[~ Private RP with NukaKun ~]

[Applejack]

Nuka snickered softly and watched her get out, shaking herself dry. A noise caught in his throat as he watched her, and he quickly averted his eyes. "Never said you did, Tupa. I just figured I'd extend a courtesy paw. Deserts dont exactly have many rivers. Thats why they're well, deserts."

He giggled and slowly started off down a well worn path that looked like it hadn't been traveled in a while. As he slipped through it expertly, knowing the path like the back of his paw, he called back to her, explaining this place. "I found this place when I was a cub and needed to find somewhere when I needed to be alone. I'm not always a tough lion, y'know." He snickered as a serious look crossed his face. "Growing up under mother can be hard, and even harder when nothing you say or do makes even a slight effect on her mood towards you, so I found this place when I needed somewhere to cry. She'd thrown me in the river, and I'd ended up paddling down here. I pulled myself out of the water and found this here path. It looked like it had been abandoned long ago, and there were no smells on it, so I wandered up it and found this." He stepped aside to reveal a small cave. It looked pretty plain on the outside, and he was sure that her first impression would be that it was just a plain old cave with nothing special about it. "Its not the outside, but the inside that I think will catch your breath."

Nuka slowly stepped into the cave, his eyes working to quickly adjust to the dim light. As he padded deeper in, the walls began to shimmer slightly, a slow, water sound rebounding across the cave walls. The crystals all around him flashed the reflectsions of a small underground lake in the cave, and he smiled as he walked up to it, the moon above reflecting off of the water thanks to a hole in the ceiling. "This is my private haven. You're the only person to set paw in here besides me." He sat down slowly next to a particularly large crystal and sighed, not noticing that the crystal reflected a warm, glowing blue-white light on his fur, making his wet fur shine and glimmer.

[Baya]

"Seems as though not having a mom is better than having a mom like Zira." Tupa spat bitterly. She lost her mother shortly after she stopped suckling, but a mother that deliberately abandoned her cub or put them to harm? That was something Tupa could NEVER wrap her mind around. The alcove was beautiful, and Tupa took in its sights as she walked behind Nuka. It seemed as though much has gone on in his life. To think, Baya and she had thought that these outlanders were pampered. They suffered the same horrors the rogues did, but on a less intense level.

"Nuka, this is a great place. Thanks for showing it to me." Tupa murmured quietly, looking at the large crystal. "No matter how tough your mom is on you...there's nothing wrong with you. I hope you know that. Sometimes, creatures go mad. It isn't any more your fault then it is mine." Tupa condoned, not wanting Nuka to feel the pain he has for awhile. She moved in to nuzzle him again, more so to reaffirm what she said.

"There are times when I think Baya hates me, if that helps you at all. I know how it feels to not ever be good enough..." Tupa murmured quietly, her eyes half closed. As strong as she was, she needed comfort too. Baya didn't let her cry since she was a cub, saying crying made no change to her world, only allowed her to marinate in its filth. Tupa was on the verge of tears right now, but wouldn't dare let them spill in front of Nuka. She had to set an example, so he too wouldn't feel so hurt by his mother's rejection.

[Applejack]

"Tell that to the entire pride," he muttered to himself. "They all think it..." He shook his head slowly and turned his head to look at her, noticing her facial expression. "Hey, hey now. Are you ok?" Then she nuzzled him again and he did not hesitate this time, placing a paw around her back, drawing her in closer to him.

"Who cares about Baya. I mean, he's like your father, I get that, and he raised you, but.. he treats you like dirt." He looked at her and realized he might have gone too far. "Well, not to say who cares about him, but... maybe... there's someone else for you to care about, too?" He decided to close his mouth, afraid of saying the wrong thing. Why would she want a failure like you when she can still have big, strong Baya to look up to as a father? He sighed inwardly for being such an idiot and looked down at her. "I'm sorry," he said again. "I might have acted too hastily. If you'll want to make your way back to the mound, I'll understand. I planned on staying here tonight anyways. I'll be able to stay here alone. I've done it plenty before."

[Baya]

Tupa shook her head and continued to nuzzle him. "He doesn't treat me like dirt. He's just distant. Really distant. I know he's suffered alot. Plenty more than I have. Perhaps being within a pride will open his mind. I hope, for the sake of his health and sanity." Tupa whispered as she pushed her head more under Nuka's head. Tupa giggled slightly. "I'll stay with you. I don't think you need to be alone with your thoughts...they'll eat away at you. I know mine do that." Tupa murmured quietly.

