[PRP] While Everyone’s Away (Naani & Itiri)

[MangoMeow]

It was getting late by the time she started heading back to her den, something which she had purposefully done in the hopes of avoiding everyone. Granted, Naani doubted that there would be anyone, considering how most everyone was currently out investigating the rubble from the rockslide yesterday, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

The adolescent was making her way cautiously down the path, eyeing her surroundings and ignoring the grumbling of her stomach. She had neglected to eat anything today, but honestly? She was used to doing that by now, and didn't really care to fix it.

Instead, the youth padded her way in silence and tried not to dwell on any of the previous thoughts from the day. Everything was spiraling out of control for the Nezi lately. Would the pride would ever not be on hard times, she mused with a snort. Now two lions were missing...

.. At least it didn't involve her this time. It was a selfish thought, but the truth nonetheless. Hopefully this would help quell the gossip.

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

Itiri had always been a master strategist, and while he was young, his capabilities had already come into the foray as a youth. The fact that he wasn't concerned by the rockslide could easily be explained, they had simply grown used to them in some areas and if he was to get the pride to stop panicking over the non-sensical... then he had to act in a manner that reinforced their panic was ridiculous.

...Ah, but if only he knew the antics they were getting in to now, and the sheer stupidity of those who might be getting themselves stuck or harmed, when it all could have been avoided. Not that any of the Nezi would ever be privvy to his internal musings, but Itiri held their intelligence in very little regard; quite frankly... they'd all demonstrated they were more than just a bit stupid on several occasions. The day they educated themselves and ceased in their childish behaviour would be one for quiet celebration.

Alas, in order to do that, Itiri had to enforced changes.

However, it seemed that certain powers regarded him favourably on this one. Though few would know why, the land slide had proven conveniently timed, and would ensure that his machinations would remain unknown. At the core of it, his actions were necessary and would force much needed change, but this intervention by the divine themselves would ensure that well... That he was covered.

Nevertheless it seemed that there were few who had been led by his example and it was only Naani who had kept to herself. Suffice it to say that she had done everything in her power to stay out of the limelight ever since her beau had fallen in to line with the general populace and demonstrated that he had the brain the size of a grape. Itiri couldn't blame her for this, even if he could only guess as to why the chain of events had occurred.

"You should eat," he pointed out as he strode passed and motioned to her grumbling stomach. "You think more clearly when you aren't distracted by unnecessary suffering," he added.

MangoMeow

 

[MangoMeow]

Naani let out a snort at those words, barely registering the form going by her. Despite glancing over at him and vaguely recognizing it as the Onyeisi speaking to her, the adolescent scowled and shook her head. "I'm not hungry." It was said with such a petulant voice that it left her cringing inside. That hadn't come out quite right.

Back-peddling slightly, she tried to handle that a little differently. "I'd rather not be thinking about any of this at all," she said, still with a harsh tone. At least it didn't sound as childish, she thought.

Tail flicking in agitation behind her, Naani tried taking a deep breathe and then glanced back over at him with lidded eyes, her blue mane half-covering her face. Right, she probably shouldn't have spoken like that to Itiri. "Sorry," she muttered, and then turned her head away.

She debated slinking away before she dug herself into a deeper hole, before looking back at him in vague curiosity. Now that she thought about it....

"I'm surprised you're not out there searching with everyone else." Not that she really thought that there was much point to it now. If someone had gotten caught in that rockslide, they were probably dead anyway. Then again, they would need to retrieve the body, but wasn't that area still dangerous?

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

Itiri's brow lifted, all things considered her attitude could be warranted given the behaviour of some of the pride. The lioness had been subject to far more scrutiny than she deserved, if anything the actions of her counterpart deserved far more criticism... a fair chunk of which he hadn't received. Itiri could at least appreciate why she may be in this mood even if he wasn't entirely deserving of the hostility.

"Searching for what, exactly?" he asked. "Missing individuals who aren't missing, imaginary companions that I believe have left themselves in questionable locations for me to find?" he shook his head. "Our families are not without their flaws and to be quite frank, we make drama where there really isn't any."

"Anything for some entertainment..." he paused briefly and gazed at her for a few moments. "Unless you know something I don't, and I should be seeking out individuals in areas they should not be?" he asked thoughtfully. "In which case, perhaps we should join the fray and see who else needs to be chastised for being somewhere they shouldn't."

He smiled mildly of course, knowing that there would be no one where they shouldn't be; but lions putting themselves in to dangerous positions that were avoidable, was probably more likely...

MangoMeow

 

[MangoMeow]

Naani eyed him in silence and then nodded slowly. It was new, coming across someone who wasn't quite as jittery as everyone else, and it sort of caught her off guard. She supposed that she couldn't blame him for choosing not to participate in searching, despite being their leader. After all, she wasn't looking either, and he probably had a lot more on his plate than her.

