He had been content to continue circling the scuffle, making mental note to greatly reward Freja later. The Heir did so admire a bloodied woman. Hers or otherwise.

The glee in his eyes quickly shifted into annoyance as the intruders intended target plants herself right into his pacing path. One pale brow cocks, his expression reading a clear, And just who the fuck are you to be making demands?

Instead the beast drawls out a low, Is that so? Before seeking to step around her, unmoved by her declaration of her preferring real men. As true as the statement was, Cassius was no fool. And @Jazmin had just given herself away with such a bold faced lie.

Love made you say the silliest of things.

And it, love, the thing he now knew , the thing she had just revealed so stupidly, would be the very thing he now used against her. Again. Her love for her younger sister was also leverage they had dangled above her head for weeks. If you run. If you try. Terrible things will happen to her. So far Cassius had ensured Lúllia remained within the sole care of Valtyr. And so far he was proving less volatile toward his captive in comparison to the Darkling and the Tiger. Cruel still, but at least the younger girl was still in one piece.

Well there is only one way for stupid boys to learn their lesson.

Cassius moves to place the fight between himself and the striped woman. Ensuring that if she wished to continue this conversation then she would have to watch. But! He calls cross to her from around the scuffling. I think I am feeling generous today. So I will let you choose this stupid boy's fate. Either he stays here with us, and remains alive- As if he would not be begging for death by the end. Or! I let him go once he has been properly punished. A false pause to ignite false hope. Was that it? Those two options?

No. Of course not.

But, Jazmin. The male tsks. If he comes back - And he knew that she knew he would. He would keep coming back. He would keep trying.

Because love made you foolish.

- then I will unleash Vincent on him. He will die and I will ensure you are there to watch. I will ensure you are the one to lick his skull clean before its placed upon my mantle.

He saw her between flashes of claw and fang. Eyes never leaving hers even with the disruption between them.

Choose.

Alive here within the Brook. With her.

Or dead later.

Cassius v ?
For @Radahn

code / artwork

i

cut my own throat / close my own wound / wear my own nightdescended blood

---

TRIGGER WARNING!
This content might touch on topics that are sensitive or triggering for some readers. Trigger Warning for brief mentions of harming a child.

---

Radahn had always been a proud, clever boy. Scraggly and ill-tempered, perhaps, but infinitely driven, cunning, smart. Smart enough to know better than to trudge deep into enemy territory with no army, no fallback, no plan.

But love is a great equalizer.

He spots the cub, at first, and if he'd had a moment longer he would have little qualm with grabbing her and silencing her. But as soon as @Zira calls his attention, and his heart seizes abruptly in his chest, he sees the shadow of @Velasco coming from behind. When the man does not immediately attack, Radahn opens his mouth as if to speak—What would he even say?—and thinks in spite of himself he might have a chance to at least learn of Jazmin's whereabouts unscathed.

Until he doesn't.

@Freja may not be a warrior, but neither is Radahn. And though her tired form does not catch him entirely by surprise, he does not have enough experience to recognize the opening. Her claws swipe toward his face, and he only barely pulls back in enough time to deepen the swallow cuts she leaves across his nose and cheeks. The familiar feeling of wet and warmth is surprisingly less nauseating than the white-hot sensation her touch leaves behind.

Too close, he wants to yell. Too close.

His eyes are wide. He's panting.

@Vincent grabs the back of his neck with lethal intent.

Radahn can do little but squirm in the larger man's grasp, a snarl hiding the nerves firing beneath. Pain blooms as teeth cut through thin, furled hair and deep into the sides of his nape. A weight presses against his shoulder, threatening to disbalance him and leave him at the mercy of that grip—and it takes everything within Radahn to remain standing upright.

His unscarred eye only peeks open when @Cassius ♔ turns to address him.

I remember you, boy, he sneers. Come to reclaim what I stole?

I'll kill you, he wants to say, and drive his teeth right through his neck.

I think my friend here is quite fond of her. As am I.

Radahn has never felt the absence of his gods more than he does now. He had always been met with silence, no matter how hard he prayed. But only now does he feel as if their backs were purposefully turned.

He closes his eyes. He feels himself begin to fall limp.

Stop this.

Here he thought the gods had gone silent.

He jerks and twists within Vincent's grasp, his gaze reopening and falling upon the frenzied, blurry shape of @Jazmin. And in spite of himself, he feels relief, knowing that she is alive and well worth the price he'll have to pay for it. Until—

He's just a stupid boy. His heart sinks in his chest, heavy and cold. He's here to save me.

