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Mirsajadi still wasn't quite sure how it had happened that he had a curious lioness like Aylin for a traveling companion. In fact, he wasn't even really sure whether she was his traveling companion or he was his. Neither one of them really seemed to be in charge, as it were, and for the past few days they'd simply gone in whatever direction happened to take their fancy and wasn't the one they'd come from. So it was difficult to say who was leading their adventure.

Mirsajadi continued to find Aylin an unusual person to travel with, largely because she had a most unusual way of seeing things and of expressing herself, but he enjoyed her company. Her oddities were practically polar opposites of his. He was all about being controlled and measuring his actions and reactions. She was much more free with herself, like Zoey at home, but more so.

During the hottest part of the day they had come to rest in the shade of an enormous tree, and here Mirsajadi's thoughts turned to him and the startling realization that they were not only headed vaguely in that direction, but that he had a beybanu awaiting him there.

Aylin didn't care about structure or anything. Her parents maybe might have tried it with her a few times, but they quickly learned that she could not be controlled. While she was, physically, a good daughter and student, mentally she wasn't anywhere to be found during a lesson, a lecture, or some important events. It wasn't like she didn't want to be there, but her brain often wandered and she found it entertaining to entertain her thoughts and make up games in her head. Often time she found herself playing word association games.

"...Let's play a game," came her voice. She had been asleep, since it was so hot, and they had eaten a big meal at one point. She probably scared Mirsajadi with her sudden talking but she couldn't help it. She'd been thinking for the last few hours. "A word game. I say a word, and you say the first thing that pops into your mind. Just... anything."

A crooked grin touched Mirsajadi's mouth at Aylin's starting word. It was almost a smirk, but it lacked the sardonic twist which would have made it truly a smirk. This was purely an expression of amusement.

"It's always the moon with you, isn't it?" he mused. Then he remembered that was not how the game was played.

"Apologies," he said. "The first thing I thought of when you said moon was actually you."

He might have lied. It had occurred to him when she was explaining the rules that it was a possibility. However, it was not the way the game was played, and as someone who played a great many word games within his mind, Mirsajadi knew the importance of playing by the rules.

A grin appeared on her face at his answer before she flushed and looked to the side. Well now, if that wasn't flirting, then Aylin misunderstood the whole process when watching her parents. Clearing her throat, the girl aughed and shook her head. "My name does mean Moon Halo," she said with a nod. Her mother told her that one day. She found it very fitting for herself.

"So, since your word is 'Aylin' my word is 'structure'." That's what he reminded Ayling of. He had no chaos in his life unless it was organized. Her days with him she spent trying to get him to loosen up and enjoy his life. Nothing came from structures and rules besides opression and unhappiness. That's how she felt on the matter. Well, rules were made to protect, she could understand, but if you have to make rules on how to ACT and THINK? that was going way to far. There were a few prides like that around, too.

"I was," he protested. "I thought of them both at the same time."

The reason rivals had been a word, in truth, was because Mirsajadi's mind had gone several levels very quickly, from structure to safety to home to rivals. That home should have come out of safety was unusual, but it was safer than the rogue lands. However, he was not even aware of that progression. It had seemed to him that both safety and rivals had occurred to him simultaneously. It happened sometimes.

"Unimpressive," he said. As a lion who had figured out early on that his physique was not well-suited for physical battles, Mirsajadi had grown up to view war as little more than lions showing off how spectacularly they could damage each other while important tasks went undone. There were few enough reasons to go to war, after all, and most of them could be settled just as effectively by someone with a clever enough mind to come up with a nonviolent solution.

Therefore, unimpressive was what he thought of the muscle-headed lions who could think of no other solution to their problems but to beat on each other. As if that proved one or the other would be more right in principle. And the lions who followed the primary combatants were just morons. Let them fight their own battles, and don't get dragged into unnecessary conflict, Mirsajadi thought. It was almost a cowardly thought, but it did not come from fear of pain or defeat. It really was a product of disdain.

She didn't know his feelings on muscle headed lions, but she know she didn't mind looking at them. Or at least the way she pictured them in her head. They were really nice to imagine in her head. They were all muscled and all very handsome. A lot like like this one she was following now. Grinning to herself when she heard his word, Aylin could only think of herself. They'd already used that word though! So, she had to think quickly again before chuckling.

