he watches as the waves flow in and out.

they tickle his paws but he does not react. there is a slight smile as he watches, as if enjoying the leisurely time he has to himself. so many faces - all new - flew through his mind at once. he knew there would be many more, and he prepared for the onslaught of acquittances he'd gather. would any of them be anything more than friends, enemies... he wanted to start new in Amaryllis. it didn't mean he had to do anything more than he was able, though.

steps to his right made the man start slightly. he hadn't been aware of their presence, but felt it was inconsiderate to ignore them. yet before he could open his mouth, a large wave washed toward the man. he blinks at the flickers of water in his face, the wave carrying water up to his chest. an amused huff leaves his lips - sometimes things happened. not much you can do about it. the cold water was refreshing against the hot sun anyway. it'd be a while yet until night.

he'd have to find somewhere to sleep. but ah - first, the other person. Benedict raises his head and looks toward them, wondering if they'd stop and chat.

the breeze blowing off the ocean is appreciated as it blusters through her fur, soothing her heated flesh. the sun beats down on her back as she travels over the dark sands of the beach, gaze occasionally roving up to the circling seabird. desdemona is not searching for anything in the particular, though she admits that the oceanic world beyond the world is something that will always hold her curiosity tightly within its grip.

she isn't a lone traveler on the shore for long and she arrives just in time to watch a man be lashed at by an angry, incoming wave. the calico cat can't help but to laugh and the seagulls above join in to her mirth with trills of their own. there were many inappropriate wet cat jokes that appeared at the forefront of her mind, but she swallowed them down as the golden lion looked in her direction.

"you had ought to be careful," she warns, voice chiding as if she is a stern nursemaid speaking to a naughty cub. amber eyes crinkle at the corners, her lips pulled back in a tight line. "if you're washed away into the sea, no one will be there to save you." the laughter from before threatens to rear itself again, but she sturdies herself, standing firm as a gentle wave crawls up the coast and splashes over her paws.

@Benedict

"ye won't save me?" Benedict glances back to the waves, closing his eyes briefly to enjoy another spray of water. the woman's words are cutting, chiding but he does not seem to mind. he is at peace, relaxed... nothing can really make him move from his spot. he enjoys how the cold water feels against weary bones and flesh, both shocking him and soothing him. he gives a soft smile to the woman, a huff of amusement escaping his lips. she won't save him. got it.

he was a good swimmer, for who was concerned. he liked fish. he liked to fish. maybe he'd fish... practice made perfect, and he was all for getting his paws wet if Benedict could get his favorite treat. zebra and other medium prey was fine, but nothing beat a fish. as he mused this, his green eyes slowly opened. he didn't glance at the woman again, waiting for her reply. he rarely did tease others, and he wasn't teasing her. just a statement, a question, really. if he was to be swept out, and this woman was here... would she really not concern herself?

were the lions in Amaryllis really that selfish?

@Desdemona

his accent is robust, a heady baritone that crashes over the waves. it's an easy listen among the cacophony of nature, a careful blend that leads desdemona to take another languid step closer towards him. clearly, this man has no fear of the seas as he basks in the sun, allowing another gentler wave to rush into him.

save you? she repeats, voice hiking up incredulously. the calico pipes out a gasp as if he had just spoken the greatest taboo in amaryllis. and risk getting my fur wet? oh no. surely, desdemona wouldn't just watch him drown if it did come down to it, but she isn't too confident she'd be successful in fishing out the larger man if something unfortunate did happen - because in the end, self preservation was key.

but she wouldn't tell him that.

all the same, she pushes such morbid thoughts away, instead interested to see what the man thought of her flurried answer. joking, yes, but desdemona believed herself to be quite convincing.

@Benedict

he chuckles, unable to help the spill of laughter. but it is controlled, quiet and incredulous more than harsh and barking. Benedict lifts a brow at her as he twists his head to look again. his eyes do no roam her coat - he already took in her features quickly - like a lecher. "ye, be a shame" he jokes in his deep baritones "yer coat is interestin', never seen the likes o' it before." it was a subtle compliment, with no flirtation attached to the reply. it was another state the fact. he hadn't ever seen a fur coloration like the woman's. it reminded him of a koi fish.

he liked koi fish.

"bet it takes a lot to keep it clean" he remarks before looking back at the waves. he had some white markings, but he couldn't imagine keeping a whole body of fur constantly pristine. he'd go mad licking, hacking up hairballs... no, thank you. he'd prefer his laidback nature to align with his coat's color. though he did wash his fur, he didn't have a need to do it all the time. "salt won't do an'one good with a wash" he adds, studying a crab as it scurries across his path. "so ye can let me drown. won't blame ye. much."

