[PRP] Moonlit Stroll [Ali x Boneka]

[- Mynsed -]

Boneka didn’t necessarily have to meet up with the customer. Usually, Emas took care of things on that front. But Shauku had recommended her to him and he was her friend. She wanted to show as many pleasantries as she could. Not to kiss up. No, she would never be able to repay the kindness Shauku had shown her throughout her life. Had treated her warmly, had supported her dreams and craft, and had placed trust in her and made her a diplomat. She couldn’t possibly misplace that trust or that kindness. And in turn, Boneka felt the need to extend that feeling towards her friend and family.

It wasn’t just that, however. The other lion had been… charming. And his fatherly manner towards the cub was adorable. Not to mention his own childlike wonder that he quickly tried to hide. It was… captivating. Speaking directly to him did not bother her at all. Not at all. She stood near a small pond, watching the fireflies flit around, waiting for the other. Emas said he would meet. So she would wait.

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The cubs would tucked away, nestled together on a bed of soft grasses that had been kindly provided to him. The three of them looked so cozy and had he not left someone waiting for him he would have been tempted to stay and curl up with them. He sighed softly and whispered his love to them before sneaking away from the den. They would be safe there he had no concerns about that, but part of him would miss them. A silly notion seeing as they weren't far away.

"Boneka." He said with a smile on his maw. Ali did well not to approach many from behind, but he didn't have much of a choice in this instance. The lioness had chosen a lovely place to meet. In his previous time with the Nchi he hadn't been so fortunate as to see this particular pond and the shimmery lights it had to offer. The fireflies provided just enough light to flicker across the water and light up her figure.

"What a beautiful evening?"

The question was posed in a relaxed manner. He had enjoyed her company earlier, he was sure this would be no different.

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So invested in watching the fireflies dance across the water, she jumped when she heard her name. Boneka turned, watching the lion approach with a contemplating expression. It was a beautiful evening. She opened her mouth to agree. ”I never got your name,” she said instead before blinking. That… wasn’t what she intended but it worked. She thought Emas mentioned his name but she couldn’t recall it. Her eyes went back to the firefly.

”I would like to make moving lights like this, someday. For my puppets. But fire is very risky, especially with the materials I work with,” she explained in a soft voice, mindful of the quiet night. She stared at the fireflies for a moment longer before turning to him. ”Thank you for coming to meet with me. I… don’t usually speak to customers. That’s Emas’s job. But I would like to extend courtesy to the Malenga’s friend.” This was true, though not the full truth. She was rather interested in speak with the lion on a more personal level.

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She had jumped - had they been on closer terms he'd have called it cute, but they were business partners at best. Even if there was clearly something a little more. When a lion enjoys the company of a lioness.. and so on. Ali`dido had been so enthralled by their first meeting that he'd completely forgotten to introduce himself. Or had he? The green lion toyed with the memory a little bit and decided there was no harm in re-introducing, if he had done so before. "Ali`dido." He said as he made his way to her side and settled his rump onto the soft grass surrounding the pond. This was an incredibly nice spot.

"Fire, yes." He imagined the horrors that would come with trying to capture fire like that. Add into it the discomfort of the lions working with it. There'd be far to much heat in a land that has strides of drought. Though this particular go around, much like his last, was much more damp. To some visitors that would likely be a pain for a vacationing spot, but to the pride it was a gift. They had gone for far to long without water that the downpours had been a god send. He recalled the way Shauku spoke about it. Like water was truly a gift and not something common. "Couldn't you simply use the fireflies and set them free each use?" He wondered out loud. He aimed to match her tone though it was much deeper. The way they spoke resonated well with the quiet chirping and croaks.

Soon her eyes were on him and he found himself relaxing into a warm, fond smile. "I was happy to hear you wanted to meet me. Though you shouldn't feel like you had to extend such a courtesy. I'm merely a friend that stops by time and again." The 'again' was only recently. He felt confident that would change with time. Ali felt connected to the Nchi, much like his other favorites. "So Emas handles communication and finances while you are the maker?" He asked curiously. Having a companion like that seemed mighty useful.

