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 Posted: Tue Jul 23, 2013 7:21 am
 Muhali felt she'd done all she could for the newcomers; she'd warned them that the land was not what it used to be, she'd told them they would not find what they were looking for here... and she'd managed to get them audience with the king and queen. It'd been decided the rogues could stay, albeit merely for the time being, but the goddess figured it'd be time enough for them to take one of two courses of action.
Either they'd fall in love with the land was was, muses or no muses, and stay, or they'd leave, disappointed, in search of what they were looking for.
How ironic, that what they were actually looking for was right there, in front of them, and they had no idea. She was right here, and no one seemed to know; it never ceased to amuse her, that she was walking in plain sight and no one knew who she really was. It amused her that Shandor thought she was but a slightly over-eager pride member that needed to be put in her place. It amused her that others thought her eccentric, but not particularly dangerous.
It was just... fun. It was also home.
She'd never felt more at home than these past few weeks where she laid on the sand, swam in the sea, and talked to other pride members on equal terms. It felt like she'd finally found something she'd been looking for, and she didn't quite want it to end. It'd all started out as a bit of a game for her; she'd wanted to see how the pride was doing and what better way than to infiltrate it? But now... well, she wasn't ready to move on despite the fact she'd assessed that the pride had been doing just fine without her.
Muhali let out a small sigh as she lay herself on a palm tree whose trunk hung awkwardly in a slope over the ocean. Her eyes turned to glance down at the moving waters, her tail alternating between twitching over the liquid and sinking into it, "My, how things change, don't they?" she told her reflection, which sadly, had nothing to say back to her.
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Posted: Tue Jul 23, 2013 9:52 pm
She still wasn't used to this place, everything about it was so strange to her. It was so much unlike everything she had ever known, even the desert, which had sand too! Though she supposed each had their differences, the sand here was very soft and silky. It slithered through her toes like satin, and she loved the feeling of it! Desert sand however, was a pain in her behind, always crawling between her toes and sticking there. Quite a pest to be terribly honest!
Xipil had many thoughts running through her mind as she slowly trailed along the coastline. Her tail lazily dragging though the sand as she allowed her thoughts to take over once more. She couldn't decide whether she liked it her or not. Her muse was supposed to be here, so she should like it! But the burning cold eyes of those lions at their initial introduction ... they were burned into her mind. She had never felt so unwelcome in her entire life, and as an entertainer, there were many who did not want her around. A shudder spread quickly down the poor girl's spine, and she lifted her head out of instinct.
What she saw before her only send further chills down her spine. Just up ahead, lying lazily over the ocean was the female from before. She'd never had a chance to learn her name, or anything about her, but somehow she seemed drawn to her. Xipil blinked her eyes shut tight for a few moments, then quickly opened them to ensure she wasn't seeing things. No, she was definitely there. Perhaps this was what those chills had meant - they were a sign of what she should do!
"HELLO THERE!"
She yelped, raising her voice to be heard as she kicked up her pace to a sprint to clear the space between them.
"I don't think we were properly introduced before, would you mind some company?"
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Posted: Wed Jul 24, 2013 9:18 am
Muhali's musings were cut short, a shout piercing her thoughts, forcing her to lift her head from where it lay on her paws. Her eyes scanned the beach until they fell on Xipil, whom was sprinting towards her, "I love company," she told the lioness as she stood up gracefully on the palm tree trunk and then easily stretched her frame down on it, allowing herself to shake the kinks out of her weary muscles. She stretched out from her fingers to the very tip of her tail, which then remain languidly curled behind her, offering her nice balance as she walked the palm tree.
Her wings, which remain cloaked, invisible, spread as she jumped from the tree and landed on the beach, making her look far more limb and graceful than any feline had the right to be. Of course... she was cheating, but not on purpose; it was as hard to not use her wings, and it would have for her not to use her eyes or paws. It was something she'd been born with, and even if they were invisible to Xipil, they were still a part of her, "My name is Mali, but you may also call me Paradox. Whatever you rather, really," she grinned, and unlike the first time she'd met Besnik... there was warmth in the gesture. It wasn't cheeky, or cunning, it was warm, open, "What's your name? I believe your... uhm... leader might've said it," her eyes narrowed as she spoke the words, almost as if she didn't quite approve, but the expression died soon enough, "But I was otherwise preoccupied at the time," a pause followed, and then the lioness nodded her head towards the shore, "Come, let's go lie down. It's quite lovely, having the water lap at your front paws while you talk."
That said, she shot the lioness another small smile and then padded towards a nearby rock formation, allowing her frame to nestle against it; the water only just barely touched her toes when it lapped along the sand, "Come now, don't be shy, sweetheart. I don't bite."
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Posted: Sat Jul 27, 2013 5:48 pm
Hearing the lioness shout back to her, made Xipil realize just how ridiculous her own shouts had been. She could have merely spoken her words, and she was positive the lioness would have heard her. She tried to attribute all of it to nerves, but she just couldn't lie to herself in that way. She knew was equally excited as she was nervous to finally meet this lioness. She had ... so many questions for her, and some of them were making her belly do flips! Xipil came screeching to a halt before the lioness, her breathing slightly heavy from the jog over. She watched with awe as she landed lithely on the ground, how could one be so graceful?! It wasn't until the lioness began speaking that Xipil was able to pull herself from her own stupor, a light shake of her head and she was back in the game. "H-Hello Mali! Err .. Paradox?"Why did this lioness have two names, and such different ones at that! "I mean not to offend, but if I may ask, is there reason behind your names? I ... I don't come across many lions with two different names!" Offering a sheepish smile, she tried her best to look non threatening. Of course she's wasn't physically threatening in any way, though she feared her words might make her seem rude or offensive. Poor Xipil's heart sank in her chest at the mention of her leader. Oh right ... Besnik ... She wondered how he would feel, if he knew she were out searching for answers else where ... Would he abandon her? Despise her? Or worse?! She'd never known Besnik to be violent, but for him to hear that she sought answers from those who did not want the muses to return?! She could only assume the worst. "My name is Xipil, t-thank you for helping us before ... and thank you for being so kind to me now." Xipil had hardly a moment to finish her introduction before Mali was off on another topic all together. She certainly was a lively one! Very much unlike any of her travelling partners, but she found herself liking the liveliness, it was a very nice change of pace. A small laugh escaped the shy lioness' lips as a smile began to creep from the corners of her lips. "Oh ... OK! I'm coming!" Now smiling from ear to ear, Xipil pranced over to Mali's resting place and lie down comfortably beside her.
