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 Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2008 1:11 pm
Alala typically spent as much time as she could avoiding anyone who wasn't a slave. That was difficult to do, and was hardly ever accomplished, but she still tried.
Since the traveling group of Njiru, Mvushi and herself had arrived in their new pridelands, she had run into Mvushi again but had had enough luck to avoid the former prince. Of course, with Ala's bad luck, the two lions would surely meet again.
When she wasn't ducking out of chores - which wasn't easy to do and would get her into trouble, so it didn't always happen - Ala had little else to do. Her rank in life was nothing more than helping others do their work. She had nothing worthwhile to contribute on her own. And so most of her time she spent musing philosophically about life, sitting in the shade.
Today that was what she was doing once again. Having finished some minor chores already, she had some downtime and spent it as leisurely as possible.
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Posted: Thu Mar 27, 2008 10:36 am
 (( Hey, sorry for the uberly late reply. I just came down with a headache that would not leave me alone. ;o; ))
He was tired, simply put, and in a very stoic mood. It was just one of those days where he didn't care, more or less, who he ran into or spoke with. Of course, after a good nap he was back in his right state of mind and avoided contact with anyone he disliked, or slaves. Njiru simply didn't care for their company, when fully functioning, and found their choice of conversation very dull and uninteresting.
Then again, he never really bothered getting to know any one particular slave. And perhaps, when he speaks with them, they seem boring because he's just...not interested in what they have to say.
So he walked, back from a successful (as usual) hunt, and noted a brown speck in his vision from a mile away to be a lioness from their pride. Who she was, he could've cared much less, but at this point in time it mattered little to him. And he approached her, not bothering to really see who she was, and extended a rather casual greeting.
"Hello."
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Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2008 6:33 am
Alala stiffened as she saw the former prince approach her. Njiru must be able to see her; she couldn't run away. So she stayed frozen in place, keeping her eyes down, dreading his approach. Yes, she had traveled with him and he hadn't seemed to be an ogre then; but that was a special situation. Now that they were back in the pride, things would surely be different.
Alala found herself holding her breath as he came near. That surprised and upset her; she hadn't felt so unease even when she had had that run-in with the queen. Njiru seemed to have more of a capacity to be cruel, and it didn't matter to Ala that she hadn't actually seen him do anything mean. She was still on edge.
When he said hello, Ala was taken aback and sneaked a peek at him. He seemed tired, distant, not really focused. Did he want her to reply?
Afraid of doing something to make him angry, Ala waited a few moments before replying. "Hello, sir." Her tone was respectful, almost conversational.
But she was curious as to why he would bother with a greeting in the first place. Why not just tell her what he wanted her to do so she could go off and get it done, and not have to be around him?
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Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2008 11:03 am
His ears twitched at the word 'sir', almost as though his consciousness was going to start trickling back into him, but it didn't. The word alone wouldn't be enough to do that, nothing short of the Great Lion would probably be able to snap him back to his usual senses. But of course, any chance encounter with him and Njiru'd be done for. He'd never had much respect for him, after all. The former prince gave no immediate reply, glancing at the sky and taking in its simple magnificence - just a vast expanse of the most beautiful blue hue he'd ever seen. There were no clouds that day.
"Nice day, don't you think?" he then asked, eyes never leaving the sky. "It's been a while since I've seen the heavens so blue." Then he chuckled. "Or...well, it's been a while since I let myself glance up at it just for the sake of enjoyment."
It was a rare sight to see indeed, him conversing so casually and comfortably with a slave. Or anybody, for that matter. It was a side, he felt, he'd lost since the day his mother bore Unyezi and Khathelela on the night of a full moon. He knew then and there that he would be passed up, and one of those two would be the rightful heir.
Rightful. He almost scoffed at the sudden memory.
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Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 10:52 am
Surprised at his choice of conversation, Ala wondered if perhaps Njiru's demeanor was not a passing one. Beginning to feel reassured that she would not be snapped at for speaking out of turn, Ala felt more comfortable that she was allowed to be herself. Maybe just a little bit of herself; she tread cautiously.
As if she did not care, the slave raised her eyes to the sky as well, wondering what curiosity was there that made Njiru so interested. Yes, the sky was still up there, and yes, it was blue. Just like every other day. She glanced - almost scoffed - at Njiru for his unexpected foolishness, but luckily he continued to gaze skyward. Hesitantly, though, Alala allowed herself to just look at the sky, as he did.
"It is lovely," she admitted quietly. "I do love the color. As a cub I used to lay on my back until all I could see was the sky, and feel like I was falling into the endless blue."
Okay, so that was a little more information than she would have liked to give. But she brushed off the embarrassment and remained coolly casual, unreachable. "Of course, I spent much of my childhood gazing skyward, wondering why I had been forsaken by those above."
Honestly, she loved the free and easy blue sky of daylight to the foreboding sky of night. The stars were hard pinpricks, like tiny jagged stones; the moon always seemed cold and arrogant, and out of her reach.
