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 Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2009 4:10 pm
Moto'ubele had settled in well to her new pride thus far. Having been with the pride since adolesence, she already knew her way around and many of the faces were familiar to her. She had shared her her den with her brother the entire time, but now he was often away, busy kidnapping cubs from other prides or patrolling the borders. He alone was close in her heart besides her Firekin father, whom she hadn't seen in a very long time. Bele had inherited her beautiful crimson pelt from him - though it had long since been scored with ugly scars - and she was quite proud of her heritage. However, she had to keep it a secret from those she knew - she had Noble blood. Nevertheless, she lived rather peacefully in the dark volcanic lands. She even ventured inside the volcano every so often to gather rare supplies, such as the lustrous black stones of cooled lava, which could be chipped to a sharpness that rivalled natural claws.
After all, Bele was the pride's crafter. She had been blessed as a cub by Sanaa herself with the gift of crafting, and was undoubtedly one of the most skilled crafters for many miles. So she had converted much of the space in her den left by her brother into an organized hoard of supplies and set up shop there. Anyone who wanted anything - be it a necklace of rubies (the luminous and rare red rock was coveted among the blood-loving demon pride), armor that could stop a rhino, or weapons that could kill with a single strike - could come to her to have custom orders for a small payment, often just a meal or two (though she greatly preferred a gift of supplies).
So today was just like any day. Bele lazed in the warm sand outside her den, awaiting a customer.
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Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2009 5:07 pm
Hewa did say to come this way, right? To his...sister? That was it, right? Fake front, oh no. Look fierce. Look like you're ready for a fight. Head up! Look ahead! Don't cause trouble! No, no trouble yet. Just that feeling of unsafe and fear clawing at her insides. Her heart beat uncomfortably. Being away from his siren song was making her uneasy. The swagger she had stiffened. Walking into danger? It sure felt that way. Why did she feel as if she needed to have something special to keep her comfortable?
Her stone eyes fell upon the bright red female. That must be who she had been searching for, correct? It felt that way. The way THAT female looked so comfortable while Nasain was trying to parade around with the false sense of security. Dancers weren't fighters, so why did she feel like everything in here had the undertone of violence?
"Hello?" her voice slipped seductively out of her mouth, dripping with hate and a musical tone. "Are you Hewa's sister?" Nasain's eyes narrowed and she stopped. Never get to close to something that could hurt your pretty face. Words to live by, by her standards.
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Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2009 6:18 pm
Bele's ears perked up at the sound of her brother's name, and she opened a shining jade eye to see who had spoken. She flopped over to stretch with a yawn, briefly flaunting her fangs and stretching her abnormally large white claws. But she sheathed them quickly so as not to frighten away the lionness before her. Bele could tell by the newcomer's smell that she was only a recent addition to the pride. She rose to her paws and shook off some dust before surveying her customer. Bele was instantly surprised by the scarcity of scars on her pelt, and her previous guess was confirmed; anyone who had been with the pride for a good length of time would have quite the collection of scars. She was by no means as large as herself (but then, few lions of the pride were - her Firekin blood gave her an immense size), and seemed rather dainty - almost pixie-like. "I'll venture a guess that you're the dancer my brother talks about?" she asked in return with a welcoming smile, answering her question indirectly. Glad to see we know someone in common, she thought sarcastically with a subtle, silent growl. Bele was very possessive of her younger brother, and wary of any females who could possibly hold a heartstring of his.
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Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2009 6:32 pm
Nasain refrained from rolling her eyes. There was something about this lioness that managed to disgust her and make her want to vomit all over the ground before her. The sick and nast vibe that illuminated from the very core of this psycho-path creature before her was making her skin crawl. The way she spoke. It was a mask that was slowly cracking at the mention of Hewa. Uncomfortable. Maybe it was better in solitude?
Nasain popped her neck and took another carefully planned step forward, despite the aching in her soul that bid her to stay put. It was so much easier to tango with words when you were close enough to feel the hot breath close enough so that every second counted and every action meant more than just movement, they meant life and death. Dancing with a devil was always so much nicer than spinning with saints.
