Open! IF YOU DARE

[circleoflife]

Who: Mufasa and you!
What: A big ol' lion arrives at Paradisa.
When: how about now
Where: Castle lobby
Rating: PG? depends on who comes in

A clicking sound can be heard from the entrance as Mufasa's pawpads come in contact with the cool, solid ground, the relative loudness of the clicking being evidence to his great size. For a wild animal, his coat and mane are well-kept, and even though he's in a completely foreign area-- maybe even especially so-- he keeps his head held high. Though he has a guarded look to him, nothing in his body language indicates hostility. He stops once he's a few strides inside, looking around for any sign of life.

Comments

HAHA. going to assume this is a little later so I don't have to do the intro again, ok?

[circleoflife]

At first, Mufasa doesn't pay too much heed to the footsteps coming down the stairs; he can easily hear many different people walking from where he's standing in the lobby, all around and in the castle. He does hear those footsteps getting progressively louder, though, and when they suddenly halt, he brings his head up and turns it towards Katniss.

He notices the bow, of course, although he's not aware of what it is; the closest comparison he has is Rafiki's staff. Still, he can see the tenseness and poise of her body, ready to spring. And with the way she's holding that stick towards him, it's easy enough to figure out that she's preparing to attack.

He's regarding the bow with a healthy amount of caution, but for the most part, feels unthreatened. After all, he easily outweighs and outsizes Katniss.

But he does narrow his eyes. Mutt?

"I am no mutt, young one. My name is Mufasa, and I am a lion, and the king of the Pride Lands."

Re: HAHA. going to assume this is a little later so I don't have to do the intro again, ok?

[the_effect_she_has]

Katniss's eyes widened, because not only was it a mutt that talked -- it was a mutt that had it's own species? But ... wait ... she pressed her lips together, keeping her arrow level on the great, yellow beast.

"Lions are extinct. They died out, ages ago. They aren't even in the private zoos of the Capital anymore." Killed, in the ages before her age. Well before the Capital.

A pause, and an almost accusatory, "And they didn't talk."

Another pause, with a wary addition, "...This isn't Panem, though. Talking lions ... probably aren't that strange, here."

[circleoflife]

He raises an eyebrow at the accusation, though he feels no need to reply to it. He already made it obvious that he did, in fact, speak.

"They may be gone, where you're from," although, what would have killed them off? Another troubling thought... "but I assure you, where I live, they are very much alive, as well as able to speak."

He lets his annoyance fizzle away. Quite a few people have already been scared by his presence, and he knows the girl is only acting out of fear.

"You may lower your guard; I've no intention of hurting you."

[the_effect_she_has]

She pressed her lips together - you couldn't fight logic even though occassionally she wanted to crack it across the face. Still. With obvious reluctance, she unloosened the arrow, and tucked it back into her quiver, but held onto the bow.

"All right. You're not going to hurt me. So I won't try to hurt you." She did put some emphasis on the word 'try'. Frankly she'd like to avoid it. She'd spent enough time in hospitals.

Remembering, suddenly, she leaned down, and retrieved her pencil and her map. "So, Talking Lion, what's your name?"

[circleoflife]

Mufasa does quirk an eyebrow at the emphasis at 'try', although his face remains indifferent otherwise. He's still dubious that she can actually do any significant damage to him.

Also, Talking Lion? Really, Katniss? You've already learned he's sentient; it's probably a good time to stop saying demeaning things and testing his patience, even if he has a lot of patience and honestly wouldn't attack the girl no matter what she said.

"Mufasa," he says, a little more gently this time. He's so nice he won't even mention that he already introduced himself earlier! After all, she had her adrenaline going and was probably more focused on how she was going to potentially handle a 500 pound carnivore coming at her rather than pleasantries. "And yourself?"

[the_effect_she_has]

Don't mind her, Mufasa, she tends to get short when she's feeling off-balance, and honestly there's nothing more unnerving then realizing there is a place where lions talked without genetic experimentation. She comes from a very, very messed up place.

"Mufusa." The name rang bells, and she shook her head a little, "Right. You said." A pause, and a rough but sheepish, "Sorry."

She straightened, lifting her head a little, "Katniss."

[circleoflife]

He smiles, letting any previous hostilities-- at least on his side-- melt away. He decides to take a few steps to the side-- not away or toward Katniss, but away from the center of the room, before he sits down, looking relaxed and effortlessly regal.

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Katniss," he says sincerely. "How has your stay here been?"