The Sunspire promise to never stop dancing, once we start

she didn't know what to think of her last conversation with @Terance, and was unaware of his mental turmoil.  still, she gave him distance.  if he didn't know what he wanted, she wouldn't push it.  even if she was his favorite kind of overbearing.

she was in the territory they had found together.  its quiet, rippling waters gave a nice backdrop to her thoughts and it offered a solitude she rarely found elsewhere.  it was bright and early in the morning, but she had been roused by hunger.  

she rose to her feet and made her way down the mountain, searching for their cache.

so long as terance was doing well mentally, he was up with the sun. bright and early and ready for anything. so, although seabreeze was awake doing... whatever it was she was doing that morning, so was terance. and, surprise surprise, she was on his mind. bright any early terance was awake and hunting, though he was traditionally sort of average at the chore, he was a wolf, and he could hunt well enough. bright and early this morning terance managed to catch a rabbit-- just one-- but maybe that was enough. and so bright and early that morning, terance sought out his baby mama to give her some freshly-caught breakfast. 

and maybe they could talk again? he didn't know. terance slept poorly that night, wondering why he hadn't just told her what he thought. why hadn't he? because he was weak and useless? that's what alya would say to him. god he just hated himself. why did he make things harder for himself? 

he spotted her a little ways off, giving a low woof through the pale fur of the rabbit to get her attention. look! more food! just for you!

she brightened immediately when terance surprised her.  and look, with just what she was looking for, too!  it was unlike the girl to eat so much (surely, this was a pregnancy thing), but she was hungry.  she salivated as she sauntered up to him, grinning as bright as the morning sun.  hey there, ter.  things didn't have to be awkward, right?

it's funny, i was just on my way to the cache.  wanna share?

he shook his head. "no ma'am, all for you. i already ate," he said, feigning a southern accent in the beginning(for some reason?). he dropped the thing at her feet and then-- whoops, seabreeze was doing such a good job making this nice and not awkward-- stutter-stepped forward hesitantly before ultimately deciding to nose her cheek. whoops, the decision was just all too hard.

"you're up early," he said, trying to save it. it was more or less a question of what she was doing but... it was phrased as a comment. his tail waved low at his hocks, trying to pretend he hadn't done anything embarrassing so far in this 20 second encounter.

woosh!  all awkwardness flew directly over her head.  this was pretty much how they'd been acting before their last conversation... she'd chosen to pretty much pretend it didn't happen until he was ready to talk again, so everything was a-okay in seabreezeville.  why thank you, kind sir, she quipped, smiling at his nudge before working at the rabbit.

it didn't take long for the peckish girl to have her fill.  yeah, i normally am.  back in northstar, i'd do the borders as the sun came up every morning.  mostly i've been keeping to myself.  i bet with as much border work as i've put in i could be a guardian, too.  she said it with a genuine laugh — her, a guardian?  as if.

anyway, what about you?  what are you up to?

she settled, and ignored his weird little dance of hesitation-- thank god. so terance followed, lowering himself to his stomach. he wasn't in a rush, he hoped she wasn't either. maybe a good morning chat would do them well... even if he didn't work up the courage to bring up what he wanted to bring up.

his brow furrowed, his muzzle crinkling as she brought up being a guardian. of course, he was smiling, and his eyes glittered at the thought of it. it was light-hearted, but boy did that sound like a bad idea. "you can be a guardian so long as you come to me once a week for some training," he said teasingly, because they both knew that he did not mean real training. 

"i was just coming to find you. i'll probably patrol after-- it is my job, after all," he then said with a real smile, his expression falling to be less mischievous and more casual.

she laughed heartily (but good-naturedly) at his suggestion.  oh really?  that sounds great... but what is seabreeze the big-strong guardian supposed to do when someone shows up at the borders?  she snorted.  god, i am so done with getting into trouble.  i never thought those tindome boys would be so mean!

she lay down next to him.  although the morning was overcast the temperature wasn't god-awful like it had been.  if you want, i can keep you company for the morning.  then you can go do your patrol.

