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 Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2009 7:28 pm
Shani was having a good day, or so she had convinced herself. When she woke up in the morning, she had convinced herself that today would be a good day. She had to stop worrying, stop moping around and most importantly, she had to stop being so awkward if she was going to leave the den. And leaving the den was very important, she had decided. She missed Vikasini most of all, but she was missing Kubwa and Tetemeko too. Everybody offered to help distract her but it was too hard to deal with when everybody was just trying so hard, too hard.
So she was on her own, but certainly not heading in any direction that would help her stay alone. She was avoiding the borders, trying to just have a normal, happy day. So she was headed for the waterhole, thinking perhaps a quiet leisurely afternoon might be good. She might not actively participate in any social interactions, but being around them, overhearing the normal conversations and lives of everybody else.. maybe it would be a good distraction.
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Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2009 7:36 pm
Indeed, it was a good day for the pure while lion, his purple eyes darting around the Pridelands, everything just feeling kind of good and right today. He had woken up on the right side of the den and everything was falling in to place.
Bouncing down to the quieter side of the lands, he decided a nice long quiet stroll would be perfect to go with this weather and just feel good feeling, taking a slightly beaten path that would take him down a familiar route he was o' so used to. It was only a few minutes after he started his leisure walk that he noticed another lone creature, meandering around prideland.
"'Lo, my dear lady, what brings out out here today?" He chirped out, being one in need of a little conversation - and being raised to always be kind to ladies, whether they precede you, age wise or not.
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Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2009 7:43 pm
He was happy, very happy. It was very apparent, as well, in the way he carried himself, the expression on his face and the way he spoke to her. She was a little surprised by it, not having been faced with much genuine joy in quite some time. But this was why she was out here, she was trying to cheer up, be distracted.
And she had to stop reminding herself of that or she wasn't really enjoying herself.
"Good afternoon," she greeted, putting on a small smile, "I was just going for a walk, trying to enjoy the sunshine and some free time." She was surprisingly convincing, or so she thought anyway.
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Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2009 7:48 pm
Reaching her side, but giving her some personal bubble space, Ariza nodded at her response, carrying himself at her speed so that he could interest her in a little conversation. Everyone could use it once in awhile.
"This is true," he started, returning her smile in aces - his youth still pouring through. He may have been an adult for a bit, but he was still very, very young at heart. "Today is a very fine day. This week seems to have been blessed by the weather, and there hasn't been any trouble for a bit, as far as I know." He chirped, before cantering his head. "Well, as far as I am concerned. But, it's always a good time for a walk. Helps with everything. Paw cramp? Take a walk. Gotta cry, but don't want to do it while trying to be a man? Take a walk." He stated, before looking at her and coughing.
"That is, as far as I am concerned, haha."
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Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2009 7:59 pm
As Ariza rambled about the day, Shani's smile widened, becoming more genuine. She wasn't sure when she had last run into someone so talkative or so cheerful and it was certainly a nice change from the low spirits around her den since Vikasini's abduction. And she agreed with everything he said, demonstrating so with a nod as he offered several reasons for taking a walk. It was a good way to escape, which was truly why she was walking.
"What is your name?" she asked finally when he coughed and came to a conclusion in his little speech, and then introducing herself brightly, "I'm Shani."
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Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2009 8:16 pm
It warmed his heart that she was so willing to keep walking with him, even tho he rambled like there was no tomorrow - and he kind of knew it. Ariza was a walking set of legs with a fumbling mouth attached to them. Whenever he had the chance, he had to talk to people, it made him feel a little bit better about always being alone when he got back to the den.
Shaking his head a little, he turned his attention back to her, he beamed and puffed his chest out again. "Mng'Ariza is my named, I was named after my eyes," he offered up, "Obviously, seeing as I'm pure white." Taking a moment to bow his head to her, he finished up his introduction. "Pleased to make your acquaintance during this walk, Miss Shani."
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Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2009 8:26 pm
She suppressed a laugh when he puffed up as he introduced himself. She smiled as he explained the origin of his name, thinking back to when she had named her cubs- her mother's cubs, at least. His eyes were quite bright, it wasn't a surprising fact that he was named for them, she decided.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mng'Ariza," she responded, "I don't know that I've run into anyone so cheerful and friendly on a walk before! You certainly don't seem like someone with a cramp or in need of a good cry, what brings you out and about?" And so she finally got around to returning his initial question. It might have seemed nosy in the middle of a conversation otherwise but she didn't think so now.
