Rose shrugs. "There is a possibility of our succeeding in proving that trolls and humans are equal - which will form a much improved basis to argue for the cessation of the war. I am, obviously, unaware of how this will be perceived among trolls, but it will be much easier to convince humans to take our attempts to show equality seriously if our pack has roughly equal numbers of each." Her eyes glint. If the dark howlbeast beside her was a cat, it would be purring. "This means that our pack would welcome not only you, but your - I believe the term is quadrants? - as packmates... though possibly only the lighter ones," she finishes, brow furrowed ever-so-slightly like she's painting and isn't quite sure whether she should use a different shade for that corner.
"And if I don't want to be a packmate?" you challenge.
Karkat's howlbeast stares at you, and you hear it again. Pack.
Dirk human speaks up. "You heard her, didn't you?" You don't nod, but he acts like to you did. "That means you are our packmate, forever and ever, amen, and we have to side with you against anything you face - unless it's against another packmate. Then Rose gets to talk sense into you both till you're crying about your abandonment issues and how you wanted your daddy to do you in public, and you make up with a big hug."
Rose raises an eyebrow at him. "If you wish to be talked into such a state, packmate dear, I promise I will do my level best."
Karkat sighed. "Would the two of you show a little shame and resist the urge to ashflirt till we're around your third again?"
Dirk might purrl a tiny bit of a face. You can't quite tell. "Dude. How many times. We're related. That's a big no."
Rose nods slightly. "Indeed, I must remember to introduce you both to some of the more basic scientific explanations of inbreeding and its unfortunate, shading to lethal, consequences."
"Both?"
Rose looks back to you. "Do you dislike the idea of joining our pack? I strongly doubt it is the idea of hunting together that is putting you off; lionesses, after all, are known for living in prides."
You like the acknowledgement that you're a lioness, but... "How did you know I'm a lioness?"
Dirk speaks up again. "Karkat told us who you are when his wolf was jumping on you."
You blink. You heard Karkitty! He didn't mention your lupus!
...Unless it was part of the too-quiet not-sound that you couldn't quite catch.
You pout. You don't like that you can't hear them clearly enough to catch that sort of thing.
Karkitty's howlbeast goes ofur to stand next to him, and he scritches behind its ears.
==> Decide: Will you be a packmate? Y/N You watch them, and you know that you have nefur seen Karkitty as happy as he is with these people. Karkitty likes being packmates.
That means it can't be too bad, you decide. You grin. "I'm in!"
Besides, they'd already clawt you. They wouldn't have just let you go.
(You aren't going to admit that you know you'd have been okay beclaws Karkitty wouldn't be so calm if they were thinking of culling you if you'd turned them down. So long as you don't admit it to yourself, you don't have to admit it to Equius, right?)
Nepeta Section. (It felt huge when I was writing it.) (p4/4)
"And if I don't want to be a packmate?" you challenge.
Karkat's howlbeast stares at you, and you hear it again. Pack.
Dirk human speaks up. "You heard her, didn't you?" You don't nod, but he acts like to you did. "That means you are our packmate, forever and ever, amen, and we have to side with you against anything you face - unless it's against another packmate. Then Rose gets to talk sense into you both till you're crying about your abandonment issues and how you wanted your daddy to do you in public, and you make up with a big hug."
Rose raises an eyebrow at him. "If you wish to be talked into such a state, packmate dear, I promise I will do my level best."
Karkat sighed. "Would the two of you show a little shame and resist the urge to ashflirt till we're around your third again?"
Dirk might purrl a tiny bit of a face. You can't quite tell. "Dude. How many times. We're related. That's a big no."
Rose nods slightly. "Indeed, I must remember to introduce you both to some of the more basic scientific explanations of inbreeding and its unfortunate, shading to lethal, consequences."
"Both?"
Rose looks back to you. "Do you dislike the idea of joining our pack? I strongly doubt it is the idea of hunting together that is putting you off; lionesses, after all, are known for living in prides."
You like the acknowledgement that you're a lioness, but... "How did you know I'm a lioness?"
Dirk speaks up again. "Karkat told us who you are when his wolf was jumping on you."
You blink. You heard Karkitty! He didn't mention your lupus!
...Unless it was part of the too-quiet not-sound that you couldn't quite catch.
You pout. You don't like that you can't hear them clearly enough to catch that sort of thing.
Karkitty's howlbeast goes ofur to stand next to him, and he scritches behind its ears.
==> Decide: Will you be a packmate? Y/N
You watch them, and you know that you have nefur seen Karkitty as happy as he is with these people. Karkitty likes being packmates.
That means it can't be too bad, you decide. You grin. "I'm in!"
Besides, they'd already clawt you. They wouldn't have just let you go.
(You aren't going to admit that you know you'd have been okay beclaws Karkitty wouldn't be so calm if they were thinking of culling you if you'd turned them down. So long as you don't admit it to yourself, you don't have to admit it to Equius, right?)