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The salve had worked, but he really had no idea for how long. Normally it would last him long enough to do a bit of herb picking for himself, but this time it was lasting a bit longer. Having been granted the blessing of extra time to use his eyes, he knew exactly what he wanted to do with it. He wanted to visit his old friend and catch up on his life. He wanted to see N'Seka, rather than some pink shadow. The idea of finally laying eyes on someone he had known for so long was really thrilling. Being mostly blind, he hardly even had the chance to see his old friend. But he could see for himself right now, and he wasn't one to waste time.

Stepping gently over twig branches, and roots Mlinzi's pace picked up the closer he got to the dens. He wondered if his friend would even remember him? Or if he would mind the sudden drop in. More importantly than that - how is he doing? He knew, much like himself, that his friend had been a sick cub. But after losing touch with him, he'd only heard of him in passing. Thankfully he could verify that the male still lived. But for how long? Mlinzi shook the words from his head as he tried to dismiss such depressing thoughts - this was going to be a happy visit. NO TEARS, NO DOWNERS! As if to confirm his thoughts, he shook his head in agreement.

As the brush began to clear around him, the male's heart gave a thump of happiness. He couldn't wait for this reunion, and could only hope his friend felt the same way. Now all he had to do was find him among the many lions who called this area home.

Maybe he wasn't here? He wasn't exactly the hardest lion to spot, Mlinzi thought back to his childhood, remembering fond memories of himself and N'Seka. Though he had never truly seen N'Seka's fur, he knew from his blurred shadows that he had some very bright pink eyes and just a dab of it on his tail. Definitely enough from him to be recognizable, yet here he was blending in with the rest of them.

Gazing out across the dens, something caught his eye. The familiar pink, though it was his eyes that caught him first, his tail soon came to his attention. For a moment he contemplated bounding over and simply tackling him, much like the cubs tumbling around between them. But he knew that wouldn't be very tactical, so he would have to go with the sensible approach. While not fun, it would keep him from scaring the daylights out of his old friend.

He was nervous, anyone could see that, but he tried to hide it behind a grin. Yeah, he was happy to see his old friend, but his nerves were winning the battle. Fearing he would only sike himself out, he did the only thing he could think of. Step forward. His paws were shaky as he took a step forward. If his friend didn't remember him, would it kill him inside? He felt more and more depressed by the day lately, this might just be the final blow he needed to fall apart...

Ignoring his desperate thoughts, Mlinzi pushed them far from his mind and spoke up, his voice weak and low. "Hello old friend, enjoying your day?"

Relief seemed to wash over him like a waterfall, his weird, awkward facial expression was now morphed into something more happy. It was a wide toothy grin, and for once he wasn't bothered if it scared anyone. He had once heard from a young hyena in the pride that his teeth were big and scary. Since then, he'd tried to hide them the best he could, but this wasn't one of those times. As his friend jumped right back into his usual self, Mlinzi felt a sort of calming effect throughout his body. He'd spent most of the day worrying over this encounter, and now the worst was behind him.

"Yeah, it does seem that way doesn't it?" He laughed a sincere laugh as he approached N'Seka's sitting area. "But from what I hear you may be mated to more than just your job." He grinned, playfully pawing at his friend's leg. It had been ages since they'd been able to do this, and as if reading the male's mind, N'Seka's next question pulled the words right out of his head.

"At least that long! I think the last time we spent any real time together, I was trying to force some weird herb down your throat." OK, so that really wasn't any different than Mlinzi on any day. But, it was true, the last time he'd seen his friend, he'd looked a little rough around the edges. The image, and thoughts that came along with it weren't very helpful to hid aching heart. So what had he done? Randomly gathered a 'taste test' of sorts and tried to talk him into trying them all. Looking back, maybe it wasn't such a good idea, but it did make a nice memory.

