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 Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 3:42 pm
Riko had spent a couple days at home with his mother, and while he still missed his sister a great deal he wasn't quite as sulky as he had been. However, he did find that he was having more fun when he was hanging around with Bubu and Intombi. He'd spent some time thinking about a nickname for Intombi, finding it to be a nice distraction and use of his time. He wasn't entirely sure what he would use yet, but he was thinking about it and thought he might run some ideas by Bubu- or Intombi herself. Whether or not he really did that, though, he figured a visit was due. Part of him wondered if he might be allowed to stick around for a couple days again.
So he was on his way to the den that Habu and Intombi shared.
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Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 4:36 pm
She was a naive lioness for absolute certain, but there were certain things that she was rather smart in. Surviving, for example, was a skill she definitely had. Drop her in the middle of no where and she COULD survive. Love was something she was lacking in, but she could learn. Pregnancy... Now that was something she figured no lioness could be dumb in. There were certain things you just knew, and this was one of them. This whole thing was upsetting Intombi, more than she'd ever been upset.
This wasn't how she had planned it. She had wanted to be a mama some day, sure, but not like this. She had wanted to be in her own den some day, and THAT'S when she'd have cubs. Alone. By herself. Without... Habu. She had to leave, right? She couldn't stay here, especially with him. She had to go and raise her babies somewhere. It wasn't Habu's job, it was hers. On the other hand, she didn't exactly want to leave him... And it was confusing her. If she really thought about it, it almost scared her. She had a rough sketch of what life would be like for her, and now this was just changing everything. She had to get out.
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Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 4:45 pm
Riko could see in the distance that Intombi was home, but it certainly didn't look like Wahabu was there. Far from disappointed, Riko picked up the pace cheerily. He was totally ignorant to what Intombi was going through, he didn't even realize (from his distance) that something was wrong. Of course he knew Intombi and Habu would end up together.. but he expected, without doubt, that it would actually be.. together. He'd had previous little time to bother his nephew about it, but he'd had fun when he did. Habu's reactions only seemed to confirm his suspicions about it, it was part of why Riko wasn't around constantly anymore. Give them some space.
"Intombi!" he called when he was within earshot, coming to a stop a short distance from her, "Good afternoon. Where's Bubu?"
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Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 5:10 pm
Intombi was so deep in thought (a rare event indeed) that she didn't even notice Riko until he called her name. Suddenly, she shot up her head and stared in his direction, mildly afraid that Habu had come back before she had a chance to escape. She was a little relieved to see Riko instead, but was still concerned. One again, her plans had been smudged over by something else. She was going to pace a little longer and then take off, but now Riko was here. Could she still leave? Maybe. She really wasn't sure if Riko would stop her. She didn't want to lie to him and say she'd be back soon, so this wasn't going to be easy.
"Hello, Riko." Her tone was far from its usual cheery self. She made a very small attempt to mask her mood, but it had completely failed. She stopped pacing and turned to face the slightly younger male. Even though the weight gain wasn't too bad yet, she didn't want to risk him seeing it and cause any questioning. Not that he wasn't going to question her when she left, but hey, at least she could TRY to not tell him, right? "He's out and about. Should be back soon."
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Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 5:15 pm
Riko's smile wavered when Intombi's reaction was not as cheerful as he expected, something was wrong- and at first he thought perhaps Habu was being dumb or something, but it didn't seem much like it. He was just out and about? The comment caused Riko to look around them and shrug before looking back at Intombi.
"Ah," he said, tilting his head at her, "Is something wrong? You're normally more friendly than this." Tactful as always, Riko was.
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Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 6:04 pm
Intombi debated which of her issues she should confess to Riko. Should she go for the biggest issue, the one that was looming ahead of her? Nah, that was her problem. That was why she had to leave, 'cause it was her problem. Not Habu's, and certainly not Riko's. Not that it was a problem, of course. It was just... her 'thing', right? Anyway, the point was, she shouldn't dump that information on Riko if she could help it. The fact that she was leaving would directly have an affect on him, since he hung around so much. Her future cubs might never affect him. That very thought hurt, despite the fact that she wanted to raise her cub or cubs out of the way and alone. She cared about Riko and didn't want to just stop talking to him.
"Riko, I'm leaving." She broke eye contact as she said it, not really wanting to look at him to see any reaction. No matter what he looked like, she'd be sad. If he looked sad, she'd feel guilty. If he looked neutral, she'd feel unloved. "Today." After a few moments of staring at her toes, she couldn't stand it. She had to look. Slowly, she lifted her gaze.
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Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 6:31 pm
Ever considerate, Riko was about to glance away again just when Intombi stopped hesitating and looked away herself. That was odd- something really was wrong, and his full attention was finally on the situation. What she said seemed to confuse him at first- leaving the den wasn't a big deal, really. Letting that thought run through his mind, Riko realized, was about as dumb as he could get- she wouldn't say it like that if she was just going out for a stroll. So by the time Intombi looked up, he looked both confused and surprised.
"Leaving? What do you mean?" he asked, "Leaving the Pridelands?"
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Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 6:52 pm
Intombi winced a little. "No, no - not that." She started tracing a circle in the dirt with her claw. She started wondering about the future. Intombi wasn't the type to worry about tomorrow. She was usually in the moment, with an occasional pleasant stroll down memory lane, but never in the future. Now, however, she was thinking only of the future. The very near future, even. When this was over and she high tailed it, would Riko rush off to Habu? What would Habu say? What would he do?
