she had been swept up in the happiness of her newfound mateship for some time but the noticeable absence around the forest had brought her back down to earth.
it seemed as if they had started so well. what happened? the scents of both trajan and uka were disappearing altogether from their borders, and she noticed the absence of mato's sister as well.
that left only five — mato and herself, burke and malice, and her friend delight. it was he who she sought out this fine morning, not weary of her mate's company of course but in search of something different.
she could not express her worry of the pack's future to mato, especially with how.. optimistic they had been. she knows he must see it too but she cannot dare think about voicing it. not now.
so she puts her nose to the ground to track the dark-furred boy with those pale, broken china eyes, breaking into the clearing before him with a disheartened chuff.
he hears her chuff before he sees her and panic seizes him - does he run? does he pretend he hasn't heard? does he stick around and do his damn job, like he's planned? before his fickle heart can choose a course he sees her and roots to the ground, schooling his expression into one of hesitant neutrality - and then a small, strained smile. she is your friend, idiot, he reminds himself.
"heeey," the singing-sunlight says, the half-smile falling away into his usual gloomy countenance. he takes a moment to look at her for real, a little surprised by the general... sadness that surrounds her. he's usually the sulky one around here - bri is a glowing sunshine. "you okay..?" delight asks, ears twitching back in some approximation of something like concern, maybe. mato aside - brienne's a friend. he wants her to be okay.
analytically he watches her; something is clearly off. for a moment he thinks it must be him, that she must know and he's hurt her (and he doesn't blame her, even if he knows he intends to make no designs towards the morwinyon, who seems, thankfully, completely oblivious) - but then she explains. "isn't that .. the whole point of the .. mates thing?" the androgyne asks, annoyed at himself for the way the word mates tangles in his mouth. "i mean - i'm sure he'd like to know what you think."
out loud his voice is normal, but his ears detect his own jealousy and his noise crinkles slightly. get it together, delight. "um, i mean, we were talking about something similar recently. relocating, possibly, though i think either way we should wait for winter to pass." part of him has assumed mato must have voiced his questions to brienne at some point - but maybe not, if she's been too worried to bring it up with him. from what he's seen, the silvery prince doesn't seem like the type to pick up on subtle distress -- too deep in his own lovely mind, surely. he is either way glad to know that he is not filled with too many irrational worries, if mato and bri are both worried as well.
ah, this isn't exactly what he meant to talk about, but - he feels himself hesitating again. (if the cenma is herself worried, shouldn't he talk to her about her troubles before demanding a life story..?) (does he want to hear it - or at least, the questions he needs to ask - now?)
delight sighs, silvered gaze drifting towards the lines of the trees. "it was beautiful," he says vaguely, thinking of tindömé's founding - not even three months prior, barely has the season turned over. "sorry i haven't been around," he adds, wondering if his own avoidance has added to her worries, "i'm - i'm here, you know."