Tired [closed]

[Natalia]

Natalia was exhausted. Between meeting that psychopath, having to deal with Ash's clearly oversized ego, and not seeing Jude in forever.... Things were getting kind of rough with little reprieve.

She really hoped Pain would step up and challenge Ash. Mostly because failing that, she'd end up taking up leadership herself. She sucked at making good decisions, so she didn't really think she'd be able to lead even this ragtag group of rogues. Sure, they mostly kept to themselves... But they did occasionally organize themselves to attack the clans or something. But still. She was far from a good option. She just didn't want to become the best one.

She sighed from her perch in a tree, her tail twitched as it swung back and forth, hanging off the side of the branch. She was perfectly fine with climbing trees, in fact she enjoyed the height. 

She didn't do it often, though. 

Then she opened her previously closed eyes. She got the weirdest feeling someone was watching. Possibly also judging. Her tired gaze turned to the ground below to see some cat staring up at her. She blinked at them slowly.


((If you're not Bael or Laelia, please don't post. Three people is enough lol))

[Deleted]

Bael was a newer addition to Deathclan and was still struggling to get his bearings within the mismatched group. At first he had assumed that it would be something like the clans, but for Rouges, but apron further inspection and through joining it Bael found that it was much more dangerous. Allies can attack you, there are no rules about morales, the leadership position is a battle of strength and wits. Babel was a little concerned about what he had actually gotten himself into, but he wasn't one to quit.

So the young Tom wondered around what could loosely be called Deathclan's 'territory'. There was no border, but this area was what cats would consider belonging to Deathclan. Bael still needed to find a more permanent den and learn the area better. He couldn't very well go wandering about forever. He'd have to find some place to settle down for the nights.

Bael eventually grew tired of walking and sat down. He shook out his pelt, which hat twigs and leaves matted into his incredibly unkept fur, and managed to dislodge some of the mess. He smirked and looked upwards to try and see where the sun was at and how much time he had until night.

instead Bael spotted a cat seemingly sleeping in a tree. He tilted his head slightly as he inspected the cat. If she really was sleeping then he had nothing to worry about, but if she was awake then he had a few more problems that could arise. She could mount an attack. She could be annoying. She could be an enemy. Bael continued to sit and wonder what do do when the cat opened her eyes and looked down at him.

Bael regarded her slowly and tried to gleam what she was feeling, but he was too far away to see that. So instead he met her gaze evenly and blinked right back at her.

[Laelia]

(Mind my popping in here? I know how annoying three way threads can get, so I can leave if you wish )

Laelia needed a den, simple as that. She'd been here only for a day or two, and wasn't even sure if she planned to stay here often. Yet she needed a place that was...her own. Yes. She needed desperately something that belonged to her. At home - if she were willing to call it that - she at least had a few things she could claim as her own, or say were hers if speaking to another. With Clover there was her collar, her bed, her dish. Heck, there was even her sister. She didn't like thinking about Aster, it always brought about bad memories. "I'm so very sorry, my sister. I couldn't be strong enough to oppose him" She murmurs, head bowed to show the slightest of cracks in her ever present mask. Grief. A grief so painful that it often stole her breath. And yet that grief had hardened to fury over the moons of her life.

So young, and yet she held a thirst for vengeance like no other. She'd vowed to kill her father once, and yet the death of a she-cat who'd tried to kill her out of desperation had led her to promising her brother Raven that she would never kill. She had none to pray to, and so her faraway brother received all her hopes and prayers, all her unfulfillable vows. "Not long now brother, I will see you again." She promises quietly, keeping up a habit long overdue for terminating. And yet, she had to speak to him even if he wasn't there, it was like her only connection to the remainder of her good will. Her mask hardens back into place, renewed once more.

The young tortoiseshell raises her head just in time to spy two cats by a tree nearby. Well, technically one was in the tree, and the other had recently seated himself at its base. Lae watches them for a spell, yet neither makes a move, nor speaks a word. It's like a silent truce that could be broken by a single whisper. The youngling Di not plan to be the one to break it, lest they both turn on her, or merely attack each other. Even if their silence is not in bad spirits, she does not trust enough to approach them, having learnt to value her life above those she can't help. And so, hoping not to distract them, Lae goes to a tree nearby and crouches amongst the roots. Originally she'd planned to sleep whilst they settled out whatever dispute or confrontation this might turn into, and yet, she could not convince her weary eyes to pull away from the two felines. One of which, she noted, was the same age as Lae herself. "Be well, for I wish to see no blood spilt today..." She murmurs softly, her eyes flickering from one to the other and back again.

