"speech."

The warmonger had been busy, even when he didn’t want to be, the swamp was alive with activity of the pride and while that was good it meant that he had to be alert all the time. He’d fought for the King, he’d delivered messages to his enemies and had helped in swelling the prides numbers- and the beast had been rewarded for it. A rank given on faith and once he had proven himself he had been given a rank of more prestige. He could say he was content, but he was not. He didn’t give much shit about what rank he was, he wanted blood. He wanted those around him to want the same and for the most part, he felt that those around him wanted that- Slaine and Erna did at least.

Today, Ronin would seek out the king, there was much they needed to talk about- things that would either make or break the pair as comrades. If the king truly respected the warmonger, then it would go great…if he didn’t? Well it was likely Ronin would be out of the mire (he wouldn’t be sad to leave the terrain behind). When the pale King came into view he would call out with a simple chuff. “We should talk.” He would say once closer, coming to a stop in front of @Alaric.

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perhaps he was too quick to trust, too quick to respect, but in @ronin he had found a creature worthy of it. or so he assumed. the man seemed to carry some of the same values that he himself claimed which was the very reason he had offered the fight to ronin against his own wife. now, he knew, they needed to talk. they needed to delve deeper in to this relationship and ensure that they were, in fact, on the same page. "indeed we should," he responded, then, when ronin found him first. alaric would turn to face him, to give him his full attention, and then would choose to sit back and take a load of. this conversation was bound to be of utmost importance, and alaric wanted to make it clear that he was in no rush to leave until they had sorted it all out. he said no more, though, waiting to hear what ronin had to say first.

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"speech."

@Alaric would turn to face him, reclining back into a sitting position as he spoke, acknowledging that this may not be the shortest of discussions that they’d had. Ronin would nod to the words, reclining back as well. “Your wife is an idiot.” The first of many blunt things to be said in this conversation, but it would certainly test the boundaries of what would rile the King and what would be taken more open mindedly. It was fair to say that Ronin knew little of the Rike, he had addressed her only a handful of times but in all of their interactions she proved to be rash, aggressive and lacking in strategy. “Would you have appointed her Sovereign if I’d lost?” He asked passively, in truth, Ronin cared very little for his title or power, he wanted to fight and hone his skills it was by mere chance that he had acquired so much in such a short time. Something he was sure the King had noticed. Ambitious as he was, he still didn’t care to be a King.


Barbarian
+5 - discuss battle strategy {0/2}

code by corvus

That was... abrupt.

Alaric cannot stop the curl of his lip or the sharpness in his gaze. Erna, challenging as she may be, was still his wife. "Watch yourself," he warned, because he would not stand for the insults. "Her temper is short, but she is not as stupid as you might think her to be." He had seen beyond the surface to her mind, and he knew, too, the trauma she had endured. Erna was a complex creature and it was why he was able to answer -- "I am glad I did not have to make that choice."

Erna winning would have only complicated things further, and he much preferred the level head of the warmonger as his second. "It is a good thing that you won." Desperate as Erna was to prove herself -- but to whom, he wondered, for she had long ago proven to him to be a worthy mate -- he did not see her as fit to lead.

where innocence burns in flames

i'm frozen to the bones

image by yumpy, code by corvus

"speech."

@Alaric was not pleased by his initial comment, as he somewhat expected. A curling of lip was shown as well as a sharpness to his gaze. Ronin would respond with a calm expression, understanding but refusing to budge. The warning words were met with a smooth gaze and a shift of his ears, showing he acknowledged the threat but he did not show that he would budge on the subject. If anything his expression replied with ‘no’ as a silent answer. He did not speak out of animosity towards the Rike, he didn’t hold grudges in that fashion like she seemed to, he spoke out from his own observation and own opinion and his would not be so easily silenced. The King would go on to suggest she was not as stupid as she would seem and he would raise a brow. “You know her better than I.” He would relent, fleetingly. “She is fool-hardy, she attacks potential members, fails to see the value in others, she sees only a threat.” His tone was calm, factual even, Erna had a lot to learn in his eyes and she was not the easiest to teach. The warmonger lived for violence but even he knew when it was not needed and when to back off.

Ronin would nod as the King would first say that he was glad it was a choice he didn’t have to make and that he was glad that Ronin had won. It was fortunate indeed. ”Agreed.” Otherwise chaos would certainly reign in the Mire and he wasn’t sure he wanted to linger for that sort of drama, although he would always come to Alaric’s aide should he need it. He enjoyed the males company and he could admit that the King had a decent mind for strategy. Which would lead them to the next topic- once Erna was fully discussed.

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Tension looms, and yet he cannot fault @Ronin for his observations. Erna was a wildcard, and he knew damn well that she was a risk factor in all of this.

"She was raised to believe that threats lurked around every corner -- for her family, they do." The Sigrun had felled their share of the Rike, and he understood the paranoia his wife faced daily. "But," because he was a leader, now, and he must act like one, "I will speak to her. Keep her from the borders unless she is able to hold her anger in check." This was the olive branch he could offer, because despite all of her flaws he loved the woman in his own way.

