[PRP] Going Fishing (Derasan/Banquo)

[MoonRazor]

Some days, Derasan would wake up and feel incredibly satisfied with his lot in life. The fact that he was a commoner had never meant much to him - he didn't think he had been put at a disadvantage because of his birth and he didn't wish he had been born into a high-ranking family. The upper class was all politics and phony smiles and petty battles that, and the end of the day, amounted to naught and meant nothing except to those unworthily bloated egos. That was a life Derasan wouldn't wish that on anyone.

And it was unfortunate that the most important lion in his life had been born into that life. She didn't belong there, didn't belong within the confines of those strict societal rules and pettiness, because she understood there was more to life than being purple. She understood theater, understood the escape that theater could - and did - provide, and she understood life from his side of the matter. Raziela Liron was perfect.

Except that, unfortunately, he was not perfect for her. In many senses, he was. Derasan was everything Raziela had ever wanted or needed in a mate or a lover, but he was not what nobility wanted. He wasn't purple. Not being purple was one of Derasan's greatest triumphs in life, but for her, sometimes, he wished he could have been.

And what was a lion to do?

Some advice was what he needed. And some more gossip. So Derasan went looking for Banquo.  

[Mogami]

To this very day, it still surprised Banquo that he’d managed to find anyone willing to befriend him but if the striped lion had known the subject Derasan intended to discuss with him, the Scholar would probably have found a suitable place to hide for a few days.

The usually brooding lion was standing at the edge of the Groundling forest, clearly lost in thought. He had just returned from his trip into the rogue lands and he’d brought a lot more than the knowledge he had sought. In particular, the memory of a dark lioness from an oppressed pride, the first lioness he had… well, befriended… since the death of his mate, was proving very hard to silence. Even though his mate had died many seasons ago, his mind kept fighting the feeling of having betrayed her every time he thought of the dark huntress and the time they’d spent together. It was a very confusing moment for the pale lion.  

[MoonRazor]

Finding Banquo had never been a difficult matter for Derasan. Outside of the striped lion's recent escapade out in the rogue lands (Derasan didn't doubt that his quiet friend would deny that it had been any sort of escapade, but the speckled lion held fast to the faith that, one of these days, Banquo would finally let loose and have some fun or adventure for a change), Banquo seemed, for the most part, to be either at home or visiting some acquaintances down in the forest.

Funny, Derasan didn't remember Banquo ever visiting him in the theater, despite the fact that they were, for all intents and purposes, more than just acquaintances. The bright-eyed player was friendly with any and all, but real friends just had a different air, and Banquo was most definitely a friend in his mind. Still, perhaps there were reasons. After all, Derasan sought his striped friend out often enough that visits to the theater might not have been necessary. And his time there was largely spent rehearsing plays or keeping Raziela company. It was the only place she could safely meet him, given that her love for theater was anything but a secret.

As it was, Derasan found Banquo standing near the forest's edge, apparently mesmerized by nothing in particular, which didn't seem to be all too different from the state in which Derasan had found the striped lion in their first encounter. Maybe traveling hadn't magically transformed his friend into a happy, outgoing creature like Derasan had originally hoped. That was alright. He was beginning to think that he might prefer Banquo grumpy anyway.

"Well," the blue lion said as he sauntered into sight. "Look what the lords dragged in. It's been a good while, hasn't it?"  

[Mogami]

One pale ear swilled backwards before Banquo’s head turned to look at the origin of the familiar voice.

“Derasan.” He greeted the other lion with a hint of a smile, his expression lightening visibly. In all honesty, it wasn’t always easy to find Citro in the confusing and sometimes eerie forest. Even if he didn’t want to, Banquo and the travelling band that had settled in the forest had been slowly growing apart. On the contrary, Derasan had become a constant presence in his life and the Scholar had to admit that it was due less to any effort on his part and more to the Player’s inexplicable resistance to Banquo’s lack of social skills. Normally, the most likely alternative to solitude would be to seek out Derasan but unfortunately the Player always seemed to be in the noisiest possible location, most likely surrounded by lions Banquo didn’t really know – nor did he care to meet. So the forest was usually a safe place even when he failed to find his target.