[Natalia]

Natalia found herself in something more akin to a staring contest with a cat she'd never seen before. Though, she was sure that their scent was new. Further, they seemed young. New recruits, perhaps? It wasn't outside the realm of possibility. For whatever reason, Deathclan continued to attract newcomers. It was curious, and sometimes Natalia wondered as to the cause.

Then Natalia's eye was caught by some tortoiseshell walking along nearby. She seemed to be muttering to herself. She hoped it was cursing, because the last thing she wanted to deal with right now was another nutjob. Yes, Deathclan was a place that didn't really have rules. Technically you could go around murdering people. But the problem was with personal ties. Someone would probably swear vengeance or something stupid like that and go off and kill you. Hmph.

Natalia can't see where the younger she-cat wandered off to, but it looks like she's hiding behind a tree. She supposed it was the angle and the fact that a tree is a solid that prevented Natalia was continuing to view the second cat.

Her eyes returned to the first. "I don't like awkward silences." She said abruptly. "So, lemme guess. Newcomer?"

[Deleted]

Bael wasn't sure what to do with this staring contest he had gotten himself into. He supposed that one of them should speak to break it, but speaking meant getting into a conversation or a fight and Bael wasn't sure if he wanted either of those right at that moment. So he watched the cat higher up before he caught her eyes move to look at something behind him.

Bael turned his head to try and see what she saw, but found nothing there. Perhaps it had been some type of prey, or perhaps she was trying to distract him so she could gain the upper hand. Bael turned back to the she-cat in the tree and gave her his attention, while trying to gleam any sounds her smells from behind him that might give indication to if she had actually seen anything.

the other cat was the first to break the silence. Something about awkward silences and him being a newcomer. Bael laughed and flashed a smile. "Right ya' are on that one. Haven't even found a den yet. Ya' wouldn't happen to know a place would ya'?" He asked. He was trying to be charismatic to break the so called awkward silence, but the feeling of being watched, by more than just the she-cat he was talking to, was throwing him off.

If Bael couldn't see what she had seen then he couldn't plan accordingly. He couldn't decide what to do because he didn't know what might happen. So instead he tried to figure out any and all of the possibilities. This threw him off his usual nature slightly and made him more distracted than he should have been. Did the she-cat in the tree have friends on the ground prepared for an ambush? Bael's tail twitched nervously, but that was about the only sign of the nerves he felt.

[Laelia]

One cat noticed her, the other didn't. Perhaps Laelia shouldn't be so surprised. The elder cat noticed her presence, watched her walk until she reached her perch in the roots, and then returned to her staring match whilst the younger followed her attention over his shoulder yet saw nothing. That would explain why he seemed nervous now. Lae found herself rather adept at picking up signs of unease, seeing as she was so familiar with the feeling herself. However, this situation suited her well, seeing as she could easily observe her new clanmate's while not having to converse with any of them.

The unnatural silence was broken by a comment on, well...the silence itself, it would appear. The younger, seemingly more charismatic and a little more willing towards having company, mentioned something about dens that caught Lae's attention. She had yet to find a den as well, yet she wasn't really in much of a rush. After all, it wasn't like she was planning on staying all the time, only occaisionally popping in for a place to call home. Not relax, though. She could never relax in such a place that deemed itself Deathclan. "Little heart, wasn't this what you wanted?" That was probably exactly what her brother would have said, had he been here. Perhaps it was missing him that made her hear his voice so often, either way, her masked features soften into something of a smile. "How right you are, brother, yet that doesn't mean they're to be trusted" She muses, peering over at the pair by the tree.

After a moment longer, the young feline finds herself resting her chin upon the root before her, closing her eyes to the world. And yet, she keeps her ears pricked, tail tip twitching with her own unease at the possibility of falling asleep here. She makes sure to keep tabs on the conversation and how close they sound to her position.

