Ripples in Velvet Sand

[Lion]

Talking about cannibalism while eating wasn't Atalier's idea of an appetizing conversation.  He ate until he was satisfied and swallowed hard.  His parched throat didn't make the food go down easy.  He forced it with a hard cough, clearing his throat of what sand lodged in the flesh.

"Um...no.  I don't think so.  But I haven't met every human in the world.  I think most humans tend to not..eat other humans," he finished.  He stood up, gesturing Tiaret to stand with him, even taking her hand and climbing back down toward the pool.

The feel of water so close was divine and he resisted the urge to completely plunge in it stripped down butt naked.  But instead he let go of her hand gently and sat by the waters, wary of other lions that might be around and he quietly sipped the clear waters.

"It's wonderful," he found himself saying.  "I've never...tasted water so good.  I know it's just water...but ...to think I've taken such a simple thing for granted."  He looked at his rippling reflection, disturbed on the surface and could feel himself burning, cheeks growing hot.  Maybe he had been in the sun too long.

[Rhindeer]

Tiaret missed his gesture, but when he took her hand, she rose with him. Oh. So human males didn't eat cubs they didn't sire? Really? Tiaret frowned thoughtfully at that, even more curious now, because what else was different about them, culturally? The physical differences were obvious, but from how he spoke, he sounded like he came from another world.

She smelled and heard the water long before they approached it, and she felt her way carefully down to the pool and worked her way to the edge. Kneeling down beside him, she cupped her hands and splashed some of it onto her hands and arms to cool herself--and then burst out a laugh at his wonder.

"Nothing tastes so delicious as the thing you've been deprived of," she said, and took a sip from her cupped hands. "And nothing will ever taste as wonderful as desert water, which is certainly never just water. It's life."

She paused, turning her head toward him with an amused twist to her lips. "Though...I daresay the minerals in this particular pool might also have a little to do with its taste, too. Are you new to desert life, Atalier?"

[Lion]

"Deprived of....yes, Almost to where I've passed out.  Except I practically did," he said, not quite able to deal with his embarrassment. He sighed and continued to drink a few more handfuls of water, sating his thirst for the time being before standing up, stripping his clothes layer by layer.

The other lions were keen to stay away from him, and it seemed Tiaret couldn't see him, so what did it hurt to take a dip.

"I'm not exactly new to it....  It's all I've known all my life.  So you can see how precious water is to someone born and raised near Essyrn," he said kneeling down in his small clothes to test the water with his feet.  He splashed it a little until he eased himself in.  He wasn't sure he should tell her he was going for a swim.  Maybe she wouldn't hear him.

[Rhindeer]

Tiaret's ear flicked and she blinked, taking in the soft, subtle rustlings of clothing, the splash of water. Atalier may have been careful and cautious, but Tiaret lived her whole life using her ears as her eyes, sound as her sight, and could easily recognize patterns. All her kind had keen hearing, and it wasn't that hers was better than other lion-kind--it was just that she relied on it more, and didn't have vision to distract her. She didn't need eyes to know he had stripped and was now in the water; the soft sounds of moving water, different from the sounds of the spring itself, told her as much. That, and his voice was now coming from that direction, and lower than previously.

She cocked her head curiously. Well, there was no reason why he couldn't.

"Essyrn," she said, repeating the word slowly. She stretched out her legs and then dipped her feet in the water, her tail flicking along the surface. That was about as deep as she would willingly go; she bathed out of necessity, but wasn't particularly keen on water. "The human-place. You're quite a long way from home, aren't you? Don't you miss your people?"

[Lion]

Atalier's breath hitched at the feeling of a real bath once more. The feeling of water brought exceptional relief and he eased into it as he carefully scrubbed at his skin, getting the grime and sand out.  He supposed the sand would never really come all the way out.

"I miss my mother," he found himself saying. "I haven't seen her in years. Or it's felt like years anyway.  She was taken into slavery...  I don't know where, or how.  I've been trying to find her.  It's not easy."

