[PRP] Beauty Has Her Ways ( N'gombe & Mangue)

[Lorne_Sionn]

N'gombe...no Nathalie, walked toward the edge of the clearing, her moon born eyes looking up into the jungle canopy, searching for another one of the bright fuchsia orchids that grew along the trunks, and even up some of them, of the trees. She wanted another few to finish weaving the wreath she hoped to wear in the ceremony that would make her one of the Makini'Adhima.

She'd only been here a few weeks, being housed and cared for by a lovely family who had been instructed to teach her the ways of the Pride, only to find she knew many of them already, taught to her by her mother. More and more it seemed very likely that Sophiean had come from here, and for reasons she had never told her only child, had left for the hard life of a rogue to be with the male she had loved till their dying day.

Ironic that her child now understood that feeling, and as she searched the jungle for that bright spot of color, she also knew she was searching it for him, though he was far away now and would never be seen by her again, or the cubs she had to leave behind.  

[Polette]

Wandering rather aimlessly, Mangue found that he had a lot of time on his hands, ever since the ever-precious Petite Fil ran off. Although the 'official' statement was that Amias was feeling overwhelmed by the marriage ceremony and took a brief leave of absence, Mangue knew very well that he had run off for other reasons. Though most didn't know, Mangue had grown up with Amias, and knew from awhile ago that the Petite Fil's actions were inevitable.

Thinking about his old friend, Mangue couldn't help but smile. It seemed odd that the two could have been childhood friends, but that's how it was. In fact, Mangue was very familiar with the royal family, though not out in the open. It was because of their close bond that Mangue was able to go anywhere in life in the Makini, since his parents had abandoned him here. Well, that was a long story that the bright male cheetah didn't want to linger on.

Moving forward a few more steps, Mangue saw a slight movement ahead of him. It didn't really surprise him, since he was, after all, in the Colony, so of course others would be out and about. But the figure looked....so familiar.

 

[Lorne_Sionn]

Nathalie sighed, her paw lingering on the tree she had been looking around, her thoughts far enough away that she did not notice the bright golden male till he was almost on top of her.

She started, and backed up a pace, her ears laying flat to her skull, her pale eyes looking up, filled with fear, before they quickly looked away, to the jungle floor.

" Mon Pardon, je ne savais pas quelqu'un d'autre était là. Je vais partir, excusez-moi s'il vous plaît." She stammered out, her words blending together in one breathless string.

She lifted her paw, playing with the elegant, filigree collar around her neck, the movement an absent, unconscious gesture, a nervous habit as she hovered between being rude and simply running away from him, and remembering her training and being dismissed.  

[Polette]

(( Lolol, Iiii'm just gonna have it be assumed that he's speaking French, since I don't have the mind to translate. ;3; *fails* ))

Staring at her for a few moments, Mague really couldn't place her at all. He seemed to know many of the females in the pride, just because of his goofy ways, but she wasn't ringing any bells in his mind.

"Oh! It's no big deal, really. You can....stay." Giving her a sweet smile, he tilted his head slightly to the side. Her words were so elegant and smooth, she couldn't be an outsider, could she? Or someone new? "I won't bite, I promise." Sticking his tongue out a little, he gave her a wink. She seemed to be much more polite than himself - a quality that gained him little favors among the nobles. But he didn't really care about them; he had his friends, and that's all he really needed.

 

[Lorne_Sionn]

She swallowed, and lifted her head a little, yet still not meeting his violet eyes, " Merci," Nathalie whispered, as if she had taken him very seriously about him biting her.

The white and brown female had a few brightly colored Orchids in a bag over he shoulder, carefully placed so not to be crushed. The eldest cub of the family she was staying with had loaned it to her so she could gather the flowers and bring them back to weave.

( we can assume french here, LOL)

" I was only looking for these flowers, I will not tarry long. Thank you for letting me stay."

She seemed to have a fearful, disquieting nature about her, as if something inside her had been broken, there was a haunted look in her moon- born eyes, when he could catch a glimpse of them.  

[Polette]

Shaking his head quickly as he snapped out of a trance-like state he had slipped into while listening to her, he stepped to the side, not wanting her to have to rush off like this.

"Oh no no, you don't have to go. I mean, we're all 'family' here in the Makini, yes? Though, I can't say that I've ever met you before." Giving a kind smile, he could tell that there was something unsettling about the look in her eyes.

