Talfrid was resting near the water edge of a comfortable looking watering hole. He yawned and stretched, rolling onto his back and kicking his feet up toward the sky. He chuckled, enjoying himself. He was thinking he was alone, of course, or he never would have been so cavalier about being a goof ball in public. He was Chivalry, after all, he was supposed to be a respectable, well put together lion of the utmost regard.
Not someone who particularly enjoyed rolling around in mud puddles.
So when he heard a soft voice clearing her throat nearby him his eyes snapped open and he rolled onto his stomach, looking at the lioness that was staring at him from a short distance away. He cleared his throat in return and glanced away from her, looking at the mud on his paws. He shook it feebly to try and get it off.
“You’ve got a lot more on you than that,” the female lioness pointed out. She smiled though and did not seem too put off by his behavior. Of course, why would she? She was staring at a lion the likes she had never seen before. Large, all but glowing. He had a strong aura about him but, for once, she did not guess what he was. She tilted her head and took a few steps forward.
Talfrid held his ground, chuckling as well.
“I did not see you there. Or... think... that anyone was around. I should have looked around a bit better, maybe. Ah.... that's embarrassing. I am thoroughly..."
"Embarrassed?"
She laughed and he looked at her sheepishly. He could not be mad, it was not in his nature to turn a casual moment into an argument. He was a calm lion by nature, and tried to be rational. Besides the whole rolling in the mud thing but he would swear that was not a regular thing. He really did not want to give that impression. He was a clean beast.
The mud and water was just cool.
"Well, Mister Embarrassed. You should go wash the rest of that mud off. Unless you like crusty mud sticking to your fur? I don't. Are you a lion? You look like my father but you're... bigger. There's something about you that's different"
A lot different.
Talfrid cleared his throat and looked away from her. He glanced at the water and smiled at his reflection. He saw what she meant. Even though he did not have wings, he still did not pass as a lion outright. He needed to use a disguise, like most of the other gods did. But he did not see the point of it. He was a lion, damn it.
The God padded into the water and sighed, rolling to get the mud off of him. Fushigibana watched him, noting that his little cloth draperies were getting wet, but when he got out of the water they were dried. It was like the water all just rolled and dripped right off. That was strange, and a little unsettling, but she was fascinated by it. Were they magic?
"That is incredible!"
Talfrid looked at her, blinking. He did not know what she was looking at. All he had done was bathe! And not very well, there was still some mud on him, but he'd get it off eventually. He watched her from the water edge, back feet still in the water, arching an eyebrow. She saw it and realized he was not even aware of his magic cloth.
Weird!
"You're wearing that stuff, and it's not getting wet."
She was not exactly subtle about things, really. And she was not shy, in the classic sense of the word. She did not mind pointing out what he was missing, and he looked surprised by her comment. He looked at the cloth and noticed she was very right about it. It was not something he meant to do, but usually it was convenient to dry immediately and not waste time drip drying.
"Oh your fur too! You're not wet!"
Talfrid really needed to be more careful about his subtle use of magic. He looked at her and blinked, trying to play innocent. Her flat expression and the sharp edge in her eye as she met his gaze told him he was not going to get away with it. He frowned and sat down. The water splashed under his bottom, with how quickly his haunches settled down.
He pretended not to notice the large splash.
Fushigibana caught a laugh before it burst out of her throat, choking it down and coughing. She swished her tail behind her and then curled it around her back leg, taking a breath to brace herself.
"You are not a normal lion, are you?" She had not missed him ignoring all of her questions about him before. He thought he could get away with it? She might not like to fight, but she liked to gather information about possible enemies, like her father taught her, even if it was just for her amusement and satisfaction.
"I am whatever you wish to believe me to be," he said airily. It was a lame defense and he hated the words as they came out of his mouth. He stood up and smiled, shaking his head. He let the water drip off him this time but she was not fooled by it.
She smiled at the effort though.
"Okay, okay. I won't ask you anything else. Sheesh! So secretive and vague. That's fine! I'll just follow you at a distance and learn about you that way! Er. No, you didn't hear that. Okay. I should go."
The lion watched her as she scooted off, and let out a deep laugh. He shook his head and went back into the water. He was going to wash the rest of the mud off now that she had pointed it out and it was on his mind. He let her scoot off but he had an idea that he would be seeing her again, and soon. He would not chase her off if she wanted to follow him around for a bit. After all he could always just fly away.
He would have to, eventually. He had duties in the Tokakinji now, and to guide his son as he ruled over them. But for now, a nice bath and an interesting new friend were what the doctor ordered.
(Word Count: 1,075 in Word)
