Redhawk Caldera in a field of broken antlers, i'm holy

Baal diverts his gaze but offers a smile; or what is meant to be a small smile. It hints at pain and lacks to fluidity of easy charm. No, easy charm and charisma was Hann’s specialty, exclusively his department. That was why it’d been natural that he assume leadership over les enfants terrible because he had everything naturally that Baal did not. Nevertheless, Lagan and him have something in common. Likely the only thing, Baal thinks but it’s something. He offers the other boy a stiff nod, not trusting his tongue which feels heavy in his mouth to speak. “I’m sure they’re very busy.” Baal offers understandingly in what he hopes is polite dismissal of Lagan’s apology. Besides, Baal isn’t truly confident that he’s worth their time. He hopes that he is but he can make the pragmatic connection of how he might very well not be with understanding, without offense very easily. He has no mirror-like surfaces to glimpse at himself (as to which he is very thankful of) and has avoided looking at his face in any sort of water source; in part because he does not wish to see how rawboned he’s become and because he’s afraid of seeing Hann in his gaunt face and seeing nothing short of disapproval that he knows his brother would feel towards him were he still alive to feel such things.

A man that could only be Lagan’s father arrives on the scene and Baal hunkers down, tucking tail close, ears splaying flat and pelage of his undercarriage scraping against the earth in submission. He spares the assumed alpha a glimpse and diverts his gaze to something behind Lagan, nearly curling in on himself as he feels what he perceives to be disapproval. It tastes bitter, it tastes like failure. It is a strong, acidic taste that makes Baal’s tongue curl in his mouth, but does not terribly surprise him. Would he be in the alpha’s position he wouldn’t exactly be all to eager to let him in, either. The suspense and build-up to rejection does not hurt quite so much when he can understand why it’s coming but it still leaves a sting nevertheless. The jury has not made their decision yet and Baal still sits on trial. His anxiety is heightened and he remains silent as the question was directed not at him but at Lagan and Baal tends to err to a strict ‘don’t speak unless spoken to’ rule of thumb.