Iseult:
"You could tell me more about the coalition. I seem to recall there were some things you hedged about or left out. Why all the secrecy?" Were all prides like this? She sort of figured that there was a territory thing, that groups didn't really interact because of there being competition issues. It was the same way with individuals with territory. At one time, she'd had her own. But a slightly older male had driven her out. She supposed something worse could have happened if she had really fought back and lost, but it hadn't been that great of an area anyways.

Teo:
"It isn't that I don't want to tell you, it's that I can't. I've been informed by the Boss that there is only so much I can indulge you. But, ask your questions and we shall see what the answers you'll get. Just ask none about my position." That last line seemed like a warning. He couldn't answer much about his position. Not without getting in trouble for it, and he honestly didn't want to do that. She was pretty, yes, but if it came down to it, at this point, he chose his job over a female.
He slowly sank into a laying down position. His front paws stretched out in front of him, grinning slightly. Teo had a feeling this was going to be a long questioning. He almost regretted asking her if she had questions about anything. The last time he did that she asked just about every question there could be asked about the coalition. He hoped she didn't ask the tough questions, or his thoughts on hybrids and leopards. He had a feeling she wouldn't like how heated he got about his hatred for them.

Iseult:
Iseult had to think about it for a moment, considering where she wanted to go first with their discussion.
But then, when it all came down to it, she didn't want to really learn more about the group at the moment. She wanted to learn more about him.

"You were born here, right? What was it like? I mean, growing up among creatures that weren't just family." That was a good, safe place to start, right? She wanted to know more about both, really, the male before her and the place he called home. Asking about his cubhood would somewhat answer both sides. Even better, she might learn more about the nanny position she would be taking, if he had been raised by one of them. Would he tell her stories? She did so love stories.

Iseult laid her head on her paws, waiting for his answer, hoping he would be elaborate in his answer rather than closed-lipped about it.

Teo:
"The coalition is like a big family, in a sense. We all work towards the same goals. We want to expand the coaltion and have it's members be healthy and happy. We protect our own and expect our own to protect others.
"As for my cubhood? I was born here, yes. I was the only one in my parent's only litter. I'm literally an only child. I was raised by a nanny named Conjala. Conjala was sweet and older. She did know how to play though. She taught me what I needed to know as a cub, which is the basics of how to hunt and how to stalk. She let me play until I was exhausted. She then handed me to my family where they refined my skills.
"I left her when I was an adolescent and learned that some of the cheetahs were... not as pure as I thought. I never once met a leopard. I had no reason to. My parents told me they're slow and stupid things, prone to insanity and all sorts of mental illness. I couldn't imagine any cheetah wanting to procrate with a leopard and making those useless hybrids. Blood is everything in this family. If you have children who can't carry on your bloodline.. You're doomed to end it and where would you be when you die? No one would remember you. You'd have no one to carry on your legacy." Teo took a breath and rubbed a paw across his face. He might have gotten over heated there. He hoped he hadn't scared her off. "I work with leopards and they aren't quick at all, but I don't trust any of them as far as I can throw them."

Iseult:
She couldn't really wrap her head around it.
"I don't understand why... I mean, I don't know about most, but I know that if I had cubs I would love to see them grow up and have cubs of their own. Why would someone ever want to have cubs knowing that they'll never get to know what it's like to have cubs of their own? I imagine they could adopt, but... still." It wasn't that Iseult was really agreeing with him. She had never heard the mental illness thing about leopards. In fact, what little she did know leaned more towards they were powerful, though not as much as lions, and clever. Maybe the ones here were just... not.

"It sounds like you had a really nice family. My mother, well, my really mother died when I was very little. And then my father took another mate. Her daughter was a little bit younger than I was and then our parents ended up having one more litter together. We had a little brother for a bit, but he..." Iseult's ears flicked back and she shook her head. "He didn't last very long. His sister survived though. We all kind of doted on her for that."
She did smile then, thinking of her little half-sister and step-sister.

"I miss them sometimes, but when we grew up we all went out seeking homes of our own. For all I know, I could have more brothers and sisters and even nieces and nephews."

Teo:
So she saw things the same as him. Laughing to himself he nodded a little. "Adoption isn't the same as blood. Yeah, you'll have a kid, but they woud carry on someone else' blood line and not your own." He snorted and then listened to what she had to say. His ears went flat when she said her brother didn't make it. He looked to the side and then nodded a little more.

