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 Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2012 6:26 pm
 Even now, when she felt that her life was reaching its climax and all the things she had worked toward were finally coming to fruition, Zsaria found that she could not simply be happy. She would smile and laugh around her children and her dear Bjorn, but alone it would all come crashing down around her. She knew why, she knew she had yet to let go of the things that haunted her from her past, but she knew not how to release them and free herself. Pontus was gone, she was sure, or else far enough away that there had been no sign of him in years. Her dear brothers had been laid to rest even before she was sure of that, she visited their graves often, and yet she couldn't shake the feeling of something decidedly unsettled. Nearly every night she would find herself waking in a cold sweat, her last memory of seeing Pontus standing over her cubs. But they weren't cubs anymore, they were all off training for their own lives. It wasn't reality, couldn't possibly be, and yet it stayed with her. Since the dreams had increased in frequency she had begun to stray from her usual comforts of mint and fighting, instead finding retreat in the crashing waves at the pride's edge. If she stared long enough she thought she might disappear into them.
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Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2012 7:36 pm
 Terrifying and powerful. Those words could so easily describe the expanse of water that stretched out before her, endless in every direction. Even though she had grown used to it, spending time in this pride, Mneme still found the sea to be beautiful. When she needed time to herself, to be alone with her thoughts, the little goddess would sit at the rock’s edge and simply contemplate the world. Today was such a day- uncertain of what she was doing with herself, Mneme had taken off, hoping to find an answer in the waves.
How was she going to be scary? She hadn’t the foggiest idea. Scowling slightly to herself, Mneme let her tail flick back and forth in thought. If she disappointed Raiden, she could get him seriously upset… and probably lose one of the few friends she had. And THAT was a horrifying thought. But a fear of being left wasn’t anything she could put into a horrifying goddess form…
With sudden clarity, Mneme realized she had company at the water’s edge- snapping up, she turned to view the other lioness, barely masking the fear on her face. Oh, crap. Making certain to sit tall and proud, the little goddess bared her teeth at the other, desperately trying to make herself seem terrifying.
“I am not to be trifled with now, mortal!” She boomed, making certain her voice was more fear-inducing than her appearance. At the very least, Mneme had made her eyes glow hauntingly, dead to the lioness who stood before her.
“If you dare to challenge me, it will come at the cost of your mind! Should you seek peace…” Mneme sniffed at the air, then turned back to the sea, allowing the boom of her magic voice to fade.
“I would not object to the company.”
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Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2012 8:03 pm
Zsaria's fur stood on end as the goddess's voice wrapped around her like a cloying trap. She nearly shouted a string of obscenities about the stranger's heritage but stopped as she spun around and caught sight of the eyes. This was no ordinary intrusion, that much she knew instantly.
The figure had called her mortal, she noted. So this was a goddess, but which one? She had never paid much attention in those sort of drab lessons and for a moment she wished she had. It was of no consequence now, so she gathered up her guts and responded to the offer of peace with a truly annoyed looking grimace. "Peace is hardly ever worth it," she heard herself say, "But I suppose I'd like to keep my mind, I'm not quite done with it, so I'll concede to peace."
With her heartbeat slowing down she took a moment to examine the stranger more closely. No obvious symbology, this one truly was a mystery. "My name is Zsaria."
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Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2012 8:27 pm
“A wise decision,” Mneme said softly, a smile playing across her features. Thank the goddess she’d been believed! If she’d had to fight someone- particularly a lioness of the Stormborn- Mneme wasn’t sure what would become of her. Sure, Raiden had said he’d protect her as a bird… but if she’d incited a fight as a goddess, well. She was probably on her own for that one.
“Zsaria? I haven’t heard a name like that. Pray tell, does it mean anything?” She questioned, making certain to keep on the pretense of power. If she just dropped the illusion of being an almighty goddess with phenomenal cosmic power, Raiden would be horrifically upset. So even if it wasn’t really like her, well…
She could play this game. For a little while, at least.
“I… am Mneme.” It was spoken with authority and pride, as though she were the most terrifying creature imaginable. Lifting her head high, she looked Zsaria over, empty eyes fixed on the lioness’s form. Even if she was just looking at someone, it seemed to be a terrifying phenomenon- something, in this instance, that worked in her favor.
“You seemed to be in thought, before you stumbled upon me,” Mneme added, tilting her said slightly.
“What thoughts trouble you?”
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Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2012 8:37 pm
"I don't know, in all honesty," she admitted with a bit of a choked sound. She was sure it did mean something, but her father had never seen fit to tell her. He had his own ways, and his dear daughter had needed to know only the minimum.
Her thoughts, that was something she did know more than she cared to. "The same as always," she offered, though it wasn't an answer in itself. "My family has resided in these lands as far back as time is recorded, and yet there are times when the sea frightens me. It has a temper, you know, and you never know when the storm might hit." She shivered, trying to hold the goddess's gaze. "I fear a different storm though, one of flesh and blood that should be cold and rotted in the earth." It sounded almost like a prophesy but she held no special powers, only a mother's fear and a reaver's suspicion.
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Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2012 8:47 pm
“I feel as though we are MEANT to fear the sea. A certain amount of fear, keeping us alert and active, is healthy” Mneme explained, breaking the gaze between them first and turning her attention to the waters. Even someone who had lived here all this time feared it… how peculiar. It eased her mind, a bit, knowing that a lioness so accustomed to these lands was afraid, but… at the same time, it made Mneme wonder if there was more to these lands than she understood. She contemplated Zsaria’s words a moment, and made a light humming sound.
“You seem a strong lioness… and in these lands, what have you to fear?” She questioned, turning back to the other once more. In her little time that she had been living again, Mneme had encountered… fun and happy mortals. Not ones with troubles like these.
“Is it not in your ways to fight that which confronts you? You certainly seem strong enough to handle it, but…” her ears flicked in thought, and Mneme sighed.
“I am aware of how our pasts might destroy us. Those things that we’ve feared before… somehow have more power over us. Even with someone as powerful as you.”
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