[FIN] Not happy (Nemanja & Mittere)

[mouselet]

The pink lioness needed time and space to think. So she was ranging out yet again, barely paying attention to where she lay her paws. So much had happened lately. Nyesha's cubs had finally arrived - three healthy boys which earned Mittere's grudging approval. And Tarafa had taken her aside for a long lecture about her attitude towards their family. It hadn't done any good for the Warrior to point out that the "family" wasn't her choice or preference, her mate had been firm.

"Are you trying to destroy our future as well as my love?" the blue lioness had asked. The words stuck like a bite in her jugular. She didn't want to let Tarafa down, the only person who'd ever truly touched her heart. But it was so hard when the damned kids insisted on making poor choices!

The pink lioness was so inwardly focused that she didn't even notice she was coming up on the pile of fur and feathers that didn't seem to have moved much in the passing interim since their last encounter.  

[Uta]

Nemanja was indeed, as always, flopped. More and more in the pride had stumbled upon the god, and while rumor spread about why he was there, he had been left alone. A few secret keepers had brought him some meal, out of respect, but for the most part he was far enough away from the heart of the pride for most to ignore him.

So when Mittere approached, as had become routine, the lion hardly seemed to acknowledge her. He knew who it was, had come to recognize her scent and her foot falls. Let her come. Whether or not she was going to yell, scream, and snarl at him some more was completely up to her. If she wished to, so be it. . . . Then again, she might pass on. Either way, he was there. Doing nothing but existing, as usual.

 

[mouselet]

Had she been so focused on herself that she had let down Tarafa and the children? It certainly was beginning to look that way. And now she was virtually banned from her own home "until she could be calm and reasonable about this." That was what the blue lioness had said.

The pink lioness sighed. Tarafa was probably right. The Bard had an annoying habit of that. Which meant that Mittere needed to take several steps back from her own feelings about being a grandmother and focus on what was best for Nyesha and her cubs. After all, it tore at her heart to think that her youngest daughter was sicker than she herself was - and Mittere had had the disease since before she and Tarafa were mated! Yes the cubs and their mother seemed to be doing well (which information she only had secondhand at this point) but that only meant that Nyesha was as healthy as she'd been before pregnancy...which wasn't very.

She shook her head at herself and, for the first time, looked around. Blinking in surprise, the lioness focused on the god lying before her.

"You haven't left yet?" she asked in a much less confrontational tone than in any of their previous meetings.  

[Uta]

The fact that the lioness spoke to him, instead of snarling or growling her way over was definitely a change. He allowed the ear closest to her to flick, turning towards her as he considered her words.

It was obvious that he had not yet left. He had considered such a thing, but the god was known to hang around for months, years even, if he needed to do such a thing. If he felt ever so compelled. Still, he knew he should get back to the mountain, just in case Veri made her return.

Turning his head, the large beast regarded Mittere. "I have begun to consider taking my leave. But until then, I will be here." That was obvious. Not that he expected the pink lioness to actually care one way or the other whether he was there or not. He considered inquiring about her, but decided to resist such a thing. What did it matter how she acted around him?
 

[mouselet]

Well, this was news. That'd...started to think about leaving. She supposed, at least, that this was news. Then again, this was the most laidback god she'd ever heard of - she didn't even know what his domain was, but she'd heard stories and this lion didn't match up to any of them. For all she knew though, he'd been thinking about leaving since the day he first flopped down here, and that departure could still be some time yet in the future.

"Aren't gods supposed to have better things to do than to just...lie around in some random pride?" she pushed.  

[Uta]

Was she actually . . . conversing with him? Being civil? Or perhaps he had not yet said the magic words to irritate her, to cause her hackles to raise and her fangs to bare. He wouldn't be surprised if she did turn on him, but if she chose to remain as she was speaking to him now, well. . . that was just as well, too.

The god considered Mittere's words, as well as the great assumption that she had made about the god. Did he have better things to do? Not . . . not really. As a God of Apathy, there were only so many who might call upon him. Furthermore, with no mate, no pride, no ties or loyalty or family, the world truly was his playground. Veri and Kamiseen were busy doing . . .whatever it was they were up to . . . .so that left him in a heap.

" . . . you consider me lounging. Have you not considered the possibility that I am doing my job, even if it looks to be simply lying here?" It was true enough. While he might not have thrown himself on others, he was available to any who approached. He was not aggressive. He was not intimidating. "What would you have a god do. . . ?"

 

[mouselet]

Mittere blinked. How the hell could a god fulfill his duties by lying around? It didn't make any sense to her at all. But his other question, that she could answer, and easily.

"It's not my place to say what a god should do," the pink lioness countered, a touch of acid in her voice. "I'm just a mortal. I'm only saying that lazing around doesn't exactly seem like a godly duty." And it really didn't. It looked like...lazing around. Not accomplishing anything at all. Or was there some rule that allowed gods to lead less productive lives than the mortals who prayed to them?  

