[PRP] I've got the stuff [Iloziya x Tethys x Naima]

[Ctrl F Greenie]

It took more time than he had anticipated, but still he had done it. Iloziya was always as true to his word as he could be and this occasion was no different. Wrapped around his neck, hidden by his mane, was a pouch that contained the ointment he'd promised his companion - in a separate pouch he had brought a long something else, a small token of his appreciation.

For now he sought out his previous companion, having lost enough of the day as it were to the lioness whom had been kind to him through the whole process of healing. He groaned and grumbled about trying to find him, just loud enough for others to likely hear though most would simply over look his nearly incoherent babble about some lion. Deciding to take a rest off to the side a touch he dropped his rump and lifted a paw, reaching for the pouch beneath his mane, and pulled the pouch of ointment out. Iloziya felt a wave of pride wash over him at his success of stealing something. Never had he had the pleasure of completing such a task.

Replacing the pouch he reached for the small token he'd grabbed as well. A carved figure of a lion on an old rope he'd found and wound through a piece of the figure to create a necklace. Nothing large, but enough to say thank you - he thought. Soon he let that settle back into his mane as well and found himself simply sitting. He'd begin his search again in moments, but decided to enjoy the lazy feeling.

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

He had for the most part been on his own, settled comfortably away from the crowds so as to give his head a rest. It wasn't that he disliked social encounters, but every now and then everyone was entitled to a measure of privacy. Besides, he'd had some plans to 'arrange' and he could only achieve those by keeping them secret. You see, he'd 'hired' someone to help him with his plan, if Ziya was truly successful in acquiring these herbs, then it was only fitting that he be subject to at least a little teasing as well.

...Call it revenge for being a smart a**.

Tethys and his sibling were alike in that respect, just impish enough to make another regret getting on their 'bad' side. Thus, while Tethys would be very grateful for the assistance, he just couldn't miss the opportunity to jest a little bit. That aside, he hadn't really expected Ziya to be returning so soon and as a consequence, he'd made no attempts to make his location more 'discreet'!

Ah yes, Ziya was going to have to do this er...trade... In a rather open location. Suffice it to say that his new friend was going to have to be rather clandestine about it just so that certain individuals wouldn't 'see' it. Or in this case, so that a specific someone should see it...

Mysses Greenie

 

[Ctrl F Greenie]

It was clear that being seated here wasn't going to get him very far in his search, not that he had given it much of a go, and so he was quick to his paws again and on the move.

Finally orangey-gold eyes found the individual he had been seeking - that pale pelt stuck out to him in amongst a sea of darker colors. "Tethys." He greeted as he approached. Iloziya was suddenly very aware of their surroundings, this was an awfully open place, but in reality there would likely be no harm unless one of Tethys' healers strolled on by to interrupt their 'trade'.

"I've brought it - wasn't easy, but I told you I'd be able to get it."

The darker lion joined Tethys, seating himself and stretching his toes a small amount. It was quite clear that he was proud of completing his task. "I also brought you a small token."

It was at that time he lifted a paw to his neck and revealed both of his prizes. The pouch, containing the promised ointment and his token of thanks. Iloziya lifted his paw and the items over his head and began to hand them over to Tethys, offering them up.

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

Tethys had been fortunate as his cohort hadn't been far away at all - in fact she had been watching with a considerable of interest as the darker male had entered the scene. Though she had chosen to keep her distance as he drew nearer to Tethys, once he had settled himself she made her move. Nimble and very quiet on her paws, she would have put even the greatest ninja to shame as she slipped unnoticed through the crowds and wandered casually round an outcropping to keep herself hidden from view.

...it was there that she made herself comfortable, after all, Tethys had indicated that she needed to wait for her cue and by the sounds of it, that hadn't yet happened. She'd wait a little longer, see if any of those agreed keywords came up and permitted her to 'expose' Ziya.

*****

Tethys meanwhile had snapped out of his reverie and was staring at Ziya in surprise. He hadn't expected him to be so quick and his rapid blinking would have been enough to make this apparent. In the Viking homeland he didn't really have the need to mask his emotions and to be honest, he'd never really been the type to do so.

"You clearly missed your calling," he mused as he finally recovered from the surprise and lifted up one of the ointments to inspect it. Someone, somewhere, was going to be a touch unimpressed when they found out one of their most valuable resources had gone missing under suspicious circumstances. Fortunately as Tethys was being treated by the most unsympathetic healers in the pride and hadn't thrown himself desperately at any others, he would be free from suspicion!

"You could have been a thief," he teased and then paused, taking a moment to look at the token he'd been presented with.

"What's this for though?" he asked curiously.

Mysses Greenie

 

[Ctrl F Greenie]

"I could have been a damn good thief too."

