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It had been a couple of days since the the last time she'd seen Xana and, therefore, an equal number of days since she and Eta had embarked on their little treasure hunt. Siya rested comfortably beside the boulder he'd found her at the first time they'd met, with her chin on her front paws and a patient expression on her pretty face.

She would never have admitted that she was waiting for him here, just as she had done for the past few nights, but anybody who'd paid close attention to the pale blue cheetah over the course of the last few days would have been able to tell easily. Siya had moved restlessly across the savanna, eager to talk to him once more and, hopefully, gain from him the knowledge he'd kept from her business partner.

That was all she wanted, really. Answers- as to the whereabouts of the various trinkets he'd told Eta he'd hidden in the general area. Looking for them was a waste of time; especially when Siya was confident she'd be able to drag the information out of Xana, and his ridiculously bold character, with little more than a flick of her tail.

It had been awhile since the sun had set and a beautiful, full moon cast a haunting glow across the lands from it's rightful place high up in the star-filled sky.

"Come any closer and I'll make you regret it."

It was a threat loaded with promise. Her words were biting; like ice on a cool winter's day. She had first noticed his scent on the air a few moments ago, and had smiled delightedly to herself. It was about time he'd showed up. If he'd been any longer, she may have given up on him and gone to find some place a bit warmer to sleep.

There was a cool breeze in the air tonight. It fluttered passed the pair of them, and ruffled their fur in almost violent fashion. Siya resisted the urge to shiver as she sat up and regarded the male cheetah through an identical pair of narrowed eyes.

"Did you bring me what I asked for?"

She didn't particularly want the pink shell. What use would she have for it, after all? Still, it's purpose was not for use. Xana had to earn his keep. Siya wasn't about to start bending the rules because she wanted some information from him.

Siya watched, with increasing disbelief, as he placed item after beautiful item on the ground between them. She desperately tried to hide her astonishment behind a scowl, but knew that she could not disguise the way her golden eyes widened. How much trouble had he gone through to retrieve all of them? She couldn't be one hundred percent certain, but even a fool could tell that he'd put a lot of elbow grease into it.

"The offer hasn't expired," she said once she'd managed to find her voice, "but all I asked for was one pink shell. Why so many extra things?"

It wasn't that she was ungrateful. In fact, she was impressed.

However, the pale blue girl was constantly plagued by feelings of doubt and suspicion. Surely, he was so eager to please her because he had some other, secret type of agenda?

Charm. It clung to him like sap clings to a tree. The thought made him, and his overwhelming flattery, just a little bit sticky. She seriously doubted that every male went through this much trouble to please a female, especially when they (supposedly) wanted nothing more than a sleeping buddy. He was trying too hard. It amused her that he thought he could get away with such a ridiculous pretense. When she'd asked him to return with a pink shell, she had known that it was an outrageous request- and thus, had set her own trap.

That, plus the little tidbit of information she'd gathered from Eta, only served to confirm her earlier suspicions. Xana was a clever male. He just wasn't as careful or as cunning as she was.

She waited patiently as he spoke, gears running at top speed in her pretty little head, and then answered his question with a simple shrug.

"The stone and the feather are safe."

Siya could not hold back a chuckle as she wondered if he there was some double meaning behind his casual statement about the weather. Did he think her cold?

"Of course they weren't. I appreciate everything that is given to me," she felt obliged to remind him of, as the simple facts seemed to slip from his mind a little too often, the finer points of their agreement, "They are more like bribes, anyways. You and I both know this. You pay me with treasures like these in exchange for my company. Forgive me. I can't help but wonder why you're putting so much effort into pleasing me. All I asked was for one pink shell, and I greatly admire the other gifts you've brought me, but something else weighs on my conscience entirely."

Here it was. Her golden opportunity. Siya hesitated for an appropriate length of time and sighed in a fashion that was intended to let him think she was unsure of herself, and chewed on her bottom for a split second before letting the bomb fall;

"I am not used to the idea that somebody might want to spend time with me. As I'm sure you've noticed, I don't possess a very hospitable disposition. It's been that way since I was very young."

Her tone changed in pitch from casual to remorseful as she struggled to hold back a smirk and earn his sympathy at the same time. Siya had always been incredibly gifted when it came to words, but acting the part in front of Xana was unusually difficult. He was smart. She was more than well aware of the fact that she had to be on her toes.

