[Phaethon x Tumaini]


Ow.

It was the only word that was on his mind as he was currently in a rather strange position, with a certain female's paw flattening his skull onto the ground. He could barely get a word out of his own mouth, yet even if he could he really didn't have all that much to say. They were sparring, and frankly speaking.. she was winning. She always won; it was a fact he'd long since accepted since becoming her apprentice, and painful as it was to his own male ego for some strange reason he didn't really mind all that much. He'd never had much of a domineering personality anyway, so it wasn't that big of a deal to him.

Finally, when she let up he rubbed his pressed in cheek and glanced at her. "I'd say 'no fair' but you'd probably just lecture me about things always being fair in a sparring match..." he said with an exasperated look on his face.


"Got that right. You think those demons are gonna warn you before they attack?" she retorted, sitting up and smiling at her former student. "They wouldn't think twice about using underhanded tricks. You know that, I know that...everyone in this pride knows that. It's no excuse just because I didn't give you a heads up."

Tumaini glanced back at the heart of the pride lands, a small sigh escaping her. There were some thoughts about this pride and its neighbor that she could never quite shake. An unsettling thought that she was surprised she even came up with, though thoughts like that have really been plaguing her as of late. What's worse, the more she thought of it the more frequent they became. "That's enough for today though," she said finally, turning her attention back to the lion who, currently, was still seated and rubbing on his cheek.

"I need to get back out there, and so do you."


It'd been happening more often lately, her spacing out. It was rare before. Then, she was always alert and ready for anything. Now it seemed something serious was weighing on her mind, though what it was he couldn't quite place. She never said anything to him, always forcing herself to carry on alone as she had been for as long as she could remember. Even when she found her place in the pride, even though she knew that the pride would always be behind her, she always carried her own burdens by herself. It was something he was determined to change. Desperate to, in fact. He wanted her to open up, if only a little.

"Yeah.." he replied, slowly getting up. An awkward pause followed afterward, then, "Going into a daze like that isn't like you." It was sudden, he knew, but the words came out before he even realized it.


She blinked rather curiously at him, wondering for a moment why he said that as if she had no idea what he was talking about. There was no way he wouldn't have noticed since they worked together, after all, but to think he'd ask so openly like that. He'd changed since she first took him as her pupil, which in most cases was a good thing. In this case however, not so much. She raised a brow as she walked past him saying, "What're you talking about?" It was hardly convincing, but she hoped it'd be enough to at least keep him from pressing on with the question.

She'd instilled in him an unshakable belief in the pride after all, so there was no way she could tell him that she, the Baridi, was currently having doubts about... just about everything.


It was odd, the way she answered. Usually she'd give something straightforward, something that made sense, and something that would help him in some way or another with his work. Now she just seemed unsure, dodging the question the way she did. "You know what I mean," he went on, quickening his pace to catch up to her. "Staring out into the distance, up at the clouds, relaxing one too many times when you get home..." Well, there was nothing wrong with that last one. Usually he and the Mwezi would have to tie her down to get her to relax.

"You wouldn't have done it before.." he said, almost to himself.


He wouldn't leave it alone. Of course he wouldn't, this was Phae. Whenever it came to anything that involved her he was would dive right in without even thinking. She attributed it to her being his mentor, or something of that sort, so she didn't mind at first. Right now, though, it was just a little...annoying.

"Mind your business Phae. It doesn't concern you, so you don't have to worry about it." She said it as coldly and flatly as she could so as to get him to just completely drop it. Somehow she had a feeling it wouldn't work, but she had to give it a try.


"I think it is my business," he answered stubbornly, pulling a little ahead of her. "If it's you I always treat it as my business." A little more forward than usual, but if it meant pulling her back from being the way she was now then he'd try just about anything.

"You know, it's normal for people who care about you to worry. I worry about you all the time, even though most of the time it's you who's getting me out of trouble." He glanced back, wondering what the look on her face was. Whether she'd be mad, annoyed, or happy..

What he saw was a rather stoic expression as she stared back at him, and he frowned. "What do you worry about? I'm sure since something's been on your mind that you're worrying about something. At least give me some sort of idea so that maybe I can help you for once."


"You're being earnest," she said coolly, deciding to just completely change the subject herself. "That's good, I taught you that. Make sure you show that kind of attitude when it comes to things that are actually important." Mai sped up again so that she was a good several feet again of him before looking back. "Like I said, you've got no reason to worry. It's not your business, whether you're convinced it is or not. If I think you need to know, then I'll tell you. Barring that, stop worrying. You'll get older much quicker."

And with that she bolted ahead, heading east toward the ocean that she'd come across but once in her life. She needed to clear her head, maybe meet someone who would tell her what it was that was bothering her so much concerning her own pride. The pride she grew up in, the pride she loved.


After she'd gone Phae padded on without much gusto, his pace even slowing as he continued mulling over what could possibly be on her mind. He'd never seen her like this before, maybe she met someone? Had an encounter with someone from the demon pride? If that was the case he'd have to go find out for himself.. though knowing Mai if she found out he went with the idea that she was fazed by someone from there she'd probably skin him alive. He shook the idea and picked up the pace.

If he had to figure out what was going on, first he had to get his job done. He and Mai would meet after a few days of traveling, after all, and he could ask her more questions then. Maybe if he pressed a little harder she'd open up.. even if it were just a little, that'd be enough.


She'd already stopped moving and was currently seated and looking back from the direction which she'd come. Phae was a dot on the horizon, she'd kept her eyes on him since stopping, wondering why he was so concerned. Even if she told him there was no way he could help, not even in the slightest. "What exactly is bothering you Mai?" she asked herself quietly, gaze moving toward the Mwako's territory once again.

With a sigh she pulled herself up onto her feet and turned around, pressing toward the ocean once more. She'd get her head on straight before she went back. She had to.. absolutely had to.