roll the dice - open; visiting hall of kings

The soft sound of pawsteps going back and forth over a makeshift floor of raw stone. Energy racing through slender limbs, antsy, anxious. The full moon casting light through the opening. Her eyes shifting down to look at the sleeping form of a lion child. Their child. Her child. A splintering mind staring with a mixture of emotions at the rising and fall of sleeping figure. When she took him did she invite weakness into her domain? Give herself a weakness? She could be get rid of it, destroy the weakness before it destroyed her. Slowly claws unsheathed, a glinting against the silver light of the moon. A step forward towards a coveted child. She didn't deserve a child. She was like them after all. Unfit for a child. Unfit. Unfit. Unfit. Yet unfit had fit in it. And she wanted him. She craved a little small life she could mold. She....she could try. Yet it hurt, it always hurt. Slowly the paw dropped to the ground and she turned away. Walking from the makeshift house she tread across the snowy path.

The night was deep, the morning hours far from approaching but she knew where she was going. Crossing over the serpent like bridge she found herself there. The courtyard glistening, untouched by devastation. She entered the hall, she had been here before to find her mother had abandoned her body. Left them to rot in failure. But they were surviving right? She could believe in it. They were trying. As she stepped further into the hall of kings her gaze slowly lifted up and her surprise was visible at the statue of her mother beside Stryker. Something tore through her. When had they had the time to make it? How? Her jaws snapped shut as her unnervingly wide gaze bubbled with tears that streaked down her face. Abandoners. The both of them. She didn't factor in death. They had not died. They had left her siblings. Forced them into being orphans. "Why won't you come back? WHY!?" She suddenly screeched. "YOU DON'T DESERVE THESE STATUES! YOU DON'T DESERVE TO BE REMEMBERED!" The leopardess breathed wildly staring at their mocking faces, smirks, laughter. She hated it.

[glow=grey,1,400]I'M IN THE BUSINESS OF MISERY ! — ｡+ﾟ.[/glow]

TRIGGER WARNING: this post goes into sibling, emotional, and parental abuse/neglect up until fourth paragraph
//Also this post is mostly just a ramble, the only one that matters is the last paragraph LMAO

The topic of family was a funny one for Aphra. In regards to her biological parents, her father was Caesar - a known menace and exiled among most of the clans - and her mother was just some random she-cat. Aphra had one biological littermate, her twin sister Fakhira. The both of them hadn't known their mother long and at the very least, Aphra didn't remember much of her. Their mother had been killed shortly after Aphra and Fakhira had been weaned and the two sisters had to learn how to survive on their own. Caesar visited them occasionally, though he showed no obvious care for Fakhira, something that Aphra learned to mimic. She grew to hate her littermate for being so 'lazy' and eventually lashed out at Fakhira, tearing up her sister's ears. Fakhira still stayed with her despite this but as the two got older, Aphra got tired of Fakhira being around and once again attacked her, this time scarring up Fakhira's face. This time, Fakhira fled and Aphra was finally alone.

But being alone was boring. Eventually Aphra was drawn to The Typhoon's tavern and she met Pincher Roux, the Captain at the time. The two of them hit it off in one of her spare bodies and Aphra soon learned she was pregnant. She joined The Typhoon, mostly to throw the kids into Pincher's care. She had no care in her body for the Roux kids she bore and quickly left the group after they were weaned. By the time Aphra returned to The Typhoon a year later, all of her children had disappeared. But of course, she didn't care. As time went on during her return, Aphra soon started developing a lust for - ironically - Pincher's adoptive sister, Roxanne Roux, but the munchkin she-cat did not share those 'feelings' and instead started to date and eventually purposed to Diya Folie-Mikaelson. Enraged, Aphra decided to have a fling with a Pittian, letting him know that she was solely having kids to try and manipulate a friend. The Pittian had been drunk at the time but agreed to be the father of the litter - unfortunately, her idea of trying to manipulate Roxanne into liking her solely because she was going to have children had failed, and Aphra was stuck with yet another litter that she did not care about.

