Amalia
I'm not cheating, I'm compensating, the Shield protests, amusement and mischief sanding the edges off of any actual aggravation. But then he's shifting on her right, following her (narrow) lead once again.
The transformation is hardly unexpected, though it has been some time since Amalia saw Ronin in all his Luxere glory. She may be larger and gowned in scales, but her horns are nothing compared to the antlers on her friend, as majestic a rack as she's ever seen. Eyes widen perceptibly in appreciation followed by realization that he's heading right for her side, and in a flash of instinct and indignation Amalia reacts.
The qilin leaps but it's the leopard who lands - or tries to, anyway - on the great stag's shoulders, a gentle "wuph" leaving her lungs as she makes contact with antlers and/or muscle. Predatory instincts that are rarely indulged rear their head beneath her usually placid exterior; suddenly she wants very much to win, to assert dominance over the great beast of prey.
To prove that she deserves to be here just as much as the Star.
She doesn't notice the gathering crowd that's watching from the stands.
The transformation is hardly unexpected, though it has been some time since Amalia saw Ronin in all his Luxere glory. She may be larger and gowned in scales, but her horns are nothing compared to the antlers on her friend, as majestic a rack as she's ever seen. Eyes widen perceptibly in appreciation followed by realization that he's heading right for her side, and in a flash of instinct and indignation Amalia reacts.
The qilin leaps but it's the leopard who lands - or tries to, anyway - on the great stag's shoulders, a gentle "wuph" leaving her lungs as she makes contact with antlers and/or muscle. Predatory instincts that are rarely indulged rear their head beneath her usually placid exterior; suddenly she wants very much to win, to assert dominance over the great beast of prey.
To prove that she deserves to be here just as much as the Star.
She doesn't notice the gathering crowd that's watching from the stands.
