The first stop was somewhere she had never anticipated seeking out willingly. She felt dread settle heavily in her stomach as she approached the yawning mouth of the subterranean pride all the whole quietly wondering why here of all places. It send a shudder down her spine to even entertain the idea of living there, but she knew the lions within were kind. The Hodari family managed to cling to honor as few did nowadays, and Rani respected it. She had no reason to hesitate on pulling the trigger to join, yet the lioness couldn't help but feel uncertain. After so many times of joining only to become a curse and cause the pride to disband, well, it was easy enough to see why her voice seemed to waver when she called for attention.

table by ferus, artwork by grav3wolf

The call carried down the maze of tunnels that made up the Hollow and found Hiccup in his den, leisurely chewing on a birthday bone. He was savoring it, slowly working his way up to crunching it open to slurp out the juicy marrow. But when he realized they had a visitor, the young ambassador quickly put his snack aside to greet them.

From the darkness of the cavern’s depths, his bright mane and vivid coat came into view. Hiccup approached the natural archway, where a pale lioness waited. “Hello there,” he chimed as he neared her, a smile on his muzzle. “I’m Hiccup, a gentry here. What brings you to the Hollow?” He noted the absence of a pride scent, which made him wonder if her visit was political or personal. Regardless of her reasons, he would happily keep her company until @Roan arrived.

@Aarani

artwork

He knew that voice. Not well, but the strings of familiarity were pulled upon all the same. More curious than anything else, the Hodari didn't dawdle long before making his way through the tunnels of the Hollow. Even still, @Hiccup managed to beat him to the entrance as Roan arrived just as the Gentry posed his question. Minty gaze settled on the maned female, instantly recognizing @Aarani as the memory came back to him. It had been a long time she he had spoken to the woman. Sure, he might have seen her here and there at challenges and other big crowds, but they'd never really stopped to chat. While the Hodari noted the lack of a pride scent in the air, he wasn't ready to let himself jump to conclusions either.

Coming up alongside the red boy, Roan allowed his haunches to settle before turning his attention upon their visitor. "Aarani," the masked man greeted with a dip of his head and a light smile across his face. "It's been a while. Nice to see you again." There was a relaxed nature to his tone. She had been an ally to the Mire, and was some sort of friend or mentor to his sister. Roan still wasn't all that clear on their connection, but in any regard, the maned woman was someone the mauve man was prepared to treat with respect and kindness. Having heard Hiccup's question to her already, though, Roan didn't find it necessary to pose his own version of the same query.

Table & Ref by Amanda | Background | Base

A kind young man approached, materializing from the shadows rather abruptly. Aarani couldn't help but notice the stark contrast between the man and his whereabouts -- there was such a sunny disposition about him that she found him ill suited to the gloom of the caverns. Maybe he preferred it, though. It wasn't her place to cast judgment.

"Hello, @Hiccup. My name is Aarani, I'm here looking for-- oh, there he is." The lioness smiled softly at the two men, but her attention shifted to Roan. "Hello Roan, I'm here to see.. well, to be honest, I'm tired of being a rogue. It's gotten easier with my children old enough to help out with hunting, but goodness, am I ever bored." And lonely, she added silently. "I'm trying to see if the Hollows might be a good fit for my small family." Either way, she knew Roan would be unbiased. He was a swell guy like that.

table by ferus, artwork by grav3wolf

ooc: sorry for the skip, flea, but figured poe probably wants to keep this moving

@Aarani was honest with her answer, which brought a small chuckle to the king's lips with her blatant acknowledgement of being bored. "Well, I don't know how much more exciting Obsidian might be, but you and your family are more than welcome to join us, Aarani. At least you'd have a roof over your head and a steady supply of food." The Hollow was filled with plenty of hunters, after all, and they worked together quite smoothly as well. Though the maned woman may still find herself bored from time to time, it couldn't be worse than the rogue life, right? Oh, but before she made any further decisions, Roan knew he should mention a little something first.

"While I'd like to be selfish and say that you and your children should join us, I should also probably tell you that I've recently crossed paths with your wife while out on Maua's passage. She ultimately joined the Lagoon, but was asking if anyone had seen you or your children around. I agreed to pass along this information if I ever ran into you again." So, here he was keeping his promise. Roan didn't know if this would change Aarani's ideas about joining Obsidian or not, but he wouldn't feel right accepting her without her knowing about Dior as well.

