"Call you up, in the middle of the night... Like a fireflight without a light..." He had nowhere he was heading, keeping a smile on his face despite the surroundings. "You were like a bowtorch burning, I was a key that could use a little turning..." Pavla did a few steps, turning in his spot. As he continued his dancing progress forward, a series of coughs reached his ears. "So tired I couldn't even sleep, so many secrets I couldn't keep..." Violet eyes scanned the area, soon landing on a two-tone pink lion. "Promised myself I wouldn't weep, one more promise I couldn't keep..."
Lutfi thought he'd been prepared, mentally, for the true scope of the disease. He'd been proven wrong as soon as he'd come down with the symptoms, and would freely admit that he was jealous Nilofer had recovered. Not immune, but not showing the ravaging signs of illness. A carrier of the plague that beset the pride. Despite his absolute misery, he'd opted to become a guard, stopping others from leaving the pride's self-sanctioned isolation unless they were immune. He had started to wonder if any considered never coming back, of course. Probably a few. Recently the bone-faced black lioness' son had left, a promise despite the love Lutfi was sure the boy felt for his mother and sisters to never return. Power to the kid, really. But others... He had also wondered how anybody could smile, and especially how anybody could SING like whoever the sodding fool coming closer was.
As he got closer, he could already see the dour look on the lion's face. He could also make out the markings better, recognizing him as one of the two lions that Shinkai had brought home with her. So he'd caught the disease, after all! "It seems no one can help now, I'm in too deep, there's no way out! This time I have really lead myself astray!" He bounced around the other lion, offering him a smile. "Hello!"
Lutfi leaned back, ears folding in irritation as his lips curled back. How could this lion be so damn CHIPPER while singing a song that sounded so GRIM? "Hi.." When had his voice become so scratchy? He'd barely noticed the transition, but could blame nobody except himself. He had, after all, agreed to this place. "What in the world are you singing?"
Pavla's face lit up, front dropping as he stretched. "Runaway train, never goin' back! Wrong way on a one-way track!" He tilted his head, watching Lutfi, before he fully rolled onto his back "Seems like I should be getting somewhere, somehow I'me neither here nor there!" His paws tucked to his chest, still smiling. "Heard a bird singing it one day in passing, don't know the name."
He let out a humph, sitting down. "I see..." He tilted his head, pondering the lyrics. "And why are you singing something that sounds so dark?" That wasn't even getting on the matter of what a train or track was. He hadn't realized he'd stopped paying the brown lion any attention until he felt a pair of paws on his face. Steel blue eyes grew wide, surprised at how fast the other had sat up and shoved his cheeks.
"Can you help me remember how to smile? Make it somehow all seem worthwhile." For the first time, he frowned, head tilting. A flicker of the expected sadness in such a place, despite the smile, shimmered in his eyes. "How on earth did I get so jaded? Life's mysteries seem so faded." He let Lutfi's face go, before offering a paw. "Pavla, by the way, and sometimes we need to embrace the darkness to live with it." His head tilted back, eyes closing as his smile returned. "I can go where noone else can go, I know what no one else knows. Here I am just drownin' in the rain, with a ticket for a runaway train!"
There it was... The chipperness was a facade, a mask Pavla wore. Of course he couldn't keep smiling forever. But how much was forced, exactly? He lifted his paws, rubbing his face for a moment, then put his paws down. "Lutfi. I came in with Shinkai, one of the healers." Of course, being the mate of one of the healers DID have some big perks, namely in the area of treatment. He supposed his throat COULD be much worse than it actually was. Though singing probably did nothing for it... He regarded Pavla, frowning. "I think I remember her pointing you out... You have that grouchy sister, the leopard that watches cubs. How can you be so happy when she's NOT?" Or rather, how could she be so grumpy when he wasn't?
He gave an impassive shrug, reaching up with one paw to scratch his shoulder. "She's always been grumpy, and..." His face cracked into a grin. "And everything seems so cut and dry, day and night, earth and sky. Somehow I just don't believe it!" He got up, starting back on his dancing. "Runaway train, never goin' back! Wrong way on a one-way track! Seems like I should be getting somewhere, somehow I'm neither here nor there!"
Lutfi let out another huff, rising to his own paws. "I'm starting to get the feeling you mostly sing." What was this crazy lion's rank, anyway? As he started to walk, he noticed that Pavla was following him. On one paw, it was annoying. On the other, the brown lion was starting to grow on him. It was only a couple minutes into knowing him, and Lutfi felt like he'd miss the strange lion's presence if he wasn't singing right behind him. He'd have to learn that song at some point...
"Bought a ticket for a runaway train, like a madman laughing at the rain..." He trailed after Lutfi, then bounced a bit as he ran to catch up. "Little out of touch, little insane... It's just easier than dealing with the pain!" He pointedly looked at Lutfi as he all but pranced beside him. There it was, the secret to his smile. Putting on a smile, pretending it didn't effect him. "Runaway train, never goin' back! Wrong way on a one-way track!" His eyes turned forward, starting to jog ahead, suppressed emotions trying to catch up with him.
"Seems like I should be getting somewhere, somehow I'm neither here nor there..." When Pavla stopped, Lutfi found it easy to catch up, even at his walk. One eyebrow went up as he looked at the other lion, continuing to walk on.
For a moment, his ears went back, before his smile returned. He'd have to add singing to what he did for the cubs of the pride, for sure, if he could get a total stranger to start singing. He went bouncing after Lutfi, the lightness back in his step. "Runaway train, never comin' back! Runaway train, tearin' up the track! Runaway train, burnin' in my veins!" When he caught up, his pace slowed. "I runaway, but it always seems the same..."