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Jitokeza was somewhere between lonely and apathetic, but he couldn't figure it out. Somewhere in grieving Maji's disappearance, trying to be a good father and then dealing with the sudden departures of the girls for their name quests, the enculturation process had lost momentum for him. All the chaos surrounding the murders had not helped, he never liked stay in big groups but he had done it to keep him and the girls safe.. and then after they had left, himself. He'd become close enough to the family he had stuck with, he liked them, they had come from the Pridelands like he had but they were a busy bunch.

It was nice to take a walk without a crowd so he was off trying to enjoy that. Distracted, he watched as he made pawprints in the squishy earth, thinking about his time in the swamps.

Though he was watching his feet absently, he wasn't completely oblivious to the things in his surroundings. They were safe again but some paranoia lingered in him, it was hard to convince yourself you didn't need to pay absolute attention to everyone and everything around you anymore. He lifted his head in time to spot a bright lioness heading his way.

"Oh," he murmured, then raised his voice, "Hello there."

She didn't look familiar, but that was probably true of a fair portion of the swamp lions. Except he couldn't think of any purple he'd seen around. Hm.

Jitokeza was surprised by the greeting he got, though he told himself he really shouldn't have-- what did surprise him was how close she got, already he was convinced she was a new member trying to get to know the other lions around in the pride now. Once she had stepped back a bit, though, he took another small step and smiled at her.

"I'm just out for a walk, it's a nice day, you're welcome to join me," he said, not entirely sure how to handle her questions and certainly not about to try sending her away, "My name is Jitokeza."

"Oh, I didn't think you looked familiar," he said when she explained that she was new, smiling sheepishly, "Do you like it here so far?" He would probably be a good tour guide, he knew his way around but he still felt like a new member so he had that perspective. It seemed like it would help but maybe not.

"I'd be happy to show you around," he added, looking around wondering where to start.

"Ah, yes," he chuckled, "That's probably one of the hardest things to get used to, and if you can't get comfortable it's harder to concentrate on all of the other things you have to see and do." He nodded, remembering the transition from the open and relatively dry Pridelands to the damp and woodsy Swamplands.

He sighed, thinking through the places he knew when she asked about the interesting places to go in the swamps. He couldn't say he knew much more than what had entertained his girls when they were small and Baridi and Gebali's little ones.

"Well, I know some places but you might not be as interested as the kids," he said. He really needed to get out more.

"I didn't grow up here, no, but I do have two daughters," he said, managing not to frown the more he thought about them. While there was murder specifically in the swamp, they were safer out on their name quests. There was murder out there, sure, but hopefully they could avoid it easier. But now he was ready for them to come back.

"They're on their name quests now, but kids have a way of finding the more fascinating places," he said.

Jitokeza smiled. He didn't have any sons but he could imagine he would feel similarly. He loved Faaiza and Utamu, he worried about them, he'd probably been a little overprotective but their mother went missing in the midst of chaos.. hopefully they would be back soon.

"All things considered, I'd say so," he said vaguely, "I'm eager for them to come back but it's an important task." He felt bad thinking maybe he wasn't entirely convinced of that fact, but he really needed to lighten up.

"Have you thought about your name?" he asked curiously, not imagining she'd be the type to be offended by the potentially personal question.. but she wouldn't have a name quest in the same way the youth did, it wasn't quite as private.

"I'm a worrier, I guess," he said, not entirely sure how to handle such a direct and almost strange question, "Their mother isn't around to worry with, though, maybe it'd be easier if she was." It was kind of ridiculous to mention but it was true. If Maji was here, he wouldn't be alone.. that was probably the biggest thing.

"Yes, I think that's quite common, that's how I got my name and I know a couple others who got their names that way too, at least," he said thoughtfully, smiling. It was an easier way to do it, a little less stressful.