that this is an imposition does not occur to him until she fixes him with her gaze. sorry, nevermind, he thinks to say, but she beats him to it, her words warming him up even as he feels himself rushing to disagree. "i think it's nice," he starts, and then stops as she compliments his eyes, making him blink owlishly a few times. "oh! um, thank you," okeanos says (no one has ever really complimented him, and certainly not on his physical attributes, and in that tone), flustered, before remembering her previous comment and continuing.
"i think it's nice," he starts again, "being - reminded of our place, i mean. we're small, but we're a small part of something so much bigger, you know?" his tone is mild -- he's not picking a fight, only offering his point of view, and he settles to sit, his tail thumping against the ground pleasantly. he's more interested in this theological debate, but should he return the compliment as well? it seems rude not to, and, well, "your eyes -- they're nice too. very shiny," he offers, squinting a little at how terrible it sounds out loud. well -- well! he's trying.
after a moment or two, okeanos lets himself drift to the ground, settling on his stomach like a rather small sphinx. his ears twitch back sheepishly as he teases -- he knows it's a bad compliment -- but he doesn't speak, listening intently to her instead. she talks so differently than his mothers and their gentle, warm spirituality, their firm belief in karma and lives woven together. but: he also thinks about ariel and lily's death, and his mouth twists.
she says several things that he doesn't know what to do with. sex, for starters: he's not innocent in the sense that he more or less knows what it is and how one goes about it and why, but he's certainly virginal, and talking about it makes him want to fidget. also, she calls him cute, and what is he supposed to do about that? okeanos takes a beat to reply, letting his tonge swipe nervously against his lips. instinctively he wants to ask -- surely she's got friends or family that would care if she died -- but, well, she probably doesn't, if this is what she's telling him. so instead he says, quietly, "i would care," and gives her a searching look. he wants to explain -- even if the universe doesn't care, the people you meet, they remember you, parts of you, and that must count for something, we're all touching each other somehow (and, yes, in the sexy way too, he supposes), but he's not sure how to without sounding hopelessly naive. so he tries to put it all into his expression instead, open and a little vulnerable, as one tends to be at this time of night.
her answer startles a genuine laugh out of him, his mouth curving into a warm grin as he catches her sly glance. "oh, i think we pretty firmly established i'm not the type," okeanos says, ignoring the warmth thats rising across his neck and the way have a go at me suddenly reminds him of that boy and ibis, what they'd been doing. that's not what saarthal means here, of course, even if she does think he's pretty. or maybe she just tells everyone she meets that they're pretty.
anyway: "if anything, you'd probably be able to get one over on me," he continues, trying to match her banter, and wiggles slightly as if to demonstrate his physical ineptitude. "i'm not the most -- ah -- i spend most of my time looking at the stars and cataloguing plants, so. not exactly the killer type."
he blinks at her owlishly -- it's hard to tell if she's joking, or rather, to what degree she's joking, since everything about her thu far has come off with some degree of irony. he hesitates until she speaks again, warmth blooming in his chest when she echoes his own interests. but she doesn't drop the game, and okeanos doesn't want her, suddenly, to think he's not able to keep up. (he is definitely not able to keep up, but that's neither here nor there.)
"okay," he hears himself saying, "like-?"
okeanos is not entirely graceless, though not speedy, and his arc forward is oddly dexterous if cautious. there's no end game in mind; he doesn't open his mouth to seek purchase in her fur, instead opting to fall into her like an oversized tumbleweed, perhaps to pin her down, though he leaves plenty of space for her to dart away if he's terribly misread the scene she's set.
time feels dilated as he is met with no resistance, settling over her. more a large blanket than a threat, but it is strange -- he's never been so close to someone who wasn't his immediate family. he can feel the lines of her, where they meet him, where he spills over her. a fierce blush rises from his neck across his cheeks, hidden by the thick dark fur of his face. "guess so," okeanos stammers out, unsure what the proper protocol here is -- does he get up? does he make another move?
in the end, he opts for what feels the most natural and moves to curl his teeth against her nape, where it meets her shoulder, in a gentle mimicry of roughhousing. his eyes search for hers as he does, a little nervous, but maybe more curious, repeating his previous question nonverbally: like this now?
were he human, he would swoon, dazed by her careless confident (and entirely unsure what to do with it). she dodges him easily--he shifts, thinking he's meant to chase her--and then she's coming at him unexpectedly. if he wanted, he could hold his ground, easily, or meet her halfway and knock her to the ground once again. but okeanos has no real interest in winning--he's more interested in saarthal's goals.
when she's about to make contact he drops and rolls onto his side with a playful bark, letting her collide into him. being the one on the ground feels easier (he's less worried he'll accidentally crush her), and so he takes advantage, kicking lightly as he tries to get a grip on her nape, not unlike a large cat.
so sorry for the late repy!
Okeanos seemed to have got his head around the game which Saarthal was both pleased and...slightly less pleased about. She crashed into him with a soft "oof" and then, blinking rapidly, registered the new situation. Ah. Deducing his intentions, Saar relaxed into his grip, allowing him to grab hold of her. She wanted to see what he would do with this new dynamic. It would be interesting, she felt, to see if he would do what she expected him to do...or if he'd surprise her isntead. Saar wasn't quite sure which one she preferred. She hoped...nah, better not to voice her thoughts aloud in case she accidentally jinxed it.