"My name is Mangue, and it's a pleasure to meet you, miss...?" He gave a slight bow, curling one of his paws inward. His purple eyes flicked up to look at her, very hopeful that she wasn't afraid of him.

 

[Lorne_Sionn]

She looked at him, and started to answer, N'gom...." then stopped, " Nathalie. It is my pleasure to meet you Mousier Mangue."

She glanced up at him, then looked back down at the flowers at her paws, " I am not from here. My mother was..I believe. I have come from another Pride, the Nera."

She did not mention she had been part of a trade agreement, that she had been torn from her newly born cubs, or from the leopard she had loved,though she had been his property. That she had learned that he had been not one leopard, but two in his own mind. That she had been brought here for his own sanity, and that he thought her dead. It was to much sorrow for her to speak of just yet.

However, that sorrow shaded her words, and her posture, it haunted her eyes, and made her already delicate frame seem so much more fragile.  

[Polette]

Flicking his ears up at the sound of the words she almost said, Mangue was beginning to settle on the idea that she was, indeed, very new to the lands. She seemed nervous, though, and it unsettled him.

"Oh, I see. Well then, we were family before you even knew it!" Giving her a big grin, he tried to look reassuring. While some in the pride have been weary of the alliance with the Nera, Mangue had always liked it. It just made things seem....a bit safer, especially as word of more and more prides sprouting up reached the Makini.

"You're name, it's very beautiful. I'm sure you have an outside name, as do many within the Makini." Thinking on it, Mangue had never acquired one. Generally, those who made frequent trips outside the lands held an outside name, to better keep the secret of the Makini. Mangue, though, had never left the lands, not even to visit their allied pride.

"You don't look too well; though, maybe it's just the shock of a new place?" He closed his eyes, smiling softly. "Don't worry, though - I'll be your friend here, okay?"

 

[Lorne_Sionn]

Nathalie looked back up to him, biting her lower lip. She hadn't made any real friends since she had come to the Pride. Her mind on the cubs she had left behind and on Noir who still held her heart so firmly in his paws.

Giving him a shy smile, Nathalie looked out toward the direction where the Nera lay, " I do have another name, but I left it behind. I do not know if I will ever use it again, and I would very much like a friend...I find I am lonely." The last few words were whispered, and her tone echoed that sadness he had glimpsed in her moon born eyes.  

[Polette]

Watching her closely as she spoke, Mangue was actually really happy that he had met her. So far, his company was either cubs or those younger than him, as his friendship with the Petite Dauphin wasn't something they liked to advertise. And it was pretty rare to find someone who didn't already hold some sort of preconception about him.

"It's always hard when you first come to a new place. Especially a place that isn't really used to new faces." Laughing a little, he didn't really know how hard it must be on her. But he had seen few others in the past that were new to the Makini - they had all stumbled upon it or been brought here for some reason or another, and there had always seemed to be a dark cloud hanging around them as far as they were treated. Luckily, the old ways of the Makini were shifting, and the younger generation were much kinder and open.

"But you shouldn't worry. You'll always have me from now on, right? So whenever you feel lonely, you can come talk to me. Well, I guess you can talk to me whenever, since we'll be friends." Fidgeting a little, Mangue was surprised at his nervousness. It was a whole new experience, this making friends thing. Since he had grown up here, most of those he knew were from his cub-hood, which is the only reason he would have any connection to the royal line whatsoever.

 

[Lorne_Sionn]

Nathalie looked at him and couldn't help but laugh, he reminded her so much of Ajani, and for some reason that was very comforting. " I...thank you." She said softly, once more finding tears in her eyes, " Thank you. You remind of of another cheetah who offered me much the same when I was taken to another Pride I knew nothing of."

She placed a paw over his, " Do you like to dance Mangue?" she asked him, a small smile on her muzzle as she set the pile of brightly colored flowers down.  

[Polette]

Laughing. Laughing was definitely good. Giving a shy smile, it felt nice to feel useful. Honestly, he was more than a bit curious about the other cheetah he reminded her of - he wasn't sure if he was happy about it or not, but if the other was a positive memory, then he supposed it was for the best.

"Dance?" Pausing for a moment, he gave her a devilish grin. "Miss, I am an entertainer; dancing's in my blood!" Puffing out his chest a little, he really felt fairly confident in this field. "Do you?" Dipping his head down a little, he extended a paw, face-up, with a brow raised at the spotted female.