[PRP] Decidedly Different [Suha x Kazuki]

[Avid_RPer18]

Suha’Eilir was in a bit of a spot. There was a slump in his research activity and that meant that his focus might drift from the world around him at present, back to days gone by, days that were still a little too painful to linger upon. The cheetah sat along the streambed, listening to the stronger burbling of the river nearby. The grass was very high in places with some clearance along the water’s edge. There were smooth stones littering the edge and the streambed. Most were of relatively uniform color with slight striations of a lighter color, but there were a few of considerably different hue. Suha had collected a few and had piled them up in front of him. He was considering them, but not actually inspecting. Such funks tended him more towards speculation than actual study. Where had these stones originated? Or was it that the few ‘different’ ones were the ones that actually belonged and the bulk of the majority had actually come from elsewhere, perhaps washed to this place in some flood or landslide. They had no markings that might indicate that they had been brought here. He heaved a sigh and promptly batted the small pile in front of him to splash noisily into the water.

"Useless," He muttered to himself as he rose to his feet. Considering the history of river rocks. Hmph! That wouldn't help him. Following along the stream toward where it joined with the larger river, the male weaved through the high grass to see what there was to see along the larger body of water.

Velveteen Angel

 

[Velveteen Angel]

Kazuki was bored, and when Kazuki got bored, she got inventive and often thought up new games to entertain herself - more daring than the last. Today, however, she was playing an old favourite. She smiled to herself, humming quite happily as she lounged on a branch overhanging the water.

Crocodiles snapped angrily beneath her as she dragged her tail across the water's surface, teasing them and yanking her tail out of their reach moments before they would have caught it and send her plunging down to her death. It was really an impressive display of reflexes if one thought of it that way, however Kazuki had been playing this game for years. She had survived a lot in her life, a lot, and this was just another example of surviving. Every miss, every flick of her tail that saved her from death, that was another story of survival added to her belt.

She smiled to herself, watching the crocodiles with fascination.

Being so close to death was an odd experience to her. Her heart was racing, her pulse throbbing and her senses heightened. It was a rush, through and through.

She was good at the game, almost rhythmic as she flicked her tail, completely at ease with the game.

Avid_RPer18

 

[Avid_RPer18]

Drawing closer to the river brought the expected sounds of life along the river. There was the rustling of the grass in the breeze, the shushing sound of flowing water, the sounds of birds and insects that thrived plentifully along the riverside, among others. However, something was amiss. There sounded like quite a disturbance coming from nearby, thrashing and splashing, and the occasional, worrisome clack. Suha practically felt his fur bristle as he lowered his head to make for less of an intrusion as he emerged from the dense high grass. Flicking his gaze up and down the stretch of river, it didn't take any time to spot the origin of the commotion.

A breath caught in his throat and his eyes widened at the sight. A fair female cheetah seemed to be casually lounging upon a branch that grew out over the water, teasing the large predators with flicks and swishes lower across the water's surface. What in the world was she doing?! The male squinted his eyes to try to get a better look at her. Was she...Was she smiling?! Did she not realize the danger she was in? Was she suicidal?! Suha quickly stalked closer, slipping back into the grass so as to be out of easy reach of the water's edge. No, he had seen crocodiles at work. One wouldn't think that there was a huge predator lurking in the still waters until a pair of jaw launched out of the water with massive weight behind them to snatch one up and drag them to their deaths, or to tear them to pieces in those horrible violent death rolls.

Emerging from the grass nearer to the tree, Suha felt an anxious sort of knot in his stomach. This was very risky. If noticed by one of the crocodiles, he could end up a target. Crocodiles could do an odd sort of gallop for a short distance if they wanted to and their tails could propel them quite quickly from the water. Or, in his trying to attract the female's attention to get her to safety, the female's distraction might be taken advantage of by the incensed reptiles and they could catch her and pull her under. "Miss, please come away from there! This isn't safe." Shifting his gaze to the frenzied crocs, he made a sound of general discomfort. "Nngh. Miss, please." He echoed again.

Velveteen Angel

 

[Velveteen Angel]

Kazuki was startled by the voice calling out her, her tail flicking down close to the crocodiles and she almost didn't move it fast enough - thankfully, the jaws of the crocodile missed by mere centimeters as she flicked it up to wrap around her slender body.

She turned her gaze to the stranger who called to her. She perked up. Oh! Another Cheetah! Kazuki hadn't spent much time around her own species as of late, instead finding herself int he company of lions and other odd species. She liked cheetahs though.

She frowned though, as he seemed concerned. Why was he concerned? She wondered, rising to her paws and padding off of the tree branch, back to teh safety of the bank but not because he told her to, but because she wanted to talk to him.

"You seem afraid," she said as she padded over to where he stood, looking perplexed. "Why?"

