But Sumayl wouldn't have been so vocal if he wasn't prepared to pay his dues.

Sumayl didn't go through his life acting as he did while living in a fantasy world where consequences did not exist. Even as a child he had never lived in such a delusional world. The circumstances of his upbringing had likely had much to do with it.

It was about mid-night and Sunayl found that sleepnwas coming with quite a struggle. He could not place why his mind would not shut down or why he could not simply fall into a slumber, only that he could lay there for as long as he wanted and it would make no difference. With a sigh he left his den, hoping that a walk in the chilling and icy winter night might help make him sleepy. Or at the very least clear his mind. Sumayl's path intentionality took him by Vienna's den, telling himself that it wouldn't hurt to pause for a few seconds, long enough to check on her. As he drew nearer his ears culled forth listening for the tell tale rhythm of slumber but instead picking up the harsh inhales and expels of air that if Sumayl didn't know better would have associated with crying.

Tears were not his forte but then again without seeing her Sumayl couldn't say for sure that she was crying but even so he did not hesitate further, walking right up to the mouth of her den. "Vienna?" Are you alright? but the words did not spill from the Ostrega's lips wondering if she would lie to him and tell him that she was when he sensed differently. Sumayl half had the mind to poke, but at the last minute had a lapse in his own arrogance and respected her space. "What's wrong?" Sumayl inquired, attempting to hide his alarm though not his concern.

He watched her silhouette as it rose from within her den, his golden gaze seeking the vague shape of her face hidden in the darkness of her den as it was, as she faced him. Part of him wanted to fret, to tell her that she should remain in her den, that she was still healing but the defiant part of Sumayl would never let him baby her. She wasn't a child, and she had been cooped up her den for too long. Granted, she was healing and Sumayl understood and acknowledged that fact but at the same time, he would be with her and he wasn't going to let anything hurt her, besides how exactly was he supposed to argue with her, hearing the tinge of desperation in her voice. “I bet,” Sumayl murmured as he took a few steps back, realizing that his body was probably barring her exit.

Sumayl watched as Vienna stepped out into the light, and took in the extent of her injuries. She looked ...a little worse for wear but he had expected it. She had been attacked and, probably, lucky to be alive. Even thin and torn up as she was, she was still beautiful, in a battle scarred badass warrior woman way. The Ostrega's gaze softened measurably as he stared at her in a manner that an artist might look at his own masterpiece — with admiration with a little bit of awe. “I'm sorry I haven't been around much,” He took the time to hunt for her, and payed her short visits but it was the looming knowledge that Jace was hanging around Vienna too much, especially since he'd stepped down from leadership. Sumayl was actively avoiding her brother and made no attempts to hide it; not because he was afraid of Jace but because he did not want to worsen Vienna's recovery by fighting with Jace, and Sumayl was no fool. There was little doubt that if they ran into one another again there would be another verbal fight and there was no telling when a verbal fight would break out into a physical one. He didn't want Vienna to have to witness it. It was for her sake that Sumayl avoided Jace like the plague and no one else's.

The more time Jace spent with Vienna meant the less time Sumayl did, though he wasn't going to let Jace bully him away from Vienna because Sumayl was trying to be considerate for her sake. Jace would just have to deal with it. “Come on, we should go before your brother drops by,” Sumayl gave her a impish little grin, leaning close to off her cheek a gentle nudge, though there was a part of Sumayl that was afraid to touch her — afraid that he might hurt her. Sneaking out was something Sumayl had gotten very skillful at as a “teenager” and it made him almost giddy to know that likely Jace would be pissed that Vienna left her sick bed and that Sumayl encouraged it. Sumayl didn't know for sure, of course, but he got a kick out of imagining that he was spiting the other male by giving Vienna what she wanted.

“Don't worry,” The Ostrega purrled softly. “I'll keep you safe and walk you home when you're ready to go back.” At this point, Sumayl was just glad for the chance to spend time with her.

Sumayl let out a soft, mirthless laugh when Vienna spoke in a manner that Sumayl took to be firmly, that one day he and her brother were going to sit down and talk. “We tried that once and it ended in an ugly, verbal fight,” Sumayl did not think that he and Jace would ever get along. “I keep thinking it would probably be easier if I was afraid of him but I'm not. I'm not afraid of him or what he could do to me and I think that's a lot of the problem.” Jace didn't threaten Sumayl, and Sumayl was too damn confrontational to bother backing down. He wasn't afraid of much, though fire was definitely his top fear but that was what he could see to be understandable, but seeing as how Jace couldn't shoot fire beams out of his eyes or mouth, or anywhere else on his body there was no warrant to fear. “He doesn't intimidate me...and I'm too damn confrontational for my own good.” Not that Sumayl was placing all the blame on Jace because he wasn't; Sumayl was shouldering most of the blame, though not all of it. He wasn't a martyr and could not make himself out to be one.