"Contrary to what my behavior and cruel words might have implied to you, I am not heartless- just very suspicious. I do not trust easily. Usually, it takes a show of trust in order for to me return the favor."

There was always a layer of truth laced somewhere inside the lies. It was up to him, or whoever she happened to be talking to, to pick them out.

There were a number of reasons why she'd rather not tell him about what she'd been up to the last few days. She pointedly chose to ignore that particular question.

"It's business, Xana," she replied coldly. The corners of her mouth twitched upwards in cruel amusement, "nothing more."

This male seemed determined to compliment her, while at the same time attempting to outwit her. Siya resisted the urge to roll her eyes at thought. It was an admirable goal, and she gave him props for even trying, but it would take a little more than kind words for him to conquer her. If he failed to recognize that simple fact, he wouldn't stand a chance. Kind words meant very little to her.

As he continued to speak and spill his lies, her predominantly serious expression transformed into something much lighter. That hadn't been what she'd meant at all, but Siya was immensely pleased that he'd finally decided to come out with the truth.

"Happy?" she laughed loudly, "Why should I be? You just confirmed something I'd already guessed at. Twenty four children." Siya paused long enough to shake her head here, "You have been a busy boy. I pity their mothers."

Cubs weren't something that had ever interested her. They were too much work. Plus, Siya couldn't imagine that she'd ever be kind enough or generous enough to give herself up entirely like that. Motherhood was a giant commitment. The very idea of it terrified her.

She watched as he grew closer to her, and burst out laughing again at his next confession. He'd had his heart broken. How sweetly hilarious. It was lucky for her that she'd witnessed first-hand the worst possible consequence of such a ridiculously unnecessary event. She'd promised herself long ago that she'd never get her heart broken. Therefore, it made sense to never fall in love.

"That hardly makes sense. Your various girlfriends, cheated on you, so you seek out the company of other females? If I were you, I'd stick to spending time with men. That way, you could possibly avoid getting your heart broken again. Unless you swing both ways, in which case you're eternally screwed and I'd have to tell you that you give away your love far too easily."

If she'd been hurt that much, she would have stopped falling in love entirely.

She couldn't deny that he was gifted when it came to words. Xana knew how to talk and it was clear to her, at least, that he also knew how to work an audience. He was a gifted actor. Even Siya couldn't say for certain whether he was lying or not. Her inability to read him moved her more than his ridiculous speech ever could have, and she tried her best not to shrink away when he moved just a little bit closer. She enjoyed these silly games that they played; in which she gave him a little bit of stretching room, just enough to make him feel comfortable, before tearing it all out from under him.

If he was looking for a mate that would be loyal to him, he had not come to the right girl. If, somehow, Siya did deem Xana lucky enough to stay with her and he could not handle the fact that she always put her own needs (no matter what they might be) above anybody else's, their fling would certainly be short lived. And possibly disastrous.

It was a little thrilling. Could he possibly be stupid enough to make the same mistake again? If what he claimed was true, she almost pitied him. It was so very silly of him to give his heart up like that.

"You can not sire anymore?" she scoffed in disbelief and rolled her eyes, "I smell a rat. What? Did some silly god curse you or something?"

"How sad," she drawled lazily, in a manner that would have been almost sympathetic, if it wasn't for the snarl of distaste on her lip. His sob story was of little interest to her. Siya cared very little for the way in which he'd found himself to be sterile. All that she really cared about was whether or not his claim was true.

He wasn't looking her in the eye, which could mean any number of things. Either he was lying, or he was ashamed of his disability. Fortunately for Xana, Siya was more inclined to believe in the latter. He might have been impressive once, when he was capable of siring cubs. It dawned on her that this must be the reason why he was so eager to provide her with all of the things she'd asked him for. Xana was trying to compensate for the consequences of his depression.

"I would have taken what she offered me," Siya informed him softly, because she felt a sudden stubborn urge to be kinder to him, "immortal life is an incredibly generous offer. Far more useful than fertility."

This particular female had never seen any real good come from the ability to conceive. Siya had no desire to become fat and the prospect of having extra mouths to feed was a terrifying one. Her extreme dislike for children was the main reason her own virginity was still intact.

A wild thought struck her and, at first, the pale blue cheetah tried to shake it off. It would not budge, however. It clung to her mind like sap clings to a tree and the more she thought about it, the more it appealed to her. Xana and his pathetic self could be very useful to her.