[PRP] Some things change, while others... [Hila x Kafele]

[Vashtya]

It was difficult for Hila not to strut, although she outwardly was trying not to show how delighted she was. After all, she was an adolescent now, and that meant two things: she could finally go a-viking, and that, if she was going to make captain in a...timely fashion, she'd need to impress her new peers.

And so, she found herself back down by the seashore, determined to find at least a couple of shells that could be made into beads, or carved into some sort of a totem to wear around her neck. There was a brisk wind coming off the water, capping the waves in white, frothy tips and bringing a faint smell of salt, water, and a faint undertone of rotting seaweed that had piled up on the beach over time. It wasn't unpleasant, but it distinct

She couldn't help but smile at the smell, as it triggered a memory of her last trip this way - she hadn't gotten any loot, per se, but it had turned into more of a adventure than she'd anticipated, at the time!

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

Kafele had been busy as of late, playing nurse for his severely injured mother. Na'ira had literally fallen out of the sky not too long ago, leaving a crater in the earth upon her impact. Her wounds were sustained both before and after the crash-landing and she had yet to wake from her deep slumber to explain what had happened. Kafele was learning as he went in terms of healing but he found it came rather naturally to him as if it had been a talent he had possessed all along. He was taking the new skills he was learning and putting them through trial and error phases with his mother as his test subject. She hadn't woken from his poking and prodding yet so he figured it couldn't hurt to try more.

Currently he was trying to find a better way to set her broken wing. He had tried branches and tendons but when she shifted the splint generally fell apart. Kafele recalled seaweed drying and shrinking when left out of the water and he wondered if it might work if layered enough to make a stiff restraint that could be easily removed with water when the need arose. So he found himself down the mostly rocky, somewhat sandy shores poking through the seaweed to find long, thick pieces.

Lifting his head, Kafele noticed a familiar face heading down the beach towards him. Hila was looking down at the sands and hadn't noticed him yet, though. Clearing his throat, the male decided to set aside his seaweed hunt for the time being to address the young female.

"Long time no see," he called out to Hila.  

[Vashtya]

Hila started slightly at the voice, familiar and yet...not quite what she remembered. Looking up, she squinted slightly, since a glare on the water was shining right in her eyes.

Recognition prompted a small, but genuine smile - although it slid quickly into a smirk. "It has been, hasn't it?" She replied, picking her way toward him, mindful not to appear like she was in too much of a hurry.

"So long, in fact, that I was beginning to think you'd succumbed to hunger pangs," she teased, although her tone made it less insulting than the blatant implication that she might have thought him too weak to have held up through the famine may have otherwise come across.

"What brings you back down here?" She asked a moment later, curiosity getting the best of her. Was he preparing for his first trip a-viking, as well, perhaps?
 

[SilverLutz]

Kafele's normal cocky grin wasn't on his face, but rather a sincere smile graced his features as his friend moved towards him. He picked his way out of the bed of seaweed he was in, shaking a bit off his paw as well before moving towards her.

"Nah, I've been all right," he said, shaking his head. Thanks to the very goddess that lay resting in his father's den, Kafele didn't feel the effects of the famine as badly as pure mortals did. Sure, it still ached and wasn't pleasant, but he'd never been in so much physical pain that he couldn't leave the den as he had heard others his age and younger had experienced.

"Seaweed," he answered truthfully, glancing down at the green and brown slimy foliage that were scattered around their paws. "I'm trying to see if I can make a sort of...splint out of it, I guess. If I layer it enough and wrap it around a leg it might make a broken bone heal a bit better than just leaving it to mend on its own. At least, that's what I'm hoping. What about you?" he asked, looking back up at the dark lioness. She had grown quite a bit since he had seen her last, catching up to him and losing some of her baby fat.  

[Vashtya]

She blinked, slightly underwhelmed by his response. Although his genuine smile....well, if she were susceptible, may have knocked her for a loop. Not that she was, of course, she assured herself.

Even more than his more subdued expression, the lack of snark in his response (both verbal and non...he hadn't even rolled his eyes!) was not what she expected. "Well that's...good." she replied awkwardly, caught slightly off-kilter - it was harder to maintain good-natured ribbing when you got a serious or genuine reply in return!

