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 Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2012 12:01 pm
 Gaved had been unhappy for a while now. Very unhappy. His life seemed to be just one disastrous encounter after another. Fortunately, as his outlander-inflicted wounds healed he regained some energy. Enough energy to consider spreading that unhappiness around a bit. Gaved was wary of harassing Gunnar these days. Thorgrim seemed most disapproving of his tormenting Gunnar. It was infuriating, but there was one way he could hurt Gunnar that Thorgrim wouldn't care about: he could take it out on Gunnar's disgusting friend, the bard. Gaved drew up to the entrance of Solvtorn's den and peered inside, hanging back enough to dodge any blows as his eyes adjusted to the dimmer light. There was Solv, yes, b*****d that he was, and there was ... a female, a pretty female. He recognized her vaguely as a thrall. Oh. This would be entertaining. "Solv. I hear you've a new toy," Gaved called, gesturing at the lioness with his paw. "Why haven't you shared her with your old friend Gaved yet?"
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Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2012 12:22 pm
 Solvtorn was not really a pleasant lion at heart. Perhaps if his father had loved him when he was a cub, or hadn't treated his mother who was a saltwife like a bag for boning, he might've grown up differently. He would've been a fighter, perhaps, who respected women, instead of a snarky, sullen wannabe bard who preyed on those weaker than himself to assuage his fragile ego.
So..thralls and females basically.
Lately he'd found a great deal of enjoyment to be had with one thrall in particular. A slim, thin-coated lioness with dark eyes and a kind smile. He enjoyed how large she made him feel in comparison and didn't really care about her smile, except for the way it faltered now when she saw him coming to collect her from Kjar's care. She, at least, had learned to fear him.
It hadn't taken much, either. The naive thing had obviously lived a soft life in whatever pride she'd come from, one where everyone was good and kind and sweet, and so all Solv had to do was offer her the hope that this time he would be kind, and then take it away.
_____ Tay had fallen for it again, she realized. Every time he promised her that he only wanted to have her listen to a song or help him clean his den and every time he found some premise either to beat her or mount her or both.
Today the beating had come first, and was just getting under way when another lion stuck his head into the small, dim den that Solvtorn had claimed for his own. Unbeknownst to her, Solv had actually lost his father's den shortly after his father's death. A reaver had forced him out. She would have felt sorry for him if she had known that, despite the way he treated her.
She didn't know whether the arrival of a second lion was a good thing or a bad thing. From his manner and tone, she didn't think it was going to turn out well for her, but from the way Solvtorn's ears lay flat and he cringed, she got the feeling that this lion was not a friend of his.
Tay waited for Solvtorn to say something, but he didn't. He just stared in horror at the lion who was invading his den. So it fell to her to offer a timid, "Good afternoon."
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Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2012 3:17 pm
The false bard was speechless. Hm. Nice, but not quite the reaction Gaved was looking for. He had wanted Solvtorn to shout at him, to lash out, so that he could crush the weaker lion. This witless terror was pleasant, but Gaved wasn't looking for a run-in with a Lawspeaker for beating a cowering idiot.
He strode into the den, taking a second look at the lioness. Evidently he had interrupted something. He had a fairly good idea just what that had been: something involving either sex or violence. Possibly both. In his mind, there were few other reasons for a single male to drag a female thrall back to his den.
Ignoring her polite greeting, Gaved snarled at Solvtorn. "I know you're too much of a cowardly s**t to catch a thrall on your own, so this one must be public property. Is that how you get your lays, Solv?" He laughed, baring his teeth at the bard. "You can't even have a thrall female all to yourself, can you?" Turning to the dark lioness, he responded to her at last. "Good afternoon yourself, Miss Solv's Sloppy Seconds."
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Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2012 3:30 pm
If Gaved had been expecting Solv to lash out or shout, he had clearly chosen the wrong freeborn to pick on. A lifetime of being victimized by a pride full of bullies had instilled in Solv the knowledge that reacting in any way to a bully would only encourage them. It was better to avoid reacting, if possible, and be considered too dull to torment further.
"Shut up," he snarled at the thrall. Her name was Day or Tay or something annoyingly cheerful like that. "He's not a guest. Don't offer him courtesy."
