Wine matched Luna's still, icy demeanor, remaining calm when Luna mentioned her poisoning someone - presumably Will, who Wine had thought particularly vital to keeping the pride together, and his loss a particular blow to their structure. "If one of our lions was poisoned, they should have called me. I am their healer, after all," she said evenly. "I admit it was my fault: I forget sometimes that I need to be on call at all times in case one of my pride eats berries they don't recognize." Her voice seemed quiet reasonable, but there was a sharp edge underneath.

(Well, I'll keep an eye out, hope you have some luck!)

You have liked this post!

"Is that so?" Luna said slowly "Then let's say you would want to poison someone. What would your motive be in such a case? What type of agenda could you possibly have? What goal would you achieve?" The older Healer wasn't swayed by Wine's reasoning, or the edge she could sense in her voice. She decided to humor the younger lioness, just in case.


(Thanks, I appreciate any help I can get )

You have liked this post!

Wine stared at Luna for a moment. The way she looked at Wine, and how she reminded her of So Sweet, almost made her want to tell her. But she wasn't as stupid as that, and even though she knew that Luna knew perfectly well what had happened, she wasn't going to come right out and say it. "There are a lot of reasons a lion might want to poison another," she said. "If I were the kind who would, I suppose I might have a number of reasons: things like revenge, and hatred, and loyalty, and reasons others couldn't understand, even if those reasons make perfect sense. That's what I imagine might drive a lion to poison another, if I were that type."

You have liked this post!

"I assume you don't think you'd be the kind to want any of those things? Revenge, hatred or some type of loyalty?" Luna pressed a little further, testing how much Wine could play up this charade until she broke. So far, her resiliance was quite impressive, even for the achromia lioness.


(Hey, I got a question, what does [Lights on!] mean in your username?)

You have liked this post!

"You assume a great deal for a lioness who knows nothing about me," said Wine, though she didn't sound upset or standoffish. Rather, she sounded like she was testing Luna back, trying to gauge what exactly she was getting at. She had lowered her voice slightly, just enough that she knew the none of the lionesses would overhear anything if they woke.

(That's a little Halloween game. If you have lights on, people can send you a trick or treat message and you give them something like decor/items. I can send you the link if you want.)

You have liked this post!

"Don't I?" Luna's eyes seemed to shine gold for just a tiny second, before returning to normal "Of course, you could be correct. I have never met you before, but does that mean I don't have any means to know you? There are many ways a lion can be learned about" The older Healer narrowed her gaze slightly. It amused her sometimes how mortal lions thought they knew better. Still, there was something about Wine that intrigued her. She could feel the youngster wasn't precisely what other lions considered 'normal'. Perhaps she would be the key to the success of this mission.

(Yes, please. It sounds interesting )

You have liked this post!

Wine and Roses maintained her centered demeanor, though her curiosity was piqued. She was well aware of why Luna had been brought here - she had overheard the other lionesses talking about the healers who had come to care for a birthing lioness. "So there are," she agreed, her undivided attention on the achromia lioness. "If you know so much about me, what will you do with that information?"

(Here it is: https://www.lioden.com/topic.php?id=304429410318)

You have liked this post!

"What would you suggest I do with it? I could tell your pride what I know about you, and about what you did. If I did, would you try to stop me? If so, how?" The Healer continued to drill into Wine ad Roses. If she was to offer anything to the other lioness, she would first have to see how far she could go.

(Thanks :) By the way, Monarch gave me a potato again...)

You have liked this post!

"I don't believe I have anything to fear from this pride," said Wine, and a note of disgust was audible in her voice. She thumped her tail against the ground. "I doubt our so-called 'leader' would care about our pride unless every lion here dropped dead like flies around him." Though she was acting a bit more standoffish now, she didn't really believe that Luna had planned to blackmail or expose her.

(Agh, Monarch! Well, if you're going for an Elysian, I do have an extra one I could give you when he's weaned.)

You have liked this post!

Luna allowed a small smile to creep onto her muzzle. She got what she was looking for.
"I can tell you aren't so fond of this pride and it's leader. Why is that?" She asked, her expression neutral once again.

(That would be nice if you could. Although, I would feel a little awkward considering I don't really have anything to give you in return. I mean, I do have a spare echo pie male that I don't really need with some good looking markings if you are looking for something like that)

You have liked this post!

Wine settled back into her dignified and relaxed look, but she knew Luna had heard the note in her voice. If there was one thing she wasn't afraid of, though, it was talking about how much she hated Monarch. Every lioness in this pride did it. "I can tell you a million reasons why I hate Monarch. You could ask any lioness in this pride and they would tell you. But none of them have the guts to do anything about it."

(It's fine, I'm not really into breeding. I have my main lionesses and I hate having extras. I already have two too many. I'll send him as soon as I can :) By the way, I'll be at a movie for the next two and half hours or so, so I won't be able to respond.)

You have liked this post!

"And you, do you have enough courage to do something about your current leader?" Luna pushed onward. She had the lioness where she wanted her, a perfect asset for the apocalypse. Now all that she needed to do was convince her, which might be the hardest part of them all.

(Wow, ok. I can see now why your pride is so neat and tidy. It's not cluttered with unwanted lions XD I'll be sleeping in the next two and the half hours, so I guess this is goodnight )

You have liked this post!

"I have the courage to fix what needs to be fixed, yes," she said lightly. She gave Luna a blank, empty smile. "But if I wanted to get revenge on Monarch, I would have poisoned him, wouldn't I?" Now she was just going through the motions of pretending to be innocent. She was waiting for Luna to go wherever it was she was going with this.

You have liked this post!

"I never suggested that you might want to poison Monarch" Luna pointed out, her brow raising ever so slightly. This was getting even more interesting. "The elderly lion is the one who got poisoned. Presumably because he seems to be the one in charge here. At least, doing a better job at leading the pride than your official leader." She said, choosing her next words carefully. "If the lion who poisoned him didn't choose Monarch instead, that would mean their hatred extends beyond their leader, and to the pride itself, wouldn't it?" The question was more rethorical at this point. She could predict what the response would be and somewhat understand Wine's reasons for what she did.


(Happy Halloween! )

You have liked this post!

Wine and Roses, still young, was growing impatient to know what it was Luna was getting at. She had all but admitted to what she had done, and now she wanted to know what Luna would do with that. "While I find this philosophical discussion highly stimulating," she said to the white lioness, "I do wonder if you'd care to cut to the chase. It's getting late, after all."

(Happy Halloween to you! )

You have liked this post!