A good student. An intrigued student. Her body was perched ready to jump after the mouse in an instant's notice but first she waited, head angled towards him with perked ears but body eager to run after her prey. "What if they speak stupid words?" She wasn't expected to just always keep her mouth shut if someone said something she didn't like, surely that couldn't be it. If their words aren't worth being mentioned that's close enough to not talking, and those not talking are food, she could live with that. The cub wasn't sure what 'unwritten' meant, and she definitely didn't want people to be angry at her, but it was his next sentence that caught her attention more than anything else. Even more than the magic. Oh, he was tempting her now, purposefully trying lure her in like a fly in a spider's web - keeping the answers just out of reach from her probing mind. "Why not tell now?" The question was useless though, he had already hooked her, she didn't know how she could leave him now when he dangled something so tantalising as forbidden questions in front of her face.

He was feeding her everything she wanted, what a spoilt little cub, and she couldn't quite believe that she had eaten something that was magic, and it had made her glow. She really liked this magic stuff. "Yes, want very much, please." It was not taking her long to realise that 'please' was also a magical word, giving her what she wanted whenever she said it.

She was startled slightly when he started making strange sounds out of his mouth, head moving closer to his to try and study his own face as if she might be able to copy him, it took her a few seconds to understand that the sounds were similar to squeaks she had heard coming out of the runaway mouse, eyes widened slightly at that as her head - almost comically slowly - turned to look at where she had seen it run to. Akaari remained still, determined to be more patient this time, she let one ear listen to his strange form of communication that seemed to hypnotise the mouse, then, with sudden flick of her tail, she leaped after it, large paws stamping down and jaws grasping the small creature in a move faster than she thought she was capable of. Not that she had thought much about her own physical capabilities at that point. "Look!" Trying to speak around the animal in her jaws was...difficult, but that didn't hinder the prideful grin on her lips nor the way she gleefully hopped back to him. Eating the mouse before even offering a bit to him. "Thank you," was all he was going to get.

Perhaps, if he was going to be teaching her stuff - since she was not going to be willingly leaving him anytime soon at this rate - would she have to give him something in return? "I teach you too?" Maybe if she didn't offer he would expect her to owe him something later on when he was no longer teaching her stuff. She did not like the idea of owing something to someone. "I teach you to smile!" Smiling was giving her just a good feeling, a warm sensation throughout her body and an increase in her energy, was making her happy. That seemed like a good exchange to her.

Yes, well done, that bit of praise was definitely deserved and the cub would have it no other way. Her chest puffing out in satisfaction. Front paws back to tap dancing on the ground. Keep the compliments coming. But he didn't. She was already forming ideas in her mind about his lessons, she would probably have to start by pulling at his cheeks somehow to see how a smile would look on him. He was too small for her paws, maybe she could poke his face with a stone...Maybe.

Sometimes when she stared into his beady little eyes she felt as if there was a void hiding beneath and if she would look too long she might forget that he was actually nice to her, like now. He was talking and she was half listening, she was also thinking about the banana, and about glowing, and about the bioluminescent mouse, and about what sort of stone would fit best for teaching Archimedes how to smile. She didn't want to hurt him, but maybe he didn't know how at all just like she knew about pretty much nothing he was telling her. He was going to be more effort than she was.

Perhaps not so quick to snap herself out of it, though she had gathered the gist about what he was saying she only really tuned it properly when he affirmed that stupid people didn't have to be listened to. Granted that was pretty much the end of his speech, she couldn't exactly ask him to repeat because she was quite sure that that would not go down well. He had just given her so much to think about! "Yes...?" Definitely not the truth, could she tell him that though? What was tact? What exactly did she say to people? What was polite and what was not polite? What was arguing? Where could she find those others that knew lots? Did they know more than he did? Did ne know everything? "No..." Perhaps better to tell him the truth, she could trust him not to be too angry with her, right? He hadn't got mad with her yet. If him answering her stupid words questions was also him answering her other question then what exactly was he trying to tell her. "Too many questions, my head hurts." She began stroking at her own whiskers and maw, she thought it was a comfort thing for him and thus was doing it herself, the more she focused on petting her own cheek with her paw though the less her headache hurt her so perhaps his whisker thing worked. "Are we being polite?" Did he think she was speaking stupid words? Using that tact thing he mentioned at some point, was that at the beginning or the end of his speech? At the same time she couldn't really feel any negative feelings towards him, he was too useful, and she was becoming far too attached, which she did not like. That negative feeling was towards herself though, not him.

Perhaps, if she didn’t know that it would get her no where, the cub would start stamping her paw and demand answers - in all honesty, she was tempted - instead, she had to bite the impatience down with a bit too much force. “But you will tell?” Even if it meant that she had to keep coming back, asking him constantly like a moth drawn to a flame or a bird knowing that the trees are where they belonged, returning over and over again, even when the trees topple in silence to the forest floor.

He didn’t know that telling her they were being polite was not what she wanted to hear in that moment, her lips turning down in her first version of a frown, though she couldn’t quite explain why. “You’re not young, then?” What did you class as young and at what point were you then whatever not-young was? Was one better than the other? “Sharp? No, soft, look.” She would attempt to stretch herself upwards to reach him and press her cheek against his smaller body if he allowed, proving a point that the fur on her was all gentle edges and cloud-like, not sharp. That she knew better than him. The frown falling away, though her ears still remained back in a semblance of dismay.

