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 Posted: Sun May 04, 2014 9:25 am
 Warlord. He was the warlord of the Myrsky Syntynyt. Gods, that was a strange thought.
And there were probably a million things he should be doing right now, having won his challenge and changed his name and undone Njal's unnecessarily vindictive actions against Aesir's family. He really didn't feel like it though. He wanted to relax and spend time with someone who didn't want anything from him. Not that it was all that easy to find such a companion. Everyone wanted something.
Well, no. Not everyone. Vol probably didn't want anything. Ru just didn't feel like spending time having every detail of the fight gone over and evaluated, which Vol would do. He wouldn't be able to help it. He had taken Ru under his wing when Ru was new to the pride, taught him to fight, and had never seen him as anything but a youth in need of instruction. A friend, true, but a friend who could be freely criticized.
Gyllene probably didn't want anything from him either. At least, she probably didn't want anything he would be unwilling to give. He liked Gyllene. She was attractive, clever, amusing, and didn't come with insane amounts of emotional and political baggage, which made her infinitely preferable to just about every female Ru knew. He would visit her.
His feet knew the way to her home, and before long he was there, poking his head in to see if she was.pinchmonster I set this maybe a day or two after the challenge, if that's okay. And, of course, no rush or anything. I just felt like starting an RP that wasn't a SRP.
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Posted: Sun May 04, 2014 6:34 pm
 Gyllene hadn't been able to watch Ru fight Njal. She hadn't been preoccupied, or too busy. She hadn't been doing anything but fretting. Endlessly. Gyllene couldn't stomach the thought that Ru might lose, and if he lost she couldn't help but worry that he might be put to death. It was not a pleasant thought, and so she hadn't gone. It had not taken her long at all to find out that Ru had won, but even then she was too furious at him for even challenging Njal to seek him out. Her anxiety over the impending challenge had taken a swift, harsh swerve into anger - and that anger had slow-burned for a good day or so. By the time Ru's shadow darkened the entrance of her den, that anger had blossomed into a prickly sort of pride. Gyllene was undoubtedly happy that he'd won. He deserved to win more than anyone, considering the stupid quest that Aesir had sent him on. She was only mildly annoyed, and even that slight annoyance melted away when her eyes met his. Gyllene barely stifled the massive smile on her lips and merely greeted him with a soft but welcoming, "Warlord."
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Posted: Sun May 04, 2014 6:43 pm
Ru groaned, but he couldn't help smiling. "Not you, too! You cannot call me that. I forbid it."
He was pretty damn pleased with himself for winning, even though he couldn't let on by doing any of the things a warrior might ordinarily do after a victory. He had been cautioned several times by several people about how he must handle his victory, should he in fact be victorious. Above all, he must not do anything which might spark a blood feud. Bringing back Aesir's brood was one thing, but he could not give direct offense to Njal's family unless he intended to kill them all. Actually, several people had suggested that he marry one of them to demonstrate that he had no hard feelings toward them.
"I haven't seen you in several days," he said. Not a brilliant conversational salvo, but true. Even though it was almost entirely his fault that he hadn't seen her. He'd been busy making the transition from captain to warlord.
"Several long days," he amended.
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Posted: Sun May 04, 2014 6:56 pm
Gyllene burst into laughter, violet eyes glittering with hapless mirth. She couldn't help it, that groan had been too adorable. And he was forbidding her from calling him Warlord? Gyllene didn't know why, but that tickled her to death.
Her thoughts hadn't turned towards the politics of everything just yet. She hadn't had time to worry what Ru's new responsibilities might force him into. Gyllene certainly hadn't been worrying that he'd face an arranged marriage. Quite honestly (and probably unreasonably) she'd taken to thinking of Ru as hers, even though they were nothing more than friends.
Gods, how she wished things would progress beyond that, but she was entirely too terrified to nudge things in the desired direction.
"I forgive you," Gyllene's voice was hoarse with stifled giggles. "I know you have been busy. I'm sorry I wasn't there," she added, the laughter in her voice taking on an edge of seriousness. "There were things..."
She waved a paw, and hoped he wouldn't ask her to elaborate.
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Posted: Sun May 04, 2014 7:08 pm
Ru glared at Gyllene's outburst, but there wasn't much ferocity behind it. Soon enough he gave in and smiled with her. This was what he wanted. A pleasant companion to take his mind off of everything else that he had gotten himself into.
"You forgive me? I don't remember apologizing," he said, feigning affronted dignity.
He shrugged off her apology. To be honest, he hadn't actually noticed that she wasn't there to watch the fight. Maybe he should have, but he had been very focused on what he was doing at the time, determined not to make the same mistakes Aesir had made. Everyone watching Aesir's fight had said that the former warlord appeared distracted, and so Ru had not been. It had still been close, and he would probably bear the scars for the rest of his life.
"Things do tend to come up, don't they?" he replied. "Are they the sort of things I can help with? I am the warlord, you know. I can be very helpful."
