[PRP] Re-offender (Merari and Morgana)

[Kimaria]

"Stupid rocks." A loud voice cursed, bouncing from the walls of the gemstone mines where the prisoners worked their quote each day. "If I never see another of those stupid rocks, it'll be too soon."

A moment later and the owner of that voice appeared, squinting in the light as he waited for his eyes to reacclimatise. The day, in fact, was not particularly bright and a sheet of dull clouds above his head cast everything with a grey sheen. The lion - who had clearly been talking to himself - was a scruffy looking lout with tangles in the longer strands of his mane and dust coating his paws. He had an old scar on his face, too, made all the more visible when he blinked. The lion had often boasted about how he'd gotten it in a glorious battle. More likely, he'd gotten it from an insulted lioness he had tried - and failed - to flirt with. Certainly, the scraggly lion was not impressive by any means. Average in size. Less than average in brains, he had all the patience of a worm and about as much the charm (when it came to Toka, anyway).

His name was Merari and he had the blood of the druids in his veins. The blood of those who were oppressed. The blood of those who'd had their lives turned completely upside down by those damn Toka lions.

He gave a low growl of irritation and kicked a stone; sending it skittering angrily across the dusty floor. "That's me done for the day." He declared, glancing up as if expecting some sort of argument from a guard.

Thankfully, there was no one around to send him back to work, although he looked a little disappointed that he wouldn't get to throw himself into a good verbal war with one of those damned soldiers. It was a rather good way to pass the time in this place.  

[Lithiasaur]

Morgana was not in a hurry to return to the Ravine Prison by conventional means. She had every intention of keeping her movements silent and in the darkness, where the King and Queen, and all their cronies, wouldn't be able to see. She would not be sent to the Prison again.

But that didn't mean she wouldn't visit it.

Her time in the place had done her some good. Not only had it made her grow up in a way she hadn't anticipated, and taught her things she never would have fathomed in her innocence, it also opened her eyes to how unprepared the Toka really were. How oblivious they were. There were paths, some dangerous and difficult but still present, in and out of the Prison.

With the right timing and planning, avoiding chances of being caught by the regular patrols and head counts, the captives could slip out. Or those that were free could get back in.

"Tired of the menial labor they're putting you to, I see," she said coolly as she emerged from a dark corner of the prison. She lounged on a rock, stretching her lithe limbs over the flat surface and watching him coolly. She smiled, always feeling at ease in the company of other Druids. Her blood was questionable: she didn't know if she was actually from a true Druid of these lands, or if it was just a cover by King Uther to justify throwing her out.

She wasn't his daughter, and he expected her mother, Ygraine, to forget all about her. She knew his plan. They would have a litter of their own, true heirs to the pride, and the rest would be forgotten. Maybe the others were okay with that, her siblings, but not Morgana. She wanted more, and she would have it.

Slowly. Eventually. All she needed to do was bide her time, be clever, and be careful.  

[Kimaria]

His remark was not met with argument. In fact it wasn't even responded to by one of those wretched Toka lions at all. He recognised the voice and lifted his head to where she was lounging. Confident. Collected. And quite charming up there with that smile on her pretty face.

"Morgana." Her name rolled from his tongue and he smiled back, casting a quick glance around them before taking a couple of steps closer and seating himself on the dusty ground; his tail flicking up puffs of dirt. To a Toka, Merari could be quite unpleasant. But to those of his own blood, he was at worst, a loyal irritant. His company might not have been appreciated by every Druid, but he did at least mean well. "I didn't expect to see you back so soon. What did you do this time?"

He looked amused, his eyes squinted as he peered up at her in her elevated position. "You'd think they'd be more imaginative in our tasks, wouldn't you? But no, each time the same. Getting us Druids to steal from the earth." He grumbled low in his throat. "They do bore me at times." Most times, actually, except when they were angry. Then, at least, they were a little more interesting and unpredictable.  

[Lithiasaur]

Morgana laughed, which was a surprisingly vicious sound despite how honest it was. She was actually amused by his comment, and she shook her head. She might have been young, but she was smart and aware, of herself and those around her. It gave her an impressive enough air, or at least certainly one of confidence and her own brand of disarming grace.

But then, she was the blood of royalty.

"It does seem a boring task, but not one I'm required to take part in tonight," she grinned at him, keeping her voice down and making sure she remained in the shadows. Hopefully the guards above would think her a rock, if they saw her at all.

"I am an honest member of society now. At least, as far as my status goes. Free to do as I wish, and what do I do? Come back down this miserable hole to visit." She grinned at him, hoping the idea that they could get in and out would surprise him.

They would have to use the paths sparingly, so they didn't give up their secret before the right time came, but at least those trapped in the mine could be brought things to make life more bearable, and of course information could be moved between the captives and the Druids outside.  

