[PRP] What Was That About? [Lailah & Yavin]

[Kimaria]

He had been stomping through the undergrowth in silence for the past twenty minutes, his face grumpy, ears flat. He was clearly still trying to process what had occurred a couple of days ago between him, Lailah and her mother and was not coming up with anything of much use. He was a prince, yes, but he was not a particularly smart one. Still, at least he was trying to make sense of it. Better than not trying at all.

In any case, with the sun high in the sky - unusual for him to be up and about at this time of day - he was making his way down to where he hoped he might find Lailah. And today he did not care if she was working. They needed to talk. The whole thing had been playing on his mind for far too long.

Not any longer.

And, as he drew closer to where he suspected she might be, he lifted his head and gave a gruff call, hoping she would answer.  

[mouselet]

After sulking for an entire day about the Unfairness Of It All, Lailah had finally moved out of her mother's den. She hadn't even had to go back for anything, as she possessed nothing of interest or value. Then the white lioness had proceeded to throw herself back into her duties with a vengeance.

She hadn't seen Yavin since then and that was fine with her. She needed time to sort out...things...and she would too! Just...not right now. Right now there was weeding in a small plot of plants to be done.

So when she heard a suspiciously familiar call, she ignored it and focused on the dirt in front of her.  

[Kimaria]

Nothing.

Damn.

Maybe she wasn't there after all.

Closing his jaws tight, he shuffled onwards, his frown deepening as he trudged on, kicking aside a drape of large leaves that had gotten in his way. If Lailah wasn't here then where else would she be? He supposed he could track her by scent from here and follow some of the paths that crawled down into the rest of the pride territory. But that all sounded like hard work and he wasn't sure whether he was up for that much of a hunt.

Thus, contemplating this, he was shocked to see that she was there, going about her work as if she hadn't even heard him. His temper flared. He was a prince! Why was she ignoring him?

"Hey." He called. "Hey! Why are you ignoring me?"  

[mouselet]

Lailah refused to even look up at the brown lion standing over her and continued with her work. But, she supposed, if she answered him, maybe he'd go away and leave her alone.

"I don't know, maybe because someone thinks I'm crazy?" she replied, annoyance clear in her voice. Had he not even listened to what he'd said that day? Hmph! And to think she'd thought there might have been more than just a spoiled prince under all that fur!  

[Kimaria]

"What are you talking about?" He snapped. Oh, wait...he had said something like that hadn't he? Whoops... "Wait. That's not what I meant." He stomped a paw into the ground, frustrated with her and frustrated with himself. "I don't even know what that was all about!" And felt rather silly for it, too. "Why were you yelling at your mother? Why did that guy say we were a couple?" He hadn't exactly said....more like asked, but the details seemed to have got blurred.

"Everyone is crazy in this place."

Yeah...he was not really helping matters.  

[mouselet]

So, not only spoiled but completely and hopeless ignorant as well! Ugh, wasn't it just like her to be falling for - no! - spending time with a guy who knew absolutely nothing about relationships? Hmph, well, she wasn't going to continue to make that mistake!

"Of course that wasn't what you mean, which is why you've called me crazy yet again," the lioness retorted angrily, still refusing to look at Yavin. "And it's obviously not your fault that you're a complete idiot who can't even see what's in front of him. Why don't you go crying to your mother instead of asking me stupid questions?"  

[Kimaria]

He sucked in an angry breath and tried to think before opening his mouth this time. Except...he didn't know what to say. Things had been going so well up until they had bumped into her mother and that other lion and now...now it was back to the beginning again. At one time he might have found this a good thing but not now...

Arguing was all well and good so long as it could all be fixed up again when it happened.

"If I'm such an idiot." He snapped at last. "Then tell me what's going on! It's hardly the worst thing I've called you, surely!"  

[mouselet]

Lailah sucked in an angry breath. He wanted to know? Fine. She'd tell him. Then let him figure it out!

"Well let's see. My mother, the biggest gossip in the entire pride, sees me with a young male who is not known to have any love interest. We appear to be getting along almost as well as she is with her boy friend so she automatically assumes that we are or will soon be lovers. Except that I don't want her to make any assumptions like that about me because I hate having her interested in every tiny aspect of my life and who cares that she's my mother because I've been the Shaman's Apprentice all my life and she's just a lower middle class Huntress whose brother got kicked out of the pride after having numerous public arguments including one with her about her kids - that's me and my siblings, by the way - about class values and rankings. Oh and let's not forget that, as I said, she's the biggest gossip in the pride so if she thinks we're lovers, it's likely to get all over within days."

The white lioness whirled around to glare at Yavin eye to eye. "Happy now?" she snarled.  

[Kimaria]

Oh.

He was stunned into silence, his eyes fixed on her, his whole body held quite still. Even the tip of his tail had frozen mid-sway. Her eyes were intense and he felt, strangely, as if he were falling into them.

He thought many things, however, even if on the outside it appeared as if he wasn't. First he thought how horrible it must be to have a lower-class family. To have people know that your family had not been favoured by the Great Lion. In time, he might come to realise that this was commonplace, that it was quite probably that one's children would be viewed differently. Perhaps if he had his own children someday, he would realise that cubs born to high-class parents were not necessarily going to be high-class themselves.

And then there was the concept of 'lovers'. It was a strange word and one that he had not ever thought would be depicted with himself. He and her? Together? Like that? He'd be lying if he said he hadn't considered that she might make a good mate. But...

She looked angry.

"Would that really be so bad?" He asked at last. After all, having people say how you were the mate of a prince seemed like something one should be happy to brag about...  

[mouselet]

Lailah glared at him a bit longer as he stood and stared at her. Then he asked the question. As if he couldn't see anything but good in her being mated to him? Ugh! Just like a Prince, so self-assured and self-righteous!

"Maybe it would!" she spat before pushing past him and heading off. There were other duties she could do, after all, including those that would give her a chance to work off this anger. And then she could forget about Yavin. It seemed like most of the time they ended up arguing anyway, and that was nothing to base a lasting relationship on.

Stupid Princes.  

[Kimaria]

"FINE!" He yelled after her retreating figure. "I'm sure that miserable face of yours will make it perfectly clear that the gossip isn't true!" Stupid lioness. Stupid pride. Stupid him. Stupid everything. His claws sunk into the soft earth and, as he turned and stomped away in the opposite direction (no doubt sending precious plants flying in all directions) he couldn't help but think that he'd made yet another mistake.

Would he ever have a day where he wouldn't argue with someone? Or, more accurately, with her?

From the looks of it, the answer was no. He wouldn't