[JRP] Always do the right thing (Honey & Yellowbelly)

[Princess_Feylin]

Yellowbelly

That had been a complete and utter failure, Yellowbelly thought to himself as he moped on the rocks by the seashore. There were starfish clinging tenaciously to the craggy surface, one or two waving their arms as if to attract the lion's attention.

"If I were m'brother, ye'd be in trouble," Yellowbelly told the waving starfish.

The starfish didn't seem to care. But Yellowbelly did. He cared a great deal. It was just so unfair that he'd been born so large, and yet such a coward. He couldn't stomach violence or blood, or anything except fermented fruit, really.

The red-eyed lion sighed. "'Course, m'not m'brother. An' tha's the problem."

Honey

"'Afternoon Yellowbelly," a golden cheetah greeted the despondent lion.

"Yer lookin' a mite down in th' mouth," he remarked. "Is there anythin' I can do to brighten yer day?"

The cheetah had been called Honey almost since his first days in the Maestros. In his family, before he found the Maestros, he'd been named Miere Sarut: honey kiss. The shortening to just plain Honey had been natural, especially once the pride got an idea of what sort of a fellow he was.

And when he said the pride, he meant the ladies of the pride. Honey had a way with them. A charming demeanor and an easy smile, a knack for getting them to the ground beneath him. You could almost say it was a calling.

 

[Princess_Feylin]

Yellowbelly

"'Afternoon, Honey," Yellowbelly replied, still morose, though just the sight of the sweet-talking cheetah cheered him somewhat. Honey always brightened the day wherever he went.

He was about to tell Honey that there was nothing he could do, but then it occurred to him that Honey might actually be able to help. Honey was good with women. Maybe he could offer Yellowbelly some advice on that front. Help him out with the pirate king's sharp-edged daughter.

Before his pride could stop him from asking, Yellowbelly blurted out, "Mind if I pick yer brain about th' fairer sex?"

Honey

That explained it. Girl trouble. Honey could certainly help him out in that case. He figured he knew nearly everything there was to know about women.

"I'd be glad t' help, Yellowbelly. Tell Honey what's troubling ye, rather who's troublin' ye, an' I'll do m'best to steer ye straight."

Honey had wondered for a bit whether Yellowbelly was even attracted to females. There had never been any hint of a relationship between him and any of the corsairs of the pride in all the time Honey had lived among the Maestros. At least his plea for help answered that question.

 

[Princess_Feylin]

Yellowbelly

Already he was beginning to feel stupid for asking. The hope that Honey might be able to help him in his predicament was just a little too strong for Yellowbelly to turn back now. Not to mention he wasn't exactly eager to add yet another instance of cowardice to his already impressive resume.

"It's th' pirate king's daughter," he said. Moments later he recalled that the pirate king actually had several daughters, some of whom were so much younger than him that having an interest in them would just be disgusting and sick, and so he clarified: "From his first litter. His oceanic jewel."

He had always thought that hers was a beautiful name. He loved saying it, and thought it suited her perfectly. She was like a jewel, right down to the sharp edges. And she was also like the sea in her unpredictability and beauty. It killed him that she thought so little of him. He couldn't even convince himself to be pleased she knew enough about him to have an opinion on him, given how bad her opinion was.

Honey

Honey's ears, usually upright and set at a good-natured angle, flickered backward when Yellowbelly told him the source of his heartaches. Of all the females in the pride, Honey had spent very little time with Joya, largely because she - and more importantly her black brother - made him incredibly uncomfortable. They didn't think or act like regular folks, and he knew they were the sort to keelhaul you as soon as look at you.

"Joya," he began weakly, but then firmed his resolve. He didn't know how many males of the pride had ever tried approaching her with romance on their mind. Her utter devotion to her brother was well-known, and no one wanted to tangle with Blackbeard.

"Well, she's a woman, and deep down she wants what they all do."

He was fudging things here, making up for lack of specific knowledge and ideas about the subject with generalizations until he could find out more. This was an interesting project, and now that it had come to his attention, Honey was determined to figure out how to solve Yellowbelly's problem.

 

[Princess_Feylin]

Yellowbelly

Yellowbelly stared blankly at Honey, completely ignorant of the cheetah's hesitation. Whatever did it mean, Joya wanted what all women want? Yellowbelly had thought that might be pretty trinkets and sweet words, and most importantly someone to love her whole-heartedly, as Yellowbelly did, but she hadn't been impressed when he had offered her that.

