|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Wed Jan 12, 2011 10:38 am
 Ghislaine sighed to herself as she trotted among the Hounfors that dotted the edge of the Shrinekeep's living area. It was a lazy afternoon, many of the pride members off on their own separate tasks. Ghislaine had finished her duties a bit early, so she had decided to embark on one of her favorite tasks: visiting neglected Hounfor. Oftentimes, many pride members got too busy to come visit a family members Hounfor for a while, or they meant to but never remembered.
Ghislaine knew and understood this, although she had a bit of concealed disdain for it. Therefore, she always took time to care for Hounfor that had not seen visitors in a while (yes, she kept track). She would tidy up and often bring a small bone, feather, or some other offering, small because she was not personally connected to them and had no real business with them, but an offering all the same, out of respect. The young Shrinekeep would then slip into deep thought or meditation before the Hounfor, paying her respects and pondering.
Today the young lioness was caring for the Hounfor of an old Medsen Fay, a modest and often unrecognized, but honored one. She left a tiny claw she had found and also a plant the old one had often used in his concoctions. His Hounfor was very close to the edges of the Shrinekeeps' area, so Ghislaine could see other pride members a bit farther away. She didn't pay much mind to this however, and began to meditate in front of the mound.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jan 13, 2011 6:52 am
It was sacrilegious, Fon Youn was sure, to use the hounfor as places to hang out and avoid being put to work, but as yet no one had caught him at it, and so no one had taken him to task for it or explicitly stated that it was a bad thing to do. Personally, Fon Youn guessed the loa might appreciate the company, even if he wasn't doing much more than napping. After all, with so many hounfor to so many loa, it was practically impossible for everyone to do their due and visit all of them as frequently as they ought to be visited. In a way, Fon Youn was doing the pride a service. Yes. That was it.
His presence rationalized, Fon Youn had allowed himself to nod off behind the shrine, dropping into that lazy, comfortable place between sleeping and waking where everything seemed like a dream. He was quite adept at this, since it was also how he went about preparing to invite a loa, when that was required of him, and although he'd yet to actually have a loa possess him, he knew the fault wasn't on his end. The loa just didn't have strong enough personalities to contend with his own, even when he deliberately tried to push himself to a small corner of his own mind.
The sound of soft paw treads coming into the hounfor caught Fon Youn's attention and pulled him from his drowsiness. He didn't leap suddenly to his feet, hoping to avoid attracting attention with quick, jerky movements, but instead opened his eyes very slowly to look around and figure out what was what. And apparently it was a young shrinekeep who had woken him, one of the sweet innocent ones, he thought. Ghislaine? She seemed very intent on her task, and he didn't wish to disturb her - not when he enjoyed watching her so much - and yet she didn't seem particularly inclined to move on after she'd finished her tasks, either, which was a bit of a problem.
Fon Youn's muscles were becoming stiff from remaining in one position for so long, and he would have to move soon.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2011 8:10 pm
Ghislaine sighed contentedly with her eyes closed, floating in a semi-lucid state. everything was peaceful and she was in her element, her comfort zone, now. She was just reaching deeper into her connection with the Loa, when a gentle breeze ruffled her fur. With it it brought the smell of a lion, a male, not a Shrinekeep. Ghislaine's eyes shot open, annoyed at being interrupted.
The male was close, only a few feet away. He was most likely watching her. Struggling to control her irritation at the intruder in the Shrinekeep's area, Ghislaine turned around, and peered behind her, eyes searching. Her eyes narrowed as she placed the vaguely familiar smell with the adolescent Poupe behind her, slouching between some Hounfor. She knew his name was Fun Yoan or Fon Youn or something like that. She usually paid him no mind, only sparing him slight disdain as she looked down on his lazy, playboy ways. She had no patience for lions like him and his laid back and arrogant attitude towards the Loa.
"What do you think you're doing there?" she asked him severely, glaring distastefully at how he had obviously been sleeping among the Hounfor.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2011 7:48 am
At the shrinekeep's outraged glare and indignant demand to know what he was doing, Fon Youn grinned. His default facial expression was a grin anyway, so that wasn't particularly unusual for him. He just couldn't help it. It was so much fun to get the earnest shrinekeeps all riled up. Even if he met with absolutely no success in wooing them, their reactions to his attempts were hugely satisfying.
"I might ask you the same question," he drawled. "I don't recall this hounfor being one of the ones you're slated to care for, and - believe me - I do know when I'm in a place likely to be visited by attractive ladies like yourself."
His left ear flicked backward as he made the unconscious decision that it would be much easier to lie to Ghislaine than it would be to tell her the truth, which wouldn't do much to win her over anyway. Not when she was so clearly displeased to see him anyway, which might have hurt his feelings at another time. He still might use some of those pretend-hurt feelings to his advantage.