Everything about her screams of betrayal. Her rage, her fury, the smell of him all over her fur. And love is equalizing and foolish, and he cannot help the agonizing look of treachery Radahn wears on his expression. Even as every methodical, logical part of him is screaming otherwise, even if it begs him not to believe her ploy.

But why would I want to go with him when the real men are here?

Because we promised ourselves we were more than this soft, mortal life.

He is still struggling in the tiger's grasp, his heart pounding so heavily in his ears that he's barely able to hear Cassius over its incessant beat. Though he wagers with the Skagos boy's life it is not Radahn who can answer. And the part of him that is vengeful and cunning begs to be released, to know that her being alive is enough to bide his time and gather an army. But the part of him that loves her cannot bear to leave her at their mercy alone; to know that together, at least, they can endure.

For he has no love for anything or anyone else in this world but her.

Jazmin, he hisses between clenched teeth; but he knows he cannot tell her the answer.

---

Radahn vs Freja & Vincent
for dominance
escape attempt one

Rolling 1d10: 4

She hears the panicked call for her and @Cassius ♔ and while Icefang was usually first on the scene, she had intentionally took her time. A test. A trial. She had warned @Freja that there would be a day where she would be put on the spot. Faced with decisions that she must make for herself without the queen hovering above to make it for her. For Icefang - it seemed today would be the first of many. The queen saunters in to a scene of chaos. Her ears pin tightly to her skull - annoyed as she settles in alongside of @Miaran. Her gaze falls onto @Zira with a glance of disapproval simmering before she turns back towards the fight.

@Vincent holds @Radahn down as the male attempts to escape. She issues a call towards Freja, beckoning the female away from the tussle before she gets injured in the process. It seems she would have to test her another day when Icefang could meddle and control the situation to her liking. Her agitation stems down to the tiger's interference, but she would sit this one out and allow Vincent and Cassius to handle the situation considering it was their toy being fought over. She would merely cast a look to @Velasco dealing with a chomping @Kincade and @Obsidiana observing on the sidelines.

"SPEECH"

html by castlegraphics; image by Eightysichs

She doesn't move towards the sounds until @Icefang ♔ does, and by then the pale-eyed youth is more than curious. @Zira is already among them, though seemingly right in the middle of the chaos and her eyes narrow. She's learning quickly that assessing on the outskirts is the way to go - not blindly rushing in, as the little twat @Kincade appears to be. Seeing him there, among those gathered acting like some great beast irks her - and she feels her whiskers trembling with a restrained rage. Cassius was so delighted by the little beasts ( or perhaps she's misreading and it is simply satisfaction that their line is growing ) and jealousy burns beneath her coat.

A stranger, though one she's seen a time or two, snatches her sister and her hackles immediately raise. @Miaran deposits her and slams a paw upon her tail and Moontide lurches forward, her own tail lashing, as they all settles amongst one another. But before she can intervene, there's another arrival. A pretty woman, @Jazmin her father calls her, and there's shouting across the chaotic scene. She jerks to a halt, lingering at her mother's heels, and tips a thoughtful glance up to the leader. Jaw gritted she spares only one glance to her sister before settling her attention on the new Brook woman. You should get off her. Moontide snaps, leaning slightly to glare up at the grey adult. She's not stupid. Like you, the glare says - but it's left unspoken. She's learning bit by painful bit.

GODS DON'T PRAY

She hadn't thrown up, in some wild miracle and while the dark creature who appeared very much out of his depth managed to flinch back away from her slashing claws, she felt the shallow render of flesh anyway. And then, in the way that it always seemed to happen with these kinds of situations, everything happened at once. The massive, barrelling form of @Vincent explodes from the bushes and snaps words that Freja is uncertain about whether they were aimed at her or the trespasser. Perhaps naively, she concludes that it must be aimed towards @Radahn, because she had only been defending as she had been instructed. As much as she didn't want to, as much as it scared her. On the other paw, her own sons were vulnerable and @Zira was certainly not in a position of great safety either.