But despite that, Aphra tried to control the litter this time. She tried to manipulate them into thinking that everyone in The Typhoon hated them and herself for no reason and that they were all out to get them. Which in a way, was true; The Typhoon was out to get Aphra, but not for 'no reason'. The she-cat was clearly an abusive mother and they wanted to get her kids away from that. And of course, Aphra didn't want them to take her children away from her. That would, after all, ruin the whole illusion she was trying to raise them up in. Eventually though once again, Aphra decided to leave The Typhoon for a while, but she decided to take Vayne with her - and only Vayne. Vayne had ran off and returned back to the ocean-dwelling group, much to Aphra's anger. She attempted to get Vayne back and take Vayne back with her, but she was attacked and was warned that if she ever shown her face to The Typhoon again, she was going to be killed. And so, that brought Aphra to the Coalition. Mostly out of pettiness, because she knew the Coalition and Typhoon were huge enemies.

Aphra was up that night for no particular reason and she watched in curiosity as Sojourn exited her home. With her curiosity getting the best of her, the Espionage slunk off and followed her leader to the Hall of Kings, where she got there just as Sojourn started to vent to the unmoving statues. Aphra flattened her ears at Sojourn's roaring voice, accompanied by the echo of the cave, before she decided to finally reveal herself to the Kingpin. "Then destroy them." Her words were flat, not knowing of Sojourn's relationship to Ninazu and Stryker. "If they were such horrible leaders and should not be remembered, erase them from history." That seemed like the easiest thing to do.[glow=COLOR,1,400] ━ ✧*:･ﾟ[/glow]

Shouting. It was an unpleasant sound, and enough to make Arvid's ears flatten temporarily against his skull. Part of him just wanted to run as soon as he heard Sojourn's screeching, considering he didn't want to make things worse. He didn't even really know Sojourn yet – only knew her name through hearing it from others – but it was clear that she was angry. He didn't want that anger to be focused on him, rather than whoever she was already shouting out. Still, even as he turned to head away from the short structure, he found himself pausing. Even though Sojourn seemed furious... it also seemed as if there was some hurt behind her words, as well. Her first rage-filled question seemed genuine, at least to the young canine. Why hadn't they come back, whoever they were? Arvid's curiosity was piqued, and he ultimately decided to head back, if only to get on the kingpin's good side. After all, it seemed better to be on Sojourn's good side, rather than her bad side. So, after a couple more seconds of contemplation, the dire wolf turned, pressing himself against the stone wall as he moved slowly towards the inside of the Hall of Kings. As he padded inside, he was surprised to see that Sojourn wasn't alone, with Aphra standing nearby as well. However, it didn't seem as though she was the one getting yelled at, so... was she actually trying to help?

Taking a deep breath to calm himself down, Arvid sat down a short distance behind Aphra, his tail twitching behind him. He had a multitude of questions swirling around in his mind, but he held his tongue for the moment. Instead, he focused his attention on the statues that lingered above them, staring downwards with their cold stone eyes. He had to assume that the pair was important, but he wasn't quite sure why. Both former kingpins had fallen long before Arvid had joined, so he had no concept of who they were, or what their relationship to Sojourn was. Did she know them personally, or was she just cracking under the pressures of leadership? He couldn't blame her if she was overwhelmed, truly. The dire wolf had never been a leader – obviously – but he had to assume that being kingpin involved a lot of rather stressful tasks. Perhaps he could help her out, somehow? He didn't ask her about that initially, though. Instead, he just questioned quietly, "Who... who were they? I assume they must have been important, but... if you wanted to, you could tear these statues down. If they don't deserve to be remembered, you can make sure that they aren't." After all, Sojourn was the kingpin now. If she wanted to have the statues torn down and destroyed, she could... couldn't she?

If he had known about their relationship to Sojourn... well, he wasn't sure he'd feel much differently. He had never really known his own parents, and he couldn't help feeling a little bit bitter about that. He would've assumed that Stryker and Ninazu had wronged Sojourn, judging by her reaction at the moment. So, he still would've suggested the same. Just because they were family didn't mean that they were immune to criticism. If she didn't find them worthy, then why couldn't she forget them, and make herself better?

i wanna be the sand inside that hourglass

The woman hadn't expected anyone to be up this late. She hadn't thought that anyone would be here to hear her screaming. Her pain, her sadness. She thought that all minds would be slumbering but she had been wrong. Her ears pulled against her ears, tears pausing but still staining her face as she heard Aphra's voice. Though she was also shocked at the fact that the woman agreed with her. No, was encouraging that they should be remembered was almost like music to her ears. The fact that maybe they deserved to be destroyed and erased from the history. They were the beginning of the Coalition but no one needed to know that. "Really?" She began, almost as if she was asking for permission. Needing this. She could get rid of it, she was the Kingpin now. She had the power to, right? No one would question her and she could continue on as if nothing had happened. Who here actually remembered them anyway? She almost felt a smile pull across her muzzle. Who here would stop her? The only one she could think of was her kin. They would care but they would be wrong.

