[PRP] The Return of Cheer

[Lisirra]

Ever since Muroki had invited Safiya to travel with him and his friends, it was like everything had begun to go right in Safiya's life all at once. She was making friends, she had a promise of a home and adventure she had something to look forward to - she had it all. Well - perhaps she didn't have everything just yet. But it was enough to nudge the optimistic lioness back into the realm of joy.

At the moment, she was strolling idly, alone, looking for a place to get a drink. She would catch up with the others as soon as she found a nice watering hole. But she wasn't in any hurry - in fact, she was nearly prancing, humming a jaunty made-up tune and generally enjoying life.  

[Asparegus]

There had been a sort of desperation that had sent him far away from the mteo lands. It was the lack of conversation, the fear of fitting in with warriors and confident hunters when he was neither. He wanted to love and be loved in return. The cold shoulder had not left him with a warm feeling. So he was here in what he hoped to be friendly lands.

And he was hopefully of that when he heard and then saw the humming lioness not too far away. Trying to ignore the tightening feeling in his stomach, he braved his way over towards her.  

[Lisirra]

Safi just barely noticed a sandy lion approaching her; he nearly disappeared in the tall grass and dirt. But once she made out that the shape was indeed a lion, a grin split across her face and she closed the distance between them in skips. Time had taught her to be wary of strangers, but Safiya was floating on cloud 9 at the moment, and couldn't be bothered with things like precaution. Here was a new friend!

"Why hello there, stranger," she said, using "stranger" as a friendly term. "Why the long face? The sky is blue, the wind smells sweet, and the birds are singing! My name is Safiya," she redirected suddenly, as was her way. "And I think you should smile. Why aren't you smiling, friend?"
 

[Asparegus]

He was very delighted to see her approach him so cheerfully that had he been in a more emotionally broken state he might have broken into tears of joy. And he did indeed smile at her comment, the way she threw her name in there with the descriptions of the wonderful day. It was a really silly speech, if a speech it should be called and he was always one to smile for silly things.

"Hello," he replied with a simple smile. "I am Moyenda, but please call me Mo. I am not smiling... I am not smiling because I have no one to share this day with." He answered sweetly although his eyes did not deny that it was a cover-up for a rather serious issue. He wasn't a fan of placing one's problems on someone else. "And may I ask what makes you such the bubbly character today to mask my own dour one?"  

[Lisirra]

"Nice to meet you, Mo," she replied promptly, her happy blue eyes not seeing the mask in his own. "No one to share it with? Well, not anymore!" She winked, and when she spoke again, her voice was softer and more serious.

"I know how it feels though, not having anyone. I've never had anyone, nobody at all, up until a few days ago. Making friends, having a purpose to life, that's something I was lacking. And now that I have those things, I'm happier than I've ever been. I think everyone needs to have someone care about them. Don't you think so?"

Safiya liked this stranger already. They had something in common; loneliness. Except Safiya wasn't so lonely anymore. So she could help him! She could be nice to him just like Muroki and Kainda were nice to her. Maybe that would help him be happy like she was now. That is, of course, if he wanted help. A lot of lions before didn't want her friendship. She needed to learn to keep her help to herself until it was asked for.

"So where do you come from?" she asked with friendly curiosity. "What brings you out this way?"
 

[Asparegus]

He looked at her. He bit his lip. He looked at her some more. He really looked like he was struggling with emotions. ...then he burst out laughing. It was a genuine laugh that he couldn't prevent any longer. Trying to get control of himself, he held up a paw. "No, no! It's not you. It's just... it's just your happiness comes almost as a shock to me almost like emerging from icy cold water onto a sun-baked rock." He explained. It really was such a joyful surprise, he had to admit. "A pleasant shock." he added least she misunderstand his analogy.

"And yes, yes I do think everyone should have someone," he replied. He was so glad the person he should run into should be so happy. Then his brain turned a bit in his mind and he was disappointed before he even realized he was hopeful about the situation. It seemed that maybe she...? "So I take it you've found someone?" he asked still wearing his smile. He would be happy for her. He would not show her how hopeless he truly was. Because... would she understand? Would she be insulted at his thought?  