[Natalia]

Natalia wasn't sure if the cat who wasn't hiding being a tree had noticed the one who was. He seemed to look around, but she didn't think his gaze was focused enough to see what Natalia had seen. Then he returned his attention back to her. Her tail hanging off the side of the branch twitched. He seemed half-distracted. Likely using another sense while trying to look at her.

.... Alright, apparently this guy was one of those friendly sorts. He instantly laughed and broke into a smile. He sounded like he had an accent. Then he inquired after dens. Natalia shrugged. "We do have an area of sorts where many cats make their dens. However, some who may feel less inclined to be such close proximity to others... We make our dens elsewhere in the territory." The truth was, while Deathclan had some rules that weren't really spoken... There wasn't anything stopping you aside from angry, defensive cats. You could probably get away with murder, provided no one swears vengeance. Which was unfortunately likely. Natalia had a vague feeling she was a rare minority in not being pro-revenge.

.... The guy seemed sort of twitchy. Tense. Hm... Perhaps the friendliness was a front? Or perhaps he was just awkward. He honestly had no idea. Natalia's ears twitched as she sharply looked to where she could've sworn the other cat was hiding behind a tree. She thought she heard something, even if it was incredibly faint. God, she hoped the cat wasn't muttering to herself and instead had disturbed some dead leaves or something. She wasn't sure she wanted to deal with that kind of crazy.

Regardless, she supposed her attention should be on the cat whose not hiding behind a tree. "Any other inquiries?" She asked of the tom.

[Deleted]

So perhaps Bael was being a bit twitchy, but the feeling of being watched and not knowing by who was making him want to bite somebody's ear off. What was he supposed to do if they attacked him? How was he to plan for this type of thing? He tried his best to focus on the older she-cat in the tree, but he was finding it to be impossible. His tail kept twitching away and he forced himself to keep his eyes on the cat in the tree. He hated whoever was hiding away and out of his sight. Why couldn't they just come out and talk or fight in the open like a normal cat?

At the she-cat's answer Bael nodded. "I suppose the best course a' action would be ta' find one elsewhere away from the other cats. Not a big fan a' livin' in close quarters." He meowed, still keeping his calm tone. He didn't want either cat to know exactly how nervous he was.

Bael had a little bit of a problem with not being able to plan out what he was going to do in situations. Unknown things like cats hiding out of his line of sight freaked him out. He had practice at putting on a calm front though. His only tell being his tail continuing to twitch and his voice being a little more stilted than it usually was. Both things could be taken as strange quirks that he had to cats that had never met him before.

Bael smiled at the cat in the tree. "I've got a few more questions ta' pose if ya' don't mind. Mostly just about who you are ma'am. My name's Bael if that helps ya' any." He stated. He figured if he wanted to learn more information about this cat in the future it would be best to know her name and just generally who she was.

When Bael heard a mutter coming from behind him his ear swivelled to followed the sound and his tail began to twitch slightly more. He had to keep calm. He wasn't going to have some type of freak out in front of a cat he hadn't met. He wouldn't let this unseen cat bother him more than they already had. Of course they had already bothered him quite a lot.k

[Laelia]

Okay, so maybe it wasn't such a good idea to rest here. Of course it was a good spot to observe as well as rest, but with them both being so twitchy...she found she didn't like upsetting the younger of the cats so much. He remindednher a little of Raven, and she'd never want to upset her precious brother. Of course, she'd thought lying here she'd be within plain sight, but apparently she'd curled up a little too far behind the tree. Sighing inwardly, the youngling gets to her paws once more stand stretches slightly before padding out from behind the tree with a slight yawn to portray her tiredness. She doesn't go far, merely within sight, and one tree closer before sitting down and peering up at them. Her mask is firmly in place, and she merely observes for a moment, completely expressionless out of habit. However, thanks to the younger's twitchy outlook, she tries to soften her features from their usual coldness.