After a few moments of silence, she managed to look Riko in the eyes. "I'm just, y'know, leaving the den." She paused for a moment. If she had any understanding of awkwardness, she could've labeled that moment as such. It went by painfully slow. "Besides, it wasn't supposed to be permanent. It was just supposed to be until I found a den of my own and all, and - well I think I'm ready to find a new den." It wasn't a total lie, at least. With cubs, she'd need a new den.
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Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 7:15 pm
Riko blinked at her when she immediately denied that she was leaving the Pridelands. Now he couldn't begin to imagine what she was talking about with this, and merely watched her as she drew circles in the dirt with great fascination. He wasn't a very patient lion, and it was near impossible for him to stay quiet while she simply drew in the dirt. This wasn't like her at all, not that he felt he knew her that well.. but she'd never been like this around him before.
"Then what?" he asked, and when he was greeted only with the awkward silence he tapped his paw impatiently. When she finally spoke up his foot stopped and he looked much less annoyed and confused now- just shocked. She was moving out of the den? Wasn't permanent to begin with? Impossible! Riko was so sure Bubu wouldn't make her leave, he was sure he'd want her to stay.
"What? Why?" he demanded, "If Wahabu's being a jerk, I'll make him smarten up- he'll have to listen to me, I'm his uncle."
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Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 7:43 pm
Intombi shrunk a little, not really wanting to continue the conversation. Really, Habu had done nothing wrong at all. He was, TECHNICALLY, part of the reason she was leaving, but it wasn't because of something bad he did. If he was at any fault for this, so was she. "No no, he's not being a jerk." She mentally added, 'just the opposite,' but didn't dare say it. She traced another circle and sighed. It was time to stop beating around the bush. Riko didn't deserve to be skirted around like this, right? And it wasn't HIS den, technically, so he couldn't spazz too much about her wanting to leave.
"There's been a change, Riko. That's all. It's not because Habu's being mean or anything. I promise." She was surprised she had managed to get that all out without pauses or stammering. What was even more surprising, though, was that she managed to drop the slightly cowering stance she had going. She was now standing completely normally, looking Riko in the eye. If she was going to be serious about all this, it had to start here.
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Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 7:49 pm
Riko also deflated a bit when she said that Habu was not being a jerk at all, wondering what was going on if he wasn't being a jerk. His only next conclusion was that perhaps Habu had finally admitted to himself (and to her) what he felt and she didn't feel the same for whatever reason. Habu should be smarter than that, though. Habu'd never denied having feelings for her, he could have done something like that.. told her and been rejected? Maybe that was why he wasn't there, and she was so sad looking.
"You don't like him, then?" he dared to ask.
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Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 8:03 pm
Intombi's eyes widened at the next question. She quickly started loosing the confidence she had gained, and her posture crumbled. So much for that. She simply stared at Riko like an antelope caught in a hunting party's trap. Being naive and all, she hadn't totally considered that anyone would think Intombi thought any less of Habu when she left. It made perfect sense of course, but she didn't quite think that was what would happen. She thought they might find it odd, sure, but that she didn't like Habu? Of course she did!
It took a second for everything to start clicking. The jokes, the knowing looks... Things were starting to connect in her brain. They thought - he thought. She continued to stare at Riko, finally starting to understand the situation. She felt a strong urge to flee immediately, but she knew that wasn't an option. This whole thing was getting more and more complicated and confusing every second she stayed, but she couldn't run just yet. She had to finish. "I - What makes you think that, anyway? Because I'm leaving I don't like your nephew?" She knew that playing up on Riko's uncle-status might ease the situation at least a little.
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Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 8:11 pm
Riko's stare remained consistently focused and with the same mingling of confusion and surprise, even as Intombi became less and less composed. He wasn't too sure what that meant, when she did that. The way she seemed so surprised, and so worried at the same time.. the questions that implied denying the claim that she might not like him got him a little more confused- and contrary to what Intombi hoped, reminding him that he was Habu's uncle only made him that must more protective, that much more keen to get an answer.
"Then why are you leaving?" he asked, puffing up importantly as if intimidation might work. She liked Habu, and he hadn't done anything stupid.. but she was leaving? What on earth could have changed?
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Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 8:22 pm
Intombi was tempted to drop her eyes again, but managed to keep Riko's gaze somehow. She suddenly felt very odd, standing there in front of the father of her future baby's uncle. (She was hoping it would just be one cub at that point, since it was her first and all. Maybe a nice little boy? Or a little girl. That'd do, too. Really, either would.) She also felt odd about being in this situation at all. This really wasn't what was supposed to happen. She could've lived with Habu and Riko happily for some time before deciding to go off and have a baby. She was perfectly happy here with them, and there was just something special about Habu. Then again, maybe that was why she was here right now. That something special had caused this whole ordeal she was putting herself in.
Could she tell Riko and still get away? Maybe he'd be so shocked, she'd have time to make an escape. Or maybe he wouldn't be shocked at all and just say okay carry on. That'd be ideal. "There's been a change... in me, Riko." She was tempted to just leave at that, but once she had started to tell him, she couldn't just stop. "I'm pregnant, okay? I've got a little baby in there, and I need to go raise it somewhere alone." She flipped her head sort of in the direction of her stomach and then nodded firmly. She had to leave. Hopefully Riko would be happy with this answer.
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Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 8:30 pm
All confusion and intimidation melted away from Riko's face when she suddenly said that she was pregnant, and plain and simple shock took over his features. She was pregnant, that was the problem? A million reasons why this might be flew through his head. Intombi had not denied liking Habu, there was no reason to suspect it wasn't his. Intombi said Habu was not being a jerk, so he couldn't have said he doesn't want cubs. Unless he'd said something about it before. That was the only logical explanation to the adolescent male, whose father had stuck around, who had been raised in a pride full of families where both parents stuck around..
He was speechless.
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