"Hey, Yanqing. What's that in Mimi's mouth?" Daiyu asked the young lieutenant as he followed where her eyes were. They were chatting when the panthera noticed something red hanging from the lion's mouth.
Yanqing squinted his yellow eyes at that red thing. It wasn't blood, which was a relief. It was swaying, so it was an object. It looked familiar to the young boy. The lion set it down on the floor, pawing it playfully. That gave Yanqing to see what it was as his eyes widened in alarm.
"Mimi! You stole the general's hair ribbon again?!"
The white lion's ears went up at Yanqing's voice and immediately picked up the ribbon and started running with his master's prodigy on his tail. "Quick, Daiyu! Mimi could choke on that!" He told her as the panthera caught up and blocked Mimi's way of escape from the outside to the garden.
"Come on, Mimi. Give me the ribbon." She gently told him, slowly reaching her hand for the ribbon hanging in his jaws. Grunting in disapproval, the big cat turned around only to be caught by surprise to find Yanqing in front of him. The boy held his arms wide to trap the lion.
With Mimi caught off guard, Daiyu took the chance to grab the ribbon out. The red fabric slipped out of his mouth, making Mimi turn around and pounce on her. Daiyu yelped in surprise, holding one arm in front of her for defense while the other kept the lion back. She felt him tugging on her sleeve, and his teeth slightly sinking in it. He wasn't biting her nor trying to harm her. But Mimi was determined to get his toy back.
"Daiyu!" Yanqing yelled, coming over to help his friend. "Bad boy, Mimi! Get off of Daiyu right now! Don't make me get the general!" He threatened the massive predator, tugging on his white fur and mane to pull him away. Mimi ignored him and just kept trying to persistently take back his toy. Daiyu, being a panther, snarled a warning at the lion who replied back with a snarl as her hand kept pushing him back.
"MIMI!!"
A voice, loud as thunder, echoed in the room, turning heads to find a general with his hair down and a disapproving, furious look written on his face. "Come here. Now." He ordered his lion firmly as Mimi finally ceased and walked to his master with his head down. Daiyu huffed in relief to have the heavy weight of that lion off her. "Yanqing, I think Mimi needs to cut down on his meals." She suggested as the boy helped her up, scanning her for potential injuries.
"How could you, Mimi? Attacking our friend like that. Last time." The general scolded his pet harshly as the lion shrunk with ears down. While Jing Yuan could disregard it since lions like to play rough, he wasn't gonna tolerate it if it hurt his friends.
Daiyu assured Yanqing she was alright as her eyes glanced at her boyfriend. However, she looked back at him when she noticed something that made her face heat up. Without his ribbon, which was in her hand, his hair was let down, falling to its true length down his back. Honestly, when you compare him to Mimi, he really did look like a white lion, minus the ears and tail.
She had always seen him with his hair up and rarely any other hairstyle. He looked different with it loose, but it was eye-catching to her. If Yanqing and Mimi weren't here, she would've walked up to him and ran her fingers through it as she pleased. And knowing Jing Yaun, he wouldn't have mind either.
Yanqing noticed the look on her face and looked at her confused. "Um, Daiyu? Are you ok?" He asked her, noticing how her hand clenched the ribbon tightly. However, Jing Yuan thought his prodigy was asking her in terms of injury, and he walked up to her with concern on his face.
Fortunately, Daiyu shook herself out of it so he wouldn't notice her aweing him with his hair down. "Y-Yes! Mimi didn't hurt me. I'm fine." She assured them, stuttering a little. "My apologies, Daiyu. It would seem I have to discipline Mimi for his behavior." Jing Yuan said, scanning the panthera for any injuries, but to his relief, she was ok. That was when his eyes spotted his hair ribbon in her hand.
"Ah. I was looking for this. So that was what the commotion was about. Mimi loves playing with this ever since he was cub. But I prefer to keep it away in case he swallows it and hurts himself by mistake." He explained as he took the ribbon from her, letting it slip past her fingers literally.
"I guess it's a cat thing." Daiyu added as she watched him put his hair back up. He glanced at her, and she hurriedly turned her face, feeling her cheeks heat up. "If you'll excuse me, I gotta go." She told him frantically, walking away at a quick pace to avoid any questions.
Mimi and Yanqing looked in confusion at her behavior, but Jing Yuan merely smiled and chuckled amused. For he knew what she was thinking exactly.
