[PRP] Bits and Pieces

[Lisirra]

Safiya stood in the shade of the oasis palm trees, looking over the lands that Muroki had brought them to - their new home. The desert was so different from every other place she had seen, not quite so lush, but it still held a beauty all its own. Something had been nagging at the back of Safi's mind ever since they had arrived here.

Any day now they would forge ahead and attempt to retake the Temple from the vultures. But that wasn't worrying Safiya. There was something else...some reason she felt this constant sense of deja vu. But she couldn't quite put her finger on it..

A breeze picked up a handful of sand and Safiya closed her eyes against the heat and the gentle sting. And in that moment was such a rush of feeling - a feeling that she had done this before.

Shaking her head clear of the hazy feeling, Safi wondered where Moyenda was. Ever since they had...come clear with their feelings, she had felt nervous flutterings whenever she thought about him. But she wanted to see him now - perhaps he could help her sort through these strange feelings.  

[Asparegus]

With the wind came the bulk of a lion. His shoulders hunched and head lowered, he bristled against the sand pelted against his rear. He drew himself up before her, blocking her from the sand and wind. The brown lion looked down at her shaking her head with a flicker of concern and bent his head down to nudge her cheek. "Hey," he said taking a seat.

He had gone with some others to survey the mass of the vultures and the lay of the temple. He admitted that had they been powerful beasts of the ground on four legs like the lions, they would be outnumbered. But vultures often were forced to vanquish their meals to scavenging animals. So he hoped it would work much the same for them, in their favor.

But with his heart in mind, he let the current scene take precedence. "You alright?"  

[Lisirra]

"Hey sweetheart," she replied, happy to see him. "I was just thinking about you." Oh, just having him nearby made her troubled thoughts dissipate.

"I'm feeling better already," Safiya purred happily, looking over at him. But then her eyes felt drawn back to the sandy terrain. "It's just that...ever since we came here...everything has felt so familar. And I can't quite figure out why." She shrugged and sat down, rubbing her head against Moyenda's mane. "But it doesn't seem important anymore."

"How are you, my dear?"  

[Asparegus]

It seemed to Mo that her thoughts were troubling her more than she let on ...but Mo did often think into things too often so he didn't push her about it however... "like a dream?" he offered.

He leaned in to her rubbing, closing his eyes to it. "Happy to be here," he almost purred. "Right here... right now..." He turned his head to hers and placed his cheek against the top of her head. "You know," he continued without thinking, "I'll always be there for you ...through anything..."

((xD had issues keeping him from saying things I would say xD; almost made him say "Why, I'm supercalifragelisticexpialidocious my dear 8D " ))  

[Lisirra]

"Sort of. But it's nothing too bad. I'm sure I'll figure it out eventually, Mo, no big deal." She smiled at him.

His next words, as calm as they were, surprised Safiya. He sure had been acting sweet lately, and as much as Safi liked it, she wasn't entirely sure why. "Do you really mean it?"  

[Asparegus]

Moyenda furrowed his brow. "Of course!" it hurt that she seemed to doubt him. Sure, not every lion felt the way he did. Ok, he got that. But he didn't want to think that he was being compared to the norm. "Let me prove it to you then," he said drawing up his head and looking down at her. "Let me prove that I care for you. Name it and it is done."  

[Lisirra]

Safiya laughed; not in ridicule, but because she admired his sincerity, even if it wasn't necessary. "No, no need for that - I believe you. I don't need you to prove anything to me, Mo. My feelings for you aren't conditional, after all."

She nipped at his ear gently, playfully. "You know how much I care about you. I just...have never heard anyone say something like that to me before. You know? So it's a little difficult for me to believe what I'm hearing - it's not that I don't believe you, my dear." She looked into his eyes with a dreamy smile, trying to convey her sincerity.  

[Asparegus]

"Well, I want you to know that I do, I do care for you a lot. I mean, I understand if you don't... if you... It's just... I mean every word I say." He stopped. She had blatantly said that she was overwhelmed by it, that this wasn't something someone said to or did for her everyday. But he himself just felt so overwhelmed with his emotions that he was sure on the inside, he was quite scary if not so much on the outside. He bent close, cheek against cheek, and whispered so softly there was a chance she might not have even heard it, "I don't think I could do anything less than spend the rest of my life with you if you'll let me."  

[Lisirra]

"Moyenda, that's just so..." Safiya was at a loss for words - her heart was pounding and she knew she was happy, but she was just so overwhelmed with emotion she didn't know how to express it. "This is something I've dreamed about my whole life. I feel like - like - I don't even know!"

She was fairly dancing back and forth, an excited happy energy making her heart feel light as a feather. "Of course I would love to spend the rest of my life with you, my darling Mo," Safi purred, rubbing her head against his. "I love you," she breathed happily, barely aware of the words she was saying. Her mind was wrapped up in happy warm clouds of bliss and dreams.  

[Asparegus]

He smiled, tears in his eyes. "There are so many words I thought of you saying. I'm so glad that those were the words I got to hear. Safiya, oh my dear Safiya, I love you." He rubbed his head right back against hers. It was the perfect disney moment for a song but they had no phonograph (for this was the 1930's) to play them one.

He licked her on the nose. Never again will you be alone. Never will you not be loved. Never will you be hurt. Not while I'm alive. All of this he wanted to say but resisted for the sake of not killing the mood. Such a pledge carried such a strong momentum and... air that it would demand silence. He drew himself back just a little, tilted his head so that he looked at her almost out of the corner of his eyes, a grin on his face. He did an elegant bow. "I am at your service, m'lady."  

[Lisirra]

The white lioness grinned at Moyenda, happy to make him happy. This had to be the best, most wonderful feeling in the world - love, love, love - all you need is love! "I know I'm not perfect, Mo," she said softly, barely conscious of her own words. "But all the bits and pieces of my heart are yours, forever." Apparently Safiya had no apprehension of the word "cheesy." Unable to be false with anyone her whole life, the white lioness with the happy blue eyes was utterly sincere.

"At my service, for what...?" Safiya looked at him blankly, tilting her head to the side. It took her a moment, and then she nudged him playfully and blushed. She was up for anything. "Let's go...somewhere," she said, not really knowing what she meant or why they needed to go. But she just felt that they needed to be alone some place for a little while.

Oh, this had to be the best day of her life.  

[Asparegus]

"I accept every bit of you," he said softly.

He grinned at her and then blinked. Well, he hadn't really actually meant that. It was more of a tease, an attempt to be almost gallant. Not that he was opposed to what she had decided to translate the situation as. It actually made him feel almost awkward - inadequate - but his goal was to make her happy. If it was what she wanted, it was what she wanted.

"Sure," he said. "Where did you have in mind?"