He hated Gaved. The reaver had beaten him badly more than once in the past, though the most memorable occasion had been following the accusation that Solv was turning Gaved's half-brother Gunnar gay. Solv had particularly resented that one because Gunnar was one of the only lions in the whole damn pride that seemed to genuinely like him.
"And what does it say about you that you have to come into my den to find...What the ******** are you doing here anyway, Gaved?"
_____
Tay quietly resumed trying to be invisible when Solvtorn told her to shut up. That was what she had really wanted to do anyway when this completely terrifying lion barged into the den. Well, that and run away, but she'd lost her opportunity to do that already. So now she was left with the choice of sitting very still and hoping to be forgotten.
The two lions definitely did not get along. She had no idea what the nature of their quarrel was. In truth, she was so distracted by the foulness that was coming out of their mouths that she could barely make sense of the words in between. Swearing was something else that was new to her, and it still shocked her sensibilities. Solvtorn had not yet discovered that about her.
When the lion - Gaved - turned to her and greeted her with some phrase she didn't recognize but could guess wasn't flattering, Tay had no idea what to say. After all, she had already greeted him, and Solvtorn had just told her not to offer him any courtesy. She continued to stare in wide-eyed silence. That seemed safest.
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Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2012 4:07 pm
It was more fun now that Solv was talking back to him. Much more fun. It was especially delightful that Solv was running his mouth, yet was too afraid of him to physically attack him. Even a Freeborn should have the balls to stand up to another male taunting him in his own den.
Ahhh, Solv. If you wanted to watch cowardice taken to new and pathetic levels, you could always rely on Solvtorn.
"I just came to pass the time, you know. Visit old friends and so forth. See how you were getting on," Gaved said innocently. He allowed his gaze to wander over the dark lioness that looked oh so very petrified. Harassing Solvtorn was putting him in fine spirits, and she was starting to look rather tempting. Surely Dalla wouldn't mind if he busied himself with this thrall for a while. She would likely be glad that he had found a diversion to keep him out of the den. Stygg certainly wouldn't mind.
"I wouldn't mind trying that pretty thrall for a while. I'm sure she'd be glad to be rid of your fumbling little paws." Would Solvtorn argue? Oh, he hoped Solvtorn would argue.
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Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2012 6:22 pm
"I think you're lost, in that case," Solv informed Gaved. "You have no friends here."
He would never have admitted it, but the reason he was standing up to Gaved instead of, well, doing something else, was that he had an audience. Specifically he had as an audience somebody who was his inferior. He did not want an inferior to see him humiliated. He didn't want anybody to see him humiliated.
Sometimes he hated this pride.
"Gaved..." He wasn't sure if he wanted to tell him to get lost or what. Nothing he said would sound anything but pathetic and whiny. "Haven't you a wife that you should be servicing? Or has she already unmanned you?"
_____
Tay didn't like the sounds of this. She did not like knowing that she was being discussed in a conversation that otherwise seemed to be about a male's ability to perform and please sexually. It seemed like a conversation that could not possibly end in a way that would benefit her.
He called her pretty. Maybe that was the source of her problems. At home she had wanted to be pretty so that Sutekh would notice her, but it had done her no good. Here everyone seemed to notice her for her looks, and it still did her no good. Perhaps her life would be easier if she were not pretty.
She tried to cross her eyes and let her jaw go slack, but it made her head hurt. she wouldn't be able to keep it up for very long.
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Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2012 6:31 pm
Dissatisfying. Worse than dissatisfying. Annoying. Gaved snarled at Solvtorn. He didn't care for being reminded of his wife. Not at all. The very thought of servicing Dalla, as Solvtorn put it, made his stomach turn. By all the gods that were, Gaved would rather service a rotten wildebeest carcass. It wasn't anything to do with looks, of course, Dalla was lovely even though she was poison. It was her wretched personality.
He briefly wished that Dalla had found herself wed to Solvtorn instead. They could make one another miserable. It would be glorious to watch.