Avid_RPer18

 

[Avid_RPer18]

Suha tensed at the dip of the female's tail down nearer to the snapping jaws of the waiting crocodiles. When she flicked it up to curl around herself, he barely felt any comfort from the sigh he gave. He gave her a pleading look when she met his gaze. When the female rose to her feet, he took a few steps back to give her more room to get out of the tree.

"Why am I afraid?" He echoed. "Afraid? Perhaps a little, but more so concerned for you and respectful of the power of the crocodiles." Suha looked back to the crocs. "Hng. Let's get away from here, miss." He indicated back through the grass. "There's a stream that joins this river not far from here. We can trace my steps back there. It'll be away from those riled up reptiles." Clearing his throat, he began to walk back away from the river proper.

"From my understanding and from what I've seen, crocodiles are hugely power ambush predators that are capable of astounding speed. Their jaws are capable of crushing bone, rending and tearing prey to pieces. Prey much larger than ourselves. The only crocodile I'd see as remotely safe to be around would be one that is absolutely full, recently having fed, or asleep. Miss, might I ask, what were you doing up there? It was incredibly risky."

Velveteen Angel

 

[Velveteen Angel]

Kazuki was baffled by the reaction he appeared to be having. It was like he was dying, but he clearly wasn't. So weird! She followed where he led though, listening to him with a look of confusion.

"They're hardly that dangerous," Kazuki huffed with a careless shrug of her shoulders. "It's not like they would ever actually catch me. I'm far too quick for them." She peered at him. "What was I doing? Having fun! Gosh, you must be so boring if you've never played with the crocs before!"

What did he do for fun if he didn't do that? Her life had been so hectic, so crazy that she couldn't imagine doing boring, normal things and getting the same rush that she got from the crocodiles. It was madness!

Avid_RPer18

 

[Avid_RPer18]

Suha could scarcely believe what he was hearing. Hardly that dangerous? Was she serious? Had she spent any time watching those beasts? He blinked at her in stunned silence for a moment as they approached the smaller off shooting stream. "Miss, it isn't wise to at least be a little cautious around them. You may well have reflexes like lightning, but someday there may be one who is just quick enough to get a bite out of you. And if that happens," He trailed off to puff an exhale through his teeth. "That would be it."

Emerging from the grass along the gently running stream, Suha turned to face the odd cheetah and sat down. "Having fun? Dangling yourself over hungry crocodiles like bait is fun?" He shook his head. In his mind, he couldn't remotely begin to process that activity as fun. Terrifying, yes. A source of fun and enjoyment? No indeed! Getting that close to those large predators and their snapping jaws wasn't something that he had any desire to do. Nope. He was content to see from a safe, respectful distance. Shaking his head again, he cleared his throat. "No, miss, I can't say that I've ever had any desire to seek out crocodiles to...play with. I've observed and studied them to some degree, but I've never frolicked with them. Or teased them. My idea of fun tends to be, well, less life threatening." He fell quiet again for a moment and rose to his feet. "Miss, my name is Suha'Eilir, or Suha for simplicity's sake. Might I have your name, unless you'd prefer me to keep addressing you as 'miss'?"

Velveteen Angel

 

[Velveteen Angel]

Kazuki smiled, a somewhat serene and calm smile at his words. She breathed a heavy sigh. "If, one day my reflexes are not fast enough, then I will simply get to explore the next greatest game - the after life!" She bounced on her paws. "I am not ready for it yet, but some day..." she had seen death in her life, it had been blamed on her even, and she had almost lost a male she cared for to the grips of death. No, she wasn't ready for it yet...but when she was ready for it, it would be the biggest adventure ever.

She stared at him a look of confusion on her face. "But...if it's not dangerous, how do you even know you're alive?" She asked, unaware that her views on life were a little...unorthodox. She had spent so many years in essential captivity, so when it came to freedom, it was an exciting prospect. Simply 'getting by' wouldn't do for her.

"My name is Kazuki," she offered, crinkling her nose. "Please don't ever call me Miss." Too many bad memories in that title.

Avid_RPer18

 

[Avid_RPer18]

Suha sat in almost stunned silence for a few moments at the answer to his first statement. She considered the afterlife as the next greatest game? Huh. Well, for all his wanderings, he couldn't say that he had heard that one before. It was unexpected and he pondered the thought. He was aware some feared death, some welcomed it. For all the lives out in the world, there was very likely a specific view or thought on what the afterlife held or would be like for every one of them. Huh. "That's...an interesting way of viewing it, I suppose. Hm."

He shook his head when she continued on. "How do I know I'm alive?" He blinked with cleared his throat. "Well, I have evidence all around me. I don't need danger to let me know I'm living. I walk, I talk, I eat, I breathe, I feel, I think, I seek to learn and grow. My heart beats within my chest and my blood flows through my veins. I can hear it pounding in my ears after a run or a hunt. I have needs that life calls me to answer. I hunger, I thirst, I can grow weary and tired, I can behurt. If I were dead, I would need nothing for it is my body that requires things to continue functioning. I imagine that if I were dead, my soul or spirit, whatever you may prefer, wouldn't have such drives." Giving a slight shrug, he continued to consider her. "Is feeling danger the only thing that lets you know you're alive?"