She waits for a moment for the younger to finish speaking, introducing himself to the other, she presumes. Once he's finished, she tilts her head slightly and blinks at the pair for a moment. She's getting a bit of an 'off' sense from the older cat, so she decides not to portray anything to her right now, let alone give her any information. The most she'll offer is her name, perhaps a few clues to the younger cat. After a moment, Lae straightens her posture and dips her head politely to the pair, satisfied that they've both done talking. "I was planning on catching up on some sleep, but it would appear I chose a bad spot. It wasn't my intention to worry you Bael, for that I'm sorry." Considering she was closer when he introduced himself, it was no surprise she knows his name, so she doesn't bother faking the lack of this knowledge by asking for it. She attempts to soften her features further with a smile, yet the expression feels unnatural despite looking just fine, so she allows it to fall back to her politely serene mask of indifference.

[Natalia]

Alright then. Seemed to Natalia, at least this guy preferred his personal space. She'd have to keep that in mind. For what? She wasn't sure. However, from even the slightest behaviors you could glean a lot of personality and motives. Every piece of information was incredibly valuable. She sometimes wondered what cats read off of her, aside from her words. Body language anyways, tended to be more important than words. There could be a massive rift between words and meaning.

Despite the clearly visible cat's twitchiness, he was keeping his voice calm and level. Natalia figured he was probably making some effort to convince others of his confidence. So, a cat who tried his best not to wear his heart on his sleeve. Did it work? That was a question that perhaps would be answered more clearly in the future. 

Then the guy gave his name. Bael. A strange name... But then again, there were strange names everywhere. Heh. She knew her own name was rather strange. Most cats tended to be named after things of nature, such as Dove. Then there were cats with... Odd names. Some considered them kittypet names. Could always be a cat living in twolegplace, but a stray. Hm. Regardless, it seemed he had questions, still. Admittedly, he seemed to be interested in questions of a more personal nature.

She leaned down over the branch, but not falling off, craning her neck to look down at Bael. "Go on, then. Ask. Maybe I'll answer, maybe I won't." Maybe she'd even answer dishonestly. 

The words of cat's weren't too reliable, after all.

Then Natalia's eyes moved and she saw the other cat had moved to a more visible spot. It was a young she-cat. A kid, kind of like this Bael guy. The she-cat was still keeping her distance, but now she was visible. She wondered if Bael's nervousness would be smoothed at all. In contrast to Bael, she can see that this cat is good at hiding her emotions. She can't read anything from her... Not yet. Well, aside from likely having a reason to hide.

Probably has trust issues as well. 

A symptom of a less than stellar past.

Well, it wasn't like Natalia didn't know that Deathclan had a knack for attracting cats like that. 

Regardless, the she-cat's face appeared to be cold at first, but swiftly softened slightly to a more neutral expression. Hm... She wondered about that.

Then the she-cat starts to interact with them, properly. She dips her head and began speaking. Apparently she'd wanted to sleep, but found her spot disturbed. Did Natalia believe it...? Not quite. The apology to Bael is interesting...

This cat doesn't particularly strike her as a cat who apologizes easily. Cats with trust issues tend to be... Well... Kind of like Natalia. Or perhaps she's being kinder to see if Bael will return the kindness. A trust test of sorts?

....... Or Natalia's thinking too much and reading far too deeply into this. It was possible.

Then came the awkward looking smile. Yeesh, this cat didn't seem familiar with their face stretching in that manner. It quickly fades back into a neutral expression.

.... Wow, this cat had an unreliable face.

"You know.... It's common courtesy to give your name." She called down to the two younger cats. "Name's Natalia. What's your name, kid?" She asked, posing that last question to the she-cat, clearly training her bright green gaze on the female.

[Deleted]

As Bael continued to be jittery he figured that the cat in the tree had already noticed his nervousness. The way that her eyes bored into him made him think there was very little that she didn't see. It had a somewhat calming effect on Bael. She knew that he was nervous, that much he knew, so he could plot around the mystery cat exploiting this nervousness that he was trying his best to hide. At least he could plan something out. He was still nervous though.

As the older she-cat craned her neck down to look at Bael more and give him the go ahead to ask questions he couldn't help but chuckle. "A very open ended answer ya' just gave me." He stated, referring to the, maybe I will maybe I won't part of her talking. He shrugged nonchalantly and opened his mouth to speak. 

Thats when hen he hears the quiet paw steps behind him. His head turns quickly to see a she-cat about his age step out into sight and take a seat again. Almost like a switch is flipped Bael calms. His tail stops twitching instantly and instead wraps itself around his paws. He tries to not be so transparent, but it doesn't really work. So instead he inspect the newcomer who had previously been hidden. She looks... okay. Not angry or sad or happy, just even features. Bael supposes that it's better than her coming at him with claws aimed at his neck.

