Blacktail Deer Plateau tell me, just like my love for you

for @Aningan !! dated for like tomorrow since shes at the beach today :P *hopes they get along*

She had not met many since their arrival at the plateau. So far, she'd liked it that way- the leader had seemed alright but the kid wasn't so kind. And as much as Huā wished to be positive, she was a pessimist. She imagined that all of them were probably like that kid and she wasn't particularly eager to meet them, if they were all going to kick her as she slept and make fun of her language skills. 

Today she sat against the stump of a tree, looking up into a space where the trees parted to make room for a clear blue sky. It was cold outside, sure, but that shining azure reminded her of home. Whether that meant the south or just the beach, no matter. She found it relaxing, and seemed to enter a trance as she gazed lazily with half-lidded eyes.

For once, it was not snowing and the sun was out. The sky appeared clear, bright and blue. Aningan thought the day to be a pleasant one, reminding him of the warmer months; they still had some time to go before spring would greet them but, days like this one, made it seem like it was right around the corner. The change in weather did little to alter his day, however, as he continued to patrol the territory just the same, seeking new nooks and crannies to explore.

Eventually, the boy found himself beneath the coverage of trees, which he continued through for some time. When he was nearing a point at which he thought best to explore a different aspect of the land, he happened across one of the sisters. She seemed relaxed, gazing upward—he followed her eyes and looked up towards the sky, too, admiring it through the nature-made frame. But when he looked back down and saw she was still staring up, he called out to her: “Huā?”

Initially she was too focused to notice the boy. As soon as he called her name though, she jolted back to awareness, seaglass eyes nervously flitting towards the white bear. "Ah! Sorry-" she pauses, recalling his name- "Aningan. I no saw you there. How are you?" she attempts to start the conversation, while she uncomfortably kneads her charcoal paws on the snow, feeling as if she'd done something wrong, getting all dazed like that. At least Aningan seemed a pleasant boy- now she would see if the leader matched her initial impression of him. Truthfully she was still a bit intimidated by the boy's size and general figure.

Aningan watched as her body seemed to jolt upward, and he immediately said, “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you!” Regrettably, he didn’t think too much about her state of mind prior to calling out and felt bad for the reaction he caused. He walked closer, casting her an apologetic smile, then waved off her own apology. “It’s okay, you seemed preoccupied,” he said. Besides, he wasn’t exactly noisy or animated with his approach, so it didn’t seem unusual to him that she didn’t take notice.

“I’m okay,” he answered when asked, pushing past what just happened. “How are you?” Despite the spook, he hoped she was fine otherwise. Although, he couldn’t help but think back to what Ying told him, how her sisters were sad to be there. Was she really sad?

The boy apologized for scaring her, excusing her as ... preoccupied, whatever that meant. She didn't know the word but she could infer from his tone that she was alright, which took some weight off her shoulders, helping her to ease up. 

As he responded that he was okay, she nods politely- there was nothing she could say to that short response, especially with barely knowing him. But as he asks about how she was, her thoughts leap here and there. There was no beach here, there was a little jerk here, and it was winter. There weren't exactly plenty of things to be happy about. "I'm okay too," she lies, but with a sigh, showing her true mood. She wouldn't hold that up long, instead, she continues- "But I miss beach. And I not make friend yet."  Of course, that was only the half of it, but she saw no use in oversharing.

At first, she claimed that she, too, was okay—but all it took was a sigh and then her true feelings were revealed. She missed the beach as Ying told him; he didn’t hold this against any of the sisters. He, too, missed the sea—the only difference being that he accepted he would not be returning to it, and stood by the decision. That was not something he could change, not something he could make better for her; he could not bring the shore to them, nor did he want to, given the pain it inflicted on Rusalka once before already. But then she remarked about having yet to make friends, and he thought that, maybe, he could at least help with that.

“We can be friends!” he told her, a wide smile tugging at his lips. “And I can introduce you to everyone else, too. Then you’ll have a lot of friends.” Would having friends at her side make it easier to stay away from the shore? He hoped so—he liked the trio, thought they were nice, and didn’t want the sea to take them away.

