[PRP] The science of bling (Ambrosio, Marrubi)

[Annchen]

Marrubi had found another thing that worried him lately. He didn't yet look like a pirate. Most of his new pride mates were adorned with various accessories they had plundered or acquired in other ways, but he had nothing. The trinket he presented to the Commodore in order to join was his only plundered treasure to date.

He sat in the shadow, grooming his mane. He couldn't make up his mind... Perhaps he looked too well groomed and fancy like this? He used a paw to mess up the mane a little, but it didn't feel right either, so he started grooming all over again. He really needed something that helped him look the part. All the other pride members looked so... pirate-y.  

[Pearlyblue]

Annchen

Ambrosio (He did so prefer his pirate name) bobbed his head in tune with a melody that only he could hear as he sauntered up from the beach. He hadn't found anything particularly interesting, but it never hurt to have a look. The ocean was a powerful and fickle little lady, just as likely to gently lift something valuable onto the shores, as she was to hungrily suck down an unwary or unlucky swimmer.

Not that Ambrosio particularly worried about that last part. He rarely, if ever, entered the water. Firstly, because the salt would do no favors for his lovely fur, and secondly because getting the ocean out of said fur was really, really oogy.

And thirdly, of course, because it could be dangerous.

Having had no luck on his little escapade hadn't had the slightest effect on his mood, though, and he even had a little grin on his face while he walked, making little beats of music with the rattling of his many beads.

It took him a little moment to notice the dark lion sitting in the shade, and he was almost a little startled when he did. A brief flash of embarrassment swept over him as he realised it was very likely that the other had seen him bobbing to an inaudible beat, but he quickly took it in stride and let out a little chuckle.

"Why hello, I almost didn't see you there," he called out, changing his direction slightly and sauntering up to the dark lion in the shady spot. "Come to think of it, I'm not too sure I've seen you around before... At the very least, I can't for the life of me recall your name. Were you at that party, last full moon?"  

[Annchen]

Pearlyblue

Marrubi was way too busy worrying over his own appearance to notice the peculiar way the leopard pirate was moving. He did hear the noise coming from his bracelets however, and looked up just in time for Ambrosio to greet him. Marrubi had never felt naked in his fur before, but he definitely felt underdressed now. He really needed to try to get some bling or furs or anything.

"Hello," he said, "I guess I'm kind of new. I'm Marrubi."

Some pirates had started to call him Jinx, but he wasn't sure if he was supposed to call himself that too. He thought he'd seen the leopard before, but he had a hard time remembering all the new names and faces. He wondered what he had missed, since he hadn't yet joined the pride at the time of the full moon party the leopard mentioned. He hated missing out.  

[Pearlyblue]

Annchen

"Oh, it's nice to meet you then, Marrubi." Ambrosio quite cheerfully sat himself down in the same shade as the dark lion and smoothly wrapped his tail around his paws. Noticing Marrubi's glances, however, he lifted one paw and gave the bracelet a little jangle.

"You like? they're a little flashy, perhaps, but I'm really fond of them." He knew full well that some of the guys thought his trinkets were a bit too... Well, jewellry-like. Like something more suited for corsairs than pirates. He didn't care, he figured they were mostly jealous that he could pull off something they'd never be able to, but in case this particular guy found them offensive or something, it was just as well to be a bit preemptive.  

[Annchen]

Pearlyblue

"They're nice," Marrubi said, without a trace of irony. All the pirate outfits seemed more or less flashy to him still, so he couldn't really judge if these were more or less so than normal. "Where did you get them?"

He assumed it would take some plundering and whatnot to get an outfit that was just right. Would he need to pierce his ears? Many of the pirates had hoops or studs in the ears. Wait, would he have to make a hole first, or find something to put in it first. His brow furrowed. He had once again managed to confuse himself, trying to figure out things he had no knowledge of.

"Do you think I should get my ears pierced?" he blurted, continuing the conversation in the middle of his muddled track of thoughts.  

[Pearlyblue]

Ambrosio's ears twitched upwards in pleasure at having his trinkets praised and gave the lion a big smile.

"Oh, I scavenged the shells and feathers from all over the place... The cloth was a... gift... you could say... and I earned the hoop and the baubles from a raid we di- Hm?" Not in the least bit upset about being suddenly cut off by the lion's new line of thought, Ambrosio paused and took a good look at his dark companion.

"...Yes. I really think that would suit you. The pain passes pretty quickly, and the results can be very rewarding. In your case, I think I'd go with something shiny - It'll really stand out against your dark fur, and look all the more impressive. Other than that... if you don't mind my butting in with advice?" He found himself and cleared his throat, offering the lion another friendly grin. "I'm Ambrosio, by the way. Sorry I forgot to introduce myself. I'm the kind of pirate who likes loot, shinies and flair, I guess. I just like seeing people look their best."  

[Annchen]

Pearlyblue

"Ambrosio," he repeated, "Nice to meet you! No, I don't mind. I think I might need some help..."

