Still feeling optimistic, Kira was in a good mood as she wandered through the savanna in search of an idea. She would become more colorful, she would! She was headed toward where she thought the Ela'wadiyi were but she couldn't be positive she was headed in the right direction. She was more than willing to take the chance, though. And, of course, keep her eyes open for anything that might be useful. It would be delightful to find the answer by accident.
"Maybe I can find some butterflies," she murmured to herself, looking around for any colorful spots in the grass. That was the downside of wandering, flowers were spread out and she didn't have time to spend waiting around them now. But it would be nice.
Kinagiri knew where she was going and she was sure that Jino knew where she was taking him, too, but that didn't matter. Sometimes when she had visions, she felt compelled to find their subject. A dream of a desperate butterfly lion had been so compelling. She wanted to speak to her, to help her-- and she knew there was something to gain from it, and that was how she convinced her serpentine partner. A desperate lion on such a far-out quest would pay well for guidance.
"There she is," she murmured when she spotted the white lioness in the distance. Jino probably already knew but it was better than staying silent, they probably would never have to speak but that would get extremely dull.
Jino didn't know anything about the lioness they were seeking but he trusted Kinagiri when she described her vision. She was right, it could be valuable. Being unable to pick out distant targets, he was grateful to have his partner. It was why he had taken her in, really.
"Let's move."
Kira had no idea that anybody was around now, and continued to skip along cheerily. She thought about her plans, where she could go next, who she could possibly ask for some help. All assuming, of course, the Ela'wadiyi could not be any help to her and she didn't want to just start assuming that. If she worked out some kind of deal like they had, she would still be white but she would be covered in colorful pictures. Or something.
Hmmm. It would be very interesting. She couldn't remember exactly what the Ela she knew looked like, maybe she had never known but the image in her head was something special. Her desire to be colored like that, though, was hesitant. But she couldn't be picky.
"Of course," she murmured to Jino, shaking her head and then heading out to approach the lioness. Now she was headed out to converse, she actually didn't know what would happen and she didn't have the time to search for more information but this was one time she was actually quite comfortable. Kiraka wasn't a threat, she knew that. She could be if pushed the wrong way, maybe, but they weren't here to cause trouble.
"Hello there," she called out, picking up the pace until she was close enough to talk, "Kiraka!"
Hanging around Kinagiri's neck as he often did, he tensed as she moved quickly to greet the lioness. He didn't have to do or say anything yet so he could take the chance to think things through more thoroughly. He took some time to figure out the details of her quest. Where she came from, where she would go and how it would end. It was all important information in making a sale. As he checked into what they ought to say, how to prompt Kina... he sighed and deflated a bit. This wasn't going to end how he liked but he would do his best..
Hello there! Kiraka!
She paused and blinked a couple times, and went to look around her- had the butterflies found her? Her face fell when she realized it was a strange lioness calling out to her.. but then she realized they knew her name. That was very odd, she didn't look familiar at all but then.. had Kira ever really paid that much attention to everybody at home?
"Uh," she tilted her head, "Do I know you?"
"No, you don't," Kina said brightly as she got closer, stopping a comfortable distance from the strange lioness so she wouldn't feel threatened. She could feel a change in the way Jino carried his weight, he seemed to just be letting her do it all now, but she didn't let it bother her.
"My name is Kinagiri," she introduced herself, "I thought I could help you on your quest."
"We're fortune tellersss," Jino hissed, joining into the conversation. He figured out enough about her past to know she would buy that, trust that. Because they were fortune tellers it would be easier, but because she was familiar with the concept, she would be more trusting.
"My name isss Jino," he added, "We both can help you."
Things were getting stranger as Kinagiri offered to help on her quest, and Kira couldn't help but look around and wonder if she'd been speaking out loud again. It happened sometimes when she didn't mean to do it. Then the serpent clarified- they were fortune tellers. The both of them. Oooh, Jino was probably Kinagiri's muse.
"You can help me?" she asked, "You know what I want? Do you know where I can find it?"
Kina smiled when Jino joined in, she knew he knew what he was doing. She took another step closer to Kira and then took a seat, it generally was more conversational and more comfortable this way and, well, she could tell it would work out that way with Kiraka.
"I know you need to be more colorful," she said, "And I know how you'll succeed in making it happen."
"For a price," Jino cut in, still hoping to make force some profit out of this encounter while he could, "We can tell you what we know about it." He curled his tail around Kina's neck, pushing himself up a bit so he was a little taller. It was harder to hold on while she was sitting and being so much smaller than them made it hard enough to get into the conversation.
