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 Posted: Thu May 10, 2012 8:47 am
Solv was definitely going to be scarred when the gashes across his face and flank healed. He didn't mind the scars. They might even help him convince a lioness that he had been in his share of fights sometime down the line. He did mind the sort of tacky, not-quite-scabbed cuts that they currently were though. Every time he moved or opened his mouth, the flesh around them would tug ******** assholes. Him, his buttsniffing brother, and their gods-damned father."
Probably he should keep his epithets to himself. After all, Gaved's was a large family, most of them very capable of heaping physical suffering on him, and likely to do so if they knew how he was talking about them. Not to mention, talking was not exactly comfortable with his cuts only half-healed. He really, really ought to learn to keep his mouth shut.
But he was a bard, and in the past that had been a status that meant something and offered a certain degree of protection against the muscled morons of the world. But now the only way a thinking lion received anything like that kind of respect was to be a lawspeaker, which was not the same thing as being a bard.
To be a bard was to be an artist. To be a lawspeaker was, well...work! And Solv had never much cared for work. All that memorization of boring minutiae that a 'speaker was called on to use maybe once or twice in his life. Pointless effort! Solv preferred to create the things others had to memorize.
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Posted: Thu May 10, 2012 10:20 am
Ever since meeting Taraxa's sister Tazira, Gunnar had developed something of an interest in bards. He had never put much thought into who came up with ballads before. Gunnar didn't think of himself as very creative, much less an artist, so he couldn't help being ... well, not impressed, because of course a good strong Reaver was only impressed by valor and bloodshed. Appreciative, maybe. Whatever the reason, he had been listening to them more frequently. Gunnar marveled at their ability to come up with fresh words. It seemed close to magic, and a much more entertaining style of magic than the terrifying craft of the priestesses.
Gunnar had hardly said a word to Solvtorn, but he had lurked around to listen to the bard a time or two. It had been a while since he'd seen the bard, though, and he felt oddly disappointed. So Gunnar had set himself the task of finding Solv. Actually speaking to the bard and requesting a song or story felt a bit beneath him, but as long as he asked for something suitably warlike it would be fine.
When he caught sight of Solvtorn, Gunnar was surprised to see half-healed wounds across the bard's flank. Solvtorn was turned away, muttering something to himself, and didn't seem to see Gunnar approaching. He cleared his throat, not wanting to sneak up on the bard. It was habit, really. Gunnar didn't expect the Freeborn to turn on him, but it was never wise to sneak up on another Reaver.
"Solvtorn," Gunnar said, omitting any traditional greetings about death or killing. Almost all of Gunnar's friends were also reavers, and he really wasn't sure how one greeted a male bard properly. "Were you composing something silly? It didn't sound very poetic," he said doubtfully. He hadn't heard everything Solv said, but he had caught something about assholes and the sniffing thereof. Maybe Solv was preparing something amusingly coarse to sing at a feast once everyone was well into their mint.
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Posted: Fri May 11, 2012 1:22 pm
Hearing his name Solv went still but for his ears, which swiveled in the direction of the speaker. It was a prey response, but Solv was feeling rather preylike today owing to having been beaten recently enough that moving still hurt. To his bard's ears it was simple to recognize the speaker's voice from just the two syllables of his name. He didn't need the asinine question to know it was Gunnar.
I was actually cursing you and your family, he almost said. Fortunately he only got as far as saying, "I was actually..."
"I was actually thinking of things to call villains," he finished. As far as he was concerned, Gunnar's whole bloodline fell into the category of Villains. He didn't care how old their bloodline was or how many great deeds their ancestors had performed. They made his life miserable and that made them the bad guys. Someday everyone else would realize this, too, and he would be vindicated.
"I work best in private."
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Posted: Fri May 11, 2012 1:58 pm
"Villains?" Gunnar perked up a bit. Composing something about villains sounded interesting. If there were villains, there were sure to be heroes as well. And great battles, perhaps. Gunnar ignored Solv's words about privacy. Solvtorn was clearly trying to dismiss him, but Gunnar was too stubborn to be shooed off by a bard so easily.
Gunnar twitched his tail idly as he watched Solv. He was curious, terribly curious, and he was tempted to order Solv to tell him about this new ballad. Something told him the surly bard wouldn't respond well, though. He would have to be polite, something he didn't have much practice at.
"I would hear about these villains," Gunnar said firmly. "As long as it is a proper ballad." Meaning, one full of valorous deeds and glorious deaths. He wasn't much interested in one of the grand romances some Freeborn ladies were fond of. Gunnar sat, curling his tail around his haunches, prepared to be entertained.
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Posted: Fri May 11, 2012 2:11 pm
"Sorry. Too many syllables for you? Try bad guys," Solv snarled. In the back of his mind there was a whole Baroque choir of voices singing a single excremental word over and over. The word was s**t.
