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Post by carcinoGeneticist on Jul 31, 2008 2:45:12 GMT -5
Rhiannon had always been a fairly good judge of when things should happen. She had returned to the Palace for only a short time, her only plan being to tell her parents and sibling that she would be gone for several months, and that she would be back as soon as she was able to. That was done. It had gone about as well as she'd hoped it would, and the young woman was quick to prepare to leave. She had money for food to last them until the end of her pregnancy, some extra blankets for herself and Lior in case they found the apartment too chilly in the winter. She was eager to leave before anyone could ask her any more questions, and though it was hard to admit to herself, eager to return to the Highland feline she knew was waiting for her... Yet, for reasons she wasn't quite sure of, she still hadn't headed back for the capital. In fact, she was lingering outside of Xiven's door, her heart pounding hard in her chest, yellow eyes mere slits. She had barely gained her Jack rank, and yet something in the back of her mind was screaming at her, telling her that she needed to do this now or regret it for the rest of her life. Xiven - her Xiven, she liked to think - would understand that she wouldn't be able to serve as a proper King until after she had given birth, but the hybrid girl needed her to know now that she was ready. She had made an actual appointment to meet with the young Queen, on very short notice, but she had no other option. Taking a deep breath to settle her nerves, she reached up and knocked on the woman's door. She couldn't explain why she was so nervous. After all, she and Xiven were childhood friends who had often approched each other without worry... Things were just different now. She needed to come across as being serious about what she was planning to do. |
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Post by Kari Muffin on Aug 1, 2008 1:17:34 GMT -5
Xiven was worried about her upcoming appointment. She, in all honesty, should have been doing the paperwork she was given. Instead the young Queen was doodling on a piece of paper. She couldn't concentrate on much of anything. Why had Rhi made an appointment with her so suddenly? Well she knew in part what it was about. She hadn't been given any specifics. It had been sudden after all. Xiven rolled her eyes at herself, she was even repeating her thoughts. Scribbling out a little Heart Crest she dipped the pen back in the ink. At the knock on the door, Xiven's ears perked. "You can come in!" She said cheerfully, her tail swishing happily. She really needed to calm down and act like an adult. This was a serious matter and she had to focus on being a professional. They weren't kids anymore. .... But they would always be friends, she hoped. |
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Post by carcinoGeneticist on Aug 1, 2008 1:26:57 GMT -5
The door was pushed open slowly, and the coyote hybrid took a deep breath before she walked into the office, her head held high but her tail swinging low, respectfully. She could still feel her nerves, as irritating as ever, making her heart beat fast, but she didn't feel there was a single thing wrong with this. It was, after all, the moment the woman had been looking forward to since she was a child who was old enough to understand the basics of court life. She couldn't help the pleased and cheerful smile that worked its way across her muzzle as her eyes fell on Xiven, looking as beautiful as she ever had. She would never tell the feline, but when news had reached her ears that the woman had become a Queen...
Rhiannon's heart had lit up with pride. She knew that all she had to do was catch up, and she had come a long way. This was the final step.
In an uncharacteristically elegant movement, the hybrid bowed low, her ears almost touching the ground. If she was hoping to get into the courts, she had to start making good impressions now, and who better to practice on than her old friend - and hopefully, future Queen? "Your Majesty,[/b]" she greeted, then laughed softly. How long had Xiven been telling her to not call her that? "...Xiven. You look well. I hear that you're still in need of a King.[/b]" It was hard to be too professional standing before her longest friend as she was, after all.
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Post by Kari Muffin on Aug 1, 2008 1:40:47 GMT -5
Xiven was impressed. She couldn't help but smirk at Rhiannon's greeting. How many times in the past had she said "Don't call me that." It was nice to know that things changed.
"It's a pleasure to see you today. And yes, a King would be very helpful since I have none." She shifted in her seat to grab her cup. Another one had already been pre-poured. It was probably luke warm already. With a quick motion the feline grabbed the cup and placed it on a tray. "If you want something to drink I'll have to pour you a new one."
The feline was all for getting the show on the road. So, Rhi was ready for her King Quest then? Hadn't she just acquired Jackhood rather recently? Was she really ready for this?
"Of course, as a King I would need your complete loyalty and trust. Are you sure you want to take this test--if that's why you're here?"
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Post by carcinoGeneticist on Aug 1, 2008 1:53:13 GMT -5
"If I could just get some water for now that would be great, thank you for asking.[/b]" she said, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth as she leapt into the chair. In a way, she was proud of herself. No caffeine, no alcohol, all out of concern for the lives growing inside her. She reached up, tugging at her mask until the whole thing slid off, letting it drop to the floor for now. Her nose wiggled slightly. It felt good to take the damn thing off. She'd spoken to her mother, and they'd found that the normal air no longer stung her lungs. Having something to eat or drink would certainly be easier now...
It was true that Rhiannon had become a Jack very recently, but that didn't change a single thing in the mind of the young woman. She knew when she was ready to do something, and she knew that this was the only time that she would be able to do this. There was one thing weighing heavily on her mind.
"I've known you for years, and I've always admired and stood behind your every action, trusting that it would be for the greater good of myself, at least.[/b]" she chuckled slightly, eyebrow quirked. "And now that I've grown and gotten some time to think about it... You've never led me off in a bad direction, and I believe it would be the greatest honor to serve as your King. I only apologize that it's taken me this long to fulfil my promise to you. I am ready to take whatever test you give me... But there's one thing I need you to know before I do.[/b]"
Rhiannon swallowed heavily. This would be the hard part, she knew well. She only hoped Xiven would still want her when she knew.
