Things were well within the tribe, their new location proving to be free of trouble. Often she missed the dome, but understood it was now in the past. They could not return there, most likely not even for a brief visit. Surprisingly, she was starting to grow less bothered by that. It was awful what had happened, but they had escaped with their lives. That was what really counted, and was, perhaps, the reason she did not long to return to the volcano. Alas, even though she was doing fine, she wondered how it weighed on the minds of the others—especially those who'd been present when they'd been instructed to leave.
Asterr had decided to seek out Semble upon her remembrance of the event. Of those who'd been there, he was the one she'd spent the least bit of time around. The dragoness knew not what was to be expected of him, what thoughts he might have. She wished to keep silent, however, during her search for him. So, instead of summoning the male with a howl, she'd taken to following his scent.
Her steps were brisk, wishing to locate him before another could be given a chance to intercept her. Thankfully, luck was on her side as she'd spotted a familiar form, and the girl was quick to close the distance between them. Upon her moving nearer, she offered a gentle chuff, which was then followed by a soft,
"Hello."
Semble had been reliving the moments of their battle when the dragoness approached him, almost not noticing her presence from his delving thoughts. Her greeting was a bit of a surprise to him, but made sense since the two had yet to really speak after him joining their pack. His position retracted to a more submissive stance, and he gave the girl a fake smile, hoping to detain his feelings at the time. Truthfully, he felt almost as bad as when he had witness the death of his pack, and left while he could, but after that he had been such a happy-go-lucky type, always smiling, extremely social, etc., but after the battle between their neighboring pack, and him actually making a wolf bleed gave him the darkest feelings in the world. He'd never hurt a wolf before, unintentional or not, and he tried to keep it from affecting him so much, besides, this was bound to happen at some point. Still, it remained in his thoughts that he had wounded someone and not even mean it, if he could do such a thing in reflex imagine what he could do on purpose. He'd rather not think of it.
"Hello!" He attempted to sound cheerful that she was here, which he was, but failing at acting, since he was going through what he was. His tail gave a slight side to side, showing he was glad she was here. Perhaps his alpha could keep him from reverting back to his unpleasant mind, this was his break and he wouldn't take advantage of it. "How are you?" Referring to the stress she must have been through because of the move and battle, imagine what she had been through! He began to feel he as completely overreacting, yet the ache in his stomach remained.
When the girl had approached, she'd suspected something to be troubling the male. He'd seemed distant, proceeding to then tamper with the dark art of false emotions. Asterr was the perceptive sort, it was a trait she'd been born with and then made to improve upon as she'd grown, allowing her to see through his farce of a smile. It'd troubled her not because he'd attempted to lie, but because he'd felt the need to do so. It had reflected how she'd neglected him as a member of her tribe, a realization that she felt shock towards upon making. It was true, she'd noticed, that she seemed to unintentionally favour a select few over the majority. Such a biased way of leading was not what she'd wished to be known for, and made a quick note to work towards fixing the situation.
The dragoness' greeting was returned, and to that she offered a soft smile. Then he continued with his words, asking a query that, in truth, she felt herself to not be deserving of while within his company. So, gently, she shook her head as if to dismiss his question. "It is I who should be asking you that," the yearling pointed out. "You do not seem to be yourself." In truth, though, how could she really tell? Hardly any of her time had been spent with Semble, but even still, she felt something to be off. The overall feeling in the air that surrounded them was tense, another thing she wished to remedy. "Are you well?" It was made clear by her tone that she would accept no lies, only the truth.
Semble shifted uncomfortably, was he really that bad an actor? Or was she just that skilled a wolf? Either way she could tell he was bothered some way. He was aware the two hadn't spoken much, and this seemed to be the perfect time to converse with his alpha, but he expected it to be a more lighthearted subject, versus his obvious troubled thoughts. Asterr did avoid his question, but he assured himself it was for good reason, such as her worrying more for him, or just not wanting to dwell on herself. He had opened his mouth, hoping to support the idea of him being well, but after delving into her tone—and not wanting to lie to his alpha—he closed it thought once more how to respond.
"Truthfully, I'm not doing the best." He admitted, avoiding eye contact, ashamed for him to pity himself so much. Telling himself others had it much worse, and it was pathetic to be complaining about hurting another, when he wasn't hurt at all, but the lies in his mind didn't help.
On account of Semble being adopted by another player, I went ahead and wrapped this up. Minor PP.
It was, perhaps, a combination of the two's abilities and lack thereof that had led to her discovery. Asterr was perceptive by nature, her senses seeming to always zero in on those who were troubled. That, combined with the male's mediocre acting, had made seeing through the ploy similar to a walk through a park. It was a simple achievement, hardly anything noteworthy, and yet she was glad to have accomplished it. To see that which boiled below the surface, to bring forth his emotions so that they might feel the light of day. It was enjoyable, the feeling that came with helping others.
Semble had answered honestly, pleasing the dragoness, but also making her feel somewhat distraught. She'd remained silent, waiting for him to elaborate, but when he never did she'd decided to ask, "What is it that weighs on your mind?" The avoidance of eye contact was often a polite gesture to showcase loyalty, to display a wolf's respect felt towards their leader. In this case, however, she knew it belonged within neither of those categories. The mood alone suggested it was something else entirely, something inwardly negative. It saddened the girl to see him in such a state.
Eventually, he had spoken of what plagued his mind. Words were further exchanged between the two before they'd parted ways. Asterr headed off on her own, her destination being the borders to do a quick patrol.