"He talk about me? I'm not surprised." She choked out a single laugh while her heart ached to be near it's poisonous song. The one that wove it's way into her ears and wrapped, like a venomous snake, around every vein in her body, threatening to sink it's painful teeth into her if she left him for to long without being dismissed.
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Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2009 7:06 pm
Bele had to hold in a laugh as she played with the other female, testing her. "Could be," she said, grinning. "He talks about a lot of things." She leaned forward as if telling a secret, whispering, "Don't get your hopes up, hon; you're not the only dancer he knows." The crimson lionness sat back relaxedly on her haunches, purposefully taunting her. "A singer always attracts dancers. My brother has a particular gift." Bele hummed a few notes of a lullaby absentmindedly with a pleasent smile.
This girl is tense. Bele saw the stiffness in her shoulders which remained even after having popped her neck. She could almost feel the waves of hatred pouring off her, but was unmoved. She was curious, though, as to why the dark lionness was so hostile - and yet so timid. Almost like she didn't want to be here, as if there was something holding her elsewhere. It was very peculiar. Of course, Bele's sarcasm probably didn't help the situation, so if only to hear her story, she finally asked, "Is there something you wanted? Please, you're welcome in my den." Bele's voice was thick like honey, but she did earnestly itch to be commissioned. She could almost feel her paws delicately piecing together some grand art...
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Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2009 7:37 pm
"There is no hope, for now, he has me wrapped around his claws." She let it flow smoothly out of her throat with a rhythmic 'HM.' at the end of her small sentence. There were, in her opinion as a dancer, better ways to communicate. It wasn't, necessarily, that Nasain wanted to be with the lion that lured her here, it was out of curiosity that was enticing her to hide and stay by him until he dismissed her and undoubtedly was finished with whatever he held so dear and made him feel the need to keep her with him and she didn't plan on staying any longer than needed. But, fornow, there was no choice for leaving yet.
"Once captured, the caged bird must be released, it can't free it's self." It was poetic, in her own opinion.
Her movement towards the den were liquid and smooth. Like skating on air and she moved slowly, staring at Bele's hostile eyes before gracefully taking her steps into the unknown darkness.
Nasain sat, dignified, and looked around while where indifferent eyes darted around, taking in every little detail she could. All of the lovely trinkets that were scattered across the floor, thrown with precision into stack where they belonged. Bits that shimmered and sparkled in the scarce light attracted her, like a moth to a fire on the darkest of nights.
Lovely. Simple Lovely. Her tail twitched as she relaxed. A new love had been sparked in her soul.
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Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2009 8:03 pm
"That would make you Nasain, then," she assumed. "I am indeed Moto'ubele, sister of Mahewa." No need for any mutual introduction. Bele knew enough.
'Wrapped around his claws,' Bele echoed in her mind. It was very ironic, really. Once Hewa returned with his offering, his claws would be teeth. Funny the way things work. There's probably some deeper meaning in that statement. She smiled gently at her own mischeviousness. That was a secret no one knew outside of Hewa and herself. She had yet to even reveal it to Verge, the pride leader who had initiated her. It was the secret that had won her right into the pride, but no, no... no one knew.
"Poetic," Bele complimented her. Still, this dancer seemed to have a little too much dignity, bringing out all the fancy-talk. However, Hewa spoke like that sometimes, like lyrics to a song with no tune. Poems were empty things without her brother's voice to guide them.
Bele stepped aside to let her customer in. Her eyes glittered proudly as she saw the slight awe on Nasain's face, and a truly genuine smile split her maw, much of her hostility melting away. She watched silently as her guest surveyed all the objects, from the creamy-white bones, to the sparkling jewels, to the rough textures of stone and fiber, all unified in different ways, and yet all separate. There was a pile of staring skulls in one corner, painted with bright crimson pigments and deep black mud. In another, a hoard of gemstones of all colors. Off to the side, there was a tightly woven quilt of ebony-studded leather, right next to a stash of bones of all sizes. In some ways, her den was frightening - after all, these were orders filled by demons. But still, it was a thing of beauty. Oh, how she longed to get back to work, mending and weaving and sharpening and carving.
But she had a business to run here, and her tone changed to a brisk and bright note. "What could I offer to interest a dancer?" Already, Bele was looking the other lionness up and down, imprinting her shape in her mind. "Perhaps a string or two of shells to jangle to the beat? Or gossamer ribbons to flow around your feet?" She chuckled slightly at her rhyme.