She even goes so far as to apologize. He decides that he doesn't hate this cat. Bael grins broadly at her. "Ah, no problem dearie. I'm just not used ta' this group yet is all. Never know who might try ta' kill ya'." He states. It's not really true, but he doesn't want to reveal the real reason he was so nervous. Playing it off as him being new if a lot easier and safer than the truth. It's also a little strange that she calls him by name, but she probably would have heard that from where she had been sitting before when he couldn't see her.

The cat in the tree, Natalia, introduces herself and then asks the other she-cat a question. Bael takes that as a chance to move a little more off to the side  so he can see both of them easier and doesn't need to completely turn around to see the new she-cat. Now that he can see her Bael starts planning what to do in different events that could transpire.

[Laelia]

Laelia waits until both cats have turned their attention to her fully before even considering speaking. Her eyes flit from one to the other, paying less attention to the tabby she-cat and more to the tom closer to her age. His nervousness seems to dissippitate in the blink of an eye, and she can tell instantly he'd known of her presence only partially and thought she may be waiting in the shadows to attack. Fair enough. His jittery state makes much more sense in that light and she tilts her head slightly to observe his new clamer demeanour. He casts her a grin that she acknowledges with a mere dip of her head. No attempt at smiles this time, they're too unnatural to her to even briefly seem sincere.

His explanation makes sense, and he seems completely sincere in his words. No doubt it's part of the issue but...it just doesn't quite seem it. Perhaps the younger has a few trust issues of his own, though from her observation of the older feline he no doubt has far less than the two of them. Hmm, it seems strange that such a place would attract cats with trust issue. Developing them here would make far more sense, yet she decides not to dwell on it.

"Such is fair, one can never be too careful in a place such as this." of course she's not so sure such a thing is true, yet she's well accustomed to places where it is. Seeing it's called Deathclan and seems to have little to no rules, she has no doubt she's very far off in her assessment. If anything some cats seem too relaxed here.

Lae's expression briefly hardens as the other female speaks, before offering a shrug in return. "Supposedly I'm anything but courteous." she responds simply, ears twitching slightly as she awaits the other's name before giving her own. "Laelia." She responds curtly, not overly fond of this cat, nor of being referred to as 'kid.' Yet she shows no outward reaction, and her curt response could easily be due to her mistrust.

[Natalia]

Natalia's tail idly swung from the branch she was perched on. Bael seemed to be calming somewhat under her stare. Which admittedly was strange, she didn't think cats were calmed by staring, but rather unsettled by it. Then again, Deathclan seemed to attract cats who would be labelled as 'not normal' by many. She supposed Bael was one of these many cats, since frequently cats were looking for something when they came to Deathclan. She had to wonder what Bael was looking for, however.

She shrugged as she closed her eyes. "It wasn't a lie." She answered simply. That was the bare truth of it. She had flat out told him there was a chance she might not even give a truthful answer, if she decided to answer at all. She didn't feel like lying to him to make him feel better. Hmph.

Then Bael turned around to see Laelia reveal herself. Natalia yawned while Bael wasn't looking. She supposed Bael was probably taking in the sight of the cat who had previously been hidden from his sight. He seemed to calm, so perhaps it was the hidden cat that unnerved him. Hm. Paranoia. That was interesting. She wondered the reason behind it. Cats who were paranoid had to have a reason, that sort of attentiveness doesn't crop out of nowhere. It's born out of self-preservation and fear, both of which requires something to spark it. Cat's do not take such care to survive unless they have sufficient reason to believe their lives are in danger.

Then Bael and Laelia are exchanging words. Well, they weren't wrong. Generally, most cats were skittish and wary of each other. Though, only a few seemed particularly violent. Namely, that jerk Michael and that kid Static. Other than that, cats were existing in relative peace. Though, again they weren't exactly rules stopping them... It was mostly due to the fact that getting in a fight means getting wounded. Wounds took time to heal and could get infected. It was exposing vulnerability and most didn't enjoy the idea.

Then the attention is divided between the three of them.