And here was Derasan. To Banquo, it felt strangely natural to see the Player coming to meet him and he suddenly realized just how strange that feeling truly was. How he had slipped through the Scholar’s flaws and defences, Banquo didn’t really understand. But here he was, going to the trouble of seeking him out to talk and showing interest in Banquo’s travels. It was something the pale lion hadn’t felt in a long time… a very long time.

“I’ve returned.” Banquo said simply, turning his back to forest as he stood up to meet the other lion half-way.  

[MoonRazor]

It always felt like a victory of sorts when he came across Banquo and saw the usually grumpy scholar look slightly happier. It may not have been a topic that either of them broached easily, but Derasan knew that somehow, that lightening was because of him, and that alone was enough to satisfy him.

Pleasing others had been built into him from all his years as a Player. What else, if not the joy of others, would he live and act for? It didn't matter who sat in the crowd, nobility or commoners. It was all the same at the end, all the same when they applauded the players and left the theater in tears or smiles. They were all, at one point or other, moved.

"I can see that, dear friend." Derasan grinned, looking the striped lion over as if trying to find some visible change that had occurred in his friend. Or maybe it was just to remind himself what Banquo looked like. It had been a while, after all, and Derasan hadn't gotten to where he was as a player without being a bit of a drama queen.

"How have your travels treated you, then?" He added, diving right into the probe. This was bigger news than his relationship - that wasn't much of a surprise by now. "Have you got any stories? I'd bet the finest silks in the theater that you did something fun for a change."  

[Mogami]

“I’ve learned much. More than I expected.” Banquo had started answering his friend’s question but he froze abruptly when Derasan mentioned the word fun. In a clear display of his lack of talent and disposition regarding the Player occupation, he quickly avoided the other lion’s gaze, blatantly looking just about everywhere with the exception of his spotted friend’s direction.

Oh, he had a pretty good idea of how Derasan might react to his little… detour to the Ashnai’le pride’s borders. So he tried to change the subject quickly but it wouldn’t take a genius to figure out he was trying to hide something.

“There is a war brewing in the desert. It’s started to affect the prides around it. Difficult times…” he glanced over at Derasan to see what kind of expression he had in pace before continuing.  

[MoonRazor]

The expression that had settled on Derasan's face was one of extreme amusement. A wry smile had crossed his face, his brow had risen, and he was holding back a hearty laugh that slipped from his mouth when he finally caught his friend's careful gaze.

"Yes, yes... war, you say," he allowed, giving Banquo a little leeway before the real probing began. The striped lion had given Derasan more than a few indications that he had hit on something with the mention of fun. The sudden freezing, the avoidance... The spotted lion had taken on enough roles and watched enough characters brought to life to know what all that meant. "Absolutely terrifying." He nodded, feigning solemnity.

"But ah, about that fun." He smiled a devilish smile and eyed the quiet scholar with a penetrating stare. Oh, no, there would be no getting away now. The spotted player was a king of nothing but the gossip that flowed within the pride, and sometimes even without. Digging for information was as much a part of his life as acting, and as with all things that Derasan wanted to do, it was something that he could - and did - hang on to until he had gotten everything he wanted out of it. Or as near to it as possible, anyway. "How was that?"  

[Mogami]

Oh dear, Derasan had caught on to his little attempt at deception. Well, of course he had. Banquo sighed as his friend did a much better job at showing concern for the state of affairs outside the Suka’Fumo and his resigned expression clearly indicated that he was already anticipating a string of troublesome questions.

“Derasan…” this time the name was spoken with the same kind of frustrated resignation that one would show when facing the destruction caused by a flood, fire or any other kind of natural disaster. He knew that nothing would stop the Player from achieving his objective and Banquo was unwilling to lie so that didn’t leave him with many options.