[Rhindeer]

"Slavery?" Tiaret's chest clenched, a sick feeling coiling in her gut. "Oh, that's...that's barbaric. I...my mother has mentioned that some humans do that, that they own others, that that's why we must keep our distance, but..."

She frowned and reached out toward him, following the sound of his voice. Her hand brushed his cheek clumsily, then lowered until she found his shoulder, which she pat gently, wanting to offer what comfort and condolences she could. She couldn't even imagine. Her mother, dragged off to be chained and owned.

...Well, her mother would likely brutally murder anyone who tried, but the thought of it was miserable nonetheless. And humans were softer, clawless and fangless. More helpless. Who would do that to someone's mother?

"I'm sorry. Maybe we can help?" And then she paused and frowned. No, her mother wouldn't even dream of it. Far too risky, and he was a stranger. "Maybe I can help?"

[Lion]

A small shiver went through him at that faint touch and Atalier turned his body toward Tiaret. And he glanced at her hand against his shoulder. As faint as that touch was, Atalier was greatly comforted by it and he smiled faintly. He could appreciate the gesture, even if it was a little awkward. Being completely naked and all that.

"I...don't know how you could right now. But...if I think of something, I'll let you know," he smiled and reached up to pat her shoulder as well, gripping it with a firm hand and gently reaching down to scrape his skin of the grime he'd let accumulate.

"How long have your people been here? In this canyon?  To think I just stumbled upon it, I really didn't mean to intrude. At least your mother didn't eat me right away," he laughed, albeit a bit nervously. 

[Rhindeer]

"I have a good sense of smell. If you have anything of hers..." Tiaret offered, trailing off uncertainly with a frown. No, he was right. She also wasn't sure how much use she could be to him, when she was hardly of any use to her Pride. A lioness that couldn't hunt, that couldn't even navigate new terrain without a guide, was hardly useful to anyone, much as her mother assured her that wasn't sure. And no doubt he thought the same; what could a blind girl possibly do to help?

Not only that, but she knew little to nothing about the human places.

Feeling a little foolish for offering without thinking, Tiaret laid her ears back and played with the bangles decorating her tail. "Anyway, we've been here for a week now. We don't stay in one place for too long; the game moves on, so we wander our territory with them," she said. "And mom wouldn't eat you. She just might...eviscerate you a little."

She smiled teasingly, flashing sharp teeth. "I've heard it said human doesn't taste very good."

[Lion]

Quite the opposite truly.

Atalier's initial inspection of Tiaret and even that of her mother brought up wonders that perhaps a breed of people seemed far superior to the humanistic flesh that he was encased in. They had claws and teeth and manes and strength that could have turned Atalier into harvested wheat the moment he came into their pride's territory.

The fact that they didn't and they weren't quickly made him realize they were more intelligent than even he had considered. They were smart, sentient.  And their hides...were beautiful.

Atalier had forgotten why he'd been sent here in the first place. To find their home and kill one of them. To bring back a pelt.  He felt his stomach knot up like he was going to be sick.  He cleared his throat of rising bile and smiled at Tiaret though she couldn't see him. "I have nothing," he said softly. "I'm sorry.  I know that's not much of any help to myself."

A soft chuckle, although it was audibly forced. "I lost everything my family had. We were cursed."  And that's all he wanted to say about that.

He was finished and got out of the water, letting the coldness of it drip off his form. He was content to let himself air dry. "You're mother. She's an interesting woman. Or...lioness. How old is she? Clearly she takes care of herself."

[Rhindeer]

Tiaret let out a startled laugh at his question, her sightless eyes widening. She cupped her hand over her mouth to hold back another giggle. "Oh, you did not just ask that!" she laughed, shaking her head.