Ah! So the rumors were true then! He was happy for N'Seka, to be truthful, happy that one of them had found some happiness in this sad place. He all too well remembered Malaya, or rather he remembered he voice. His vision was too deteriorated to really bring up a face to match the name. "I'm happy for you N'Seka." Mlinzi nodded, wanting to embrace his friend in a hug. "You should know of all people how fast word can travel here. We have to have something else to keep our minds on don't we?" His laugh was sheepish, and slightly saddened. It seemed no matter what he did he couldn't escape the disease. It was a part of his life, from his birth and to his death, it would follow him everywhere ...

Mlinzi attempted to shake those thoughts away though, today was a happy occasion in more ways than one. Not only had his best friend found someone of his own, but for the first time Mlinzi could actually see his best friend and not just some fuzzy blur.

The memories started to flood back as he stood there, all of experiments hadn't ended so happily. But they were still so great to look back on. "Hah! I shall never reveal whether I did or didn't!" Mlinzi winked in N'Seka's direction and flashed a wide toothy grin. "But I have become much better, than even last time." He paused a moment unsure of exactly how to surprise his friend with the news of his sight. He settled on trading it away like a secret, ushering his friend in close, and raising his paw to his face slowly. "I can actually see you this time!" The comment started out as a low whisper, just as he had intended. But as his excitement had built, so had his words.

"Nope one hundred percent my own!" He puffed his chest out a bit, obviously relishing in his own glory. "I tested it on myself until I got the perfect batch. But right when I thought I had everything just perfect, Winter hit." His voice feel for a moment as he told his tale, but picked right back up in pace, "The herbs I needed don't survive the harsh temperatures, so I had to wait until now! But it works amazingly N'Seka! You should SEE how well I can see you!" Scanning over his friend, he noticed his delicate markings and smiled even wider.

"I can see the arrows under your eyes, the pink in your tail! I never would have known all this time that the pink was your tail!" Obviously he was head over heels with himself, and his discovery. But his tone quickly changed when he caught eyes with the male, who had moved over to make space for him. It was a kind gesture, and he quickly took him up on it.

"Hmmm, I seem to remember a certain white lion being turned green for quite some time yes..." He eyed his friend suspiciously. "What exactly are you thinking?"

Mlinzi scoffed at N'Seka's words, playfully rolling his eyes. "Oh like I haven't heard that before." He really couldn't do it with a serious face, and was soon joining his friend in hysterics. It felt good to laugh again. It had been ages since he'd been able to laugh like this. Mostly because he spent his time wallowing in his own misery. He really needed to fix that problem...

Mlinzi nodded in recognition at the name, though he hadn't known he was related to Malaya. But then, this was a pride with some pretty huge families. So maybe he shouldn't be so surprised by it.

"Hah! I bet you were so awkward too!" He nudged his friend's shoulder, laughing at his mental image of an awkward N'Seka. "But I guess in the end you pulled it off didn't you?" He laughed lightly, but soon stifled himself to finish listening.

"A thank you huh?" Holding in his laughter was getting a bit painful at this point, so he simply let it all out. "I think I could help you out with that thank you present... you know as a congratulations gift." Mlinzi winked, going over the different plants in his mind. Knowing exactly which one he was trying to recall.

Mlinzi really didn't know what to say about his friend's happiness. To him, it seemed like saying 'i'm happy for you.' Would be a bit too non heartfelt. Though what could he say? He settled for a nudge to his shoulder instead. Manly, but also affectionate. He knew N'Seka would get his point, sometimes words just aren't needed. This was definitely one of those times.

"Well, now that you've got the inside connection...." He trailed off, allowing N'Seka to connect the dots. Of course he was joking, but only slightly. He couldn't even begin to count the times he'd wondered about what it would be like to have someone who completely understands you, and that was made for you. N'Seka had obviously found his, perhaps it was finally his turn?

"Oh yes, definitely before the makeover." Nodding his head in agreement, Mlinzi allowed his head to find his paws and rest easily upon them. Perhaps one day he'd find his perfect match, but for now, he was content with things just the way they were.