[Kimaria]

She had certainly made an impact on Merari, too. He respected her greatly - perhaps more than anyone. After all he had no family to look up to, no blood-related kin, anyway, and he looked to the other druids more as equals than as superiors.

"Well, well, well, aren't you the lucky one." He joked, eyeing her with some deal of curiosity. "The honest life tends to bore me just as much." And that was no joke. He could not be content in sticking to the rules, allowing himself to be superseded by those who were not deserving. "Which is why I end up here - more often than not. I don't know which is worse, to be honest; the Prison or Uliacha." He snorted loudly and then cast another glance up at her, grinning. He seemed relaxed despite the possibility of them getting caught. Perhaps he trusted that Morgana had dealt with that, too, seeing as she was sitting up there so confident.

"All this way just to come and see me? How sweet of you." His teeth flashed with amusement in his dark muzzle. "Have you gone and sprouted wings since I last saw you here, Morgana?" He laughed. "Or just found a way to bribe the guards? I don't know which of those would be more impressive."  

[Lithiasaur]

She watched him, amusement glowing in her eyes. Her mother's eyes, as most were quick to point out to her. It was her only real tie to the Royal family now, as cast out as she was by them. of course, she never tried to go and visit, and never spoke to them.

She had no idea that Ygraine had not agreed with Uther's will to push her children away from her. Even if she hadn't wanted to have them, they were hers and she loved them. But they weren't his.

And that was a problem.

"At least the prison is ours," she said thoughtfully, looking around. It wasn't much, but it was true. The Ravine was just for the Druids: it was where they were born, so to speak. Where they were made. One might come in a Toka, but they never left that way. In Uliacha, the Toka still had their power, no matter how many Druids tried to make their life there.

"No flying, and no guards, actually. There is a small path here. Not big enough for everyone, perhaps, not yet. It's a weaving hole through the rocks. dangerous, but a lioness, nimble and on the smaller side, can easily slip her way in." She grinned, of course meaning herself, "if she's fearless enough not to dread a collapse, of course."

She stretched and rolled languidly. It was actually a trying path to take, and she wouldn't use it so frivolously in the future. They could bring things in, to make life easier for the prisoners, and they could sneak what they wanted out. It seemed like a very pivotal discovery for the strength of the Druids, though Morgana was still trying to think through its ultimate uses.

For now, it was a nice secret to have.

"I thought you'd like the company. It's better than rocks." Of course, she was there for more than just talk. She was sizing him up, and determining what role he might play in her plans. King Uther would not sit pretty in his 'castle' for long, if she had her way.  

[Kimaria]

The prison was theirs.

The words stirred an anger in him, a desire for vengeance. Was this all they were left now? All that they held claim to? A land where they forced into servitude, watched always by the sentries who deemed themselves better than those who had been before them? He felt his hackles rise at the thought of it and if Morgana had not interrupted his thoughts, Merari would most likely have erupted into a rant that would have drawn attention to their position. Unwanted attention.

"A path?" He echoed with a rough growl, pushing himself up onto his paws so he could look at her without craning his neck uncomfortably. "With what you describe, I would think you might be the only one willing to take that path, Morgana. I am hardly nimble." He gestured to himself with a paw and began to pace back and forth - perhaps to help absorb this new information. "And even if I was, would I risk being crushed to death by rocks before I'd taken my bite of revenge?" He laughed, a deep throaty laugh that he silenced a moment later. His eyes twitched nervously to see if he'd foolishly given them away.

Thankfully, all was still.

"Well, it might not be much, but at least it is something. If we whittle away, a small advantage might become big." He smiled at her. "And if it brings me company to brighten a day as dull as this, I shall not mock it." He'd always attempted to play the part of charmer and somehow he'd always fallen short of it. Too gruff and forward with his mannerism was the biggest issue. "Some of us have bets on who will be released next. Unfortunately, I am not one of the favourites. I fancy it shouldn't be too long, though." Although, in truth, he had no idea. His time within the prison had varied before from short sentences to ones far, far longer. However, he was not sharp enough to question why Morgana might have made the dangerous journey here. "Perhaps I should start on my next plan, ready for when I'm released." Although just what that would be, he wasn't sure. He wasn't the best at planning and most of his crimes had been for him shooting his mouth off at the wrong lion. "Is there someone in Uliacha who needs harassing, I wonder?" And he eyed her expectantly for news, his tail twitching.  

[Lithiasaur]

Morgana smiled at him, letting him fume. She liked to see anger in others. Since she was not one to show just how furious she was at her state in life, at the King and Queen, it was almost soothing to see it in others. She felt closer kinship with them, those that were of her blood and shared her suffering as an outcast.

But she realized that these lands belonged to them, first. Or rather, that castle did. And they would take it back.