Kira's red eyes widened, excited by the possibility of getting some guidance. She hadn't even thought to ask the fortune tellers at home before she left! How foolish! It would be inconvenient to go back and ask, now she didn't have to!
"Oh!" she squeaked excitedly, but then her face fell, "I have to pay for it? The fortune tellers at home don't make you pay." Did she really have anything to offer them?
Kina smiled sympathetically, "We're not like the fortune tellers from home, though. We don't have a pride to help us survive, to help us find food. This is what we do to get the help we need." She wasn't sure what Kiraka would pay but she trusted Jino would direct as he needed while she just tried to charm the lioness into agreeing. But she couldn't help but throw in a couple hints for free.
"And sometimes to get what you really want, you have to pay."
Jino glanced to Kina when she hinted at the ultimate solution to Kiraka's problems, grinning and turning back to the colorless lioness. Helpful, it would be helpful.
"You could hunt for us, for example," he said, but added when he mentally reminded himself he didn't really see any great hunting skill in her, "Or you could try, join Kina in a hunt." It was better than nothing.
"I'm not a very good huntress," Kira murmured, looking down at her paws awkwardly. She had never really been good at it, she'd always been too distracted, too worried. She intended to work on it when she got home, when she found her answer. It was barely worth offering to try, she knew that. She'd only mess things up.
"Hm," Kina hummed, glancing to Jino. He didn't look very hopeful, she knew they weren't going to get anything out of it.. but she still wanted to help. Besides, she knew the answer and she wasn't sure how Kiraka would get it without them.
"Well, I can tell you a story for free," she offered with a smile. It would be up to Kiraka to figure out if it was meaningful.
Jino sighed when Kina gave in, he knew the ultimate payoff would be nothing but he had hoped to gain some effort or struggle from the lioness. He really had to talk to Kina about the deal-making process. Unwinding his tail, he let himself slip to the ground and curled himself around by Kina's feet to listen. He didn't say anything else now.
"Um," she hesitated, not entirely sure how to approach this offer but to accept for the sake of accepting (and not knowing what else to do). So she sighed, smiled and took a seat herself, "OK, what's the story about?" Kiraka did like stories, she had to admit. It just seemed to strange and random. And the odd pair made Kira feel comfortable in their own strange way.
"It's about a lioness like yourself, a huntress far from home looking for a way to end the hunger of her pride," Kina started carefully, making the story up as she went along, "Her family and friends were slowly starving and she had left in a desperate attempt to find a miracle answer to the lack of food."
She paused to breathe, looking down at the rather grumpy looking Jino with a smile.
"After some weeks away from home and nearly starving herself, she ran into a magical creature who had all of the answers. For a price, he could feed her, her pride- even help her find her way home," she said, looking back up to Kiraka with a smile, "She had nothing to offer him so he made her a deal. He would help her pride, they would survive and thrive once again. Because of her efforts, she would be put into a powerful position. As the pride began to grow again, she would be the first to bear cubs, and because they were hers they would be valued. But she would have to give them to him, her first litter, whenever he came to collect them. A sacrifice for her ambitious goal."
"So she traded her cubs, her heirs, to become a queen," Jino cut in, summarizing the story carefully. His single sentence said much more about the lioness in the story than Kinagiri's version, he implied she intended to become powerful all along. She was trying to prove something. He figured it might help Kiraka identify with it. The story so like Rumpelstiltskin did not get its happy ending, though, because that was not what they wanted, not that ending. Loopholes didn't happen, not so often.
Kiraka listened intently as Kina told her story, though she didn't know what to make of it. She certainly could identify with the lioness on the quest to save the pride, though she was only on a quest for herself. But that was how things worked in her home, your muse was a very important part of your identity.
"I don't get it," she muttered finally, looking down at her paws and glancing back up to the green pair.
"You don't have to," Kina said, pushing herself back up to her feet and holding out a paw for Jino to climb back into her shoulders so they could leave. There wasn't anything else to say to Kiraka, the idea was there, she would forget it until she needed it.
"Goodbye, Kiraka," she said, turning and walking off.
With a farewell hiss, Jino slithered up along Kinagiri's leg and up to his favorite perch. He didn't say anything else to Kiraka, he wouldn't say anything else until he and Kina were about ready to settle in to some safe place for the night. It was an interesting encounter, they didn't even really need to chat with her to learn what she was after and know how interesting she was. Ah, the pleasures of being a seer.
"Oh," she blinked, hopping up to her feet as suddenly Kinagiri got up to leave. Feeling more confused than ever, and yet somehow comforted, she watched as the off pair left. She would think about the story for a while but then, as Kina suspected, she would forget about it until that perfect moment to remember.
Fin.
