-It had been a little while since Isabis had last don her jewelry and feathers, the soft confidence that her best of friend, Kweu, had instilled in her releaving her of the obsessive need to hide beneath the accessories. Worries of what others thought had always bothered her, though recently it seemed she'd been lucky enough to meet with a friendly bunch. Today however, as she strolled near the prideland borders, she'd put them on for a different reason, subsequentally glowing with an aire that almost seemed to add life to those feathers strapped to her back.
The day was lovely, her mood was high, and the 'goddess' walked in lazy circles as she playfully chased the butterflies that had been lured to her deceptive pelt.
All was right in the world, each day seeming more sunny then the last. What a wonderful time to be alive.-
The lion that sat still as a statue under a convenient tree didn't have quite as good a mood. Though, it wasn't like Matsailema was known for really good or really bad moods... but despite what his blank expression suggested, he was rather grumpy today. The brightness of the sun and the clear weather only emphasised the god-forsaken -cheeryness- of the Pridelands. Everyone was so dang happy all the time... it disgusted him. Nothing happened, nothing ever really changed, it drove him nuts!
A soft huff blew through the blue lion's white lips as his eyes narrowed, staring intensely at a dark spot on the horizon. With nothing else to do, since he wasn't hungry or thirsty, the seer struggled to command his visions to come to him. Normally brought on by touching another, he was heartily tired of them always running out of his control. If he could command them to come, per haps he could also command them to leave... and that was more than enough incentive to practice it.
-She pivoted once, twice, paw lifting to harmlessly swish at the air inches behind the orange and black creature that wafted through the wind. Her tail twitched mildly, her grin growing softly.
The subtlest hint of a scent touched Isabis, lifting her eyes half heartedly from their attention. It wasn't Kweu, so it must have been one of the many that lived in the Pridelands as well. Or maybe just another rogue like her, waiting for something to stir up some excitement.
Though her vision swirled for a moment, it wasn't long before the brillant blue pelt was picked out from the savvanah surroundings. Even if the other didn't feel like conversing, she desired a closer look at so bright a pelt. Slowly she padded forward, cautious enough from rogue life to keep enough of a distance to break free, should she notice a more hostile aire upon closer inspection.-
For a long moment, the object of her interest was unaware of her approach, the yellow lioness unnoticed in the midst of his heavy contimplation and the strain of trying to force his visions to come to him. Finally, green eyes blinked and his head turned, twitching in surpised at the sight of a lioness staring at him intently. A flicker of a frown swept over his face before the expression faded and his cold mask returned. Strange, that she would think him bright. The star on his forehead was really the only 'bright' part of him, though his pelt was certainly striking. Courtesy of the uncle he'd never met.
"Greetings, Miss." He murmured, the depth of his chest offering a nice reasonance despite the lack of emotion. He had his father's size, that was for sure. "Nice... day." Not the most original thing to say, but what did you say to a lioness that stumbled on you in your revere, dressed up in all manner of brightly beads and feathers. She looked ridiculous in that get up, but that was his opinion.
-Oblivious to any thoughts he might be having over her approach, her looks, or anything else of the sort, she was obviously pleased to be greeted with pleasant words.
The tiny frown had been noted, but so had it'd dissaperance, and the welcoming enough words were enough to push aside any extra worries. Studying him a little less rudely now, she nodded offering his greeting back in a cheerful smathering.- "It is isn't it? Bright and warm, perfectly spring."
-Had he met her at some other time, he might have taken comfort in her usually more subdued and often enough melancholy attitidue. But not today. Too pepped up to leave things simply hanging, she came to a pause a few steps from him, offering onto his greeting in an attempt to sway into motion the delicate dance that was conversation.- "I'm Isabis, pleasure to meet you."
"Out enjoying the day then I suppose? Or waiting on someone maybe?" -She hazzarded the later lightly, tossing a glance towards the pridal region in which they stradled.-
"Indeed." He murmured. It was bright, warm, and sping. Vaguely, he wondered if she was always this cheerful...
"Matsailema." He offered back, the male's green eyes following the direction of Isabis' gaze before coming back to rest on her bright, colorful form. Yellow... she'd fit right in with all those saps back in the Pridelands. Despite his leniage, he'd never been fond of that color. Orange now... that was a color his eyes craved. Realizing the turn of his thoughts, he coughed lightly to cover his embarrassment, even if it didn't show on his face.
"I'm not waiting for anyone and its brighter than I like out today. No, I just needed a quiet place to... practice in." If she didn't press, he'd leave it at that. Matsai didn't know if he could take any visions from a lioness like this... they were probably all bright and fluffy and sweet. Give him a toothache...
