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 Posted: Sun Sep 12, 2010 10:50 pm
 The gazelle herd was on the move, half a dozen animals running and leaping at high speed, closely followed by a bright shape in the tall grass. The pale lioness had been spotted and initiated the chase too early, the result being fairly obvious to anyone watching the hunt. It was close but she still missed her chance.
Fenja stood tall, coat glimmering with the orange hue of setting sun, tongue lolling out the side of her mouth and eyes following the small herd that scurried across the plain. Oh well, she’d get them next time. The lone lioness stretched, groomed her ruffled coat and finally started moving in search of a climbable tree where she could spend the night. With some luck, a wayward animal would choose the exact same tree to rest under allowing her swoop down for an easy kill. It wouldn’t be the first time. Despite being completely alone the lioness chuckled quite loudly, prism-colored eyes scanning the horizon for prey and dangers.
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Posted: Mon Sep 13, 2010 6:09 pm
Ebony eyes stared out at the world before him, taking a half-hearted not of the creatures and things surrounding him. There were gazelle, but he felt no hunger and no motivation to actually try to hunt. There was the lioness, a pale creature like him, not terribly far off upon the horizon. And then there were a few trees. . . Trees where he could rest, trees which would provide him shade and companionship. Not that he desired companionship, mind, but a tree was about motivated as he was on his worst days. Everything a tree did was passive and automatic - there was something to be said about kinship.
Slowly, Nemanja made his way over to a nearby acai. The thorny leaves wouldn't be a problem as he had no intention of crawling up in to its limbs. Wings half-dragging behind him, not at all concerned with the trail of down and feathers he left behind him, it was difficult to tell if he was fluffy naturally or just so disheveled his fur and mane and feathers sticking out in such an odd array added the extra volume. Perhaps it was a mix of both.
Flopping ungracefully beneath the tree, he gave a large, shuddering sigh as he managed to collapse in a heap of horns, spikes, feathers and fur. He had no one to impress, and he didn't care how ridiculous he looked, nor did he care who saw him. In fact, it was safe to say Nemanja cared about nothing and that was exactly how he intended to keep things.
Feeling wasn't worth it anymore.
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Posted: Mon Sep 13, 2010 7:16 pm
The large pale creature didn’t go unnoticed to the lioness. It took her a while but after a few moments she finally recognized the two dark shapes on the massive lion as being wings. A God! It hadn’t been that long since she’d met Vár, Goddess of Oaths and now she found herself face to face with another winged deity. Obviously, she had to meet him. The lioness waited to see God’s reaction before proceeding and was quite sure he’d seen her at some point – she was, after all, rather hard to miss - even though the God showed no visible signs of acknowledgement.
She watched him move closer and one of her front paws shivered with tense anticipation before the lioness realized the path of the winged lion wouldn’t lead him her way. In fact, he actually ignored her altogether as he plopped down to rest under an acacia tree. On the bright side, that could imply he was most likely not aggressive, Fenja considered in silence already moving closer to her target. However, it could just as easily mean he didn’t want to be disturbed, though the lioness didn’t fully consider that option – mostly because it didn’t suit her purpose.
What was his field of work? Did he eat? Would he be able to explain what flying felt like? Wait, were those horns? Pretty soon she was facing him and compared to the beautiful Goddess she’d met before, Fenja had to admit she was slightly less impressed. Not that the God’s size and striking contrasts weren’t remarkable but he looked well, she didn’t want to say dirty, but he was a little… ruffled.
“Hello.” She stopped a few good steps away from the large shape, ears shooting forward and eye keenly watching the God’s every move, waiting for his reaction.
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Posted: Tue Sep 14, 2010 5:48 pm
Nemanja had noticed the pale white and faintly-rainbow hued lioness, both before her approach as well as when she drew near. Still, his ebony gaze didn't turn to her, his body didn't shift, and if one didn't study him carefully they might assume him dead. Even when the lioness spoke, a silence passed, waiting for someone . . .something . . . to happen.