[Lisirra]

Safiya's blue eyes looked quizzically at Moyenda's changing facial expressions, and the smile dropped off her face in her confusion. But when he laughed, she joined him; how could she not? She had made him smile! This week was just getting better and better.

Still a bit confused, but smiling anyway, Safiya continued to look strangely at him as he spoke. His words seemed to make a little bit of sense. "It's a sad thing that happiness should be so rare in your life," she commented, "as to be of such a surprise to you." And it really did make her heart go out to him. Strangely ambivalent, happy that he was happy and yet sad that he was obviously not happy much, she stopped smiling. Her blue eyes looked at him with sympathy, though in her heart she was glad. He had said "pleasant shock." And that meant he was happy.

"More like someone found me," she said, giggling at the happy memory of a friendly reunion. "Or several someones, you could say."

Completely oblivious to the inner workings of Moyenda's mind, or how her words might be unknowingly affecting him, Safiya went on with her story. "Let me go back. A few days ago I was wandering around this jungle area where I had stumbled into after a long journey. Oh, wait." She paused, hesitating. "In order to tell you that story, I have to tell you this one. I had stumbled into this place very depressed, very tired and hungry. There was this lion that found me, a male by the name of Muroki. He was friendly and he helped me when I was weak from the journey. We went hunting together," she said, looking back on her memory with a smile. "No one had ever gone hunting with me. And then, we parted ways. I didn't ever expect to see him again, because that's how it was for my whole life, you know? I never saw a face twice. For a long time after that, I just wandered around that area, getting really sad again because I didn't have ties to anyone. I wasn't doing anything more than existing. But then, one day, he came back! He brought his friend, this animal called a maned wolf..."

Safiya had been lost inside her memories and her mouth had been going on its own; she was suddenly aware of how much she was talking. Startling herself into silence, she looked down and said shyly, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to go on and on like that."

She was doing it again. This nice male would probably be annoyed with her talking so much, and leave. Just like everyone else.

She waited with her eyes down, expecting to hear negativity come from the mouth of her new friend.  

[Asparegus]

He listened to her comment about his happiness but he could not bring himself to make a comment or an excuse. It was already making him feel so pathetic in front of her. And he continued intently listening, feeling a little more crestfallen at every word. She had found someone was the only thing to really run through his mind. And that was why she was happy ...and he was not. Of that, he was positive.

"I'm very happy for you," he said beaming at her with an effort. "Not everyone can find someone for themselves and to love them. Well, he must be a very lucky lion to get to be with someone as nice as you." He tried to make that last part sound like a tease and gave her a little wink, completely misunderstanding her story. "And don't apologize. I'm glad you shared your happiness with me."  

[Lisirra]

For a moment Safiya didn't know how to respond; her jaw was hanging open in dumb suprise and she blinked slowly once or twice. And then she broke out into peals of laughter. "Me, love Muroki? No, no. That's not it at all. I wasn't finished with my story. You silly goose!" She giggled. "Muroki already has a love of his own, before he met me even, I think. Let me finish, and then you'll see."

"As I said before, I had been very depressed, just wandering around in this jungle alone. I had no meaning to my life - remember how you said you had no one to share the day with? I felt just like that. Only, I had no one to share anything with. Ever." She paused, remembering how desperately hopeless everything had seemed then. "And then, like I said, Muroki came back, and he brought his wolf friend, Kainda. At first I was really happy just to see him again, to have someone to talk to who wasn't a total stranger. And we talked for a bit, and I told him how I'd been feeling sad. And then you know what he did? He invited me to go on a journey with him and his wolf friend and two lionesses. One was a friend from his pride and one of them was his mate. Cuz you see, Muroki is going to try to rebuild his old pride, because something bad happened and they're all gone away or dead. And we're going to help him!"

She beamed, having told her long story. "Do you see now? Muroki is my friend - my first friend. But now I have others too. When we help Muroki fix his old pride, then maybe I will live there, and I'll finally have a home. Maybe even a family! But I have friends and a place to settle down and call home, and now that is why I am happy."

She looked at him with happiness, but was surprised to see there was a forced effort behind his smile. Smile dropping of her face in concern, her head tilted and she realized something had been wrong. "Why do you look like that? ...Are you okay?"  

[Asparegus]

He smiled as she finished the story and essentially teased him for getting the wrong idea. "I certainly hope I can be like you one day," he said cheerfully.