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Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2009 9:04 pm
"The pleasure is all mine." He stated, with maybe just a hint of his ethereal father seeping out of his mannerism, a smooth transition before returning to his chipper way.
Giving her a light shrug to her response, he started walking in time with her again, looking at his white paws. "Just, looking for something to do. It's nice to be by yourself during the day time, but, you know. . ." he trailed off for a moment, "It gets a little boring and quiet after awhile. So I figured I'd go for a walk and just enjoy the daytime, maybe think a little and, hopefully, find some conversation." He admitted, a little sheepishly, before smiling honestly.
"Guess that that worked."
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Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2009 9:17 pm
"It certainly seems so," she agreed brightly, then continued after a short pause, "I was heading towards the waterhole, would you like to join me? It's something to do." Shani shrugged, but kept on smiling. She didn't feel like she was particularly interesting, but she would gladly welcome some company on the walk to the waterhole. And perhaps he could find someone a little more interesting there, but in the meantime she could enjoy and share his good mood.
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Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2009 9:33 pm
"I would appreciate the walk to the waterhole. It'll give me something more to do." Ariza smiled happily at the invitation, having found that he had made a new friend in this lioness. To him, it was a nice change in his daily routine, and she was so welcoming to new conversation. Never one to let up an offer, he nodded enthusiastically, as they made their way to the bend in the road, and he hopped a few steps forward, before stopping at the split towards the waterhole, his long white tail flickering back and forth.
"After you, then, Miss Shani."
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Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2009 9:42 pm
Shani happily took the lead, but made sure she didn't truly get ahead of Ariza. That would hardly be very friendly or productive! She was curious, so she was happy to continue the conversation.
"Tell me about yourself," she said brightly, "Were you born here in the Pridelands? There used to be quite the number of rogues who joined, but I hardly can keep track of something like that with so many lions around here."
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Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2009 9:48 pm
Ariza sped his steps until he was close to her once again, nodding his head - youthful mane floating whichever way it went with the movement - before answering her question. It was kind of nice, being able to just converse.
"Yeah, I was born and raised here. I guess you could say I was part of a double-litter," he mused lightly, "My mother, and her mother, had children from the same rogue male - so we were all raised in such a big group. It was kind of interesting, but kind of overwhelming at times. I've heard he's had a lot of cubs, from all over the world." He finished, a bit of awe in his voice.
"Kind of profound, really." He murmured, before looking to her. "How about you?"
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Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2009 9:58 pm
She was surprised to hear Ariza explain his family situation, seeing a very obvious parallel in their situations.. though it was still very different. A mother and daughter with offspring by the same father, all raised together in a large family..
"It's nice to have a large family," she commented, smiling as she thought of hers- and, for the first time in a while, not focusing on just the fact that Vikasini was missing, "My mother and my sister had cubs by the same male, and all six ended up in my care, raised as one big group." Nevermind the reasons they had come into her care, it was an unhappy fact that didn't need to be mentioned.
"I didn't realize it wasn't extremely rare for such occurrences," she said with a quiet laugh, referring back to father situation. It was funny that she had stumbled upon someone else who was a part of a similar situation, really.
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Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2009 10:06 pm
"He must have been rather fetching, if both of them fell for him simultaneously, or at least some kind of smooth talker." He joshed, chortling as he mused over both situations. "We were ten cubs all together. It was a lot - and slightly confusing. Uncles and Aunts just started becoming siblings in my head." Shaking his head, he looked to her.
"Large families do help with the days where you feel lonely, but there's just some days where you need your space. I think that's when I started these walks by myself. But after a while, when I started striking out by myself, I kind of long for the craziness again. But, don't we all, sometimes." He mused, staring at the sky, watching the clouds as white as he was, float on by.
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Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2009 10:11 pm
"That's how I heard it," she agreed, laughing along with him at the idea and not bothering to remark on the initial perception of Riko as a fiend. Wahabu had stood up for him and Tetemeko had decidedly agreed with him first, believing it was not how it seemed and well, it made it easier to believe it.
"Everybody needs their alone time, but you always love your family," she agreed with his musing, thinking about the exact reason she was out on her own for a walk now, "And sometimes it's just nice to find someone else to talk to." She smiled at him, following his gaze up to the sky before looking back to the ground. They were not terribly far from the waterhole now.
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