[PRP] Helping Paws (Vienna/Chozi)

[Painted Moose]

Beauty was a relative term that Vienna tried to instill in everyday life. She saw beauty in the birds, the rain, the bog, hybrids, cubs, and the hope of a better tomorrow. In her mind, it was thanks to the Gods that they had such a wonderful place to call home.

After going through her morning prayer ritual, she started off the day under her mistress' orders. Cari was a strict, harsh Leotah who was an excellent huntress in many ways. She was just as proud to drag home a large Water Buffalo as she was a struggling pure breed. It was Vienna's job to clean the kills, as well as to settle the minds of the newly joined slaves. While some snubbed their nose at her, she was pleasantly content to do Cari's grunt work.

At the moment, however, she was at a lose. Cari was off visiting with her father, who was rumored to have a pure bred son, and had yet to give her slave any orders. The lioness stood at the waters edge, her face down cast. Maybe she should talk to someone...? See if they needed help?  

[Seaki]

Chozi was frustrated. He could barely find what he needed for his new dance bit. He didn't think birds were that rare in the Wetlands, but apparently they didn't shed feathers the same. And when he could find them, they weren't the right color, or were caked so thickly with mud that they were nearly impossible to clean.

And if anything, Chozi was a bit of a perfectionist. All he wanted was a feather skirt, but that was proving to be quite a difficult thing to pull off. He could scream with frustration, but his self-consciousness wouldn't allow him to, so he settled for an annoyed huff instead.

Painted Moose

 

[Painted Moose]

Vienna was just about to give up hope on finding anyone that wanted the help of a slave when she came across a rather interesting Cheeton. What....what was he doing? Whatever it was, it didn't look fun, or comforting. If anything he looked extremely frustrated.

Putting on a bright smile, Vienna sloshed through the wetland straight up to him, and bowed her head upon arrival. "Hello, Master, is there anything I can do to help you? You seem to be in need of it, if you don't mind my saying so."

Seaki

 

[Seaki]

Chozi flinched in surprise at the new voice, clenching his teeth a bit at the title of Master. It's... not how he ever thought he would be addressed. "Call me Chozi, please," he implored, frown still very much present. He was annoyed with his task, but he knew he needed to finish it.

He thought for a moment, wondering if he should ask for the lioness's help. "I am, a bit..." he started, tilting his head. He shook the strings of his too-long mane out of his face.

"I have a task I am trying to complete. Feathers - I'm trying to gather nice feathers of all lengths to complete a craft. Would you mind helping?" he asked. He could not find it in him to give orders - it simply was not in his nature.

Painted Moose

 

[Painted Moose]

"Of course, Chozi." Vienna hadn't meant to upset him, and tried her best to smile in a comforting way. It was always easier to address the hybrids as she had been taught than to be punished for a lapse later.

"Feathers?" Oh goodness, finding beautiful, dry feathers in such a wet environment was a large task. Her heart went out to him. Doing such a tedious task on his own must be aggravating, if not infuriating. "I wouldn't mind at all. Is there a certain color you're looking for? Or shape?"

With the water mixing around her paws, Vienna became aware she'd stepped into one of the many puddles, but found she didn't mind it. Her fur was dirty anyway, so what was so wrong with a little dip?

Seaki

I have no idea if you still want to continue this, but here is a late tag. x3

 

[Seaki]

Chozi gave a relieved smile when he was addressed by his name. It was so odd to be called Master, but it was the way of the Pride, so he just corrected the slaves when he could. "If it's no trouble - any size or shape will do, but I prefer longer ones if possible. They don't even have to be dry!"

He gave her a small smile. "They can dry out with time, but some of them - especially white ones - don't look the same when caked in mud and rinsed. It makes them look terrible," he explained.

"I haven't found any all day," he frowned again. "Even ones I don't need, I try to collect just in case I need them for a different project."

"Thank you again for your help, Miss..." he gave a sheepish smile. "What may I call you?"  

[Painted Moose]

Nodding along with him, she set about the search, her paws ghosting over the ground, hoping not to destroy any feathers in the process. "I will have to keep that in mind. I wouldn't want to ruin any project that you're crafting." As curious as she was, she couldn't ask without acting out of her station.

