shape in the snow 》 Alithís Evgenis visit

[RHINESTONE.]

LEADER ❝ RHINE ❞ PALMCLAN

A dragon. Not only that, but Bai Shi had come from another group. That alone was enough to leave Rhinestone slightly stunned, the leader staring up at Bai Shi for a long moment. Any talk of other groups had usually been hypothetical, with the most interaction Palmclan had in the past being smaller clans that quickly faded away. There had been Goldenluxury's visit, but she and Lovekit had spoke of a home that seemed so impossible far away, and yet Bai Shi had come to tell them about a group right next door? He supposed technically that had been the boardwalk group up until very recently, but it still felt surreal to hear of Alithís Evgenis, especially when they were led by such a fearsome creature. Although Rhine couldn't help but notice the way that the dragon slightly squinted at them, as well as the non-threatening position that the other had taken up. It was clear that they weren't here to hurt Palmclan, especially when their actions were taken into account alongside their words. Rhinestone forced himself to calm down slightly, taking a couple of deep breaths before the fur along his spine settled, and his pale gaze lost the faint fearful sheen that it had to it. Even if Bai Shi had been there with threats on their lips, a leader wasn't meant to look fearful in the face of danger.

After he had calmed himself down, Rhine rose his pale blue eyes to meet Bai Shi's, even though that took a bit of effort on his part, along with some painful craning of the neck. He nodded his head a little before speaking, forcing his voice into a slightly more firm tone as he spoke to the other leader, "Alithís Evgenis...? That certainly sounds like a very interesting place. I wasn't even aware that we had neighbors on the other side of the boardwalk... it's good to know, though." Turning a bit, Rhinestone gestured one of his limbs back towards the beach, continuing in a low hum, "Palmclan's main camp is on the beach, but our territory runs from the cliffs, all the way to the edge of the boardwalk. We're currently in the process of making the boardwalk a sort of... second camp, so to speak. So, I'm sure that we'll be seeing a lot more of each other... not that that's a bad thing." He was quick to add on, not wanting to earn another group's ire so soon. Palmclan was quickly growing in both power and prowess, but Rhine still wanted to avoid any battles, or even worse, a war. He added on jokingly, chuckling a little, "We're very peaceful, mostly... basically, as long as you don't fuck with us, we won't fuck with you." It was a rather crude way of putting it, but it got straight to the point, and Rhinestone appreciated that.

Moving on from that, Rhine was slightly startled when Bai Shi lowered themselves further, expressing the fact that they had an invitation for the group to accept. Hastily nodding his head, the feline explained quickly, "Ah... yeah, I'm the leader of the clan, and I can definitely accept that invitation. I don't see any reason why we wouldn't want to go to a feast, and meet our new neighbors..." It was pretty damn far from traditional for Palmclan members to go anywhere besides their own territory, but Rhinestone didn't see the harm in it. A feast would benefit them all, not to mention the fact that it could make their two groups much stronger together. With the realization that there were other groups out there, making allies was suddenly at the forefront of the male's mind. That was also what caused him to pause when Bai Shi continued, their invitation also coming with a warning attached. Blinking up at the other, Rhine hesitated before echoing, "Bandits...?" Bandits? In the forest? So close by? That wouldn't be good for any of them, especially not if they decided to get closer. What if Alithís wasn't strong enough to fight them off? Palmclan would surely be the next target, and there was no way the leader was willing to let that happen. Not just after they had claimed land they had thought to be occupied for so long.

Eyes narrowing briefly in thought, Rhinestonestar tried to figure out what the best way to approach the subject was. Thus far, the leader had been pretty good at working out deals with others, and he wasn't keen to break his record so soon. Plus, this seemed as though it was an opportunity for both groups to benefit, which would surely end up bringing them closer in the future. Sparing a glance towards Toadwhisker, Rhine resolved not to think of how his brother would react to his newfound confidence. After all, he was fairly sure the other already found it weird that Rhine was a leader at all. Turning his gaze back to Bai Shi, Rhine offered them a slow smile before he spoke, "Your group seems as though it is very interesting... I think that maybe we could help each other. If you're having bandit problems, then my group would be more than happy to help out. We've got a sizable member base, and many of them are strong and well versed in combat. We could help you drive these bandits out, as a favor." He then continued, making sure to try and sound as reasonable as possible, like he really knew what he was doing, "In exchange, your group would just owe us a favor in the future. Like maybe if we come by to trade, or if our prey is running low for some reason. A friendly exchange of services, you know?" Hopefully Bai Shi was also the reasonable type, and Rhine would be able to secure yet another beneficial deal for his clan.

NEVER OPENED MYSELF THIS WAY
LIFE IS OURS, WE LIVE IT OUR WAY

— Reggan