"But I'm here to pay my respects, of course. This old fellow was quite impressive in his day, and there's no reason for me not to respect a..." He glanced at the shrine to see if he could figure out what he had been impressive for from the offerings. "A medsen fey like him. We poupes work quite closely with them, after all."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2011 8:05 am
Ghislaine made a face as he grinned. 'Stupid boy, doesn't know how to take anything seriously,' she snapped in her mind. Outwardly though, she took a breath. She knew her temper was her greatest fault, so she was making a conscious effort to not rise to the other lion's bait.
"And how do you know which Hounfor I'm slated to?" she asked suspiciously, ignoring his flirty comment though her ears flicked back briefly in annoyance. "Well, for your information, although I shouldn't bother, I come to visit the neglected Hounfor in my free time. Everyone deserves the homage their lives earned them, and sometimes family can't get here. I rotate among those that need the most attention," she finished neutrally, still eyeing him like she didn't know what to make of the Poupe.
She looked at him carefully, piercingly, as he claimed he was here to honor the Medsen Fey, noting his hesitation and glance at the Hounfor. She guessed he was lying, but she couldn't be bothered to call him on it. She guessed it was what he wanted her to do, anyway, and would have some clever response ready. She recognized him now, Fon Youn, a womanizing Poupe who was always shirking his duties and getting reprimanded.
"Shouldn't you be preparing for a Loa right now? Or be doing some other task you've been assigned? Almost everyone else is still at their work," she stated, turning to walk away. Ghislaine was still irritated, as now she'd have to find another quiet spot and try to return to peaceful, meditative state. Hopefully the guy could take a hint and would leave her alone.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jan 16, 2011 8:54 am
"I don't," Fon Youn admitted. "But like I said, I would know if this particular hounfor was often tended by someone as lovely as you are."
He cocked his head to one side. "It's a good thing, what you're doing. Very considerate."
Personally, he couldn't understand why she would make more work for herself like this, but it seemed like an excellent excuse for him to use in the future. It wasn't his job to do that sort of homage, but it wasn't really Ghislaine's job either. And yet she did it, and he could pretend to do it at need.
Already this was proving to be an excellent meeting for him. He probably should leave some sort of thank-you offering to the loa whose hounfor he'd been napping behind for helping to engineer it. An excuse for loafing as well as a pretty piece of fluff to spend time with.
"And, no. I have no preparations to make for anything like that. And I have no other duties either. I work fast when I want to. Though I can also be very, very detail-oriented." He grinned and trotted after her to continue his conversation.
"What about you? How do you have time to do this?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jan 16, 2011 11:14 am
Ghislaine rolled her eyes to the sky and sighed, trying to maintain her composure as Fon Youn caught up with her. 'Why me?' she thought darkly. Her tail twitched sharply in irritation at Fon Youn's flirty comment. 'Can't he take a hint?'
She looked at him as he complimented her about her visitations to the Hounfor. She was surprised by his nice comment, but she remained suspicious, assuming it was a ploy to get her to like him. "Thank you," she replied, aloof as ever, "it is simply something I feel I should due, with everything we owe our ancestors. It also feeds my connection with the Loa."
Ghislaine ignored the Poupe as he continued to talk. She snorted at his claim of being a quick worker when he wanted to. She'd believe that when she saw it. She looked at him sideways as he questioned her. "I finished my duties early. Many times I rise earlier than others in order to contemplate the Loa and begin my duties. As such, I finish official tasks earlier, and I often have more time than others to spend as I please," the young Shrinekeep replied simply, attempting to keep conversation to a minimum.
Ghislaine realized she was leading him farther into the Shrinekeeps' living area, but it didn't worry her at the moment. Certainly, they'd run into someone soon and they would shoo the Poupe away.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2011 10:39 am
No. Fon Youn could not take a hint. If anyone had asked, that would have been the answer. It wasn't to say that he wouldn't be able to pick up on a hint being given. He knew perfectly well that Ghislaine wanted him to leave her be and give up, but her attempts to hint subtly at that point would only spur him on to greater feats of persistence. He enjoyed doing things like that.
"We do owe our ancestors a lot, don't we?" Fon Youn mused.
He was thinking less of the things they had done than of the great genetic material they had contributed to make him such a fabulous, wonderful person, but he didn't think that would be the right thing to say to her. She would probably not be amused, and might even stalk off at a faster pace, and if she did that Fon Youn knew it would be pointless for him to go after her. He would have driven her away too completely, and that would be bad.
"I'm sure the Loa appreciate your dedication to them, but do you spend all your free time looking to their comfort? Don't you ever do anything fun for yourself?" He tried not to think too much about the fact that she was taking him into the shrinekeeps' living area, but he was definitely getting his hopes up.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jan 25, 2011 1:14 pm
Ghislaine looked at him sideways, not trusting his response. "Yes, we do indeed," she responded anyway. As the two walked farther into the Shrinekeeps' area, Ghislaine slowly began to get more and more irritated. Where was everyone? This stupid Poupe would not stop following her, and he clearly wouldn't leave when she wanted him to! 'Alright,' Ghislaine said to herself, calming down for a minute, 'we'll walk a couple more minutes and if we still don't run into anyone, then I'll just change direction.' Then, at least, he wouldn't get any farther into the living area.
