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 Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 8:25 pm
 New life had been bursting into the land with much joy and excitement, and it could also be seen through the plants, the flowers, and the wildlife that was also blossoming forth through the Iknimaya lands. All of this made the art leader happy, and he thought it would be fitting to visit the new cubs the Na'vi were blessed with, including those of their leaders, Zelt'sin and Eytucan.
When he arrived at the den where the babysitters took care of the Na'vi youth, he made sure to decorate his hair with different feathers and flowers he could find on his way there. He hadn't had much time to prepare for a more formal display, this visit being impromptu, but he did what he could, hoping that it would add to the children's entertainment and delight.
During his song and dance, he was heartened that one of the babysitters had joined in while another watched; these were the unrehearsed performances he enjoyed most while carrying out his job as the art leader. When they finished, the children were left riled up, cheering the mirthful lion on for more. He had laughed, telling them that he would save his next dances for other days, so that each day he would bring a new surprise and routine.
One of Zelt'sin's daughters came up to him and to his surprise, asked, "Tashik Tsteu, could I one day lead the songs and dances just like you?"
He replied, "But you may grow to be a great princess one day, my dear little child!" he had said to her with an encouraging chuckle, "Who wants to dance and sing silly old songs like old Tsteu?"
He then gathered the children to go back with the babysitters closer to the den, leading them to the entrance where some other babysitters had remained.
"Back you guys go, then," he said as he watched some of them already scamper towards the den.
"How lively and youthful their steps are! If only I still had that spring in me," he said as he chuckled to himself.
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Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 4:57 pm
Ah, to be young and full of high spirits.
Exhausting.
However, that didn’t mean she was altogether displeased by what she was watching. Having them happy was the most important thing, even if it meant more work come sleepy time, and she knew they were at their happiest when the art leader came around. It was sweet, in a way, to see a male so freely enjoying himself with the young ones, even at the expense of some vanity. Her own pride kept her from being too out-going, and for that she sometimes felt a small modicum of shame.
As the dancing died down, and the delighted children made their way back to the other babysitters happily awaiting their return, Seze moved from her perch, making her way slowly towards the art leader.
“From what I saw,” she replied from behind, though he had not been speaking expressly to her, “you have every bit as much step in your paws as the young ones. For a moment, it seemed difficult to tell who was having more fun- them, or you.”
She sat herself down again, offering a proper hello to the male before getting too carried away with her conversation.
This male had been amusing to watch, and she wished to tell him as much face-to-face.
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Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 5:28 pm
"Ah, Seze," he responded, immediately recognizing the familiar black face amongst the other babysitters of the Iknimaya while giving a chuckle at her comment, "Indeed it is true I gain great joy from making the little ones happy, but I regret that I cannot keep it up all the time."
As if to emphasize his point (though it wasn't done purposefully), he yawned and shook away some of the lingering tension from moving about so much. It wasn't like he was the best at singing and dancing, nor was it the only thing he thought about or liked to do - however, practice of the craft was simply passed down to him, and he intended to keep the tradition alive.
Seeing as how the commotion was gone, now, and the little ones were not around to keep him on his paws, he sat down next to Seze, stretching just a little more so he could start the relaxation part of his day.
"After the war, I guess there haven't been many artisans to help me in this trade. It can be tiring, but until there are more, I must teach the little ones all I know each day. For now, at least."
Looking at Seze, he could tell some part of her was relieved that she didn't have to be the one giving the children a little show. He could understand how tiring it could get to keep a watch over their energetic forms all day, and could only imagine what it would be like to be in her role. Perhaps that was why she seemed to be a little more reserved than the other babysitters of the pride.
"Isn't it great, though," he began to ask, "to see their faces filled with bliss just because of something simple? That's not a luxury most of us have, having grown weary with time. Just their faces and innocence brings me back to my youth, and then I feel grateful that the trade of songs and dances was passed down to me."
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Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 5:58 pm
“I don’t think you’ll be hearing any complaints from them for it,” Seze hummed, “they are all happy to learn, it seems.” And why shouldn’t they be? It was probably the most entertaining of the lessons they were given, though she had to wonder how much they were actually retaining. To be young and spacey- there were plenty who were about the right age to be completely lost in their own little world, taking nothing seriously.
As opposed to living in fear and war, she was happy for the flightiness of the young.
No such luck- she remembered things all too perfectly. But it had its perks. She could remember all the things the children weren’t paying enough attention to, to teach them again when they were settling down.
“You are lucky,” Seze agreed, “there are many who would be quite envious of your job. If I weren’t a babysitter, I would be, too. But, as it is, I feel I have the best job here.” She smiled a little at that, watching him with a playful twinkle in her eye. “Spending so much time with these young ones, watching them grow into happy, prepared young lions, is something I cherish, though perhaps I’m not always the one to show it.” She knew she was more reserved than some of the other babysitters- more willing to sit back and watch instead of participating. That, however, didn’t mean that she wouldn’t do something if she was needed to. To make the children happy, she too would make a fool out of herself.
Anything to make them smile, right?
“We are both lucky,” she concluded with a thoughtful smile, “me just a bit more than you, that’s all.” Maybe all the dancing had gotten to her, too, but she was feeling quite jovial.
In that collected Seze way.
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Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 6:30 pm
"Mm, being the art leader does have its perks - you are right, Seze," he remarked, "It's been a while since we've had a festival or celebration here... I'll be all too ready to prepare for the next one, once Zelt'sin has deemed it time to do so. But I do suppose you are the luckier one, for you will get to participate in everything I plan!"
He laughed heartily, glad that Seze was being more than just her usual self of hanging back to watch. Usually, he would just come over and once he was done entertaining the children, the babysitters would just go back into the den with them, leaving him to go back home. It was a nice change once in a while when one of them stuck behind to talk to him.
"So Seze, if you are that enthused about watching them grow up, perhaps you should get some cubs of your own, eh?" he jested, knowing fully well that there had been no males he had seen yet courting any of the available babysitters, for that matter.
"I suppose the royal cubs are enough to handle for now. You'd think, being from our leaders, they'd be stuck being serious or they'd learn how to be peaceful all the time while praying, or something."
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Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2012 6:49 pm
Seze smiled. A festival would be nice- it would brighten their spirits and give something for the cubs to do. When left to their own devices, cubs could be a little difficult to keep under control. Their eagerness often led to problems. Problems she and the others had to solve. If she could go one day without a cub sticking his or her head in some tree or between two rocks, she would be a happy camper.
Whatever a camper was.
The female felt her cheeks heat at the thought of having cubs of her own, thankful her coat could hide anything like a blush on her cheeks. Maybe he was poking fun at her, bringing up having cubs of her own. She didn’t mind, though she didn’t say much about it, her expression a dreamy one. “Yes, cubs of my own would be nice. A big family, I hope.” That would really suit her- lots of cubs to look after, all vaguely similar-looking to her, too.
“You’d think that,” she laughed, “but they’re no different than any other cubs, they just have more to shoulder as they grow. If anything, I think having fun and being childish should be encouraged for now. They’ll have plenty of months ahead of them where they’ll need to grow and mature. For now, I think it’s good to just let them have fun. Some of us could have benefitted from the same thing. I imagined you probably think I’m quite stuffy, right?” She smiled at him teasingly.
“Then again, maybe they let you be a big kid a bit too long, hm?” She nudged him, happy to be speaking to someone who was very different from her. The other side of a coin, perhaps.
She was mature and reserved, and he was… not.
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