FREEDOM'S BREATH || Introduction

[RHIANNON]

―――― What had Rhiannon done to get where she was now? How long had she been in this place, no more than a lingering shadow under someone else's command, no more than a dog to answer commands at someone else's bidding? Too long, and yet no longer. All the same, Rhiannon did not yet have a way out of this place, and was resigned to have to be here until she did find a way to escape. A former slave. That's what she was, and though she had regained her freedom, there were some that still saw the blind snow-leopard as one, like a ball and chain still dragged from her legs. The blind woman slowly walked her way through the camp, her steps slow and low to the ground, feeling each press of her paw to the ground beneath her body, her breathing as quiet as she could make it as she listened to what was around her, weaving around objects and people in her way until she could find a relatively quiet place to rest under the shade of a nearby temple. She was her own woman now, and that was not a fact that she would take lightly. With her head held high, the blind woman breathed slowly, barely stirring the sand beneath her paws as she listened to the camp going on around her, a lone paw moving slowly to scratch into the sand near her, quietly kept tally marks dragging into the deeper layers of the sand near her paws, turning up just enough earth to feel if she brushed her paw against the very tops of it, silently keeping track of some lone statistic around her.

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[Stryker]

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[glow=#000,2,300]☣ —[/glow] Stryker had struggled with a similar idea within Snowbound. Their pacifism, to him, was almost as restricting to slavery to him. The endless rules and the unnecessary prodding were a very familiar thing. Still, it was not slavery. Despite sympathizing with the idea somehow, even if he was the one creating the rules for such a thing, his experience would never be equivalent to theirs. The ardent needed workers, loyal or not, and it just happened to be that the slaves were his best option at the moment. Removing them would remove apart of the clan's economy. For now, they would have to remain, but one by one they were becoming loyal (somehow) members.

Clouded eyes met his attention. The confident woman was unfamiliar to him. Rather, he was unaware what she had done and would soon find out who she truly was. What was done was done though. Willingly, the lion walked over. "Good morning, my lovely lady," he echoed lightly. His eyes wandered deliriously. There was no need to hide his observations. "Aren't you looking divine today." She couldn't tell if he was smiling or not, so he wasn't smiling genuinely. All that appeared on his lips was a smirk. "What's your name?"

[RHIANNON]

―――― Unlike Stryker, Rhiannon was entirely familiar with who he was. The Ardent. The one who had the final say on everything. The one who, for all intents and purposes, had played a role (no matter how minor or inadvertently) in her initial slavery in the Pitt. The sound of footsteps gently displacing sand beneath paws made Rhiannon's head lift slightly as another tally mark dragged into the sand next to her, drawing a slow breath into her lungs as if preparing herself for the voice that graced the air around them. She found insult in his words, not their subject matter, but in the way he spoke them, as if she truly were nothing more than an object- but then again, she had always been since she had stepped foot here. She was used for work, to strengthen the Pitt's numbers, to be an underlying part of these temples and the hot desert sand just as much as any other free, loyal worker.

Yet, she did nothing but smile sweetly as her head gently canted to one side, "Good morning, my Ardent," the answer came softly, almost sing-songy as she sat up a little straighter as she dipped her head at his compliments. While she was unable to see the smile upon his face physically, allowing him to think that he did not have to hold a genuine expression, the lack of generosity in his tone said enough. Then again, she wasn't sure if she had ever really been graced with a genuine smile. "You flatter me, sir," she almost purred with a warm smile, hers seeming far more genuine than the one upon his face, the features of her own face softening slightly. She knew disclosing her name was a dangerous fact, but he had asked, and he would be given the answer that he sought, "I am Rhiannon, it is an honor," the words fell from her lips easily, no trace of animosity within her tone, no matter how it may have simmered within her.

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[Stryker]

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[glow=#000,2,300]☣ —[/glow] And frankly, she was right. Everyone here was another body to add to his count, slave or dweller. As long as The Pitt had numbers and quality members, he was pleased with their service. With him a leader, no one was ever truly free. Stryker praised freedom for himself but never preached it for the others. It was ironic. A leader was the source of his problems and now he had became the person he once despised (minus the pacifism). Stryker had truly taken pride in it too. The way he spoke was cocky and bittersweet, especially to those he was trying to mock or persuade. Rhiannon just happened to be the first one in awhile to experience such a thing, despite her recent change in status. "Hm, surprised you recognize my voice," he enthused slyly. "There are plenty of other deep voices around here, you know." But none spoke as lively as he did.