Unlike Gaved, Gunnar did not much frighten Solv. As far as the self-proclaimed bard was concerned, Gunnar was a fool and considerably less dangerous than his loose-cannon half-brother. It was not likely that he would attack Solv for insulting him, and it felt good to turn the sharp edge of his tongue against someone in the family. Especially since Gunnar could really be held to blame for Solv's current condition anyway.
When Solv refused to be shooed away the word in Solv's internal choir changed to a different four-letter word that rhymed with pluck and duck. It was actually a very easy word to rhyme, but not one that Solv ever had to rhyme because putting that hard sound at the end of a phrase was just awkward. It broke cadence all over the place.
"It's about a reaver who finds out his little brother is attracted to other males and has decided that the only way to satisfy honor is to kill the object of his brother's affection or his brother. Lots of sap. Lots of romance and angst. You wouldn't like it," Solv said flatly.
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Posted: Fri May 11, 2012 2:32 pm
With his eyebrows raised and his jaw dropped, the reaver probably made an amusing sight. He was, quite simply, shocked. It didn't immediately occur to him that Solvtorn was insulting him. Rather, he thought the bard had lost his mind.
A ballad? About THAT? Gunnar tried to imagine Solv standing up before a gathering of Stormborn and singing such a thing. It was ... well ... it was beyond imagination. The attempt brought on an instant headache.
Gunnar rubbed at his face with one paw. "I don't think that's a very good idea for a ballad," he said faintly. He was aghast, his reaver pride and arrogance fled in the face of Solv's utterly insane statement. "It sounds like a terrible idea for a ballad. Are you feverish?" Gunnar's voice was a bit firmer now, but he was obviously concerned. He thought of himself as a fairly level-headed and reasonable reaver. He wouldn't harm a clearly deranged Freeborn, but if Solvtorn ran about spouting his madness willy-nilly another Stormborn might hurt him.
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Posted: Fri May 11, 2012 2:44 pm
Oh, the look on Solv's face was priceless, no matter what the choir in his head had to say. (It had moved on to another four-letter word, doom). He hadn't intended his description to be anything other than a deterrent to Gunnar hanging around him any longer, but the facial expression he now made was such a great bonus Solv could barely stop himself from chuckling. He would never write such a ballad, even though it was a fairly moving subject. There was just no audience for it.
"Oh, well, if that's what you think I guess I won't compose any more of it. You being such an expert on music and all," Solv said so sweetly that the edge of his words ought to be all but dulled with cloying innocence.
"On a completely unrelated note..." He paused to see if Gunnar would appreciate the pun. "I had an interesting talk with your brother the other day. He doesn't want me spending time with you."
He turned and fixed Gunnar with a look that said, Come on, don't be any stupider than you can help.
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Posted: Fri May 11, 2012 3:00 pm
Gunnar wasn't stupid (not nearly as stupid as Solvtorn thought he was, at least), but he was socially inept. He had never been encouraged to use his mind, never been encouraged to develop a sharp wit or a sharp tongue. Rather, Gunnar had been directed away from such soft pursuits and taught to boast, to fight. Solv's sarcasm washed right over his head. Gunnar wasn't an expert on music, but he was confident that he knew enough about ballads to know that a ballad about males with males would go over terribly with a Stormborn audience. He nodded, pleased and relieved that Solv wouldn't compose his dreadful ballad.
The mention of Gaved brought a scowl to his face immediately. Just the words your brother were enough to anger the blond reaver. His anger was enough to distract him from the meaning of Solvtorn's words.
For a moment.
Gunnar caught Solvtorn's expression, and realization dawned. He gasped. "Are you saying...?"
Well, he didn't know what Solvtorn was saying exactly. His brow furrowed. Was that idiot Gaved spreading rumors about him, in the hopes that Solvtorn would start singing about what a big pansy Gunnar was?
"I've never even talked to you," Gunnar burst out. "I don't have affections for you!" Damn that Gaved making his life difficult! "Are you calling me a ... a ..." He sputtered, unable to come up with the word. Gunnar had never talked about such things! "I just wanted to hear a ballad!" Gunnar nearly wailed. He was incredibly frustrated, furious with Gaved. If he had been a Freeborn lion, he might have cried with anger. Being a strong and fierce reaver instead, Gunnar let out an anguished roar.
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Posted: Fri May 11, 2012 3:21 pm
Solv wondered if he had gone too far. Should he have been more subtle? No. That would not have gotten the point across, and it was very important to the bard that Gunnar understand that Solv's well-being was at stake here. Solv valued his own well-being a great deal, despite the times when his tongue ran away with him and tried to get him killed.
