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 Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2014 10:32 am
Burz  Burz didn't have to say anything to his charge. In fact, saying something to her would probably spoil things. No doubt she could come up with plenty of snide, snarky remarks for him to say about the lion she had ended up betrothed to instead of Captain Ruzanski, and there was the faint possibility that what she was thinking was worse than what he was thinking. After all, this was more of a disappointment to her than it was to him. She'd wanted a heroic captain and she'd gotten an unimpressive asshold of a lion who had only recently become a reaver. Yes. All he had to do was stand there and smirk while they waited for Tallskog to arrive. "He's coming," he announced. Then, because he could, he added, "You really should have done something to make yourself look pretty. Too late now, I suppose." Tall  Tall had never expected to find himself betrothed. He had thought that sort of nonsense was dying out, but it seemed he had thought wrong. One conversation with his grandfather had proven that. It had infuriated the young lion to realize that he was an adult, a reaver even, yet he had no control over who he would marry. He had been forced to agree to meet the lioness, but the meeting was a formality. His grandfather had made it quite clear that the wedding would proceed no matter how well or poorly the meeting went. As he came around the corner, treading as surely on the sand as he would on solid ground, he heard a rasping voice saying, "Too late now, I suppose." He had forgotten that Naaja came with an infuriating thrall. That feyborn b*****d. ********. By the time he came within sight of his betrothed and her guardian his expression was locked into a scowl. Naaja  Had Burzum not been present and smirking in that way of his, Naaja actually would have been content to be engaged to Thorgrim's grandson, Tallskog. She might even have been pleased, having heard that he acquitted himself well on his first viking and even captured a thrall along with her brother and a priestess's son. But Burz was there, making his disdain obvious and rendering it impossible for her to be content. And, of course he got the last word. He always seemed to. "Tallskog," she greeted her betrothed, doing her best to ignore the scowl he wore. She had hoped he would not be displeased by the arrangement, but judging by his expression he was not happy to be here. Maybe this was a mistake. She could probably still figure out a way to dissolve the betrothal, if she had to, but she had really wanted this to work.
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Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2014 12:07 pm
Burz Burz's smirk did not completely vanish when the reaver arrived, but it did turn into more of a sneer, which, for once, he did not direct toward the warlord's daughter. Instead it was very clear that he was sneering at Tallskog while meeting his eyes in blatant challenge. Now that he had seen the lion, Burz truly was annoyed. He remembered meeting him once before, and he remembered exactly how poorly that had gone. He even remembered a later conversation between Naaja and her fried about how much Naaja hated Tallskog and would rather marry Burz himself than be forced to marry him just because he was old blood. Perhaps he would remind her of that later. Or sooner, if the opportunity presented itself. He allowed himself one more obvious sneer before stepping back and turning away to indicate that he did not consider Tallskog a threat worth close surveillance. Tall Tall snarled at Naaja's thrall, but the white lion did not engage him. Too bad, that. Tall would have enjoyed painting some bloody patterns on that b*****d's hide. Instead he turned his attention back to his betrothed, who had greeted him in such gracious tones. "Naaja," he returned her greeting. The growl still curled around the edges of his voice. With an effort he banished it and his scowl. "Your thrall has bad manners. You ought to have him beaten." That wasn't exactly what he had intended to say, but he had wanted to see if he could get a reaction out of the white lion with the oddly shaved mane. The style irritated him. The lion was a thrall, by the stormlords' luxurious beard. He should not look like a fashion plate. Who did that for him anyway? "If you cannot discipline him yourself, I would be happy to tend to it for you." Naaja Naaja ground her teeth. Why, by the storms and the sea, did Burzum have to provoke everyone he came into contact with? He hadn't even said anything and Tallskog was asking about beating him. "You'll find it an ineffective lesson," she told Tall mildly. The implication that she could not discipline her own thrall was infuriating, but she let it slide for the time being. "He fights back, and he's good at it. Even if he is restrained, he does not learn from a beating, no matter how severe." She moved to place herself between her guard and her betrothed. "We are not here to discuss him, at any rate. I imagine there are more important things we ought to talk about. I, for one, would like to know what you expect of a wife."
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Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2014 12:37 pm
Burz Burz found himself a comfortable place to perch and survey the beach. Why Naaja had decided she wanted to meet here was a mystery to him. It was, at least, an easy place for him to keep track of. He could see up and down the beach for some distance if he elevated himself even a little bit, despite the curve in the coast. This was where challenges were fought, too, he remembered, so there would be reavers tucked among the rocks higher up, watching for outlanders. Truly a strange place to meet one's betrothed. When Tallskog began speaking of disciplining him Burz turned his sneer into a lazy grin that invited the younger lion to try it. Everything Naaja told him was true. Burz would fight back against any lion he had even a chance of defeating, and he would bear any amount of pain or damage before surrendering or submitting to the will of another. It was only the threat to his family that kept him protecting the warlord's daughter with any degree of loyalty. Tall Incensed by the thrall's behavior, Tall still did not fail to notice the way Naaja stepped in and took control of the conversation. It was done deftly and politely. Admirably. He was still unaccountably irritated by it. "I did not ask for this," he told her frankly. "I do not know if you did, or if it was a decision made at a higher level, but I want to make it clear that this betrothal was not my idea." While he was in the rogue lands working out his frustrations Tall had actually given some thought to what he wanted in a wife, but when Naaja asked him about it he found it difficult to articulate his expectations. Her behavior made her seem more mature than he was, but when she looked at him her eyes were as clear and bright as a cub's might be. He didn't know what to make of that. Naaja His confession did not surprise Naaja. She had expected as much from his demeanor as he approached, unless Burzum had been working his ability to annoy upon him at a distance. She forced herself not to look at Burzum. She really didn't want to see how he reacted to any of this. As she had said, they were not here to discuss him. "I appreciate your candor," she told him even though it stung. "I'm sure both of us had other expectations, but perhaps we can make this work even so." He wasn't bad-looking, and he was old blood, but even in this brief time Naaja could think of several things about him that could use improvement. His unimpressive status as a reaver was just one of them, though it was among the most important. At least that was fixable. She didn't think his temper was.
