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"I love when people bring me things," Ilyas said truthfully. "It reminds me that I am wonderful."

He smirked at his beybanu as he said this. He was headstrong and confident, but not actually as cocky as that last statement made him out to be. Sometimes he liked to make fun of the lions in the pride who affected importance like that. While pads were more important in the pride than banu were, there was a hierarchy to be observed which many seemed unaware of in their day-to-day behavior. He thought they were not as impressive as they thought themselves. But that probably came from being the son of a vizier and nephew to the sultan.

"I don't suppose Itzel's tagging along behind you, is she?" Ilyas asked. Without Farrah to help keep an eye on her, the white swirled lioness had been more and more inclined to wander, and Ilyas worried for her.

She rolled her eyes ate that and laid next to him, stretching out happily. When he asked the question, however, the female shook her head

"I haven't seen her today, like... at all. She was gone when I woke up." It didn't really trouble her. Itzel often was gone before she woke up. It wasn't like Afsar was a lazy Beybanu, she just slept late and went to bed late. So it kind of made sense that she hadn't seen her today. "Why, have you seen her out and about?" Her tongue darted out to start grooming his neck and cheek, being affectionate with her Pad.

Slowly but surly, they were building up some kind of daily routine. Came home, joking about, grooming, talking about everything but what happened the other night. It was as awkward as the conversation they had, but it wasn't... bad. Her mother flipped when she told her.

It would have made better sense to separate and look for Itzel that way, but having already misplaced one banu, Ilyas was indescribably reluctant to part company with his beybanu. She was his favorite female in the pride, including his mother and sister Farrah. He would be damned before he lost her, too, and he was feeling understandably insecure on that front at the moment.

"No. Let's stay together," he said with conviction. "It may not be faster, but I would prefer it. Two pairs of eyes will see better than just one, and we have different skills for searching."

In other words, Afsar was a huntress and would probably be more likely to find things - or people in this case - than Ilyas. Also, he didn't relish explaining to other pads why his beybanu was wandering around on her own by the borders of the pride. It couldn't look good. And it wouldn't look good if they came home without Itzel either.

Rather uncharitably he thought some very nasty thoughts about Itzel, even knowing she couldn't really help being the way she was. It was still infuriating that she'd put him in this position.

Afsar nodded and frowned. She had a feeling she knew what was going on in that head of his, but it was fine. If he wanted her with him, she would go. Nodding, she continued walking and turned. Opening her mouth, she breathed in and tried to get a scent of her, but there were too many other scents. That made her wrinkle her nose and frown before looking to her Pad. Gods, above, if he cried, she would lose it and hunt Itzel down herself and drag that Banu back here. No one made Ilyas cry. In the long time she knew him, he never cried.

She continued to walk with him in silence, wanting to know what was going on through that head of his.

Ilyas didn't like to lie. It went against the grain for him. There should be no reason for a pad to lie. After all, anything a pad did which didn't break the rules of the pride was acceptable, so what cause had he to lie?

Except this was an extraordinary case, and he would have to say something if they didn't find Itzel. He couldn't - couldn't - bring himself to admit publicly that he had lost the banu he'd brought back from his coming of age quest. There would be so many jokes at his expense, what with Farrah leaving too.

"Yes. But I think they might notice if she recovers from her illness answering to a different name and looking different, too." Despite the awfulness of the situation, Ilyas smirked.

It sounded bitter to her, despite the smirk and she looked to the side, not knowing what else to do. So, Afsar stayed quiet and stayed on the look out. Who knew, maybe she and wandered into another Pad's den with no memory and he'd claimed her. "No one knows her," came her quiet admission. "We've been asking and I get a lot of: "Who? Never heard of her." She snorted and frowned a bit. Stupid Itzel, making their lives complicated when it was supposed to be simple like her mothers.

Now she didn't want to talk, in fear of him being bitter against her.

The swirled lion shifted around his beybanu and licked her nose affectionately, saying to her, "Don't be sorry. This is not your fault in any way. If anything, it's mine for being less discerning when choosing my banu. I was tired of being in the rogue lands and I missed you and I just wanted to come home and have you as my beybanu. I wasn't thinking."

He lay down in the grass where they were, deciding that they would spend the night in the rogue lands. Something new and different, a treat he had hoped to share with Afsar under different, better circumstances. Instead she got to make her first trip into them to look for a missing banu. He felt like an utter failure. And he doubted they would find Itzel. She had too much of a head start already.

"First light will probably wake us anyway," he pointed out. "So we may as well look tomorrow, too. But then we'll have to head back to the pride."

He would probably spend some days outside of the pride looking for Itzel on his own, but he knew he couldn't be gone for too long with Afsar. He would have to leave her in his father's care for those few days.

She wasn't really comfortable with the concept of sleeping out of the pride, but in order to find her, they must. Laying down next to him, pressing her side to his, Afsar laid her head on her paws and thought about what he said. So, to her and any female, it was partially her fault. He'd hurried because of her. It was flattering, of course, but at the same time it made her sad. Maybe she should help him find his next Banu. Someone who didn't make her uncomfortable to talk too. She had never known what to say with Itzel.

With a sigh, she shifted so her cheek was resting on her paw, staring at Ilyas before frowning again. ".....Well... Maybe now... we can both look for a new Banu for you."

Was it too soon to think about that? Ugh, this situation hurt her brain and made her second guess herself. Usually she was so confident.