"And your plan is...what, exactly?" Dione's brow lifted sky high as she regarded her brother. He spent a significant portion of his time away from the Stormborn to the point that some might have questioned his allegiance if it wasn't for the fact he'd brought back glory. Between the thralls he had acquired and the treasures he had thrust at the last warlords when he had returned home briefly, few could deny he was a Captain but beyond that...
"I will continue as I always have done," Tethys shook his head. He'd heard the changes, seen them even, and the new Warlord was full of bluster. He might have beaten Zjarrl but it was safe to say that wouldn't have been hard given she had just given birth and she hadn't exactly been challenged properly the last time either. It had been luck that she had become Warlord rather than skill and all Ushindi had done was beat up something that was unsurprisingly, signiicantly weaker than him.
...There was no glory in that.
As for the changes, Tethys had managed to hold back his laughter as he discovered all their blustering boy had done was simply making the females a lower 'rank'. He knew nothing, and Tethys would have given everything he owned, including his own freedom, in a bet. This would change nothing and the females would all still clamer to be his darling Shield Maidens so that they could yeowl at the nearest male that looked towards them.
A pity really, he could have done so much more and yet Ushindi had done nothing except stroke his own ego and attempt to flout a power he simply didn't have. He was nothing more than an outsider, one who like him, had been away for too long. He didn't know how the Stormborn worked and how desperately slutty the majority of its females were. Rank would mean little to them, not unless they became lower than thralls.
While they had the freedom to go outside and spread their legs they would continue to do so, being the wife of any male of rank would be meaningless. Afterall, even their cubs from their questionable liaisons would take the rank of their money meaning even they wouldn't be destined for slavery.
Nothing would be learned from this, absolutely nothing, and Tethys saw no reason to remain here while the next narcissitic Warlord sought to make changes that would do nothing more than placate the idiots among them. Ushindi would get some credit from him, at least the Warlord was good at soundbites and his sycophants would be nodding until their own heads severed from their necks.
"Chase after the invisible, or seduce the nearest pretty thing you see?" Dione challenged, her gaze critical as she regarded her brother. She knew that he hadn't been happy with Ushindi's changes and quite frankly, neither had she. Nevertheless she had the patience to at least wait for a time to see if the Warlord learned his initial changes were doomed. If he learned nothing after that and continued down much the same path as Zjarrl, then she would re-evaluate her options after.
"Chase after the invisible," Tethys replied coolly. He'd tempered his interest in females quite some time ago, the novelty of bedding them was now lost on him. He'd had several litters and all had come across very well, but that didn't mean he required anymore. Short of meeting something truly phenomenal it was unlikely that he would be lying with any other individuals any time soon.
"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, while hoping for a different result," Dione rolled her eyes. He was after the Scourge again and while she didn't doubt they existed, their activities within these parts had all but died. She could only assume that they had been pushed back (or had retreated) to their warrens again. This either meant that her father's home had finally done enough damage to force their leaders to recall them, or the circumstances had changed... Regardless, she saw no reason for him to be chasing them.
Oh she accepted they'd killed his Captain and his Reavers still lusted for revenge but at some point, it was healthy to re-evaluate your options and head in a different direction.
"Dione I appreciate your concern but this pride has nothing of value to me anymore," he shrugged. "While it is my home, it has transformed into something I can do nothing more than laugh at. The only thing I can do is preserve the honour of my band, preserve our Captain's memory and ensure that the promise I made to them is kept." He paused briefly. "If the Stormborn burn in my absence and fester in their cesspool of weak, rogue children, because our new Warlord has failed to realise the little whores don't care where they rank so long as they can ******** the nearest outsider... then so be it."
Dione's brow lifted higher.
"Perhaps by the time I am done chasing shadows a miracle might have happened and some semblance of respectability will have returned to our home, until then, I will happily let it fall into the sea," he stated. It was a rather extreme declaration and one he would have made happily to the Warlord's face if it wasn't for the fact he was swarmed by admirers. Alas, perhaps his message could be passed on by the many who often passed by and might have the opportunity to listen in, the Captain wasn't inclined towards tact at this particular moment in time.
"You can do as you please," he added. "And I will come back if my strength is required to remove our family from this cesspool at a later date, but for now it seems they are settled. They wish to attempt a change and I will not deny them this misadventure."
"You've become quite eloquent," Dione mused, she couldn't help but notice he spoke somewhat differently ever since he'd started to travel. Nevertheless she would at least remain grateful he wasn't forcing his own children to come with him on a wild goose chase. Some of them were happy, others had declared their intention to be a part of the change, and until such time as they failed it was unfair to remove them from this.
Whether it be Lakshmi or otherwise, they had to make their own mistakes and if they then decided their home was no longer what they thought, it was up to them as adults to determine their next course of action.
"Travel broadens the horizons," Tethys shrugged as he turned on his heel. "If anyone is seeking me, you can inform them that I've left to continue with my duties," he remarked. "And to any who ask why I didn't offer my congratulations to our new warlord they can simply be informed that he hasn't done anything worthy of it yet."
"You'll invite disaster upon yourself."
"I'll survive," Tethys replied darkly as he continued on his way. "No one deserves respect until it's earned, the pride should have learned that from the moment Svana took power. Ever since then its been an utter disaster and Zjarr is no exception, her defeat is meaningless until he does something of significance," he uttered. "When he does that, then he'll have my respect," he growled as he finished his conversation and moved away, leaving his sister very much to stare after him.
...This would not go down well for her brother if it were to become widespread knowledge, but she also couldn't disapprove of his opinion. Ushindi had much work to do to prove he held any value and Tethys's point regarding Zjarr had been right. Ushindi's performance hadn't been spectacular, not yet at least, and simply having yes men at his shoulder did nothing to prove his value.
Dione was fortunate she was more patient, but with emotions running high in some individuals, she was going to have to conduct herself carefully.
Alas, she could only hope that the new Warlord would learn in time, otherwise she would be placed in a rather awkward position herself. Suffice to say that there was no point remaining in a home that no longer felt like a home, but every change needed time to settle. She would give Ushindi the opportunity to show his skills first, then she would consider the next course of action... He might yet surprise her, and by extension, others who may have their doubts.
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