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 Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2011 6:40 pm
Since being reunited with Xerxes, Bunikee had been feeling better. With someone forcefully holding her attention, she was able to keep visions to a minimum. With someone there with her, she was able to rest easier. And there was something about having him around that just made everything seem better. They had not been explicit in all of their feelings but they both were very aware of what they shared.
"They must be around here," Buni murmured to the red lion at her side. Since learning that he had run into the same strange white lion she had stayed with and realizing just how much the rogue pair had helped them both, Bunikee had insisted they go back to see them. She would thank them, even if it seemed doubtful Xerxes would, and she suspected it would they might be interested to see how the little story they wound up in the midst of ended. Xerxes was happy, but is mostly showed in an apparent ego boost and cheerful, though self-centered, mood. He had Bunikee back, he had managed to find her with absolutely nothing to go on but luck. She could have been pretty well anywhere in Africa.
He was not thrilled about where they were headed now, though, but Bunikee had been insistent. He really, really didn't want to see Antallian again. He hadn't told Buni the full details of the conversation, she didn't need to hear it as much as the strange lion had seemed to.
"Yeah, yeah," he murmured, looking around. They were in the right general area, he supposed, but he hadn't spent nearly as much time here as Buni.
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Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2011 7:01 pm
It was official. Cleaning day. They were beginning to prepare the den for the change in seasons and gods help anyone who got in Inatarni's way. She did her best, but that didn't explain the two anthills she'd found already! Not to mention several other less desirable things... The black lioness tsked to herself. She clearly hadn't been training Antallian as well as she should have. She loved him dearly, gods knew, but there were some things a body just couldn't abide with! The narrowed red eyes boded ill for her mate, if only he knew. She was pushing more rubbish (and where had it all come from in the first place?) outside when she caught a familiar scent on the breeze. Spina darted up the rocks to crest the slight fold in the land that sheltered the den. Ah...yes...there! Bunikee! And, how shocking, that obnoxious red male! So he had been looking for her...but, that was something to ponder later. For now, Buni was back! "Buni! Didn't think you'd be back here so soon!" the black lioness called out cheerfully. "Don't tell me you got lost again!" She wasn't trying to make fun of her, not this time. But they both knew that while Ina and An both knew this area like the back of their paws, Buni...didn't. And that was the best that could be said on the subject. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Antallian was working deep inside the den, digging out the dessicated corpses of insects, some abandoned bone shards, and a bit of dirt. Every time they cleaned, they also enlarged the den slightly. Eventually there would be the pitter patter of peewee paws, and he knew they'd need every bit of room and long for more when the time came. Still, he was surprised to hear Spina call out - and not to berate him for not doing things quite the way she wanted. Then the sense of her words penetrated. Buni! Back! For a moment Bauble felt a rush of fear - just what he didn't need, two lionesses bossing him around. Then common sense reasserted itself and reminded him that it wasn't Buni's home. Fear snorted at that and pointed out she could be here to stay for a few more days. Common sense then chimed in and said at least they were already working on cleaning the place. The male shook his head and padded outside to see what the fuss was about. He took his time, so when he finally joined Ina, it was easy to see Buni...and Xerxes? Brown eyes blinked in surprise, as his mouth stretched in a slow grin. "So...you found her after all, eh? Good on you Xerxes!" Antallian congratulated the red male.
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Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2011 7:38 pm
"Don't be so cheerful, Xerxes," she chided him sarcastically, "You might give make them think you're actually a nice guy."
Buni looked around more carefully than her mate, and it was a while yet before they stumbled upon the area surrounding the den. It seemed familiar but Buni's mind had been so scattered during her time spent here, she couldn't be sure.
And then she spotted Inatarni- looking right at them. She picked up the pace.
"No, we're not lost," she responded brightly, able to have a sense of humor about everything- at least with these lions. She looked over to Antallian when he appeared, smiling at him- and then looking back to Xerxes.
In Xerxes' version of the story, he had conveniently left out the failed attempt to get information from the dark lioness. It was a great surprise to him when it was her who appeared-- and called out to them. His shock kept him staring, which was a step up from his plan to avoid all eye contact. He didn't say anything, though, until Antallian appeared and his resolve to remove himself from the whole social interaction returned.
"Mhmm," he muttered gruffly, looking away but staying at Buni's side.
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Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2011 7:51 pm
"Well, I'm glad to hear it!" Spina replied with a grin. She looked from her friend to the red male and back again. "'We', is it now?" the black lioness asked. As they stood there, she did a quick evaluation. Buni looked...calmer, more relaxed than she had been when she'd stayed at the den. Ina wondered idly if "where Buni was supposed to be" wasn't a place as such, but rather at this lion's side.
There was, of course, the possibility that he was using her, telling her that he knew where she was supposed to go...but as an experienced huntress, Inatarni hoped that she would be able to tell if this male was one of those twisted individuals. She didn't get the impression that he was, but she also acknowledged that she might just be biased on behalf of her friend Bunikee.
