The situation still managed to make her feel as strong as the mountain. The same confidence running rampant in her veins as they had when she had first spoken with @Magnus and Vermier. From the second she had left her High Sovereign's side with his blessing, she had searched for @Zaynab as best she could. Intent on finding the woman so that both prides could get what they needed without more struggle than was necessary.
Despite the opposing sides from one wheat woman to the other, Maude showed no sign of hostility or negativity towards the lioness she escorted. Able to hold friendliness to one that had, personally, not done anything to harm her. It was unclear what tomorrow would bring but today was one of common ground. Each pride had someone they needed and Maude was intent on getting @Cassine back to her family.
Once they arrived, Maude called out for the shaded Lagoon King. Hoping that this was the right lioness and that they hadn't just lied to get here -- oh, but wouldn't that have been fun.

table by sentinel / lion + beach

Zaynab had wondered how long it would be that she would remain in the Bluffs after her conversation with him. She’d lingered close to the pride, waiting to hear him calling for a challenge, and had been caught quite off guard when it was instead a woman that came calling, and not for a challenge, but with news of a trade. It wasn’t what she had expected, but as long as she was free from this place, that was all she really cared about.

The woman the escorted her was nice enough, and Zaynab was happy to reciprocate the niceties. They all had their own loyalties, and she could not fault anyone for that. It was a complicated world, and they were all doing their best to navigate it. Regardless, she was still eager to be officially accepted into the Lagoon, to begin getting herself acquainted with her new home.

@Magnus @Cassine @Maude
"Speech"

finally, finally, she would be able to rid herself of the sands and the scent of brine, both of which clung so greedily to her pelt, even during her absence as of late. the fact that her family had even wound up here in the first place was a mystery to cassine, even now, for she did not understanding its appeal nor the high interest it seemed to garner from others. it was not as if it mattered to her anymore, anyways — not when king @Magnus had been gracious enough to negotiate for her release, despite all that had transpired between their familiar. there was, of course, that small, chiding part of her mind that could not help but to whisper of presumed ulterior motives, but, at this point, any excuse to get out the lagoon, however, was going to be revelled and rejoiced.

the parisian moved hastily in the direction of @Maude's call once it reached out across the breeze, feeling as though she had wind beneath her feet as she pushed down the coastline and towards the scillan borders. the mere sight of her pride-mate, there upon the horizon, made cassine’s lips curling up into a satisfied, coy grin, hoping that the other woman would be keen enough to see it, before the expression was purposefully stiffled beneath a more composed and drab exterior. her gaze would slip between maude and @Zaynab briefly before coming to a halt on the opposing side of the border, figuring that this must be the woman that the sigrun had told her about. the one who had been important enough for his cause, in one way or another, to garner the release of the dieudonné progeny. so be it.

The sooner Magnus could get this over with, the better. His station within the clan during his stay in the homeland - when pillaging was rife, and their captive count high - had never been high enough to have to deal with negotiations with prisoners, so this would be his first experience with it. Still, if it meant ridding himself of @Cassine - one of his more ungrateful housemates, though she couldn't really be blamed for her stance; the titan could understand loyalty to family, even if they were weak and snivelling - and gaining @Zaynab - a tie to Zoticus, an ally - then it was important for it to succeed.

And succeed it would; he could not see why not.

Moving to the border, he could see that the red-pelted Dieudonne was already there. Keen, no doubt, to get back to her kin. @Maude was present, along with the pink-pelted assassin he'd spoken with mere days before. Good. He chuffed a low greeting to all present. Ultimately, though, his attention rested on the wheat-pelted Noble. "Maude - let's wrap this up quickly."

the finest fury is the most controlled

code by corvus

The wheat golden aged Noble could appreciate the fact that she was understood. That perhaps her choice of leader wasn't everyone's cup of tea nor was he likeable to anyone else but those closest, but it was a choice that she would continue to make. Vermier had given her a home and a purpose, much more than anyone else ever had; and with each day that passed, she didn't have to worry about whether or not she had family behind her. They might not be blood but they saw her and appreciated her. More than she had gotten in a long, long time.
So to see @Cassine stroll upon them was a relief as she gave the Dieudonne heiress a once over to make sure that all was right with the girl. Pleased to see that there were no heavy damage to her and that she didn't seem traumatized or otherwise phased. Perhaps even pleased to be leaving this salty land. Maude exchanged a grin with her quickly, feeling a surge of confidence that they understood the choices that she was making.
That only left @Magnus who did not leave them waiting for too long. I could not agree more, she offered to the to-the-point High Sovereign and put a leg forward to address to @Zaynab that she was free to go and motioning with her for Cassine to come along. There was much to do in the coming days and they would need to return for the Bezra sisters. For now, though, Cassine was their priority to get her safely back to the Bluffs where she belonged.