Another confirmation came when one of the newest arrivals came forth. Asking who they were. Tell her that if she wanted she could just tear them down, it was her choice not to let them be remembered. The temperature around the hall was dropping with the silence stretching on. Her eyes lifted up as she looked at the statues and she tilted her head a bit. "They are no one. They don't need to be remembered. We are here and they aren't." Suddenly thick spears of ice formed and they shot through the air. Slamming into the heads of both of the statues. The ice spears upon contact burst into multiple spikes within the stone skulls and rocks dropped and rain down from the headless sculptures. "Mmm, that was pretty satisfying. Besides we don't need leaders who brought ruin in our history."

The screeching of his sister entered his sensitive ears and exited out the other as he passed the Hall of Kings. Romulus would let her grieve... alone. His internal thoughts wandered to what she pondered, but he snapped free from his inquisitive hold moments later. Rounded ears snapped behind him. As the statues crumbled from Sojourn's ice, the ground underneath his feet rumbled and the slamming stone rung in his cranium. Periwinkle hues narrowed. Concern striking his mind, the lion shot forward.

His pace slowed as he reached the top of the stairs. Eyes widened at the sight in the middle of the hall and surveyed the debris of his parent's sculptures. The floor beneath his feet began to tremor. His teeth gritted together. A maned head snapped over towards Sojourn, fiery eyes challenging her power. With bared teeth, a growl began to rumble out of the back of his throat. His muscles clenched with tension. Romulus would not attack his sister for materialistic sculptures that he could replace.

His tail lashed. Strands of hair fell into his eyes as he tilted his head to the side. "Sojourn, you say they brought ruin, but they brought us out of ruin and gave us the territory we stand on now," he inquired back. Rather than using violence, something she understood well, Romulus still believed his words could reach her. "They gave us a home." A place to thrive. Somewhere to live on. She was ungrateful to think otherwise. Especially when she was the one they spoiled.

He stepped forward. His face hovered close to his sister's, looking her in the eyes. Romulus' breath rolled out hot from his maw as he leaned forward. "What have you done for us, Sojourn, besides destroy the legacy that stands before us?" he asked in a strained whisper.

[glow=grey,1,400]I'M IN THE BUSINESS OF MISERY ! — ｡+ﾟ.[/glow]

Aphra knew Stryker, vaguely, just from the brief moments she saw him in the background. Ninazu, on the other hand, wasn't someone she was familiar with. Still, if Sojourn believed that they had no reason to be remembered, then she had every right and power to destroy the statues. Aphra's ear swiveled at the sound of Arvid's voice, but she did not look over at the pup, instead watching and listening to Sojourn. When the woman started to destroy the statues, Aphra stepped back to avoid being in the way.

A growl behind her startled her a bit and Aphra turned around to see Romulus stalking forward and confronting his sister. This should be interesting. She mused, deciding to stay and watch this fallout. She didn't hear the words about legacy that the lion whispered to Sojourn, but she had heard his first statements. "What else have they done?" Aphra challenged, tilting her head in genuine curiosity. "If Sojourn believes they shouldn't be remembered, then she can erase them. She is the Kingpin." Not you. No matter how much he wanted to act like it. He may be more mentally stable than his sister, but she was the Kingpin, not him.[glow=COLOR,1,400] ━ ✧*:･ﾟ[/glow]

Wow. Although he had been part of the pair encouraging Sojourn to destroy the statues, Arvid had to admit that he was a bit caught off guard when she actually did. Still, he couldn't say that he felt too much remorse about it. From the way that the kingpin talked about them, it was clear that they hadn't meant much in the grand scheme of things. He hadn't even known them – why care about a pair of unfeeling statues? Instead, his gaze just gleamed with interest as he took a step back, more fascinated by Sojourn's elementals than anything else. After a moment of brief silence, the dire wolf found himself muttering, "...You're right. We are here, and they aren't. It seems a bit silly to have monuments to the dead. Not like they'll ever see it." They were dead. Their lives were over, and they wouldn't be making any more actions to benefit the group. What was the point of erecting statues in their honor? Really, all it told him about them was that they had both been rather self-obsessed, and he didn't exactly see that as a positive.

