"Baratheon Speech"

Slowly at the fox's call others began to gather. However, he didn't care at first because Booker now showed that he didn't like the fox's "soothing" tongue on his pelt. The dragon bared his fangs and gave a warning hiss at the fox. The message clear, "stop touching his brother". He said nothing but he didn't feel like wasting breath on the fox. It wasn't as if he could truly do anything anyway... He could hiss and spit and threaten but if he touched the fox then Louie would certainly kill Booker. He didn't want that to happen... He would die before he let that happen.

His large ears raised from their pinned position when he heard something loud and screaming come into the picture. He had first ignored Magdalena in favor of threatening Louie but now that the stomping rhino made it onto the scene he was forced to address her. After all, she was sending Booker into a panic attack. He couldn't have that! She looked different from when he'd last seen her but that sent and stupid voice was unmistakable. He still hated this bitch for helping to put him under for a few days. Oh no! If she thought he was going to sit around and take lip from her then she had another thing coming. Louie might think that he had control and this fatso mutated beast might think he was scared but she had another thing coming.

He turned abruptly and snarled at her, fangs bared ears pinned as he glared down at her. "YOU AIN'T FUCKIN' ANYTHING UP, FATSO! I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU LIVED BUT I KNOW ONE THING! IF YOU SO MUCH AS TOUCH ME OR MY BROTHER OR EVEN SO MUCH AS LOOK AT US FUNNY I'LL FINISH WHAT THAT BLACK DRAGON STARTED, Y'HEAR?" He lowered his head and peered right into her eyes, smoke steaming out of his nose and into hers as he breathed angrily. "YOU MIGHT THINK I'M SCARED OF YOU BUT THINK AGAIN! YOU AIN'T THE BIGGEST OR TOUGHEST THING IN THIS CAVE! I AM! SO YOU BETTER GET THAT THROUGH YOUR DENSE FUCKING SKULL RIGHT NOW, YOU FUCKING IDIOT!" He roared right into her face, spittle flying from his mouth in his rage. He hoped she hit him... Oh, that would give him such an excuse to go all out and rip her piece from piece. Oh... He needed a good fight right this moment.

He heard and saw nothing else. It was just him, the rhino, his Bond, and the flickering of red fog at the edge of his vision. He heard Booker's voice in his mind as clear as day but he didn't outwardly react. BULLSHIT! I AIN'T GOIN' NOWHERE! I WON'T LET THEM WIN! He realized he sounded angry but he couldn't help it. This stupid beast had him riled up and he would be no slouch about showing her who was boss. Look... I'm here for you and I will protect you. Without you there's no point in going on. I need you to live, even if I don't. Besides, dragons don't run... He growled, deep in his throat as he stared down the rhino. Ever!

It was no surprise that shortly after the lanky dog had arrived, her Fire was soon to charge in after her; heavy feet betraying the thunder of the rhinoceros as she barged her way through the slowly swelling group and skidded to a halt before her. Magdalena had only a few seconds to analyze the ones gathered before her; she hadn't seen the slight movements of Booker as he regarded her, but she could feel his sickness festering. Most of her attention was instead finding herself hoping that Baratheon would come to recognize her in her approach. The dog still had no idea as to why they were here. It was possible that Louie had roped them into their ranks, but they were silent.

Any chance at possible amiability (what could have occurred if they were brought in peace) was lost once Nemesis had charged in. Magdalena braced herself, knowing the rhino wouldn't crash into her, but she couldn't chance possibly wavering in her approach and her heat was nearly enough to take her down the first time she felt it. She thundered over them, her voice rising in accusatory anger. Good. Maybe it wasn't wise to feed Nemesis' anger. Magdalena was often the one who had to smother it, she couldn't forget her position. The dog leaned against her Fire out of instinct, and though the heat that fizzled from her thick skin could burn her, she relented. With her shoulder pressed into Nemesis' side, she turned her head slightly towards the rhino. There was no need to say anything, until at the same time, the dragon lashed out at her and Louie scolded her for her outburst.

Magdalena knew the rhino wasn't going to sit by and accept such insult; all she could do was hold a hardened, sightless grimace in the direction of the dragon and then, instead of speaking out in protest against her mentor, turned her head in to press her forehead against the rhino's side. Relax. Maybe it would work, but Nemesis was unpredictable. Her attention towards the rest of her groupmates as they wandered in had slowly seeped away in favor of tending to her Fire. Diamondfang came running in with Fleur, musing over the dragon and the Booker. She could feel Fleur closeby, too, and another creature she hadn't met before. More importantly, she could feel the vague tug of bacteria very momentarily influenced by someone. Magdalena didn't know who - only that for a mere moment, there was disarray in the cave and within herself.

