[PRP] Grounded [Blasaz x Havase]

[Ctrl F Greenie]

The trip was planned and the time was set. She would visit with her daughter soon to get a gander at her grandchildren before they grew up to quickly and didn't know who their grandma was. Ah, the struggles of life. "Better late than never." Was the quote that continuously came to mind and left her lips.

Den was cleaned.

Sabia`nafsi was alerted to her leaving.

All was in place for her to leave, she just had to go now.

"Alright, I'll be back in a while." She said to no one in particular as she left her den. A couple of saddle-type bags thrown over her back with some small gifts were all she needed. Opting for her mortal form while travelling was something she hadn't done before - so why not now? The goddess enjoyed tackling something new and to see the roguelands from a mortals point of view might be interesting.

Leaving the prides lands certainly took longer without wings to carry her. Still she had seen a number of small critters, some birds, and new flowers that had sprung up. All before she had even gotten to the interesting part - now she would be leaving the safety of her home and delving into the roguelands. Her innocence almost knew no bounds as she didn't even pause to consider the dangers she might attract.

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

The lioness was was safe, or least she was safe from whatever foes this particular lion faced. It was for this reason that he had chosen to largely ignore her. He'd been aware of her meandering for a while, just as he had been aware of the meanderings of the young cub so long ago. That being said, the only reason he had paid attention that time was in large part due to the fact that cub had been climbing all over him and she'd been of a colour that may have caused a stir.

Ah, but surely life should have been so much simpler out here? He'd explored enough to know by now that only very isolated regions of the land sacrificed those who didn't necessarily fit in. There were others who enslaved, and then there were others who exiled those who didn't fit in. However, none of those in question had ever been quite so extreme as what he fought and quite frankly, if those zealots had stayed at home, then this place would be quite the retreat.

Nevertheless, he held his peace as he watched the lioness walk by; she seemed familiar, but then again that could have been due to the fact he'd seen cubs similar to her not long ago. Perhaps they were related in some way or another, stranger things had happened despite the traditional inclinations of that particular pride?

She'd get no bother from him at least, he had much too much on his mind and coupled with the fact he really should have been moving back to the Justicar's side, he probably shouldn't have been stalling or permitting himself idle chit chat to begin with! Still, at least on this occasion he wasn't as difficult to spot as the last time - when the cub had discovered him he'd given her the fright of his life as she had thought he was some sort of foliage... Now though, he rather stood out against the beige of the savannah.

Ctrl F Greenie

 

[Ctrl F Greenie]

Fortunately dangers hadn't been called and instead it seemed the lands were quiet. Had she been concerned the quiet would have brought her peace, instead she naively carried on her business. That business included he red-orange eyes falling upon an indivdual that rather stood out against the terrain. Curiosity always got the better of her, especially with mortals, and so she made up her mind to try and see what he was 'standing about' for. As she approached the lion she tensed her muscles and relaxed them. Reminding herself that she wasn't able to just fly off in the face of trouble.

But he didn't appear to be trouble.

"Excuse me?" Finally speaking after seconds of her approaching him. Blasaz felt sure that she wasn't sneaking up on him, her stealth simply wasn't that good, but a couple of quiet words never hurt anyone. "What are you doing?" Her curiosity could possibly mirror that of a cubs at times. She looked him over fully, now that he was in view, and found that the greens reminded her of lively plants she'd seen at the edge of the Bahari. The thought made her smile warmly.

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

She'd get no bother from him, but he'd clearly get bother from her.

No sooner had she begun to make her way passed him than she had promptly beelined back, and he was now faced with a curious gaze that could rival any other prying individual. Fortunately for her, she gave off a much more innocent vibe and based on her appearance, she was most assuredly not attempting anything underhanded. He'd eat his own tail if he were about to be stabbed in the back by this one, then commend her for her admirable acting capabilities. Suffice it to say that he'd risk it on this occasion, worst came to worse he was fairly certain he could deck her and knock her out for a long enough period of time for him to wander off again.

"Waiting," he replied simply and shook his head. "I was unaware that it was a controversial activity to take a moment to remain in one spot," he lifted a brow at this and then shook his head. A momentary pause, and his attention was back on the lioness as he regarded her with a rather neutral expression. His usual jovial self wasn't as easily accessible as it normally was, but he'd ended up with considerably more on his shoulders as of late.

"Or is this a rather rough attempt as socialising by an individual who may, or may not, be socially inept?" he mused and tilted his head to the side. "We are in the rogue lands and these are most certainly not policed, and no normal individual would seek to demand information on what a stranger is doing," he pointed out. "Probably not the wisest of approaches unless you're deliberately aiming for a bust up," he advised mildly.