The lioness scoffed at his next words and rolled her eyes, "No, though I wouldn't put it past anyone here to do so." Or to need to be chastised for causing even more drama. They seemed to love gossip, as she had discovered first-hand.

Hm, she was becoming rather cynical. Oh well.

She sighed and looked down at her paws. As it was, now that her temper was cooling, she felt herself feeling apathetic again. She just wanted to take a nap, and maybe afterwards she would consider food. The thought made her grimace though. Perhaps not, but she wouldn't be mentioning that to Itiri.

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

She was a little young for apathy, just on the cusp of adulthood and already losing the spark in her eyes. She was one of the reasons he'd acted in the way he had, why his brother and he had put several plans in to motion. While few of them would be immediately apparently, over time he had hoped to revitalize his pride and remind them of who and what they were. The rather dire disposition of the majority was a testament to the sheer amount of damage the priests had done... and by extension, the apathy of his own father had ensured.

"Chin up," he said after a few moments, having allowed the lioness her opportunity to scoff. Fortunately for her, he wasn't the type to take offence at her behaviour, everyone was entitled to an attitude now and then. "You do have allies," he pointed out and shook his head. "Perhaps not as vocal as those who are looking for someone to blame other than the individual who did what he shouldn't have..."

"But we are here," Itiri grimaced for a moment or two. "Thought might I suggest if something is so truly unbearable, you pursue an alternative method of resolving it in the future," he mused. He waved his paw slightly and smiled. "I operate based on assumptions of course, but regardless of what may have occurred, he had the capacity to make his own choices and he chose poorly."

"...You didn't force him, he made that choice, and there are a fair number of us that acknowledge this."

MangoMeow

 

[MangoMeow]

Naani didn't raise her head up from the ground, but she did have her ears tilted up in attentiveness. She wasn't entirely sure she believed him, honestly, but then... it was mostly the ones who were trying to find someone else to blame that Naani was keeping an eye out for. It was relatively easy to avoid people now that she had gotten so much practice, but it had never really occurred to her to gravitate towards those who wouldn't whisper behind her back. Were there even such people? She wasn't sure.

His last sentence had her glancing guardedly up at him and then quickly down at her paws once more. She may not have forced him, but she couldn't help feeling at least partially responsible. She had been the one to plant the idea in the first place. Out of desperation and frustration, yes, but if others knew that he may not have gone into the catacombs had she simply brushed him off....

Naani sighed and closed her eyes tightly, her ears flattening against her head. She refused to mention what had happened though, so those who agreed that he had made his own choice... had no way of knowing. Despite this, she still kept tight-lipped. The last thing she wanted to do was throw herself under the preverbal wildebeest herd.

So where did that leave her? Guilty beyond belief, and no way of repenting for it.

And then she paused thoughtfully as she drew back to his previous words. If something was unbearable.... find an alternate method? Well, the Ebere situation aside, there were a lot of things unbearable about her life, but none of them seemed fixable to her.

Finally opening her eyes again to look up sadly, she muttered, "And if there are things that just can't be resolved? If there are no other steps to go?"

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

"There's always another alternative," Itiri replied smoothly, perhaps a touch coolly. It was not for want of sympathy, or lack of empathy towards her circumstances, it was a simple matter of fact. In time the pride would learn this about their new 'king' - when it came to ensuring that the pride survived, he would do anything. What some would deem impossible, was something he would dismiss as improbable...until the circumstances were right.

No matter how extreme certain actions might be, sometimes they were necessary. Naani may not realise it, but Itiri had already come to this 'understanding' in regards to her own circumstances. The only difference between the lioness and the lion was that he lacked the guilt. Naani's suitor had stepped out of line and on this occasion the only viable way to resolve the issue in her eyes had been to challenge him to the extreme.

...The result was utter stupidity on Ebere's part; and no sympathy towards him on the king's part.

Ebere had deserved it and he would learn from it, or he would wither in to nothingness and join his ancestors. Regardless, in time the issue would resolve itself or Itiri would resolve it by brute force. Diplomacy may be his main strength, but he'd get his paws dirty if he needed to.

"You just have to be open to the possibilities, including those you may not necessarily have considered for whatever," he paused to consider his words and then sighed heavily. "Immoral connotations they may have," he murmured. "Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind, sometimes violence really is the only way to solve a problem... and in the case of our avalanche hunting friends," he lifted a brow.

"Sometimes they have to shatter their spines to realise that it's unwise to run headlong in to danger, particularly right after a landslide when the ground is still unstable," he was being surprisingly frank.