She wasn't going to leave, but Nemanja didn't necessarily want her to leave. He didn't necessarily want her to stay, either, in fact he didn't give a damn about what she did or didn't do. But she was there, and she had spoken, and there as no reason for him to be rude. Just because he didn't care didn't mean he had to lose his sense of manners. "Salutations," came the reply, his voice surprisingly gentle. For being as large a creature as he was, disheveled and a mess of feathers and fur, one might have thought his voice to be harsh and cold.
It wasn't.
But it was devoid of feeling. Bland.
The smallest shift in his position and his gaze finally came to rest upon the female. There was no smile, but no sense of hostility or aggression either. He merely was . . .existing . . .and exactly what would happen next fell entirely upon the female's paws.
((Yes. . .acacia tree, thank you. It was late, I was tired. *lol* Acai . . silly Uta is silly.))
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Posted: Tue Sep 14, 2010 8:41 pm
Fenja’s eyes widened the second the God turned to face her. Those eyes!
“Your eyes…” she whispered before she could stop herself. “I mean, you have very unusual… ah, striking eyes.” Granted, she wasn't exactly one to talk what with her odd prism-colored eyes that usually got so much attention from others.
Alright, so he was certainly not aggressive. He was… what was he? Perhaps he felt superior and considered her very much unworthy of his time and effort. Fenja could believe that, he was a very powerful immortal creature, after all. Suddenly she caught sight of a small twig lodged in the God’s mane and for some reason that little piece of foliage really annoyed her.
Also, “salutations”? Fenja wasn’t quite sure how to take that greeting although she was pleasantly surprised by his voice. Shame she couldn’t read the emotion behind it or interpret his expression. He was a very hard one to read!
“Hope you don’t mind the intrusion. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a God. Are you here on business?” There. Talking about his gift. That would certainly get a more clear reaction out of him!
(Lol, I'm sillier because I didn’t even notice! I just automatically read it as acacia. xD)
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Posted: Sun Nov 14, 2010 10:18 am
Nemanja regarded the rainbow pelted lioness, taking note of her appearance, of the rainbows that covered her pelt and her own unusual colored eyes. Still, while he noted their appearance, he felt no surprise or delight. . . They were eyes. Most creatures had them, the color that they were gifted was (for the most part) irrelevant.
Funny how she seemed surprised by his own.
"They are eyes all the same. Just black. Nothing more." His words were once again, rather gentle for his large size. He wasn't annoyed or irritated, that much one could tell, but there was also little inflection or care behind each breath. His wings gave a small shuffle, an itch causing one of the feathers to pull and become an annoyance.
His gaze lingering on Fenja, the God considered her words before giving his tail tip a light thump on the ground. He was thoughtful for a moment, or at least he appeared to be thoughtful, before he finally spoke. "I am here because it is a place to be. I have no business, no command to follow. I am here just as you are here." He didn't entirely expect her to understand, to diving in to his life was just too much effort and Nemanja didn't care to explain so thoroughly his life. It also didn't matter what the stranger thought of him. . .
Ultimately, nothing mattered.
"You may do as you wish." Still, something she said was unusual, and if he could feel surprise he might have quirked a brow. With a neutral expression, the lion continued to gaze at Fenja before he asked, "Have you seen many of my kind?" He was unsure of the frequency in which gods walked amongst mortals. . . . the fact this lioness had claimed to have met others might have been interesting to Nemanja. . . if he had allowed himself to be.
While he could give the appearance of being surprise, it was too much work to actually feel it. Conversation was supposed to happen in a fashion similar to what they were doing now. . . He might as well continue to play the part.