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Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2014 3:58 pm
Burz Above the pair Burz laughed and didn't care if they heard him. He hoped they did. Despite her father and impressive lineage, the arrogant blond had not wanted to marry her, and he had told her so. That was not something Naaja would easily forgive, and certainly she would never forget it. Every hurtful thing anyone said to her, she remembered. It almost made it too easy for Burz to be wretched to her. "She didn't want to marry you, either," he volunteered. This seemed like a good enough time. "She wanted to marry Captain Ruzanski. Your grandfather convinced her to lower her sights to someone more attainable." He definitely should have kept his mouth shut, but he gave exactly zero ******** about helping this meeting go well, or making sure Naaja and Tallskog found true love together or with anyone else for that matter. He was jsut here to keep Naaja from being abducted, injured, killed, or raped. The fact that he had to be here while Naaja met with her betrothed didn't speak well for Njal's opinion of Tall. Tall She didn't start crying or pouting when he told her he hadn't sought this marriage, which was a point in her favor, and there was nothing wrong with her optimism, even though he did not quite share it. All of his inclinations to work with her as a partner vanished at the thrall's interjection. "Shut up, thrall," he snarled, but the words had already been spoken and lodged in his mind. He turned back to Naaja, "Why agree to this betrothal if you wanted to marry him? He and I are nothing alike. He's an outlander who goes viking with female reavers. And he's old." Tall wasn't even sure why he was angry, since he hadn't exactly chosen Naaja either, but he was definitely angry. His pride had been pricked. Or something. "It's not like you would have been my first choice for a wife, either." Naaja And just like that Burzum had managed to ruin everything. Naaja regretted not letting Tallskog sharpen his claws on him. It probably would have improved things for everyone. Maybe Burzum would even have learned something from the beating. Maybe. Probably not, but it would've been cathartic. Instead she spat vitriol back at Tallskog. "If you don't want to marry me and you think you could somehow do better, by all means, go ahead. Personally, though, I don't recommend it. If you have to rely on your charm and good looks to win a wife, you will die alone and unwed." It was actually satisfying to snarl at someone like that. Someone who wasn't Burzum. There was never satisfaction to be had there. Burzum always had the last word, and he could make her feel miserable in ways she couldn't compete with. "Come on, Burzum. Let's go." Ordinarily she wouldn't have mentioned him specifically, but she could tell it would needle Tallskog, and she wanted to do that.
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Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2014 5:00 pm
Burz "Not a good idea," Burz growled, hopping down from his vantage point and placing himself between Naaja and Tallskog, who had begun to walk after Naaja with a purposeful expression that might indicate an inclination toward violence or just purpose. "But, of course, I encourage you to try. I'll enjoy it." He wasn't sneering now. He was back to smirking, genuinely hoping to provoke Tall into attacking him. This was a fight he was certain he could win, and he would enjoy. It had nothing to do with Naaja. She was an excuse. Or she would be if Tall was stupid enough to try to continue to follow her. The fur along his spine stood erect, making the mohawk cut of his mane seem to extend all the way to his tail. The effect would be eerie to someone accustomed to usual look of a Stormborn lion ready to go into battle. Tall The thrall suddenly dropping to the sand in front of him startled Tall into a misstep. He snarled, but stopped in his tracks. "I am not going to fight a thrall. It's beneath me." He looked past the b*****d thrall and at Naaja, who had turned to watch the two of them. Was this something she and the b*****d had worked out between them in advance? Did she want to see him fight, perhaps to prove that he could fight? He wasn't sure how he felt about that. A little offended, definitely, but he could understand a woman having standards. In a way he was somehow less annoyed by that thought. "Naaja." He didn't know where to go from there. Did he apologize? Should he? Why would he? But should he try to start over with her, maybe patch things up? Obviously they had gotten off on the wrong paw. Naaja Naaja's jaw dropped when Burzum moved to...defend her? She had only seen him do that once or twice, and every time it startled her. She never forgot how easily he could look menacing, but seeing it directed at someone who wasn't her was extraordinary. "Burzum," she said mildly, stepping up beside him. To her surprise, he actually stepped aside. This was not the way she had expected things to go down, and she felt control of the situation rapidly slipping away from her, but it almost seemed like what Burzum had done was giving her a chance to salvage things. She had no clue how to go about doing it, unfortunately. It was easier just to give up. "I think we should both walk away from this. Clearly we are not well-suited for one another. We can't even talk for a few minutes without fighting. Do not die in bed."
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