Misguided Youth (Private ABB and Saraiya)

[abalancedbreakfast]

"'f I might ask, why'd ya' leave your pride? Was't a typical controlling fath'a story? Young woman desp'rate ta' be free, bo't chain'd by ta' expectations a' bein' ruler o' 'ta pride?"

[saraiya]

Kela's jaw dropped a bit, then she let out a sheepish laugh. "Either I'm obvious, or you're very observant." She says. "However, yes. That's my story. Nothing too exciting, I'm afraid."

[abalancedbreakfast]

"Don't worry, I got many yo'ng ladies loike you pa'sn through 'eah all 'tah time. I been doin' t'is fa' yea's. It's okay, tho'. Wapo an' I will help ya'."

"Ay, you gettin' ta' kno' Mama Mlezi a bit mo'?" Wapo said, walking into the room, sitting down across from the two with a repressed somberness on his face and a fresh tally on his shoulder.

[saraiya]

Kela looks at the tally with a concerned frown, but looks back at Wapo's eyes. "Yeah. She's been nothing but welcoming. Are you okay, Wapo?"

[abalancedbreakfast]

He froze for a moment. "Yeah, s'all good. Just havin' some talks wit' the rogues 'ere. 'parently some lion got mad cause we was passin' through his turf on the way 'ere wit'out his permission. I worked things out wit'im."

He stopped talking, coughing a bit and staring blankly at a point on the floor, not displaying any sort of emotion, really.

Timidly, Mama Mlezi walked up to his side and whispered in his ear. "Ya' need one of ta' lionesses fo' comfort, maybe a massage, my boy?"

"Nah, ma, I'm good. Jus'... got any food?"

"I do, honey, I do" she said, wrapping her arms around him and going off. "I'll have t'at 'eah roight now. T'is room's your's fo' ta' night."

"Hey, thanks, ma." he said blankly.

"No issue for a fellow rogue." She said, leaving the room.

[saraiya]

"What's wrong?" Kela asks, once Mama Mlezi was out of earshot. "You look... drained. Is your leg bothering you again?" She asks out of concern. "You can talk to me, Wapo."

[abalancedbreakfast]

Wapo just went stone cold on her, moving to a corner of the cave near the window opening and curling down to sleep.

"Yeah. Leg be actin' up. Tha's it. S'all. Jus' need some sleep."

He looked up at Kela, noting her concerned look. "Wha's wrong? You can do what you do fo' now. We got a whole night 'ere. You ain't a fan a' tha' singin'?" he asked, trying to avoid thinking too much about the act he just committed.

[saraiya]

"If you expect me to run off and have fun while my friend is having a problem, then you really don't know me." Kela says, then moves closer to Wapo. "Now, what's eating ya? If you don't want to talk about it, then talk about something else."

[abalancedbreakfast]

"Hey, I don't wanna' talk about a damn thing, aight? Can't you just believe me when I say ain't nothin' wrong?"

[saraiya]

"I'd believe you if you didn't look like you had you soul drained out of you." She snaps back. "Don't get mad at me for caring."

[abalancedbreakfast]

He simply looked at her with weary eyes, and in a raspy voice, spoke his first words of emotional honesty in a while. "F'I eva' had a soul, it been drained out of me a long time ago. Sold fo' somethin, killed, o' given ta' someone else... But I ain't got it."

[saraiya]

"Someone soulless wouldn't have done right by me like you have." Kela counters softly. "Just because life was hard on you, doesn't mean that you're an empty shell. You're not as bad as you think you are."

[abalancedbreakfast]

Wapo simply sighed and looked out through the cave's window. "Look, Kela, I think I jus' need ta' be alone fo' a bit. Jus'... go have fun a' somethin', aight?"

He stepped closer to the window to get a better view. "Please. Just... just go talk to someone, figure out what you gonna do once we done here."

[saraiya]

Kela really didn't want to leave him alone, but understands. "I'd rather sleep. It's been a long travel. Any place for me to sleep, since you don't want me here right now? I don't trust anyone else here to watch my back while I sleep." She sighs a bit.

[abalancedbreakfast]

Wapo had to freeze for a moment. She really did trust him a lot. He sighed, turned around, and walked over to her.

"Aight... you can sleep wit' me... Jus'..." He locked up, stiffened in place before turning his head away from Kela and forcing his eyes shut.

Don't do it, his mind was telling him. Don't break in front of her.

"J-just..."

He choked, suddenly unable to find the words to finish his sentence.

[saraiya]

Kela walks closer to him and sits beside him. "Hey, it's gonna alright. Let's just sleep, then you can show me around tomorrow? Mama Mlezi bought us a zebra haunch if you're hungry." She says softly.

[abalancedbreakfast]

He couldn't resist the pressure anymore as he took a sharp breath in, unable to help when a tear rolled down his face as he struggled not to break down from his sorrow.

"I... I'm tired... I'm tired a' havin' ta' kill... I'm tired a' bein' forced into 'dis life where I have ta' survive by doin' bad things, because I've done too many awful things to live a good life..."

He opened his red eyes and risked a look at Kela. "I'm tired a' life..." he said, his eyes watering and forming streams of tears down his face.

And so he stared at her for a moment like this.

"I didn't want you to see me like this..."

[saraiya]

"I'm not gonna think any less of you for showing emotion." Kela reassures him and rubs against him to offer comfort.

"I know you must be tired. Want to talk to Mama Mlezi tomorrow? She might know where we can go where you won't have to live like this anymore."

[abalancedbreakfast]

He dug the side of his head into the side of her shoulder trying to calm himself, to little effect. By this point, it was as if he couldn't speak. He nodded at Kela's suggestion, finally sharing with somebody the emotions he'd been bottling up for, by this point, a year. Unable to hold much back by this point, he wrapped his arms around Kela and dug his face into her fur, crying audibly now, as if the floodgates to his soul had just burst open.

[saraiya]

Not sure what else to do, Kela awkwardly pats his shoulder with her paw. "It's okay, Wapo." She says, trying to console him. She manages to adjust both of their bodies to where they were laying on the ground.

[abalancedbreakfast]

After three minutes or so of laying down, Wapo had finally stopped crying. "Kela... thank you... for letting me do that..."

He started to get up now, getting ready to sleep. "I'll... I'll go to a different spot so you can sleep."

[saraiya]

"I'd rather have you nearby." Kela confesses. "You won't bother my sleep."

[abalancedbreakfast]

Wapo turned around, surprised by the request. "Okay then..." he said, walking back to her and laying down next to her. "Kela... thank you."

[saraiya]

"Anytime, Wapo." Kela says, laying her head down. "You're not as alone as you think." She yawns and starts to doze off.

[abalancedbreakfast]

Wapo let himself sleep next to the lioness, touching his head to her and purring contentedly as they waited for the morning to come.

[saraiya]

When Kela woke up, she was still next to Wapo and she carefully moves away from him. Standing up and stretching, she yawns, then starts pawing a bit at his shoulder.

"Time to wake up."

[abalancedbreakfast]

Wapo groggily awoke, looking up at Kela with tired eyes. "Hmm.... D'you sleep good, Kela?"

[saraiya]

"Yeah, I did. Did you?" She asks with a smile.

[abalancedbreakfast]

Despite the night before, he smiled seeing Kela happy. "Betta' sleep than eva'" he replied, getting to his feet, following Kela. "So, what do you wanna' do? You seem bright eyed today."

[saraiya]

"A good night of sleep does wonders." Kela laughs a bit. "You look to be in a better mood, too."