"You haven't found any?" Catching herself, Vienna tamped down on her curious side, but never did she seem any less warm. She wanted to help him because it was in her nature, not because it was expected of it. Her eyes brightened considerably when thanked, and that sweet little smile he gave was more than enough thanks for her, anyway. It showed her was genuine; something that she prized in others. "Vienna. My name is Vienna, and you needn't thank me; I'm happy to help."

As she searched, her eyes caught a familiar shape, and after some careful pawing under wet grass she pulled up a medium sized blue feather. "Will this one do?"  

[Seaki]

Chozi held his face close to the water, squinting through the shimmering surface to try to catch a glance of a feather. He huffed softly, disturbing the water with his breath. He pulled away sighing and looked back to the lioness.

"Oh!" he was astonished, looking closely at the feather. "Perfect!" He beamed a her. "Thank you so much. You have much better eyesight than I do..." He glanced at the water once again and closer inspected the feather.

"Well, Miss Vienna, you're a perfect assistant! If you don't mind helping a bit more, I'd be extremely grateful..."  

[Painted Moose]

Vienna's pale cheeks flushed as her smiled widened. "Oh, I'm sure you just over looked it. You looked stressed when I found you, and that's usually the time that things don't want to be found." She chuckled.

"I wouldn't mind helping you a bit, Chozi, but please, drop the Miss. I'm not so deserving of it. Vienna will do just nicely." Keeping her eyes peeled to the porous earth, she dug around a little more, checking around damp grasses, stone, and soft mud.  

[Seaki]

"Oh, um. Sorry, I don't mean to offend. It's a habit..." he said, referring to the 'miss' in front of her name. Either way, he remained smiling, and began searching for feathers himself. He procured a long black flight feather - perhaps from a vulture? - and hummed pleased. It had been stuck between a few long blades of grass.

Perhaps he could make the lioness something as a token of his gratitude for her aid - she certainly deserved it, he thought. He would present it to her when he saw her next, but first there were more feathers to find!

Painted Moose

 

[Painted Moose]

For quite a while Vienna search, pulling out a few more blue feathers, and even a nice shade of tan, tipped with black. From some type of predatory bird, maybe? It was a shame she couldn't track down any of the brighter feathers from her homeland. The birds there were in a vast array of bright reds, brilliant greens and dazzling yellows. Surely he would have been more pleased with those.

"I think my lucks beginning to run out," She mused, moving back closer to him, with the last of her finds still in paw. "I started off strong, but it tapered out, I suppose."

Seaki

 

[Seaki]

Chozi beamed at her, however. "You've done more than enough, thank you!" He told her again. "I wouldn't have found so many on my own. It seems my eyesight is not that great..." Though perhaps he was just angry. Usually he could find more, but he found plenty more in the land of rogues where he could barter with the birds for their loose and unneeded feathers.

Searching for them was just so much harder. "I will repay you somehow, Vienna," he promised her. He'd make her something nice, he vowed. Maybe a necklace of beads and feathers, or a hair trinket! Something that wouldn't get lost in the mud...

Painted Moose

 

[Painted Moose]

Vienna couldn't help a little flushing blush at being complimented in such a way. It was so good, to have ones work validated! And by such a kindhearted soul, at that! "Oh no, thank you for the opportunity. I adore helping others, in any chance that I get." And it was true, though she rarely got the chance, it seemed.

"You needn't repay me, Chozi. Just allow me to help you out on the next hunt, and maybe combined our eyes can find twice as many feathers." It would give her a purpose, and hopefully help him out as well! Oh, how lovely it would all be.

"If you'll excuse me, I think it best if I returned to my Mistress. She should be returning home form her hunt some time today, and I should see about prepping the den for her arrival." Vienna bowed her head, and smiled brightly. "It was a pleasure working with you this day, Chozi. May the Gods continue to smile upon you."

Straightening her paws, the lioness turned to leave, keeping a little happier sway to her hips than was there before.

Seaki

 

[Seaki]

Chozi gave her a friendly smile, nodding. He would find a way to repay her regardless. "Of course. Thank you so much for your help," he told her, the gratefulness shining through in his tone.

Chozi gave a small bow in return. He only wished the kind lioness was not reduced to a slave. He wished he could do something to help her but that was the way of the pride and he could not change it at all. "Have a nice day, Vienna," he told her and watched her as she walked away.