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Posted: Tue Nov 16, 2010 10:40 pm
Yes, just black. Exactly. She might’ve felt intimidated hadn’t the large winged lion’s voice been so very gentle. A good voice for a story-teller, Fenja imagined, though she regretted not feeling the waver of emotions in it. She frowned ever so slightly when her plan to pull a reaction out of the God while finding out his domain failed. She would have to find another way to insist on the point.
“Ah, me? Yes. No. I mean... I met two. Not many I suppose but one wasn’t really that long ago. I met Vár, the Goddess of Oaths. I’m Fenja by the way.” Yes! Introductions! This would certainly allow her to get the God’s name and hopefully there would be a domain attached. She smiled happily, already savoring the sweet success. If there was one thing she loved was to know things, to learn. And swimming. But mostly just gathering little tidbits of knowledge here and there.
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Posted: Sat Dec 11, 2010 11:08 pm
The lion continued to gaze upon the rainbow coated lioness. It wasn't that he found her particularly amusing or entertaining, nor did he seem to legitimately care that she was there. . . but now that his eyes were resting upon her, there was no reason or purpose to look anywhere else.
She was here, she was responding to him, and there wasn't much else that captured his attention or was worth staring at. If she moved, it was almost unlikely that his gaze would follow. Once again, that would take quite a bit of effort, wouldn't it. . . .? Effort Nemanja just didn't have in him at the moment.
The striped lion gave a small grunt as the female spoke about her encounters with the gods. Having met two seemed a bit unusual to him. . . . The last he remembered, before his century long slumber, was that many gods had kept to themselves or at least transformed to look like mortals. Even Nemaja'janan had a mortal form, though he never switched to it these days. Too much effort, and he just didn't care that much. . . . Let others see him as he was meant to be seen, he honestly had nothing to hide. The Goddess of Oaths though. . . . The name didn't sound too familiar. But then, there weren't many he did know.
"Fenja. . . " He repeated the name, almost as if he were committing it to memory. He wasn't. . . but there weren't many names he knew, or lions (mortal or otherwise) for that matter. "I'm Nemanja'janan. It's a pleasure." Well, it wasn't really a pleasure, but it was an automated response. His voice was truly without inflection, almost as if he moved through life mimicking others reactions and responses. In Fenja's case, this was appropriate. . . . He could always 'pretend' to feel a certain way, but mirroring a reaction was easy. Truly feeling it was another thing entirely.
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Posted: Sun Dec 12, 2010 2:44 pm
Alright, despite the natural restraint that came with meeting a stranger – a God at that! – Fenja was becoming increasingly annoyed at not being able to decipher what Nemanja was thinking. It did cross her mind that perhaps the God was sleepy or simply wanted a bit more personal space but quite frankly, she was feeling far too interested to just walk away. It was more than a little self-centred of her to think so, but right now the young girl just wanted feel she was getting the attention she deserved the situation called for.
“So, big guy...” the bright lioness wondered if she’d be able to pull a reaction out of the massive lion by addressing him in such a way. Making him angry wasn't exactly in her plans but if it would grant her a flicker of emotion, she would gladly accept it. “What’s your gift... power? What are you the God of?”
Without even noticing Fenja stepped closer to the God, just a little too close for comfort had the God been an aggressive fellow but she looked almost mesmerized by the deep black eyes of Nemanja to actually notice how close she was getting.
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Posted: Sun Jan 30, 2011 8:56 am
Unfortunately for Fenja, if she thought that anything she said or did was going to effect Nemanja'janan's attitude, she was sorely mistaken. He hadn't allowed himself to feel much of anything since he had awoken and it was quite unlikely to change. It was easier to not feel at all than to acknowledge the feelings he once possessed and still carried with him, buried deep.
Nemanja was not an easy creature to get along with but, it didn't much matter. He didn't care what the world thought of him, and most certainly didn't have any feeling for Fenja one way or another. So no matter what she called him, be it big guy, little guy, or anything else, it wouldn't matter. His expression never wavered, his voice didn't change. He merely existed and kept his gaze firmly on the rainbow female.