@Desdemona

he doesn't take offense to her, rolling along with her statement with rich laughter. its almost contagious, how at ease he is and desdemona smothers her own muffled chuckle. to make a point, the man looks over at her and spares her pelt some modest appreciation. it hadn't been common here in amaryllis, but her family had touted elegant stripes and pelts that blazed like fire - the same gleaming oranges as his, actually.

wasn't very unusual back home. they stood out quite a bit, with defined furs that were unmistakable ( although that wasn't the most ideal thing in terms of survival ) across the plains. not so bad yourself, perhaps a little less modest than his own honest compliment and a certainly little saucier, but she quickly turns it backhanded with an idle, i suppose, afterward.

desdemona wouldn't bore him with her beauty regimen and the horrid description of her own hairballs, but couldn't help to point out the distinguishing feature of most males she had met. my pelt is no challenge compared to that thing you call a mane. the calico's eyes also turn towards the crab at it scuttles along and she has the urge to scoop it further onto the shore, but resists in the presence of company.

won't blame ye. much. what's the worst you can do? haunt me? she asks, tossing a ribbon of seaweed away that had caught on her paw at the crescendo of another wave.

@Benedict

"aye?"

he grins a bit wider, feeling his face heat up somewhat. being complimented in such a way - be it friendly or saucy - was a bit foreign to him. Benedict does not linger on it for long. he is a modest man, and his vanities are very far in between. though saying nothing to her was rude. "if ye say so, must be true" he shakes his head, chuckling further "ye, I'll drown rather easily wit' this luggin' me down." he agrees.

Benedict pulls a thoughtful look. "hauntin' one person might be boring" and he wasn't a spiritual man anyway. he didn't think he believed in spirits or ghosts or ghouls. if they existed, fine. if not, also fine. they didn't uphaul his life at all. he shuffles on the spot, twisting his body to face the woman now. "same boat, though" he utters "m' family were all golden, oranges like fire" he shrugs idly "weren't much difference."

and he had been expected to pair off with another golden woman to keep the fur color pure. but he kept that to himself, for it never did sit right with him, arranged marriage stuff. he was amused and amazed there may be more koi-lions running about somewhere. "so, ye got a name, I suppose?" he muses to the woman, tipping his head to the side somewhat "m' Benedict."

@Desdemona

desdemona settles herself down onto the sand, just close enough so that the cool water continues to lap at her paws and haunches. whether the golden lion wanted company or not, he now has it in the form of the calico huntress. he takes her compliment in stride, nonetheless bothered by her shameless flirting. she aspires to be as cool as he one day - calm and collected, one with the breeze.

boring? making it so that one person never forgets you for the rest of their life? she muses over it, humming out towards the sea and enjoying as the heated breeze pulls her whiskers. it's almost romantic. perhaps not traditionally, but desdemona can't help but to find the humor in the situation, offering the man a lopsided grin.

as he describes his lineage, she perks up, a single ear rotating towards him. she doubts that they're connected in any shape or form, especially concerning the thick accent he boasts, but its a nice sort of common ground. did you come here from far off? desdemona asks curiously, eyes bright with keen interest.

benedict. its fitting and she approves with a wave of her tail. its a pleasure, sir @Benedict, she rumbles, voice keening low with the formality. a wet paw lifts, slowly coming to rise and sit at the long fur on her chest before reconnecting with the black sands. i'm the one and only desdemona.

benedict ,

"well" he muses, having a different take on romance but nonetheless amused by @Desdemona's words "when ye put it like that..." she grins, perhaps joking, so he just lets another chuckle rumble in his throat "I'd just settle fer bein' remembered fondly, if at all." he tried his best to be open and friendly to others, even if there were... somethings he didn't like to talk about.

still, the company was nice. it felt good to laugh for once. "from nowhere particular, actually" he replies to Desdemona "my... homeland" he struggles with recalling how nice it had been before the coup "can't go back to it. so I was on t' road fer some time. bout two years after I left home. if I was close t' Amaryllis, I cannae say."

he shifts back to a more easygoing stance now. he shoots the woman a grin. "the one n' only" he repeats "so if I hear a Desdemona startin' trouble elsewhere, I'll know it was ye?"

"he speaks"

^{code by wallflower. manip by mono}

a fond farewell and the remembrance of a lover sounded sweet, but woefully boring. desdemona herself couldn't speak too much of love ( although lately, there was a certain someone that caused her heart to pulse double time ) and figured that it would come in time on her long, long list of discoveries. you'd better not make your partner angry then, if @Benedict doesn't want to be haunted, that is.

even nowhere was somewhere in the grand scheme of things. she watches him as he speaks, noticing the slight shift. mention of his homeland brings some far off feeling that she can't quite place. can't go back to it, he says, and desdemona helplessly relates to that sentiment. her face softens in understanding and while she wishes to pry, she decides not to. two years? you must have an awful sense of direction. she wriggles her shoulders a little with a small huff, if you ever need a navigator for your explorations... there was nothing more that the patchwork feline liked better than a ragtag adventure and she'd be happy to offer herself to the challenge.

at benedict's question, she swallows down laughter and feigns hurt, brows creasing downward. she tilts her head, a pout pulling across her muzzle. i'm no troublemaker, i'm offended. and with that, she lifts a paw and smacks the water pooling near her ankles, hoping to splash benedict with sea water and a generous amount of sand. oops.