[JRP/LOG] He looks out through the bars (Mirsajadi & Aylin)

[Princess_Feylin]

Mirsajadi

The lands were once more becoming familiar, Mirsajadi noted, and a few more hours' travel brought him and Aylin within the actual borders of the pride. The most noticeable difference between the pride's lands and the rogue lands, really were the cubs that occasionally turned up underfoot as they went to peer at the newly-returned pad. Him. Mirsajadi.

His time alone in the rogue lands had made Mirsajadi into a far more solitary lion than he had been setting out, and that was saying something. Now he had to resist the urge to slink to avoid the attention his arrival was generating. His father would be ashamed or angered if any son of his behaved in such a way, and so Mirsajadi made himself walk as proud and tall as he was able. He was still a diminutive lion, slender and lithe rather than large and muscular, but self-confidence could do much for a lion's stature, as he already knew.

"We're here," he said to Aylin, perhaps unnecessarily. In an undertone he added, "Probably I ought to introduce you to my father first, but I'd actually rather just get back to my den and rest. Do you mind?"

Aylin

The girl yawned a little and followed completely quietly. Golden eyes focused on everything around her, on her new home. She was curious about it, but she wouldn't voice it. She was about as solitary as he was, only she was a bit better at it since she did learn how to hunt at one point during their trip. So now she could hunt for him, which she assumed was necessary for her 'job' here. She knew she wouldn't be welcomed, most likely, from his first wife, but that was alright. Aylin didn't do this out of love. She did it because she wanted a place called home and he needed a woman to return to the women who had his heart. It was a perfect deal for both of them.

Somewhere along the way, she realized she didn't mind his company at all. Both of them were of the quiet nature, but she was more of the spacey quiet nature than his serious one. Either way, it was often that they found themselves walking to a very comfortable silence.

And each time, Aylin jumped when he started talking and then whined a little bit. She wasn't as small as her mother, but she definately was on the smaller side of being an adult. Her tail flicked before she shrugged and nodded. "A rest would be fine by me. My paws ache a little bit." They weren't falling off her legs yet, but the little ache was noticable if she wasn't thinking.

 

[Princess_Feylin]

Mirsajadi

Mirsajadi stole a glance at his pale banu from the corner of his eyes. She was undeniably a beauty, and her golden eyes always startled him. In many ways he actually found her more physically attractive than he did his beybanu, but he had his reasons for keeping Arezoo as his beybanu, even so. For one thing, she knew the secret of his visions and even though he now knew they were nothing to be ashamed of, he had not known that at the time and he had taken her to wife in exchange for her silence on the matter. For another thing, she was actually his best friend, as sad as that might be for a pad of the pride.

It was probably because he had known her from cubhood that Mirsajadi had a difficult time thinking of Zoey as a physically attractive lioness. He knew that she was, objectively, but he was more inclined to see her personality. Aylin was more of a mystery to him. They had met under odder circumstances and it was difficult to say whether they were friends or something else. He suspected she viewed their relationship as fairly mercenary, and he was all right with that.

"I hadn't thought about that. I just wanted to reach the pride before nightfall. You can rest for as long as you need to," he assured her. "But I will still have to let my father know I've returned at some point this evening. It is expected."

Aylin

Gods, he was talking about traditions again. She understood the importance of it, but structure and traditions were not a very big part of her life growing up. They pretty much had free reign when she was a cub. Her heart thumped at the thought of her family. She probably wouldn't see any of them again, and that killed her in a way. Of course, she didn't voice any of this and she schooled her face to show no emotion.

She found Mirsajadi quite the looker as well. He was handsome and had a brightness about thim that was dull in her faimily. They were all dull brown and gray except for Aylin. Still, it was a change of pace. Now, if he had been pink or anything, she wouldn't have found him so attractive. No, bright colors like pink or violet weren't her thing.

She rolled her shoulders at his words and shook her head. "No, don't worry of it. Just a short rest would be fine with me. They don't hurt too much." Her voice took on that light, airy tone that meant she wasn't really paying much attention to anything right now.

