This was just ridiculous! Totally uncalled for if anyone bothered to ask her. The silver and teal lioness grumbled to herself, head down, as she skulked along the twilight paths through the heart of the gypsy land. Noise just beside and behind her alerted her that nope, she still had company. Perfect.

It wasn't like Dnay bothered her, really. They had actually started getting along, maybe even close, some would say... But that didn't mean she was happy to be ditched with him alone! This was supposed to be a group outing! Several of the Bahari's young adults had decided together to visit their neighbors, do some dancing, have their fortunes told, the whole thing, and a great way to unwind from the stress of patrolling or other tasks. Apparently the budding rumors of her involvement with the shaggy lion had spread though; no sooner were they in the thick of the crowds, all her friends had ducked away, leaving her alone with the one lion she'd rather not be! One had even winked at her! the nerve...

It totally didn't help that the rumors were right. She wouldn't even admit her crush to herself, so that everyone else seemed to be pulling for it... No. Just no. She'd sulk and skulk all night if she had to. How dare they expect to see her getting along with him?

"Come on then," She grouched, not waiting to see if he'd follow. "I'm not wasting the whole night." A paw reading would at least make the trip worth it, if not all this 'date' nonsense.


Dnay would admit, he'd been pleasantly surprised to be invited along on the trip to the Kizingo'zaa. He'd made precious few friends since joining the Bahari, spending more quality time with Areli than anyone else as she helped him groom in the evenings. So it was nice to be treated as a peer, even if it meant going along with an outing he may not have agreed to months earlier.

Well, it was nice until the rest of the group ditched the two of them. He supposed he should have seen it coming. There had been those obnoxious rumors about his relationship with Areli, and some of the other young lions had been trying to give him tips on how to flirt with her. And even if he maybe liked Areli, he found all the meddling distasteful.

Which meant his mood was equally grouchy as he fell into step slightly behind and to Areli's right, the curly ringlets his mane had started to form bouncing with every step. "We can get back at them later for ditching us. See if we can't arrange for them to get stuck with the dull patrols."


Areli snorted under her breath at his comment. Good. If he didn't make this weird it wouldn't be bad. Honestly inside she was just a little bit thrilled to feel him beside and behind her, now and then bumping into her as they wove through the crowds. Didn't mean she'd be getting all nuzzly with him though. It'd give her feelings away, and then he'd probably laugh in her face. Or pity her. Probably both. So no thanks!

"They'd probably just take the time to think up more idiotic tricks to pull. For guards they're not the most serious lions. Clearly." No doubt they were all hanging in the throng, watching her and betting on what'd happen. If any had sea shells on her dragging the big male to get paw readings, some food, and then maybe ditching him to dance with the gypsies, they'd be closest to right (unless he asked her to dance, her traitorous heart whispered.)

"This one's good enough," She grunted, nosing up to a stump, which had a smug looking lioness perched behind it. Finding a fortune teller with no line was a bit lucky. Maybe the gods were making it up to her. "You do paw readings, right?"

The Kizingo lioness nodded, looking slyly between the pair.


Dnay just let her lead him along. He agreed with her assessment; their companions were more trouble-makers than anything else. He gave the Gypsy lioness a critical look, then grunted and dropped his heavy paw on the top of the stump. If he was going to get pulled along, he'd at least get to go first.

The paw-reader lioness just snorted back, and cast an eye over the gray female waiting beside him, as if to say 'quite the charmer, isn't he?'

Then, with surprising strength and speed, she caught his paw with her own, twisted, and nearly sent him lurching sideways as she wrenched him around to arrange his paw the way she apparently liked, pad-side up. "Hey, watch it!" He grouched, and scowled at both of the females, claws flexing. Still, he remained silent while the Kizi lioness began to gently trace a claw of her own over his calloused paw.


Areli was nearly unable to hide her laughter when the Kizingo lioness started yanking Dnay around. She was, perhaps, half the other guard's size, but it didn't stop her from taking charge. She decided that she liked this fortune teller. "See anything good? Don't say that he's going to get his fur full of sand, that happens every day," She snorted, waggling her brows at the male.

The fortune teller seemed almost not to hear her though, so busy was she tracing the little scuffs and creases on her friend's foot. She seemed very focused, now that Areli thought to look. "Something bad?" She continued, tone wavering from teasing to serious. "I mean, he'd have it coming, the rude a**..." She cleared her throat, looking away again.