"I'm the God of Apathy." That very well could have been the end of it. His tail tip gave a small flick and he didn't lessen his regard. One breath, two breath, and finally he added, "Nemana'janan." There. His name. It was polite, and he may have even gave a very slow and lethargic nod of his head at her. But then again, it was so slow and so slight, it was almost hard to tell.
Poor Fenja. Here she was, in front of a god as large and powerful as Nemanja, and yet she could hardly get him to speak. The lion wasn't exactly the greatest conversationalist in the world, but he did have manners. It was just difficult to translate them amidst his lack of care, his lack of expression and feeling. He was being a good sport though. He didn't necessarily have to respond to Fenja at all, but he wasn't rude. Or at least, a small part of him wasn't.
The lion didn't doubt the rainbow female would soon take her leave. He often had that effect on others, but such was the way of things. It didn't bother the lion none, but nothing ever did.
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Posted: Sun Jan 30, 2011 4:40 pm
Apathy. Well, that explained it.
“Apathy? Like not caring? Not reacting?” Wow, there really was God for everything. Here he was, the God of I-Couldn’t-Care-Less. It was hilarious. Unless… it meant not feeling. Then it was… odd. And sad. And maybe even a little scary.
She moved even closer and with obvious confidence now. After all, it wasn’t like he would mind it was it? Eh. This was actually kind of amusing and it really pushed her buttons, this guy’s character. It pulled her childish side right into the open as she couldn’t help but to wonder just how far she could push to get a reaction out of him. His pauses were mildly annoying but the bright lioness had to admit that she still found his voice exceedingly pleasant to her ears.
“So Nemmy… do all the Gods behave so much like their… Power? Have you always been this way?” Now that she thought about it, Nemanja coat was just as neutral as his tone. It was strange but oddly fascinating as well. Fenja took one more step and was close enough to touch him - or get hit should she make him angry enough. All she had to do was to lean forward a bit and she would touch the God. That, at least, she refrained from doing.
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Posted: Sun Jan 30, 2011 5:33 pm
The male lion continued to gaze at the pale, rainbow coated lioness even as she continued to inch her way closer and closer. His expression remained neutral, remained completely blank. It didn't matter what she did, there was absolutely no reason for him to respond to her in any real manner. He would continue to speak, at least for now, because it was the polite thing to do. But speaking didn't mean caring or feeling, and that lack of emotion was unwavering.
How bold would Fenja get? Somehow, the black winged lion knew he'd soon find out.
"A lack of emotion, a lack of feeling, as well as a lack of care. My domain encompasses all of those to some extent, an over all numbness of emotion." And that was that. He spoke gently, but perhaps that was what it was that Fenja heard in his words, or didn't hear. There was no passion, no excitement, nothing. Just words, a voice, with no inflection or feeling.
"A god will act how a god chooses to act. Some personalities match their domain, while others not at all." And that was that. If he heard her inquiry about the history of his personality, than he gave no notice. Perhaps he just forgot to respond, or perhaps he chose not to acknowledge it. The latter was true. He felt no need to divulge his history, already he'd indulged the female by answering her seemingly endless questions. His history wasn't important.
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Posted: Sun Jan 30, 2011 6:17 pm
The bright lioness gulped, suddenly very still. Numbness of emotion? Well… she knew that feeling, if feeling was the right word to describe it. Or she’d know it a long time ago. If Fenja were to analyze herself, she’d have to admit she was rather prone to hiding her true feelings behind an extremely positive mask, bottling down what she didn’t like and exacerbating what was acceptable or charming. She was thorn now, unsure whether to move towards a more serious conversation or to keep testing the waters around the God.
Well, when in doubt, go with the middle ground. In this particular case… Fenja decided to do both – though it should be noted she wasn’t thinking much right now. Her heart pounding, the bright lioness leaned forward to place a paw over Nemanja’s, intent on testing his reaction to her touch.
