[PRP - Border/West] Who Are You?

[Talencia]

Beara paced along in the sunshine in a fine mood. He was headed nowhere, but that didn't much matter today. Occasionally it bothered him, no longer having a home. He had parted ways with the mother of his daughters when other interests had arisen. It had been a friendly parting, but it did sometimes fill him with a mild sorrow at his lack of roots. Roots were good for a body. They bestowed strength, stability, and contentment. Today that was not one of his worries, though.

The air was sweet and mild, the rising sun pleasantly warm, and although he had yet to have his breakfast, the world seemed a wonderful place. He strode along, his large paws striking the ground with surprising lightness for his large frame. A merry tune vibrated his throat, coming out in a basso rumble that was pleasant to hear. He swung his tail behind him in counterpoint to the rhythm of his song, which sounded like one meant to make long journeys shorter.

He had paused to inhale the scent of a flowering bush when he heard an odd shuffling, then a soft click of one rock falling against its brothers, then more shuffling. Intrigued and curious, he turned aside from his path to discover what exactly would put the two sounds together. It was much to his pleasure, he soon realized that the source of the sounds was a lovely red-brown lioness. With a rumbling chuckle, he spoke up. "Greetings, ma'am. It is good to see someone else out enjoying this beautiful weather!" His voice, while deep, was soft and welcoming, lacking the edge of anger or unease. Sincerity and genuine delight rolled off of him like the perfume of the flowers he'd just waded through to find her.  

[Talencia]

Beara might be a large, dumb-looking lion, but he was highly sensitive to emotions of those around him. He didn't sense her fear, but he picked up on her anxiety immediately. It wasn't an unusual reaction, in fact, being one of the more likely emotions to arise when he introduced himself to a stranger. It was, of course, mostly due to his size. Generally he ignored the reaction, just being himself in order to put them at ease. Sometimes, like now, he did prefer to put the other at ease sooner rather than later. A lioness on her own, clearly disturbed to find a huge male near her, had good reason to be anxious.

In response, he stepped back three or four steps, which ended up putting his body half in the bank of flowering bushes. A bee buzzed lazily past his ear, which he twitched to discourage it from landing. "Pardon if I interrupted, ma'am," he lowered his head apologetically. "I was merely curious about the sounds you were making." He pricked his ears forward to indicate interest. "You are gathering... rocks?" That was his best guess, from the sound, but there was no telling if it was correct, or even if she'd tell him anything. "By the way, my name is Bara'bhera, though I generally just call myself Beara." Surprisingly, his own phrasing brought a sharp twist to his heart. Yes, he called himself that. There was noone else to call him that or anything else. Just... himself.  

[Talencia]

"You... craft things? With rocks?" His ears pricked with interest. He'd certainly seen others wearing crafted things before, but he knew nothing about how it was done. How did one use rocks to craft things? "May I see something you've made?" His tone was wistful and intrigued, his expression open. He leaned forward just a little bit in his eagerness, reminding himself to not step forward again. He had no desire to scare her off. If she felt the need to trade goods in order to obtain protection, perhaps she had good reason to be fearful of strangers.

He was tempted to ask just who took her crafted items in exchange for protecting her, but he held his tongue. Surely such a question was entirely too personal and invasive just now. He'd only just learned her name. It would be rude to ask a question that easily could be perceived as threatening. So he kept his mouth shut on that and waited hopefully to see if she would produce anything she had made herself.  

[Talencia]

He leaned forward a bit more, brows raising in interest as he examined the offered treasures. He was careful not to reach to touch them, still very aware of how intimidating he must seem. "I can see why others are willing to trade for these," he rumbled with a smile. "You have talent. Are there many artists like you in your pride?" Safe enough question, he thought, and might help him understand her a little better. "Also, do you only craft with stones?" He rather liked the twisted vines, though he thought the blue stone a bit too clashing with his own pelt colors. Perhaps he could barter with her for a few masculine accessories... but what would he offer in trade? That was a stumper, and he let the idea settle to the back of his mind for the time being.  

[Talencia]

Ah, now that made more sense, and was also not out of the realm of his own ability. "So others hunt, and you feed yourself and your... family?... by trading your pretty things for their kills!" He looked enlightened, eyes brightening, letting his mild inquiry about her living situation glide by without too much emphasis. Time for a little more cautious probing for details about the pride! "Do you only trade with others from your pride? Are there those who hunt specifically for you?" He paused, shyly examining his toes, then. "I know it sounds silly," he rumbled sheepishly, "but if it's allowed, I would really like to trade for something you made."

If a lion could blush, he probably would have. His face felt flushed, as if he'd just asked her for a kiss. He felt a little ridiculous, being a grown male and all, being embarrassed by asking for her craftsmanship, but he couldn't help it. He cleared his throat and slid his eyes to hers to gauge how she felt about it. "Something without stones, though. I don't think such shiny things would look very good with my mud-and-cloud colors." He ducked his head in self-deprecation, but flashed her a sweet smile.  

[Talencia]

He listened as she described the situations that faced her as a crafter. He wondered for a moment what kind of trade routes she was hoping for. Ones to the roguelands? Other prides? Or perhaps the other Houses, since apparently she beloned to the 'West House'. He tempered his rising curiosity about this strange pride with warmth at seeing her relax a little more with him. If he truly frightened her, she wouldn't be advocating that he declare himself a merchant and come back to her home with her, would she?

He was hesitant to declare himself a merchant, though. He certainly was a customer... a client. But did that qualify him as a merchant? He twitched his tail uncertainly, but felt drawn to find any way possible to follow her back, to learn more about her and her home. If they called a client a merchant, who was he to argue? With a decisive nod of his head, he rumbled with a smile, "Right, miss Jyotika. I shall follow you so I can see more of your wonderful jewelry work." He cast her a grin at the mention of flowers. "No, those don't really appeal to me. But feathers... those might work!"

He tipped his head at her, ears angling in an expression of fondness. "I shall put myself into your capable paws, as I believe you are likely to know better than I what will work for me." With an unwittingly charming smile, he stepped out of the bush cautiously, watching her reaction to be certain he wasn't frightening her all over again. "Lead on, and I shall follow."