Ctrl F Greenie

 

[Ctrl F Greenie]

The lioness was taken aback by his abrupt response and wrinkled her nose slightly. The act reminded her of the way his daughter drew back from a conversation and so she did eveything in her power to break that expression from her face - opting for a small smile. Before she could get a word in edgewise, which worked to her advantage as she would have said something snippy and likely uncalled for, she found herself nodding. He was right - this wasn't her home in the pride lands or even the Bahari. In those places she wouldn't have thought anything of an individual that had taken pause in their day, why should she have done so in the rogue lands where it was even less of his business?

Curiosity. That was what had caused her to pause.

"You're right and I'm most certainly not socially inept - just a little uneducated in the ways of..." She hesitated, very nearly ending her statement with 'mortals', but what she truly meant was.. "..the rogue lands." Her ears twitched slightly, a tell that she hadn't been entirely forthcoming, but still her lie was even as innocent as she was. "So this is probably a bad time to ask what you might be waiting for? Will I get a 'bust up' asking about that?" She teased lightly, but her muscled tensed and her mind wandered to those fluffy wings she could use to escape, but only if she could make it to her goddess form in time.

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

She definitely wasn't someone he needed to be concerned with; not with tells like that. She was lying to his face and yet she expected him to be forthcoming with his own purpose? He refrained from raising a brow for he was more well practised in the art of hiding his tells and simply shook his head. She wasn't a spy, but she certainly was a busy body who had a need to gather information that she would have no use for.

...That, and it might get her killed.

"It would be a bad time, yes," he confirmed as he answered her question. Admittedly it was a non-answer, but she was the one who had started this charade and he wasn't about to finish it. Suffice to say that he could be the world's best actor when he needed to be, it was par for the course when it came to what he was. She could set her fluffy wings to one side, his job was arguably more controversial and difficult than hers!

...And it required decidedly more secrecy.

"One might be so bold as to point out you might benefit from lessons regarding the social etiquette of this region before you set about interrogating the locals," he added. Granted he was no local himself and his accent, which he saw no reason to stifle, would have said as much. "You might be able to approach it much more strategically going forward," he tilted his head to the side and lifted a brow.

"I do not suggest the direct approach going forward."

Ctrl F Greenie

 

[Ctrl F Greenie]

The answer she received was mute. It didn't drive any further into his reasons and therefore her question was answered, but not really. Curiosity burned in the back of her mind and yet she had lost the push to question him further. He appeared to be a wall that just wouldn't come down under her pressure.

"Are you offering to teach me?" Her orange-red eyes grew wide at his suggestions. She knew that he wasn't wrong, but she also knew that he likely wasn't about to drop everything to teach her. Blasaz shifted slightly where stood and eventually she chose to sit - they had been standing long enough for her liking, she still had ways to travel before she could truly settle in somewhere. "Though I had no intention of interrogating." She finally admitted to him. "I was just curious. There's no harm in that?" Ignorance was bliss and her world was significantly smaller than his. That much was obvious. Between the Intaba and the Bahari she had a nice cushiony lifestyle.

"I'm sure you're right about that." Another admittance to his suggestion of not directly approaching someone again. "But how would you have started a conversation?" She asked in a partial demand.

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

"I would start with 'hello'," he advised coolly and lifted his brow. For now she seemed to have dropped her intention to uncover the mysteries of his universe and had placed the focus slowly on her. Granted, it was through a series of ridiculous questions that seemed to imply that wherever she might have come from, they lived under rocks and remained oblivious to how things worked. "Then perhaps, picked a neutral topic of conversation that is less likely to get you killed," he added.

"Weather or migration patterns is usually a good start; if you have been travelling for a significant period of time, directions or queries regarding food and water are normally safe as well," he murmured. It was the best he could do in the circumstances, generally he didn't converse with others at the moment unless he absolutely had to and those he did speak to tended to know what his situation was!

"Ask the wrong questions to the wrong individuals and you are going to come across as a spy," he pointed out. "It may be an incorrect assumption -" he shrugged his shoulders; he'd settled on 'too oblivious' rather than 'good actress' for this one. "But they might choose to remove you from the equation before you can utter the words 'my mistake'," he warned. Fortunately he had no need to remove her from the equation and he suspected that in time she would grow bored and continue on with her meandering.

...Where that took her to though?

Well that was up to her, he just sincerely hoped that she didn't find herself on the wrong end of a disgruntled stranger. He wasn't often one to wish harm on others and this would be no exception, even if she was a bit of an idiot.

"Is that a satisfactory answer for you, Princess?"

Ctrl F Greenie