“We’re friends? What is that?” She liked the sound of it though, much better than allies, was that what they were doing? An exchange of questions and answers and teaching skills? If so, yes, she would do the friends thing with him. She had her own idea though, a suggestion? “I have bigger legs, see -” A shake of her leg to the side of her, almost taking away all of her balance as she had to quickly place it back down before she began to fall over. “I could take you places!” How much of these caves had he not seen because of tiny little legs, more than her she was sure, but maybe not for long, she could beat him on that with her big girl legs! “Let’s go find safe place together!” A place that she could return to and find him, yes that sounded perfect, and she could bring all her treasures there when she found them, they could share! Though, of course, they would be hers, but he could borrow them! Maybe one of them would make him smile, she would just have to be sure she was there to see it.

“How do we know when something is not safe?” The girl was already enthusiastic to go, she didn’t know which way he would suggest they go, beginning to head one way - her tail limp behind her - then turning and heading the other, repeating the process. Never without energy.

Was this some trick of his? Magic that laced his tongue drew out the words in a chain, wrapping them around her mind and tugging at her consciousness to keep her content and loyal. She was powerless when he teased her with new information, a promise of a story in the future if only she remained a friend. Dangling a bottle of water in front of a desert-stranded man. Perhaps she listened to him too readily, he could be weaving a web of lies around her, mummifying the young girl in intricately chosen tales until she was too lost to find her way out. All she could do was forge herself by question after question, not thinking about the whys to his decisions or answers. Whether his intentions were good or bad, though, perhaps she wouldn't really care either way. What was the need for good and bad in the grand scheme of knowledge?

His laughter constantly seemed to startle her everytime, even in such a short time in knowing him, as if she already knew that such a sound would be a rare occurance and each moment was to be cherished. Not that it should matter, of course, she didn't need him, being a strong, independent cub and all, but she also couldn't explain in the pleasing feeling that twisted inside of her. "Intelligent, I like that." A though, only for a moment, had slipped away from her, though it came back in full force now. She had no thought to how the question would sound, whether it was something that was allowed to be asked without concequence. "You're intelligent too, but a weird spiky thing is on your leg." Against her cheek when pressing against his coarser fur was something she was yet to notice - mostly because she had not been looking for it - hard and stone like against her, though smoother. Better to preface something that could go wrong with a compliment.

The cub wasn't sure she'd use the word 'lucky', and somehow she was surprised he had used it to describe their meeting. The words he said were nice, and he wasn't exactly being cruel to her, though at the same time she couldn't help but miss something in his tone. As if reaching her own arms out wide in a hug and receiving a handshake in return. It did not deter her though, except for the confusing and often conflicting thoughts it gave her. She wasn't supposed to really be upset, he was giving her everything she wanted, and why be upset when she didn't need him, yet she just felt as if something was lacking. Not something worth worrying about, though. "No worry, you're not alone, we have each other." Really just repeating back what he had told her, but she liked how it sounded. "I've got them -" Whatever instincts were - "And strong. Caught mouse remember." Whith his help of course, but that was a piece of the story she was going to leave out of the narrative here. "No one will hunt and kill me, I have you." Invincible, of course, due to this whole 'each other' thing, if she wasn't alone she couldn't be hurt. That was good information to have.

"I like glowing things!"Which was likely obvious at this point, but facts had to be stated. That made the second one sound quite appealing, glowing crystals aside though, the open space sounded fun to run in but she had noticed how the mouse had hidden behind behind rocks when faced with danger and if she was faced with danger in an open space what was she to do other than fight. And chrysalis knows the girl has no idea how to fight. "Not danger though." A shake of her head to that one then. "No, not loud, need to think. But food sounds good. I tru-" uncertainty stopped the word slipping out, she wasn't too sure that she could yet say that she trusted him. "Warm sounds as good as loud." Scrunching up her nose to that suggestion, hedging on a disgusted look at it. Cold water and mosses did sound good though, but it didn't intrigue her. "Cold water Place not interesting enough." Okay, so maybe she was picky. No one was saying she wasn't. But this was where she wanted to make a place to stay so that they both knew where the other might be. It was important! That left one place that he suggested. And perhaps it was the word 'ruins' that drew her towards it, something unknown to her was always something worth checking out. Even if it turned out to be boring. It took her a moment, trying to imagine the places he described, she was left with an empty minds eye having nothing to compare the words to. She did, eventually make her decision though. "Will go to dim ruin room -" A decisive nod of her head, watching him for his reaction to her choice. "But will go to all later, yes, and will discover more and describe them to you!" Sitting back on her two legs and going through the rat's process of stroking her cheeks, probably a mannerism that will stick with her though definitely not done the way her own species would agree with.

She vowed, after his explanation, to look for the gemstone on every creature so that she could bring back to him descriptions of all these different stones. The big and the small, the colourful and the bland. She would store them in her mind until she came back to him. "Maybe I don't have one..."More of a mutter as she looked over herself, turning in circles and trying to stretch her neck in all angles, even opening her mouth wide then trying to turn her head upside down to look into it. It didn't work.

Like the darting of a spooked bird he shot off, and she was after his heels in an instant. Zig zagging this was and that, tongue dangling out the side of her mouth as she focused more on the dashing rat than the walls around her or the floor beneath her. "To Orion! To Orion!" A chant as they ran, the cub behind the new friend not quite fast enough yet - nor coordinated enough - to catch up to him. Perhaps she wasn't consciously thinking about him as prey but some part of her brain did know how to chase him, that she could wrap her jaws around him if she wanted and it would likely taste good and fill her stomach for a little while. But she was full on mouse and banana, he was friend and teacher only in that moment.

~ Exit