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 Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2011 4:43 pm
Kalanu gave Poa a very amused 'are you serious??' look when he tried to say rogues didn't know how to be sneaky. She couldn't say she knew much better than him for sure but her parents were both former rogues, she had pretty high expectations. Besides, it was kind of in the name 'rogue' wasn't it?
"But then who would you hang around with?" she asked suddenly when he tried to get rid of her, putting far too much effort into looking thoughtful about this, "I suppose I could get Sesere to come keep you company, she's almost as little fun as you. But I think because she has a beak and it's harder for her to smile, she just looks less friendly. So she might even be too cheerful."
He had to catch on that she was joking eventually, right?
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Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2011 4:54 pm
"I don't need to hang around with anyone." He replied, seeming a little confused that she would try and suggest otherwise. His role could be completed with or without company and that was all that really mattered, wasn't it?
And then he made a horrified face. "No thanks. I'll let you deal with Sesere." He'd much prefer lion company over feathered company any day. And then her words sank in. "As little fun?" His ears flattened back against his two-toned mane and for a moment he seemed speechless. He was being compared to a bird as a friend? He truly had hit an all time low.
"I can be fun if I want to be." He replied, almost sulkily. "I just don't have the time."
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Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2011 5:37 pm
The more Poa took her seriously, the worse Kalanu felt about teasing him. It never occurred to her that he might be taking extra offense in being compared to a bird. Sesere had been her friend since she was small, she saw no difference in friendship based on species. Being friends with the avian was as natural as being friends with other lions.
His change in tone was unmistakable now, though.
"Poa, I'm just teasing," she admitted, taking a step closer to him, smiling more sympathetically, "I know you're more fun than you let on most of the time, you came with me to the mountains after all, right?"
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Posted: Wed Oct 05, 2011 3:52 pm
"Oh. Well, of course. I knew that." His confused expression said otherwise, though. After a moment, he settled himself down into a sitting position and looped his tail around and over his forepaws. His pink eyes darkened with thought.
Had it been all that fun? The whole mountain thing? He wasn't sure it had been and he wasn't sure whether this female was up to. Apparently she'd designated herself as a friend and, though he was a bit of a grump, he wasn't mean. Besides, having a friend would be okay...wouldn't it? Although it was proving to be a distraction with his work right now. What would happen if some rogue slipped by whilst he was busy chatting? He'd never be able to show his face to the clan again!
"I went with you to make sure you were safe, that's all." He replied after a moment. "I'm not sure I understand your idea of fun at all. Girls seem to...have rather different views on these things, I think." His nose wrinkled.
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Posted: Sat Oct 08, 2011 5:28 pm
Kalanu decided now it would be best to be more careful with what she said to Poa- she had definitely verified that he had feelings despite his careful and serious manner. It was good but his apparent lack of a sense of humor would make talking to him more of a challenge.
"Well," she said after a thoughtful pause as he questioned her idea of fun, "Did you like going with me? I mean, did you hate every minute of it because I tricked you into going with me or did you like that you had something to protect and spend some time doing?"
Maybe he just didn't realize what he thought was fun was.. what he found fun.
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Posted: Sun Oct 09, 2011 2:54 pm
Had he enjoyed it?
He supposed, after all the fuss he had made about it, it hadn't been all that bad. After all, he did quite like wandering around the mountain and there hadn't been any danger and it had all gone smoothly. He'd even felt rather useful. After all, as a guard, he was expected to protect others. So, in a way, she'd given him another job to do that hadn't been just patrolling back and forth, back and forth...
But he'd had her as company and she was...she was a girl and he didn't really understand girls at all.
He blinked and cleared his throat awkwardly. "It was...good." Then, feeling even more awkward, he added: "Because, because I got to do some more guarding and, well, a type of guarding I've not really done before. It gave me a chance to expand my knowledge so I can help the clan further." He trailed helplessly and shifted his weight onto his other side. "And nothing went wrong, either..." Despite all of his worrying.
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Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2011 6:46 am
Awkward but close enough!
