[PRP - South] Plan Ahead (Piao & Kaihua)

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The lion shook out his black mane and stretched his abused muscles carefully before returning to his pacing. This was, more than anything else, his ritual after a successful run, to insure that he didn't abuse his body or do damage that would prevent him from continuing in his chosen line of work.

As a Messenger, Kaihua had just returned to his own South House from the Central and was looking forward to a relaxing afternoon. Of course, that would have to wait until he'd cooled down a bit more. It would be a bad idea to just fall asleep now and let his overworked body stiffen up. A Messenger's body was his tool, and if he didn't take good care of it, well, he'd be politely asked to find a job he could still do.

So here he was, walking in deliberate circles, trying to monitor whether or not he was ready for another mouthful of water.  

[Bronze Coffee]

Piao stretched himself out as he headed towards a place he knew for water. He hadn't drank in a while, on patrol for the South House. It was a bit uncommon, a guard for South House. He'd gotten used to the odd looks they gave him when he first arrived. Sighing slowly, the big, bulky male bumbled his way towards the spot and just stopped once he saw someone walking in circles as if in some sort of craze.

Molten yellow eyes watched in amusement and bewilderment at the purple male looked to the water every now and then and continued to circle. He shook his head, red mane ruffling before stepping closer and clearing his throat. "Something wrong with it?" He asked, gesturing to the drinking spot.  

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The bright red mane and tail were distinctive. Indeed, they were quite eye-catching, and so Kaihua was fairly certain he'd seen this lion around before, though they'd never spoken. Still, there was no reason to be rude in his book.

"Nothing's wrong with the water, I just don't want to make myself sick," he explained to the older male. "You've always got to be careful after a long run, or you can do more damage afterwards than you did during the whole run itself."

As he moved, the purple and white lion kept an eye on the other as he continued pacing his circle. It wasn't that he didn't trust the guy or anything, Kaihua simply wanted to be as polite as he could by trying to look him in the face...when he could.  

[Bronze Coffee]

Ah, that explained it. Nodding a bit, Piao moved over and took a drink himself, keeping it short in case the other expected him to talk, or tried to talk to him. He pulled back and licked his muzzle before just watching him, sitting down on his haunches.

"Running.. You must be a messenger then. I think I saw you leave. Your journey was successful and uneventful, then?" Rude or not, Piao didn't care. He wasn't trying to be rude, just making small talk. Piao needed to make friends in the pride, finally. He'd been here a while and knew not a single lion or lioness. Or anyone. He did his duties, went to his den, slept, ate, and repeated the process all over again. It was getting old and lonely really fast.  

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"Yep!" Kaihua agreed with some pride. Well, he was, after all. A Messenger, and proud of that status. He might not be the fastest, but he had endurance and the strength to make it through the distance.

He had to shrug though at the question about his journey. "It was a trip. No run is ever the same twice, but this one wasn't particularly remarkable." He considered the darker lion as he paused in his pacing long enough to drink his own mouthful of water.

"What of you?" Kaihua asked once he'd satisfied a portion of his thirst. "You're not a Messenger, unless if I miss my guess..."  

[Bronze Coffee]

"No, not a messenger. Not built for long distant running. Guard." He arched a brow and just dipped his own head and took another mouth full of water. Swallowing it easily, he shifted to lay down on his stomach then, legs tucked in and just watched him. "I believe I'm one of the few guards of South House. Piao, is my name."

Others probably had heard of him, considering he was not only a guard, but a very big male with a bright mane and equally bright eyes. However, if someone stared at him too long, Piao had been known to call them out on it. He was sort of gruff without meaning to be. "So an uninteresting run and you look about ready to sleep now. Why don't you just... stop pacing? I've never had any troubles after running to hunt with just laying down when I'm tired."  

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Kaihua nodded at the clipped explanation. It did make sense, given the older male's - Piao's - general build and it was an occupation he probably could have guessed if he'd put his mind to it.

"Kaihua," he replied, offering his own name in return. Well, his Tianxian name. He didn't especially care for his real name, Sagohl L'hanaytz, but what could you do about the names parents gave you? At least the name that pride custom dictated he use was far more bearable.

"Yes, but I was running for a good half a day," the younger lion explained. "I need to make sure my muscles are properly cooled off before I lie down to sleep." And, to be completely honest, many of the Messengers thought that the young lion was overly conscientious about the consequences long distance running could have on his body. But he wanted to have a nice, long career, and simply wished to invest the time and thought necessary to preserve that possibility.  

[Bronze Coffee]

Piao nodded lightly at the explanation and then turned away to look around. Well, it made sense, but it seemed very odd to him to need to 'cool down' your muscles. Even when he ran for hunting he had no such troubles, but again, he wasn't built for long distance running. Piao just took a deep breath and stretched himself out before rolling his shoulders, listening to them crack.

What else was there to talk about? The other needed to stretch and then rest, Piao was tired and miserable looking and honestly? He didn't talk too much. He'd already said more to this one than to any other he's met. All of his conversation skills went into fighting when hew as still part of the Demon pride. You had to fight for everything there.

"I suppose that's all I really have to say." He was not good company.

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"Well enough," the purple lion replied easily. He wasn't looking for a long and drawn out conversation just now either. To cover the pause, he stopped and took another mouthful of water, swallowing slowly and taking stock of his weary legs. They still burned a bit, but had loosened enough that he would trust himself to lie down.

Kaihua stretched himself leisurely and shook out his mane. "I think I'm ready for bed, after that run. It was nice to speak with you, Piao," he told the darker lion with a smile and a nod before heading off to his own den.  

[Bronze Coffee]

Bright yellow eyes watched the purple male still and he nodded when he said he was going. "Nice speaking with you as well, Kaihua. I will e seeing you around." With that, the big male shook himself off and padded off himself. What he was doing before this meeting he couldn't remember, but walking would help jog his memory.