"I'm saying that your brother thinks you're a queer," he said bluntly. Despite his bold bluntness Solv also took a step back and his claws slid out of their sheathes. He wasn't going to let both brothers swing at him without at least getting his claws into one of them.
His ears flattened at Gunnar's roar, but he actually relaxed hearing it. It didn't seem as though Gunnar was going to tear more chunks out of him. He was definitely of weaker stock than his brother. Solv was delighted and then immediately disgusted with himself for feeling something so pathetic and weak. He was a Stormborn, too. He shouldn't be afraid of violence, or reluctant to take part in it. Except usually Stormborn took part as the aggressors and Solv tended to take part as the victim.
Irritably Solv suggested, "I think you ought to look elsewhere. Or if you must hear one from me, ask me when there are other people around so it doesn't look like we're meeting secretly."
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Posted: Fri May 11, 2012 3:35 pm
Gunnar's ears laid flat against his skull and his shoulders sagged. He felt wretched, miserable. He hadn't believed that Gaved would actually go around telling people lies! Gunnar knew how to defend himself against Gaved's taunts and barbs, but he didn't know how to fight a rumor. He couldn't duel every lion in the pride! Besides, instinct told him that the louder he fussed and denied it, the more people would believe Gaved's stupid stories.
Wallowing in self-pity, the reaver made a very dejected looking picture. Until Solvtorn told him to go talk to another bard. He looked up, glaring at the bard with a spark of his usual stubbornness. "No."
Gunnar stood up straight, trying to regain some composure. "No," he repeated. There was a defiant glint in his eyes. He wasn't going to let Gaved's blathering mouth take away the tales he had grown to enjoy. "I'm not creeping around, waiting for other lions. I'm not asking you for anything unnatural, I'm asking for a story." He forced himself to smile at Solvtorn, trying to find something amusing in the situation. "You aren't very handsome in any case. If I was ... strange, what makes you think I would be interested in you?"
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Posted: Fri May 11, 2012 3:41 pm
Seeing Gunnar's reaction to the news that Gaved had taken his assholishness to a new level almost made Solv feel sorry for the reaver, even though he would bear scars because of him. He caught that feeling and cradled it close to his heart. It wasn't every day he got to be in the superior position of pitying a reaver. It was a sensation to treasure.
It was true, too. Gunnar wasn't asking for anything unnatural. He just had the misfortune to have a half-brother who didn't care what sort of collateral damage he caused as long as his brother was being tormented. Solv was suddenly so glad he was an only child. No sisters to bring around cute friends, but no brothers to be asses either.
"I'll have you know I am very handsome," Solv said, recognizing that Gunnar was showing some startling good sense in seeking humor. "The fact that you can't tell that about me is proof that you aren't what your brother claims."
Maybe if Gunnar continued to display this unprecedented good thinking, they could figure out a way to combat Gaved's nasty rumors before anyone else heard them and began to believe them. Maybe Gunnar could go have cubs or something.
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Posted: Fri May 11, 2012 4:20 pm
The news that Gaved was going around telling people that Gunnar was hitting on them was deeply distressing, but at least Solvtorn had settled down. Try as he might, Gunnar couldn't detect any trace of the bard's usual sarcasm in his words. The reaver's forced smile became a bit more genuine.
Maybe this was how one fought rumors--by shrugging them off, even joking about them. Gunnar's smile widened. Solvtorn had been all but convinced that Gaved spoke the truth, and now the bard saw reason! He resolved to laugh the next time someone mentioned Gaved's nonsense.
Gunnar wasn't really in the mood for a story anymore, but his mood had lightened considerably. He reached out a paw to clap Solv on the shoulder, carefully aiming for an uninjured spot. "Why don't we go find some mint, bard? I've heard you artistic types can outdo a reaver when it comes to mint." He bared his teeth at Solv, growling slightly. Playfully, although someone not used to a reaver's typical fierceness might not recognize it. "I don't believe it."
It would be dishonorable and likely no fun at all to spar with a Freeborn male, but Gunnar knew no better way to relieve tension than a friendly challenge.
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Posted: Fri May 11, 2012 4:28 pm
"Ah...maybe you shouldn't touch me?" Solv had automatically shrugged away from Gunnar's paw. It wasn't really anything personal, but they had just been discussing the possibility that Gunnar wanted his a**. He would rather not spoil this tentative alliance by being too suspicious. But really.
To cover up his faux pas he lied: "I've got bruises there, too. Unlike you muscle-head types, I don't enjoy pain."
The challenge Gunnar proposed was appealing to Solv. Mint would make his hurts less painful and he would enjoy being out of his head for a bit. Of course, he had absolutely no tolerance for mint whatsoever, but there was no way he was going to admit that. Maybe Gunnar's was even worse than his. Maybe.
"Prepare to be amazed," Solv replied. "You will be curled up and sucking on your tail before I am even tipsy."
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