Whitefish River And as the sky's falling down,

@Riley

Who hasn't she seen in a while? Riley. She only knews a limited amount of wolves in Kaistleoki, not yet meeting the few individuals that included all the pups, Moonshadow, Howl, Connor, Spica and Syrma (however she doesn't know their names). Of course she would see them around, but never formally introduced. 

Usually would flock to Ira, but lately she wondered where the trouble-maker went. Orlaith couldn't forget about his joke of them once 'going behind a rock.'

So, she sought him out one lovely moonlight.

keeping certain things vaguey

Orlaith was right, Riley had kept a low profile in Kaistleoki, though the same could not be said for elswhere.

Presently, he was picking at the corrugated surface of a flat stone when he heard someone approaching. It was dark, and with recent events all too fresh in his head, Riley couldn't help but feel an involuntary shiver snake up his back.

Once he realized it was Orlaith, he settled -- but not before he idly flicked one of the pebbles at her with a subtle grin.

"What's up lover boy," she said with a sly glin, deflecting that pebble with a simple swipe of the paw. She approached him onto the stone, and regardless of wanting her company or not, now he had it. Orlaith lifted herself up, and purposely tried to get as much space as she could- in order to shove his ass off.

The pebble was easily swiped away - Riley grinned until he heard lover boy. Hey!

He didn't have much time to protest before Orlaith was handily sweeping him out of his spot on the stone. She was stronger, he was smaller, and besides, he wouldn't put up much of a fight anyway. Except now their bodies were touching and Riley felt a peculiar feeling rising. "Careful, you're touching me." The boy teased, but in that moment was pushed off of the rock.

He landed sulkily, peering up at Orlaith with a rare playfulness in his eyes. "That's fine if you wanna be on top." He might get smacked for such sauciness, but totally worth it.

"Oh my god I can't believe i'm touching His Highness, what an honor." Orlaith mocked cheerily as she successfully took over his rock and pushed the boy off. What an achievement she had gained by bullying a yearling, but nontheless his cheekiness from earlier days definitely deserved so. If she remembered him pissing on Seelie Court border maybe would've done more- thankfully for him, that part was forgotten.

"Yeah? Don't mind if I do," but then he decided to be even more cheeky; so she pounced. Rising from the rock, The pheonix was gonna use all her body weight to absolutely crush him.

Riley hadn't forgotten that day at the willows. It was burned into his mind as much as into his flesh - he had the raking fang marks to prove it. He was about to make a quip when Orlaith sprung, smooth as a coiled jaguar.

He had no hope of evasion. She landed atop him neatly, while his chin and chest were forced to the ground. A low growl sounded in response as Riley struggled to worm onto his back and bunny-kick her in the belly in response.

Oh but she wasn't budging. Despite the slight discomfort he gave for the kicks, the large wolf was not moving anytime soon. Rather she shuffled herself into a more comfortable position, making it known he was going to stay down there.

Since it may be difficult to remove Orlaith, she decided to interrogate him, "So. Where you been?" The Knight said so casually, despite suffocating him.

If he was smart, Riley would have given up for a bit in the hopes to catch Orlaith off guard later. Instead, he struggled until he was tired and wholly defeated.

The entire time, Orlaith refused to budge.

Worming himself into a position slightly less uncomfortable, Riley's yellow gaze glinted with rueful humor laced with a slight suggestion of resentment. "Around." Riley answered begrudgingly, slipping in a "you're not my girlfriend, get off my dick."

"Wow, I can't seem to find it, can I?" Orlaith plopped her chin right on Riley's head. She joked and laughed at his nonexistent extra limb, surely jesting, and perhaps a revenge stab for when the boy had joked about mating with her once upon a long time ago.

"Yeah? And you joked I was? I don't think there any girly around here besides me that gonna talk to you."

Orlaith might have been joking, but Riley couldn't hide a quiet gasp; that stung deeply on account of his failure to couple with Esme. How brilliantly and violently that insecurity was thrust to the forefront, all because he had been a jerk first. "Turn around and I'll show you." Riley quipped right back, even though he was in no position to do so.

His ears flattened in response. Orlaith's head rested firmly on his skull, and as much as he wanted to shake her off he was in no position to do so. Try as he might to unseat her, Riley didn't hate the contact -- he'd never truly been intimate with anyone. Even if it was just playing, it was scintillating -- Riley had goosebumps up and down his skin. "No one else would talk to me? Why? Am I ugly?"

"Naw." Firstly, she actually didn't want to see it. She wasn't much into the whole mating ideal, much less of a mate. There wasn't too many she saw as worthy to be beside herself, for the thought was a burly man, who could stand beside her. Though majority of the males Orlaith had seen were rather smaller, and meek to the boot, so her choices were rather thinned. Not like she was searching either, however. 