Iloziya patted himself, verbally, on the back. "That token was just something I'd managed to snag while we were out on that last adventure." He smiled fondly at the token and it's meaning to him - that first Viking had brought together the two and it meant something to him to have found a friend. He'd not say that out loud though, not ever. "I wanted to give it to you in thanks."

"You were there to help me out and I helped you - though perhaps that is stretching the truth a touch." He laughed a small amount. "You've given me a lot here."

Even with those last words he realized just how feminine he was appearing, but alas they were already out there and what was a token between friends?

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

"Oh man," Tethys looked ever so slightly sheepish at Ziya's remarks and rubbed at the back of his head in embarrassment. He'd always been the genuine sort, he'd set a few folks up with their Vikings and he hadn't asked for anything in return. Admittedly, Ziya had been subject to a far more dramatic viking than either of them had anticipated and had proved himself in the most impressive ways...but still. Tethys could only assume that he'd made his mark on the lion who had clearly felt out of sorts when he got here.

"I don't know what to say," he replied with genuine warmth and held out his paw to examine the trinket. Suffice it to say that it was actually an incredibly impressive one, whoever had made it had taken a lot of time. Quite the find, and one he really should have been using to charm his way into a woman's life. It said a lot if he was handing it to him...

"This is just..."

*****

As the pale lion continued to stutter over his own words, a pair of crimson eyes had slowly appeared over the top of the outcropping. Accompanied by a pair of fluffy, cream ears and just the top of a nose, the inquisitive lioness had surfaced to find out what had been handed over. She had been told it was going to be ointment, but the gratitude had seemed a little off and now she knew why.

...Before her, an epic was truly uncovering.

Well she would be damned, no wonder Tethys had never made a move on her. No wonder he'd even ignored most of the women nearby and acted so differently, his heart belonged to this male.

She couldn't help herself as she released a tiny squeal of appreciation; oh it was just so adorable! Her eyes were positively sparkling as she looked on.

Mysses Greenie

 

[Ctrl F Greenie]

Iloziya was beaming, though he did notice the struggle Tethys was having with his words. Was this not a typical thing to do between friends here? The thought hadn't occurred to him and unfortunately it was to late so he wasn't about to call attentions to his mistake.

"No need to find words. I just wanted to make sure you realized how much I appreciate you." Iloziya had raised a paw and made a motion to wave away the paler lions concerns. "It is pretty amazing though, no?"

"I made sure to grab the best article I had, just for you."

A look of pride was followed by a puff of his chest. Iloziya probably should have noticed a pair of cream ears, let alone crimson eyes that peered at the pair of him, but to have eyes on them wasn't entirely uncommon - especially considering their return from the pirates lands.

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

As the events unfolded, the cream lioness's eyes became as round as saucers. By now her mouth was agape and she was looking back and forth between the two males as though she was watching a sporting event. She had had no idea but now that she saw it, it made so much sense. Oh and didn't they make such an adorable couple? She had completely forgotten about the fact she was supposed to intervene when the 'goods' were exposed...for now, said goods were left ignored at the paws of the two males.

"Uh...yeah it is," Tethys said with a laugh as he turned the jewellery over in his paw. He'd have given the craftsman a job if he knew who he was, it was an impressive piece and someone like that would be a grave loss to the world. "Seriously, thank you," he said finally and shook his head, it was the best he could do in the given circumstances. He'd never received a gift before, it just wasn't something that his sister and he had ever been exposed to... not in this sense anyway.

"I don't know what to -"

And they he heard the high pitch, though brief squeal of contentment and turned his head ever so slightly. What he saw at first was a pair of fluffy ears, this of course made him slowly rise to his paws, where he was met with the rather adoring eyes of a particular lioness.

...To say she smiled beatifically was an understatement.

"Tethys I had no idea, why didn't you tell me?" she cooed breathlessly.

He looked lost as she finally revealed herself. She made a beeline for Ziya and grabbed his paw with both of her's to give it a shake.

"So you're the one who captured his heart!" she declared merrily. "You make such a lovely couple!"

"Wait, what...?" Tethys choked.

Mysses Greenie

 

[Ctrl F Greenie]

"You're very welcome."

Iloziya smiled to him once more before a squeal took both of their attentions. He turned his head at just about the same time his companion had. Had no idea what? The thought was brief as she explained herself moments later. But by then his paw was being shaken violently and the cream lioness they had spotted was directly in his face and quite excited.

"Excuse me?" He finally sputtered when he could find words. "Captured whose heart? Lovely couple?" Finally he turned his vision to Tethys, paw still raised and grasped by the lioness.

"Could you please explain to me what this lioness is doing and why?" His brow raised in utter disbelief and confusion. "Who are you?" He finally got around to asking the wide eyed female that had interrupted their chat.

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

"You're new and everything!" Naima continued with her congratulations and shook his paw continuously as she did so. "You must be a very special lion to win his heart, have you seen the ladies here?" she enquired and then leaned forward with a giggle. "He isn't even interested in me and I'm actually very pretty!"

