Rest now, my love

Had he known of her little sore spot after being called a "child" which to him, was nothing but a pet name in the spur of the moment coming from someone who knew little on how to be "nice" to another for as long as he was thus far. He would have exploited it. Pressed that bruise until she couldn't take it anymore. Thankfully for her and her pride, he was none the wiser for her disdain over being called such names.

As she answered, her naivety shone brighter than it ever did before during their meeting. She spoke as if she was some youngster who was setting off on their own for the first time, completely unaware of the dangers that lurked behind every corner... every little crevice that darkness seeped in just waiting for someone like her to cross paths with them.

“Curiosity also killed the cat.” He muttered between bites. “It frightens me.” He tossed casually - despite it being almost a lie. Frighten? Perhaps, the unknown and randomness of being here without any recollection of why or how would, should frighten any. Of a greater unknown power at work that is perhaps pulling the strings behind the scenes. But the fear was also intoxicating. For if he was uncertain and agitated, it only meant others were worse off... or in this case, blissfully unaware of it all.

“I like that none of us know how we got here or why.” He clarifies casually. “Indeed you must be pretty brave if that doesn't bother you.” Truth be told, he thought of her to be immature but he'd keep that to himself for now.

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She rested her head on her paws, tired from the long day. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to imagine what the world would look like as soon as she could get out of these grasslands. She'd always felt more comfortable surrounded by trees and the softer sounds of the forest. The plains were nothing for her, so she hoped Vengeance wasn't intending to stay here. Perhaps he would understand her wanderlust and the two could part as unlikely friends, though she'd hate to abandon the first wolf to come greet and befriend her in this new realm. She supposed she'd sleep on it.

“-But satisfaction brought it back.” She interrupted in a singsong-like manner, her eyes still closed. Often sayings were left unfinished to keep childlings from doing things that were unsafe. She never understood that; more wisdom could be found in the finished versions. True it was; that not all that was new was pleasant, but the experience of discovering - of knowing - what was beyond brought peace to the soul. What was life but an adventure you lived and would never quite finish? Life lived in certainty was stale, though desirable to so many. She couldn't relate.

Her eye of wildflower pink opened to look at him, her smile from before fading. Perhaps it bothered him more than it did her. “I will find a way to answer the questions of 'how' or 'why' in my own time. There's no wrong answer to them, after all.” She replied softly. She scooted closer then, forever curious. “Vengeance~ I've told you all I remember, yet I know nothing about you. I believe it's your turn.” She near-flirted.

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“But how many lives does a cat have?” He wouldn't give her anything. Perhaps once they parted ways later on, she would realize just how wonderfully terrible the world could be, how her parents or loved ones may have tried so hard at one time to keep her safe from its hardships even if they may have come off as claustrophobic at some time. Perhaps even to keep her safe from predators like him... At least, that is how he liked to see it.

Such sweet naive things like her were so much fun to toy with. There weren't many like her around after all who had such love and a positive outlook on life like this. Oh how he would love to crush it one day.

As soon as she finished her question to him, the brute had finished the last of the meal he had brought himself, leaving the rest for them either in the morning or for Lumiya as a false sign of kinship. Licking up the blood from his lips and laying down himself, lazily onto his side with front legs propping himself up like some kind of gruesome sphynx.

“I remember I ruled a kingdom before this, I was their Master.” Purposely choosing a different title than warlord for the sake of his little masquerade and paying little to no mind to her close call with flirting, for now at least. “I don't remember anything other than that.” He was careful not to talk too much about himself, not to scare off the little greyscale girl too soon. At least, not until he had his fun with her.

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“As many as it needs to learn its lesson.” She replied again, stretching out an ache in her shoulder. She was unsure if they were having a poetical debate of some sort; he didn't seem the type for it, but who was she to judge. Hobbies were more fun the weirder they seemed! She only remembered having one in her past life; singing. She hadn't done it in this realm yet, perhaps afraid of the memories it would bring back, or embarrassed with Vengeance (who seemed like the last person to enjoy a song out of the blue) being near almost all day. Perhaps another day, or when the two decided it was best to split up, could she fill the woods with her songs again.

“Master hmm? Not a king?” She asked, her tail giving a little wag, sweeping the floor. “Where I come from, males don't get to rule alone. They must pick a wife to rule beside them - did you have someone like that?” The ancient traditions of the fae folk were perhaps a bit weird, and specific, but they were some of few things she still remembered.

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She was stubborn and in an annoying way. Stuck in her beliefs that with enough faith in herself everything would just turn out well - and not like the roadkill on the side of the highway doomed to be pecked at by buzzards until nothing was left of them but bones and dust. Perhaps the lesson of this feline would come soon. But first, he had to decide on how to teach his little lesson.. and then, she would have to survive. The thought brought a lazy trace of a smile along his blackened lips.