terance snorted ungracefully to her response. big strong guardian seabreeze-- sure. "you'll let me handle it, that's what i'm here for," he said, still teasing but also entirely serious. stop. getting. into. tussles. he wanted to shake her. jesus christ. "we can try to do more battle practice again later-- actual practice, maybe you'll learn something," he added. he knew she probably didn't want him hovering over her... though he would love to do that if it meant keeping her and their future family safe. 

he watched as she settled beside him, resisting the urge that fell through his abdomen as she so graciously offered her company. platonically-- that's probably what she meant-- but terance was suddenly pining for something different. "sounds like a plan," he ended up saying, smiling to her. his tail swept against the ground as he laid, and he studied her intently for a moment before breaking gaze. this was a lot of confusing gray area, wasn't it?

didn't you tell me you were going to stay out of trouble, too?  you've already gone and scarred yourself up, she quipped, running her nose across the one on his cheek.  even though the womenfolk like the tall, dark, and battleworn doesn't mean you have to go adding more.

she didn't mind his hovering.  he too was the best kind of overbearing.  ha ha.  

i think i probably do need some real lessons but.. i also think sunspire has our bases covered.  have you seen how fast everyone has reacted every time something happens?  man, we're on fire.  

something seemed up with her pretty boy-friend, and for a moment her jaw set.  she wasn't.. quite sure how to breach it, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to.  they were having such nice conversation.  if he wanted to open up, she figured he would.

he made an overly exaggerated thinking face. "mmm no ma'am, i don't remember agreeing to that at all," he said sweetly, turning his muzzle up gently and closing his eyes. his nose twitched, and then he slowly opened his green gaze to give her a side-eye, mouth curving into a smile. she ran her nose along the scar on his cheek, and he slowly turned back to look at her. "i don't ask for these," he added plainly, though not unhappily. terance hated his scars-- though he'd heard plenty of times that the ladies loved them. but what did that even mean? lyra had never liked them. oof-- he felt guilty for even thinking about that, especially sitting here in front of seabreeze... but for good measures, so she didn't worry, he added, "it's not like i need any help with the ladies." if he had thumbs, terance might've shot her some finger guns.

"we're a fantastic crew... and yet you still stick yourself in the middle of it!" he teased her, leaning forward to nip at the base of her ear.

she adorned a look of mock-offense.  well, looks like i'll just have to tie you down, then.  glue you somewhere you can't get hurt.  

she couldn't help the way her expression warped into something concerned, her brows knitting as he told her that he didn't ask for his scars.  and given the ones that littered her wavewracked body, she knew what he meant.  i know, was all she could offer.

quickly, the conversation took a lighthearted turn, and she was glad for it.  you really don't, you know.  so suave, she teased.  but she was, well, kind of being serious?  he was so smooth, and she was an anxious wreck.  you really know how to woo 'em.

her eyes narrowed at his goading, but she melted beneath his teasing nip.  hey now, pretty boy.  you know, i'm part of the crew too!  she stuck her tongue out the corner of her raised lip before she put her nose to his.  i already tooold you i'd be good and stay out of trouble.

terance held back a snarky little comment, instead shooting her a look that featured a crooked little grin. she was missing some comedy gold, but he didn't want to be crude. 

he gave a half shrug and a little puff of his chest-- had he been human it might've been on par with the fluffing the front of your button-down and and then smoothing it back out in an effort to look cool and calm and collected. he wasn't suave at all-- not in the slightest. but if seabreeze called him that he wouldn't argue. "it's a science, really," he returned with a playful flick of his ears. 

she pressed her nose to him, a cute little derpy tongue poking out the side of her mouth. she promised she'd stay safe and out of trouble-- and he didn't even kind of believe her. "mhm you better... but you're the queen of troublemakers," he quipped, ducking to bump the bottom of her chin with his own nose-- like this was some sort of sword-fight.

the rest of their evening consisted of playful banter and soft touches, any excuse to be nearer to one another. funny, though, that they both were still so set on staying out of love to save themselves from heartache, when terance couldn't fully remember a time he'd been so happy and at ease with someone else. so at ease and happy, in fact, that terance completely forgot he had been on his way to patrol.