Table & Ref by Amanda | Background | Base

If Aarani had expected anything, it was not to be told that Dior was back -- assuming it was Dior at all. The sinking confusion that crept in cast a shadow over her face while she processed things and emotions she thought had long subsided resurfaced with a vengeance. Dior's arrival would greatly shift things in her life, let alone the lives of her kids. It took a few moments for the stunned woman to even react, but eventually she blinked back to life and cleared her throat. "I.. was not expecting that at all, um.. I'll admit, I'm a little dumbfounded right now." Rani tried to play it off with a soft chuckle, but the nervousness behind it was palpable enough for anyone to tell. "I think I should.. find her, then. Spirits, Roan, I haven't seen her in almost two years." She lifted a paw to gently rub at her temple. Things just became a lot more complicated and Aarani wasn't even sure how to begin processing. "The Lagoon, right. Are you at least allies with them?" And whoever the hell ran the place now?

table by ferus, artwork by grav3wolf

ooc: gonna liquid time the shit out of this since brii and i already oocly agreed OH and SL will likely end in an alliance in the current thread

Roan could only imagine what sort of bomb he had just dropped on @Aarani. He couldn't have known how long the two had been apart. It wasn't as if he was friends with either of them and thus would have noticed Dior absence for however long it had been. Therefore, he gave the maned woman however much time she needed to process it all. Even if Aarani tried to play off this news as nothing major, it was easy to see the frustration and confusion it was likely causing the woman inside. Perhaps it would have been better to hear it from someone else, but who else would have known? "I'm sorry." The masked man found himself apologizing as his brows knit sympathetically. "I didn't mean to make this a harder decision than it already is, but I thought it was only right to tell you." Then Aarani mentioned that it had been two years since she had last seen her wife. Well, almost. Roan didn't even want to think about what his life would be like if he spent two years away from his wife.

All he could do was be a sounding board for now. Whatever the medic wanted to do, he would support. "I hope to be soon, yes," he nodded. Even if Alizabeth was a little crass the few times they had crossed paths on the passage, she also seemed like a strong and capable leader. Nothing she had done so far stood out as a red flag. "If you want, until you make a decision, I can accept you as part of Obsidian so you don't have to worry about being claimed anywhere until you've had a chance to talk to your wife. If you decide to join her, I'll release you without issue." The scent of a pride was safer than traveling as a rogue, right? Even if Aarani might be spending her time elsewhere primarily, at least she would have somewhere to go back to if she needed it.

Table & Ref by Amanda | Background | Base

Aarani stood there in complete shock, her eyes staring off towards the direction of Scilla Lagoon. She had partially checked out of the entire dimension and was simultaneously thinking about everything and nothing all at once, but more surprisingly was the wave of fear she felt. Dior had never even said goodbye before leaving, so what.. what was the reason she had left in the first place? Leaving Aarani with a litter of newborns that she could not even properly care for at first because Dior had given birth to them. Her heart caught painfully in her throat as she blinked back into the present, turning to @Roan with a thin smile. "I'm sorry, I just.. I wasn't expecting her to come back and I can't seem to think of anything else right now. Can I.. can I take a few days to collect myself?" She rubbed her temple with a paw, sighing. "I'm so sorry, Roan. I need to go.. I don't know, take the world's longest walk. Or nap. Or both." Clearly there were some things she needed to mull over before seeking Dior out.

"Thank you for telling me, Roan. I appreciate it. Please excuse me." As embarrassing as the conversation had ended up being, Aarani felt worse for having wasted his time. He was a king and he had more important things to do than entertain an old woman's messy love life.

exit bYE BITCH

table by ferus, artwork by grav3wolf

Roan just sat there patiently, quietly. He couldn't begin to imagine what was going through @Aarani's head as she seemed to daze out of the conversation. The Hodari wouldn't seek to press her until she was ready to talk again. In the end, the maned woman decided now was not the right time to be making any decisions, not until she knew more. When Aarani requested more time to think, the mauve man was quick to oblige. "Of course. Take as much time as you need. Obsidian will still be here if you decide to return." Well, he hoped it would be anyway, if the healer decided to return with her family.

With much to think about now, it came as no surprise when the wheat lioness decided to take her leave. "Of course," the masked man offered once more with a nod of his head. Rising to his feet, he'd see her off. "Take care, Aarani." With the knowledge that if she didn't join Obsidian, the maned woman might at least join Scilla, Aarani would still be an ally. Looking to @Hiccup then, Roan gave a small shrug of his shoulders. "Well, that didn't go how I thought it was going to go, but at least she knows her wife has returned." The silver lining of it all, perhaps. They might have reunited a family today. With nothing left to discuss, though, the masked king would return to the tunnels.

exit Roan

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