Ravensblood Forest close our parentheses

set before the move, @Samaantine

unease lingers in the air with the booming presence of coastal wolves and their continued low numbers. there'll be mouths to feed soon, something samothes is not particularly pleased about (he is not, shall we say, the biggest fan of children). but he has to admit he is of stronger messeda genes than once thought, or at least, not quite the opportunist he'd made himself out to be. he won't leave ravensblood. he finds himself still loyal to constantine and, even, to @Thelxiope, spending most of his time by her side.

he does have other duties to attend to as well. the council member sighs as he makes his way through the forest, trailing samaantine's scent as he goes. she didn't die after all, good on her. he has not neglected her though his attentions to her injuries are significantly less personal than with, say, his sea sylph. samaantine messeda is of perfectly strong stock and he has no doubts her recovery will be perfectly fine as a result. 

still, doesn't hurt to check in once in a while, mostly to make sure she's keeping up her end of the deal.

I'm so sorry I forgot about this aaahhhhhhh !
Also excuse the awfulness while I get back into writing Tine

The shadow was, physically, better— but the worst of the damage had yet to heal; her wounded pride had only festered with the circumstances. Time did not lessen the sting of being indebted to her brother. She avoided him when possible, though it was not as difficult as she had expected— and maybe hoped, but that knowledge was only hers.
Samaantine frequently found herself outside of the territory, restless as she was. It was coincidence, perhaps, that she lingered in the forest today. The shadow flicked an ear when she was suddenly aware of Samothes' approach, turning to greet him with a slightly affronted cant of her head. Why now?, she asked silently, eyes sharp. There had really been no chance of a warmer reception, but she told herself otherwise in this moment— he should have cared more. Really, though, it had been foolish to expect more from the disgrace. The childishly mean thought gave her pleasure, enough to face her brother passively for the moment. She said nothing, but waited patiently for whatever he had to say.

no worries <3<3

she doesn't look pleased to see him; the feeling is mutual. he rolls his eyes, realising she's no intention of speaking to him -- oh, god forbid you converse with the person who saved your life -- and for a brief moment contemplates just walking away. after all, he's accomplished his goal. she's standing, she's got the energy to look affronted. 

but one of them has to be the bigger person. "how are you feeling," he asks, the way one might inquire of the status of a particularly infected boil. after a beat he adds, "physically," god forbid she tell him about her feelings. he can guess at her feelings, anyway, and he's rather uninterested.

The shadow snorted softly, then turned her gaze from her brother. She entertained the thought of ignoring him— he would leave, or perhaps he would be angry with her. Either change would have been welcome. Ultimately, her lack of trust in Samothes won out; some part of her knew she still needed this pack, whether she liked it or not, and she would not put it past him to cast her out. So, she'd best not piss him off too much.
Better than I was, thank you, Samaantine offered, tone flat but as polite as she could manage. And your... She paused a beat as if thinking, never dropping the facade of civility though it was not as carefully crafted as usual. No part of her expected to fool Samothes— if she ever truly did, it would be the greatest disappointment yet. Feminine companion— I take it she is well?

he smiles indulgently. good that she's healing, and all that. her obvious attempt to bait him with mention of thelxiope earns nothing more than a slightly sharper upturning of the mouth. too easy. "she is," samothes agrees pleasantly. as if recalling something suddenly, the messeda boy tilts his head, expression thoughtful. "and, hm, what of your..." ahem, "male companion?" 

of course he knows well enough engel has not been by the forest, and unless samaantine has snuck off to see him (doubtful) he suspects she has not spoken to him in some time. hell, for all he knows, she's all but forgotten him, but he's not gonna pass up the opportunity to rub her face in it a little anyway. it's too much fun.