His silence thus far wasn't entirely promising, she'd say that much. Common sense reasserted itself. She remembered now that Antallian had actually helped this stranger - she couldn't remember the name her mate had told her - find Buni. And she knew her Bauble wouldn't do that sort of thing if he'd felt the guy couldn't be trusted. Then again, women were more paranoid than men about these things, and he hadn't convinced her of anything yet.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Antallian didn't miss how Xerxes looked away when he saw the white and sand lion. Well, so he'd been tweaking the other male's tail a bit. He'd helped him in the end, hadn't he? Then again...he had teased the guy a fair bit. Maybe if he apologized it'd help smooth the way, as things were.
"Well and glad I am t'see you both agin, an' that you've learnt better how t'find yer way 'round!" he told the pair. "An' Xerxes, don' be lookin' so sour. It's sorry I am I teased you so, an' if'n Ina had known you were Buni's friend, she'd've tied my tail in a knot for it," his tail twitched reflexively as he spoke, fearing it's fate. And rightly so, for a spread toes with sharp claws landed mere inches away, tapping the hard ground as a reminder that Ina...could be quite unforgiving.
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Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2011 8:08 pm
"Yes, actually," she said confidently, glancing over to see Xerxes stubbornly looking away. When Antallian offered an apology and the red lion did not respond, she shook her head and gave him a sharp nudge. She didn't say anything, though, knowing it was risky enough to push at him physically. He wouldn't like being forced into anything in front of someone he apparently was already embarrassed and frustrated by.
"We wanted to thank you," Buni said, glancing back from Xerxes to Ina and Antallian.
Xerxes stifled a growl when Buni startled him with a shove for not looking at them. He didn't particularly care for an apology, it didn't really change anything- but he didn't care to be nudged either. But this is why they were here. The sooner he cooperated, the sooner they could leave.
"Yes," he murmured, looking back but staring somewhere between the two others rather than directly at either, "Thank you."
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Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2011 8:16 pm
"Oh please, don't!" Ina told Buni. "We didn't do anything that any good lion wouldn't have done." She paused then gave the other lioness a conspiratorial look. "In fact, I should thank you for the company! As you know, we don't often have visitors in our home."
She still wasn't impressed with the male, and was beginning to wonder what exactly Buni saw in him. It was true that he might be...more responsive in private, but it was hard to go through life never meeting other people. Not just because you'd get bored, but because even your beloved mate would drive you mad after a while.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"'Twas our pleasure," Antallian answered Buni genially, with a graceful bow and a wink. He knew perfectly well that she'd read nothing into it, but sometimes the moment just called for something...a little more extravagant. And Bauble was all about giving the moment what it wanted.
It was a shame that Xerxes didn't seem to be in the mood to live up to the moment, but An couldn't figure what more the red male wanted. He'd apologized - aye and meant it too! But the other lion just wasn't having any of it apparently. Such a shame. Bauble could've used someone to gripe about mates with.
"Will you be stayin' the night?" he asked the pair. Antallian could almost feel Ina's sudden indrawn breath as the black lioness remembered that not only had they been in the middle of cleaning, they were far from done. He had a feeling that, should Buni take them up on the offer (for it would be Buni and not Xerxes), there would be quite a bit of scrambling in his near future.
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Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2011 8:30 pm
Buni only smiled when Ina modestly tried to deny the deserving of thanks. She wasn't going to argue about it, they had said thank you and it would not be ruined by any unnecessary arguments. She glanced over to Antallian when he offered a bow and a wink, still keeping a smile on her face. While she was generally not this friendly or social in the same way the other pair of lions were, it would take far more than quirky friendliness to make her sour.
Her ears perked up when he invited them to stay the night, and she opened her mouth to respond.
And was promptly cut off by Xerxes, who very clearly did not want to spend any more time than necessary hanging out with lions he barely knew and barely liked- and was sure barely liked him. The looks they were giving him said plenty, even if it was just in his peripheral vision as he avoided direct eye contact.
"No no."
The interruption from Xerxes gave her enough of a pause to notice the reaction that Ina had to the invitation. She didn't doubt they wouldn't really mind having them around, but it was still an intrusion and Xerxes was being far from being friendly.
"We wouldn't want to intrude," she said, "And it seems Xerxes is a bit eager to go home."
Though now she said it, she wasn't really sure they planned to go home. They hadn't decided what they were doing next.
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Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2011 8:41 pm
Xerxes, that was his name. Ina remembered now that Buni had said it. And...he didn't look thrilled with Antallian's offer. More to the point, it was the male who rejected it. Ina sincerely hoped he wasn't as controlling as he appeared, and if he was abusive, well, just wait until the black lioness got wind of it. She'd shred him until you couldn't tell which was blood and which was fur.
"Well, if you're sure," she replied, disappointment clear in her voice. She'd hoped to spend some time catching up with her friend, apparently that wasn't going to happen.
