Fíonn, great pink beast that he was, studied the sandbar, patrolling it diligentl despite the fat drops of rain that fell upon him - he was no fool. He needed members. Lions alike to ally and stand with. He didn’t enjoy being this far from his newfound pride but he could get back quickly should he need to.

Taking a break from his pacings, he sat back on his haunches, taking a moment to groom inbetween his toe beans. Needs must and all. Can’t be looking too scruffy out here, even in the pouring windy rain such as this.

The steady rain had drenched his mane and plastered it against his neck and shoulders. The water weighed it down and made his already thick mane feel even heavier than it usually did. It wasn't the most pleasant of feelings and certainly one he wasn't too used to, having been desert born and all.

Instinct had his scraping a bowl out of the sand to capture the rain in so that he could drink it. Rain was an infrequent visitor to the desert and so it wasn't something to be wasted. It didn't matter that he hadn't been in the desert for years. It was what had shaped him.

The large lion paused in his greedy lapping of water from his makeshift bowl when a shift in wind brought the hint of another present in the area by way of wet lion scent. Iofiel lifted his head and narrowed his eyes against the rain to spot a large shape sitting in the sand.

There was a hunch to the shape that had Iofiel making his way over. The healer in him had felt the pull to offer assistance to one whom might be in trouble. "I apologize for intruding but I must know if all is well." Formality laced his words and his head was kept lowered in a show of respect. He wasn't the sort to walk up and pester someone but he wouldn't be able to live with the guilt if something had been wrong and he hadn't even tried to offer assistance.

@Fíonn

The quiet, amost apologetic voice caught the pink beast off guard. He sat up somewhat clumsily, and turned to face the stranger,

If not for the fact that this lion was the only other person here, Fion woudn't have equated the calming voice with the large man stood before him. He was a dusky wheat in this light, large head lowered and brown mane sopping wet. A dark face mask much like his own adorned him, except it was a toffee brown in colour. It covered his eyes and snout, making those bright red eyes stand out starkly in the grey wet.

Fionn fully focused his own seafoam gaze upon the man and gave an easy smile, black lips turning up at the corners; his welcoming disposition was going to be the death of him one day.

"It's more than all well," he quipped, remaining on his haunches, at ease. He gestured with his eyes to the rain clouds above, letting the fat drops hit his face, soothig and pleasantly cold. An extra fluffy being such as he adored the coolness of heavy rain. Eyes slipping closed, he murmured, "This rain is glorious, is it not?"
@Iofiel

Iofiel winced at the fumbling of the other lion. He hadn't meant to startle the other so. He felt guilty for having inadvertently done so. He was a naturally quiet lion despite his large size. The sound of the rain didn't help matters in and was likely to have muffled any sound he would have made. But shifting sand was something that Iofiel was all to familiar with and he knew how to weigh out his steps to prevent slippage. Still, he should have done more to have alerted the other to his presence, even if it was too late to do something about that now.

Head remained down turned though gaze did lift briefly in order to glance over the other male. He was checking him out, looking for any possible injury, and maybe just generally checking him out. The other's coloration wasn't something he was used to having seen. And then there was the other's mane and how soft it looked. Iofiel wondered briefly just how soft it really was before he forced the thought away. No, he wasn't allowed to think like that. It was what had gotten him in trouble before. Luckily his face remained being rimmed with hints of concern and didn't show off his thoughts. He had long since learned to keep his thoughts off his face and tucked away safely inside.

Seeing that the other was accurate in being well the large lion figured it was time to take his leave as he wasn't needed here. He hadn't expected to continue to be spoken to, let alone be questioned on the rain.

It took him a long moment before he responded to the pink male. During that time he glanced to the sky as if that would give him the words to put to his thoughts. How did one explain what it was like to see rain when being used to it being a rare occurrence?

"It is..." He paused, struggling to come up with the proper word. "...aistithnayiyun..."* Iofiel reverted back to Arabic as he lost the word he wanted in the Common Tongue. He didn't leave it at that but made an attempt at explaining what he meant so that perhaps the other lion would be able to fill in the blank. "Not usual." But still that didn't feel right. "I was born in the desert and rain did not visit there very often. The pride was always on the move to find water and food. We would follow after herds. Rain was eaziz. All would gather and feast when it rained."

All of a sudden Iofiel ducked his head further as he realized that he had been speaking too much. "I must apologize for my loose tongue." Who was he to talk someone's ear off? He wasn't in healer mode where it was allowed. He was just plain old Iofiel for the time being.

*aistithnayiyun = exceptional
eaziz = cherished

@Fíonn

The other man's meek demeanour struck Fionn the wrong way. He wondered what was wrong? A stranger kind enough to ask how he was, yet to sound and act as if he were a milquetoast, scared to so much as look the pink beast in the eye.

Well now, the Sovereign couldn't have that.

He made a point of actively listening to the other man, huge fluffy ears perched high, expression open and inviting. Interest sparked clearly behind his eyes when those strange sounding words came forth from the other man's lips, attempting to help him decipher them. It reminded the oasis King of the way Vasilis spoke when they're first met, struggling to find the word for bird. It made him smile, small and soft, chamed by both the memory and the man before him.

