i am the storm / and im coming for you

the fight is underway before her grandmother came. faustine returned @Amara's brush of her shoulder with equivalent force, too engrossed in the movements of the fighting lions to be herself. soon after, her papa @Apollinaire came, and faustine only half-heard his voice. she only refocused her attention when maman @Louve ♔ came, telling her to watch the fight. and watch she did, for faustine knew this would allow her to better her claws and fangs when she would fight her own battles. true battles, not the flailing cubs oft partook in. faustine overheard the name vermier from the words of amara. did she know that lion? it sounded dieudonne by name.

faustine turned her head just in time to hear papa accepting a rank from amara. how nice, faustine thought. it meant her papa wouldn't smell like an outsider to others.

by the time the fight had finished faustine thought that she had heard much. her family was now together again, though her papa was never actually far even though he went rogue for a bit. the man who first stepped up for the rank challenge won. faustine didn't truly feel anything for this battle, other than thankful that it happened. that man was dieudonne, no? then it would be good for the family, even if he wasn't a woman. faustine yawned, licking her lips as she dipped her head to both mother and grandmother, before she too left. [exit]

CODE BY DAANYEN + ART BY HUSH

The fight ends easily, with @Jean-Claude seemingly as the Victor. He turns to the others gathered -- one of which she recognizes as the sovereign, louve -- and begins a conversation. Her ears twitch to hear that same, strange lilting language; their words here as just as incomprehensible as they've always been. It's strange to hear words and not understand them, but she's long since begun to associate the accent with him.

A common occurrence, that.

Her eyes linger upon the scene for a moment before her gaze shifts to @Dysnomia, chaffing quietly towards the woman. I can help with your wounds, if you'd like. She offers to the lioness, a small fluttering smile its accompaniment. They didn't look to be dire but certainly uncomfortable and there was no need to suffer them quietly. She might not know the woman, but they were pridemates -- and faolán was happy to assist where she could. She would offer the same to Jean-claude when he was not busy talking.

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it was the outcome she had expected. nothing against @Dysnomia, of course, but @Jean-Claude was Dieudonne after all. Shortly after @Amara speaks the fight is over, and rather than answer her mother directly she focuses on the fighters. It is them whom she would address, as Jean-Claude speaks his request.

"Ze rank ees yours," she does not hesitate to make it so, "'elp us make ze bluffs strongair." Which he did with his presence alone, but Louve was not opposed to padding the roster so to speak.

@Apollinaire's departure is met with only the faintest press back, a silent acceptance of his claim without giving too much away for said prying eyes. It was important that they know who was in charge, her, and that she was no pawn of his. Rather it was the other way around, and it is @Faolán that she looks to ever so briefly with an almost playful wink. Half drunk on her own power.

"And for you," she says, finally, looking to Dysnomia, "barony." A glance to her mother as she doles out the rank, before looking back to see how the woman took the consolation prize.

art

Her ears perked as a smaller ghostly woman spoke, offering her assistance as a medic. Dys didn't think she looked that bad, but to be fair it wouldn't hurt to have herself patched up just in case something serious went down sooner rather than later. I would appreciate that, she agreed. She didn't know the woman's name, but that would be a good opportunity to do so.

She wasn't surprised that the man was given the rank he had won. She was slightly surprised that she was given one. It was, quite literally, the least Louve could do, but she supposed she ought to be grateful. So she nodded politely to the woman. I will serve you well, she promised. In time, she thought, she would make her way higher. Perhaps even to the same title her brother had once held.

I will take you up on that now, she said to the pale woman as she turned to make her way to a less blood soaked and populated area.

-exit dysnomia-

@Faolán

code by corvus

Amara gave @Apollinaire a nod. She knew that the rank would be well used by him and had never doubted that he would put the family first. He would listen and behave as needed and bleed their enemies when called upon. He had extended that to Amara as well when he first arrived and even after he figured out that she wasn't blood related. That was far more than some had given her and while Vermier had trusted her with the pride, he seemed to only bend because she was a female and no other reason. If it came down to just the two of them in the family, it would all end. The only thing holding them together was their desire to see the family grow and do well.

Amara's thoughts on the male were broken when @Jean-Claude won his fight. The sting of blood filled the air around them and Amara watched him closely. He was nothing like his brother, something that kept getting pointed out mentally to her. He had been gone so long that she didn't really remember much about him beyond his looks and name. It was good to be reminded that there was sense in the line. @Louve ♔ spoke up and Amara let her give the titles out to the fighters. They had both earned what was given to them. Use the ranks well.

She said as her gaze flicked between them and then to @Faolán. Get patched up. Both of you. She gave the pale lioness a small nod before she looked toward @Jean-Claude. Je suis très heureux que tu ne sois pas le même que ton frère. I am very glad that you are not the same as your brother. She gave a small smirk before she turned to head back to her den and enjoy the silence that seemed to sing over the Bluffs after blood was spilled upon the lands.

exit

Artist | Coding by Analese

the fight ends quickly, too quickly. from her hiding spot the mottled princess pouts. she wanted to see more! she wants them to fight again! fortunately for the new noble and barony she would not press the matter and instead, she stands up. peeks up on tip-toes, even, as she peers around -- attempting to see anyone who sees her. but fortunately for lazare, the others had been too focused on the blood-sport to notice a single extra shadow. grinning widely to herself, she rocks back onto her paws, weight resettling normally upon them, as she seeks to leave just as quietly as she'd come.

exit

+5 Infiltrate a group thread without getting caught
+10 Remain undetected in a large thread (5+ characters)
+5 Learn something interesting about a character

code; background

Jean-Claude

The rank was his, Noble. For a moment his mind took him back to another place, another time, when his sister had been the one to hand him the rank. A drop in his expression the only tell that his mind had wandered before he carefully replaced it with his practiced nonchalance. Gaze moving towards the new Barony as she was also named. It was good, wasn’t it? Another lioness among the ranks, they would be stronger for it. She had fought well, but if he had been her he would have wanted more. He would fight her again, when she too wanted more.

Slowly the onlookers began to filter out, and he knew their time was up. Ears flicked forwards to catch Amara’s words, he couldn’t help the surprise that widened emerald eyes. His brother. He hadn’t thought of the man since the challenge for the Hollows. Where he was he didn’t know. Probably off causing trouble for whoever’s presence he graced. He gave a respectful dip of his head before answering her, "Ne le laisse pas t'entendre dire ça." don’t let him hear you say that. he jests, his own smirk spreading across his lips as she too left the battlefield.

He would move then towards @Faolán , the smallest of grins on his face. Pride and confidence exuding from his very being. For her to have watched him win, for all of them to have watched. Eagerly he would welcome her healing touch and thus he would follow her to where she could work on the both of them without the distraction of the crowd.

exit

Speech.

Table by Ice, Graphic by Green

Fortunately, @Dysnomia does not seem too put-upon at the offer. The she-wolf smiles slightly, the smallest curling of her lips, as she nods. Lounges until both combatants are ready, their new duties neatly wrapped up. Come -- to my den, she murmurs softly for the woman and @Jean-Claude; she has the satchel around her neck ad always, but she'd rather sit them both down. Clean their wounds, not just roughly latch them up. They both had ranks now, surely they were too important for bandaids. Quiet steps lead her towards her den and her small, blooming garden -- ready to set them both back right.

Exit

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