 

[Princess_Feylin]

Mirsajadi

Mirsajadi was still learning to read Aylin. Her vagueness made it something of a challenge at times. He could tell when he didn't have her full attention, but there were many ways not to have a person's attention and he was not able to differentiate between them with Aylin. Not yet. But he would figure it out sooner or later. Figuring people out was what Mirsajadi did, and he was good at it. Excepting that part where he had utterly failed to notice that Zoey was in love with him, but he still preferred not to think about that.

"Just the same," he said, more to himself than to Aylin.

He ought to have noticed that she was tiring. That was part and parcel of being an observant lion who figured people out. And it hadn't been absolutely essential that they reached the pride before dark. He'd just wanted to spend the night in his own den rather than out in the rogue lands. He was about as tired of those as he would soon be tired of the restrictions imposed on him by his pride. Some days it just seemed to Mirsajadi that he would never really be happy anywhere.

"It's this way," he said, once more taking the lead and bringing them to the den he had selected for himself before departing on his quest.

The den was empty and had obviously not been inhabited, or even touched, since his departure. Not quite ideal, but better than coming back and finding someone had taken it over. Tomorrow he would have to go collect Zoey from her father. She would probably take over arranging the space and cleaning it. It would be a bit of a nuisance that he would have to be present for the process, but if he wanted things to be the way he wanted them, there was no other option.

Aylin

The idea of actually sharing a den with the male was quite shocking for this lioness. Sure, they've slept 'together' before, but they hadn't been within a den. A small frown appeared on her face at her own thoughts and she found them quite trivial and silly. Why get worried now that they were here?

Maybe because she didn't actually think about what the implications of being his Banu meant. Were they expected to share the same den as him and his first wife? It was quite confusing now that she thought about it. Of course, the pale female didn't want to share a den with him and his first wife. What if they wanted to do something special just between them? The idea of sleeping outside of the den crossed her mind and her resolved firmed. That's what she would do.

But seeing how the den was empty, she wavered and now Aylin was standing outside of the den, just sharing and looking around at her new surroundings. It wasn't exactly green, was it? A part of her was going to miss the fresh green of the rogue lands, but definately not the rogues themselves. She'd heard hyenas laughing at them a few times.

A frown pulled at her lips again as she just stood there. "Perhaps I should sleep out here instead. What if your first Banu, your Beybanu, was to return and I was in the den with you? Imagine the shock on her face." Her voice was airy again, but she was trying to be quiet so she didn't wake anyone else up.

 

[Princess_Feylin]

Mirsajadi

Aylin's reluctance did not go unnoticed by Mirsajadi, but as long as it was something that remained unspoken he planned to ignore it and behave as though all was well. For him this was perfectly normal. The idea of privacy was one he had always cherished, but growing up in a den as full as his father's he had also learned to do without it for most things. He had also learned very young about certain aspects of mated life, since his father didn't really seem to care much who in his den might hear, see, or be bothered by his amorous actions toward his banu.

"It's a bit dusty," he observed as he stepped into the more complete darkness. "But it's a nice enough space. There's plenty of room for people to branch out and have personal space."

That had been a very important factor for Mirsajadi when it came to choosing his den and he was actually very proud of claiming a den which could accommodate his spatial needs. Of course it would be more cramped if he added another banu beyond Aylin and Zoey, or if he had cubs, but for just himself and two banu it was a good space. Maybe shaped a bit oddly inside, but that just made privacy easier to come by.

"Sleep in here," he said. "In the unlikely event Zoey shows up, she won't be too terribly shocked to find you here. At least no more shocked than she would be to see me. Besides, if you sleep outside it will surely look strange."

Aylin

"But if I slept out here, who would know? I can get up when I hear someone walking by. It'll look like I just stepped out.." The idea of sleeping in a den with a boy was new to her. Obviously enough she'd slept sort of close to him, but she liked her own space. But... if she was going to stay in this pride it might be in her best interest to go ahead and blend in. It was all very unnerving and new to her. Still... She wouldn't be alone.