Tethys pulled a confused face behind her.

The male was clearly trying to get himself up to speed as Naima chattered away to Ziya. He was gazing down at the token in his paw periodically and if his expression was anything to go by, he was currently in the process of solving one of life's greatest mysteries... Also known as the inner workings of the female mind. Evidently he wasn't getting very far at the moment.

"Oh but to think of all the disappointed ladies when they see you too," she sighed dramatically, finally releasing his paw and lifting her own to puff up his mane excitedly. "So how did you meet, was it out on an adventure?"

She gasped.

"Did he save your life when you were injured?!" she cried.

"Naima what in the name of all that's holy are you on about?" Tethys finally asked as he shook his head. He'd decided it was so much easier to just ask her, otherwise he was going to fall in a hole and never get himself back out of it again.

"Your mate!"

Mysses Greenie

 

[Ctrl F Greenie]

Ziya caught Tethys' look of confusion and met it with another of his own.

"Alright, crazy lady - if you don't explain yourself right damned now I'll make sure not another word comes out of that pretty little mouth of yours." Golden eyes narrowed at her face and his brow furrowed. He was beginning to become infuriated by the insufferable antics that the female seemed to be going on about - which the pair of Vikings just couldn't figure out.

"Now you're going to far..." Before he could defend himself about disappointing ladies he was interrupted with her question of how they met and then something about saving someone?

When Tethys intervened Ziya could have leaped with joy.

Until two little words were basically shouted, in a very public area to boot.

"His what!?"

His dark brows shot up, golden eyes opened wide and then he ripped his paws away from the female so quickly he could have cut her. "You think.." Then he croaked out a laugh. "Tethys and I?" He had to walk away, take a few steps back, then paced a moment before returning to the scene of the crime.

"No."

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

"You are his mate, aren't you?" she queried Tethys as Ziya strode away for a brief moment of respite. She was met by a bemused stare, one that indicated she was probably very wrong in her assumptions. However her mind still couldn't quite shake what a special moment it had been and she had sneaking suspicions that they were both just embarrassed.

"He's not my mate, Naima," Tethys confirmed as Ziya paced.

"Are you sure?" she hazarded, clearly still suspicious by how abrupt the denials had been. Such a tender moment meant there was something there, something to be nurtured and treasured, how could it not be love?

"I'm positive," he continued and raised a brow. "We're just friends Naima, I most assuredly like females," he pointed out and shook his head. He was all for a good joke now and then but he wasn't prepared for this one, even if it did appear that his little Freeborn had grabbed it by both paws and was embracing it lovingly.

"Does he know that?" she continued and glanced briefly at Ziya, he was within earshot now, and by then, he had replied with a rather ill-timed 'no' on his part. "Oh my word, Tethys why didn't you tell him you liked girls, he's going to be heart broken now!"

Tethys looked on in amusement.

"I'm not sure that -"

She patted Ziya sympathetically on the shoulder. "We'll make him see that you're the one for him, don't worry," she cooed delicately. "It might take a while but he'll come around."

"Naima..."

She chose to ignore him.

Mysses Greenie

 

[Ctrl F Greenie]

"What!?"

"OH-MY-GOD."

"We'll make this b*****d see nothing."

Iloziya hissed at the female. "What do I have to do to get you to understand!?" The lion thought on it briefly, very briefly and in-between other words of anger that added up to various cussing. It all came back to one thing, one thing that in his mind would be the way to go in proving that he didn't love his amused, a*****e of a Captain.

"Naima, is it?"

He queried, not giving her much of a chance to agree. "Come with me, now." At that point he didn't care if she thought they'd be going to find a way to convince Tethys to love him or not - he needed her alone to do at least one of two things - literally knock some sense into her or have meaningless sex.

He'd settle her idea of him one way or another.

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

She followed obediently as Tethys looked on, thoroughly amused. He didn't know what Ziya had planned, but he sincerely hoped it wasn't to beat up his friend. Despite her quirks, Naima had proven to be a great source of entertainment for him...even if he was currently the butt of it. Nevertheless he wouldn't intervene for now, she'd proven herself more than capable of defending herself before and she could probably do it again if she had to.

"Ooooh, there's no need to be embarrassed!" Naima cooed as she trotted along beside the taller male. "These feelings are perfectly normal, you should embrace them," she continued merrily. "It's nothing to be ashamed of, it doesn't make you any weaker to find Tethys desirable -" she paused briefly and quickened her pace, he certainly was walking rather quickly.

"In fact most lionesses find him very desirable so I wouldn't be surprised if a few of the men did too, they're just not brave enough to say so like you are!"

...Welp, she was probably going to die, Tethys said a silent goodbye as he watched them wander off and picked up his ointment again to inspect it.

Mysses Greenie

/fin!