Looking down at the masses of kelp that littered the beach, she didn't think that he'd have too difficult of a rime finding what he needed - although most of it was smaller pieces, there were definitely more than a few long ribbons of the strong-smelling plants.

Considering his words a moment, she looked him over critically, as if wondering if it was him that was injured. Seeing no sign of it, curiosity compelled a couple of questions be asked. "Is something not healing right on its own?" She finally asked, following it up with another question before he could even attempt to answer the first "Is it one of your siblings?"
 

[SilverLutz]

Kafele was nonplussed by Hila's rather dumbstruck expression, poking around the seaweed as she gathered her thoughts. To him he wasn't any different than he had been when they had first met but it was clear to anyone else that something had changed drastically. Gone was the snarky, proud cub and in his place was a calm, refined adolescent. But Kafele to himself was still just Kafele.

The questions made him weigh his options for a few moments. Gods were no secret here and he had proudly toted that his mother was one some time ago so she knew his lineage. But should he proclaim that his mother was injured to the point of a self-induced coma to someone that wasn't in the family?

"My mother, actually," he said, deciding there was no point in lying. "She...well. Had a rough landing not long ago and is resting in the den. I've been trying to help her heal up but I'm still sort of experimenting with how all the healing stuff actually works."

Vashtya

 

[Vashtya]

Well, her childhood friend was full of surprises, it would appear. She'd known that his mother was a goddess, but had been under the impression that she was not really around much. Regardless, she pictured her own father injured, and barely contained a grimace. Hopefully his mother's personality was milder, as she imagined her father would be a terrible patient.

"That sounds...difficult." she finally replied. She wasn't the sort to offer heartfelt condolences or sympathies, but she imagined that caring for an injured party, especially without experience, was a lot of effort - trial and error wasn't easy. She wondered briefly why they weren't using a trained healer...but maybe his mother was more inclined to stay disguised? Those were questions she shelved for now...but would likely bombard him with at a later date. At least he didn't look morose, so she could assume that thr injuries weren't life-threatening.

"Although it's probably a breather from going a-viking" she continued, assumption that he had already been on adventures she could only just begin to indulge in lending a bit of envy to her tone. After all, they'd both first met playing at being a group of reavers, out hunting for spoils and new sights. She'd catch up to him in no time, she reminded herself silently. "That'll give me a chance to bring back something impressive first," she grinned, attempting, again, their usual ribbing tone.
 

[SilverLutz]

"It is, but I'm learning a lot," Kafele said with genuine enthusiasm. He had never thought healing would be so interesting and he was getting better at it with each attempt and he was learning new tricks as he went. The seaweed thing was just a shot in the dark but he figured there was no way to know unless he tried.

The comment about going out to claim the title of Reaver made him tilt his head before remembering their previous claims and adventures together. Ah yes...that was probably high on her list of things to do still, wasn't it? Ever since he'd started poking around with herbs and braces his desires had changed a bit and the urge to go out a-Viking had diminished to nothing.

"I wouldn't know," he said with a shake of his head. "I've not been out. My dad's been too weak to go out with the famine and all and he wanted to take us, and now...well. Healing seems really interesting and there's not many healers in the pride, so I figure maybe it's better to study that instead." He felt a bit sheepish admitting it as it was usually a role females took on, but there was a need and he wanted to fill it.

"But I bet you'll find something great when you do go out," he added, not wanting to discourage her from her own goals. "Better than strange creatures with eight sticky arms."

Vashtya

 

[Vashtya]

Had Kafele been replaced by a completely different being, one who merely looked the same? On the one hand, she considered him enough of a friend that she was happy he seemed to be enjoying his newfound (if shocking) interest in the healing arts - but the complete lack of interest in becoming a reaver...

Well, she supposed some people changed their mimds avout what they wanted as they grew up...right? It still felt like something very fundamental was off with him, so maybe she would keep an ear open for any rumors that might explain it - or if anyone else had noticed? Surely she wasn't the only one who had noticed how different he seemed...right?

