Even though it would be rather clear to the most untrained and oblivious eyes of those who did not know exactly what the lion and the red panda were, so unaware of the deep magic and supernatural air that surrounded this city, surely they might think that the beast would have wasted little time in making a meal of the much smaller creature. They would think that instinct was instinct, and perhaps to a small degree, these mortal minds untouched by a reality so many were told only existed in books and myth might be right. A part of the lion registered a feline curiosity about the female who had quite literally stumbled upon him, and he acknowledges this part of the animal he was. And yet, the were was entirely too in control of those more primitive thoughts brushing against the furthest corners of his mind for the small and equally intrigued female to have even the slightest of needs to worry that she may not be safe in his presence, practically capable of curling into his side should she have been so compelled to. Their species would never have existed alongside the other naturally, Roman's pride calling the sun-scorched grasslands and savannahs a vastly different environment compared to the of snow, ice, and rugged mountains he knew her kind to come from. And, in truth, the red panda likely could not be in a safer place within the depths of the forest as the lion would hardly hesitate to leap to her defense should someone - or someone - else happen upon the pair finding themselves in each other's company. Simply because the were was in fact one of the more dangerous predators that walked the earth, he was far from savage, that human part or him driving Roman to be the calm and kind creature that he was now, laying there across the warmed surface of the sunning rock he favored on days such as this where he allowed for the beast to stretch its limbs and exist as he was so accustomed to. Even as a juvenile, the lion had always been relatively in control of those wild and reckless tendencies enough to know that hunting was intended for survival, meant to fill his stomach and provide thick muscle and sinew with the nutrients they needed in order to maintain his strength. With food nowhere near as scarce as he had grown up enduring, the were certainly capable of finding those odd jobs and tasks to keep just enough money to where he could live in simple comfort without needing to call on his beast as often as he and his pride had sometimes required, there was absolutely no reason for Roman to be any sort of danger to anyone or anything, though may the gods have mercy on any who thought to threaten Roman or the female so very close to him in this moment.

There is a subtle and soft amusement that touches the lion as golden-hazel eyes watch the clear excitement etched into the panda, how her dark eyes seem to practically gleam and glow with his assurance that he knew what she was, entirely certain the unique yet undeniably endearing woman was none of the common-day animals she'd been considered to be. While he had never been to her native grounds, India far from the reaches of his family, especially when it had been the vast plateaus of seemingly endless grassland that they traveled over. His earliest memories can remember the depths of the Congo basin, where the forests were dense and humid, where wildlife was plentiful and yet threatened all the same by unrelenting greed and poaching which would eventually see the creatures whom called it their home and sanctuary teetering dangerously on the precipice of either being endangered or perhaps hanging by the thinnest and ever-fraying strand of existence that kept them from falling into extinction, only to exist within those historic books which would speak of animals and civilizations alike that have lost their place in the world. While the nomadic life was perhaps not the preferring way of living for many or most, it was the one that he and his pride had led. And, though they never truly had a place they called theirs and theirs alone, the places he's seen, the earth those paws have touched... it was something that so very few would ever have the chance to say they've done, seen, or felt. They'd kept mostly to the smallest villages and towns, often poverty-stricken and filled with people trying to make ends meet, and it was in seeing so many struggling, often alone and without the love and support Roman had known for so much of his life, that could perhaps be considered a fraction of the reason as to why the lion was humble and compassionate, respectful of all living things and seeing it ever-crucial to take only what one needed rather than all that one wanted, those two things almost always seeming to be entirely different from one another. He's ventured along the gulf of guinea, seen the bright blue ocean and white beaches along the south atlantic ocean crowded by tourists, walked across the sahara... It was not often that he spoke of the things that he has seen during his travels with his family beside him, and it was when the red panda he shared this moment with almost seemed to beam with bright curiosity, asking after the places he'd been, that has the lion remembering fondly the many things he has seen and the places he'd been fortunate enough to find.