"Hasn't anyone ever told you a lady never tells? At least, that's what mom always says. But if I had to fathom a guess..." Tiaret cocked her head, brow furrowing in thought as she ticked numbers off on her fingers. "Let's see, I'm twenty...my brother is twenty-four..she was fairly young when she had him. When she had us." She frowned, a dark look crossing her face at those words, and she shivered.

"Ah...well...I'd guess she's about forty or so? But gods and goddesses and spirits above help you if you ever think of asking her. Why do you ask?"

[Lion]

Why did he ask?  That was a good question and one he hadn't really thought about until now. For the most part, it was an innocent question right? It wasn't like he thought she was anything more than the scary lioness that almost crushed his ribcage.

Because she was fucking terrifying!

"Oh I-I wouldn't ask her!" Atalier said quickly. "I was just wondering. Because I mean...her body's really strong....and supple.  Y'know! She does a good job of taking care of herself."

Right. There. Foot in mouth.

[Rhindeer]

There was a long, awkward pause. Tiaret faced him, her blindfold hiding the crease that had deepened between her brows. Her lips pursed, ears cocked and head tilted in sheer perplexity.

"Are you...attracted to my mother?"

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[Lion]

"NO!" Atalier said quickly. "No! I'm just having a conversation! I'm not weird I swear!"

He was burning red with embarrassment. Oh he didn't know what he was thinking or what he was doing. He just needed to get a pelt from one of these people. Although that seemed easier said than done.

"I'm sorry. You're really attractive too! You've got a, um, a nice body. And you're a nice person. A lot nicer than I was expecting honestly. I am the only non-lion person here after all."

[Rhindeer]

Though she couldn't see his blush, she could practically  hear it in his words and tone. Oh yes. She totally believed him. The too-quick response and too-many-excuses was truly convincing.

And then he was complimenting her. Tiaret barked an incredulous laugh and swung her tail through the water, splashing water at him. "'Too'? 'Too'? So you admit it! You were thinking it! Of my own mother!" She laughed again, slapping her knee and shaking her head in disbelief and amusement alike. A nice body. Her? She supposed so. She was fit, but she had no idea what she really looked like aside from what others told her, and so she never really gave it much thought. Looks weren't important to her, after all.

"Oh, you're so lucky she wasn't around to hear that. Especially the part where you commented on me." And she flashed him a playful grin, sharp teeth flashing, and hoped her teasing hid the rush of heat in her cheeks.

[Lion]

Atalier didn't know if he could retract anything he said now. It was much too late for that. Even as he was flushed with embarrassment, he also knew because technically they weren't lies. He flicked his gaze over Tiaret and felt his pulse quicken. Maybe he'd just been wandering the desert for far too long.

He hadn't been looking at her cheeks or see any flush to them. But he was looking at her neck, and the pulse that raced there. A hitch in it. Or was it a trick of the light. Probably the latter. Nobody's vision was that good, least of all his. Atalier snorted, forcing himself to laugh to get over choking on his own foot.

"Well, that's good. But...it's true," he said, sobering and plopping down beside her, landing with a thud in the sand. "Just take my word for it." He shrugged, and propped his arms onto his knees. "So what do you all do for fun around here? Besides lay in the sun?"

[Rhindeer]

Tiaret's grin didn't lessen. Take his word for it, she would!

So she was...attractive, then? It wasn't the first time she had heard it; her mother told her she was beautiful all the time, but it was different coming from her own mother who loved her unconditionally than from a stranger. And for some reason, even though she had never cared about it before...she kind of liked that.

She cocked her head curiously as he came to sit beside her, ears flipping toward him to better hear him, and she leaned back onto her hands. "For fun? Oh, plenty of things! We play games and tussle and tell stories, we tend the little ones, we sing and play music." She tilted her head to the other side. "Is that very different from what your people do?"

[Lion]

Although he didn't have to sit beside her, Atalier was finding he much better related to someone he was allowed to sit with. It clearly was immaterial with Tiaret as she couldn't see. But she could hear him just fine and Atalier cleared his throat and forced himself to relax. He much preferred her company to her terrifying mother. Who was wrought with hardwon muscle and ticked off eyes.