Pierced ears and something shiny... Got it. With a little help from this friendly and helpful leopard he might be able to look the part. He couldn't help but worry that he missed out on something by not dressing like a real pirate. Pain? Pain wasn't a problem if it helped him fit in. He was so lucky Ambrosio was willing to give him a few pointers! He did want to look his best. The dark lion had the hopeful expression of an eager cub.  

[Pearlyblue]

Ambrosio's ears perked happily when Marrubi actually asked for some pointers, but he could not possibly hold back when he saw the earnest, cub-like eagerness on the dark lion's face. Part of him recognized the classic sucker in this one, and almost on principle wanted to abuse this trust for all the entertainment it could give him, and some part of him just wanted to cuddle the guy. He snorted once, then burst out in a good-natured laugh. It was really the only thing he could do.

"Well, I have to say it's a delight to meet someone so eager to talk about decorations! Most pirates around here just seem to throw on whatever they find on the beach... And with, let's say, varying results." He collected himself and gave the black lion a nod. "I'd be glad to help you out, and happy to be heard."

He took a moment to consider Marrubi's colours and his previous conclusions, and decided he'd been right with his first hunch. "Coral. If you can get your paws on it. Red or pink coral would look great on you. Also leather, and leop- cheetah-fur. Any rocks or baubles should either be shiny, gold or silver or copper don't really matter, or on the wooden colour-sceme, browns, yellows and reds. A turtle-shell would look just right on you. And then maybe just ONE detail in, like, vivid blue, just to really pull the attention and put everything together."

His eyes had gotten a little bit glassy as he looked beyond the lion that sat in front of him, and reimagining Marrubi's future self. Without really thinking about it, he leaned in a little bit closer than what was perhaps appropriate and stared intently at the dark lion's face. "Yes... A big, intensely blue, maybe green feather, hanging from one ear, down to just below the jaw... Oh," He smiled, very pleased with the image he saw in his head. "Splendid."  

[Annchen]

Pearlyblue

He did his best to remember all the advice. Coral, shinies, wood, feather. He better not mess this up! It was probably best to double check his new gear with Ambrosio later. Where could he find a large feather? Many pride members had birds that hung around, but he was fairly sure it would be frowned upon to pluck one of them... Hunting perhaps? But birds were a pain to catch. He sighed and gave the leopard a grateful look.

"I really need help with this," Marrubi said, "I've tried to figure things out on my own, but planning an outfit is hard. I would probably have ended up throwing things together in the end."

Coral was a sea thing, so that should be easy. Easy-ish... All this new advice almost made him forget what he had fretted about earlier, but a stray strand of pale pink mane on his foreleg reminded him. He flicked it away with a claw. He might as well ask Ambrosio about his hair issue too...

"Do you think my mane looks ok like this," he said in a low voice. "I don't know if it's too... groomed."  

[Pearlyblue]

Ambrosio sat down a little bit closer than he had before, and smiled again, then he got serious for a moment and let out a little sigh through his nose.

"Honestly, I think most pirates really do just throw things together, not really caring how the overall impression turns out. And in some cases the end result is pretty awesome, but in some cases..." He wrinkled his nose. "I guess I just don't see why every guy wouldn't want to look his very best. But then, I'm sure they think they do." His expression made it perfectly clear that the blue leopard had strong opinions about letting some people dress themselves.

"Anyway, your mane?" Ambrosio took another careful look at Marrubi. "Well... It's not really like most pirates to be too groomed, but you don't have to look like a bird has been nesting on you for a couple of years, either, even though some of us kind of do... Here's what you do." He sat up, steadying himself with his thick tail, and lifted both front paws off the ground. "To get the right, wild-and-free look that says 'I'm a dangerous pirate, but a damn handsome one,' what you do is that after you've groomed yourself properly, you take your paws and do this." Ambrosio quickly and effectively mussed the lion's mane up with five careful pats, then sat back down again, wrapping his tail around his paws.

"Just fuzz it up a little, and don't be too heavy with your paws. The wind will do the rest." He grinned, feeling pretty good about being able to share his opinions on style, for once. There wouldn't be many in this pride who'd listen so patiently to him, even less of those who'd let him fuzz with their manes, for sure. And lions had such lovely, poofy manes, too...  

[Annchen]

Pearlyblue

Marrubi didn't expect to get actual paws-on help with his hair, but he wasn't complaining. He looked a little bashful while Ambrosio tended to his mane, but gave him a grateful smile afterwards. He wondered if the leopard would help him again if he couldn't get the hang of it on his own. But he should be able to do that, whatever he had done. It looked easy when the other pirate did it.

"Thanks for all you help," he said, tossing his mane experimentally. Yeah, that should do it. "I think I better go find some gear... I guess I'll see you around Ambrosio!"

He was still not sure how he'd managed to get everything on his mental shopping list, but it had to be easier now when he sort of knew what he was looking for.

"I'm a dangerous pirate," he said to himself as he wandered off, "and a damn handsome one!"

He didn't care if anyone heard him. Now to find a bird and figure out how to pluck a feather from it without ruining his awesome looking mane.