With that issue seemingly addressed he quirked a brow at the other male, curious about what else he had to say. It was clear that Ronin had a list and Alaric could only hope that the list was short.

where innocence burns in flames

i'm frozen to the bones

image by yumpy, code by corvus

"speech."

Tension did not bother Ronin, if anything, it only excited him. Today, however, he was vividly aware of what acting on that tension would cause and thus, while he was blunt and said what needed to be said, he did not push too hard in regards to the Kings wife. He would listen to the vague explanation about enemies lurking around every corner, in every shadow. Ronin would remain unmoving until the King would offer a solution, talking to her and keeping her from the border if she couldn’t keep her temper in check. For the moment, Ronin would nod. Pacified by the Kings efforts to see reason.

The quirked brow would cause Ronin to move to the next topic. “A new lioness in the pride. Brynja. I think she could be quite valuable on multiple fronts. She has skills in poisons- if her passive threat towards Erna wasn’t a bluff From his tone, it was clear that Ronin did not believe they were. “Id propose that we send her to infiltrate our enemies pride. She could learn their weaknesses as well as poison them- if we needed her to.” He’d wait to see how @Alaric would take the information that he had to give. “There is another, Asylum, that would be useful as well…in a slightly different way.”


+5 Discuss a battle strategy{1/2}
+10 Bring important information to a pride leader (info of Brynja and Asylum) {1/2}

code by corvus

sometimes he wondered if he had been too hasty with his trust, too quick to hand out ranks with only a good fight. as much as the wheat king valued the strength of his pridemates, times like this made him realize that he did not know them very well at all.

erna was the one who had stood by his side -- erna was the one who had earned his respect. ronin was new to the game, and while he was hoping their beliefs and goals would align he wondered, still, if it would all come crashing down.

or maybe he just hated having to share when he had only just earned his place.

"it would seem the mire has drawn it's fair share of assassins in the past days," he commented, unsure how he felt about that fact. useful, yes, as long as one did not cross them. he made a mental note to have erna taste his food before he ate it -- or perhaps patchouli would be up to the task. a wry grin crossed his lips at the thought, but faded as @ronin carried on. "spies would be a valuable thing to have, true, when we can trust that she would stay loyal to the mire. it would seem foolish to send her before any true loyalty is formed."

and asylum? "tell me about her." it was a demand but barely, and almost masked as a request.

where innocence burns in flames

i'm frozen to the bones

image by yumpy, code by corvus

"speech."


Trust was always difficult to judge. Was it given too easily? Was it earned? Was it fake? It was always a gamble when one wasn’t known well. Yet, Ronin felt he had more than proved his loyalty to @Alaric. Hadn’t he? He had made himself a target standing with him in the uprising, fought for him, built his ranks, patrolled his borders and helped train his ranks. If he had motives to betray the King, he’d had plenty of opportunity. As he had said when they’d met, if he had any dreams of being a King, Alaric would be first to know.

The Warmonger would listen, smirking slightly at the commenting about assassins showing interest in the Mire. It was odd, but not enough to warrant Ronin’s suspicion. He’d nod at the mention of ensuring loyalty first, smart, but time consuming. “How would you like to test her loyalty?” He asked, curious what the king would have in mind. The demand would have Ronin’s muscles twitch, a tension that instantly relaxed. He didn’t like being demanded of anything, but he understood his role. “She has a bite that can weaken our enemies temporarily. If they are weak, it could kill them.” He would explain, before continuing. “ I let her bite me to test it out. Its..interesting.. My symptoms included a headache and aggression, it lasted about 48 hours.” How would he take this information? Ronin would watch him closely, anticipating either anger or intrigue.


+5 Discuss a battle strategy{2/2}
+10 Bring important information to a pride leader (info of Brynja and Asylum) {2/2}

code by corvus

Alaric had never thought of creating any kind of test for loyalty -- it was something proven over time, not something that could be seen immediately. It was too easy to pass a single test, and he pursed his lips as he considered the question. "I don't know that loyalty is something that can be tested," he finally answered, having come up with no other reasonable response. It was what he thought and believed, and he tipped his head slightly as he looked to his second -- "do you have an idea?" Was there something he wasn't thinking of?

The next revelation takes him aback, and he frowns deeply. "That was a stupid thing to do." He might piss off the Sovereign, but so be it. Testing out a potentially fatal bite without any kind of safety net? Giving some strange girl the ability to take him out, just like that? What if it had been worse? What if he had been incapacitated and she had been an assassin from another pride. "I can't claim to know what conversation could have led you to make that decision, but I would suggest you be a little more cautious. There are enemies of the Mire that could easily send an assassin in to our midst. There are sly lions in this land, Ronin."

He was... disturbed... by this news, and it showed. Was Ronin really that stupid as to offer himself up on a silver platter so easily, and if so, was he really the best choice for Sovereign?


(note: alarics thoughts do NOT reflect my own haha)

where innocence burns in flames

i'm frozen to the bones

image by yumpy, code by corvus