[PRP] Further Inquiries (Tethys x Sebel)

[Epine de Rose]

He was in a location that hurt his face and had the potential to freeze every part of him off. He'd end up like those icicles in a while if he wasn't careful; and yet, here he was, sifting through what little information he could. Unfortunately his previous encounter hadn't provided him with any solid answers, but he could take some positives away from the lionesses responses. If she hadn't heard of anything or seen anything, then it was probable that this particular region was safe.

Before he drew any conclusions though, it was in his best interests to clarify that this was in fact the case. Another witness or two would do, just enough to settle him. If the second or third individual was able to confirm the same information as the previous lioness had, then he would be secure in the knowledge that perhaps, like him, the phantoms weren't the biggest fan of the cold.

...Either that, or they just hadn't found this place yet and that was probably for the best.

Clearing his throat, he pushed through the thinning now with a reasonable amount of gusto, pausing only briefly on occasions to check for any signs of life. He'd heard that some of the pride up here blended into the scenery incredibly well, and he would sooner he didn't miss them if it would allow him to get his answers more quickly.

In Good Faith

 

[In Good Faith]

The lioness wasn't allowed to wander from the territory, at least until she found a rabbit familiar, despite that she grew up in the surrounding forests. Though to be honest, she wasn't sure where the territory actually started and where it began, and soon she found herself a little lost. (So much for knowing the area well.) To make matters worse, she had paused to orient herself in the right direction before she heard the quiet whisper of snow just before a blanket of it fell off the branch above her.. directly onto her back and head.

With an agitated groan, she shook her body to remove the excess before it could begin to melt and soak her pelt. If it wasn't colder on the ground, she would have flopped down to have a good pout. She was murmuring some pretty vulgar words (though she had a limited vocabulary of them), before she burst through some greenery to find a white and blue lion before her. She didn't recognize him, or his smell, and blinked with surprise. "Hello" her quiet voice said immediately, without her permission.

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

Sebel might have found herself disconcerted, but Tethys turned to her and looked at her in a manner that might have been the equivalent of the heavens opening while a stream of angels sang around her in heavenly chorus. Yup, she was exactly what he was praying for and unbeknownst to her unfortunate soul, she was now subject to his attention until he was satisfied that he'd gotten the answers he'd come for.

"You!" he declared delightedly as though he had known her his entire life. "You are an absolute beauty to behold!" he continued in much the same bizarre familiarity before he bounded forward. Fortunately, he came to a halt with ample distance so that her personal space was not intruded upon, but his enthusiasm was certainly something that couldn't be ignored.

"You wouldn't have time for a couple of questions?" he shook his head. "Please say you do and that you know this area well - I'm tired of wandering around in a region that's trying to freeze every delicate and very important parts of my body off."

He meant his feet obviously, but it could have been taken any way.

In Good Faith

 

[In Good Faith]

Sebel's eyebrows furrowed, and at the mention of "delicate parts" and she almost snorted aloud. Delicate was certainly the word for it. A blush suddenly warmed her cheeks and she commanded her eyes remain forward. "E-excuse me" she stammered what she attempted to sound like a demand, that ended up being more of a question.

"I do know the area, but I certainly don't know you. What business do you have here?" Her nervousness at being caught off guard with a unknown stranger was ebbing and her normal backbone was returning. She assessed the lion again, attempting to recognize where he might have come from, his faint smell was nothing she'd come across before. The distinct smell of testosterone and confidence was unmistakeable, she noted.

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

Water off a duck's back, he'd met far more abrasive women in his life.

"It's complicated," he said and shook his head, he wasn't about to explain his entire life's story or his mission to the lioness. Granted he would give her time to adjust to the fact that he was there, recently he seemed to have a way of overwhelming various individuals when he met them. Feline or otherwise, they often stared at him agape as they attempted to discern what he was trying to say to them.

"I need you to answer several questions for me," he began, this time in a much more controlled manner. "Given you know this area, I am hoping you will be able to give me some much needed clarity. If those answers give me reason to tell you why I am here then I will -"

He paused.

"However if your region does not give me the right answers then for their own safety this is information you do not need to know. Can you do this for me?" he asked softly.

"A few questions, it won't take long."

In Good Faith

 

[In Good Faith]

"You sound like trouble." And with that, Sebel turned and began trying to find her way back to the pride's territory.

Because the snow had essentially the same effect that water had, following scents was never easy in this terrain and because of the dusting that had been keeping up for most of the day, tracks were not usable. Instead, she was hoping her sense of direction and vague familiarity she had with the trees: certain ones that looked familiar, or rock formations, and creeks.

It was far too early for her to begin panicking quite yet, but she didn't have time for a lost lion that wanted to pester her with questions... and truth be told, she was beginning to worry before she was found amiss.

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

And off she went.

Well, not every individual he had met had been welcoming or receptive, she was just another to add to his list. Rather than get worked up about it however, he simply watched as she tried to place distance between him and herself. It was only after she began to flounder a little bit that he realised she might actually be lost. She might have known the area well, but maybe that was only when it wasn't covered in snow.

"I see," he murmured as he observed her for a few moments.

"How about I tell you where I saw one of your companions go previously when she was returning home, if you answer a few of my questions," he offered. He could remember where the last lioness had gone, if there was one thing he was good at, it was keeping his own bearings. "You might find something in that direction and I get some of the answers I need. Win win."