And then, a little bit of startlement crossed his face at her last comment. Was e really so transparent? He hung his head and felt the need to confess. "I guess you could say I was a bit jealous of him," he muttered to the ground. Ah! He was so embarrassed. She would probably really hate him for that comment, think him a dirty old lion. But he sure hoped not.  

[Lisirra]

"Be like me? What, you mean talkative and annoying?" She had tried to play that off nonchalantly, but secretly she was pleased. She closed her eyes and smiled inside.

Aww, the poor thing! Why did he feel so bad? Her heart went out to him immediately, but still thought he was acting foolishly. She giggled softly, not meanly, but not seeing why he should do such a thing. Stepping towards him, she nudged his head up gently with her nose. "No need to hang your head, Mo." Realizing suddenly how close she was, Safiya stepped back shyly. Didn't want to invade his personal space right off the bat.

"Why would you be jealous of Muroki? For being my friend?" she said with a little smile, teasingly but kind. "You shouldn't be. You can be my friend too, you know." And then she thought a bit more about it; he was jealous because he thought Muroki was her love. That thought made Safiya feel funny. Nervous and uncertain, she couldn't think of anything else to say.  

[Asparegus]

"Oh no," he said immediately after her comment about her personality. "I mean so happy. It is definitely a commodity worth having." He nodded with all the honesty he could muster.

He quickly drew in a breath at her touch. Mo was very easily swayed by emotion and very easily "tricked" himself into love. And from her personality, he doubted she knew how she was affecting him. He didn't want to burden her with feelings she might feel pressured to return. So yes, he'd pretend it was friendship he was jealous of. Because Mo was foolish and even trying not to act so was still a fool. "I would like that. To be your friend. I could use a friend as cheerful as you."  

[Lisirra]

"I think we could be good friends," Safiya agreed. "I would welcome your friendship - the more the merrier, right? You have a good heart; I can tell. Only, there is a problem..." Her voice slowed down here, hesitant to say something that would upset him again. "Remember how I told you I was traveling with friends? We're only passing through here. I won't be here long at all." She said it like a confession; she didn't want him to think she wanted him to come with her. Even though, now that she thought about it...she kind of did want him to. "We have a long road back to Muroki's old pridelands. And I..was planning on staying there."

She averted her eyes to the ground, sneaking peeks up to his eyes to gauge his reaction. Surely he wouldn't want to go on such a long and strenuous journey for someone he just met. And she wouldn't want him to put his life on hold, either. They barely knew each other. But still...she didn't know what she wanted. But she wished it was easier. Her head hurt.
 

[Asparegus]

"Yes, friends," he replied. "I know I'd probably be a lot different than your other friends. I get a... little carried away with emotions sometimes" -because that was all it was that was happening to him, right? An overreaction? - "but ...oh... I see. That's a... well, that's a very honorable thing to do for a friend. As I said before, he must be very lucky but obviously in the sense to have friends who will do that for him. So I mean, I wish you all the best of luck, although if they're all like you, they won't need it. Nothing to get them down, you see," he rambled cheerfully. "I almost wish I could go with you guys but that would be a bit rude of me, to go uninvited."

It really did sound admirable. And they were making a life for themselves. And from the sound of it, it was in a new place where they could start fresh ...and no one would judge them on past experiences. A place where memories are buried outside its gates and new ones are start afresh within.  

[Lisirra]

"You get carried away with your emotions?" He was saying that like it was a bad thing. "Moyenda, if ever anyone was ruled by their emotions, it's me. Maybe others might think that is a bad thing, but I certainly don't. What else can one do but live and act how they feel?"

"Uninvited? No, certainly not! I'm inviting you, right here right now," she said cheerfully, thinking she had solved the problem. Then her expression changed. "Oh, wait! I'd have to ask Muroki - let me go get him - I'm sure he'll let you come with us, we could use more males in our group - just stay here a moment and let me find him, will you?" Her mind was going a mile a minute and she wanted to zoom off to find her sober friend.

"You will stay here, won't you?" she waited just a moment more, to make sure she wouldn't lose this possibility of a new friend - to make sure he wouldn't run off. "Alright, be back in a moment!" she ran off then, not waiting around to hear anything he said.