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She nodded. Ali’dido. She should remember that. Boneka glanced over at the male when he spoke of the fireflies, smiling a bit. ”I have thought of that on occasion. But I would need quite a lot for stage productions or they would be overlooked. Though, I suppose adding something reflective…” she trailed off, watch the reflection on the water before nodding. ”You’ll have to return in the future to see if I managed it.” Boneka decided.

Boneka studied him for a bit, silent. After a few moments, she spoke. ”I don’t think it was just an extended courtesy. I… was personally interested in talking to you,” she amended, almost quietly before giving a nod. ”Yes. I have known Emas since a cub. He has a great ability with speaking with people. A great mind for business. He allows me to do what I love.” She paused again before tilting her head slightly. ”What is it you do?”

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"Ah yes, I forgot how big of an undertaking that might be. You may end up having to take on becoming a firefly farmer... If there could be such a thing." He wondered to himself breifly. "Oh you bet I'll be back. Nothing could keep me from here or seeing your production." He smiled fondly at her.

Silence was shared between them. It was treasured by Ali, being able to sit in a silence like that meant they were comfortable. To a point really. "Oh?" His ear closest to her swiveled towards her in a slight surprise. "Well I assure you I'm not very interesting." A laugh, that he hadn't intended to be loud, ended up echoing lightly in what was the silence between them. "You though.. you have quite a bit of talent." He complimented her. Then looked to the water to recall the way his daughter lit up when she saw the puppets.

"Well it sounds like I'll need to get an Emas of my own some day." Though he wasn't sure if he'd get so lucky as to find someone quiet so helpful. "I travel mostly. Depending on who you might ask.. you may find out that I should be reaving." He responded in a mock serious tone that ended with another laugh. "I'm a collector, but not the way my home would want me collecting."

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”A firefly farmer, hmm?” she actually did laugh, shaking her head. ”That would be such a task. But, if anywhere could accomplish it, it would be Nchi. Nijen may lose a bit of business, though,” she smirked, with a grin. ”He’s a merchant here. One of the best, apparently, but that’s yet to be seen,” she continued dryly, her opinion on Lijen clear. ”Regardless, he does provide me with enough fireflies to keep within my den. Apparently, he knows of a… dlass maker? Who makes these clear stones to keep the fireflies in.” It was remarkable, the innovations that some thought of.

She jumped at his laugh, a bit startled, before smirking. ”You’ll wake your princesses,” she remarked dryly, though humor danced on the edge of her tone. She bowed her head at the compliment, positively pleased. ”It makes me happy to hear so,” Boneka responded honestly. And then rolled her eyes. ”Emas can get a bit out of hand. Struts around as big as any lion, I assure you.” Her ears twitched. Reaving? She… had heard a bit of that. As a diplomat, she was supposed to keep her ears open about the other prides. But her main focus had been on the Bahari. ”Collecting? What sort of collecting should you be doing?” she asked with narrow eyes in confusion, head tilted ever so slightly.

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He smirked at Bonekas words. The Nchi would an incredibly capable pride that didn't seem to settle into one set of traditions. At least not recently. He knew very little of their history, but would have loved to sit down with Shauku for a lesson or two. Perhaps even Hlaziya at this point. "Nijen?" He mumbled the question to himself briefly and lowered his eyes to the water as he thought about the name. "You mean Lijen?" Of course he hadn't missed the dry tones and would have lied if he said it didn't amuse him. Ali was familiar enough with the merchant to know that a lioness like Boneka would be incredibly annoyed by his lack of urgency. "Well that's fairly handy." He looked at her with brows raised. "I'm not sure what you mean about the maker, but to keep the fireflies in your den for a source of light and enjoyment is brilliant."

"Sorry." He said, his smile shrinking substantially at the realization of how loud he'd gotten. How foolish of him. It was just that he was enjoying himself and her company. The conversations were easy and he could appreciate that. "I believe that Emas could certainly get out of hand.. he seems to tackle you - with looks - on a regular. They didn't go unnoticed." He chuckled. Then the conversation turned back on him and it was the first time he felt a small amount of regret for having mentioned something - especially considering the way her eyes narrowed at him. He quickly glanced away towards the water felt his ears naturally lay back a little. If any of his 'brothers' from the pride saw him he'd be ridiculed for the rest of his stay in the Myrsky Syntynyt.