[Uta]

The god blinked slowly, considering her words. It made sense, it was logical for the mortal to assume such a thing. Their lives were so accustomed to productivity, to want, to need. But he did not need to eat, if he did not wish; he did not need to drink; he was not bound by the same restrictions as a mortal. "The world grants a god less afflictions than a mortal, that I will concur. But I am here, granting my service to any who might wish to approach, to any who might wish to see me out. I am not hidden. I am not keeping myself secret or tucked away. You are not the only one whom I have met, lioness."

And that was the truth. Others had come to him, spoke to him; most were much more approachable than Mittere, and had inquired about who he was, his domain, and why he lay there. The broken and damned pride could make good use of his abilities; he was no healer, but he could lessen wounds, lessen the tragedy, or at least the pain. He could make it so those that suffered -- bit physically or emotionally -- need not actually feel such things, need not actually care.

It was a temporary blessing, a reprieve. "I may not be as forward as others that roam, but I do not hide or shy away either."
 

[mouselet]

The Master Warrior filed away those facts for future reference, that a god did not suffer the same privations that would strike any careless mortal. Not that she really believed such knowledge would come in handy, but it was still good to know. Nor was she surprised to hear that others had found the god lying here. It wasn't as if he was hiding or as if no one else patrolled the bounds. Truth be told, she wasn't even on the roster. She just liked to use patrolling as an excuse to get out and about.

"What sort of service is it that you are giving?" the pink lioness asked at last. Normally her tone would be laced with suspicion, but today, in this place, Mittere sounded almost bored.  

[Uta]

Part of Nemanja had to wonder if the lioness was actually succumbing to his abilities, or if she was just that disinterested. It was difficult to say. When she wasn't raging, she might very well be a less impassioned individual. Were these her true colors, or merely a shadow of himself?

Meh. It didn't really matter at this point.

Still, the lioness had finally asked what exactly he was doing. Pushing himself slowly up, making sure he was sitting and facing Mittere, the god gave a slight dip of his head. So she wished to know what sort of god he was. . . . "I provide them temporary reprieves from their suffering. I grant them freedom from their worries, their hurts, their pains. . . I grant them clarity of mind from the constraints of emotion. I am the god of apathy. . . there are many here who could use just a touch of that numbness."

 

[mouselet]

Mittere blinked. She had to run those words through a couple times more to make sure she'd heard him correctly. He was the god of...apathy? Well, she supposed that did make it almost logical for him to just kind of flop down in a place for a time.

But still. That sounded utterly ridiculous. Normally the very idea would at least make her pink tail twitch. But again, not today.

Not to mention that she agreed with him, that there were those in the pride who would (and probably did) appreciate a bit of mental and emotional distance from their problems...

...problems like grandchildren? The Warrior's head snapped up and the blue eyes narrowed. "Are you doing that to me right now?" she demanded.  

[Uta]

Nemanja saw a hint of her former fire flare. She seemed concerned that he was doing something to her. Well. . . . he was and wasn't all the same. Giving a small snort, the god gave a small shake of his head. "You are likely experiencing some residual apathy from my presence . . . but I have no cursed you with anything permanent. That is . . .far too much effort." And why would he? He had no desire to do such a thing.

"You will feel more like yourself once you carry on." That much was guaranteed. While he didn't consider the small vermin that got caught up in hsi 'ring' . . . he did try to at least consider those who hung around him. He did not care to kill blindly. As much as he hated to admit that, Nemanja was not apathy incarnate. He merely tried to be.

 

[mouselet]

Hah! She'd known it! The lioness had noted that when near the god, she hadn't gone nearly as far as she normally would in just about every meeting they'd had. Now she had discovered that there was actually a reason for that, and it was all his fault!

"But...maybe being more like myself is the problem," the lioness murmured to herself, momentarily forgetting the black and white lion. Now she had to think. Was his...calming presence actually a bad thing? By all rights, Mittere had a great deal to think about already. If the god was keeping her temper from flaring as hotly as it would otherwise, the wisest course of action would be to stay near him until she'd figured out what she needed to.  

[Uta]

Nemanja'janan said nothing as the pink lioness questioned whether or not leaving would be a good idea. The question was a bit rhetorical, as there was no real answer except from what Mittere might deduce herself. Still, the god didn't care what the lioness did. . . . She could stay, she could snarl, she could fight, she could battle, she could leave. It was up to Mittere to see how the god might best serve her purpose . . . . If not a quieting of her spirit, then his body was always there to be used as a scratching post. How she chose to handle his presence was, ultimately, of no concern for the large, brute of a lion.

So it was, the lion did nothing.

Let her think. Let her rest her spirit, sort out what needed to be sorted. It was something his domain was good for, really. . . Sometimes, for one suffering under such extreme emotions, a lion might find a little peace in the quiet. To not have to feel anger, grief, sorry, anxiety. . . to just. . . exist. It was a blessing as much as the lack of care was a curse.

"Take as you need." He finally spoke quietly, letting the lioness do as she pleased.  

[mouselet]

Caught up in her own thoughts, Mittere didn't even move a muscle to acknowledge the god's words. She needed to think over what she knew, and what she'd thought she'd known. The pink lioness settled onto the ground - not within easy reach of the black and white lion, but nearby.

She had a lot to think about and if his presence could allow her to do so without her temper flaring up, so much the better.