It seems the previously hidden cat seems more interesting in Bael than herself. Hm... She wondered why that was. Perhaps Bael's proximity to herself. Natalia was still high in a tree with no interest of going down at the moment. Hm... She wasn't sure, but she couldn't think of a better reason. Thus far, this new cat lacks the nervousness Bael had. She seemed utterly calm, even curious about Bael, judging by the head tilt. Hmph. She didn't return the smile. Perhaps she felt similarly to Natalia. They were a little... Weird to give out freely. She was not what one would call bouncy, after all.

Natalia shrugged at the cat's words. She's still listening for them to finish speaking. She had no reason to interrupt at the moment. 

"I believe I'll judge that for myself." She replies, to Laelia's comment about her own courteousness. Hm. Laelia was a name not any less strange than her's. Though, it seems she's a little annoyed at being called a kid. Hah.

Her tail swings like a pendulum.

"Kid." She adds with the slightest of smiles on her face, though this was one of amusement.

[Deleted]

So now Bael knew both of the cat's names. Laelia had been the previous hidden cat and the cat in the tree was Natalia. Bael made a mental note to remember those names in case he felt like gathering more information about them in the future. It seems as if Laelia almost doesn't believe what Bael said about his reason for being jittery either. He makes another note that he'll have to practice lying more so that he can actually survive in Deathclan. He get the feeling that it might be nessesary with all the distrust in the pseudo clan.

However as Bael watches the two she-cats talk he can almost feel a tension forming between them. Natalia has called Laelia 'kid' twice now and that could be an annoyance for any cat. Bael's scenarios start all over again. What is he to do if they end up fighting? At the moment it doesn't seem to be an immediate worry, but the tension makes it a possibility he'll have to consider. With no claws he has to plan out a strategy to either separate them or protect his own hide that won't betray the lack of attack options. Babel figures that it might be better to not let these cats know about his claw situation.

After the second time Natalia has called Laelia kid Bael flicks one ear back slightly in a move of the smallest amount of boredom. "So about my questions, darlin'?" Bael pipes up, hoping to draw attention to himself and lose some of the tension that's forming. "How long have ya'll been in Deathclan?" He questions, directing the question at both of them this time.

After Bael had moved to face them both he made sure to position himself with his back to a tree. He feels a very drastic change than what he had felt before. The paranoia of not knowing what was going to happen had faded and he was back to trying to be as charismatic as possible and keep things diplomatic. It's nearly second nature for Bael to want to avoid fights involving himself and others around him.

[Laelia]

Where the younger tom is closer to her level and age, as well as charismatic and friendly, the female is more of an annoyance in the sense of it. Laelia finds herself put off by the feline almost instantly, or at least a little bit annoyed by her. She doesn't show this of course, not in her actions or expression. Perhaps her motions hadn't been so fluid, her tone clipped before, yet she takes note to smooth these things out, firming her mask back into place with a cold and calculating expression. One of serenity and indifference. Bael is far more interesting to her then Natalia, that much is certain. She's sort of glad to know both their names now, and that the male isn't as twitchy as before, however such things are of little consequence to her.

Laelia dips her head slightly at Natalia's words, uncaring for what she decides of her. Be she courteous or not, whatever this cat dislikes about her is easily avoided if she leaves or keeps her distance from her. Lae cares little for personal opinion of others, this much is clear. As the older mentions the word 'kid' once more, annoyance swiftly sparks into amusement at the childishness of such a thing. Her eye catches the swing of her tail, the bemused glint of her smile. Keeping even her amusement from her qxpression, she rolls her shoulders in a perfectly fluid shrug. "What is you aim here, Natalia?" She questions simply, tone light and smooth. Still cold, but lacking the annoyed clip from before. Everything about her is perfectly neutral and indifferent unless one knows her well enough to look for the signs. The good thing is none do.

Bael seems slightly put off by the course of conversation, more than willing to chip in with a change of subject and a random question. Herbears twitch slightly, noting the question is directed at both females. She blinks once, waits for the other female to reply (if she so chooses) before giving her own response. "Not long at all, I suppose I'm about as new as you appear to be." Her attention is now divided between the two, not neglecting her watchfulness from either, but more interested in Bael. She gives no more information of herself, preferring to answer the questions as lightly as possible as they come.