“A King would imply I have royal blood, which I do not.” Even for a beast he knew how a monarchy worked, the inner workings of their traditions - and he wanted nothing to do with it. Nor did he want to build his own monarchy as he assumed she was the type to bubbly insist was possible.

“No.” She was a curious little thing wasn't she? Would she even accept the way he had and would rule? That the strongest was only allowed at the top and he, of course, believed himself to be the strongest among them until proven otherwise. How there was barely any beliefs in marriage and it was simply the best of them who were allowed to breed with whomever they wanted.

How scandalous it may sound to her. “We didn't like to restrict our choices.” Is all he said with a mischievous grin, stretching out his neck toward her in a half-assed flirt of his own. Letting his lids fall half-way down his oculars in a sleepy cheeky glance.

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To be fair, nothing in her life had proven her wrong yet. Unknowingly, she'd even tamed a demon in her past life. He wasn't unlike the true Vengeance, though he resembled the false front he was putting up a lot more. It made one question whether she'd actually tamed it, or if it had been playing a game with her like the beast beside her now. She couldn't help but see the best in people - it was probably going to be her downfall sometime in the far future.

“We didn't pick our nobles by blood.” She explained. “We just appointed the one most fit for the position. Surprisingly, I was chosen as well.” She chuckled slightly as she came to the end of her sentence, still a bit flustered. It kind of was similar to how Vengeance ran things, but instead of choosing based on the strength of one's muscles, the Faeries did so based on the strength of one's heart.

“How barbaric!” She proclaimed, turning up her nose. But truly, the seemingly innocent fae had had more than one instance of unfaithful and sinful fantasies. She yearned for adventure, that much was clear, and what was adventurous about swearing true to one man your whole life? She feared it, in secret. She liked to believe in true love, that perhaps once she met the right person the pill would be sweeter to swallow, but she fancied something a bit more... exciting.

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“You and I are equally unfit for the title is what I see.” She must have thought herself great to have been appointed, especially at such a young age - to be chosen out of the blue as opposed to fighting your way to the top, to force submission in those who challenged you or lacked respect, to earn their respect in other ways if necessary. It was a tricky balance, but all he saw was a young girl who was given power... and perhaps with other hidden plans for those who had appointed her. Maybe she was an easy puppet for them - forces knew he would if it meant he could pull the strings without taking the ire of their subjects. He grins at the thought, thinking that both the fairy and the bogeyman were on the same field so to speak.

“Is it?” He jokes, finding humour in pinging her exactly for the prudish type and being proven right. “The way I see it, it a good genetic variation in the next generation.” Well, more or less. It was just a bonus as far as he was concerned. But also, he was a man... and the pleasures of being a man were beyond numerous when it came to the mating game. Stretching out his neck toward her as he remained laying down, a toothy, sharp, teasing grin crawling along his mug, he looked at her with a certain mischievous glimmer in those ruby eyes. “Do you really think of me as a barbarian?”

If only she knew just how right she was.

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It was true that she was youthful, but ne'er had she acted unlike a fae queen in her short time at the court she'd established. Though she doubted herself a lot, not once had she thought it had been the wrong move to become their leader. Her bright and friendly personality had gained them many allies, and her compassion had made many loyal to her. Though remember their faces she could not, she did remember them being plentiful... And their forest - it had been the most serene place she'd ever found. “I disagree.” She replied softly, refusing to elaborate for now.

The side of her upper lip was pulled up in disgust as he explained how he saw the act of sleeping with multiple women. She felt awful for those left behind, thinking that perhaps he'd loved them, only to be used as some kind of baby-machine and then forgotten about. The coupling of two souls, even if brief, was beautiful and something to be treasured. If he had said that he simply found pleasure in the women he courted, she could've respected his views - Fates knew, she was one to seek out pleasure in others - in different ways.

“I do if courting only means that to you.” She answered honestly. “Even if it's just lust, there has to be some feeling involved.”

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^^

He grinned. The girl could disagree all she wanted but the facts were there. Royalties had already set their thrones, their dynasties and to call oneself as a queen or king with no blood of which to speak of was nothing but a lie. Even a true monarch would agree with him on this. It was all in the blood, and that is why he chose a different title for himself. Vengeance would be no monarch, no king, but a Warlord.

“That feeling is just to bring two individuals together to breed, nothing more, nothing less.” At least, that's what it was to him. That was in his nature, he thought this feeling of "love" was nothing but a fairy tale story told to ignorant children to soften their view of the world. One where fathers cheat on their wives and mothers coming home with a pregnant belly to sleep next to their husband who had no involvement in their creation. Love was a lie, a fleeting feeling that would soon be replaced with the desire for someone else, a natural, primal desire to keep genetic diversity wild and healthy.

^^
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