Altar of Twilight valacirca

The sound of laughter had taken him by surprise, but it wasn't but a moment later that a grin replaced the expression. His tail wagged a few times, still embarrassed, but considerably less so given the humour of it. It'd been easy to move past his oblivious comment, attention directed back towards his friend. "I'm glad to hear that they're kind to you there," he'd voiced. There wasn't much he was capable of doing should the answer have been different, but surely he would have tried something—anything—in order to make sure that the man wasn't being mistreated. "It's good that you were able to find a familiar face to settle in with." Despite his hesitation towards joining Aesop at the mountain, he couldn't deny that he would have done so in a heartbeat had anyone from the Bypass resided there. They'd been family, once upon a time, after all.

In a few steps, the space between them had been closed. Alastor had kept still, watching the other with furrowed brows as he'd attempted to figure out what he was doing, only to have the answer given to him before he'd been able to actually ask. From confusion to surprise, his expression had shifted several times before finally settling on contentment; it was as if some part of his mind had decided that that was were he belonged. The gesture was reciprocated, his head having leaned forward just enough to mimic the touch. "You will," he'd assured. "I promise." The words had been but a murmur into the crook of the man's neck, but not any less important. His word had been given, and it was something that he'd never break or go back on.