LEADER ❝ RHINE ❞ PALMCLAN

It was time for them to get the fuck off the boardwalk. In technicality, the exploration group had only been on the massive structure for about a week, but that was more than enough for most of them. They wanted to get back to their families back at camp, not to mention how awkward they felt about hunting on the boardwalk with another group present. However, their main exit in and out of the wooden structure – a rather nice slanted ramp that led to both the beach and the boardwalk – had collapsed when they had entered. Therefore, they had been stuck, unless they wanted to risk the far more risky move of jumping from the railings of the boardwalk to the sand, which Rhine really wasn't willing to do. Which meant that, at this point, there was only one thing to do. Meet with Vass, and the rest of his group. Surely they would know the ins and outs of the boardwalk like the backs of their paws, which meant that they would know another way safely in and out – preferably through underneath the boardwalk. That meant that it was time for some negotiation.

When Rhine had initially presented the idea of negotiation to the rest of the exploration group, they had been... less than thrilled to hear it. They firmly believed that Vass was a massive threat, not to be trusted. While Rhinestone couldn't one hundred percent disagree with that, he couldn't one hundred percent agree with it either. After all, if Vass wanted them dead, they would've been dead ages ago, considering the massive size difference between the boss and all of them. That had thankfully been enough to convince most of them, which left only a few stragglers grumbling along as Rhine led everyone towards the twoleg structures on the boardwalk. He glanced around as they passed through, looking at all of the different buildings and attractions that caught his eye with every step. He couldn't stop for any of them, but provided this interaction went alright... he'd be able to explore them more thoroughly later.

It was only a little while before the decently sized group arrived at Vass's warehouse, the towering structure before them, although dilapidated, still held an intimidating air to it. Knocking a paw against one of the massive doors, Rhine squinted against the intense brightness of the inner warehouse, resisting the urge to hiss in pain. Vass's domain was disorienting, and it practically gave the leader a migraine just from looking at it. However, he pushed through, raising his voice above the general rabble of those around and behind him, "Vass? I've come to speak with you. Actually, I've come with my entire exploration group to speak with you. I'd like to try and negotiate a bit, between your group and Palmclan. I believe that we can... help each other." Hopefully Vass would believe the same, since Rhine didn't have much of a backup plan if things went wrong.

LEADER ❝ RHINE ❞ PALMCLAN

Toadwhisker's presence might have been an unnerving issue for the leader, had it not been for the fact that the other faded into the rabble all around he and Vass. For the moment, Rhine had his attention laser focused only on the tiger before him, both for the purposes of his clan, and so that he wouldn't get more disoriented by the brightly colored walls all around. He could hear the faint shifting of the exploration group behind him, he clanmates no doubt trying to get their own handle on things, struggling against the previously loud and bright environment. It was much different than the usual peaceful sights that most Palmclan members were used to, although that didn't necessarily make it worse. Rhine knew that he needed to keep an open mind, especially if the deal that he had in mind worked. Even if the two groups were different because of their vastly contrasting environments, that didn't mean they had to butt heads. Rhinestone knew this, pushing past the nausea and faint spinning of the world around him that the warehouse unfortunately brought on.

On some level, the rust colored tom could tell that Vaas was slightly unnerved by their visit, or at the very least annoyed. It was easy to see in the twitch of the other's face, and the slow lash of his tail. However, the other leader seemed as though he was reasonable on some level, and even more importantly, he listened to his members. That gave Rhine an in, especially considering how many of the boardwalk creatures were staring at him with excitement, and interest. Sparing a brief glance around at all of them, Rhinestone raised his voice slightly so that he could be heard, "'I'm sure that you and your group have already noticed that my clan is somewhat stuck here, on the boardwalk. And while our exploration has been fruitful and interesting, we do wish that we could get back to our own home." Oh, how he missed the sunny surroundings of the camp, and the pleasant buzz of distinctly Palmclan energy in the air. He pushed past his reminiscing, continuing, "I believe that our groups could benefit each other. In exchange for you showing my people and I a safe way off of the boardwalk, I offer you a merger with Palmclan. Your group would be treated as complete equals within our ranks, and the boardwalk and the beach would unify together to become one unified territory. This would not only let your people have even more space to move around and hunt, but it would also mean that we could use our combined strength to drive the rats out of here once and for all. That's my deal, if you'd like to accept it." He had seen how the vermin scampered about, and he had also seen the way that Vaas sneered at them. Hopefully, Rhine's offer would be tantalizing enough.