And then the voice that she had been counting on and the utter relief that it bought with it. @Cassius ♔' taunts to the interloper registered across the scuffle as the tiger latched onto the back of Radahn's neck. And it was exactly what she had wanted - for someone else to take up the mantle and for the responsibility to shift away from her. The innuendo, the suggestion in Cassius' words was enough for Freja's stomach to clench anxiously, but the feline in question arrived. A female Freja recognised, having recently encountered the woman with a broken leg. The puzzle pieces began to fall into place. Stolen, though from her haughty words perhaps not wholly unwillingly. Freja was oblivious to the motivations and feelings of anyone else, could only read the situation at face value.

From the side lines, a call issued for her is the sweet relief she was after. She should have stayed, should have tried to stop the escape attempt ongoing. But Icefang's word was law and Freja had little desire to remain where she was anyway. Casting a curious, assessing look over @Jazmin for just a moment, she moved swiftly away towards her Queen. I tried to stop him - I heard Zira - She stopped then, mismatched eyes flying back to the fight at hand. In all the confusion she hadn't really registered @Miaran's extraction of the pale princess. When she saw that her niece (for that was how she thought of @Zira) was no longer in the fray, she released a breath of relief.

It was easier to breathe now, to see Icefang watchful on the sides was enough reassurance. So she came to stand beside the White Queen, dichotomous eyes shifting around those gathered. And finally landed on her eldest son, ragging the shit out of @Velasco's front leg. Her mouth fell open, tail lashing out behind her as she observed @Kincade's continued attack. Cade - She called out, though realistically it was a weak attempt at calling her son off at best. Freja was the first to admit that when it came to her own cubs, she was the most useless at trying to gain any kind of control. It wasn't even worth the breath from her body.

code by scorpixia ♡︎ || art by editjackson

@Cassius ♔ glides away, unbothered by Jazmin’s presence, strutting around as only a male on a power trip can. But she can’t deny that he is - and it’s unfortunately a deserved one. After all, he is the beast that stole her in an unfair fight, and he clearly holds Vincent’s leash. The big, brutish tiger holds Radahn like a limp doll.

“Choose.”

It isn’t a choice. Letting him stay would be another chain around her neck, just as surely as she would be one for him. Another weapon to wield against her, another wound to inflict on her. Another way to make her obey. She can endure it - she can take it. She cannot endure watching him suffer the same fate. She is not strong enough.

“Jazmin.”

She does not so much as glance at @Radahn - Jazmin’s red, narrowed eyes do not leave Cassius’s intent stare.

She isn’t unaware of others around - the gathering of enemies, all of them here to watch this show. The Brook Queen herself, sitting back and letting Cassius and Vincent play with the tattered remains of her heart. Fat house cats with a starved, desperate mouse. They feed on her pain, on her fear, on her agony. They’ve spent weeks trying to break her, destroy her. And by the gods, nothing came close to working except the fact she thought Radahn had abandoned her. She nearly gave in. She nearly let them win. How close she came to embracing the darkness Vincent offered.

Cassius thinks he’s won again today. But he’s wrong. Nothing would feel better than ripping that smug smirk off his face, but Jazmin does not move. Tension ripples down her frame, released into the earth with her claws digging into the soft ground. Nothing could have broken her but Radahn - and nothing else could have reignited the stifled flame. Nothing else could wake the dragon inside her, the long dormant thirst for blood. They have touched what is hers. Cassius has no idea what he has unleashed. She will not just survive them. She will be their ruin. Every man, woman, and child.

She will burn this kingdom to the ground.

"Punish him and send him away."

Jazmin finally allows her gaze to slide to the crumpled form of her lover. Her jaw clenches, bites down on her cheek until she tastes blood, but she does not waver. She does not break at the sight of him, but she drinks in every wound, every injury. The hurt and betrayal in his harrowed eyes. Good. He should hate her. It will be easier. All of it will be paid back tenfold. She will take more than a pound of flesh. She will take their lives, or die trying.

"Get out. Do not come back."

We were never meant to have a happy ending, my love.