"What are you doing out here?" He was relunctant to ask, but good manners (what little he cared to have) dictated he ask about her in return.
-She nodded softly, repeating the name silently in her head. It was a little long, but not too bulky. Whilst she was doing this however, she noticed the mild silence and distance, and then the soft discontent in his answer.-
"Ahh, well I can understand that, I hate when the sun is out and there is no wind. So stifling."
-She paused softly, at the words quiet, smile fading from a grin to something a bit more subdued as she pondered over whether that was a hint. Reguardless, curiousity twisted her leg, and she asked mildly, taking another step forward, though she made no motion to sit.- "Practice?"
-At his question, she felt reassured, for surely he wouldn't have asked if he really wanted to just shoo her away right?- "I'm just wasting the day really." -Her tail swayed about, her brows rising as she mused.- "That's what one does with life right? Eats, sleeps, and wastes away the time?"
Matsai flicked an ear at her comment. "Too true, it would seem. Eat, sleep, waste time... at least, that's what they do here." It was a nagging thought with the blue lion. It seemed to be the only thing his pride did and it grated on him. He wanted to do more than just waste time. What was the point to a life like that? "I prefer to use my time constructively." He commented, letting her take that however she wished.
She couldn't have known that he'd stumbled on the word practice because he'd actually been at a loss to call what he was doing. Practice sounded so childish and mundane... "Yes, practice. I'm a seer, and as such, the past, future, and present are laid bare before my gaze." He let a little of the mystical enter his voice, as though he were some great shaman telling a child about his work with the spirits. "No moment in time is hidden from me. With only a touch, I can know all about the creature before me. But its not an easy skill... it takes years of practice such as I do to fully control and harness its great power."
He nodded solemnly as he said it, watching her very carefully for her reaction. His abilities might be that mystical to him, but it was important that he instilled some sort of awe, respect, even fear in others. When your life was as boring as his was right now, it was an important form of entertainment.
-Her smile twisted some more, obviously enjoying the fact that he cared to answer her little musing at all. He was right, it was best to try to think of things to do.. play, hunt, groom, search, explore, whatever. But there were other times for wasting, and today was one of them for the 'goddess'.
She listened intentedly, eating up the words as they began to spill, her eyes widening subtly. She'd heard the term seer before, never really paid much attention to it nor had it really defined to her. But now that it was.. she was obviously impressed. Thoughts that he might be lying, like that stupid cheetah who claimed to be a king, didn't even touch her mind with the conviction in which the words flowed.
Stepping another inch further, causing the faux wings on her back to twitch and shiver with the pressure of her shoulder, she gazed at him more curiously.- "That's absolutely amazing! Far better then any trick I know."
-So, that smile grew, digging softly at the truth he 'must' have known already.- "So you already knew I was a goddess before I approached?"
Matsai savored the awe she radiated, sitting back in a prim pose. Yes, that's it, little one. Be amazed at my great power...
"Goddess?" He burst out, blinking at her with a mixture of emotions, his face showing more of his innerself than it had in a long time. Consternation, a little fear, annoyance... then doubt and dismissal. If she was a goddess, he would have sensed it in some way, and then he wouldn't have spouted off to her as he had. Well, it did explain her fancy get up, if nothing else.
A harsh little breath of air that served for a laugh passed his lips as he straighted up again, shaking out his black mane. "I'm afraid not, Isabis. Even if you were a goddess, as you claim, that's not how my visions work. Like I said... they come when I touch another. Thankfully, they don't come when they are not commanded to that way." He brushed off her claim with ease, while at the same time touting out again his 'mystical-ness'.
"I'd most likely go mad with the flood of images, otherwise." He confided to her in an aside, his voice almost a whisper as he leaned in to savor the dark tone.
-A mild look of displeasure touched her at the laugh, though it was fleeting as his words went to other things as opposed to aggresively attacking her assertion. In fact, considering how hard to read this male was she wasn't even sure if it'd been a noise of nervousness or if he truely didn't believe her. Either way.. she focused instead on his powers, his words, letting herself believe what she wanted about what he 'believed'. As he leaned in she felt a small ripple along her back fur, his tone had certainly hit her, but it as well was fleeting.-
"Whenever you touch them huh? So then do you have to see that with prey too?"