"You fret too much," she said with a smooth and disarming smile. Nothing about it was very warm, her eyes glinting in the dimness as she watched the male with keen interest. She decided, most likely when he first spoke, that she liked him. He would help her, undoubtedly, and she would make sure to put him to use where he would most succeed.

All in due time.

"I won't let you be crushed. But I won't let this place weaken you, or any of the others. They think if they keep us working, and feed us those paltry, old carcasses, that we will lose our strength and that is what tames us. Servitude and hunger, in the name of the King. We," she said it carefully, as she hadn't found too many Borrowers to speak to about it, "will make sure, however long you're down here, you don't miss freedom too much."

That was her main goal at the moment. As hungry for revenge as she was, she also legitimately cared for the Druids that were being persecuted against by Uther and the other Toka. They would be stronger if they were all healthy and, in whatever simple ways they could manage, happy. Their bond was their strength.

The Toka not only hated the Druids, but loved to bicker among themselves as well.

At his question she looked thoughtful, twitching her tail.

"I'm sure we could find something for you to do, and keep you out of a return trip here. Too many, and Uther will have you banished. Or killed." The King liked to say he avoided the execution block as best he could, but Morgana doubted his sincerity. One less Druid to worry about would always be a draw for him. "But I'll be making many enemies, I think, before all is said and done. I'd be stronger with you at my side."  

[Kimaria]

And anger came easily to this male lion. Whereas Morgana might be the master of concealing her feelings, Merari was quite the opposite. It did not take much to provoke him into anger especially if it were the Toka doing the provoking. And that was, more often than not, why he ended up here. Why he would return and again and again until the Toka tired of him and sentenced him to a swift execution.

He was a lion who never learned. A lion who never knew when to shut up and walk away.

In any case, he decided he liked this female - particularly those eyes. They held a glint of something that the male couldn't put a name, too, but whatever it was, it was far more appealing and beautiful than the gemstones in these mines. Morgana was right. Merari would help her and she only had to ask. So perhaps it was good, then, that she would find something for him to succeed at.

He drew confidence from her words, too, pulling his head up that little bit higher and regarding her with a new respect. She was a druid and yet, she was so much more. "You do me a great service, Lady Morgana." He added the title, thinking it somewhat appropriate. She had, after all, risked her own life to come here and was risking it even now. There was courage in her heart that he could not help but respect. "They have many things, those Toka, but we have something they don't have. Something far more important. We stick together, look out for one another and we have a reason to fight which far exceeds their own." He gave a low growl of appreciation of her words.

At her answer to his question, however, he could not help but utter another laugh - though quieter this time. "That you would. That you would. Well now, you've won me over. When I get out of here I am yours to command. I'm not going to pretend I have the brains for this sort of thing, but you certainly make up for my lack. Point me at the work that needs to be done and I'll see to it. If it hurts the Toka then I could think of no better use of my freedom." And she was right, of course. He didn't care much for prison but he certainly didn't want to die.

Not yet.

"I take it you will be returning the same way you came in? If you need a distraction to slip by quietly, I'd happily oblige. The guards have yet to earn their keep this day, I think." He smiled a crooked smile.  

[Lithiasaur]

Morgana looked at him with keen interest at the title, a grin spreading over her usually passive face. Passive when she needed it to be, at least, though she certainly enjoyed reveling in success when she was capable of it. But this was different. It wasn't conniving or dangerous, it was genuinely pleased.

She liked the sound of Lady Morgana, quite a lot.

"I appreciate your fealty," she said, grinning and playing her new role with a bit of pomp and teasing, nodding her head. She got up and stretched, looking around. She was not a large lioness, as that gene would have been Uther's. Ygraine was a small lioness, and she knew nothing of the lion that had sired her. But that was the better for crawling in and out of the Ravine, and she was thankful to not have any of Uther's blood in her.

On her claws, maybe, one day, but nothing else.

"I will go that way, but I don't want you to get in trouble, my dear Merari." And she meant it, "Well. No more trouble than you deserve for being here." She grinned at that, tilting her head. "But if you'd like to draw their attention away, I certainly wouldn't mind it."  

[Kimaria]

"Nothing is too much trouble for a fellow druid." He replied. And he meant it, too. He'd fight to defend a druid even if he didn't know the person very well. Even if they had only just met. It was a matter of honour and kinship and that was something he could not ever turn aside.

"But don't worry, I intend to live to fight another day. I'll just brag about finishing my quota early and they'll jump at the chance to be distracted." He shook out his paws and stretched lazily, before half-turning away to glance in the direction of the guards. They were easy enough to distract and what more could they do that they hadn't done already? "Besides...there's really no other source of entertainment here in any case."

For either sides.

"This has been an interesting meeting, Lady Morgana. You take care of yourself. I'll be looking to see you again once I am free."

And with that same crooked smile, he turned and padded off to where the guards stood watch.