ART BY RABBIT, CODE BY LARS

Obsidiana kept assesing the situation with her usual calm expression, she never let her feelings show up in her dark eyes. There was no need for that, always the calmer type she always moved with a cold mind, thinking before acting and only doing so when it was necessary and if it would have good results. Soon her mother arrived and she gave the older woman a simply bow before returning her gaze at the fight and drama held..she hated dramatic folks, they disgusted her, if it was her she would kick anyone who showed such weakness, or force them to straighten up and drop the show of victim. It was always better to stand up and move on or go straight to the point. Just take the fucking idiot as prisoner without giving any sort of options. But well this wasn't her pride so she had to stay quiet for now. Though the desire to have her own pride was starting to take force with each day that passed. Perhaps it was about time she discussed her future with her mother. Time for her to help the X'uekai more now that she was an adult. Tired of the stupid drama she stood up as she dragged her claws through the soil sharpening them. She walked to stand up beside her mother. "I'll find you later, i want to talk to you about something." Said as she walked away giving a last glance at the fight, not finding to severe wounds. And like that she leaves.. Exit +5 Observe a fight +5 Maintain your weapons (sharpen claws or care for teeth) +5 Attend a fight or challenge to asses the wounds.

art by Kaori + code by spu

Fucker wasn't fighting back. He was trying to leave. A snarl erupts from between his clamped jaws as he attempts to yank Radahn back in an effort to prevent his escape. Teeth would want to try and dig in deeper, to break skin and cause pain. Legs spread slightly, attempting to shift his balance so that his weight could be pulled into the hold even further. With a rough shove forward, Vincent would work to try and pin the other onto the ground.

In truth, he didn't want the boy here.
It didn't benefit him.
This game Cassius played did not interest him.

Nevertheless, he would play his part. Use the muscle and power given to him to take what he wanted. Perhaps it would be fun to make him watch Jazmin's torment. There were many games that the tiger was keen on, but keeping these two together would offer even a semblance of hope.

And he wanted to rip their hope to pieces.

Vincent vs. @Radahn
For Dominance
0 1 2 3
Hits:

Rolling 7d20: 12 + 2 + 17 + 20 + 10 + 9 + 4

Dodges:

Rolling 6d20: 19 + 5 + 1 + 4 + 11 + 12

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 4 + 10 + 15 + 6 + 11

The Monster

Velasco X’uekai

TRIGGER WARNING!
This content might touch on topics that are sensitive or triggering for some readers. Trigger Warning for mentions of [Violence against a child]
Chaos erupted around him as a thing burst from the brook to fight the intruder the medic's presence was wholly ignored as Velasco watched the beast attack the lion. Then Cassius appears laying his claim on the boy not that the monster notices as tiny fangs stab into his leg.

The monster snarls pink eyes darting to the leach attached to his leg. Who the fuck did this kid belong to and why was it attached to him? Then again did it matter? The monster's lips pull back exposing teeth and his free limb riases in an attempt to strike the boy over the head. The monster did not hold back his force though also wasn't trying to permanently or majorly harm the boy. Teach him a lesson perhaps, if you bite someone you better have the strength to back it up. Or choose your target wiser. At least the monster's claws were tucked away, for now. There was no need to leave the boy with a permanent reminder of his transgression in attacking his elders or a X'uekai.

@Kincade

code by corvus, manip by wolfsi

i

cut my own throat / close my own wound / wear my own nightdescended blood

---

For the longest time, she does not look at him. And Radahn does not know if it is agony or relief he is feeling. He does not let show that he is feeling anything other than shock tempered by cold indifference, a boy hoping to sneak his lover out and getting caught in the act; nothing more. No wounded pride, no horror, no indication at all that his heart is being wrest in a thousand different directions.

Love is the ruin of all things.

How mortal. How agonizingly ephemeral.

Even above the din of the growing crowd and the sound of his own blood in his ears, he hears her eventual declaration resonate as if there's no one here at all but him and her.

Punish him and send him away.

She's finally looking at him, but Radahn's clenching his teeth and turning away.

Get out. Do not come back.

It's an answer he'll eventually refuse to accept. He'll pick up the crumpled pieces of whatever this man deigns to crush him into, and he'll excuse the treachery he feels in his chest as the raw instinct to survive, to recognize that she's done what she's done because she knows he cannot do it alone. But for now, in this moment, all he feels is the harrowing despair of betrayal.

The very least he can do, now, is mitigate the damage.

Radahn is smart, and shrewd, but he is not a fighter. He knows a fight he cannot win when he sees one. He knows the limits of his mortality—for he had once pushed himself to the very limit.

He feels Vincent's hold tighten, his weight bare forward as he drives Radahn further and further into the ground, attempting to break the remaining hold on his balance. For his part, he attempts to keep himself upright, hoping to utilize the man's incessant bow forward to try and slip free of his grip, to find the sliver of an opening he needs to wrest himself free.

---

Radahn vs Vincent
for dominance
escape attempt two

Rolling 1d10: 10

@Jazmin @Vincent @Cassius ♔