"That'd be pretty rough.." -A soft look of empathy touched her assuming the answer, and though she hovered nearer and nearer she was obviously aware of it and far enough away not to touch him by accident. Though he might have meant it differently, somehow she sensed the difficulties and inconviences, so much like her own life.-
Matsai flicked his tongue over his lips as he sat back with a soft snort. "Yes, unfortuneately. But a prey's life is short and usually the same. You get used to it after a while..." He brushed off her sympathy with a shake of his thick mane. "You need not trouble that pretty little head over me though. My soul walks at my side as my protector and guardian." He put emphasis on the 'soul' part, again trying to put into her mind his mystical nature. It seemed to be working, which pleased him to no end.
"My twin brother is usually the one to make the kill, while I scare up prey for him. We work together as one being, sharing always. I bear the burden of my sight, and he in turn protects and cares for me." His ears twitched as he... well, not lied, exactly... but made the relationship out to be more than it was. Oh, he was having quite the time with it, too. Just to see now, how far she'd let it go.
-He was lucky, for Isabis, when not in an already dour mood, was quite impressionable and recieving. He seemed not to be patronizing her, and so she sucked in each word with interest and belief. And just as he was attempting, the 'goddess' found herself swept away in the mystic 'magic' of it all. His soul? Such a connection!
She was certainly glad she'd decided to meet this new stranger, for he was as informative as he was entertaining, and suddenly she seemed to no longer feel like she was wasting her day.- "How very lucky for you. Too have someone so close and such a connection."
"I'm afraid it's only me and the butterflies most of the time. Though I do have a friend here that I visit on occassion." -Her eyes glanced out mildly, as if expecting Kweu might be on the horizon simply because she'd thought of him.-
The blue male shrugged as he listened, brushing off her words with a sweep of a fore-paw, looking rather regal and just a tad pompous as he did it. If she was able to believe that he and his brother shared a soul, who else might believe it? And would they be able to turn it to their advantage? It could be a good thing to instill fear and awe in others... it would garner them respect and perhaps lead others to treat them a little better than they might have. The ideas rolled through his mind, though they made no impression on his face, and he filed the away to think about later, when he was alone. The Pridelands were so boring and dull... perhaps this would finally be what they needed to break away from it.
"I'm surprised a goddess like you would stoop to being friends with mortals." He said, dead-pan, though in his mind the words were ripe with sarcasm. He really doubted she was a goddess, but it wouldn't benefit him any to say it to her face. "I've really only found one creature here worth my attention." His voice lowered a little as his mind turned to Verdad and all the trouble that came with her. If he'd believed in past lives, he'd have said they were a couple in a past one, he was so drawn to her. As it was, well, maybe some real god somewhere was laughing at him.
-Her ears dipped back a little at his assertion, debating silently the merit of his thought. It was true... many gods did find themselves quite above mortals. But there were plenty of others who didn't.. After all.. if it weren't for the belief of mortals would they even exist? At the very least, many gods would god incredibly bored without mortal interactions acting out their domains. Hers however.. was so unrelated. Nonetheless she felt the strong need to justify her friendship.- "Oh well... Kweu is really very nice. He's not only my friend but a follower as well. He'd do anything for me that I asked of him, so I'd think he was atleast deserving of some attention and pleasantries."
"Besides, some of the other gods can be so stuffy or dreadfully boring, always so caught up in their work." -She actually hadn't met too many other gods, most of her 'experiences' and thoughts were merely made up stories in her mind. But she believed them and they probably were true, just as they were for mortals.
As his own eyes seemed to drift for awhile, her sympathies again covered her face, offering softly.- "I wouldn't stick around some place that I found unfulfilling. Perhaps you should travel a bit? See if someplace else is more to your tastes?"
"Perhaps you're right." Matsai said as he bent to lick at his paw, cleaning between the pads. It emphasized the claws in them, he liked to think, as he spread them. "But I should think that their work, their very being, would be more important to be about than consorting with mortals." His voice was dry, his tone flat. He didn't have a high opinion of gods as it was, but at least this wanna-be was half interesting to talk to. Ahai was so often off doing whatever, and Verdad was the same... he felt useless with nothing to do. Talking at least amused him for a while.
The seer was starting to feel grumpy, the extended contact with a stranger a small strain on him. It made him miss his brother, though he sneered at that weak emotion. He slanted a green eye at Isabis, his voice even more dead than ever.
"I'm unable to leave my other half. Where he is, I must be, or cease to exist entirely." A half truth, maybe, but he did believe his life would be hollow and empty if he left to be on his own. Despite the way he pushed others away, or perhaps because of it, he secretly craved contact and closeness with those he trusted.