But... "Home? Back to your pride, or have you found someplace else?" Inatarni was genuinely curious, especially because if they stayed out in the rogue lands, it would be quite easy to pop in for a visit and...see how things were.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"A pity," Antallian agreed with his mate. While he hadn't entirely cared for being overruled by two women, it had added something to the den while Buni stayed with them. But it seemed Xerxes was one of those lions who just liked holding a grudge against people! There wasn't anything the white male could do about that but live with it.
"But you shouldn't be strangers," he pointed out. "Y'know yer welcome t'visit any ol' time," he reminded Buni, since obviously her would-be mate didn't care.
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Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2011 8:55 pm
"Ah," she hesitated at the question of where they were going next, realizing it was very obviously a poor excuse when she didn't immediately know what to say to it. Buni looked over to Xerxes, who was as unhelpful as usual, and then back to Ina.
"I guess we haven't really decided," she said, "I was thinking we might want to see what was going on at home, at least."
Buni smiled and looked over to Antallian.
"I know how to find you, assuming you guys don't move."
Xerxes perked up at the mention of home but he wasn't about to strike up a conversation about it in front of two strangers (or so he liked to call them in his head). He had no idea where they really were planning to go next. He wasn't particularly fond of home right now, but that might have been related to Buni's decision to leave and his general frustration and bad mood.. but it was still home.
He looked around to everybody as they spoke, the nearest he really got to participating in the conversation so far, but he didn't say anything. He didn't really have anything to add.
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Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2011 9:05 pm
Ina nodded. Even if she still had reservations, Buni's choice to go back to the pride, for a short time at least, made good sense. If only to wrap up any loose ends there.
At the brown lioness' further comment, she had to laugh out loud. "Trust me, we have no intention of moving any time soon! You caught us in the middle of cleaning, which we certainly wouldn't be doing if we weren't going to stay!" She paused thoughtfully and asked wistfully "I don't suppose you could stay for a bit longer? I've been using some of your suggestions in the den and they've worked absolute wonders!" The black lioness cut herself off before she started to gush. It really was a shame that she had no girlfriends around. Except for Buni of course. Buni whose male friend was apparently determined to get out of here as fast as possible.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Antallian was continuing to keep an eye on Xerxes. He was hoping that he might be able to do some of that nonverbal communication stuff, but it looked like the red male was having none of it. That was, Antallian was expressing, but Xerxes wasn't reading. On the other hand, the red lion was expressing interest in going home, and the white lion could definitely read that.
Poor pridebaby. He was homesick. Bauble was torn by the desire to tease him and the wish to have a friendship with him the way they had with Bunikee. He supposed he should work on the latter first, to get to the former. Then again, he seriously doubted any adult male would let such a taunt go unanswered, even or especially from a friend.
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Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2011 9:17 pm
Buni smiled when Ina assured her they would not be moving any time soon. It would be good to know someone, somewhere out here, especially if they did remain rogues in the end. She tilted her head when Ina mentioned that she had taken some of her suggestions for the den. She didn't fully remember her time here, it was rather impressive she had any useful suggestions to give.
"I would like to see!" she said brightly, taking a step forward before realizing that would mean Xerxes might be forced into some alone time with the white lion he so resented. She glanced back at him.
Xerxes didn't like the idea of sticking around but he definitely didn't want to be left alone or lose sight of Buni again after all that trouble.. but he couldn't follow her around indefinitely and she seemed eager to go off. He wasn't so keen on den organization but it was a far better option than facing Antallian alone after so stubbornly ignoring him.
"Alright, alright," he said, taking a step to follow after Buni whether or not he was really invited.
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Posted: Wed Sep 07, 2011 6:40 pm
"Wonderful!" Ina exclaimed in return and turned to walk with her friend, long tail swaying over to make it clear that this was something for the girls only. She chattered away as they walked towards the den.
"Yes, I found some wonderful clays in different colors, and they just give the place so much more character! I'm not as sure of the designs, but An and I did try to make them as good as we could..."
The black lioness didn't often talk this much. But she knew that Buni wasn't as much of a talker and she really wanted to share what she'd been working on.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Antallian fell into step with Xerxes, following the women, but lagging behind a little. He looked over at the other male and tried to think how best to speak to him.
"'S'no palace, but it's home," he said at last. "Not sure you want ta follow 'em in though. It'll all be fashion this, design that, and rearrange the few rocks remainin'." He'd been though it before, and somehow it got worse whenever there was another female around. He just didn't get it, but then again, he wasn't a lioness.
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Posted: Sun Sep 11, 2011 4:44 pm
Buni was, indeed, not much for chatting- and it handicapped her, not remembering everything they had discussed when she was here before.. but she was a happy listener.
"I see!" she murmured cheerily, following along with Ina as she led the way back to the den.
While he wasn't pleased, he was more intent on following the girls than being anywhere too near Antallian- especially in isolation. He seemed to have some restraint while in the company of the girls and Xerxes still wasn't keen on speaking with him.
He'd follow Ina and Buni, listen to them chatter away about the den- whatever it was they had to say, no matter how much he might have agreed with Antallian on that one particular thing-- and he'd wait for his opportunity to slip in that it was time for them to go.
Hopefully it wouldn't be that long.
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