"I see, that's a very sad thing you had to go through. I know what it's like to lose someone. Both of my parents, and Conjala are dead. I visit their grave a lot and talk to them... You can't do that with your brother here.. We can make a momorial if you wish. So you're still connected to him. I think it'd help ease the pain when it gets bad. I know it gets bad for me from time to time. Or there's just some news I want to share with them." He offered a vary rare, small smile. He looked up and then nodded a little more, starting to sit up.

Things were getting do depressing for him. He didn't want to be depressed right now. "Let's talk of lighter things, hm? What did you do for fun before you came here?"

Iseult:
"Oh, we didn't get to know him. He only lasted a couple days, barely long enough for my parents to give him a name. It hurt my father, I think he always wanted sons and instead the gods gave him three little princesses," Iseult replied, shaking her head with a smile and a small laugh. She remembered how frustrated he would get, trying to get them to wrestle with him or chase his tail when all her sisters wanted to do was make flower-crowns for him. And Iseult, she spent all of her free time bugging her mother to teach her how to hunt and heal and learn the stories her parents told her. Oddly enough, from the three of them she was the closest one to being a boy. And that was rather far off.

Teo sat up, she thought he looked uncomfortable. Iseult frowned. Was it something she had said? Had she upset him?
His question caught her a little off guard, she could only sit back and blink at him for a few moments.
"For fun? Um... Daydream, I suppose. There isn't much to do for fun when you're on your own. Sometimes I worry I'm going to start talking to myself." She smile she gave him then was like an invite into a private joke.

Teo:
Daydreaming? That was something new. He hadn't done that even as a cub. There were just some things he'd missed out on, he guessed. Shrugging, he nodded and listened ther her talk again before snorted, tilting his head and chuckled. "Well.. I suppose there is only so much you can do by yourself. At least you entertain yourself and not let yourself be driven mad by being alone." HE chuckled and stretched himself out, rubbing his face again.

"So... Any more questions for me? I know you were supposed to ask all the questions, but I had to ask that one. You seem like a serious girl, so I wanted to know what you did to ease your worries." He offered her a smirk and flicked his tail at her a little bit more.

Iseult:
Ah, she had come off serious to him. Well, she was, wasn't she? Her sisters, gods bless them, she loved them but they were often so naive and frivolous. She worried about them, being out on their own. Iseult had to think about something else, if she didn't she would get worried and stressed and a very poor companion. And at that point she would really need Teo there with her and he would probably want nothing more than to run away.

"Who said I had any worries?" Pfft. Did she manage to say that without looking guilty? Gods, Iseult hoped she did. She didn't recall having too many worries until she met him, worries were mostly just about where her next meal would come from and things like that. She had never fretted this much about what she said or about her second sight before. Ugh, it was nerve wracking and not even day-dreaming would help.

"You did only tell me a little about the other jobs in the pride, I never really asked. I can guess what Entertainers and Fighters do, but what is Currency?"

Teo:
"There are three types of Currency in the pride. They are Seer, those that see the past or future, Entertainer and Fighter. They are the best at what they do. They're used to trade or sell for a high price, or used by high ranking individuals within the pride. However, they can lead normal lives. One of our Enteratainer Currency has a mate and had a cub. Her cub us now an Entertainer and he's striving to be just like his mother. His father used to be the Right Hand. When I got this rank, he retired along with the old boss." He watched her and arched a brow, hoping that answered that question. Honestly, they didn't trade the Currency or sell it as often as others think. They just had the option to do it if they wished.
"Her Entertainer son is one of the first male Entertainers I've heard of. I do not even know if he can get to be Okaa-san, which is a step above Currency. An Okaa-san takes charge of the Entertainers and Currency. They can bring in rogue females if they see they're good enough. Okaa-san can leave the pride if they wish to seek out new talent. If they have more than two Geisha under their command command they have something called a Okiya. It's where the Geisha and Entertainers live together.

"A Geisha is a step above Currency, in my knowledge," he paused, thinking a moment. "Geisha have prooved themself adaquiet in art, self defense, dance and talk. They're usually companions to the higher ranks of the pride, such as the Boss or Right Hand. They can go on diplimatic business for the coalition and occassionally be used as assassins if the pride requires it. So far, none have been.