Before long, the fox had decided to start their meeting. It was little more than an informative statement as opposed to a real meeting, but it was enough to give her what she wanted. Fate would have that the dragon and his rider played prisoner to her mentor, and Booker's sickness was the cause. Unseeing eyes shifted until they lingered somewhere in the direction of the numbat. Her head had withdrawn from Nemesis' side again, staring unfeeling towards the little creature. She had liked Booker; he'd been there for Delphine's emergence. After Baratheon's attack, her trust in him had faltered, but that didn't make her bitter towards him. "Pity." Magdalena said gently.

Her attention lingered on Booker for seconds more, before they eventually pulled away from the numbat and settled on the dragon. Whether he saw her or not, at this point, didn't matter to her. She was satisfied merely that he was getting what she felt he deserved. A beast like him couldn't roam the caves, attacking her loved ones without facing some kind of consequence. From beneath long lashes she stared at the dragon, romantic to the thought of his punishment. Self indulgence was a surge of pleasured magic, hoping to take even more from him; ever greedy, in love with gratification.

But he was blocked to her.

It didn't matter.

She'd break him down eventually. Magdalena smiled.

@Nemesis

Nemesis

There was anger in her bones. When wasn't there? Even after a fight with a stuck up brat of a lion cub, she still had so much pent up frustration. As the others gathered around her without so much as a line to chip in at her defense, in agreement, she wanted to scream. Her evening sky eyes burned into Diamondfang's small, slender figure as she kidded about as usual. Nothing was ever serious, was it? She wanted to kick the mongoose in the head-- this bastard as dangerous, and he definitely wasn't ever going to be apart of her family. Hell no!

Louie immediately snapped at the Fire's fury, telling her to back off and back down. Being smothered like that only made her more eager to burn them all alive, to burn this whole goddamn place to the ground. How dare he! Bringing that monster back here put everyone at risk, put Magdalena at risk. What if that thing rampaged, could Louie actually stop it with a tiny runt of a cave rat?

The flames on her thick, earth-toned skin grew hotter-- but they were nothing compared to the internal blaze she was brewing. She stomped at the earth, ready to charge, as Baratheon started snarling at her, unleashed from his master, a dog snapping at a chain ready to burst forth. She had to protect Magdalena. She had to stand between that monster and her princess. She couldn't let her down--

A warmth brushed her. Soft, wiry fur. The flames did not die, no, not at first, but they dimmed, to soft smolders of smoke on her ears, tail and toes, a huff of smoke exhauling from her nose. Though the princess did not say anything, she felt the dog brush against her hide, press her long, elegant face to her shoulder. Quietly asking for restraint.

Nemesis could be better than any of them. She didn't need to scream and burn and hurt them. She was above that. With a great tremble, the fire on her leathery hide disappated.

"Louie," she demanded, her voice sharp and strong. She would not stand for being degraded, not by a prisoner of war, not even by her supposed leader. Fang was a better leader than that half-faced coward. "Get a muzzle for your pet or shut it up, got it? Or can you not keep him in line?" She spoke firmly, and then fell silent, her harsh gaze only for the sly fox. Baratheon she did not watch, not directly, but she kept him in her peripheral view. If he tried anything, anything at all, she would charge him down and scoop out his innards one belly scale at a goddamn time.

She wasn't scared of him.

She wasn't scared of nobody.

She had faced death and felt it around her neck and pulled herself free and rebuilt herself. Nothing could stop her from surviving, scraping together enough of herself, to make sure that Magdalena was never, ever alone. Perhaps the cowards around her didn't understand her rage, but they would understand her power if they dared face her.

In an instant everything seemed to go crashing down around her. Louie confirmed that these weren't eager new members but prisoners. How on earth was he keeping a dragon prisoner? Fang peered up at him sharply, questioningly how would they not all die because of this? Her gaze lingered on him for a moment before turning to the raging dragon. That was a problem. He could turn at any moment. He was a good asset against the Bonebound but what if he turned on them before it even began? Nemesis began to chew out the fox and she could have stepped in to stop it but that was a question she wanted to know herself. "Fire... has a point." Her sharp mind was working, no more was this a laughing matter. The queen's life was on the line here. "What's to stop the dragon from figuring out a cure? From enlisting outside help? How will you keep him here? What does that guy have to do with anything? He's tiny, how is he supposed to do anything?" Paws on hips as she stared up at the witch doctor.

This seemed sketchy to her and dangerous if it truly wasn't in control.