“When I was near the borders of a pride called Ashnai’le, I spent some time with a lioness that lives there. It had been a very long time that I… and it was very nice.“ Strangely enough, he was finding that the words had come to him much more easily than he’d expected and the Scholar was surprised to find that he actually felt a little lighter now that he was sharing this with his friend.  

[MoonRazor]

Oh, but hadn't his friend learned quickly! Derasan felt a little pride welling up, both for Banquo and himself. Perhaps earlier on in their odd friendship, the striped lion might have put up more resistance to Derasan's probing, but Banquo must have caught on that the spotted player was in that "mood" of his and that resistance was, ultimately, futile.

It was a good thing, though. Both their lives could only get easier from here on out if Derasan no longer had to do as much probing and if Banquo no longer had to endure it.

"Ah-ha! I knew it," Derasan declared, a hearty grin splitting his face when he heard the news. "Well, you're a right old devil, aren't you?" It had been too long since Banquo had moped about after the loss of his first family. Derasan understood the sentiment - or tried to, as well as he could. He had never been in the same situation, but then he imagined losing Raziela, losing the cubs they would never have together, and the thought alone hurt. Every time the idea came into his head, he would run back to her and make her promise not to die without him, because any place without her was a place he wanted no part of.

And still, he had always known that somehow, Banquo needed help getting out of that rut. As another male, though, Derasan had been somewhat limited in that area.

"Well, go on, then," he added, still smiling like a fool. Anyone passing by might have thought he was the one that had gotten lucky instead of his friend. "Tell me about her."  

[Mogami]

Banquo let out an exasperated sigh but there seemed to be having a little trouble suppressing a smile… smirk… something. A few seasons ago – a lifetime, it sometimes felt like – the striped lion would’ve laughed loudly and probably thrown a heavy paw at a playful friend and he did lean a little to the side, removing most of his weight from his right front leg. His paw twitched but remained firmly on the ground.

“There’s nothing more to say.” The Scholar said as he turned his back on the forest and started walking away from it. The need to talk to Citro had lessened considerably but he’d probably still try to find the bright-colored lion later, even though visiting the eerie place didn’t exactly earn him any friends up in the mountain. The upper class was so terribly suspicious of the fairy folk, after all. “Her pride was complicated and she needed to get away from it for a while and we got along. What about you?”

His golden eyes stared at his friend intensely and this time it was definitely a smile that was pulling at the corners of the striped lion’s mouth.

“How is your secrete romance?” Banquo was a little worried about this little affair of Derasan’s. He was clearly smitten but the Scholar feared the noble girl might never renounce her position in his favor. He hoped he was wrong, of course, even though he wasn’t eagerly anticipating the huge scandal that would come if she did decide to join the middle class and become his friend’s mate.  

[MoonRazor]

And there it was. A twitch. A hidden smile, perhaps? It didn't matter what it was, it was enough for Derasan. Slowly, it seemed, ever so slowly, his friend was coming around and proving that anything could get better in time. The progress may not have been rapid, but it was there all the same, and he was glad to know it. Maybe now, he could worry less about Banquo.

"Ohh, but that is where you're wrong, my friend." They were just getting started. Turning with the striped lion, Derasan fell into step alongside his friend, eyeing him with a devilish twinkle in his eye. He had missed this. "What was her name, for starters? What did she look like?" A pause. "And how... exactly did you get along...?" It might have seemed a strange question, but they both knew that Banquo did not make a whole lot of friends. "I assume she had to have been something special."

He let another short pause lapse as a sweet smile crossed his face at the thought of Raziela. Oh, but didn't Banquo know him well. The player shot his friend a sideways glance, catching the striped lion's stare and subtle smile. "You, sir, are changing the subject," he said, amused if not entirely surprised. He hadn't expected the probing to be easy. "How's this, I'll trade you. I'll answer your questions if you'll answer mine."  

