Bruises On Paper Thin Skin;; Pres.

[Jiyu Simul Stamus]

It was later, time had passed until it was finally the night after the meeting that Pres had recently held. Silence enveloped the mansion and she found her way easily within the creaks and breaths of the old building. Shadows played their games in the dead of night, her own included, enlarged on the wall across from the door of the leader's room, growing smaller as the calico grew closer until it nearly matched her own height. Mismatched optics glowed in the dark slightly, reflecting any pale traces of light they could find as she leaned against the door frame without any trace of emotion or life. "Pres." voice nearly silent as the mansion was right now, her words barely broke through the current lull of night, but she didn't need to be some obnoxious thing that drew attention, in fact, she worked best like this. Jiyu had purposefully waited until time had passed because she did not do her best work when she was the star of some sharing show, she did her best when she was simply making a point than able to spring back away from things, she was never meant to always be absorbed.

"Prestige." she spoke his name again, her colored paws crossing the threshold of the door as her ears tilted forward to focus on him, careful moves bringing her several feet away from him. "We need to talk." she had done her best to pick some time that would not be horribly inconvenient, an hour where no one else needed him and shortly before what she was pretty sure was his bedtime, but she had no reason to mention this because she could always be wrong. Silence drew on as she waited for whatever response he would give, not that she cared for what it would be, but because it was the right thing to do, he may be young but Pres was still the leader of the moment. Jiyu had been through more leader's than she could count, they never stayed, he was temporary as everything else was. What was she even protecting?

Ignoring her own thoughts the calico sat herself down low light glinting against her sabered fangs. "Compared to the two who stepped down on you, pres you are young and inexperienced, you can't get around that." he was far younger than Sola or Felix and had never to her knowledge really been any sort of leadership position before, she was pointing out to him something that if he was smart, he already knew. "But being sharp and capable isn't the same thing as experience and wisdom." and he could be the prior two, she hadn't doubt of that, but he was never going to do it if he somehow fell into the lull of trying to act as if he already was the latter two. "You don't have many high positions, but you have two. I'm wartorn and careful because of it, Pey is ambitious and optimistic due to his youth. Use us for what we are, because no one is everything and no one knows everything." what was she even saying? Jiyu didn't completely understand it but she could still say it. "because these aren't completely my own words." she could never come up with something like this as she was. "I learned this." she tilted her head to the side and down slightly an odd gesture amongst her stoic nature. "From everyone who came before us, I learned, sitting through meetings where high positions around me decided who to promote, who to demote, what to do, I learned what we're capable of together." Of course, nothing could make her more capable of guarding than she already was, she was pretty much good at it got! Yet, she still understood that she was never going to be the sort of people animal that the leader in front of her was, never be the ambition that lived in Pey, she needed them for what she couldn't be.

"So don't forget that even as the leader, you are not alone in this." she may have to be alone with her demons, her fear, her life, but he didn't, and maybe that was the one redemption a monster like her still had, she knew other's didn't have to be. "If you decide you're ever ready to have gatherings for discussion like the one's I learned from, or need what I can do, you know I'm here." hopefully he would bring such things back, they were precious and useful. Jiyu stood back up, moving slightly, heading back for the door. She didn't need to know what he said in reply, she didn't even really understand what she had just said, she just knew what she had learned and how to speak it, even if she couldn't really ever understand something so complex.

[emil]

[align=center][div style="width: 500px; padding: 10px; height: auto; overflow: auto;"][div style="width: 400px; padding: 0px; line-height: 14px; text-align: justify; font-family: arial;"]leadership had never quite been in his grand scheme of things. in his youth, perhaps, he was more ambitious; more eager to learn and rise in the ranks, command others and invest himself in serving his group. he still wanted that, sure, but he had not expected it so soon. only a few weeks into their regathering, days after returning from a traumatizing death, and he was leader. sola stepped down and went away, as did felix, and suddenly, he was alone. no one to advise him, no one to tell him where to go, how to do things, no one to tell him if he was doing well or not.

promoting jiyu had been a good call, as was peytriviing, but at the same time they had been hasty. a subtle attempt to fill his ranks, get someone to help him; in reality, there was not much they could do. guards were there to protect and serve, and though they could be used as council, they would not be his first choice. prestige wished he could do more. he wished he could carry the whole of the rosebloods on his shoulders, but fuck, his back ached already. he wasn't ready, he had never thought he would ever be ready, but here he was at the top of everything.

it was... terrifying.

he sat alone in his room, tucked in the corner of his bed, eyes staring blankly at the wall. the snow leopard's mind only barely registered jiyu's call for him; the second time she spoke he lifted his head only slightly. he wasn't sure if he wanted company right then, not with his mind so cluttered and foggy, unable to comprehend. he still listened though, to the best of his ability. prestige lowered his gaze to the floor as jiyu went on. she was right, he knew; she was far more seasoned than he was, a loyal guard to many leaders throughout the years. she was strong and capable, more than he would ever be, and though deep down he resented that fact, he had a great respect for the saber-toothed feline.

prestige shifted slightly, slowly rising from his bed to pad to the door, opening it just as jiyu had begun to leave. "jiyu," he murmured. "thank you. i, uh... i know i'm not the best at this, but i'm glad to have you around." he watched her for a few moments. his lip twitched into a small frown, tail twitching slowly behind him. "i'll send for you when i need some help on these things. which will probably be... often." a quiet laugh escaped the male and he straightened up slightly, lifting a paw to rub tiredly at his eyes. "thanks, for everything."