---

words: ---
tagged: @Fleur
ooc: Sorry, tiny post.
muse: 6/10

"Talking looks like this."
Thinking looks like this...

so come out of your cave walking on your hands

and see the world hanging upside down

it was wise of me to tuck away, hide in the shadows. satellite ears swiveled toward each and every one who spoke, and then when the monstrous, white thing boomed his anger, i wanted to run and hide behind louie. surely not even that thing could take out louie? but still, i remained where i lay, and watched in sheer horror. i found it best to keep quiet, listening, watching intently as everything began to unfurl. even with my fear, this was to be my group. i needed to muster the courage, louie would demand it of me. he wouldn't want me cowering away in the shadows. and fear of disappointing him along with his wrath was enough to coax piston like limbs to wobbly stand my stature upright, where my tail gave a rapid few flicks before creeping out toward the group. i wedged my way toward the front, standing near the creatures of all shapes and sizes and looked at them all. massive ears flopping about - much too large for my head as dark carmine lenses observed them all before redirecting up toward louie. i wanted to speak, however i kept silent until someone would address me first and foremost. i could not deny the fear which still riddled my body, as small trembles zipped through the newly formed sinew. i'm not sure what exactly i was thinking, but maybe louie wouldn't be upset with me having crept from the shadows. i guess i'll find out.

"spoken words."

| WORDS | xxx. | TAG | @all of mm| NOTES | xxx. | MUSIC | xxx.

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0

Fleur de Lis

LET ME DEFINE A LEADER

Fleur had stood her ground throughout the shouting match and the rather overemotional display by the dragon, ears pinned back, breath whistling through her teeth in annoyance. She wasn't one for displays of much of anything, much less reckless anger like this. The obvious rage that poured from their 'captives' - though that seemed a rather overambitious term to the skunk - set a grimace on her face. Waste of energy. For someone like her, who had to suffer fierce pain at just a single attempt at speech, all this huffing and puffing seemed, well, rather ridiculous. Blood red gaze flickering from her mentor, to the dragon, to the thing-on-fire, and on through the ranks, Fleur simply sat back on her haunches, upper body raised to peer over the crowd, keeping a watchful eye on Diamondfang.

It seemed the mongoose was the only one who knew what they were doing, but that didn't surprise the fluffball any, considering it was she who had essentially begun to raise her, train her, make her work harder and better. Fleur turned to glance as another beast entered the fray - though this one intrigued her, rather than annoyed. It was sticking to the shadows, almost hidden from view - but then, what the skunk lacked in speech, she made up for in stealth. Slipping from her post, the creature slunk over to the long-legged fellow, reaching his side while turning every so often to make sure Fang was still alright. "Not. Seen... you? Before," Fleur finished with a pleasant grin - or as pleasant as one could be with a mouthful of bone-crunching gemstone chompers. "Fleur," she added, pointing a tiny claw to herself, before turning it to the other. "You?"

As he immediately as he declared what was going on everyone doubted him and he snarled inwardly. They were all fools if they didn't see the genius behind his plan. Not that he would reveal what he wanted it to end with. Next came Baratheon roaring his head off and screaming and shouting as though that would do anything to save him and his numbat pal. Personally, he saw nothing wrong with letting him yell out his lungs and swear like a sailor. It only gave Louie more pleasure in knowing that he had essentially ruined the pink dragon's life in doing what he had done. Beneath him, Booker stirred but he didn't think anything of it.

"Have to say for a group of so called genius thieves you guys are all MORONS." Personally, he too was deathly afraid of what the dragon could do. Fear was something he couldn't feel at this stage as he was in too deep. It was now or never, to falter now would be the death of him, he only needed them here for a little bit longer. Of course, he wasn't going to divulge anything that he thought he knew. After their experience beside the Monarch he could see there was something there. An attachment, but he wasn't inclined to believe it was magic as his understanding of friendships and connections was pretty poor to begin with. Rather than answering their questions, he brushed them off. He had answered it with his declaration and that was good enough.

"So if you honestly want to try me. Seriously, if you want to challenge me over my decisions than go right the fuck ahead." Nudging Booker, he scooped up the man on his back as he had when he had carried them up here. It wouldn't be much of a journey this time, but he wanted to take him back to his den to continue his suffering in peace. In order to ensure that he wouldn't die before they got there, as he appeared pretty sick, he tried to boost his immune system only slightly so that he wouldn't pass on into the next life...

Satisfied that he had only given him enough so he wouldn't keel over sideways, he growled at the remaining gembounds that made up the Merry Men. "Seriously though. Any fucking questions about what's happening right now?" Diamondfang was wrong. He had spent far too long constructing his bacterial madness to ever see how someone else could replicate a cure for it so easily. Even if they could, he wasn't intending on killing Booker. That would defeat the purpose of what he aimed to do.

Bara, just calm down! The dragon's rage, burning bright like a star hurtling through the sky, boiled through the bond, and Booker fought to keep it contained, siphoning off bits and pieces, compacting them with his own cooled anger. Where his brother used his contempt outright, the numbat simply stored it. One day, it would certainly burst forth - today was not that day. The fire - Nemesis - you can't attack her. Not yet. We gotta... gotta bide our t-time. Save our strength. Though strength was something Booker had almost none of, power choked by the disease riddling his body. Instead of responding to any of the shrieking that echoed around him, the tiny Gembound simply watched, gaze slowly narrowing, trying to tamp down his own shock, the sting of betrayal staying jabbed into his breastbone like a shard of glass.