[Mogami]

“Derasan…” Banquo said for the third time, knowing very well that there was little hope of dodging the Player’s questions forever. He snorted at the little exchange proposition, considering the possibility of saying nothing but receiving no answers either. A more favorable possibility, perhaps, but he knew Derasan would thoroughly reject it.

“Her name is Ibis. She’s the Head Huntress of the Ashnai’le pride. She was very dark and had strong green eyes. She was beautiful, agile. And we got along… like I said, fine. She reminded me of…” all the lightness vanished from the pale lion’s expression in an instance and his eyes locked on a small pebble in ground as if it were the most disgusting thing in the world. His maw was tightly shut, tense and rigid. Surprisingly enough, he seemed to recover a little all by himself and his expression softened and he started walking again.

“She was tougher than... I expected.” He said simply, golden eyes firmly fixed on the path ahead of him.  

[MoonRazor]

"Ah," the Player managed to say, watching his friend carefully. It was enough to let him know that now was the time to let things lie and to stop pushing. There were many other questions he could have asked - how was... well, it, how many times, anything... weird about it, her, anything - and would have, had Banquo been one of his friends from the theater. There, everything was raunchy jokes and bawdy laughter, and any indecency was taken with a grain of salt.

But Derasan wouldn't have asked those questions of Banquo anyway, so he stopped and said, simply, "That's good." His friend had come a long way since the two of them had first met, and it was enough to know that this was more information than the striped lion might have shared even just a few months ago.

"Well, a deal's a deal," he continued, thinking back to Raziela and wondering how best to phrase his situation. Not that Banquo was unfamiliar with it, but Derasan thought he had reached a crossroads. He hadn't ever really considered the future before, bathed as he was in the blissful ignorance that could only come with love, or what they would do when Raziela's noble birth finally became an issue.

"Here's the thing," he said slowly. "It's wonderful. I can't imagine a better way to spend the rest of my life, except... well I don't know. I don't know how we could ever do that."  

[Mogami]

Banquo was glad his friend has accept the topic change but in all honesty, he didn’t really know what to say to him now either.

“From the first time I met you, Derasan, I’ve thought about how that confusing mane of yours seems to change colors depending on the light that hits it.” He paused to breathe before continuing, his golden eyes staring intensely at the other lion. “Blue. In the end, it’s blue and that makes you part of the middle class. You will never be able to be with her in Elsinore, Derasan. So the only way she’ll be yours is if she rejects her rank. She must become one of us, a commoner or join the groundlings or leave the pride altogether with you.”

This was going into speech-territory for the Scholar who barely said a word unless he was teaching and that showed just how much he truly valued his friend. Still, he spoke with little emotion as he recited the many recipes for a Raziela-Derasan dish but he didn’t feel that confident about his friend’s chances, a doubt that he’d rather keep to himself for now. He’d taught far too many pompous, stupid or just generally blank young Nobles to know that few would ever consider throwing away their position for love. Raziela seemed like a genuinely nice girl but Banquo wasn’t sure she’d cut all ties with her prominent family and make such a sacrifice.  

[MoonRazor]

He nodded slowly. Blue, yes. Banquo was right, and Derasan was as proud of that as he could be of anything. The Nobles could have their purple coats and uptight rules, he would live to enjoy himself and laugh real laughs with his friends at night.

He wanted to be happy, that was the bottom line, and more than anything he wanted her to be happy too. If she could just understand how his world really worked, how its lack of pointless rules worked, perhaps she would understand why he wanted it for her too.

But that wouldn't happen unless she dropped her rank... "No, she wouldn't. She wouldn't do that." He knew what that sounded like: here she was, another Noble girl with her pretty purple coat, refusing to give up her life of comfort for love. But it wasn't like that. It wasn't like that at all. She was real, she was, and if anything it was for love that she refused to give up her rank. "Her family... She couldn't." And he couldn't blame her for that, either.

"But maybe, maybe it doesn't matter. We could just stay like this. She wouldn't mind that, I don't think she would." But then again, maybe there were others who would.