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 Posted: Sat Aug 01, 2020 5:09 am
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"Oh yes, things have certainly settled," Sawa continued as she laid down beside the little green patch. "It's a relief, to be quite honest. Everyone was so concerned, even Zuko was unnerved. But it's all better now, though no one really knows if anything we did to help actually...well. Helped."
She gave a little giggle and settled her head down on her paws to stare fondly at the little green plants, silent as she watched. It was in that silence that a very audible voice piped up, making Sawa lift her head in surprise. Glancing behind her she spotted a pink lioness who had (accidentally) snuck up on her, it seemed.
"Oh...if you listen very carefully they do," she said, used to being asked questions about her hobby if others happened up on her as she spoke to them. She was also used to being ridiculed and teased, which was why she tended to do it alone. But she wouldn't lie it to someone, not when they were asking without malice.
"Not how you or I speak, though. It's more a feeling than anything else."
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Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2020 12:18 pm
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"I see," She replied.
Truthfully, she didn't. She probably wouldn't ever come to understand that sort of thing. Whether this was because she lacked distinct spirituality, or she simply wasn't whimsical enough, might be open to debate... but when it came to the more fanciful or supernatural elements of life she wasn't convinced. That didn't mean that those who did believe in them deserved to be ridiculed though - for all Aphelios knew, there was every possibility they did speak back.
...She just didn't know how to 'feel' that.
"Not the normal sort of behaviour for a N'ezi though," she observed with a small smile. "Or colour. You must be from the outside like I am," she pointed out. Not that identifying most of the new blood was hard, the majority of them were, amusingly, much brighter in colour than the average N'ezi. However it was nice to meet another who wasn't necessarily born in to the pride and might have a slightly different disposition than those who had grown up here.
"How far did you come?"
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Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2020 2:54 pm
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Sawa slowly got to her feet again, knowing that the clover wouldn't mind putting their little chat on pause. Sometimes things came up and a lioness that wanted to chat was certainly a priority. Her observations made the orange lioness give a little laugh of delight, nodding confirmation. It certainly wasn't normal behavior for most lions, not just here in the N'ezi, and she definitely wasn't from around these parts.
"I am," she said with a smile, giving her head a little bob. "I've been here...oh...a year or two perhaps? I've lost track to be quite honest. And quiet a ways, though I couldn't say how far exactly. This whole area is sort of out of the way. I was born in a pride but was rogue from adolescence on. Just sort of been wandering for most of my life, letting the wind take me where it will." Well, the plants, but since the pink lioness seemed a bit unsure about her chatting with them she figured it would be better to change the wording just a bit.
"I'm Sawa. You must be among the most recent batch of rogues to join, I haven't seen you around before."
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Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2020 4:40 pm
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"Ah, not a rogue," Aphelios shook her head ever so slightly. "I did have another home, I simply chose to part ways with it and follow my friend on an adventure," she admitted. In short she had been apprehensive about that adventure, she hadn't even been sure it was a wise choice, but her yellow friend had been insistent and as they had explored a little more Aphelios had begun to see that perhaps there was method to the madness.
...There had been something peaceful about just following your paws.
"She found her calling here and I suppose, in a way, so did I," she admitted. She still didn't feel like it was entirely her home, she wasn't convinced by it for several reasons, but it was more safe and less dramatic than where she had come from. Wasn't that what she had wanted? Somewhere quiet, safe and free from war and strife?
She should have been happy but reservations did seem to keep cropping up for her, her friend may have settled, but Aphelios still had some way to go in that respect.
"It's funny how things work out, you were called here and I was led here," she pointed out. "But if you follow the wind then why did you stay, would it not simply tell you to move on after a time?"
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Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2020 5:02 pm
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"Oh, pardon me." Sawa gave a little smile, nodding in understanding. She never had too much attachment to her original pride just because she'd spent so little of her life there, but she knew there were others that were proud of where they came from and loyal to the end. Obviously that wasn't quite the case with this pink lioness considering she'd agreed to stay here, but she'd met some rather interesting characters in her travels that definitely held to those descriptions.
"Oh, it may," she agreed, shifting her weight a bit as she took a small step forward. "But for now I'm quite content here. It was a new way to live, certainly, but I was very interested in their way of life. Some things are a bit silly," she admitted with a little chuckle. "But I won't tell them they're wrong to think what they think. Perhaps I'm the one who is wrong and I just haven't seen it yet. But I found a mate here and am enjoying life in a pride."
She'd never thought she'd live in a pride, honestly, but she was quite comfortable with her lot in life at the moment.
"Are you settling in well then?"
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Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2020 5:14 am
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"More slowly than my friend is," Aphelios conceded with a shake of her head. While Sawa had already touched on it, there were nuances and oddities that didn't make much sense to her when it came to this pride. They were kind, considerate and generally pleasant, but their belief system did puzzle her on occasion.
...Particularly their obsession with locking their burial sight to a specific set of individuals. How did they mourn properly if their relatives were never allowed in?
"But as you say, some things might seem a little silly... But that doesn't mean they're wrong and I'm right," she admitted with a wry smile. The world tended to work in mysterious ways and if her former pride had been proof of anything, there were definitely some individuals who were wrong and had taken to doubling down to get that point across. They wouldn't be dissuaded, and so they simply fought.
Forever.
"I prefer the quieter life if I'm honest, and the N'ezi seem to have that mastered, even if I'm taking some time to learn it for myself. I didn't realise it would be such a significant shift for me to personally learn how to relax," she said with a chuckle.
"Congratulations on your partner though, a wanderer such as you or someone with more new blood like us?"
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Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2020 5:25 pm
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Sawa nodded, understanding where she was coming from completely. There were things she still found strange after being here for as long as she'd been thus far, though she really didn't want to completely assimilate. Having her own views and thoughts on things was important after all, and while she'd never belittle or make fun of the native N'ezi for what they believed in, she also knew the value of having a cool head and a fresh perspective.
Then again, she carried on two-way conversations with plants. Maybe they were right and she was wrong, just as Aphelios said!
"They certainly do have a quiet way of living," she agreed with a warm smile. "It's nice to know there's always someone to talk to as well, though I will say there are a few traditional lions here that might snub you because of your coat." She'd been on the receiving end of that a few times, but as was her way, Sawa would simply shrug it off and be a little extra kind to that particular lion or lioness.
"Oh, he's a native N'ezi," she added with a fond chuckle. "He was one of the ones who didn't like me right away when I arrived because of my bright color. He warmed up to me eventually though." Sawa winked one eye before nodding her head in the direction of the pride.
"If you'd like we can take a little walk, I can try to put a few of their more interesting customs and rituals into newcomer speak so it's easier to understand. Though I will admit, I'm still understanding some of the finer points myself."
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It was a few days after Sawa and Zuko had run into Itiri that the lioness found herself walking the pride lands alone. Zuko was off doing...something, so she figured she'd take to her old pass time. During her youth Sawa had started talking to plants and had never really given up the habit, though she did have to admit since joining the N'ezi she'd been doing it less. Perhaps it was because she had other lions to talk to.
