As soon as Soa came into the temple yard from one entrance, Peribsen made his excuses and left out a different one or he moved so that he wasn’t looking her was. It was never rushed and unless you looked for it, who’d notice amongst a whole pride such a subtle thing? It had been going on for a few days now. It hurt, a little, to see the same lioness whose smile brought him joy – the pain and embarrassment of total and utter rejection. He’d not even really done anything to woo her, he’d just tried to make a start, but she’d been the first female Peribsen had ever liked.
And he’d failed miserably.
And thus he was miserable.
Today, just like the days before, he offered a sorry smile to Ben and left their group claiming he needed to go get a drink. Bennunakht, however, had had enough. He might be walking away from the princess but as soon as he’d left, his best friend started toward her.
*
Her smile wasn't quite as bright as before, not that he was likely to notice when he looked away, but Soa wasn't really much better, and if not for her station she probably would be excusing herself too, but as it was she couldn't do that.
That tightness in her chest had become a resident pain, an ache, constantly present when alone with her thoughts, or when she saw Peribsen avoiding her like just now. She hadn't been the one to annoy him before, but she clearly was now.
She never had been very good at handling disappointment of this type, she could recall when she got to spend less time with Tesni as children, but it hadn't been so bad because at least Tesni didn't avoid her, but this was just about unbearable. Then again, if she'd given him creepy vibes she could understand a little bit of why he'd rather be around others, maybe he was even going to see this girl he liked.
Soa excused herself from the group of hunters that were heading out, letting them get on task again as she half heartedly debated what to do.
*
“Princess Soa, might I have a word?” The female was not smiling but at least she wasn’t snapping.
Had they not been around others, Ben probably wouldn’t have asked so nicely. However, once she’d approached the other lioness she’d been very aware she couldn’t just stalk up and give her a piece of her mind. However annoyed she was, this was one of the royal family, who Ben herself respected and looked to.
Peribsen couldn’t have fallen for just another huntress could he? He’d had to get a crush on a princess. Ben knew that Soa’s position wasn’t what made Peribsen like her but it made things so much more difficult. It was typical.
*
Soa looked up at Ben's approach, recognizing her immediately as not only a member of the pride but also the one that was usually glued to Peribsen's side, well, not glued really but-- they were close..... and thanks to Peribsen she knew she wasn't his wife...
"Of course," She answered quietly, a bit wary of Ben's mood, but not suspiciously so, she was aware that the lioness seemed to have something on her mind, maybe even wished to tell her off for upsetting Peribsen. Soa decided the temple was the best place to get a bit of privacy, save for the cubs attending their lessons there wouldn't be anyone really roaming the halls too freely until midday when the sun was at it's peak.
*
“Come on.” With a jerk of her head Ben gestured towards one of the side rooms. It wasn’t one used for storing the things the priests used. No one would disturb them here. A small log had been dragged in for it’s fragrant bark for instance, and Ben sniffed instinctively as she sat down beside it. For a moment she waited for the princess to settle herself too, watching dust in the sunbeams to try to calm herself down.
“Are you being deliberately obtuse or are you just being cruel?”
*
Soa followed her in, taking a seat by the log as well, it's scent pleasant and yet dulled somehow, doing little to lighten her mood at all. Once both were as comfortable as they were going to get Ben spoke, and though she knew it wasn't going to be the most pleasant talk from Ben's expression, tones, and gestures, she still felt taken by surprise by the question and voice.
"What?" She stared at the other lioness, shock apparent, confusion as well.
*
“I can’t blame you if you are uninterested, naturally, but you could at least have just told him you weren’t.” She explained, ter tail tip twitching in annoyance. To her it sounded obvious what she was referring to. Soa had done nothing – and that was the problem. Ben would have preferred that the princess had laughed in Per’s face than said nothing. Now he’d forever feel he wasn’t even worth acknowledging to say no to, and that was worse than just plain rejection.
“I know you and Peribsen are not really friends… but to say nothing!”
*
Uninterested? What?
"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about." Soa set her jaw, feeling herself getting distraught again at the memory of their last conversation. "I did consider him a friend. But what was I supposed to say? I obviously made him uncomfortable. He couldn't get away from me fast enough."
Why did that hurt so much anyway? She looked away, quickly, when she felt her eyes burning again, she didn't want to make excuses, and it certainly wasn't what a princess should do, but she was so horribly confused and Ben's vague accusations weren't helping.
"I'm sorry... whatever I did, I'm sorry, I just didn't know what to say." She didn't understand, was more like it, but she didn't think to say this. It was a misunderstanding, right? Maybe she thought for a moment that it was her that he liked, but then he informed her that there was no reason behind the gift, she had clearly made a mess of things by assuming. After all, why would anyone like her anyway? She was rather plain and dull unless it was about history, there wasn't much to her beyond her family. "It was a misunderstanding."
*
“Look, it’s never easy letting someone down but it’s worse not to.” She really didn’t have time if the princess was going to get all teary. It wasn’t her who’d been rejected and frankly, in Ben’s opinion, insulted by not even being told that.
“All he ever did was like you. The flattery of that, however misplaced, should at least have earned him a straight ‘no’ in return.” With that she got up and looked a Soa. She’d always seemed like such a nice lioness. A bit reserved maybe but Ben had admired her as much as anyone. Had things gone differently, had she liked Peribsen, Ben would have quite happily welcomed her into their little ‘family’. But now…
“If you are as kind as you once seemed, you should find him and let him down nicely.” She said, and as she stalked out added a little –
“Good day.”