“So… you deal with those who are numb to emotion…? What kind of lions do you meet?” It was an odd thought that of Nemanja knowing a bunch of emotionless lions… what an odd conversation that would be – humorous scenarios briefly crossed the young lioness’ mind and she fought to ignore them. Though Fenja figured a small part of those lions to be oddballs and psychopaths, most were probably just regular folk that had needed some measure of apathy in order to survive. Lions forced into slavery, heartbroken or dealing with great personal loss. She supposed apathy could sometimes be necessary for survival, a self-preservation tool for those who couldn’t do anything to change their situation. “You don’t meet a lot of happy people, do you? Do you have, huh, God friends?” he couldn’t certainly use a visit from the God of Happiness…
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Posted: Sun Feb 27, 2011 9:24 pm
If the female lioness had expected any sort of reaction, she was sorely mistaken. Nemanja felt her paw rest upon his own, but he hardly made a motion. His ebony gaze continued to linger upon her figure, but he seemed unblinking, unmoving save the slow inhale and exhale of his breath. He could have almost been a statue, though his paw was warm albeit fuzzy and big. He didn't shy away from touch, he just didn't seem to acknowledge it. It was what it was, and he cared not a dot whether or not it happened to him or not.
Let Fenja do what she wished. If she wanted to touch, so be it, if she wanted to run away or tease or taunt. Life meant very little to the God of Apathy, at least when it came to an emotional sort of feeling. Care, anger, hatred. It mattered very little to him, and as such, he felt not desire or need to actually do much of anything. Why should he? In the long run, it just didn't matter.
"I meet who I meet. All sorts I suppose, mostly mortals. Those that don't want to feel, those that are too burdened by emotion and want relief. Heartache. Grief. Remorse. Anger." He shrugged his shoulders and heaved a sigh, almost as if that was too much effort. Still, there were others. "Sometimes those that already pretend not to care."
When Fenja brought up the sort of emotions he may have lacked, either himself or of others, he wasn't entirely sure he agreed with such a sentiment. Happiness. Happy people. He considered it so much that the tip of his tail twitched, and he canted his head ever so slightly at the pale female. "What is happiness but a temporary feeling? Is it a lack of loss, an absence of grief, of pain, of anger? One doesn't feel joy while in pain, one can't be happy if one is hurting. I can take away those painful feelings. Isn't that in turn granting happiness to another?" Still, he knew the condition of joy, of laughter, of goodness. He wasn't naive, he wasn't dumb, and he knew a lack of feeling didn't necessarily grant a feeling. "But you are correct. Most of those I meet and deal with suffer from negativity on some level."
He didn't answer her question about God friends. He didn't have friends period at the moment, and wasn't exactly seeking the approval of others, mortal or god alike. He was who he was, when he was. Perhaps long ago, before his sleep, there were others. But right now, his life was mostly an empty husk, a blank page. And that was just as well.
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Posted: Mon Feb 28, 2011 12:44 pm
She instantly regretted having touched the God. Because when she did, his words started making too much sense as he told her of things that were far more familiar than Fenja cared to admit. And suddenly, it was as if this little game of her wasn’t really important, as if stealing a reaction from the God was far less important than it had somehow seemed at first.
Fenja was a rational creature. She was aware that the God’s power was most likely affecting her in some way. But it was strange and even tempting to allow it, to be able to easily recall her past with no fear, guilt or pain. It was like remembering a story that she had had taken no part in, where one silly cub had made a terrible mistake and paid dearly for it. But it wasn’t really important anymore, not the past, not the present and not even the future. Things were what they were, what would be would be. Fenja felt an inner peace she hadn’t felt in ages and this feeling was simply too precious to let go.
Silently, she plopped down next to Nemanja – to rest, perhaps. There was nothing else to be said, nothing important to do or desire. There was only now and the blissful feeling of complete release from all that had once held her to the world.
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