Upon learning he name, he gave a small polite smile and respectfully bowed his head. "My apologies if I have offended, Kazuki. I didn't know what else to call you. It isn't in me to address an unknown female as 'girl', 'woman', or even 'female'. It's not respectful."

Velveteen Angel

 

[Velveteen Angel]

She tilted her head to the side, not understanding his comment. "An interesting way of looking at it? But how do you view it then?" Surely he didn't think it was the end...that would be very dull and very disappointing way to end a life so full of wonders - if there was just...nothing.

"How do you know you couldn't do all that when you were dead?" She queried, bouncing on her paws a little, a playful spring in her step despite the rather morbid topic. "How do you know it's not all just a trick placed on you? You're simply going through the motions of being alive~ how do you really know?" She demanded cheerfully, with a bright smile. To her, if she simply went through the motions of eating, walking, hurting, then how did she know? That spike in her pulse, that rush of her heart, you couldn't fake that. That was life.

She smiled warmly, her earlier distaste gone. "I understand, Suha," she soothed, holding no grudge. "It simply brings back bad memories that are best left in the past for me. Anyway, what's wrong with being disrespectful?" She smiled and rolled her eyes. "Respect is overrated." Respect didn't let you live, it let you get by.

Avid_RPer18

 

[Avid_RPer18]

How did he view the afterlife? Well, he certainly didn't think on it often, but when he did, he did so deeply. "To be fair, thinking of the afterlife as a game is an interesting way of looking at it. I can't recall a single other person having described their idea of the afterlife being like yours. It isn't a bad thing. As for how I see it, hm." Suha quieted for a moment to muse on his thoughts. "I can't say I have a clear picture on what is to come, but I feel that it'll be a place where I can be with lost loved ones. A place of peace and happiness, a place where one can rest and enjoy what they did in life." He gave a sort of shrug. "I might enjoy learning how the world works, but I don't think that this world is the only one there is. There is more out there than I can experience here."

He bobbed his head side to side, considering her argument for the matter. "I don't know, nor could I know unless I found myself deceased. It is my belief that my body and my soul, my spirit are separate things. My soul may reside in my body, but at the time of my death, it'll leave my body and move on to the world beyond. My spirit is who I am, my personality, my thoughts, my feelings. My body is what carries my spirit through this life. When it comes time for me to die, then I will no longer need my body nor will I need to sustain it." Her cheerful demand actually brought an amused grin to his face. "How do I truly know that I am alive, really truly?" He chuckled and shook his head. "Well, by that argument, would you yourself not already be dead too? That we are presently in the afterlife and, that even if your reflexes failed, that you would be fine because you were already dead? I am alive because I feel that I am alive. I know that if I did nothing to sustain myself, I would diminish, weaken, and die. Or is it a possibility that we can die or be killed in the afterlife too? I don't believe my spirit would need food or water to carry on."

He bowed his head to her at her easily given chipper forgiveness. "Then I shan't call you that again." Lifting his gaze again, he offered her a smile of his own. "That's just how I was brought up. I think some disrespect is alright with familiarity, but to strangers, elders, and casual acquaintances, I prefer to be polite, if I can help it."

Velveteen Angel

 

[Velveteen Angel]

She peered at him as he spoke, seemingly enthralled by his way of thinking of the afterlife. To her, everything was a new adventure, but that wasn't how everyone viewed it. "I find your way interesting," she admitted, but she squinted slightly, "though it seems still that you are afraid. Not afraid of dying, because that would be silly!" She giggled but grew more serious again after a few moments. "You seem afraid of not knowing..." the way he spoke seemed to imply there was still so much to know in this world, and he wouldn't be content to leave without knowing it. Was he afraid to leave with questions unanswered? Kazuki wasn't afraid anymore. It had been months since she had been afraid of death.

She grinned. "I see your point! That's why I make my heart race - who knows if this is all an illusion? Maybe we're all dead, maybe we were never alive to begin with. Maybe we're all just a dream, an idea in someone's mind that never existed in the first place...but when my heart races," she sighed, a look of peace coming across her face, "that is how I know. I know because it feels as if it will leap from my chest and go on its own adventure, so it's all I can do to keep up with it." All she wanted was to be alive, and playing with the crocodiles, leaping from trees, all of that meant she was still in danger, she was still fighting, she was still living. It was not the healthiest way to live, but it was a way.

She smiled. "Well feel free to be rude to me, now that I am a friend - and I shan't hear that I'm still an acquaintance! We have discussed our mortality, surely that makes us friends, if not just some weird gloomy death buddies." She giggled to herself, amused at the idea.

Avid_RPer18

Sorry! My guild RP muse disappeared :c