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Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2009 8:49 am
Glistening items were strewn across the floor, calling to her, begging for her attention. Her eyes were darting from spot to spot as her mind wrapped the images of herself covered the beautiful glittering, glimmering, lovely.... Words escaped her and she sighed with longing for the sweet, precious items to cling to her.
"Ribbons?" Now that would be perfect! Nasian's dull eyes had come to life and shone brightly and lividly. "Ribbons sound graceful and enchanting. Beautiful. Would you? Could you...?" She trailed off. Bele obviously wasn't a fan. So, Would it be to much to ask for?
She inhaled and took a step towards her, "What would it take for me to get my paws on you're works of art?" She sounded as if Bele was holding it all over her head. The glittering gems and ivory bones. The colors, so magnificent! So enticing! Yet they all seemed so hard to obtain.
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Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2009 10:47 am
Oh, Bele had the enchanted little lioness in her paws now. She was going to enjoy this. She took her time making a reply, relishing in the moment of power. She could see the desire in Nasain's eyes, and was feeding it with the delay. Bele walked slowly around the customer, examining her features and body structure, making minute measurements with her eyes. It was a necessary part of the process, but Bele was using it to her advantage. Yes, this was a small part of her petty "revenge," but she enjoyed it while she could. Her demon was feasting on the the moment.
Finally, she replied, "Ribbons are usually make of blades of grass." The craftess threw a sidelong glance at a carefully tended plant growing in the corner of her den. It was one of the few areas where a steady patch of sunlight remained throughout the entire day. It had absurdly long, fat blades that Bele would often use to make quick and easy ribbons. But she knew this client wanted something more. "However, I can see that you would like something with color, something to, say, flow around you." Bele smiled, taking her time in arriving at a conclusion.
"You want something more like...." The blood-red lioness paused in her circling to take a short break into the back of her den. This was her secret place, where the "magic" happened. No one ever saw what she did back there. This was where Sanaa's blessing came into play. With a few special tools and enough time, she could make wondrous things. Soft tinklings could be heard amidst her rummaging, but within moments, she came back, holding a shimmering cloth in her teeth. It was thin and light, the very definition of gossamer. Light danced upon its surface, sparkling in a spectrum of color and a thousand tiny rainbows. Bele placed it delicately beneath her own paws. "Something like this." She paused again, watching the reaction of her customer with a wicked grin. "I made this cloth a while back out of woven spider-silk. Humans weave cloth, you know. I could never make cloth of such a quality; I doubt even Sanaa could," her voice was wistful. "This is merely a copy, made painstakingly with my own spit and claws. I have worked for over a year to make merely this small sample." Indeed, the cloth wasn't very large; it was merely a single fold of fabric that measured only the length of her forelegs in both width and length. "You could request that I divide it into ribbons for you, should you promise to care for it with your life, seeing as how delicate it is, but I would need a much greater price."
Bele leaned in close to Nasain's face, until she could see her own breath tickling the lioness's whiskers. Her demon had full control of that wicked grin now. "A price I very much doubt you could ever afford."
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Posted: Wed Jul 08, 2009 8:27 pm
"Try me." Nasain tested her with obvious lust in her honey sweet voice as images of herself covered in lovely bones and things that glittered in the blood red setting sun. It made her blood bubble in her veins and make her heart pump the now liquid fire into her head and through ever inch of her body. It sounded so good, so sweet in her velvet soft ears that were pounding with anticipation.
'She has the one power over me that could bring my face to the dust...' Nasain thought and she turned her head away from Bele. Maybe it wasn't safe for her to be here. Her dancers paws could obtain anything for her outside of this prides walls, why didn't she try elsewhere? Where the price wouldn't be something that she couldn't afford? And why did it feel like that the price had something that had to do with her captor, Hewa?
This was a bad idea. No, more than a bad idea. This was a nightmare in the making and Nasain didn't like it one bit as she fought back the fear and took control of herself once more, squaring her shoulders and turning back to stare deep into Bele's eyes while letting all emotion drip out of her head and allow it to settle into her paws. She was not about to let fear of a price become her master.
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