The Reaver took a menacing step towards Solv and raised a paw, claws unsheathed. "Hold your flapping tongue. I'm a Reaver, false bard. I do as I please. And right now it pleases me to do your little cuddle, here." He reached to Tay to grab her forcefully. The expression of cross-eyed idiocy was somewhat off-putting, but right now he cared more about hurting Solvtorn than playing with some thrall. He could just order her to clean his den if nothing else. Dalla was forever leaving her crafting supplies all over the place.
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Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2012 6:58 pm
Solv watched with fascination as Gaved reacted to his jibe about his wife. The would-be bard didn't realize what Gaved's home life was like. If he had, he might have continued to pursue this line of, well, it wasn't conversation. Badgering?
Or...maybe not. Gaved's claws were extremely sharp, as he well knew, and the reaver could use them to incredible effect. It had taken him weeks to recover from that episode over Gunnar.
"You are in my home, Gaved," Solv told him. "There are rules of hospitality that apply to both host and guest. I know there're a lot of words in the rules, but I think even you can figure out that you're breaking them right now."
It was a flimsy excuse at best, but it was all that came to mind. Having Gaved in his home was putting Solv off his game.
_____
She knew it. She knew this would be bad for her.
Tay forgot completely to cross her eyes when she saw his enormous paw reaching toward her, though as his paw drew closer they crossed again to keep watching. Her jaw remained slack, but that was because she was halfway to uttering a horrified gasp.
In a moment she would have to make a decision. Into which lion's arms, as it were, would she flee while attempting to evade the other? Neither choice was appealing. Neither lion would be inclined to show her tenderness or kindness, she suspected, but Gaved had a wife. Perhaps Tay could appeal to her for help.
It did not occur to Tay that Gaved's wife might be pleased to have his attentions focused elsewhere. She was still too naive for that kind of thought process.
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Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2012 7:09 pm
Gaved had had just about enough of Solvtorn's tongue. He curled his lip as the bard nattered at him. Solvtorn was beaten and he knew it. Gaved would have liked to strike the bard a time or two to drive the point home, but Solv's den was cramped with the three of them. He had no qualms about striking a female thrall, but she was a wild card. She might start screeching and fluttering around in agitation, as females were wont to do, and then all bets were off. Better to just grab her and leave.
"Lady Solvtorn's Rules of Hospitality," Gaved said, his voice high-pitched and mocking. "Well then. I'd better take my leave."
He grabbed for Tay, hauling the lioness with him. "Someday I will kill you, Solvtorn," Gaved shot over his shoulder as he dragged the thrall out of the den.
So. Okay. That was fun. Now he was stuck with a halfwit thrall.
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Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2012 7:14 pm
Solv's eyes narrowed but he did not reply to Gaved's taunt or make any move to stop him from swiping the thrall. She was only a thrall. Definitely not worth fighting over.
_____
Tay squeaked as Gaved grabbed her, but she did not protest or try to fight back. The squeak was more surprise than anything. He hadn't even hurt her. In fact, he'd taken her away from Solv before he could hurt her.
"Ah...Thank you?" she ventured.
_____
Once Gaved was definitely well away from the den, Solv snarled under his breath.
"...hate you. Please choke on a wildebeest and die."
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Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2012 7:23 pm
Marching the female away from Solv's den, Gaved shot her a suspicious look when she thanked him.
He had been interested in her earlier, but the thrill of snatching her away from the filthy bard was enough to satisfy him. Even if he had still wanted her, that pathetic gratitude would have put him off his stride.
Females did not thank Gaved for anything. They certainly did not do so with such a shy, sincere voice. Gaved was ... well, he didn't know exactly what he was. Repulsed, possibly. "Don't thank me for anything, thrall," Gaved snapped, thoroughly put off the idea of lying with her. He wanted to leave her then and there, but he didn't want that whining bard coming along and scooping her back up. Gaved sighed. "Follow me. My den is a mess. You'll tidy it."
In truth, his den really wasn't a mess at all. But the cross-eyed thrall could spend a few hours straightening this and that or whatever, and Solv would believe that Gaved was showing her what a real lion could do. How nice.
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Gaved had been unhappy for a while now. Very unhappy. His life seemed to be just one disastrous encounter after another.