"Reaving. Pillaging. Taking what should be ours regardless of the owner." He admitted as casually as he could. It was obvious he hadn't taken to those traditions of his home pride quite like others might have and so it was easy to mistake him for an outsider while at his home. He'd get a good laugh if one day he was mistaken for a rogue and taken captive by some young, up and comers. Nothing would shock him. "It's not like I do those things. It's much harder for me to adjust to that way of life since I wasn't raised in it." He quickly decided to add. "Not all of the ones born there even follow that." Ali tried for a small smile. He wasn't ashamed of his pride, the pride itself had a lot of ideals that he could compare to and ones that he wasn't sure of. Had he looked anywhere else it would have likely been the same anyhow. His home pride gave him the opportunity to wander and learn - it was a gift in and of itself.

"So please don't take that the wrong way. The pride has given me the gift of freedom, but the stability of a home. I can wander to my hearts desire, but return to a warm den when I need too. My girls will be taken there eventually so they can meet some of their kin - pride members I mean. Though I wouldn't be shocked if any of them decided to make their homes elsewhere." He grinned largely at that thought.

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A look of confusion passed Boneka’s expression. Hadn’t she said that? Nijen? Who had called him that? Rather than correcting him, she nodded. ”Yes, him,” she murmured, frowning slightly. The frown was swept away by his thoughts of the fireflies, giving him a small smile. She grinned as his smile shrunk, shaking her head. ”You have a wonderful laugh,” she pointed out, chuckling under her breath. ”Emas… certainly does seem to forget any barriers between us and makes me feel like a foolish cub sometimes,” the dark lioness admitted with a roll of her eyes.

Her eyes widened as he explained what he was supposed to be collecting. Sure… she had heard of such prides. But such a gentle lion with a darling daughter with two more probably just as darling coming from such a place… that just seemed implausible. She remained silent for a moment. He didn’t do those things. Good. She couldn’t imagine him committing such… morality crimes.

She continued to remain silent as he defended the pride. True, it gave him those things… But she couldn’t imagine ever considering this…. Mist-sky Sin-night pride in a good light. Finally, she decided to speak. ”Well, if it was able to produce someone as kind as you and as sweet as your daughters, there is good in it,” she murmured with a smile. She heard a noise and looked up the path, spotting a tiny figure gesturing at her. Emas. He was back. ”You should get some sleep. I will be busy the next couple days though I hope to have time to speak with you more.” This, surprisingly, was not a lie. She wouldn’t put aside work for anyone but… she would actually hope to finish her day’s work sooner in order to speak with him.

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The look of confusion didn't escape Ali`dido and he had to wonder if the lioness spared any part of her memory for names. Or was that perhaps not important information compared to her work - which considering how seriously she took it could be possible. Then he blushed, all thoughts disappearing when she complimented him. Ali couldn't recall the last time he'd been surprised by a compliment. "Thank you." He gave her a small, boyish smile. "You have pretty eyes." He remarked - feeling obligated to return a compliment, but all in all he wasn't lying. "Sounds like he is the perfect companion in business then. Hard worker and willing to stand up when the time is right... whether you like it or not." He laughed, not quite as loud as before, but it was still fairly hearty.

Almost immediately he regretted explaining his home pride to her. Ali felt as though he'd defended it well enough, but he saw the way she looked.

Then more compliments. Had he not been seated he'd have fallen over - for a lion that was typically quite confident he was overwhelmed by the generosity of the lioness he sat with. "Thank you." Twice she had gotten him to thank her. He was blushing from ear to ear and feeling a little foolish for it. "My daughters are extremely sweet, but have enough spice to remind me of home." He chuckled and glanced to the waters to consider the saucy way the females back home were. Most were sweet as fruit, but when they needed to be they could switch that around quite quickly. Women.

"Sleep sounds fantastic." He remarked and as though he needed proof a yawn took over. "I'll see you again soon then?" His smile grew warm. "Have a good night."

The green lion stood and began the short walk to the den he was sharing with his daughters.

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