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 Posted: Thu May 14, 2009 7:34 pm
AIM LOG: demonstrationevil & _ p a o cx Xinavane was patrolling the edge of the pride again. She always liked to keep an eye out, even though she had plenty more to do. Train her apprentices... check the food supply, check on her chilren, speak with the other members, make her reports... but all things considered, she still loved to be on the edge of the pride. Checking the boarders to make sure everything was alright... and they were shorthanded as it was. Things would be easier when more of the cubs were grown up, and could take on some responsibilities.
"Oh well..." She mumbled a little. She would miss having the cubs around... and with all their progress... yes, she would miss them. They had so many great things ahead of them though, and she was so proud of everything that they had done. And everything they would do. She would be so lonely without them... so why was she all alone out in the middle of a feild?
"Just need time to think..." She mumbled, knowing that her Ardhi, and mothering duties wouldn't wait forever.Tumaini was on her way out of the pride yet again, on another assignment. They've been happening a lot less often than before, maybe because Mai was starting to loosen up now that she'd been properly introduced to the pride. She started getting comfortable within the borders, and while she knew that was a good thing it also meant that she'd started slacking off. Not.. a good thing. With a sigh the lioness trod along a familiar path, ruby red eyes scanning the area around her. She knew she was already nearby the borders as there was virtually no one else around.
It seemed a bit lonely now, but Mai shoved the thought aside and went on. "I'll get to know a few others later on.." she mused, smiling. It was fun, meeting the other pride members. She'd met one interesting cub and a kind lioness already, and there were many others she still had to meet.
"And who to pick as trainees," she went on, putting on a thoughtful expression. "That cub doesn't seem fit for it, but there's definitely a lot more to choose from I'm sure."Xinavane glanced over her shoulder, suprised to hear another voice. "Mai?" She asked curiously, standing up and walking towards her, smiling when she saw that it was in fact Tumaini. "Mai! Hello." She said kindly, approaching her. She was glad to catch the lioness on her way out. She had quite liked Mai when she met her before... and if she was leaving, Xinavane wanted to say goodbye to a lioness who he considered a friend.
"Heading back out again?" She asked, tilting her head to the side as she moved in beside her. She knew the other lioness was proud of her work outside the pride, but she still wished she could have stayed longer. "It seems like you only just came back recently..." She mentioned, knowing that she had to find a point to talk with the lioness when she was staying with the demon-hunters over an extended period of time.
"Shame I didn't get to talk to you more." She mentioned, hoping they could take a moment now.A familiar voice shook her from her thoughts of the future trainees, and upon realizing who it was she smiled kindly at the approching lioness. "Xinavane, hello!" she returned the greeting, nodding slightly. Their last talk was a pleasant one, and her first actual conversation with a pride member aside from the Mwezi. She was also the first member whom she considered a friend aside from their Mwezi. "Yes, I am. On another mission, so it can't be helped. I stayed overnight this time, so I agree, it's a shame I didn't see you yesterday when I got back."
Mai kept on walking, not wanting to idle for too long since she might get pushed behind schedule. She had to find shelter before nightfall, after all, and it was always better to find it while the sun was still fairly high in the sky.
"I don't think this next assignment will take to long though, so I'll be back before you know it." She offered the dark pelted lioness another smile. "So what brings you to the borders today?"Xinavane listened intently, glad that she had another oppertunity to speak with her. She really did consider her a friend, and friends were hard to come by in their line of work. "Ah, yes, it must have been good to spend the night in a safe place." She said kindly, because she had always considered this her home over anywhere else... the first place she had ever really considered to be safe.
She walked beside Mai, knowing that she had things to do. It wasn't the time to sit and chat, though she wished that she could have gotten a chance to do just that. But they both had things to do. "That's good to know. Perhaps next time you will have a chance to visit me and my children." She offered cheerfully. She would have liked the company... and perhaps a chance to show Mai was she was helping to fight for.
She looked thoughtful, "Quiet time, I suppose. Things have been so busy lately. New apprentices... work as the Ardhi, my own children getting their apprenticeships..." She smiled a little, "I'll miss coming home and not seeing them. Shame... but everyone has to grow up, now don't they?"
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Posted: Thu May 14, 2009 7:37 pm
Mai looked a bit apologetically at her friend, wanting to sit down and have more of a conversation rather than a hurried one, but she knew that at the moment she couldn't do that. By the looks of it, Xinavane understood, which relieved her somewhat. "It was," she replied with a smile. "I woke up a bit late because normally I'd only be half-asleep out in the roguelands as a precaution." The lioness chuckled.
"I'd like that," came her next replied. "I'm really looking forward to getting to know the other members, and it'd be nice to start with a friend's family." Mai returned the other's kind smile, glancing up at the openness of the roguelands she would be venturing into for the umpteenth time in her rather short life.
"Lately I think I've been a bit too lax actually," she said, frowning as Xinavane continued speaking. "I imagine once I get back though, I'll start to get busy again." With a chuckle she added, "I can't relate to that feeling, since I don't have cubs of my own just yet, but I suppose I can imagine. And yes, we all grow up at some point. They won't be leaving the pride anytime soon though, so you'll still be able to see them no?"
Xinavane smiled a little, happy that Mai had felt at home, "I'm happy that you got a good sleep. And don't worry about sleeping in, I think you've earned it." She promised, knowing that Mai was doing a good job at whatever she had been doing. She chuckled a little, glad to hear Mai laugh for once. "I used to hate sleeping in the rogue lands when I used to travel."