The ardent promptly took a seat. His long tail wrapped around the base of his paws as his craned off to the side. He couldn't turn a blind eye to someone stroking his ego. "You flatter me too, my dear." He cleared his throat and straightened out as he did so. "A pleasure nonetheless," Stryker continued on. "Rhiannon." Her name rolled off his tongue precisely, but his words were soaked with venom per usual.

[RHIANNON]

―――― The venom-soaked words did nothing to change Rhiannon's posture, her sweet smile only growing as she even brought herself to laugh softly at the sound of her name falling from his lips. Names had power, this she knew, and as far as Rhiannon was concerned, him speaking her name, knowing her face, knowing exactly who she was, and that she was oh-so aware of him was something that she would not let go away so easily. "I would not dare to forget," she purred softly at his sly words, gently shifting her posture to straighten the cloak over her body, protecting her from some of the afternoon sun. "There are many voices, yes, but all of them unique. Yours, my Ardent, is prominent since you speak publically often. The way you speak, as well, is unique only to you." To his comment of her flattering, she answered with little more than a smile as he sat himself down, given the shift of the sand near to her and the weight of it upon the ground. Her flattery hid her disdain, perhaps, but it gave her control where it felt like she had none, yet it seemed genuine enough that she exhaled gently as a paw swept away the tally marks she had made in the sand now.

"Is there something I might help you with, my Ardent?" It was an innocent enough question, asked with a small tilt of her head upwards as she smiled, "Or was it that I simply caught your eye in passing?"

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[ninazu]

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© lexasperated

I WISH YOU COULD SEE THE WICKED TRUTH
CAUGHT UP IN A RUSH, IT'S KILLING YOU

Their ardent flirted often, mostly with the pretty ladies -- that never escaped Ninazu's notice, but she liked to keep an eye on everyone's social relations in the group regardless. In a warbound group such as this one, connections within the group usually meant better backup in raids and greater teamwork on beating the shit out of an otherwise stronger force. So, while the erudite failed to care much about a former slave, she did care enough about group cohesion and socialization to step in. Besides, Stryker looked like he was toying with the snow leopard more than anything else.

The lioness stood close to the two, the flame at her tail-tip flaring as she lashed the limb behind her. "If you keep inflating his head, Stryker won't be able to fit into the pyramids soon enough," she remarked drily, her golden eyes flickering to the ardent to watch his body language for a moment. Unlike most members of the Pitt, Ninazu wasn't afraid of a little tongue-and-cheek with the venomous lion. The lioness liked playing with fire, after all. "Rhiannon, was it? I'm Ninazu, erudite. If you have an interest in healing, let me know." She wanted out of her responsibilities for healing the group, if that wasn't obvious.

WRITTEN BY AXIOM * TAGS

© LEXASPERATED

[RHIANNON]

―――― Rhiannon was grateful for Ninazu, the lioness' footsteps turning the woman's head slightly in an attempt to acknolwedge the approaching figure with some level of eye contact, though her gaze may have been a bit off, the consideration was there. "Good afternoon," her greeting came to her comments. She didn't need to be told about an inflating ego, but did her best to smother her amused smile as she dipped her head softly in acknowledgment. Rhiannon did not have the luxury to speak so freely, considering her previous ranking here in the Pitt, but she could very much appreciate Ninazu voicing her inner thoughts. It was all flattery and manipulation, and even if Stryker didn't realize that much, at least Nina wasn't too afraid to call him out on it. Yet it was as Nina continued that her attention lifted a little further. Healing was it? Rhiannon had dabbled a little in the medicinal arts before, but it was nothing that she had ever tried for more than herself. Granted, poisons had also been high on her list, but she had to admit the idea was somewhat tempting. Power, though not in the power hungry sense, but rather the respectable sense. A healer, someone who would be relied upon, someone that they would ultimately have to trust. "You do have my interest," she spoke softly, smiling gently at the words, "And a pleasure to meet you as well, Ninazu. I look forward to possibly learning from you in the future."

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