Neverwinter Forest I start the party

@Valencia perhaps?!

Every day was much the same. Hunt, play with kids, do a patrol in some order. He'd been spending a bit more time towards the border since Simmik was away, just to make sure everyone was safe and sound. With the time that had passed, he'd also gotten a bit better at pretending everything was fine. Might not be the cheeriest Mal's ever been, but it was passable. And as long as Cupid didn't show up to crash the party, he'd probably be fine. 

So right now? Patrol. He'd just gotten to the borders and started sniffing around. Who all had been out here earlier? Any strangers coming this way? Didn't seem like it. That was good and bad, he supposed. A few more new people might be nice, but only if they didn't bring trouble with them. After peeing on a tree, he trotted along, seeing what he might see.

Patrol, eat, patrol, sleep. Rinse and repeat. Lenny was stuck in this funk nowadays, she thought, and while she loved it here - really and truly - she missed excitement. Missed fun. It was great to have her sister and this new family, and she had no complaints about her life, but sometimes she did want something... more fulfilling, she guessed. Something exciting.

So, when she saw Mal, she picked up the pace. Maybe a spar would do them both some good. 

Taking a few quick steps forward, Lenny hurried to stand in front of the leader, ears angled forward and a smile on her maw. "Hey," she greeted, tail waving slowly. "You look just as bored as me."

He did have to wonder about the future. Would it be better then? How would things settle? Would he be happy by then? He had to wonder, it wasn't like there were really clues. Things loved going off track, or so seemed this experiences so far. So, mark a tree, wander along, ponder the meaning of life. So it went.

But he wasn't alone, Valencia appeared. It had been a while since they'd had a proper conversation, so he was happoy to see her. I mean when it comes to patrols, boring is good. Wouldn't mind a break from some of this stuff though. He gave her a playfully devious look, You're up to no good though, aren't you? Probably not, but he could hope, so accuse her and maybe she'd find something that might play along.

It had been a while since she'd seen Mal, but he was a busy guy. She didn't want to bother him, if she could help it. But now, when he was just out on patrol and fate had tossed them together, she didn't think it'd be a big deal. 

"Am I ever up to anything good?" she questioned, tail swaying at her hocks. "Just trying to patrol and make sure everybody's safe. Things've been so weird lately." Weird meaning stressful, and tense. "Maybe find a sparring buddy?" she asked, hopeful that he'd take the hint. It was important to keep everyone's skills sharp.

I don't know. He gave it some particularly theatrical thought, then confirmed, I'm sure it's always trouble. A swift nod. But yeah, weird's been a good way to describe things. Then again, don't think we got normal. It just didn't exist. Ever met his family? It was pretty odd and abnormal. But he was making things here work, as best as he could.

Sparring wasn't his normal thing. Still, he tipped his head, peering at her, Done many with Simmik? I'm probably the budget desperation pick in comparison. A cheeky grin. Really, he wasn't much of a challenge, was he? Irrational flailing about in comparison to Simmik at least. He hadn't tried facing off against her, but was pretty sure he'd get thumped pretty badly. Surely Lenny wouldn't be desperate.... Or maybe she was, who knows.

"Normal is such a relative term," Lenny responded with a bright grin. In fact, she preferred the chaos of Neverwinter to the stringency of Torbine. "We don't need to be normal here. It's good the way it is."

A soft laugh pulled from her throat at the self-deprecation Mal so easily spoke. "Nah. You're fun to fight. Besides, you need to be able to defend yourself too, don't you?" she questioned, tipping her head to the side. "It never hurts to brush up on some self defense."

Well at least she didn't want him to try to shape things into something of a normal shape. Mal was pretty much the least likely wolf on earth that would be able to actually do that so good thing it wasn't on the list.

He also lacked the ability to take things seriously when it wasn't absolutely required. Gee. What, you don't believe my wit and charm will get me out of a bind? he said, laying it on a little thick on purpose, with an extra flirty sort of look as he continued, But go on, do your worst, teach me a lesson. I'll be ready for whatever you dish out. A pause, he quipped, at least partially breaking from his earlier expression, Sort of. So you better lead on that one. What did she have in mind?