[PRP] A Helping Paw (Ayaukuhime x Tompa)

[RuIerr]

Only one day after she met Tompa, and Ayaukuhime was filled with butterflies. She'd always dreamed of meeting her prince charming, but she'd practically given up hope. She was an older (not elderly, don't dare mistake her for that old) lioness now and the love bug had never struck her - but here it was, full-fledged and flittering about in her tummy.

They had agreed to meet up at the mother tree as they had the day before, and Ayaukuhime was looking forward to it for more than one reason. As a cub sitter within the pride, her main job was to look after the Na'vi cubs. Unfortunately, there had been a bit of a draught of new blood within the pride, so much of the lioness' days had been left blank, with nothing to do but assist others in their jobs. Helping Tompa clear the base of the home tree put her to good use - she loved knowing she was actually contributing to the pride she called home.

Now, Ayaukuhime paced back and forth at the base of the mother tree, anxiously flicking her tail. She knew he'd keep his word and show, but a small part of her was concerned that she wasn't enough to keep Tompa's attention. A girl could only hope.

 

[Split Personality]

Tompa couldn’t believe that he was doing this. A female... a female had taken attention to the detail in which he excecuted his duties as a priest. She had even helped and enjoyed spending time with him. He couldn’t even believe this was all real.

He had sat in his ha,mock for a time, his paws sweating and his stomach weak. He was nervous. What if she didn’t like him after all. He felt the anxiety of being inadequate for a mate and being s failure.

And he really enjoyed her company.

She had no doubt showed up on time. He however was a smidge late. His nerves made him clumsy and his paws slippery. In fact...

CRAAAASH

He came tumbling through mother tree and landed in a tumbled heap at her feet.  

[RuIerr]

Ayaukuhime, ever lost in her thoughts, had not noticed the clumsy, bumbling lion she was waiting on make his way down the mother tree. It wasn't until she heard the weight of his body fall through the home tree that she looked up, just in time to see the bright green of his mane land in front of her feet. She immediately jumped back, slightly frightened, until she realized it was just Tompa, making his way to their date.

Once she recognized who he was, the lioness dissolved into giggles. "Oh, Tompa," she said, walking forward again. "Please tell me you're quite alright, I didn't need you to be on time that badly," Ayaukuhime said with a laugh.

 

[Split Personality]

Tompa had a mouth full of dirt and his eyes watered and his front legs were throbbing but he for sure wasn’t gonna act like he was hurting. He scrambled to his feet and coughed and sputtered out the mouth-dirt and smiled.

“I see you-Ayauku.” He said squinting the eye that was a little more worse for wear. He coughed and wiped his face quickly to try and get the mess off his face but only managed to smear it around.

“I uh... I’m glad you came. I was nervous you weren’t gonna...” he stammered and sputtred.

He surely looked like the most awkward Iknimayan lion around.  

[RuIerr]

As he stood up, Ayaukuhime took notice - Tompa looked rough. Dirt was smeared all over his body - particularly his face - and he looked a bit wobbly in his effort to stand before her. "Nervous?" she laughed, moving closer and gently using one of her paws to wipe away a bit of the dirt off his face, which she could see was impairing his vision. "You need not be nervous around me, Tompa," she smiled and backed away, giving him some space. Ayaukuhime noted internally that he used a nickname for her, which was a very nice feeling indeed.

"How does finding some water to wash off sound? I know I could use a bath, I don't know about you," she said playfully, sarcastically. Of course he could use a cleaning, but she wasn't going to continue doting over his face. They were still too new to each other for that to go down, but perhaps they could get clean together. That sounded like a good idea. Besides, he was going to have a lot of trouble operating with only one good eye.

 

[Split Personality]

He tried furiously to wipe his face again but only managed to make a bigger smear. He couldn’t believe how clumsy he was around her. It was probably because his pulse was beating out his chest and his mind raced and he felt sweaty.

He chuckled and nodded. He was still a bit fluster d with himself and simply began to head towards the nearest water source. “I’m sorry... that was so embarrassing.”

He nodded.”I know. But I feel nervous regardless...” he said simply. “It’s just how you make me feel... that’s all...” he added.

 

[RuIerr]

Ayaukuhime watched as he tried once more to wipe his face, instead only succeeding in smearing the dirt and grime even further. She smiled, listening to his breathy explanation, and nodded along. "You're really sweet, you know that?" she said as she followed his path along to the nearest water. She wasn't doing much thinking about the way they were walking, just ruminating on how incredible the lion beside her was.

"You make me nervous, too, I just think I hide it a bit better," she said, glancing over at him and then pointedly averting her eyes. In all her dreams of meeting the perfect man, she hadn't expected it to be like this - all messy and bashful and exhilarating. But it was. And she was glad to be here for it.

Soon enough they reached the water and Ayaukuhime decided to take a dip first - she wasn't going to let him deal with the water alone. It wasn't her favorite, but it always felt so refreshing. "Don't be shy, time to wash your face, silly," she said with a laugh.

 

[Split Personality]

He couldn’t help but burst into s blushing fit at her words. He never was very good at being brave or hiding his emotions. He was only guessing there was no hiding how he felt at that moment. He chuckled lightly. “ seems I can’t hide much from you.”

He didn’t speak much on the trek to the waters edge. He was to busy trying to sort his feelings in his mind... and to calm his beating heart.

“I’m sorry. You must think I’m such a cub.” He said a bit sheepishly as he too slipped into the water and began to clean himself a bit. “I’ve never... never really done this stuff before.”

 

[RuIerr]

Ayaukuhime smiled serenely, happy to be in Tompa's presence, regardless of how foolish the one or both of them looked. He made her joyful, sheepishness be damned.

She climbed down into the water with him and sighed as she entered the cool liquid. It felt so refreshing, always. It wasn't her favorite - splashing around in the water - but it certainly felt good. At Tompa's words, Ayaukuhime laughed at him. "A cub? Oh, never, Tompa," she said, shaking her head. At his next comment, she flicked and ear and cocked her head. "You've never done what stuff before? I'm not so sure what you mean." She thought he meant, well, flirtation with the other sex, but she couldn't be so sure. He was still a bit of a mystery to her, this bashful Priest.

Split Personality

 

[Split Personality]

He bit his lip and sat in silence for a moment and just observed her. When he finally found the courage to speak-it sort of came out in a burst.

“I’ve never courted a female before... let alone talked to one more than a few words.” He said sheepishly. He had always been bashful and had simply spoken when it was needed. But there was something about this pale and purple lioness that stirred his feelings.

He looked bashfully into the water. “I had sort of come to terms with being a bachelor forever...”

 

[RuIerr]

Ayaukuhime's eyes widened as the words tumbled out of Tompa's mouth, and she felt her heart start to race. So he did have intentions with her - thank Eywa. She had been nervous that he only saw her as a friend prospect, which was totally fine, but truly she had been hoping for much more.

Smiling softly, she dipped her head a bit, feeling awkward. "Y'know, neither have I. When I was a cub I was set to marry a prince within my pride, someone whose name I barely even knew. Then the pride crumbled and I ended up as a rogue and it never... never seemed important." Glancing up at his with her deep blue eyes, her grin grew. "But now it does. We can explore this newness... together." She quirked a brow and her smile turned into a smirk as she awaited his (hopefully positive) answer.

Split Personality

Ahhhh omg I'm so sorry ;; kick me next time I take this long, I totally didn't realize it was my turn. >w>