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Post by Kari Muffin on Aug 1, 2008 2:01:24 GMT -5
Xiven grabbed a glass from a different tray, along with a glass pitcher. She poured a glass, letting a few of the ice chunks make their way in so the drink would stay cold for a little longer. She set the glass on a cup holder, within Rhi's reach.
The feline was surprised by the lack of mask. She must have been immune to poisons then. That was some rather good news. However when the bog dweller continued to speak, it was as if she was going to deliver some rather bad news along with her request to become a King.
"Make your request, and I'll see if I can grant it," Xiven said with a warm smile. Of course she was willing to do a lot for her friend. They had grown up together... and she was one of the few people Xiven could call "friend" without hesitation.
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Post by carcinoGeneticist on Aug 1, 2008 2:13:05 GMT -5
Rhiannon took a long drink of the water before she spoke, hoping to regain some of the cool that she had lost from even thinking about her condition. This far away from Lior, it was hard to be calm about the whole situation. He was good at helping her see that everything would turn out okay, even when his depression got the best of him... Mentally she shook herself. Now just wasn't the time to be dwelling on that. Lior wasn't here, and so she had to make herself and Xiven proud without any help.
"If I do fulfill the requirements to become your King,[/b]" Rhiannon said, picking through her words rather carefully. This was a delicate sort of matter. "It might.. be a few months before I can really start. I recently discovered some news that has kind of messed up all of my plans, but I didn't want to wait any longer to make my intentions to you known and begin whatever preparations I could.[/b]" she shifted in her seat, giving her tail a somewhat hopeful wag, gold eyes shining a little embarassedly as she looked at the Queen.
"I recently found out... I'm pregnant.[/b]" she blurted the words out. There. It was done, she'd said it. Now all she could do was wait for Xiven's reply.
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Post by Kari Muffin on Aug 1, 2008 2:23:39 GMT -5
That wasn't what Xiven expected at all. Somehow she felt something pull at her heartstrings. Disappointment? She couldn't exactly tell, all she knew is she had to keep a cool exterior. Her head could battle it out later.
"If you pass you can have maternity leave." Xiven said with a nod. "Now that I know you do, indeed, want to become my King, shall we get this test started? I'm not going to pull any punches either."
Questions. A physical task wasn't going to do... well it might but Xiven wasn't sure she wanted to risk anything since Rhi was pregnant....
Her tail twitched uncomfortably at the thought. No. She needed to stop thinking about that.
"I need to know if I can trust you, and put my life in your hands. I'm not going to put you through a physical task, so I'm going to ask you a series of questions. Give me honest answers, not what I want to hear." She cleared her throat. "Now, in a hypothetical situation me and your brother decide to go out to a rather shady part of town, and you accompany us. Of course this part of down doesn't exactly welcome high ranking nobles, and you're confronted by a group of rather nasty individuals. How are you planning to protect your Queen?"
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Post by carcinoGeneticist on Aug 1, 2008 3:28:13 GMT -5
The relieved smile that crossed Rhinnon's face lit up her entire face, and she bowed again, her tail wagging a little more quickly now. "Thank you.. Let's. I'm more ready now than I ever will be.[/b]" Her friend had always been understanding, and when she did step into her theoretical King shoes, she wanted to be as able as she could be, not an inflated balloon of hormones and desires to eat strange foods. Mostly, though, she realized that her job as King would be to protect as well as advise, and as tired as she'd been feeling in the last few weeks, she realized that it would be difficult for her to do so.
The question was rather simple, but Rhiannon considered it carefully. In her mind, the answer was a rather simple one, once she figured out the best way to phrase it. "My first response would be to ask my Queen if she wanted in on the skirmish,[/b]" she said, tail wagging. It may have seemed a strange answer, but Rhiannon had known Xiven for a long time, and had seen her training with that weapon of hers. They both appreciated a good battle, and it just didn't seem fair to her to take all the fun away from her friend. When she really began to strategize, however, her expression changed, becoming darker and somehow more thoughtful. "Secondly, assuming that you didn't want to join in, I would make a quick assessment of who seemed to be the leader of the group. I'm guessing that due to their hatred of high-ranking people, they won't be likely to be of a high rank themselves. I would use my pain ability to disable them just long enough to dispatch them along with my brother's help, as I know he would take any chance to protect you. If for whatever reason that doesn't work, I would redirect their attention away from you and take them out in one-on-one combat. As for their leader... I'd make sure he or she was no longer a threat, and get as much information out of him as I possibly could. Wouldn't want to be surprised a second time, after all.[/b]"
It sounded like a reasonable plan to her. She had been taught to fight as soon as she could walk, and those were the skills that she planned to put to the test when she was acting as the feline's King.
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Post by Kari Muffin on Aug 1, 2008 11:26:43 GMT -5
Xiven nodded. "Very good. I'm sure not many people would go ahead and ask if I wanted to fight. I'm glad you have some consideration for my feelings."
Of course one simple question wasn't enough for her test. If it was that simple she wouldn't know if she was absolutely serious. "After you defeat the leader, the others scatter. You're left with him begging for mercy. In his fear he tells you that he's part of an illegal Ace Trading ring. The reason he attacked is because he heard a rumor that there was going to be an organization that tracks Aces that are registered. Little does he know that the organization was a bust. Of course, now that you know that there's an illegal trading ring, what are you prepared to do?"
The feline took a sip of her tea, her tail twitching in anticipation.
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