[PRP] Lonely Hearts Club [Nche x Itiri]

[oo Ded]

'His tongue seems broken and he forgets his words quite often'

Nchekwube wrinkled his nose as he thought through his encounter with the pink lioness. Aphelios. He thought of how she had described the Onyeisi. Then he thought over the encounters that he had had with Iriti recently. Nche, admittedly, had his nose in his work for a while, now, and most of his interactions with, well, anyone as of late were more professional in nature than anything else.

Is that why he had somehow missed something off with Itiri? Was… Was Nche being a bad friend?

Friend was the right word, right? Nche and Itiri had interacted more in recent history ever since the younger lion had taken the mantle of his new role, but did that mean their relationship was strictly professional? Nche hoped not. His ears flattened at the thought.

Was he being too cold?

A sigh left him and he lifted his head. Well, if he had any hope of being anything more than colleagues with the Onyeisi, he definitely had to start with making sure everything was okay. But where to find Itiri…

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

He wasn't terribly difficult to find, or at least he wouldn't be. If there was one reliable thing about the Onyeisi it was that he was normally around someone or something. Otherwise inclined to watch and encourage the wider pride, he was a busy-body in some respects. Thus, it was always a good idea to start with the centre of the pride and work one's way outward towards the trails.

...If he wasn't in the middle of a crowd, he would likely be conversing with another soul, and failing that he would be meandering down pathways. Today though, he was within the centre of the pride and appeared to be surveying some of the more peculiar crafts that had come in to their pride as a result of external influence.

He wasn't appalled by it, or offended, merely baffled as to what he was looking at and what it was supposed to be. His facial expression was likely to be one of confusion as he lifted up the cloth-like product with his paw and peered at it. What he seemed to have in his hand was some sort of shawl, evidently worn on the head by another, but the caldera dwelling lion hadn't quite worked out why such a thing would be necessary.

At least he seemed to be bringing a source of amusement to the new denizens though. To them it was a simple product and one that was easy to understand, including the more practical elements of its existence.

Mayhap the approaching, paler lion, might have seen such things before and maybe he would be capable of bailing him out. Alternatively, they could simply stare at it together and uh... Have the giggling ladies provide a measure of education, if only to put them out of their misery.

oo DeD

 

[oo Ded]

As he spotted the dark lion, Nchewube closed the distance between them at a leisurely pace. The chieftain had indeed been rather easy to find. He was thankful for it. Even though pride might not have been brimming with the amount of chaotic activity as it had in its recent history, it was likely that something would have distracted the Amusu had he spent too much longer searching.

He had noticed some of the crafts that had been making their way into the pride with the influx of new cultures. Nche had taken a liking to collecting stories from the homelands of his new brethren and his interest had been piqued by the new and different bits and bobbles some had brought with them. He was particularly interested to see if anything was going to catch on and become trendy with even the native death keepers.

The Amusu made his way to Itiri's side and joined him and perusing. Nche didn't seem any more knowledgeable about the shawl than the darker lion, but complimented it nonetheless.

"Oh, that one really brings out your eyes," he said with a bit of a grin. Lighthearted conversation. That's what friends did… right?

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

Itiri's gaze flicked towards Nche as he approached and he comfortably waved the shawl towards him with a touch of frustration.

"How does everyone seem to know what this is except for me?" he asked, exasperated by his own naivety as one of the lionesses gave a small snort of laughter. It seemed the trio of females had been trolling him for some time, potentially speaking in riddles and leaving him none the wiser over what should have been the simplest of creations.

"How did you find out what this is?" he waggled it again, unaware that the poor Amusu had about as much knowledge of the object as he did. At the very least, Itiri seemed completely comfortable around him and was more than happy to admit that he was clueless. If they had been on strictly professional terms then surely he'd have kept his naivety to himself, right?

"What is it?" he asked and then waggled it back at the lionesses who did give a much more enthusiastic laugh at that. "They won't tell me, they said it should be obvious."

"It's not obvious Nche."

oo DeD

 

[oo Ded]

Nchekwube blinked at him a couple of times, paused to think a moment, then blinked a few times more. To be honest, the Amusu was being a bit more analytical of Itiri's words and mannerisms than he might have been normally. Was this the sort of things Aphelios was talking about when she mentioned his 'broken tongue?'

The younger lion only chuckled and helplessly shrugged his shoulders. "To be honest I couldn't really tell you. I appreciate the culture that our new brethren are bringing to our lands, and I must say I have an equal appreciation for how they put up with how oblivious we are, no? Though they do seem rather teasing about it…" He looked up with a playful expression towards the laughing lioness.

