The last time this happened... well... his father died. The great battle between The Typhoon and the Coalition of the Condemned did not last long, but the loss prompted by it was insurmountable. Covered in the remains of his father and in tears near the end, needless to say, the current Kingpin was did not look fondly on the war. Everyone was too greedy. No one had respect for one another. Everything was thrown out of balance and no considerations were in mind. Things, this time, would be done differently. His leadership would be honorable like his parents', but less of a predictable conundrum with endless conflict. At least Romulus hoped so.

The future was before them though. His sister remained deceased and his parents laid in their graves. It was time to move along. New adventures laid in front of everyone, whether good or bad. As he sat with a mangosteen in his paw, the lion contemplated where his own future laid. What happened so far was unpredicted. He never expected to be an abuser's successor or watch his family die so young, but here he was. The present was damned. All he could hope was to do better.

With his grip tightening on the fruit, claws sunk into it's side. Crimson juices slid down his slick fur as he delved into thought, only to snap free of his mindset moments later. Looking down at his stained paw, he let out a sigh. 'Right. The war paint,' he thought. Reliving the last good memory he held with his father was detrimental to his focus.

His pawpad slide across the ground. The sticky remains of the fruit wiped away in an instant. Readjusting his mindset, the leader looked down at the collection of paints before him. Each paint before him designated a rank, but not every rank was fulfilled. It was merely for example. All colors of the rainbow were available for those who wished to paint their pelts (or scales in Anthemtalon's case).

A claw dipped down into the red before him. His mane draped forward into his eyes as he leaned over. The Starpool reflected his image back as he squinted downwards and he mentally contemplated where to start... Usually a guru did this for leaders. Without one, it appeared he was on his own unless someone offered to assist. "Burgundy does not compliment my pelt," he mumbled underneath his breath.

// Merged with prompt #5 of the monthly challenge~

At the familiar chirp of Inferno, his head turned sideways... but it was too late. Her paw collided with flesh. The ripple of skin seemed to happen in almost slow motion as he momentarily stumbled backwards. Paint splattered up and around his face. In his topple, his claws gripped down into the floor and a singular claw doused the floor in red as whatever color (he could not see what) began to sop down his facial features. Romulus blindly pulled back from the lake. The moonpool had some remains of her damage, but he had yet to see.

A free paw wiped away the crimson paint from his eyes and mouth. Periwinkle hues opened. He squinted. Narrowed hues looked at the other feline with momentary disgust, only to let out an amused snort in response. As he stifled his merriment, he redirected his attention to the colors lining the back of his paw. Red. At least she chose the proper color.

Moving back to Inferno, he offered a dip of his head. "I suppose I can excuse this behavior once," he loosely joked. Romulus considered throwing paint back in her direction, but there was only so much to go around and he'd prefer not to taint the starpool with excess dye. It had too much history. "... If I can paint your face."

Revenge.

Her face? Yes! Of course. Romulus let her exasperate fakely with her paw oh-so gently placed across her chest and maw spread wide. Revenge was on it's way though. A plan was brewing within the Kingpin's head... more like a mural. A painting, perhaps? No... A masterpiece. Picasso and Vinci would be proud of his stroke of genius that sprung in mere seconds. The finest of the fine arts presented itself in his mind and all he could do was smirk in response. A devilish glint in his eye signaled his intent.

A paw reached out to swipe at her and attempted to grab at her neck. He tried to pull her forward. "Hold still," the lion demanded. His paw dipped down into a bowl of paint in preparation, awaiting for her response. Hopefully she wouldn't run...