Bruises On Paper Thin Skin;; Pres.

[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."