"On this occasion you did what was necessary, and I will not fault you for it. I don't expect you to know everything at this age, particularly more nuanced aspects of a psyche," he shrugged. "But perhaps in time you may grow to have more strategic machinations and you will not have to rely on the extremities immediately."

He smirked.

"Alternatively you can just have another individual intervene if you have another suitor," he lifted a paw and motioned to her. "I personally believe there is a point when they need to back off, even if they have to have that laid out for them in the simplest of terms because they lack the capacity and respect to acknowledge it."

He paused again though and grimaced.

"However if you are indeed interested in Ebere, when the dust is settled I would encourage you to have a very frank and open discussion with him about the importance of thinking things through...?"

It was clear he had no intention of pushing her either way, though he would eat his own tail if he discovered the pair had become a couple... And if they did become one, he sincerely hoped it wasn't because the lioness had been unable to come to terms with the guilt and saw no other option than to burden herself with a lifetime of palliative care...

MangoMeow

 

[MangoMeow]

.... He really wasn't what she was expecting. Granted, she wasn't sure what she was expecting in the first place, but his very analytical approach to all of this certainly wasn't it. He seemed sincere about it as well, and a part of her sort of envied him for his confidence in his planning and decision making. That was something she wished she could have exuded during this whole debacle. Perhaps then she wouldn't feel so down-trodden all the time.

Naani would never be the care-free cub she used to be - she was too jaded now - but self-assurance and a clear view of the world... those were things she yearned to have.

She still wasn't sure if she agreed that the result justified the means in the case of Ebere, though she did feel a little more assured in that it was Ebere who was the fool. How many times had she wished that he would back off, leave her alone, chase after literally any of the other available female - and she felt better having it spelled out that he was in the wrong with that.

Although, at Itiri's last sentence, she cringed backwards before she could reign in her reaction. Given everything that has happened, she was probably even less inclined to continue whatever the two adolescents had going. That said, she'd be lying if she said that she hadn't considered doing so for the sake of appeasing her guilt... but at the end of the day, having their actions laid out in front of her had rather... given her pause. No, she would rather find another way to make up for her part. She already had a few ideas in mind, but she wasn't sure how to go about them yet.

There was a moment where Naani considered asking Itiri his opinion on those aforementioned ideas, but she pushed it away. No, she wanted to figure this one out herself. She wanted... to find her own alternative.

The lioness finally nodded, not having noticed her silence after he finished speaking. This time around, she tried to think over her response before opening her mouth and saying, "I'll.... I'll think about what you've said." She tilted her head to the side, lost in thought once more and ignoring the sudden growl that emerged from her stomach.

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

Itiri couldn't ask for anymore than what the lioness had said, so long as she truly gave his remarks some consideration he would be satisfied. Wherever her path may take her, he did at the very least hope that she would be happy with it. He'd had more than enough of the pity parties and martyrdom that seemed to have graced this pride as he matured and it was time to move on. One day, he aimed to see this pride thrive and while death would always be a very real, and very important aspect of it, they wouldn't forget the other aspects of the circle of life in the mean time.

"Thank you, Naani," he said after a moment and gave a small nod. He wouldn't push her further, goodness knows he'd spoken more than enough already, perhaps too much. Fortunately Naani was young and distracted to the point that some of his more questionable remarks were likely to be lost on her for now... He'd count that as a blessing.

"Now for the love of all that is holy, will you please eat," he gave her a rather strong nudge with his paw and shook his head as he strode off. "If I return and I find your stomach is still growling I'll hang you over the meal myself by your hind paws until you've some good sense to fill your tummy," he warned her and raised both brows.

...As it was, no one could be entirely certain if he was being honest or if he was simply playing with her; but would Naani really be willing to find out? Only time would tell, for now though it seemed Itiri would leave her to her own devices as he drifted off towards his own duties - most of which were likely to involve the hidden lioness and his brother...

MangoMeow

/fin?

 

[MangoMeow]

It was a good thing that he was walking away, because the scowl on her face at his admonishment to eat was probably not the most respectful thing in the world. But his next words had that melting into an astonished expression. He would what now? He wouldn't really, would he?

He had walked away in the time that she was pondering over that, leaving her feeling somewhere between trepidatious and incredulous.

Naani shook herself out of her reverie, and then snorted at the empty area around her. She didn't think he'd actually do that. At the very least, that would cause a scene that neither would enjoy.

.... Or maybe that was a good reason for why he would.

Either way, she wasn't entirely certain she wanted to test that.... but, she didn't think she could eat much without feeling sick.

In the end, she decided to bring something back to her den. If she felt up for eating it, then maybe she would take a few nibbles. If not, then at least she was already in her den, and he likely wouldn't track her down to ensure she'd actually eaten her meal.

... She hoped.

Epine de Rose

Fin~