"War is very unimpressive.... The bloodshed and ....I've never seen one, but my aunt told me lots of stories about them. I think they were one of her favorites to make up. One of my sisters loved them too." She chuckled and watched him a bit more, getting up and stretching out. She was ready to be on the move again. "Do you want to risk travelling, so we can play this game and be on the move?" Her voice was airy, distant sounding as if she was about to get lost in her own little world again. Though, it would probably happen if they weren't moving. She could only play word games for son long if they were looking at the same thing over and over again.

"My new word is rock, by the way. Rocks are unimpressive. But boulder.... I like climbing those."

The first thing to come to mind when Aylin said wits was actually himself, because he was a lion who had learned the value of one's wits at an early age. But he couldn't very well say that. It would sound incredibly egotistical, but he was a proud lion. And why should he not be proud? He was the smallest of his litter, but he was also the brightest, and that would serve him better.

"Then we are both thinking about me," he said with a smirk. "I was reminded of myself when you said wits, and you were thinking about my task."

In truth, the idea that anyone could mistake him for a father bordered on hilarious. He knew he had grown since setting out, but he also knew that his size was not and would never be impressive. With luck, any cubs of his would take after his father and be both strong and intelligent. Though if it came to a choice, Mirsajadi would prefer that they were intelligent. He knew how to work with that.

"Is that your polite way of saying that you would like to part company with me?" he asked.

She laughed when he talked about himself and shrugged a little. "Indeed we are both thinking of yourself, but not to part with you.....I'm scared out here... by myself, honestly.. And... I know you are looking for your pride and your female. I don't understand a lot about your pride, but it would keep me safe.... You'd be keeping me safe like you did... that night when you said close when I slept."

A blush would have been on her face if she would have thought about it in a romantic sense. but right now it was need. She NEEDED to be safe every night and he need a female. Why not let it be her? They got along well enough for now. "Think about it. It is win win. No one loses here. ....and ... I could ... I don't know..." She shrugged. She couldn't promise anything; she didnt know what she was getting herself into by asking this question.

Oh, well. That clarified things a great deal. Mirsajadi almost laughed when he thought about how unorthodox the situation was. Very rarely, he guessed, did a lioness ask to be taken back to the Ukuucha'Wafalme, and here was Aylin, practically demanding it.

"I won't pretend the thought of asking you hasn't crossed my mind." As had the thought of simply leading her there and then saying, Here we are, now you can't leave. He hadn't gone with that one, though, for which she might be grateful. He wasn't going to tell her that, though.

"All right. Let's do that, then. You do know that my pride will be very different from your life up until now, though."

There was a lot he would have to teach Aylin, and he didn't know if she would remember it all, but he hoped she would. He did not want to bring back a banu who would embarrass him, even if she had oh-so-conveniently offered to come back with him as a matter of mutual convenience.

".... I figured, but...." she shrugged her shoulders and started walking the way they had been going. But what? She wanted the protection and safety he offered. And it was a pride, everyone looked out for everyone, right? That was THAT much more protection. "I just.... need... the security. I don't like not having anyone around. I was used to lots of noise when I grew up. I kind of miss it. Isn't being in a pride like having a lot of family surrounding you?"

That's what rumor and stories told her. That prides were magical and made everyone safe and happy until the evil prides came and took over.

"The pride's got a little bit of everything," Mirsajadi explained. "But lions are the most important, most respected of the cats."

He shrugged and supposed that this would be what the rest of the trip would be like. Her questions, his answers. That would probably get tiresome in short order, but he was glad she was interested at least. The idea of being this far from home and somehow having to get an unwilling banu back was not appealing. He knew his father had tricked some of his banu into coming with him (or was it all of them?), and that was fine by Mirsajadi, but he also knew what tricked banu were like in the den, and that would be exhausting to deal with daily.

And Zoey would hate it. Not that he was in any sort of mood to admit it, but Mirsajadi did care what Zoey thought. She was his best friend, despite her gender and her father. Her opinions had some merit to them. And as his beybanu she had more of an ability to make his life miserable than most others in the pride if she so chose. He doubted she would choose to do so, but it was a possibility.

"I'll explain as we go," he said.