Cry was lying on her back in Atbash's hut. The raven had a loose strand of hay in her beak. She fiddled with her feathers, talons tapping as she rolled it between her cheeks. She had invited herself in ages ago but ran out of greetings to say so... here she was. A burden to another leader. ... Leader... what even happened? Sure jacob was a bit of a bad leader but ... she never expected him to just... up and leave. Despite him being constantly mad at her, he seemed pretty happy where he was.

  Her talons tapped anxiously on the floor. One formed a tiny fist and pounded at the ground before she pulled herself back up to her feet. She raised a wing to her face, swaying it in a nervous fassion. So! She started, milky eyes scanning over the yellow cat. Your leader of this shindig now. Ringleader of the circus. She frowned. Atbash wasn't the leader-y type. She preferred to be a follower from the whole two minutes they knew each other. The raven hummed. How did that happen?
 

"SPEECH"

  The bird blinked, tilting her head. So that's how it was, huh? Two leaders in a row that leaped up the social hierarchy. What was even the point of having a hierarchy if you were just going to have your next leader whoever you want? The raven huffed. It was disgusting. Jacob poured so much emotion and thought into his speeches (or whatever), clawing and brawling with her to respect the traditions of this place, yet he was the one to up and leave when it needed him most. Impressive. The raven clicked her beak, her eyes closed tight in thought.

  Calm down, Kay, she thought to herself, no reason in getting angry in what you can't control. She's always been an angry hot head. Cry was and still is a underdog megalomaniac that tries to rule with an iron fist. She has a very particular way she wanted things done and she was more than willing to do it herself. Only problem was that in a place like this, people follow the leader and only the leader. If she wasn't designated one to trust, she had to follow others.

  She hated following others.

  She never was a follower. Cry was an independent creature. She had her own path set out and she was going to dig, carve and destroy any obstacle in that path with her own two hands (... talons). Despite that... She could see the appeal in being a follower. While you never were truly on your own and had your own thoughts, it was easier. It was simpler and a happier path to be on. She probably would have been a follower herself if she wasn't so stubborn. She was small as a child; frail and weak. She probably wouldn't have made it if it wasn't for the constant care and attention Ace gave her at a young age. He trained her to be a fighter. He trained her to constantly strive for more than she was handed, and he taught her how to work for it.

  Applying that to Atbash's situation, she didn't work for anything (taken with a grain of salt). She was a "high position" or whatever before she stepped up to leader, but for the most part she was handed the rank. She had no idea how to run a organization, probably. The raven hummed. Frankly, she didn't either. The bird ruffled her feathers, looking down at the cat. So, She hummed, What are you going to do now?
 

"SPEECH"

  Talking is important. A leader is nothing without his followers, after all. The raven hummed, shutting her eyes. She thought for a few moments before opening them again. That's a start. She praised. Cry hopped down from her perch joining Atbash on the ground (???). She clicked her beak. I'm no leader nor follower. I'm personally more of a drifter myself. But, I knew a pretty great leader myself. The raven smiled, tilting her head. His name was Lotus, she started, And he was one of the only people I know that could get my thick skull in some sort of orderly line. I could give you some advice he gave me, if  you'd like?

  Cry shut her eyes. The more that she thought about it, Atbash would probably deal better with Ace's methods of leading. Her mother was barely a leader. He was more of just... the brightest light in the room that everyone gravitated towards. He was just always such a skippy happy go lucky guy that people just wanted to be around him. Or... She continued, I can tell you some stories about my mom. He always had a way with people, I suppose. It was probably all the partying. He held some sort of mini festival for everything. Everyone knew Ace and everyone knew him. It was that simple. He was just sorta the mom figure of Cliffside.

"SPEECH"

  Cry chuckled at Atbash's shock. Sure, she was secretive, but they were just stories. She smiled, looking up at her. Sure! He was always a really nice guy. Not exactly an active leader but people just liked being around him so he slowly gained his own following. She huffed, puffing up slightly. Sure, doesn't help he pulls everything under his wings including me and my brother but! That's besides the point.

  Cry whined. She normally hated talking about herself. She found honestly no point to. She wasn't exactly an important character. She wasn't a hero. Heck, she wasn't even nice. She inhaled sharply. But! Let's make this a game. She turned up to Atbash, You only get to pick one. I'll tell you the other eventually if we stay friends or whatever, but you gotta earn the other stories. She was a closed book. Chapters were a reward.
 

"SPEECH"

  Cry hummed, her face devout of any emotion. she was sorta surprised. She expected a pacifist like Atbash to go with the stories, not the war bent advice. Well. Character development and all that, she supposed. The bird nodded. She shut her eyes, inhaling sharply. Lotus always told me to think of goals in a checklist. It might be hard, seeing how many things need to be done, but if you do things one by one instead of in one big rush, it becomes easier to do. Slowing down for anything helped. Even hotheads like her could gain from slowing down and facing the problem from another angle. Rowdy energy was useful in some occasions, but leaders needed to stop and think about their actions and consequences before making a decision. She hummed, tapping her chin. He also said the whole 'keep your friends close but your enemies closer' deal. It's useful. Don't let your enemies know they're your enemies. That way you can get the jump on them at the perfect time. Cry shut an eye, scanning her thoughts for more memories. Also know that friendship is important between your members. Be their friends, not their leader. But despite that, know how to put your foot down if they try to be rebellious or disrespect you. It's a fine balance and not easy to achieve, but with practice, you can do anything.

"SPEECH"