Well, she hadn't killed him yet. That had to be a good thing.

"Not so different," Atalier nodded to her. "I guess I was expecting you guys to like...hunt in pairs and carve meat from bones and pull fleas from your fur kind of thing." Oh gods, yeah that sounded really stupid now that it came out of his mouth. And he was cringing hard.

"When I was small, I did very much the same thing. We had wealth, and when I wasn't practicing my numbers and letters, I took on riding, boxing, wrestling. I guess that's not all that different from tussling, as you called it, right? Human adults, however, can sort of expand their methods of fun. We drink, gamble, visit brothels, race, watch matches in the Colosseum. Although the latter isn't always fun depending on who you ask."

[Rhindeer]

Tiaret's brow furrowed and she cocked her head to the side, ears perked curiously. Boxing and wrestling she understood. Racing she understood. Numbers and letters she...somewhat understood, for some of her kind had experience with humans and knew they liked to draw their language onto things. Drinking she understood, even! (Although she understood it as literally drinking, as in drinking water, and couldn't grasp why that was significant enough an activity to mention. Maybe it was just because he was so thirsty.)

But he had just said a lot of activities she didn't recognize, and she scooted in closer to him like someone settling in for story time, her tail swishing idly behind her and flicking lightly against his side.

"We do get fleas and ticks out here, so often we have to," she said, not quite understanding the cringe in his voice. It was true, after all! "What are those things you said? Gamble? What is that? What is a brothel? Or a Colosseum? I have not heard of those."

[Lion]

Atalier's eyes widened when he felt something wiggling against his side. At first he thought it was some weird sand snake. And a quick glance down confirmed that it was indeed her tail. He breathed a small sigh of relief because his first instinct was to snatch it up and thwack it hard against the ground like the angry rope that it was.

"Oh, those are all things that are ever popular to where I'm from. Humans like games of chance, risk their gold, their slaves and anything they have in games where the potential to win comes down to the smallest detail. Dice, roulette, cards, or even simple bets can drive people insane. It's strange. Personally, I never saw the importance."

He flushed a little at their proximity, and instead scooted closer to her as well so that their arms were touching, at least then so she could focus more easily on what he was saying.  And make her tail swish a little less between them.

"Brothels are places were people can pay for pleasures of the flesh. Ehmmm...  Mating, i guess would be the simplest term, but I think the workers in brothels try to avoid pregnancy as much as possible. That can be fun, but it's important to make sure that you don't catch something after the act," he said, shrugging. "And a Colosseum is a place in Essyrn of much importance. It's a great big arena where fights are staged between Gladiators - minimally armored, and vicious killers - that fight to the death, to a draw, depending on the kind of match.  People also bet on that too, just another kind of gambling."

[Rhindeer]

Tiaret blinked at his descriptions, as he used yet more words she didn't recognize. Cards? Dice? Roulette? And they would bet their slaves? The concept of slavery was one she only understood through hearing horror stories through the grapevine, and through Atalier now, but...what?

And paying to...mate? Her face flushed hot at his words, which were more explicit than anything she had heard. Her people were fairly private about that, and while a few of the lionesses were in relationships with one another, they were by and large discreet. It was confusing, too! Catch what? What would they catch?

And they...put killers together to fight to the death for...fun? And people gambled on that, too? Bet on two humans tearing themselves apart? What was entertaining about that?! Many of the lionesses there had scars from their own battles, ones they had to fight for their lives, so to do it as...as entertainment...?

Why?

Her head was starting to hurt. With a grimace, Tiaret rubbed at her temple, his answers giving her only more questions. "Your...people. They sound very...violent," she said slowly, trying to choose her words carefully. "Can they, ah...not find mates on their own? Do your people have many killers? It...huh."

Another flick of her tail. "Your world sounds scary."