He was about to turn and go, figuring he should give Sojourn some space, when someone else arrived. Someone who Arvid hadn't even met yet, but also someone who was evidently displeased with the statues being beheaded. The dire wolf's opinion of Romulus was immediately soured by the other snarling at Sojourn, however. That was the leader that had allowed him in, and given him a group of others to live happily alongside. What right did he have to snarl in her face? With dark ears pinning back against his skull, the canine found himself barking, "I agree with Aphra. Who cares what they did? They're dead now, and no monument is going to change that. Without Sojourn, this group wouldn't even be alive still – a group without a leader is a group without purpose. If you want to live in a group where you can worship at the feet of those who are gone, then go and make your own." He couldn't help the way that he bristled, glaring at Romulus alongside Aphra. Sojourn had every right to tear the statues down – this was the Hall of Kings, and nowadays? She was the king.

i wanna be the sand inside that hourglass

"they flip the siren, hit the lights" ✭ ── Perhaps this was a moment that he should have left alone, between being sparked by the two women he found himself increasingly more uncomfortable around and a lack of experience with either of the mentioned people that the statues replicated, who Sojourn seemed to despise, he had no real place to say anything. And yet, yet, he was curious, and felt like history such as the very foundation of what the Coalition was now shouldn't be destroyed.

Angelembrace stood by Romulus, looking up at the man with a hint of sympathy in his frown, reaching out to put a gentle paw on his leg. Was it wise to say that he found himself siding with the Kingpin's brother? Especially when he was on his own? Angel knew the guy wasn't in charge, Sojourn was, but that shouldn't leave him without a place to speak his mind. [b]"It probably is...unwise to completely erase those that came before us, no? Everyone will remember them anyway."

Watching the statues crumble was one of the best moments of her life. She watched as rock shattered and fell to the ground. Chunks smashing and falling to the marr the floor. It was not exhilarating but so...relieving. She didn't have to look at them anymore. She didn't have to feel that pain of abandonment. The urge to keep pushing herself harder because she didn't need them. She was not riding off their supposed success but her own. She had made it this far. Not them. But her moment of peace was shattered when she heard his pawsteps. When he was right there in front of her and defending them. Saying the brought them from ruin and gave them the territory that they stood on. This little spit of land. She found her face devoid of emotions. She was angry though. Her eyes inflamed but also she was almost beginning to childishly pout. She disagreed. Disagreed. DISAGREED. His face do close to her own she felt her claws twitch in their sheaths. Her legs trembled with the effort to stand still.

What had she done? She curled her muzzle slightly. "You act as it they were the only ones doing anything to help us to survive. That they did everything. Well I'll enlighten you. I was there, I was there every fucking moment of it. Fighting, my skin tearing for them. My blood spilling on every group's territory for us. We could have stopped. We could have just taken Elysium. We didn't need them. We didn't need Tanglewood, we didn't need the Typhoon. But Stryker was greedy. You can try to deny it brother. But Dad bite off more than he could chew and now, now he is dead and we are stuck on this frozen wasteland!" This island, these islands broken and marred by movement were nothing but hand-me-downs. It was not theirs but some weak pathetic group's that they had managed to devoured and keep down.

"I'm the one that has been keeping us alive since mother abandoned us. She jumped ship after everything, after dad was murdered. If it wasn't for me the Coalition would be no more! I held us together while you decided to wander off and leave me too. Then you come back....are you trying to say you could do better? Do you want my throne, dear brother? I heard what you did while I was away..." A decision she too would have made. She approved of it but was it his place to do it? Was he coming for her crown? Did he want her power? Her claws braced against the ground and the leopardess held her eyes glued on her sibling even as Aphra and Arvid backed her up on her decision. And then a tiny voice spoke and she snapped. Her wild eyes jerking down to look at the kid. "Shut up! How would you know anything?! You weren't even alive then. Not even a conceivable notion! A child should keep his mouth shut before he loses his tongue." The Kingpin hissed sharply. She was breaking, she was breaking. Her mind fracturing. Was her own family turning against her? They couldn't be? It was not possible.