But if she did find out about his incident, there was a good chance she would never let it drop, despite never doing it herself. The commander would never not take a chance but to be an annoyance.

"You're handsome," she said but with honesty, like it was a fact, "but you just got a shitty face." Then there was the factor, the crocodilian stare Riley always held. He was a charming fellow, browns with but glorious yellow eyes, but those same eyes were always seemingly into a glare.. Not many would want to approach an unfriendly wolf such as him.

"Why don't you smile, beautiful?" Orlaith said as a laughter rumbled from her plush chest

Riley didn't expect Orlaith to take him up on his offer; it was one thing to suggest, another to perform.. and truth be told, in this positon Riley had way more bark than bite.

Expecting nothing less than honesty, Riley simply blinked at the comment his face was handsome but shitty. Part of it he came by honestly; neither Laurel nor his father had particularly kind eyes or dispositions -- but part of it was also projection. If he always appeared cold and distant, he was less likely to be approached - that was the life Riley preferred. "Maybe I'm just surrounded by shitty wolves." Riley replied defensively, feeling a touch disgruntled at the smile comment. If he smiled, it would make him no less ugly -- too many teeth, no smile in the eyes. "Exception being yourself, on some days."

"I'm beautiful inside and out," voice full of confidence she said without skipping a beat. Perhaps a bit of an ego, but Orlaith held enough confidence in herself that she could easily gain new friends, or perhaps strive even higher if the time needed. She knew her abilities were also something to be cherished for any, as warriors were treasured in various of groups (so she assumes) due to the comfort of safety. What group wouldn't want one?

"Smile like me." Though she wouldn't let him end it there, Orlaith wanted to see him smile. A usual grin, she expected him to follow the same face.

Riley admired many things about Orlaith. He'd never tell her that, of course, but the fact remained. He liked her confidence. He liked the way she was unsinkable, unassailable, strong.

It was a sharp contrast from Esme, who was, to Riley, an indefatiguable source of vexation and self-doubt and/or loathing. She was the yawning black hole, ruining and unraveling everything that came into her path, including herself.

He shook the thought of Esme from his mind, feeling a guilty pang. "I have no reason to smile." Riley countered, feeling it best to save such visible shows of emotion for when they were genuine.

"Then smile for me?" Only finally did she roll off the boy, finding he was no longer a suitable bedframe of sorts. The boy was not the thick compared to herself, he seemed rather weak in mass, and more of a bedside manner. A slight snicker rose from her chest thinking he was more but a boytoy on someones den-side.

"You know, smiling can just be something to feel? Fake it till' you make it." It was a phrase she heard once, but not that she needed it. Orlaith only gave genuine smiles and feelings, she didn't like fakeness or those who spar with words, she'd tell the truth and give her feelings on the matter regardless of whose feelings. In general; she was a friendly asshole.

Smile for me. Riley turned over this suggestion like it was a novel rock: he'd never considered smiling for anyone. It wasn't him, it wasn't Riley to throw out fake emotions like confetti. Much like Orlaith, he felt feelings should be either earned or reserved.

To humor her, Riley's teeth made a rare appearance in a cracked and unsavory fake-smile. He dropped the expression immediately, regarding her rather sourly. "That would be lying." He was too petulant in type to go for such beguile; it made him instantly think of Donovan and how the man had faked it until he made it, too.

Her face twisted at his smile, "Alright I get your point," and did not desire to see such a reptilian look again. She would think a fly would land and he would swipe a tongue over it with that sort of appearance. Man were reptiles just odd in that way. 

"So? Lying doesn't matter if it's not hurting anyone." Though she was rather bad at being a liar, majority of the time she does her face seems to twist into something else, and many discover it so. However Orlaith didn't much care to them since most were just white-lies, like telling a kid there was a big cloud man in the sky. Or their mom would always protect them- stuff like that.

She didn't care for his smile. Riley felt stung, but hid the emotion well by a flit of his flat eyes. Fine, teach him to never smile again.

He couldn't say he agreed with her line of thinking. Riley was many things, and many of them ugly, but he was not a natural born liar. He happened to dislike lying very much, and liars even moreso. It had been one of the bigger reasons he had voluntarily left the Saints. Donovan's ability to flip his charm off and on like it was a lightswitch, the way he lied carelessly and cruelly -- it provoked in Riley feelings that were abundantly uncomfortable.

"Lying is wrong." Riley insisted. He didn't know why, but he just knew. He wasn't so introspective as to ask Orlaith how she'd feel if he lied to her -- but he knew it didn't really matter. She was as opinionated as he was, and very little would change that.

Once more, the pair spent the rest of the day together. Bit by bit Riley was becoming closer to Orlaith, and in turn, began to feel more comfortable around her.