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 Posted: Sun Jul 25, 2010 10:19 am
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Tishtar and Dié found it easy to gain an audience with Mio, but it was hard to get Ria to attend as well. The girl was more interested in anything but the chance of being tied down by a male. She was more like her father than she cared to admit.
"Please, Miss, just be calm," Tishtar said. Dié wasn't handling the girl's impatience as well, but being near Mio kept her quiet. "You need to do something soon, before the Central House wonders why we took so long to find you a mate..."
Ria snarled. "Forget them, they can't do anything ri-"
"Don't even say that out loud," Dié interjected. "You don't know who might be hearing, and who might want to tell just to knock you out of here. Not your sisters, but I don't trust everyone."
Mio shook her head and nudged Ria. "Stop. Don't forget that we have a guest." She turned to Biti, smiling warmly. "Ria is just not yet used to the idea of being betrothed. Please excuse her behavior."
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Posted: Sun Jul 25, 2010 3:46 pm
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Biti was a very small bird that didn't get out very much, not as far as leaving the Mwezi'Johari lands, anyway. He was rather anxious being so far away but he hid it as best he could by reminding himself that he was on some very important business for the queen. He tried not to be too intimidated by the strange pride he was brought to, and all the strange lions that wandered around here. He didn't personally know all of the lions at home but the familiarity was comforting, he just didn't realize how much until he was all the way out here.
He was sitting on the ground, a fair distance from the group to make up for how far down they would have to look to really see him. He watched them all interact with interest, thinking about how Alizeti might fit into the picture.
"Oh!" he squeaked when he was addressed, looking suddenly back at Mio, who was the quietest of them and so had been the least interesting to keep an eye on at that very moment, "Of course, I understand." He ruffled his feathers a bit, looking from Mio to Ria curiously. He recalled the trouble Ally and Fafnir had had. Ally had found him in the midst of it. He grew up in a weird situation like this.
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Posted: Sun Jul 25, 2010 4:21 pm
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Ria's ears flattened against her skull. How embarassing, that she had to act proper in front of a bird. She thought it was stupid, since what could a bird do? It needed to be happy and healthy, sure, but that didn't mean that it could really sway thought. It was just... a bird. A tiny one.
Tishtar shrugged her shoulders. "Really, Ria, just come with us. We promised that you would, and it might be good for you to see a little bit of the world outside of the borders."
Dié nodded. "You're going to come with us, along with one of the guards. Well, with Tishtar and a guard, as I'm certain I won't be welcome there again." And for the maned wolf, that was perfectly alright. She didn't want to go back, anyway. Mio needed her more than the spoiled brat, Ria.
Mio shook her head. "You've been doing so well in your lessons, and this is the next step. It would be smart for us to make good relations with an outside pride, and you are the one to do it. I can't, you can. I'm not allowing you to back out, my Ria, because this will be good for you. If it is atrocious, you may return here without him, but you'd better give a legitimate reason for it. Just because you think he is ugly won't cut it," Mio chuckled.
Ria cocked an eyebrow, but understood. She turned to the bird, this Biti, to ask a question. "Is he a good lion?" It was a little question, but one better to ask him than the biased Tishtar and Dié. They would want her to take him just so they wouldn't have to go back out again.
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Posted: Mon Jul 26, 2010 10:41 am
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Biti was having a time trying to keep up with everybody and it was after some hesitation on the maned wolf that he looked over to Mio again when she spoke. The more she said, the more interesting she became but he couldn't explain why. Everything seemed quite normal and she seemed to be quite in control of herself and the situation.
He almost missed it when Ria turned to look at him, almost. He was looking back at her when she asked about Alizeti, and the sad truth was he didn't know Alizeti as well as he knew some others. But her question was very general.
"Yes, he is a good lion," he said confidently, "He is a hunter from a good family." There wasn't much more he could think to add on. Alizeti was not a troublemaker, he contributed as much as any other hunter, he was from a noble family and he didn't seem to let that change his attitude about himself, his class or his work.. the only ones who did that were, very likely, the king and queen's own children.. and that was only by keeping the title of princes and princesses despite their class.
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Posted: Tue Jul 27, 2010 11:30 am
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Dié felt that they were being overshadowed by the arrival of the little bird, but she kept her jaw still. She could let Mio know exactly how she felt later, when it was just the two of them. THe maned wolf was disappointed that the Lord hadn't bothered to come to this meeting, but then he was one that had never really cared about his daughters as much as he should.