Fon Youn's next question caught the lioness off guard, however. She looked at him closely, with just a hint of confusion. "I don't go to Hounfor in all of my time. The rest of the time I often meditate, teach others, or discuss matters with my fellow Shrinekeeps. And what do you mean by fun? Playing childish games or wasting time with idle chatter that has no purpose? My meditations and care are what I enjoy. How else am I to use my time if not to do what I enjoy?"
Ghislaine stopped speaking abruptly. She rarely talked so much about anything other than the Loa. If she did talk more, it was usually only to other Shrinekeeps. But his question just annoyed and confused her, along with the lion himself. What did everyone else consider fun? There seemed to be no point to their trivial pastimes.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jan 28, 2011 11:04 am
Ghislaine had a very funny idea of the best ways to spend free time. All she was doing was more work. He had to meditate every day because it was good practice for his duties as a poupe, and he liked talking to other people in the pride, but not "matters." That word implied a great deal of sobriety and solemnity which Fon Youn was only barely capable of exhibiting when he was doing his duty.
"You know, I could show you a number of ways to enjoy yourself," Fon Youn said with a wicked smile. "But here's the thing. I don't think you'd be able to have fun like that. Not the way you are now."
Yes. He was laying groundwork. He'd decided that he could maybe bring Ghislaine around to his way of thinking. If she was too polite to tell him to get lost, he could hang around and talk, and eventually the things he said about his philosophy and how he enjoyed his life would sink in and she might decide one day to put them to the test. And, naturally, she would decide to put them to the test with him.
He'd also deliberately left dangling the idea that she wasn't able or ready to do the things he did. She struck him as a very dedicated lioness who prided herself on being competent or more than competent in everything she did, so the idea of being less than competent in this area might spur her on to attempting something new and along the lines of what Fon Youn was hoping for.
"Anyway, I shouldn't really be here, and I don't want to get you in trouble for bringing someone like me home with you. I hear that's frowned on a bit." He moved away with a casual flick of his tail and an easy grin.
More groundwork. He wanted to be the one to cut their conversation short, and on a note which would leave her wanting answers from him. She'd just have to seek him out and ask him herself, because he wasn't going to hang around and possibly get in trouble. Which made him seem like a nice person, too, even though it was pure plotting on his part. Yes, his ancestors had been good indeed when they granted him his good looks and intellect.
"Have a nice day."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2011 8:12 am
Ghislaine made a face of revulsion at Fon Youn's off-color innuendo. 'Disgusting pig.' Ghislaine didn't even know why she was bothering to be polite to him. There was no use in it. Her ears went back at his challenge, however. How dare he insult her and imply that she was boring!
"What do you mean by 'how I am now'?" she hissed, beginning to get angry now. She took a breath, however, and reigned in her temper. She knew he was trying to rile her, that it was a game. And if she rose to his challenge then she would just be playing right into his paws. She was just getting ready to turn him around and head them back out of the lands when he cut her off.
Ghislaine saw red at how he spoke. He had preempted her on getting out of the Shrinekeeps' living area, and had made it seem like she had wanted to take him home with her. She stood there for a minute, trying to figure out what had just happened and how to respond. The jerk had foiled her plan and was still grinning about, seeming to anyone else like a nice, respectful guy. Ghislaine could bear to let him have the upper hand on her, so against her better judgement, she called, "What kind of 'fun' exactly?" She refused to move until he answered, however, for she would absolutely not try to catch up to him. 'I'm going to regret this,' she thought with a sour look on her face.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2011 8:43 am
Fon Youn resisted the urge to turn and look over his shoulder to see what her expression and body language would tell him. He was curious, of course, but he knew it would make him seem too interested in her, and right now he had expressed all the interest he intended to express. She would have to seek him out if she wanted to continue this conversation.
So he continued walking away, a cheery bounce to his step and a broad grin on his face, which he knew she couldn't see. The fact that she had actually called after him proved that he'd done his work well. Now he just had to be patient and wait for her to come to him. He had few doubts that she wouldn't. And even if she didn't, they would meet again and she would remember their conversation. People always remembered the conversations they had with him. Fon Youn worked to be memorable.
It did please him, though, that his plots had worked out as he intended. Let her wonder about what kind of fun he referred to, and what he meant by the way she was now. Let her talk to her shrinekeeper friends about it and speculate. She would, at least, be thinking about him and that was key. If he was frequently in her thoughts, eventually she would have to develop some sort of feelings toward him, be they positive or negative, and he could work with that.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