"....But I do think you have a point." Her voice was airy as she spoke both times and her paws light as she moved into the dusty den. The dust didn't bother her. She could easily clean that up without fuss. She did it often before she found Mirsajadi.

"Would you mind it terribly, though, if I didn't sleep right by you? I know we've traveled together for a while, but I've only slept against my siblings and parents." Even as she spoke, Aylin was making herself comfortable in a corner of the den, claiming it hers. Her back would be pressed against it once she finally curled up.

This den was too big for her liking, but if he and Zoey were to have cubs, they would need the extra room. Her having his cubs didn't even cross Aylin's mind. She didn't look at him like that. She looked at him as a protector of sorts.

 

[Princess_Feylin]

Mirsajadi

Mirsajadi was beginning to wonder if he would have to resort to clubbing her over the head and dragging her into the den. He refused to have her sleep outside. What other members of the pride would say about that, he didn't know, but he didn't think it would be favorable. For a lion to whom reputation mattered a great deal, Mirsajadi found it absolutely essential to control what others observed and said about him and his lifestyle.

Fortunately, Aylin eventually came around to seeing things his way. Actually, that was unlikely, but she had agreed to sleep inside the den, and that was good enough for Mirsajadi. The fact that she preferred to sleep a bit away from him suited him fine. He didn't like incidental contact anyway.

"I don't mind," he said. "I prefer to take up space when I sleep, as you may have noticed, and it's better not to have to worry about kicking someone when I do that."

He was still on the small side for a lion, so his idea of spreading out wasn't as impressive as another lion's might be, but he was a lion with a large personal space just the same. He really didn't mind at all if she wanted to keep her distance. At least for the time being. At some point she would have to get closer to him. There was more to being a banu than just sharing a den, after all.

Aylin

Aylin gave a little laugh and nodded. The first time she had slept too close to this male was the last time. She woke up with a swollen eye because he moved around so much in his sleep. She vowed never again to sleep that close. Maybe the cubs would be better, once there were some. Or even this Zoey girl. Yawning widely she curled up and put her head on her paws before looking over at him.

"....Thank you for taking me here, by the way..." She said. Actually, she couldn't remember if she'd said it at all so that's why she was thanking him now. He was truly a life and sanity savior. She would have gone insane if someone hadn't picked her up. Despite being very fitful when he slept, Mirsajadi was a very good companion. He talked to her when she wanted to talk, and didn't seem to mind her long lengths of silence.

No sooner than the female close her eyes was she asleep. She really did try to wait for a reply, but the wanderings made her so tired.

 

[Princess_Feylin]

Mirsajadi

Mirsajadi watched Aylin curl up and rest her chin on her paws. She was so small, smaller even than he was, and he couldn't deny that he found that appealing. There was a lot about Aylin he found appealing, and for that he was willing to put up with her silliness and strange flights of fancy. Besides, something deep inside him recognized that these were traits he lacked and could use in his life. However, if anyone were to ask him why he put up with such a strange banu, he would answer that he had seen her in a vision, which was true. It had been the first vision he'd ever experienced, before he even knew he wasn't sick, but gifted.

"You're welcome," he said, but she was already closing her eyes. He wasn't sure she even heard him. It didn't make a difference, he decided. She might not even want to thank him for bringing her back here once she got used to the pride's ways. Many captured banu, even those who returned voluntarily, came to the realization that they couldn't live in a pride as restrictive as the Ukuucha'Wafalme. Sometimes Mirsajadi felt the same way.

To all appearances Aylin had fallen right asleep, and so Mirsajadi sighed and turned around. He would sleep, too, but first he had duties to attend to that he might as well do while she slept. He had his father and the sultan to see and inform of his return, formally. He hoped those audiences would go quickly, because he desperately wanted to sleep, too.