After all, there were a number of gods who wandered in and out of the land of the stormborn - what if one of them had done something to him? She wasn't inclined to jump to that conclusion, but it was worth keeping an eye on. Friends had each other's backs, right? Even more so than reavers or any other brother (or sister) at-arms.

"If I do, maybe I'll bring something back for you" she offered, her usual cocky, toothy grin sliding back into place. At his final remark, she made a face, barely containing a laugh. "If I never find another of those, it'll be too soon" she retorted good-naturedly.

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

Kafele's ear twitched as Hila mentioned bringing something back for him. A part of him felt like a trinket from the rogue lands that he hadn't got himself might be a bit of a cop-out, but Hila was his friend and if she wanted to bring him something he wasn't going to say no. In fact, if he wanted to be a healer for the pride, favors were often brought to those that could heal in exchange for services. Perhaps he could have a den full of nice things even while helping those around him.

Her laughter made him smile as well, remembering the rather terrifying adventure fondly. "I'm sure if you keep your paws away from the sea you won't run into one again." He glanced out at the waves crashing into the rocky shore not far from where they stood and wondered what else might be out there. The sea tossed up some strange things from time to time with lots of legs and no bones, but hey. They were tasty so he didn't complain.

"And if you get roughed up out there getting me something I'll be sure to use already perfected techniques to patch you up," he offered in return. "Or anyone in your eventual band of Reavers." He had no doubts she'd climb her way to Captain one day, after all.

Vashtya

 

[Vashtya]

Slightly taken aback by his complete lack of offense, Hila made a silent, personal promise to bring something back that would impress. If anything, while the pride allowed for females to go on vikings now, there was still enough of a perception in some quarters that females weren't cut out for it, that she felt like she had to work that much harder to prove herself.

At his response about their eight-legged attacker, she wrinkled her nose. "Oh, I'm not giving the seaside up - but I do wonder how it would taste..." Another brief grin slipped across her face. To be honest, the encounter would have had to have gone a lot worse, to have made her avoid the sea.

As he continued, offering to patch her (or her eventual reaver band) up, her eyes brightened, expression softening into something more genuine, before she quickly hid it behind another teasing grin. "You'd better work hard, then - I'm going to be the best, so I'd settle for nothing less from a healer." Tail lashing playfully, she kept her tone mock-serious. "My face is too pretty to leave anything to chance."

The last comment was a dead giveaway that she was kidding, since her looks were one of the aspects of herself that concerned her the least.

SilverLutz

 

[SilverLutz]

Hila's comments made Kafele laugh, the sound rich and deep and only missing the almost teasing tone it had held before. Even though his personality had changed, his laugh was pretty much the same.

"I'll be sure to brush up on my tactics, then," he said with a grin before pawing at some seaweed. It was thick and long, exactly what he was looking for, and he began to tug it off the ground to swing it over his shoulders.

"I've got to get back before this dries out," he said, nodding to the little pile on his back. "But I'll let you know how it goes. If it works I'll have to share the news." Setting broken bones would be a great way to help them heal faster and properly. Too many lions had become lame or died due to injuries involving snapped legs.

"Be careful of the things with the suckers," Kafele added as he hopped up onto a rock that started the cliff side they had both climbed down. "I've got my paws full for now so you'd have to go on a bit of a waiting list." Giving her one more smile and a little wave, Kafele bounded up and off towards the den, eager to see if his idea worked.

Vashtya

 

[Vashtya]

His laugh was infectious, and Hila found herself smiling in return. "Glad to hear it." She retorted, a fleeting feeling of butterflies in her stomach almost putting a frown of confusion on her face. Surely his laugh wasn't that unusual?! Pushing the thought aside, she covered her momentary distraction up with a familiar smirk. "I'll hold you to that!"

Truthfully, if he had figured out a better solution for healing broken bones, it would be...rather impressive, given the typical hit-or-miss prognosis that a badly broken bone usually resulted in.

Waving back, although he likely didn't see it, Hila snorted, shaking her head. While something had changed, dramatically, she still felt like his personality tended to drag her along in his wake...when she allowed it to. Obviously. With another small headshake, she padded off farther down the beach, getting back to the goal that had brought her down to the seashore to begin with.

SilverLutz

Annnd, fin! <3