the Lagoon. "I don't keep anyone against their will unless they're a prisoner. You'd be welcome to leave when you felt like it." She only took prisoners in times of war or contention, and this certainly was not one of those times.

"Depending on your skills, there are plenty of jobs I need done."

@Ýridhressel

image by rabbit, code by anyu

Run Little Girl Run

Little girl gone Got a gun from a gangster Run little girl Run little girl Bitch ha Say that again I didn’t quite hear ya Messed with the wrong bitch in the wrong era I been at work And I got my badge of honour Honey I’ve changed so much since I last saw ya Hands off my hair, how very dare you Ding ding Hold my earrings for my debut Cause I pack a punch backed into a corner Come at me, don’t tell me I didn’t warn you Little girl gone Got a gun from a gangster Run little girl Run little girl Bitch ha Say that again I didn’t quite hear ya Messed with the wrong bitch in the wrong era I been at work And I got my badge of honour Honey I’ve changed so much since I last saw ya Hands off my hair, how very dare you Ding ding Hold my earrings for my debut Cause I pack a punch backed into a corner Come at me

Frankly Yrid would quite enjoy a world where 'two Queens' was not such a novel or exciting idea but the norm. Men could stay, they had their own uses after all but they were just that. Meant to be used. Tools. They'd had their chances time and time again to make the world and every where Yrid turned they'd ruined it just the same.

"I can help with the hunts, patrols too if you'd like. I've got a good ear." For prey movement, for trespassers, for gossip. Yrid was careful to let on enough to hopefully satisfy the Queen without making exact promises of what potential she had. The devil lived in the details and it was far easier to appear exemplary if you cast a wider net.

And then one of her muted brows lifted, purple gaze briefly flirting over the Sovereign's form. Battle tested, strong. "And I can be an occasional bedmate if that strikes your fancy my Queen." Had to take a chance to make an impact right? What better, easier, and more enjoyable way would there every be to make your mark on the world? Yrid remained calm, certain that the offer was not entirely a joke but quite ready to play that card if it was how @Tiamat took it.

"I can always use a lion with a good ear," she purred, thinking that this meeting might be even more fortuitous than her meeting with Khione. No one else was here to see who this woman was. If she had the right skillsets, Tiamat could always use that.

"There's always hunts and patrols," she added in with a hum. "But the Lagoon has enemies I'd love to dig up dirt on, if that might be in your abilities." Listening, watching, talking to other lions. Whatever it took, she would love a little information on what she was facing. The Oasis was more known to her, but the Plains were a major unknown and she needed to learn more about them.

The final suggestion from the woman caught Tiamat a little by surprise. She raised a brow, considering and questioning all at once. Truthfully she had never really considered the idea of a female partner. After all, such a thing could not give her the heirs that she had needed so badly. But now? With the cubs born and healthy and wild? Well, perhaps she could begin to consider widening her horizons. For fun, if nothing else.

"Hmmm," she said, thoughtfully but with a glint in her eye. "That is definitely something I will consider." Seriously? Perhaps, perhaps not. It was a question she wasn't certain she was ready to answer. But, well, she was proud of her chaotic nature. She would see where that lead her. "Tiamat Anatu, High Queen of Scilla Lagoon," she said with a dip of her head to the woman, her eyes suggesting that she would love to learn her name. "You're welcome to join me there, if you want." And she hoped that she did want that.

@Ýridhressel

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