Nche took some solace in the fact that Itiri seemed comfortable enough to lament his frustrations to him.

"If I were to guess, though, maybe something like…" he took the shawl from the darker lion and draped it around the Onyeisi's shoulders. It wasn't the most elegant of decorating jobs. The fabric twisted a couple of times and wrapped almost over the top of his head like a hood. Was that how it was done? It… it didn't seem quite right, did it.

The lion stepped back and cocked his head to the side, his expression one of playful critique. "Maybe it does bring out your eyes but it doesn't quite suit your figure. It's not quite right for your…" he gave a waving gesture of a paw towards Itiri with a smile, "powerful and commanding physique."

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

"Ooooh bravo!" The feminine voice piped up beside them and the soft paw clap. It seemed that Nche had guessed correctly, though Itiri was regarding him with a touch of suspicious. It was certainly possible that he had guessed correctly, but what if he'd been in on this, eh? Nevertheless with the shawl now draped over his own form he took a moment to peer down and the dangling shawl strands near his chest.

At first he didn't get it, if anything it felt particularly odd to have a shawl pressing against his mane, but as he looked up slightly towards the canopy of the trees they used for shelter it dawned on him. Normally he'd have had to squint a bit against the piercing light that slipped through but now...

"Oooooh I see," he sounded impressed as he looked between Nche and then the lionesses.

"It's for deserts!" he exclaimed.

"That's very clever," he agreed as he wriggled out of his new found attire and returned it to the waiting paws of his company. That didn't mean that Nche was entirely free of suspicion though and the Onyeisi did eventually return his gaze to him, brow raised.

"Are you sure you didn't know about this?" he asked curiously. "You seemed very confident in your motions there," he pointed out teasingly.

oo DeD

 

[oo Ded]

"Well you see, my friend, I've been told I have quite the eye for aesthetics," Nchekwube crooned, holding a paw to his chest as he watched the exchange between Itiri and the lioness. He chuckled at the accusation and rubbed the back of his head.

"Ah… to be honest it was a wild guess. And I think she might have been overexaggerating her praise a little bit," he said, glancing back at the lioness as he began to steer Itiri and himself away from the crowds. "There are some newcomers that are adorning themselves with things like this, but they do a much better job of it."

Nchekwube looked around, trying to see if he could find any of these newcomers. He nodded and smiled towards some that glanced their way, but didn't spot any of the fashionable ones. So instead, he turned his attention back towards the Onyeisi.

His demeanor suddenly became a bit awkward, like he was trying to steer the conversation in a direction for which he didn't quite know the words. "It's nice to see you enjoying socializing with the crowds. How, uh. How have you been?" Was that too forward? Too obvious, maybe?

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

It wasn't every day that Itiri was coaxed away from the crowd. To be entirely honest no one ever seemed to have any business to discuss with him. He had expected there to be more, he had expected more drama with the new blood that had been introduced. However it seemed that despite initial reservations even those who still weren't sure about the decision seem to have been respectful enough to at least be tolerant.

...He was both disappointed and elated by this.

He'd wanted to be the diplomat, the negotiator, the one to show them that things would be all right and in the end they had all worked it out themselves. There wouldn't be an opportunity for Itiri to be a hero in that respect and that was unfortunate, but at least the pride was slowly but surely beginning to shimmer with life once more. Eventually the balance he wanted to see between life and a reverence for death, would be restored.

But if Nche was asking him how he was, he did have to wonder if there was something he had missed.

"I've been well?" Itiri replied and tilted his head to the side. "Why, did we get news I wasn't aware of and I only have two weeks before I expire?" he asked curiously.

"Can your visions do that?" he added and waved a paw at Nche's eyes. Suffice to say it was beyond the realms of his comprehension, it wasn't even wise for him to speculate on how Nche's gift worked.

"I would say I'm in good spirits regardless so whatever I may have seems to be providing a benevolent passing at least."

oo DeD

 

[oo Ded]

Somewhere in the periphery of his mind Nchekwube had noticed that things had calmed down considerably. Things had seemed to settle into a level of comfort that wasn't dissimilar to how it was before ~the event~. It was a new standard, he supposed, and in his mind he had attributed it to Itiri's handling of things. The Amoosu dealt with the dead, after all, so it was the Onyeisi's mantle to handle the living. He hadn't thought about the possibility that the pride was a pretty calm place in general and had accepted the new way of life pretty easily.