Sumayl smiled softly when he felt Vienna's forehead press against his shoulder, and when she pulled away he dithered for a moment before walking behind her, stopping when she did, settling upon his haunches beside her, tilting his own head back and gazing up at the stars, dotted by the billions across the velvet night. He had heard that some wolves could read them, a talent that Sumayl himself did not possess. To him they were just pinpoints of lights breaking through the night sky, but even he, in all his cynicism could enjoy the idea and the moment with her.

“You're welcome,” Sumayl murmured to her when she thanked him, an impish grin tugging at the edges of his lips. “And hey, anytime you wanna sneak out, you know who to call.” Sumayl was down for anything though, as long as it involved spending quality time with her. Sumayl fell silent for a few moments, contented with scanning the starlit sky though he did not see particular shapes or anything else like that. His inability to make sense of constellations did not demoralize the moment, though. For a moment the golden Ostrega was reminded of their trip to Wheeling Gull Isle, and glimpsed down from the sky to her, taking her in for a moment with softened golden eyes. “This is something you would classify as romantic right?” Though bravery was not something that Sumayl lacked (even the kind that was often mistaken for stupidity), he was spurred by reinforced boldness and the moment and his own harbored feelings for the woman by his side, spoke without really giving her a chance to respond to his first question, “What would you say to calling this a ...date?” The moment felt right to him, but perhaps it wasn't right for her, or perhaps his feelings were not returned. Either way, it was a leap he was willing to take regardless of the consequences. After all, Sumayl wasn't the type to let chances pass him by, even if he knew it might not work out how he necessarily wished it too.

“Don't be afraid to tell me no, if you don't feel the same way or I picked the worst possible time to ask you out or whatever.” Clicking his teeth together as he closed his mouth, Sumayl found that he was actually nervous and in that nervousness was borne the urge to ramble.

This... There was nothing about his feelings for Vienna that were the same. There was nothing about this ...whatever it was they had going on, that was the same. It was unfamiliar territory to Sumayl the fact that he had no desire to 'love her and leave her'. It was almost frightening to the golden Ostrega we Considering there might actually be something real there. The potential is definitely there, he felt, and he was willing to explore it to its fullest — so long as Vienna was too. For moment Sumayl toyed with the idea of inquiring as to who standard she was speaking of because as far as Sumayl was concerned she exceeded all of his but then decided upon, "If it's my standards are speaking of you exceed all of them," he paused, drawing his salmon pink tongue across his nose and a quick swipe. "You look beautiful." murmured sincerely to her. He wasn't deterred by her injuries, or the fact that she might very well have scars what it was all said and done with. He was shallow and narcissistic but only when it came to his own appearance. Those traits, deterring as they were, did not transcend from himself.

Her gaze met his and Sumayl observed, absorbing this moment, wishing to commit it to his memory in the chance that she did not want or feel the same thing. Golden irises one significantly, velveteen ears cupping forth to hear her words when she admitted that she like to call this a date. "Good," The Ostrega purred with a smile that was sincere but had the ghost of his cheeky persona. He didn't dare let on that he had been nervous it was more than likely that Vienna had already put the puzzle pieces together. It was a rare occurrence that Sumayl Ostrega was nervous on the front of women, only reconfirming that this definitely have the potential but none of his other relationships (if that was what they could be called) had. "Eh?" Sumayl inquired her question, grinning mischievously from ear to ear it was not just from the playful switch of conversation. "Didn't you know a date with me will you anything? It's my perfection, it has magical powers." Narcassistic to his core Sumayl was and it came out full force and his teasing with her.

Sumayl's gays lifted the stars once more, sweeping across their littering of lights in the velvet darkness above them, inhaling deeply and letting it out, content. All joking has to side he focused his attention back up on her. "So I guess make us a couple now," Though he was seeking more of a confirmation as opposed to an actual answer since, technically, he'd already been given one when she agreed to call this renegade break out a date.

“No, it doesn't bother me,” If anything Sumayl found it to be cute. Suffice to say the golden Ostrega could not claim that she was his first “real” girlfriend because she wasn't. If a childhood fling could be considered real on any level. There had been a girl as a boy that Sumayl had considered his “girlfriend” only to find out given the fickle nature of most children that she had cheated on him with one another boy. It had crushed the at the time young Ostrega's heart which glimpsing back to it might have been the reason he strove to be a playboy and heartbreaker with no intention — until quite recently and solely because of Vienna — of stopping. “I believe we even each other out in everything,” He murmured and added, slyly, “because two perfect people are bound to be an untouchable match.”