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Posted: Mon May 05, 2014 10:41 am
Gyllene's laughter tapered off to mere smiles. She did shake her head in response to his question. The things she spoke of were silly. Gods, she was silly. In fact, she was being rather ridiculous about everything, but Gyllene didn't care. Well, she cared a little, but there was nothing that could be done about the current state of things. Not unless she came out and abruptly ordered him to take her. Gyllene had to wonder if he'd listen. Realizing that she'd been silent for some time, Gyllene cleared her throat and tilted her head curiously. "Now that you're the warlord, what will you do?" Gods. If he said that he was going to bring Kazul back to the pride so that he could marry her, Gyllene was certain she'd throw herself off the cliffs. Or, at the very least, wish considerable harm on Kazul.
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Posted: Mon May 05, 2014 1:28 pm
Ru dropped his chin, considering her question more seriously than she probably meant him to. He had challenged Njal for specific reasons, some of which had to do with vengeance, other with ideas of social reform, but once he addressed those matters he wasn't really sure what he intended to do. The duties of a warlord were fairly few, in fact, if one wanted to be lawspeaker levels of technical. It was one of those roles that had assumed more and more responsibility over time, apparently.
"I don't really know. Perhaps spend two weeks holed up in my den pretending to be some other creature, or maybe just a made-up warrior, and letting cast bones determine my failures and successes." Actually, that sounded like a not-horrible game, with some development. He wondered if he would be able to convince people it was some sort of strategy or wargame, and not a grown-up version of pretend.
"Or, I don't know. Laze around being fed peeled dormice by a bevy of beautiful, brainless thralls. The possibilities are endless. What do you think I should do?"
He instantly regretted asking that last question. If there was something she wanted from him in relation to his new rank, he didn't actually want to know. He would, of course, be willing to do anything he could to help her. He had said as much in the past, before winning his challenge, even, but it would be disappointing to learn that part of her interest in him stemmed from an interest in what he could do for her.
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Posted: Mon May 05, 2014 3:31 pm
"Whatever you think is right," was her only reply, though there was humor in her voice. She liked the talk of social reform. Gyllene liked it very much. She'd never been fond of the way Thorgrim and his ilk had taken to arranging marriages hither and yon. She knew from past conversations with Ru that he didn't approve of them either. The only thing she wanted from Ru ... well. That was complicated. She was enthralled by him. Excited by him. Attracted to him. She wanted him, but was too terrified to make it obvious. What did she think he should do? It wasn't really a topic for polite conversation. He hadn't really given her any insight into the question she'd asked, though, and instead of asking him specifically what he planned to do in regards to Kazul and hers, Gyllene merely watched Ru with interest. "Of course, you can't go wrong with a.. a bevy of beautiful, brainless thralls." Her smile was crooked but genuine, and Gyllene shrugged. "There's been talk that you're to wed one of Njal's daughters." She hoped she didn't sound awkward, but she probably did. It was merely gossip, and she wasn't really a gossipmonger - but this was important, and it was rather crucial that she find out. For reasons.
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Posted: Mon May 05, 2014 3:49 pm
"I'm pretty sure I'll end up doing that, regardless," he pointed out. He wasn't the sort of person to do something he didn't want to do just because he was told to do it. It had caused problems for him in the past, although he had dealt with those.
"I've heard that talk," he conceded. "Sometimes I'm even involved in those talks."
He sighed. The sigh took a long time. "It would make sense for me to marry one of them. They keep trying to nudge me toward, er, gods. I can't remember her name. That's awful, isn't it?"
He laughed, not feeling particularly guilty at all. He wasn't interested in marrying any of Njal's daughters, politically astute move or not. He wasn't attracted to any of them, and frankly he doubted if any of them were attracted to him. He didn't want to be stuck in a marriage without affection and attraction. That would give him no choice but to stray, and straying would undoubtedly offend Njal, thereby defeating the whole purpose of the marriage. Besides, it wasn't his job to assuage a defeated warlord's hurt feelings.
"In any event, I can't imagine any of them feeding me peeled dormice, can you?"
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Posted: Mon May 05, 2014 4:42 pm
Gyllene snorted. All of Njal's daughters were ugly, as far as she was concerned. They weren't really. She felt childish for thinking such things, and she'd never been the sort to have such thoughts - until she'd started mooning after Ru, anyway.
At his long sigh, Gyllene's lips twitched. Gods. He was adorable.
"No, not awful at all. I think it would be silly to marry one of them, anyway. You're the Warlord now, and if they don't like it, they can ... well, they can piss off. You earned your place in the pride, and you deserve to marry anyone you like, or nobody at all."
At least she wouldn't have to worry about arranged marriages now that Ru was Warlord. If nothing else, they were friends, and she highly doubted he'd request her to do something she had no desire to do. It was a liberating thought.
"They'd probably just nag you day in and day out," Gyllene grunted as she began to fuss with the varying herbs and poultices that lined the walls of her den. "Useless creatures. What do they even do?"
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Posted: Mon May 05, 2014 5:44 pm
A slow, evil grin spread across Ru's mouth, showing the tips of his canines and turning his whole demeanor feral. "You raise an excellent point."