"So the rankings go, Entertainer, Currency, Geisha, Okaa-san. Okaa-san is the highest ranking Entertainer rank."

Iseult:
When Iseult heard him say seer, every single part of her being had to hold herself back from looking too interested in that. There were others? She had never met another creature with the gift, not in her entire life. It had made her skittish about it, worried others might think her a freak or worse, try to use her. But he said they were the best at what they did and she was far from that. Her Sight didn't tell her things terribly often and more often than not she didn't even notice it. It was just as if whatever it was she Saw, she had known all along. She remembered hearing a story about them once, where the seer went into deep trances and Saw so many wondrous things, but that wasn't what happened with her. She never actually had visions, not like that. It was as if... as if some god came down and hid another creature's memories in her own.

On top of that, she wasn't sure she liked what he was saying, trade or sell. She didn't understand. You could trade words or food or the decorations you wore or even services but...
"How can you trade another creature? I don't understand." There was a frown on her face, not one of upset or anger, just of confusion. She wanted to understand, to know what would be at stake if someone ever found out about what she could do. She wouldn't press Teo for more information about the seers, he might get suspicious. He was clever from what she had seen, and he was the right hand. No doubt if he found out she would definitely not be nanny anymore.

Teo:
"Trading them is simply giving permission for another to use their services, basically. It's not always forever, and we make sure they're taken care of and won't be given to anyone we deem a threat to them. All of our Entertainers are treated very nicely. They are important to the pride and bring us happiness in our hard times. They're alright with being traded. Sometimes your new.. Ah, not owner, but their new customer asks of them a new skill and it's a chance for them to further themselves. It's not as bad as you think. It's simpley a swap of customers. Most of our Entertainers know not to fall in love to make this easier. Some of the customers will ask an Entertainer to stay with them in their den to be a personal entertainer. Or they ask the Entertainer to not have any more cusomters. When that happens, he's her patron. He takes care of her and make sure she's provided with everything she could want. Of course, that's usually reserved for higher ups. Who's to say there hasn't been exceptions?"
Teo laughed a little and shrugged. He honestly didn't know. "I request an Enteratainer now and again so I can eat and drink in good company. They usually have the best sense of humor and know the best jokes."

Iseult:
"Ah. And.... And fighters would be... personal guards? Sparing partners? And seers?" A blush flushed across the skin on her cheeks, thankfully hidden under her darkish fur. Of course he would request an entertainer sometimes. Iseult bet he always got the prettiest of the female ones, too. It was odd to think that he would want the ones with the best sense of humor, she almost went so far as to make a comment about how she doubted eating and drinking wasn't the only thing he probably did with good company, but she curbed her tongue. She didn't have to be a seer to know that. Just with the way he acted around her, those smirks and veiled comments, the only thing she wasn't positive on was if they were just empty teasing or if he would push it as far as he could go.

Iseult tilted her head on her paws, her eyes mild with curiosity.
"And have you ever requested a lady to only spend time with you?" Oh gods, she couldn't believe she had just said that, and on top of that managed to keep a straight face about it. Inside she was completely mortified, but somehow she managed to keep calm without. Possibly the only sign of her nerves was a slow twitching of her tail-tip, back and forth across the floor at her side.

Teo:
The Fighter wasn't as detailed as the Entertainers. That was for certain. Nodding to her question he chuckled. "Yes. Fighers are the males and females that are the strongest in the pride, or show the most promise in their fighting capabilities. They're trained in a wide variety of ways and are used to protect the pride or a group of higher ranking individuals. However, an individual can take a single Fighter as a personal bodyguard. The next step up is Currency and they're just better than the fighers." He laughed a littl more and shrugged. "From Currency they go. Well... No where, really. They can try for Right Hand, but seeing how I don't plan on giving that position up any time soon, they will stay as Currency."
He did notice the odd behavoir when he said he'd requested a lady to eat with him. Of course he did other things with them besides eat, but he didn't want to tell her that. Teo sighed, breathing deep before he stretched himself out, bones popping as he did. Her next question caught him off guard.
"....Do you have anymore questions about the coalition?" He asked, dodging the question. He'd been with several females in the pride. So, he had requested a specific lady a time or two, but usually he went with whoever was free.