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Posted: Sun Jul 28, 2013 6:54 am
"Paradox, yeah," another grin spread across the female's maw as she looked at Xipil, then chuckled, "Ah yes, you've noticed that, haven't you? The two name thing," for a short moment, Muhali looked up almost sheepishly at the pink lioness, her ears flopping down like a puppy's, "Technically, errrr you should've only been aware of the one name; Paradox. I'm just kinda new to this blasted system and keep forgetting I'm only meant to use the one name. We didn't use this system before, and I'm afraid I've just come back home after a long absence and well..." her eyes left Xipil's face to look over the water, "Things have changed," there was nostalgia in her tone of voice; it was hard to tell if it was because she missed 'the old days' or simply because she was thinking about them. Whatever the reason, however, she remain silent fr a few beats, obviously lost in thought before she shook her head and forcefully brought herself back to the here and now.
"Anyhow," she continued, "Mali is my name. Paradox is my Gypsy name. Most here will only introduce themselves by their gypsy names; it's a safety mechanism; by giving others a false name, it's easier to hide, easier to lose an enemy that's tailing you or otherwise trying to find you, and also... a way to forget your past. You come here, and you can become whomever you want to be; no one judges your past. You are someone new," she told her, "Wanna know what a Paradox is?" she waited a few moments, and then grinned, "This sentence is false," she said suddenly, "Think about it; That is a paradox!" as she spoke, Muhali bumped the lioness' shoulder playfully specially after she noticed the way she saddened at the mention of Besnik. She couldn't help but wonder if this girl feared him for some reason, and so, lifted her gaze to hers, "Let me ask you something; do you fear your leader, for some reason? Or do you simply fear disappointing him? I'm sorry I asked but you looked... uncomfortable at the mention of him, and I couldn't help but wonder."
The goddess couldn't help but find it vaguely interesting that a couple of good gestures and kindness seemed to have won the pink lioness over; the ghost of sadness washed over her features for a moment as she considered this, "Oh honey..." she whispered as she leaned forward, allowing herself to groom the other female's face in a motherly way, "Why do I get the impression that life's not been very kind to you?" it was murmured more as a rhetorical question than anything; it was clear she expected no answer as she groomed her face, "Usually, pride mates are kind to each other. It's the norm, sweetie. I'm not being overly kind; we are kin, and so, we look after each other. It keeps us alive, and happy, and if you need a shoulder to lean on, you are certainly welcome to use mine," she paused, watching a lion or two in the near distance, "The others, well... it might take them some time. Give them time, specially Riddle Mouth, but they'll come to, too. You watch. They're strange, but if you need help, they're the first to help, you'll see."
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Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2013 9:38 am
The bright pink lioness' paws padded eagerly into the sand as she lay along side her new friend happily. She most definitely had noticed the two names, and now she was more interested than she had been before! She listened with interest, only allowing for a slight laugh when Mali's ears flopped down against her head. She looked strangely cute when she did it, almost like a cub! Xipil had always liked cubs, but never had the opportunity to be around them much. She knew full well why other's didn't allow her to get close to their children, but it did not mean she felt any better about it. "Oh?" Xipil questioned eagerly, interrupting Paradox's explanation, before quickly shushing herself to listen. But as Paradox finally finished up, Xipil began to blurt things out, too excitable to notice the lost expression in her eyes. "Oh so you left for a while huh? I guess that was really scary for you to leave and come back to something almost foreign!" She could do little more than shudder at the idea, silently hoping she never had to deal with such an ordeal. Soon Mali began again and again, Xipil was all ears. "D-Does that mean, I should take on one of these gypsy names too?" Gulping down her fear, she tried to look as brave as she could. But she likely came off as more queasy looking that anything. "I only ask because ... well I like this place, and I want to be like you .. and everyone here." She smiled silently, trying to wrap her mind around Mali's statement, about what a paradox was. If it was false ... did that mean it was true?! But what if it being false was a lie in itself?! Her concentration on the puzzle at hand was only broken when Mali brought up Besnik again. "Well ... I don't think I fear him, but I do fear disappointing him. Besnik gave me a reason to live and go on, when everyone else wanted me to disappear. He gave me hope, when I most needed it. I feel as though I owe him more than I can repay...." The poor girl's words broke off as the female began to groom her gently. It was quite comforting, which was strange for her. She wanted to further explain herself to Mali ... but something within her held her back. As though merely asking the other lioness about her queries would bring some disaster upon them all. "I-I hope you're right Paradox ... I want to be a member of this family, more than I have wanted anything in my life ... P-Perhaps more than I want to see my muse again -" Xipil quickly froze in her actions and looked around fearfully, before clasping her paws over her mouth. "I really hope no one heard that." She mumbled through her paws.
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