"An' wha' is tha'?" he asked. "I offered'er a silver shiny an' told'er she's th' most beautiful lioness in th' worl', but she...she didna care t' hear't."

She had been cruel in spurning him and driven him away with claws and fangs, actually, but Yellowbelly didn't want to admit that. To earn so much disdain from the object of his affection was like a knife in the gut, and he didn't want to relive it by telling Honey about it. Besides, Honey had probably never been rebuffed in his life.

Honey

"Well. They like to be told nice things about themselves, an' they like when ye listen t' what they have t'say an' remember't." That was good and generic, but also true, at least for pretty much everyone, male and female alike.

"Don' think ye can go buyin'er love, either. Ladies - 'specially ones like Joya - know their worth better'n ye can guess, an' if ye guess wrong ye'll not be forgiv'n. S'better t' be seen as a companion."

Honey doubted Joya wanted for companionship beyond her brother, but he didn't think Yellowbelly had much chance with her anyway unless he could figure out some way to capture her attention in a favorable way. Without being told, Honey could guess much of what had passed between Joya and Yellowbelly.

"I must be honest with ye, Yellowbelly. If yer heart's set on that'un, ye risk much. She's wild an' fierce an' cruel. Ye'd be better off findin' someone warmer an' softer."

 

[Princess_Feylin]

Yellowbelly

Those thoughts had also occurred to Yellowbelly, who had been born Pizarro and wished he could have stuck with that name. It was so much less embarrassing and demeaning than the name he had been saddled with. The name he had earned for himself.

"I can' just stop lovin'er," he told Honey. "So wha' can I do? B'sides listen. I would'a done tha' anyway."

He really couldn't imagine Joya ever treating him as a confidante. Such a thing was too much to hope. She had made it clear exactly how little she thought of him, his physicality, and his mental acumen. Joya didn't care what he looked like, or how intelligent he was. It was his cowardice and uselessness that repelled and repulsed her.

"'Tis my cowardice she objects to in th' main, I s'pect. B'aint there some way t' be less o' a coward?"

Honey

"'M 'fraid I dinna know much abou' that, Yellowbelly. Courage b'aint one o' me problems. P'raps iffin' ye were t' stage somethin' that'd need ye t'be brave an' arrange fer her t'see't?"

That was generally among the last resorts Honey would go to if he was truly desperate to make a female think well of him, but it was obvious that Yellowbelly's case was desperate, and exceptional. Exceptionally desperate, one might even say. Honey felt sorry for him and his predicament.

As a warning, Honey added firmly, "I'd only use this as a last resort. So b'fore ye go t' th' trouble, be mighty sure 'tis what ye want. An' then make sure she never finds out ye tricked'er."

He could well imagine Joya's fury at being tricked so. She would probably work together with that terrifying brother of hers to figure out some way to make the poor sod's life a living hell. And probably the life of whatever fools helped him in his endeavor. Honey decided not to be one of them.

 

[Princess_Feylin]

Yellowbelly

The lion shook his head. The idea had merit, but held little appeal. Perhaps it was foolish and vain, but Yellowbelly wanted Joya to like him and appreciate him more or less as he was, and not because he pretended to be something else. Obviously, if he became that something else, he wouldn't have an issue with her believing him to be that, but the idea of staging some sort of elaborate hoax to make himself seem more impressive and brave didn't sit well with him.

"Nay. I canna' do that. 'Twouldn't be real. I thank ye fer th' thought though."

Yellowbelly shook his head, settling his mane more comfortably around his face and shoulders, and stood up. "Whatever 'tis I'm t'do, 'twon't be done sittin' 'round here. I'll be off, I think."

He nodded to Honey and began padding away. It had been stupid of him to think that Honey could help him with Joya. After all, if Honey had known how to impress her, surely he would have followed his own advice and gone for her himself, despite what he said about thinking Yellowbelly ought to look elsewhere. Maybe he just wanted Joya, too.

Honey

Honey shrugged at Yellowbelly's response, and then again when he said he wouldn't get anything done lazing around the water. That much was certainly true.

"All right. Go well, Yellowbelly," he bid the poor lion.

It was a shame about Yellowbelly being all lovestruck and all, but not so much of a shame that Honey was going to let it spoil his day. As soon as Yellowbelly was out of sight Honey hopped onto the rocks he'd occupied and lay down. Ah! Still warm.