Nche had just assumed that there were those seeking to make drama sown amongst them.

'Can your visions do that?'

The Amusu gave a sheepish smile. "Thankfully not. Seeing lions as they are is enough. I don't think my heart could handle the strain of seeing fates.

He seemed visibly relieved by Itiri's reassurances. Nchekwube, it seemed, wasn't very good at tact when it came to his worrying about the wellbeing of those close to him. So Itiri was feeling well. And, as far as he could see, was just as articulate as ever.

"Ah, it's probably nothing. I had a passing conversation with-" he paused and blinked. Maybe he shouldn't expose Aphelios specifically as being the one to have brought Itiri up? After all, Nche didn't know exactly what sort of dynamic the two had. Here he went again, overthinking social interactions. "I think some might be worried about you, is all."

Saved it.

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

"Who was?"

Ah, not quite. It looked as though Itiri was still sharp enough to keep the subtle slip-ups and that definitely wasn't one that was going to get passed him. Someone had been talking about him and he had to wonder if his brother or sister had been gossiping. Not that they were malicious or anything, in fact, he'd have been delighted if both were being sociable... but generally when there was something wrong with him they did tend to ask him directly.

...To have someone else discuss him was both intriguing and a touch concerning. What had he done that had cause them to express concern to Nche, he couldn't recall anything particularly controversial off the top of his head so it wouldn't have been intentional!

"Last time I checked I hadn't been too offensive to anyone," He admitted.

oo DeD

 

[oo Ded]

Epine de Rose

....ah. Maybe not so slick, then.

Nche spent a few moments trying to think of some clever way to talk away the notion that he had been speaking with any one specific person before deciding that it was a useless venture.

"It was... ah, Aphelios. One of the new lionesses. She seems very nice and, uh, don't get me wrong" he waved his paws in front of him defensively. "She didn't voice any problem with you, or anything. She just voiced some concern for you, is all."

It was a nice gesture, now that he thought about it. Itiri seemed to spend a lot of time looking out for the good of the pride. It was nice that someone seemed to be looking out for him in turn.  

[Epine de Rose]

Normally he was fairly good with names but on this occasion that one didn't seem to ring any bells and he furrowed his brow. He couldn't recall the name, nor any particular lioness of note which was a little bit of a strange. If she was new then he would have encountered her not too long ago and he genuinely didn't seem to grasp who she might be.

"Uh..." he pursed his lips.

"Refresh my memory?" he asked slowly and shook his head. "What did she look like, that may help?" he added. Truth be told he hadn't actually spent as much time as he would have preferred with the newest members, content to let them settle and be guided by the majority of the pride... But he wasn't entirely sure he was happy with the idea of being oblivious to someone who knew of him.

"Tall, small, purple, brown...?"

oo DeD

 

[oo Ded]

Nche blinked at him. He wasn't quite sure what he had expected out of Itiri as far as a reaction went, but not knowing of the lioness in question wasn't on his top 10 list, that was for sure.

"Uhhh, pink? Very pink, actually. About..." he held up a paw, "yay high? Seemed concerned that she and I had gotten off on the wrong paw after the whole..." he motioned from his eyes to Itiri's and furrowed his brow in a mock serious stare, mimicking the ritual that all the joining members had undertaken.

"She said she had met you, and then seemed to worry that something might have been wrong and that you had..." now what were the words that she had used? "broken your tongue."

Nche offered a lopsided smile, then. "To be honest I'd grown a bit worried that something had gone amiss and that I'd missed it. I was giving myself a hard time for not noticing some sort of turmoil that you were under."

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

Pink, yay high.

...Actually make that very pink.

It only took a few moments for it to dawn on the Onyeisi and he lifted a paw to press it against his eyes and release a slight groan. He knew which lioness that was, he knew what had happened as well, and he definitely knew what Nche was now referring to in relation to a broken tongue. To be fair to the unfortunate lioness he had rather lost himself in those moments and he hadn't made a great deal of sense, it had even exasperated him.

"I got tongue tied," he uttered and shook his head, peering at Nche with a rather wry smile between his 'fingers'. "I don't normally get that way," he agreed and motioned for Nche to follow. He might as well continue the conversation in relative privacy, particularly if it had been a concern to him.

"Something about her caught me off guard," he pointed out as he wandered away from the crowd and towards the pathways he was familiar with meandering along.

They could continue this discussion as they walked and maybe, Nche might end up with a little bit of the gossip he may have secretly craved!

oo DeD

Annnnd exit from Itiri, come along for the gossip train Nche!