"Then that counts as fun," she said decidedly, he needed the cheerful optimism more than he needed suggestions for how to have more normal fun, "It's not that hard, but I don't think the differences in how we have fun has anything to do with me being a girl."
She smiled.
"When I play games with Sesere, it helps me practice my job better. Hide and seek is useful," she said, "I'm just comfortable laughing about it while I'm doing it."
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Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2011 3:08 pm
"Oh."
Fun whilst working and learning? That was a new concept to this boy, apparently, and the cogs in his mind were turning as he looked at her. The marks on her pelt were very bright and seemed to gleam under the sun, forcing him to squint a little and then he averted his gaze.
"I never...really thought about it that way." He blinked. "So, you mean like, when my sister taught my siblings to hunt by...leaving trails for her to find? That was...fun and...work? At the same time?"
He curled his tail and wrinkled his snout. "I don't know...something sounds off about that. Work is supposed to be...work. Work isn't fun..." And then he leapt to his paws. "Not that I don't enjoy my work. I do. But..." Okay now he was getting really confused. So, had he been having fun all of this time without realising it?
"You...make my head hurt." He slapped a paw against his forehead.
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Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2011 3:19 pm
Kalanu dared to giggle as he struggled to find an easy way to explain what she was trying to say and ultimately hit himself in the head. It was adorable.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to," she said, "What really says you can't have fun doing work?"
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Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2011 3:25 pm
"Um...well..." He blinked as he thought about her question. "I don't know. Isn't that just the way it was supposed to be?"
He thought back to the few, select lions he knew. His mother was good at hunting, but he wasn't sure whether she actually enjoyed it, and he knew that Laka didn't! She was only happy when she was off on some game of hers instead of supporting the clan. Then there was Eeva who hid the burden of leadership behind false smiles.
Though, recently, he had to admit, Eeva did seem happier. Maybe she had found some contentment in her job after all?
But he actually liked to wake up each and every morning and go out on patrol and...take care of everyone. "I suppose I do have fun whilst I am working." Did that make him boring? Uh, yes, probably. "That's why I do it." All the time.
He blinked. "What is your job in your clan? A huntress, yes? Do you enjoy it?"
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Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2011 3:32 pm
"What do you think?" Kalanu answered his question with another question, almost able to watch his brain work through it. She had no idea what he was thinking, though, and would never have thought about anybody who doesn't have fun working. The question was if it was OK to have fun working, not if it was necessary or universal.
She was smiling when finally he agreed that he had fun doing his job.
"Not yet, I'm not really old enough to help with the hunting yet," she said, "But I've been learning and practicing! I have had fun doing that, I'm excited for really getting to hunt, though."
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Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2011 3:43 pm
"Not...old enough?" But he'd been out patrolling when he'd been little! Though, to be fair, no one had actually known that's what he was doing and he'd probably have been rather useless if he had come across a rogue on the borders.
Okay, so maybe it had been practising, too...
"Then maybe you'll have fun doing your job, too."
Then, across the way came familiar roars of the Shadow Clan's hunting party. They were exuberant, a clear sign that their escapade had been successful and they were returning home with a good kill. Perhaps Laka would have more fun if the hunt was successful, though if they were on their way back, that meant she'd be coming to harass him again after she'd eaten. He gave a short sigh at the thought of it and gave himself a shake to loosen the dust.
"I...should probably head back and make sure everything is well for when the others return to the lands." He gave her a cautious look. "Will you...be alright getting home?"
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Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2011 4:03 pm
Kalanu continued smiling at him even as puzzled about her being too young to hunt yet- patrolling, or thinking you were patrolling properly, before you were really old enough was one thing but actually trying to catch something to eat when you were too young wasn't going to happen unless someone else was convinced you were ready and you went with the group. Couldn't do that by yourself.
Her ears perked up and she leaned to look beyond Poa to where the roaring came from. Clearly, it was time for him to go home now.
"Alright," she said, tilting her head and smiling at him when he looked at her strangely, "Of course." Kalanu turned herself around and started on her way home, not wasting any more of his time by sticking around until he wandered away.
"Until next time!" she called back.
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