[PRIVATE: DGFone & Thewhistlerify]

[DGFone]

Deciding to have a bit of fun himself, Delano stood up quickly and shook himself dry, making sure to get Lina with water as he did so. Based on her shrieks of annoyance and loud complaining, he did rather well in that regard.

"So perhaps I was," he replied simply as he sat back down, feeling rather smug, "but you know that I won't boast so much if it wasn't mostly true." For this comment, he received a paw to the nose, although this time, it was obvious that Lina wasn't trying to hurt him. So rolling his eyes and letting out a very loud sigh of annoyance, Delano glared at his mate. "What? You want to tell me that it's not true?"

[TheWhistlerify]

Looking at her mate with an annoyed frown, Lina stood up and walked past Delano, brushing her side against him before returning and doing the same with the other one to dry herself off with his fur as much as possible. Then, she shook whatever water was left soaked into her fur as well. Much better. "You know you're the best lion to me." she said, smiling and giving him a loving lick across his muzzle. The male deserved that after her little stunt with the waterhole and after she'd utilized him as a towel. Plus, she really meant what she was saying.

[DGFone]

When Lina took the time to use Delano as a towel to get him wet all over again, he didn't bother to try and get back at her this time - she would simply find another way to get him all wet again, so why bother? Besides, even with all the joking he just did, the way she said her latest statement just melted him. "Th-thanks, Lina," he mumbled quietly as she kissed him.

"You really do know how to tame me," Delano added when they finally slowly ended the embrace, "what would I ever do without you?" He reached out and pulled her close to him, rubbing their heads together.

[TheWhistlerify]

Lina couldn't help but giggle playfully at Delano's little remark. "Well... So do you!" she said, giving him a quick lick across his muzzle before purring loudly in approval as the two of them rubbed their heads together. Aside from the flirtatious side of her response, what she just said to her mate was also true in the way he'd originally meant it himself. She remembered being far more energetic and maybe even childish up until the point where she started seeing Delano and eventually settled down with him. It was almost like getting married had made her assume a more mature approach to her life, in one way or another.

[DGFone]

Delano tilted his head to the side and looked at Lina, silently telling her that he didn't believe that he was any successful in 'taming' her. "Yeah? After today, I think that if anything, all I have managed to do was make you even more wild than before." When Lina grunted playfully, he chose to explain what he meant.

"Look at it this way: when I first met you, you were very timid and well... you didn't really do much. That is what I would call tame. Now-" He lifted a paw in the air for emphasis, "let's count your sins today. One: Cheating in the race. Two: trying to drown me. Multiple times. Three..." he grinned, "that appeasement..."

Seeing how Lina was blushing now, Delano decided that he didn't need to continue describing everything to her. "So from what I see, you are less tame than before, not more so. If you think otherwise, do try and explain to me how the case is another way."

[TheWhistlerify]

Lina very seriously doubted that the way she and her mate messed with each other was any real indication of what they were really like when they weren't goofing off and what not, but she chose not to argue with Delano over the matter. There would be no point to that anyway and, like almost every single time, this argument was quite silly to say the least. Besides, with how she usually never let the male have the last word / laugh in these situations, he deserved the satisfaction of supposedly silencing her at least this time.

Also, there was that comment... "Oi, that's not much coming from the lion who accepted that appeasement!" she shot back, her cheeks still red with embarrassment. "As if the first thing that came to your mind when we agreed to spend the day together wasn't the exact same thing!" Delano never liked talking about that subject directly, but they were still a mated pair with very little time on their paws. Heck, if he weren't thinking the same way as her over the matter, she'd have been worried.

"Mr. don't look at me like that because it's not going to work this time or Mr. thanks, Lina, I really needed that!" Well... They were both clearly embarrassed now, but Lina had to admit that this was quite amusing too.

[DGFone]

As soon as Lina started to argue with him, Delano had to pull back, his entire head feeling as though it was on fire because of how much he was embarrassed. "Okay, you really got me with this one, you are completely correct" he mumbled, hoping that his mate would drop it. She didn't, at least not right away.

When she finally did though, he nervously glanced at her, hoping that she wasn't simply waiting for him to look at her again before unleashing more words at him. However, she was also very much embarrassed, and didn't resume talking. "Had enough?" he cautiously asked, and relaxed when she nodded her head.

"So maybe you are less tame than before. Just... not all the time." He still thought that Lina wasn't entirely more mature as she claimed to be, especially after today. She was almost a completely different lioness when Akili is around.

[TheWhistlerify]

As good as it felt to get back at Delano for his embarrassing remark, Lina really was feeling way too embarrassed herself by that point in order to continue their little back and forth even further. So, upon realizing that her mate was on the same page is her in that regard, the lioness nodded her head in approval, letting him know that she did, in fact, have enough.

It was very much true that Lina acted way more immaturely than usual whenever she and her mate were alone. But everyone had an inner, playful child inside them, and she could let herself act more freely while alone with Delano than when she played with their cub, for example. Akili really reminded her how fun it was to be little, but there was playtime and there were other moments. Being a mother was more than bonding with the little fluff ball by goofing off with him, and there were times where she truly did feel like she was mature enough for the role of a parent. "No, not all the time." she admitted with a smile. "But that's what makes it fun."

[DGFone]

Even though he got Lina to at least partially agree with him, Delano wasn't sure if that was entirely what he wanted. "I don't even know who I prefer more though," he replied, "the boring, tame, mature Lina, or... or the wild, fun, murdering Lina..." He flashed a grin at her, "you do know that I will never live it down, do you?"

Moving his head away from a swipe from one of her paws, he then added just to top it off, "I am still considering whether or not to tell Akili about it. You know how much he likes me, so I don't know if he will take it kindly to learn that you tried to murder his favorite father..." He stuck his tongue out at Lina, already having forgotten about their whole argument just moments before.

So maybe Lina was more mature than him. But he was never going to admit it, at least not to her.

[TheWhistlerify]

Lina playfully rolled her eyes. "As if it's that big a mystery who you prefer more..." she said teasingly, once again referring to their "little" moment from earlier. She had no doubt that Delano also enjoyed loosening up and acting immaturely, intimacy and all that aside. Well, that all seemed to come under the same package, at least in his eyes. But the lioness didn't mind. All the childish competitions and "murder attempts" were not only a way to act like cubs but to also spice things up a little.

The lion then proceeded to once again "threat" her with telling their son about the way she'd tried to drown him... how many times? Eh, who cared... Chuckling, she gave him a quick lick on the nose when he stuck his tongue out at her. "You're his only father, you know..." she stated, giving her muscular, large and loving hairball a hug and nuzzling him affectionately.