[PRP] Into the Fire (Keir x Inyanja)

[SilverLutz]

It was rare for Keir to show excitement. Usually the lion was very stoic and seemingly unemotional, and on occasion very intense without showing off brute strength or force. He was a quiet male, but very passionate about what he wanted to do in life, and today he had finally succeed in finding a Captain that would take him out on a Viking. They would leave when the moon was new, which was just a few days from now.

The dark lion was practically skipping as he made his way from the Captain's den, a grin on his face. Finally, after so long, he could finally become a Reaver! He'd get a taste for the rogue lands, see what was out there, and find new horizons to race to. For the first time in a long time, the pride didn't feel like a prison that was shrinking every day. Now it felt like home, like the pride he used to love so dearly as an ignorant cub.

Pausing to nod to a few passers by, Keir decided a celebration was in order. He knew where some fermented fruits were kept - the pirates were their mortal enemies, but they did have the occasional good idea from time to time, and fermented fruits was one of them - and figured getting a little silly might only enhance this situation.

Turning around, he headed back from the way he had come, wondering if the little stash had gone bad or if someone had found it by now. He hoped not - he was in the mood to get a little drunk.

Dulcea

 

[Dulcea]

Inyanja had only briefly found time to pull herself from her sister's side. The pride had been expanding and though the influx of rogues had made her suspicious in the past she found now that many were simply looking for a place to call home. They would be no less protective of their homeland, and with it those like Mbali that needed a little extra help, than any born to it.

Today she felt like relaxing. Caring for one who couldn't see for herself was stressful, and at times she wished she had followed her dream of viking and seeing the world, but she didn't regret how things had turned out. Life was simpler this way, even if she sometimes found herself feeling lonely. With that in mind she had come to the storehouses, hoping to find a companion for the night. Her search had turned up nothing, but there was always the fermented fruit and good friends to take the edge off. She pawed through the pile, hoping to find a piece of the strange citrus that was sometimes brought up from the south.

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

Keir, excited for the prospect of celebratory drunkenness, had a bit of a damper put on his good spirits when he realized someone was already in the storerooms for the fruit. He sniffed hesitantly to see if it was someone he knew, but the smell coming from the sheltered area was so sweet he couldn't make out who it was. Oh well...perhaps it was someone who would enjoy celebrating with him.

In he marched, the picture of a young Stormborn ready to make his mark on the world, head held high and eyes piercing in the dim of the low cave. The smell of the fruit was overwhelming, but finally the scent of the lioness that now shared the space with him reached him, and his nose confirmed what his eyes had seen. He had no idea who this lioness was.

"Deciding to have a bit of fun?" he asked, smiling just a bit at the strange female. "I didn't think I'd run into anyone else here. I'm sorry if I'm disturbing you."

Hopefully it wasn't a Reaver that was bringing back spoils from her Viking. Reavers tended to get a bit protective of their things that they didn't want to share...although if it was fruit, it was usually brought back home for the purpose of others enjoying it.

Dulcea

 

[Dulcea]

"A bit too much, if all goes as I've planned," the lioness admitted as she found her spoil, a rare lime. They were best smashed together with mint and taken with a small swig of saltwater, more work than most but well worth it to her sense, "A rare night alone."

That sounded peculiar as she'd said it, she realized. Lionesses who shared the dens of returning reavers were not uncommon, but she hoped she hadn't conveyed herself as that sort. "Away from my sister, I mean" she added quickly, pulling the lime aside before she returned a paw to the pile. Still strange. She was of an age where one born here would have typically been wed. Her mother had tried for a time, but neither she nor her sister had found a mate before she had passed.

Best to just change the subject. "Celebrating a victory?" she questioned, trying to hide the awkwardness evident on her face.

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

Keir tilted his head slightly and wrinkled his nose at the odd words that came from the lioness' mouth. A rare night alone? Perhaps she was one of the lionesses that shared in the victory of returning Reavers. Not uncommon. She cleared up what she mean, and the dark male gave a little 'ah' of understanding.

He moved a bit closer to paw through the fruit, looking for some with the thinner skin. He disliked having to chew through the tough hide of some of the fruits. It almost made it not worth it.

"In a sense," he said, grinning again at the memory. "I've found a Captain with room in his Viking party to join this coming new moon. I'll finally become a Reaver. I've been waiting for what seems like an age," he added, looking over at the lioness. He noticed the lime by her side, but he himself had never tried it before. The yellow ones had a rather sour taste he didn't like, but perhaps the green weren't so bad.

"Is that your favorite?" he asked, nodding down at the fruit.

Dulcea

 

[Dulcea]

"A wise thing to celebrate then, to your future triumphs," she said as she raised a paw, tossing a cluster of deep red grapes his way. Young reavers were the lifeblood of the pride, and fewer seemed to be taking the path than she remembered in her youth. Perhaps it was just a difference of perspective, now that she spent little time out in the heart of the pridelands to see the ceremonies.

"A lime, they're called," she added confidently as she rolled the lime back and forth along the den floor, breaking the pulp loose from the rind, "A bit hard initially, always very sour, but they're just the perfect mix with a little pinch of mint."

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

Keir batted down the tossed fruit, sniffing it experimentally. He'd never had grapes before, although he had seen a few Reavers returning with loads of them. Taking a bite, he chewed up the tiny sticks as well, not finding much of a hassle. He was very surprised at how juicy and sweet the fruit was, since it was so slick and unassuming on the outside.

"A lime," he repeated, licking his lips as he watched the female roll the fruit around. Curious, he tilted his head just a bit. "Mint...hm. What is that you're doing?" While Keir knew that fruits that had sat for a decent amount of time made you feel funny in the head, he didn't know the finer points of how to consume them to make them a real treat. Whenever he had the rare chance of having a fruit he always just popped it into his mouth with no preparation. Inyanja obviously knew what she was doing, though, and he had no trouble admitting when there was something he wasn't aware of. That was how one grew, after all. He wasn't as stubborn and prideful as some of the other young Freeborn he knew.

Dulcea