Iseult:
Trying to relieve the tension she felt, Iseult closed her eyes and laughed, playing her question off as a tease and taking humor from the fact that he had hedged away from answering.
"I'm sorry, that was a bit far, wasn't it? I just couldn't help asking," she replied, opening her eyes and lifting her head just a bit so she could wave one of her paws, pleading that the slip be forgotten.

"I don't really think I have any, you seemed to have covered it pretty well. Do you have any questions about me?" Sure, there were a couple of things she would most certainly keep to herself, but she could count those on the claws of one paw. As long as he didn't ask her about her opinion of him and didn't somehow manage to get her to talk about her gift, she was perfectly fine telling him anything he wished to know. An unfortunate trait for her, joining the coalition that she was, Iseult was quite often a very honest individual.

Teo:
"Just whatever you're willing to tell me. Everyone has their secrets here. It's best not to pry too much, I've come to find out." He chuckled at that and rolled his shoulders, sighing. It'd been a while since he had a nice day in to just talk to someone. He was getting a bit tired from the meal though. It was showing in the way he smirked at her. Seductive yet sleepy. Honestly, Teo couldn't hold it agains the blue cheetah to ask him that question. He just wasn't expecting it.

Iseult:
Iseult looked off a bit, the look on her face one as if she was going to share one of her guilty little secrets with him.
"I suppose that means I won't fit in too well here. For the most part, I'm anything if not honest," she replied with a bit of a shrug. Teo looked tired, not that she was going to hold it against him. They had just eaten and were lazing about bantering at one another. That was enough inaction to make anyone drowsy.

Before she could change her mind, she stood and walked over, settling herself down next to him instead of across.
"Only time I ever lied was so that my sisters wouldn't get in trouble..." she added, setting her head back down on her paws.

Teo:
Teo shifted closer to the blue cheetah and leaned against her, sighing heavily. He wasn't bored, not by a long shot, but he was full and that made him tired. Laughing a little more he stretched out and shrugged. "Not everyone lies here. We just don't talk about secrets. Rumors spread, but most go unanswered and it's not really confirmed or denied. Like I said before, Iseult... Everyone has secrets." He moved to murmur that into her ear before he settled down again. Hopefully she wouldn't move away or reject him. Teo was often bold like this but he was used to the Entertainers that were used to him. She was new, but he wanted to fluster her and let her know just how interested he was.

Iseult:
Her ear flicked when he whispered to her, a small snort of a laugh escaping at the tickling sensation. Iseult hadn't meant that they lied, but secrets... An honest individual didn't really have them. Most of her life she lived out in the open. She only ever had the one secret. Well, now it was two and Teo's cuddling close wasn't helping the second one very much. She could hear the blood pounding in her ears as she curled up against him.

"I've never really had secrets before, either," she replied, letting her eyes slip closed. "I suppose... I have a lot to learn."

Teo:
He chuckled, resting his head on her neck and sighed softly. She had curled into him. Teo was estatic about it. It meant he had a chance with her, at least.... That's what he picked up. She laughed a little more and closed his eyes again. "Mm... It's hard at first, but it gets easier, honestly." Teo murmured, looking up at her with those silver eyes. Grinning a little more, his tail flicked behind him before sighing again. Shifting, he moved in closer to her and just relaxed.

Would she keep this a secret? It wasn't often the Right Hand met up with the same woman more than twice. In fact, he couldn't remember the last time he visited anyone more than twice. He wouldn't tell her that, though. Yawning, he put his head down on his paws and closed his eyes there. "Mind if we nap? The meal is really getting to me. Making me really tired." He chuckled and cracked an eye open, watching what she would do.

Iseult:
"Mmm, a nap sounds really good about now," Iseult replied, taking what he said to heart. Maybe... the first step to fitting in here was keeping everything to herself. Sure, if they asked, that was fine, but don't just hand out information.

Teo was being so close with her. She wondered if this wasn't special, if he was treating her differently from other females. He was very kind and patient with her, he teased and didn't mind when she teased right back. He wasn't pushing her, only made her uncomfortable a couple of times and that was mostly embarrassed.
She just hoped he wouldn't get tired of her company.