He took her by surprise, offering himself up as her friend. Could she be friends with the leader? But she wasn't even a great help to the pack! And here he was, offering his warmth and kindness anyway. She was intrigued. And some part of her screamed, you ought not to trust foreign men! Those devils will use you as they please! But already she was feeling that this was a good man, whether he was foreign or male was no concern. He had been welcoming and hospitable from the very beginning. 

And even as the sea tugged at her heart, an anchor dropped in the ocean with its rope tied tightly around Huā, she could not refuse the promise of friendship. There ought to be others, more polite and better than Tuvak... right? "Thank you Aningan. I would like meet them! And like be your friend too." She chirps, feeling lighthearted.

The offer was accepted, which filled him with joy; another friend made. It made him wonder, though, what exactly it was that friends did. Introduce one another to others, yes, but what else? “I think you’ll like the others here,” he said, partially absentmindedly. Should he introduce her to them now? That would take care of that and, hopefully, make her feel more at home there—but shouldn’t he get to know her better himself first so that he could better decide who next to introduce her to? Yeah, that seemed like a good idea.

“I’ll introduce you later,” he decided, joy glimmering in his gaze as he came back into focus. “I want to get to know you first.” Was that weird to say? Well, whatever, too late to take it back now. “What do you like to do?” That seemed like a better question.

Briefly her eyes widen a little and she blinks somewhat awkwardly at his question. What did she like to do? She hoped dearly this wasn't some prying for trades disguised as bonding. Already she was unsure if the things she liked to do even counted as mentionable. But still, she tilts her head to think for a moment, before speaking up. 

"I like swimming... sunbathing... playing games with my sisters, fishing..." Comes the list. Could he relate to any of that? She watched his expression, wondering if he identified with any of them.

Aningan was quiet as he listened to her list off what she enjoyed; a few stood out more so than the others, with fishing grabbing his attention fully. Wagging his tail, he said, “I like fishing, too.” And he happened to think he was pretty good at it—although, he would admit that no amount of practise would ever be too much. “Maybe we can fish together sometime,” he offered, smiling all the while. Even if she felt it too cold today, he would leave the offer standing for another, warmer day.

“What’s sunbathing?” were the next words to leave his mouth, his curiosity obvious. Separately, Aningan understood the meaning of the two words—but the combination of them stumped him. How could someone bathe in something that they could not reach?

can we fade this soon since it's been a while?

She grinned when he said he enjoyed fishing, nodding at his proposal that they fish together sometime. Today she didn't feel much like it- she was more interested in continuing their conversation- but she made a mental note to fish with him later on.

When Aningan asked what sunbathing was, she giggled. Sunbathing... it when, you go lay on a stone, on hot day. The sun relax you, and you can nap and feel warm. She explains as her tail wags. Boy, how she wished she could sunbathe right now! The winter here was colder than the winters of the southern beaches of California, and she was chilled to the bone.

yep yep

When she explained what sunbathing was, he felt more confused by her answer than his own lack of knowledge. Why would anyone want to lay directly in the sunlight, especially on a hot day? And on a stone? He felt warm just thinking about it; a northerner through and through, the heat was oftentimes not his friend. “That sounds… very warm,” he noted. “Too warm for me, I think.” He would much rather roll in the snow.

Once again, the foreigners seemed starkly different than her. Too warm? Was that even a thing? The warmth of sunlight upon her skin was one of the best feelings in the world; that and floating underwater. She laughed at his response, finding it strange and unrelatable. Oh well- he didn't seem built for home back in California anyway. He was pale as snow and thickly built, like a real bear. Nothing like the lithe and catlike women of the south, draped in warmth and sandy colors. 

The two would go on chatting about their hobbies for just a little while longer, finding both similarities and differences between them. Huā would come out of the conversation feeling much more comfortable with Aningan, despite finding his taste strange. She would bid him farewell, finally returning to whatever she'd been up to before.