Sunlight made her hopeful. The moon would only mock her, and remind her of her shame.
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Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 10:47 am
"Mmm..." was his only reply, allowing the light breeze casually passing to interrupt him mid-thought. It was all so...calming, it pulled him out of his usual grumpy outer shell and allowed him to see things in a better perspective. A very rare occasion indeed, as he was almost always utterly narrow-minded in his obsession to de-throne Unyezi and claim it as his own.
"I never had the time," he finally said. "I was always busy with whatever it was my father had me doing."
A spark of consciousness came back to him, but it disappeared almost instantly. Father...the late king and the one responsible for putting him in the position that he was in. Had it not been for their father, Njiru would probably already have been exiled. One reason Njiru was ever grateful to have a father like him. Most likely the only one...
"Or I never allowed myself to. Not since my brother was named heir."
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Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 2:22 pm
Ala nodded absently and said nothing. This was nothing she could relate to or comment on. Her simple girlhood memories were not measurable against those of a prince. He was beyond her experience.
Still, Ala fancied what it would have been like to grow up as he had. To amuse herself in her silence, she tried to put herself in the shoes of a spurned heir. To be so near something like kingship and have it taken away; it was not so dissimilar from her own lowly birth. Her parents had been noble. It was either fate or a cruel joke that she had been born such as she had. Alala was not meant for this life; and yet it is what she received.
It seemed a long time since had last spoken. Not wanting Njiru to think her rude, or perhaps just uncomfortable in the long silence, Ala finally thought she should speak again. She wanted to acknowledge their similiarities without appearing to compare her experiences to his. She didn't want to anger him with anything that seemed insolent, or give opinions on his life. So her statements were vague, noncommittal.
"I found the time. I was either ignored or insulted by the pride growing up, and neither was pleasant, so I was often alone of my own desire. Daydreaming allowed me to forget, if only for a moment, all the injustices I felt were inescapable in my life. It took me away. Truly, it was the only thing that could."
Alala held her breathe and quieted her voice, wondering where this conversation would go. He seemed wrapped up in his own thoughts; perhaps this was only an outlet for him and he wasn't listening to closely to her words.
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Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2008 2:01 pm
Njiru chuckled lightly as she spoke, nodding a bit to show that he understood what she meant when something as simplistic as daydreaming was all that one needed to get away from it all. It was a rare experience for him since he was usually busy with the hustle and bustle of having to feed the members of the pride on a daily basis. But when he managed to find some time to himself at any one point in the day, it was all he really did - daydream.
And they'd be foolish dreams at that, he knew. Becoming the king after overthrowing Unyezi and the current royal family. Everything and everyone was against him, yet it was all he could do to really live with himself now - dream and plot against his own brother. It was a pathetic day-to-day fantasy that, though he'd deny ever admitting this even to himself, he knew would never come true. Still, it was entertaining enough to play scenario after scenario of absolutely impossible plots that ultimately ended with Unyezi getting beheaded and all the royalty driven out of the pride.
Njiru was, he figured, fairly cruel and unusual.
"Ours is a strange way of life," he simply said, in regards to her particular situation. He knew her story, after all, and it was very much like his, but almost worst. Almost. "Castes dictated by the moon phases, and attitudes toward each caste bred thusly. It's almost cruel, actually. But we are like any other pride. Our current way of life is dictated by years of established traditions and beliefs. It's impossible to think that one day..." and he paused. "It'll all change."
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Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2008 6:30 pm
"I got the short end of the stick," Alala agreed. "But I never considered mine to be a cruel fate. It has been hard, but whose life is not? I have no cause for complaint, and indeed, no reason to. Complaining does nothing. I have long since accepted the things I cannot change. This pride's traditions will not change while I am alive, and that is something I have come to terms with. I hold no grudges." Except to you, Moon God, she thought, not foolish enough to declare her blasphemy out loud. One day I will demand to know why you cursed me.
Alala fell silent again, having felt like she said enough for the time being. "Nothing ever changes," she eventually breathed, almost as an after thought. Long ago she had accepted this fact of life. There was nothing she could do about her life, so why waste time thinking about it and wishing for things to be different? It was a waste. So she focused instead on how to live each day in the most pleasing way possible.
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Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2008 11:42 pm
(( Uber late *sorry! ; ;* but I thought I'd to close it up. ^^; It's a bit short...but I think it'll do. :3 ))
Njiru nodded with a small smile, a bit more of his normal self coming back to him now. Not all, just a bit. Enough for him to notice who he was talking to and what caste she fell under. "Each has their own way of dealing with whatever it is life decides to hand us. Some, such as yourself, can choose to simple accept it. Others, like me, choose to find a different path. One that...one way or another, will lead to a dead end."
And that was all he'd offer her that day. A day that not many could say they'd ever experienced with him being on the other end of the conversation. The male stood, and with a casual, slightly grateful nod, he excused himself from her company.
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