Tishtar was just thrilled that Ria seemed to take a step towards accepting this proposal. It could just be a ruse, wanting to look interested, but the waterbuck could read the lioness better than Dié. She was curious, but only after getting a small smack in the head to get her started. She was grateful that she would be going with her; she needed guidance to not overstep her bounds in a strange pride's lands.
Mio nodded, feeling a bit more comfortable with the situation. She did not need her daughter to make tension between the West House and another pride. "Good," she said with a bright smile. "We are grateful that you came here, Biti. It is always good to get an outside opinion, especially as we work on negotiations we haven't tried executing before." She glanced to Ria, expecting her to pick up where she had left off. This was her place to shine, and she needed to shine brightly.
"Ok," Ria said, a little casually. She was torn with different ideals, wondering if this really would be the best thing. But...romance wasn't what took precidence here. Strengthening the House, and overall, the Pride, was more important than her personal feelings. She was hoping it would take the weight off of her shoulders, but it didn't. There would be no sweeping off her paws into a strong male. Nothing like what the bards enjoyed singing about. She knew it wouldn't be perfect. She had seen what her father could do to her mother. Ria only knew that that wouldn't happen to her. She was too much like her father to let a male boss her around. She straightened her back and kept her eyes on Biti. "Would you like a day to rest your wings? We do not need to leave today, as it can easily be put off until tomorrow." Such a long trip required a bit of preperation, and Ria would still need a guard to come with her.
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Posted: Tue Jul 27, 2010 11:48 am
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Posted: Tue Jul 27, 2010 12:08 pm
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Mio smiled warmly. "Always," she said. Mio was the perfect hostess, and only hoped that Ria would learn to be a bit more graceful. Probably not, she was a lot like her father. Full of spirit and vigor, without thinking about the consequences of her actions. Hopefully she wouldn't attract the attention of Central.
Ria nodded. "Well, we should probably wait until tomorrow, before sunrise. Best to leave quietly. Though most of the House knows...I would rather slip out than make a big deal about me leaving. I will just be returning again, no sense in it."
Dié was mildly impressed. Well, at least she could think straight when she needed to. The maned wolf nodded, agreeing with the Lady in training. She had a hunch that whatever guard they took would want at least a moment to get ready, and it was too late to start today. Best to get as far as the group could when they were fresh and ready to go.
Tishtar nodded. "Great idea, Ria. We can get everything ready, and Biti can take his time to relax before the trip back to the Mwezi'Johari. We will be moving as quickly as we can, as it wouldn't be wise to take too long to return after our proposal."
Ria was a little irritated that everyone had to include their opinion, but she kept herself in check. Of course she knew it was the best idea; she hadn't been lazy with her lessons. Though her sisters did not need to know the same as her, they all had had to learn, and it was not good to get on the back side of mother...
Mio chirped up. "There's a lake not too far, and a lot of plant life grows around there. I am sure that you will be able to find something there to eat."
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Posted: Tue Jul 27, 2010 12:14 pm
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Posted: Tue Jul 27, 2010 12:20 pm
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Ria nodded, even if it was her mother that had offered the suggestion. She needed to start learning how to take control of things, and so what better than dismissing this meeting?
"It seems we've come to a general conclusion as to what is going to happen. Mother and I will go find a suitable guard to come with me and Tishtar, and the two of you," she said, taking a moment to glance at the waterbuck and the maned wolf, "need a chance to rest as well. It is obvious that you rushed here as quickly as possible to let us know of the situation."
Tishtar and Dié nodded. They hadn't been to presentable when returning, and had to take time to straighten themselves out before the meeting.
Mio agreed with a nod. "We should go determine who will be the best. I assume it will be easy enough to find you, Biti, so perhaps we should part ways and regroup tomorrow morning, before the sun rises."
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Posted: Tue Jul 27, 2010 12:26 pm
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Posted: Tue Jul 27, 2010 12:42 pm
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Tishtar and Dié waited patiently before the meeting closed, but they were exchanging looks. Both were a little worried about how it would go, especially considering the most experienced Royal Guard was...Akasha. Ria and Akasha together was going to make this trip....interesting. Tishtar had her work cut out for her, but hopefully everything would run smoothly. Never knew until it happened.
Mio and Ria both nodded, exchaning smirks. "Here, if you don't mind," Mio replied. "It will be eaiser for me to see you off, as I always have much to do every day, and moving to the lake might make things more difficult for me."
Ria added on, as she couldn't resist: "That way it's a smaller location, as you'll soon see the lake is not very small."
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Posted: Tue Jul 27, 2010 1:13 pm
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