"I have seen most of eastern Africa, walked through the jungles of the Congo basin, sailed across the Mediterranean sea... There are far too many places to name", he answers truthfully in deep baritones, a gentle fondness settling over the were as he regards the excitement in the panda."I have been to Italy. Sicily was perhaps the most beautiful. I hope that you might have the chance to see it when you go", he continues then, a mild wistfulness touching his golden-hazel gaze as he thinks back to that city he'd had the privilege to see. Perhaps, if ever there was a chance for him to go back, he would take it. The worn stone structures along the pristine beaches, the blue of the ocean waters that lapped lazily at the white shorelines... it was indeed one of the few that Roman had truly enjoyed the beauty of. And to think of what life might have been like had he stayed, having parted ways with his pride long before crossing that sea on a cargo ship he'd been able to find work on... Who knows, perhaps he would have followed his pride to the end of Africa. Perhaps he might have even made it to Cape Horn. But, the lion did not muse the thoughts of what could have been in this moment. No, he would save such thoughts for another day, when he was alone... Instead, he can see the bashfulness that comes over the russet creature before him, making her all the more endearing to Roman and furthering that familiar fondness he so felt for his younger sister, Dea. Surely, had the two met, they could have been friends. She lowers herself back onto all four paws then, those radiant hazel eyes seeming to shift with the realization that she'd lost track of the fluttering insect. When those ears droop ever so slightly, the lion cannot help but want to see her spirits shining just as they had only moments ago. It was unusual for Roman to feel such a warmth and gentleness for someone he's only just met, and yet the were finds that he cannot help how it is that she coaxes from him. Bringing his gaze back to the panda to offer his answer to her question, the rumble in his deep chest begins again in primitive agreement to her own reply, nodding his massive head softly."What a coincidence. Your favorite butterfly happens to be my older sister's favorite as well", he remarks easily, remembering with perfect clarity such a subject being brought up among his sisters on one of the countless afternoons their pride had shared in simple peace and relaxation. Nicolette would have bene delighted to know that while Trinity and Dea did in fact seem to share Roman's opinion on monarchs, there was some else that found the radiant and rich blue of the morpho butterflies to be just as stunning if not more so than those deep blacks and oranges.

Again, she ushers forth another wave of almost affectionate amusement as he watches the panda's excitement when her own eyes find the butterfly flitting through the air at the opposite end of the glade. He knows then what would perhaps help her to recover from the loss of her previous companion, though he was almost entirely certain that with the sight of this new creature, she might have dismissed the loss of the one before it. Lifting himself from the comforts of his sunning rock and leaping down into the grass, he can hardly keep himself from humming in amusement at the panda's enthusiasm, he turns his massive head adorned by a thick golden mane to watch as she scrambles off the rock."We'd best be quick, we might lose him", he beckons playfully then towards her. For the first time in far too long for the lion to remember, he feels that surge of playfulness rushing over his massive and muscular frame at the sight of the russet-furred creature racing through the tall, wild blades swaying in a gentle breeze that brushes against his tawny pelt. Large paws push the him forward then at a trot to begin with, only to shift into a lope further ahead, tail flicking as primal vigor rushed through the beast. He stops at the edge, the butterfly having fluttered further away with his approach, but it was in turning to glance over his shoulder to the panda that is the reason for his sudden stop. What fun was a game of chase if didn't take into consideration his clear advantage, those strides of his far longer than her own and yet he was certain that she was plenty fast enough to catch up to him, perhaps even faster than he thought she might be. Size was a deceitful thing, after all. Besides, he did not want her to grow tired too quickly when their adventure's only just begun! Puffing playfully, tufted tail flicking, he waits until she's nearly caught up to him, a fusion of fondness and amusement flickers through golden-hazel eyes. How long had it been when last the lion had been so carefree, so able to indulge in that part of himself which had once been a common thing when his life had been surrounded by his family? Admittedly, it had been years... far too long, that he might have even thought he'd forgotten how to play at all. And now, here he was, sharing an afternoon with a stranger so capable of bringing forth that side of the lion he'd only ever shown to his pride. How very strange and wonderfully unpredictable life could be.