METEOR

The horned lion squinted at the Serpent’s Maw statue in Serpentvale. The choice of two different gemstones—sapphire and tiger's eye—interested him.

When Meteor and Kole had arrived in Serpentvale, the lion had expected to wait. He hated being patient. However, one of the locals had directed the two cannibals to the Serpent’s Maw. No doubt to keep the cannibals occupied and out of trouble. Perhaps even to try showing off the minerals and ores which Emerald Isles would likely want to offer in trade, but Meteor wasn’t interested in metal. The cannibals did just fine with bone and obsidian.

He was intent on studying the statue as a work of art. The indents in the metal to suggest scales. The exaggerated fangs of the serpent. Meteor had to wonder if the artist would have devoted such hours of detail work into the sculpture if the artist had met one of the snake supremacy assholes on Viper Island.

To Kole, he inclined his head with a half-smirk. “Do you think the artist meant to convey one of the serpent’s eyes is blind? Sapphire looks… almost… milky.” Meteor glanced back at the serpent. Dead Eye’s dead eye was actual milky white, but something about the sapphire….

But the lion shrugged. Glanced back at Kole. And the half-smirk grew to flash his left fangs. Meteor thought he’d hate this waiting around diplomacy bullshit. And he probably would—even with the statue—if this didn’t feel so much like a goddamn night out with his boyfriend.

@KOLE.

METEOR

“Hmm.” Meteor listened to Kole’s response. A flick of his left ear—full of gold studs, now that Xanti had assisted him with the preparations to wear all the piercings for his second meeting as Pharaoh—and Meteor squinted at Kole’s silver piercing.

Observations crystalized into understanding. Why Kole had looked at him during the first meeting as he had. Why Kole had his own silver piercing. Kole liked piercings, gemstones. Where Meteor saw “tools for propaganda” Kole saw… beauty, maybe? Meteor didn’t need to understand. He only needed to min/max according to the useful parameters.

Meteor half-smirked. Another flick of his left ear, for emphasis. “If you want more piercings, ask Xanti. If xe gives you an excuse about cosmetic body modifications are a waste of xyr time, tell xem it’s a favor to me.”

Then, Meteor’s gaze swept the coyote’s face. Analytically. Meteor didn’t quite have an eye for beauty. He didn’t really consider beauty important in allies, friends, collaborators, tended to notice aesthetics or fashion choices only to tag narcissists at a glance. But he was excellent at patterns.

“Garnet, citrine, or tiger's eye would suit you.” Meteor’s smirk widened. He’d mellowed out into lawful evil because leadership was more reliable at getting him what he wanted than pure chaos… but he was tempted to pluck out the Serpent’s gemstone eye. However, that was simply an impulse.

He could be patient. Better to arrange for a trade for chickens, establish some rapport… and then get a good deal. Chaotic evil was so inefficient compared to his current methodology.

METEOR

One glance at the wyvern, and Meteor’s posture shifted to mirror the Sovran. His shoulders squared in relaxed yet total confidence. His chin tilted up with a smug, self-assured confidence. What a leader postured often showcased exactly what they thought a leader should look like, and, thus, revealed exactly what they expected to see in a fellow leader.

Nord projected strength, confidence, and caution. Meteor mirrored all three, down to the cold analysis in his narrowed eyes.

“Your assumption is correct.” Meteor’s chin lifted higher. He dropped the suspicion in his own gaze, as if that had been a real question that he’d answered from something he’d gleaned from the wyvern’s body language or voice or words. Ha! As if he’d been suspicious at all.

Meteor’s smug smile flashed with teeth. “I’m looking to barter for chickens. In particular, laying hens.”

“Wildlife issues, you say?” Meteor glanced at Kole, Then looked back to Nord with a raised eyebrow. “Kole is one of the Descendants’ best fighters. And I have a track record of winning my own battles.” A genuine smirk of pride and confidence, too, for slaughtering his own father, devouring the lion as the lava poured into the river, and then crowning himself pharaoh to a crowd of cheering cannibals.

“Perhaps we can help solve each other’s problems, hm?”

METEOR

“Those wild boar sound like quite the problem. But the Descendants of the Departed hunt boar regularly.” A glance at Kole, then Meteor looked back to Nord with a widening smirk. That had been true before the volcano’s temper tantrum, but the skills persisted… and maybe this was an opportunity to kidnap wild piglets. “We know all the hunting tricks.”

“How about… ten egg hens for every boar we slaughter.” An eyebrow quirked up.

Then Meteor glanced at Kole. His tail swished. Ah, slaughtering boar will be such a fun extension for their date! And this was an excellent business opportunity. This was like earning money for making money!