table by sentinel / lion + beach

@Magnus and the girl @Cassine she was being traded for arrived quickly, everyone seeming equally eager to get things over with. Zaynab didn’t know who the girl was, or how important she might have been, but Zaynab didn’t know much about any of those who now resided in Wolfbron. It had been her goal since the challenge to fly under their radar as much as possible until she found her way out. She had no interest in getting further tangled up in whatever conflicts they might have and was only interested in moving on.

As @Maude gestured for things to be wrapped up, the pink lioness moved across the border onto Magnus’ side, turning back to face the women. She offered a nod of farewell to the noble that had escorted her here, thankful that her release from her former pride had gone so smoothly, and even more thankful that her travel companion hadn’t been as unhinged as the new high sovereign had appeared at the challenge.

"Speech"

no one was here to waste time or pretend to enjoy the thralls of chit-chat; as it should be, they were all eager and zealous to get this over with, and avoid any further complications in the process. much to cassine’s satisfaction, @Magnus indicated for this to continue swiftly, followed by the subtle gesture of @Maude's figure, beckoning the dieudonne back into the folds of those with which she belonged. "thank you for your — hospitality, magnus." she hummed as she pushed herself to the other-side of the border, twisting her muzzle over her shoulder and casting a final glance towards the czar. though tinged with her often sly tongue, she supposed he did not have to release her in the first place, and so she owed him a sliver a appreciation for that alone. but he would not get much more than that. continuing forward, the buzz within the parisian’s chest continued to grow, aiming to swallow the distance between her and her pridemate with a low rumble. "thank you." she whispered only for maude’s ears, before continuing on, away from the lagoon and towards the bluffs. she was thankful in more ways than one, though perhaps the best part was that she would no longer be forced to dwell upon the seaside. she had always hared the beach. exit.

Given the nature of this handover, there was no room for light-hearted conversation here. Still, with all those necessary present, it did not take long to wrap things up. And so, as @Maude motioned for @Zaynab to take her leave, Magnus would watch silently as the freckled woman did just that. "Welcome," he rumbled to the pink-pelted lioness, before shifting his attention to the Dieudonne. There was a subtle edge to her words, but not nearly enough to warrant any sort of backlash. Faint, practiced - clever. And so he would simply grunt, curling a lip subtly. "Until next time, then." With a final glance to Maude, and the already retreating form of @Cassine, Magnus would turn on his heel and gesture for Zaynab to follow.

EXIT

the finest fury is the most controlled

code by corvus

Under normal circumstances the wheat Noble was not particularly chit-chat driven so this was another day where she could simply see no reason to draw it out any longer than necessary. Simply happy to continue moving forward and not to ruin this opportunity. Neither party had to agree on such an exchange so she considered herself quite lucky that they had been able to grab @Cassine without much fuss.
So as the young Dieudonne moved off with a subtle thanks to @Magnus, Maude began to turn her head and gave a strong nod back to the Lagoon High Sovereign. She was thankful for his acceptance of the arrangement and the swiftness with which he delivered, but ultimately they were still on shaky grounds with the pride so it was best to simply leave.
So Maude ushered her way alongside Cassine and gave a simple of course to the girl. She was an important cog in the machine of Vermier's family and it had (hopefully) secured her some brownie points in the process should she ever fuck something up. exit maude

table by sentinel / lion + beach

@Zaynab

There was little else to be said, and in the blink of an eye the deed was done. Magnus welcomed her in, and the other two lionesses were on their way home as the male led her deeper into the territory. A new start, almost just as soon as she had begun to settle in at the Bluffs. Things here seemed to move much faster than they had in her old home lands, and while it was exciting, she hoped she would be able to settle in the Lagoon for a while without all the chaos. It would be nice to live a normal life, at least for a while.

- Exit -
"Speech"