"It is nice... having a family. Maybe now that my children have grown up I'll have time to look out for the pride... or who knows?" She grinned, laughing a little, "Maybe I'll start another one. I hope that you'll find someone you can care about. Maybe someone you can bring back here and start a family with." She offered, hoping she could be comforting. She hoped one day Mai would be able to settle down. But there was work to be done.
"Lax?" Xinavane asked curiously, watching her, "Yes... we all have our moments. I'm sure that when things get busy, you'll get back into the flow of things. And so will I... no more time for wandering the boarder I suppose." She mentioned sheepishly. Really, there were other things she should have been doing... but then she would have missed Mai. "Oh no, they've all decided to stay. So I will get to see them... one of my daughters will even be my apprentice." She mentioned, happy about that, "But they're still all grown up. It's a big change... I had them when I was just a teenager. I've forgotten what it was like without them around."
"It's hard, I'll admit, but you get used to it I suppose," she said with a small shrug. "The roguelands are like my second home though, so that might just be me." With that came another chuckle and a shake of her head. It was definitely true enough, since she was out there more often, in fact, than she was within the borders. When she found herself some worthy apprentices, though, she knew things would be different. Whether that was good or not she couldn't really decide yet. It was a mixed feeling of sorts.
"Mm, I can't really picture myself having a family anytime soon. Someday though, definitely. I love cubs, so I'm sure I'll settle down at some point. Right now though, my pride and duty are my life. I can't see things changing too drastically anytime soon." Mai had, of course, thought about having her own family in the future. The very distant future anyway.
But she was surprised to hear that Xinavane had her cubs when she was still in her adolescence. The lioness looked curiously at the other, a few questions coming to mind. She kept them down though, smiled, and sighed. "Hm, well change is inevitable. You should think of it as the next step in your life. They're getting older is a good thing for the pride also, I suppose." Mai somehow felt she was being slightly insensitive, but it wasn't something she could help. Her friend's situation wasn't something she could relate to, after all.
"They used to be my home too." Xinavane mentioned, remembering her time spent with Zuru when they wandered the rogue lands. "I was so used to having nowhere to go... I wouldn't know how to live that way now. You should be proud." She said with a nod, "I wouldn't go back to that life. I wouldn't be able to leave this place... It's too much out there." She smiled a little, "I've found my place... I can't leave now."
She shrugged a little, "I'm sure when you're ready you will. For now, you have your duties. Just like I have mine." She admitted, looking over her shoulder at the pride. "My family has found their place... and now I have to fit into mine without them. It is strange, but at least I know I have a job and I can help people." She smiled at her friend, "Just like you."
She listened a little abd bowed her head, "Yes, as they get older, they can fight..." Her eyes glowed, "They can be powerful warriors in the war against evil. They can move mountains and change the world as we know it... and I'm counting on them to do just that." There was something frightening and cold about Xinavane when she talked about killing the demons. She wasn't on the front lines... she was in the background, making sure everything ran smoothly. Her children, Bui and Xia at least... they would be on the front lines. Dying for the cause. What she would have done had she been properly trained, "Change... it can be frightening, but it is good. And I will miss them, from when they were children... but they are doing the right thing now."
Mai smiled and nodded. "I'm always on one assignment or another, so if I'm not used to life out in the open it could be a bit more than troublesome." She laughed softly. "Constantly traveling may be a good thing for me though. I tend to get restless if I'm in one place for too long, but it's definitely nice to have a place to come home too and rest a bit before traveling again. I've found my place too, but it just happens to involve moving around a lot."
The lioness nodded, wholeheartedly agreeing with all that Xinavane was saying. "Yes, we all have our places in life, and like you and me your children have found theirs as well. You should be proud of them."
At that Mai stopped walking since they'd reached the very border of the land. Her gaze moved from her friend to the distant horizon, and she gave a sigh. "I'm afraid our conversation will have to end here for now. We're at the edge of the pridal lands, and I'll have to move alone from here on." She took a few steps forward and turned to look at Xinavane, a smile on her maw. "I'll be sure to find you when I come back, and we'll have a much longer talk than this one. Until then I'll have to say goodbye." Then she bowed her head slightly, turned, and started off. It'd be several days before she returned, but at least now she had something to look forward to when she got back.
"Yes... you'd be suprised how much traveling can help you." Xinavane admitted, thinking back to Zuru, the man who had claimed to be the god of wanderlust. She didn't really believe in Gods, even though her children claimed to be born from one. Or so Zuru had said anway. She let them believe that... honestly, sometimes she wondered about Zuru. "I hope Zururuka protects you." Just in case Mai believed in such things. Who knew? Maybe she would meet the "god" on her way.
"Yes... you will do what you need to do. I will insure that day-to-day life is safe for us, and they will fight on the front lines." Xinavane agreed with a slow nod, "Thank you... for what you've said. It helped, and it's nice to have someone to talk to. I will always be waiting for you to come back. We can talk more that way." She said, smiling at her.
She watched as Mai prepared to leave, "You have to do what you have to do. I know you're helping us, and I hope you have a safe journey. You are a good friend." She told Mai, very sincere, "Best of luck in your travels, I'll be waiting... even if you can't talk about what you go through, I will look forward to it. You always have something interesting to say." She nodded, turning and heading back towards the pride, "I have my own duties to attend to for now... fair well."
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