[Applejack]

For some reason, all thought of being tough slipped form his mind as Nuka felt something within him open up. He smiled softly and began nuzzling Tupa continuously, purring softly. He was going to risk his entire friendship with Yupa, but he hoped that it would be worth it. He looked at her and inched closer to her, purring a little more steadily. "And here I thought all rogues were brutes. I guess even beasts have a beautiful side. Though, I dont believe you're a beast at all." He smiled, remembering with a slight blush the images of her stretching infront of him and also shaking her fur dry. "You say that no one cares about you, really, Tupa, but, I'd like to think that there could be someone that does care." He looked away, then down, his breath running softly down her neck as his paw remained firm on her back, holding her close to him.

[Baya]

Tupa's smile only grew wider. "I know you care. If you didn't, I wouldn't have come out here with you, now would I have?" Tupa pointed out with a giggle. "It's only been a day Nuka. Perhaps we should ease up on the intimacy. I would like to see myself as hard to get." Tupa said as she pushed Nuka back teasingly.

"I'm not saying that I don't care about you, though alot of the fun is in the chase." Tupa pointed out with a grin. "Now are you sure you wanna stay here tonight?" Tupa asked. [Sorry its so short. Dunno what to say xD. Figured she should be like NUH UH! I AINT NO HUSSIE!]

[Applejack]

(lol, I hear you there. He's all, Whaddid I do wrong?")

Nuka realized what he was doing with a soft blush and looked away, realizing that maybe he had lessend his chances for anything. "Hey, I wasn't trying to, like, Y'know.. I'm sorry." He chuckled softly as she pushed him away and lay down next to the crystal he'd stood at previously. "I wasn't trying to speed things along, y'know." He shook his head, knowing he'd went too fast, and chastized himself for going on first instinct. He really should have waited to get to know her better, and he knew it. A small look crossed his face, but even he couldn't place the emotion. "We could definitly spend the night here. Its why I brought you here. I figured you might like a night away from Baya."

(Smaller posts are good sometimes too, xD)

[Baya]

"I could use many nights away from Baya. I'm not a little cub anymore. I think more and more of him though. What would happen if I left him to go back to the desert on his own?" Tupa murmured. "He would get crazier and crazier...if that could even happen." Tupa said with a roll of her eyes as she laid down near the crystal. "I'll stay here for tonight. No harm. Let's just make an alliby for tomorrow so Baya doesn't tear you in twain." Tupa said with a sigh.

"By the way, don't feel ashamed. I just don't want to get too intimate too fast. It's for the best, trust me." Tupa murmrued as she closed her right eye.

//

Baya was beginning to doze off outside, the moon's glow making the sand around him almost look white. He figured it was time to go inside and drag Vitani out, but he didn't have the strength at the moment. Perhaps he would leave it for the next day.

[Applejack]

Nuka nodded slowly, understanding completely what Tupa was saying. He really had rushed into things headfirst, just because he had almost leaped at the prosepct of showing someone that he was worth caring about, and that he could care. He turned slightly so that he was looking at her and nodded slowly. "I wouldn't want to lose this for the world. Don't worry, I wont mention it to him." He nodded again as she mentioned the intimacy and responded softly, "I wasn't trying to push too fast into it. I'm sorry." He felt himself slipping slowly and closed his eyes, relaxing softly.

\\ \\ \\ \\ \\ \\ \\ \\ \\ \\
Vitani shifted inside the mound, rolling softly in her sleep. She hadn't meant to fall asleep, and would most likely hear no end of this tomorrow, but she couldn't concider it. She was already out.

(TS, or you going to sleep?)

[Baya]

Tupa awoke the next day with a much fresher mind set and in a much better mood. She noticed that Nuka had decided to get a little bit closer to her, but didn't care as she was sort of found of the feeling she got when they touched. She giggled as she tugged on Nuka's ear to wake him up. "Wake up. We should probably get back before Baya realizes I'm gone...or... there could be your masculinity that comes at a cost." Tupa warned. She slowly trotted towards the entrance of the Alcove, looking at Nuka and waiting.

//

Baya woke up with a start, looking around quickly and with wild eyes. When he remembered that he was in the outlands and working under Zira, he calmed down. His breath shook as it was exhaled, as he had a nightmare of when he was a cub. It was always the same sort of nightmare, replaying the events of how he got his first scar, which was by a lioness he mistook for his mother at a watering hole. As tough as he was, the most prudent memory always brought him to a mental state of fear. He always managed to shake it off though.

Baya's face took its regular expressionless look to it, as he stood and stretched. He scratched the back of his head, looking to the horizon as the sun began to rise more and more. Then another thought crossed his mind. Where on earth was Tupa?