Pity. The word fell from Magdalena's lips like venom; the unassuming whisper of a black widow across skin. Booker wrenched his head away from staring at the dog, breathing shallow, clenching his eye shut and focusing on the bond, trying now to wrestle not only Baratheon's waves of harsh emotion, but his own as well. It wasn't working, not well enough, and so the numbat retreated back into his mind-space, now fully aflame. Annoyed by his own traitorous brain, the tiny Gembound wrestled the fire down into embers, panting harshly by the end of it but, for now, free from the torrent of conflicting reactions. The gem-encrusted room within the space between the brothers, where the bond lay, gently smoldered. Booker, for his part, felt nothing but cold.

When we get outta here, remind me to kick m'self for trustin' her, yeah? The words were disgruntled rather than distraught, filled with more annoyance at his own misjudgement than anything else. Don't know where I miss-judge'd that one, the scribe admitted quietly, memories flickering by before fading into the dark. He was missing so much, now, most permanently, that searching for some magical moment that had changed the dynamic - if there had ever been one - felt like a waste. There was only here and now.

And here and now, Booker needed to save his brother.

Wrenching back into the waking world, the numbat's breath evened out, and when his eye opened, it was steadily pinned Louie, waiting for the fox to reply to his apparently mutinous following. It was a good thing, too, for he had time to relax when the fox lifted him up off the floor, dropping onto his captor's back like a ragdoll, softening the impact. What caught him off guard was the sudden burst of warmth from the center of his chest, and Booker started, gaze darting about, trying to find the source. When nothing became apparent, the scribe just took the momentary relief, thankful for the minor relaxation in his paralyzed limbs.

Bara, stay calm for me. I dunno what's goin' on, but this whole meetin' is gettin' real interestin' real quick. The tone was curious and detached, as was the numbat - after all, he needed to be strong, and to be strong, he needed to ignore the fact that one of his closest friends was actively letting both he and his brother be tortured.

@Baratheon

"Baratheon Speech"

As much as it pained him... Booker was right. He couldn't attack Nemesis... but she didn't know that. She didn't know that he was on such a tight leash that he wouldn't dare raise a claw to her. He wished he could but not here, not now. Baratheon said no words but he gave silent consent and leaned mentally against the numbat, trying to draw patience from his brother's side. He would hold... He had to hold...

It helped when the rhino didn't come back at him and didn't even attack. Instead she turned her attention to the half-face and begin to question him. Baratheon withdrew his head and angled it upwards, looking down on all those attended like the king he believed he was. However, the word "pet" stung him. It felt like a physical blow to his chest, to his pride... It hurt. He was no one's pet and yet... Here he was. Captured by one so much smaller than him and held on a leash. He clenched his eyes together for a moment. It was true... but... no. There was time. He would escape. He would get himself and Booker out.

He would.

Don't worry... I'll make sure we don't misjudge anyone ever again. Especially her. His mental voice was a growl as he stared down at her, eyes narrowed at her cold exterior. He stared for a moment until his attention was drawn to the tiny thing. What exactly was happening? Mutiny? Could the tiny half-face not hold his throne? How funny. It turned his mood for the better as he watched the pack dynamics unfold. Don't worry... I'm quite calm for the moment. I'd love to watch Half-Face get the rest of his face chewed off by his 'subjects'.

@Magdalena

Magdalena found relief in that the rhino guardian at her side didn't completely lose her temper. She felt the heat radiate from the rhinoand yet Magdalena would anneal her own temper, persisting as she leaned against the larger creature and silently willed her to relax. Eventually, she did; she merely spewed a vitriolic question at the fox, and Magdalena twisted her ears, curious for an answer. Diamondfang spoke up, too. They all doubted his ability to control Baratheon. But Magdalena had been there for the moment that Booker emerged from his chrysalis - she had heard and felt the little numbat latch onto the dragon instead of her, she knew how important they were to one another. Hell, Booker even had some kind of a mental breakdown after learning of Baratheon's outburst. There was no way the dragon was going to lash out when Louie had such a tight noose around the neck of his brother.

Louie turned his fury onto them, daring them to challenge him without giving much reasoning for his actions. Her brow furrowed slightly, and Magdalena found herself hoping that the fox hadn't directed the insult to her - her mentor, degrading her? Her heart tugged. But she said nothing, only pressing against Nemesis still. When the rhino declared her departure, Magdalena sent a lasting look in the direction of the half-face fox, her eyes lingering just above him, before turning and following the rhino away from the congregation.

Exit Mag!

@Nemesis