It wasn't as if he cared so much about what other people thought, anyway. He never had, really. Mostly he did what he liked, and if that happened to fit with what people expected of him, great. Otherwise, well. To borrow a phrase, they could piss off. That was how he felt he lived, anyway. In practice he was a bit more considerate than that. He would go out of his way to oblige people he cared about, and do things he would never have done otherwise for them. But for the most part he did not think of himself as a lion who caved.
"'My father never did things that way,'" he said in a falsetto, mimicking one of Njal's daughters. "'When my father was the warlord, a lioness's place was in the den, making it nice for her husband and birthing good, strong sons.'"
He probably shouldn't mock the poor things, but he couldn't help it. Like Gyllene, he felt they were ridiculous. They were like the lionesses in his mother's pride, all manners and no substance. Useless except as decoration, and entirely too opinionated to be much good as decoration. No, thank you.
"I don't intend to marry any of them, you know. I'm not the least bit interested." For an instant his eyes flashed brilliantly green, indicating that perhaps someone he could see someone he was interested in.
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Posted: Tue May 06, 2014 9:03 am
Gyllene giggled, the sound really quite abrupt. She hadn't been expecting him to go falsetto, but the fact that he agreed with her on the uselessness of Njal's daughters pleased her very much. She could almost hear them speaking. Gyllene had never befriended any of them, but she'd seen them about the pride. The only one she felt sorry for was the one who had gotten stuck with one of the forest ghosts as a thrall, and that was only because he wasn't a very good thrall. Gyllene's small laugh faded and she shook her head. "Just awful. No, I can't see you taking any of them to wife. I think they'd drive you mad in no time at all. You'd send yourself on another impossible quest just to get away from her." Oh, she noticed that flash in his eyes. Gyllene saw it, and before she could stop herself her mouth was moving and words were coming out and -- "Are you interested in anyone?" Gods. "I mean, because you'll... well, you'll need to, well you won't need to take a wife, but cubs, you'll need cubs." She cleared her throat rather loudly.
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Posted: Tue May 06, 2014 12:32 pm
"They're probably not that bad," Ru responded. "I would probably divorce the lioness before I went on another quest like that. Performing epic deeds is a highly overrated experience, on the whole."
It might have been more enjoyable if he had ever availed himself of the variety of female companions he had around him on the quest, but it had seemed wrong for him to have sex with random lionesses when he was on this quest for the sake of a lioness he cared about. It had been a perishingly long quest, in that respect, though that was not a topic he had discussed with anyone except Vol, who had been dismayed at Ru's monkish behavior and completely failed to see Ru's point when he tried to explain. Outlander oddishness he had called it dismissively.
And then there was that moment. Ru knew he had been caught, and he knew he could play it off as if it was nothing and have everything remain as it was, if he wanted to. Gyllene would let him do that. But that wasn't what he wanted.
"I am pretty sure I will make a horrible father," he said. "But I know who I would choose to stand at my side as consort. If that sounds like the sort of thing you'd be interested in."
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Posted: Tue May 06, 2014 4:07 pm
Gyllene was pretty certain that the earth was shifting beneath her paws, because everything felt like it was spinning and swirling and twirling around her. It was almost impossible to keep her bearings, but Gyllene forced herself to do so. She was almost certain that she'd misheard him, but when she looked up at him it was obvious that she hadn't. This exact moment had been what she'd been yearning for ever since first meeting him. The words he'd said had echoed throughout her mind for the longest time, and now that he'd actually said them, Gyllene wasn't sure how to react. Sure, she'd thought about what sort of super smooth response she'd give. She'd even rehearsed it. Many times. She was so floored that she couldn't even respond to his comment about divorcing a naggy wife. So speechless, she couldn't even roll her eyes at him and tell him he'd make a wonderful father to his cubs. All she could say was a soft, wobbly, "Of course that sounds like the sort of thing I'd be interested in." Should she smile? Gyllene was terrified that if she smiled, she'd burst into tears. All of her adult life she'd been more than a little terrified of being stuck in some awful relationship with a fat old reaver. She never thought she'd actually find someone she felt utterly compatible with, someone who made her laugh and didn't mind the off-handed remarks she sometimes made. Someone who made her feel safe. Someone strong and handsome and -- Gods, did he really mean it? "I mean, if that sounds like the sort of thing you're interested in me being interested in."
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Posted: Thu May 08, 2014 1:15 pm
The world wasn't shifting for Ru, but he was aware that he had said a momentous thing, and that he had just made a choice which would have lasting repercussions. It was something of a surprise to realize that he felt no particular concerns or doubts about the course he had just set himself on, and certainly no regret. Regret wasn't a thing he did much anyway, but he was capable of feeling it, and he did not feel it now.
"Yes, I should say it is. I wouldn't have said so otherwise."
He smiled at Gyllene, easily and affably, making it very clear that he was comfortable with what he'd said and not inclined to regret it or take it back. He was confident. He was also pleased by the way Gyllene had reacted, as it confirmed his inclination and made him feel more certain of himself than he had been. He had actually been pretty certain to begin with though, so it was amazing that he wasn't actually preening right now.
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