In Good Faith

 

[In Good Faith]

Sebel paused and threw a glare over her shoulder. "Who?" It was a challenge, expecting what he was telling her was a lie. Of course she wasn't familiar with all the lions of the pride, so it was completely possible who ever he spoke with she didn't know. She hesitated though, listening.

Epine de Rose

Sorry if my responses are pretty short. I'm usually a short-fast RP'er

 

[Epine de Rose]

He rolled his eyes.

Were all the females in the world just put on this earth to waste time? They all seemed to want to know everything, immediately, with the finest amount of detail. If they didn't have just enough then they would demand you come back when you did and even then, they might even throw in a bunch of extra requirements once you showed up again.

Why couldn't he have found a male?

"Her name was Asea," he replied flatly. "Happy now?"

In Good Faith

 

[In Good Faith]

She furrowed her brows again, but in thought. She was wracking her brain because the name did strike her in a familiar way. The vague memory of a pale white and blue female came to mind. But of course the lion could be directing her in completely the wrong direction, putting her further in harms way. Without realizing, she'd been gnawing on her lip and she stopped suddenly.

She opened her mouth to reject his offer but closed it once more. She needed to be sent in the right direction, and she could either go with his would be assistance and gamble he was being honest, or be hopelessly lost forever and die in the frigid winter.

Wonderful.

"Fine." She said it forcefully, as if it were against her will. She walked heavily up to the lion and plopped her butt down in the snow directly in front of him. With her head held high, she eye'd him warily.

"Well, ask!" She said impatiently.

Epine de Rose

Whoops! Sorry, forgot to quote you last night.

 

[Epine de Rose]

"I'm so glad you came around," Tethys replied mildly.

He'd make this quick to avoid any further conflict, her patience was barely there and he was probably going to get very little out of her. Still, he'd extract what information he could and be done with it.

"Have you heard of any white lions, not pale, white lions like me, mysteriously disappearing from your pride?" he began and took a breath. "Have you seen anything out of the ordinary in your territory as of late, strange plants, that sort of thing," he continued. "Any reports of particularly shady individuals, they would move in groups wandering through this patch of land?"

Hopefully she would respond in the same way as the other lioness had done so and deny each, then he could be on his way...

If she didn't, then he was going to have to drag himself through the snow for a little longer until he got a more concrete, and less middling, set of answers!

In Good Faith

 

[In Good Faith]

Oh boy. Well unfortunately for this lion--which Sebel was not going to divulge in fear of him leaving without giving her what she wants to know--was that she was brand spankin' new to the pride. Literally. Three days. Tops. Instead she chose to 'play dumb.'

With a shift in her attitude, she looked thoughtful for a moment. "Uhhhh, I can't say that I have." Genuinely that was an honest answer. There was not an unsettled attitude about the pride that she had picked up on, which surely there would be if lions were going missing?

There was a flash of fear that what this lion was saying was true, but then remembered she was near opposite of white and she relaxed again. "There's hardly any plant life around here, as you can see. And the only shady character I've come across is you." Her tone was still pleasant, a smile on her maw having felt good about being able to answer the lions questions.

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

He figured that joke was coming and offered a wry smile in response.

Still, he gave her the opportunity to answer him and gave a small nod. She'd tried her best, he didn't expect everyone to speak with absolute certainty when he queried them, so her stutters were regarded as normal. He couldn't really ask for much more in that respect!

Thus, keeping up his end of the bargain he raised his paw and pointed off in the direction behind her, a little off to the left of her. "She went that way, took a sharp left at a tree missing about a third of its needles, then continued further up something that looked a little like a path...well it was some sort of trail anyway," he added. Hopefully she'd be able to find her way back from there, or at least find something that she recognised.

"Thank you for your time," he finished.

In Good Faith

 

[In Good Faith]

Sebel nodded swiftly and turned off towards the direction he pointed. Though, after only a few steps, she paused. Turning over her shoulder, she called to the lion. "Hey. Would you... want to come with me? To speak to someone who may give you answers?" Her guilt for an unfair trade was weighing on her.

At the same time, a small voice in her head was yelling at her for inviting a stranger to her pride she was barely a member of, but she had settled on the idea that she felt the stranger was not harmful.

Sebel had been a member of a pride before this one, with her sister. Their traditions just didn't set well with her and she decided to leave, her sister following her. Where was he even from? And were there really lions disappearing some where else?

The need to know more was now what was urging her forward. "Please. We'll be able to warm you up, and maybe offer some food." Pausing, she smiled kindly. "You don't want to lose your 'delicate' bits, do you?"

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

He offered a warm laugh as she made light of his predicament and shook his head; as tempting as the offer was, he would prefer not to visit any prides that could potentially be like him. Sebel might have been of a rich colour, but to stay hidden here there was a high chance that many of them were pale. Given that he was often 'followed', he would sooner he didn't lead his unwelcome watchers to the perfect patch.

"As lovely as that offer sounds, I can only stay away from my companions for a certain amount of time," he replied gently and gave a slight wave of his paw. "I'll jog my way back to warmth if I have to," he reassured her and lowered his paw to the ground again. He'd wait until she was at least safely through the trees and then he would continue on his way.

...Albeit at a run.

He needed to get his blood flowing somehow.

In Good Faith