He could gather that his appreciation of the rain was shared, that much was certain. "Incredible?" he suggested, trying to supplement the missing word, "Either way, growing in a desert, rain like this must be a gift." He explained further, "I live in a desert north west of here. The heat is wonderful but it makes it hard to survive...." he added, "My oasis houses me, thankfully. A jewel in the sand crown of this isle."

Iofiel had it drilled in that he was nothing. He would always be nothing. And a nothing did not look another individual in the eye. Proper respect must be given and all that. Then there was the fact of mild attraction and that had Iofiel creeping further into a polite and subdued shell. Beautiful men had always had a way of stilling his tongue, not that the large lion was that talkative of an individual to start with.

"Perhaps." The pale male acquiesced to the supplied word. Iofiel wasn't certain if that was the proper word or not but it sounded as if it could be close enough as he wasn't certain of the exact meaning of the word that had been given to him. If the other thought it worked then he would trust his judgement as the Common Tongue wasn't Iofiel's native tongue and something he had to pick up in order to speak with traders.

"It most certainly is. Rain would come so infrequently and the storm would last briefly." It was a cause for celebration whenever it would rain. "Rain was seen as a good omen. Good hunting was usually had after it rained." Of course that would be because the prey needed the rain as well but that hadn't been taken into consideration. Instead it had been placed in the realm of the mystics.

He missed the desert. Or more in fact, a certain person in the desert. Still, he knew how to survive in the land of sand. It wasn't for the faint of heart. It took mettle to willingly live within the desert. This pink beast had some fortitude to choose such a place for his home. "Solace can be found in an oasis. It is a source of life in a barren place. Oases were the only places that I could grow needed plants. And they also came about few and far between, same as the rain did.

@Fíonn

BIG PINK HEART

The fellow was quiet in nature, but that wasn't a bad thing. Quiet people were often thinking the msot out of everyone - he wondered what had shaped the stranger to be this way. Fionn gently encourage him to speak, silently waiting on the replies given to him. He mentioned growing a herb garden, and that piqued Fionns interest.

"The desert around it is barren, yes - but it's mine," he said fondly. A glowing Oasis entirely his own. "What is it you grow? I could always use a herb garden for my pride members." His healer Arani would appreciate the help, he was sure of it. Even poison and nettles would be good should they ever need them for... other purposes.

"My name is Fionn, by the way. I'm the Sovereign of Andal Oasis." Best to establish the fact he may be trying to recruit the man, no point beating around the bush. "And you are...?"

@Iofiel

"Plants used in healing, namely those for infection and those to combat fatigue and dehydration." Iofiel had kept a very practical garden. It was limited supply of plants but it was things he would be likely to need. The pride had stayed on the move, chasing down the herds, and so he would have to continually restart when they would come upon another oasis to settle at. Mostly he had to depend on traders for his plants. Though when he had settled in the Ridge he had been able to build a better garden. That one was gone as well and he was having to start all over once more.

He had no idea what a Sovereign was, the word being entirely new to him. The only thing he gathered from it was that this guy was called Fionn and he lived in the Oasis and he had some sort of importance. Iofiel Nimri, nobody of nowhere." The introduction was returned in the same manner to the best of his ability. He had no place to tie himself to any longer.

@Fíonn

The man’s melancholic imitation of Fíonn’s own introduction had the pink man frowning a bit, wondering what had happened in order to have such a polite man wind up as isolated as he sounded.

Well. Iofiel from nowhere. he began, tone a shade softer and genuine as ever. If you’d ever like to be an Iofiel from somewhere, I’m sure we could squeeze you into our pride at the Oasis. We could always use a herbology at if you’d be willing to offer your talents.

The behemoth stood and stretched, the rain not letting up. He ought to meander home, check on Sweet Pea. He didn’t like being this far from the Oasis for any more than a few hours. He watched the man to his side.

The Oasis is North East from hear, past the tall black hollows near the edge of where desert meets ocean. If you hit rainforest, you’ve gone too far. A brief description, but enough. If you ever want to visit my home that is.

With that, he turned on his heel to begin the long trek home. Speaking of, I must get back - but my door is always open Iofiel. Especially for nobodies of nowhere.

- attempted exit

^{_{CODE & ART BY D}}

Perhaps it sounded melancholic to have it spoken aloud in such a way. But to Iofiel he was speaking a simple truth. He had nothing to attach to his name any longer. And the pale male had felt it impolite to phrase the introduction any differently than the way it had been given to him.

"I will certainly consider it though I must warn you that I am uncertain as to how much aid I will be able to provide you on the herbology front." Certainly he could name off the desert plants and their uses. But he felt anyone having lived in the desert could do just the same. There was always someone out there that was better than he was with more knowledge than he possessed. Likely Fionn would find one of these.

"I apologize for having taken up so much of your time." He called after the larger male as he headed back towards his home. Iofiel had the thought to follow. He did miss the desert, no matter how harsh the environment was, but there were other things he needed to attend to first.

Iofiel exits

@Fíonn