That got the fortune teller's attention, and she glanced up at the male, across at Areli, then back down with a smirk.


Dnay gave Areli a dirty look at her comment. He did NOT want bad news. Dealing with his fur was already a hassle, and of course she HAD to bring it up. Before he could even open his mouth though, the fortune teller spoke.

"Trouble trouble trouble. You both are in it, I see. Don't even need to look at your paws for that. The good news is, it's gonna work out. Gonna probably end up leaving your mark on each other, but don't you two worry your heads. And I gotta say, you'll have a lovely family." She was smirking wide as can be at him, and he yanked his paw back with a snort.

"What in the savanna are you talking about?! You...!" He couldn't help the slight blush when the fortune teller just folded her paws and looked pointedly at Areli. Oh no. Ohhhh no no no. He HAD to be getting pranked. this was just more of their "friends'" jokes, right?


Areli was ALL ears when the lioness started her report. Of course, two sentences in she was pretty sure this was just another joke on the both of them. By the end, she felt both furious at their friends (she bet they were watching them squirm, the jerks) and...flattered. Even if it was just a joke, it was nice to think their friends might think they'd work out. She DID have feelings for the gruff male...not that she'd ever wanted him to find out. It felt a little like losing, if it was her admitting it. Besides, he'd just laugh at her.

The best way to handle it would probably just be to play it off though, right? "You think so? That's good news. I want at least four cubs, you know," She quipped, leaning against Dnay with a sly wink at the Kizi lioness, who bit back a chuckle. "Pretty sure you mean I'll leave my mark on him though. He's a big softie. A big sandy softie." She swatted at his face, clawless and half-gentled, but her ears had begun swiveling wildly to try to hear any of their friends. They'd REALLY be the ones left with their marks, if she or Dnay caught them...!


Alright, that was just about it! Dnay nearly felt his heart stop when Areli suddenly leaned into him, chirping something about cubs. He all but shoved her bodily away, fur bristling and his tail lashing through the grass. He couldn't deny that it made something inside lurch too though, and maybe in the depths of his den, late at night, he'd wondered what their cubs would look like before, but she didn't need to know that! Especially not when hearing it came from a stranger!

"W-what are you...? Hey! C'mon now! She's just messing with us." He stood, shaking Areli off like so much sand. "I bet those guys got her in on it. If you're gonna join in too I'm just going home. Fake paw-readings and predictions aren't worth the time to come all the way over here."


That made the gray lioness frown, and she was on her paws faster than Dnay could go storming off. "Hey, I was just playing along. I mean, what? It's so terrible to imagine that kind of future, huh?" Now she was glaring. "Even if it is a prank, it's not worth getting your fur in a bunch over. Sheesh."

She was insulted now, a little, and hurt. Sure, he had no idea she might actually like a future like that, but it still felt like rejection. She was gonna lay into her 'friends' when they got back if this was all a joke. And probably avoid Dnay like a plague lion for months. How embarrassing. It was her turn to bristle now, feeling the heat rise in her cheeks. Damn. Well, heck. If he was gonna reject her, at least she'd make him do it properly.

"Maybe I WOULD like cubs with you, you ever think of that? Maybe you're a grumpy a**, but I'd still rather put up with you than anyone else. Spirits, Dnay! But if you think the idea's not worth your time, then you can just go ahead and find someone else to get the sand outta your fur at night."


Things were moving just a bit too fast, and then Areli was in his face, snapping and yelling and...what? He felt his heart drop in an entirely different way this time, and then raw panic at the thought of things going back to the way they were before. She was just staring at him, waiting for...what? The feeling of panic was growing, and he felt the eyes of the fortune teller, if not several others too, on him. She as being stupid, how was he to have known she felt that way, and now she was pushing him to, what? Propose right here and now?! Forget that! He didn't love her, he didn't...he wasn't gonna...

What he'd determined to be a rejection lodged in his throat, and it tasted like a lie. He glared instead, furious at being put on the spot. He couldn't deny it though. "Fine. You're right," He snapped. "Maybe I'd like that too. Too much work to get someone else to do my fur, and...and maybe you're the only one I can be bothered to deal with day to day. Happy now?" She'd better be.

Oddly enough, he was too.