Ocean's Breath Plateau i just need to speak and bespoke

@Valentine

Of all the things Diaval had never seen and did not know, the ocean was certainly quite something. He wasn't sure if he liked it. The smell of salt, the scream of seabirds, and the cut of sea wind in his fur. He found the open, endless, vastness of the sea uncomfortable and when he looked at it too long, he felt like the ground beneath his feet was shifting. It was always steady underneath him when he jerked his head down to check but the dizziness kept him from staring at the water for too long.

The thing was, on the coast, the ocean was all there really was to look at.

That was what had driven him to look higher. And where he stood on the green plateau, the sound less and smell more pleasant than overwhelming, it seemed like the seaside wasn't all that bad. Maybe it was telling that moving away from the ocean had caused him to feel better about it but standing on the edge and looking out at the deep blue, Diaval almost forgot what his complaints had been.

tag for reference!

He’d left @Pier to rest in the camp they’d made the previous night. It was nothing grand, just a patch of dirt nestled beside a particularly large tree. Grass strewn about haphazardly in place of proper bedding. A perfect bedroom for a pair of wandering souls.
Valentine walked for one, maybe two, hours. There was no purpose to it, simply a walk. He’d imagined he’d find nothing of interest. But imagine his surprise when he came across a familiar plateau. He’d no clue his travels had led him back here. It was not abandoned as it had been when he and Cascadia came here. No, Valentine spotted a stranger looking out over the coast.
Ahoy there, mate. He approached with a bounce in his step. Enjoying the view?

Diaval jolted sharply away from the voice, his feet taking him a few clumsy steps back as he swung his head to see who had spoken. He stared blankly at the stranger for several seconds, owlish and dull, before his soul seemed to re-enter his body and several blinks brought him back to the present. Oh - someone! And they were talking to him! A sour-sweet mixture of anxiety and pleasure rolled in his gut and opened his mouth to speak.

Then, he realized what the other wolf had said and all that came from his lips was a flat "...what?"

Mate? Like, mates? He wasn't this guy's mate. He wasn't anyone's mate. Was he even old enough to have a mate? Maybe. He wasn't really a kid anymore...not really. He could have a mate, he supposed. Another male for a mate, though? Was that even allowed? Was that a thing? It didn't seem that bad, just kinda weird. No babies that way, he supposed. Was that a good thing? He was just standing there, wasn't he? His face heated underneath his fur as a fluttering, high-speed confusion and contemplation raced through him. 

Finally, still lost in his own thoughts, he muttered - "M-mate? That's...weird..."

Well, he sure gave the man a scare. Not what he would’ve hoped for. Still, he chuckled under his breath. He couldn’t help himself, what, with the doe-eyed stare and the loss for words. It took minute for the stranger to seemingly gather his senses. He said, stammered rather, something quite odd.
Is it? Valentine tilted his head. And why’s that?

The answer from the male stole through the rapid-fire thoughts in his head. He was slowly being brought back from his own mind, a swirling storm, to the sunshine of reality. It was a slow process, however, so at first he just hummed an affirmative, giving a small nod. "Yeah, it's..."

Wake up, you idiot. He blinked, replaying what the other wolf had said in his mind, and cleared his throat, shifting to stand a bit straighter...and falling back into his usual low, awkward stance only a moment later. His racing thoughts had been severed by sheer will, however clumsy it had been.

"Uhm. When you say 'mate'...you don't mean - like....do you...?"

Valentine leaned forward slightly. Do I…? The last syllable drawled out. A subtle push for the stranger to finish his sentence while he tried to piece the puzzle together within  his own mind. Then, quite suddenly, it clicks.
Oh. He pulled back and laughed. If a husband is what you mean, then no, I do not. His mouth rigged into a lopsided grin. But it can if that is what you desire. So long as you take me to dinner first.

At the laugh, the greyscale boy's face flamed. He was embarrassed - of course he hadn't meant it that way. He was an idiot for even letting himself think about it. Whatever weird way of speaking it was, it was clearly not meant as an...innuendo...or whatever. 

He was embarrassed, yes, but also the male was very...pretty...when he laughed. It was only because he was thinking about it, of course, mates and love and that...stuff. He had no experience with that. His father had been long gone when Diaval had started to form memories of the world and his mother never had another companion while he was around. And Diaval? Of course not. 

But then - "But it can if that is what you desire. So long as you take me to dinner first."

Diaval choked, sputtering a bit as he took several steps back. "That's not -!" Husband? Dinner? Diaval still wasn't exactly sure what kind of conversation they were having but he had a much better idea, now. "No-no, I mean-" he fumbled. "You-you're...very...nice looking but-uh, I...can't catch food too good...right now." he finished dumbly. That was how you let someone down easily, right? He knew he wasn't supposed to hurt feelings...right?

He should leave.

And for a third time in the span of — gosh! It couldn’t have been more than two minutes! 
— in the span of less than two minutes, Valentine had managed to shock him. Turn him to hot mess who skipped from word to word. He’d even gotten a compliment out of him. 
And you are rather nice looking fellow yourself. He took a step forward. Perhaps I should be the one offering you dinner then. Have you ever tried seafood?

"And you are rather nice looking fellow yourself." Was he? It didn't matter, he was paid a compliment. It was rude to question it. "Ah, thanks." he said, eyes skipping away. He was still flustered and when he looked back, he saw that the wolf had drawn closer. Without thinking, Diaval took a step back - the distance between them remained. 

He was an idiot. He'd screwed up the entire conversation. And there was something about sex in there, he was pretty sure, but he was swiftly shifting from embarrassment to self-reproach. He was surprised when the wolf offered him dinner instead. Diaval was looking for a way out of the conversation but...he was also admittedly hungry. He was a poor excuse for a predator - not much of a hunter at all. But...well, the turn in the conversation made him cautious. He was confused - was the offer real or was it another innuendo? He just didn't know anymore.

"Uh, I'm not looking for..." he broke off, thought a moment, then sighed. "Do you really mean food or...the other thing?"

He chuckled. I really mean food, yes. It’s only polite, taking your lovers on a date before bringing them home, was what he would have said to further tease. Ah, but he’d had his fun. Well, for now at least.
I’m one hell of a fisherman, so they say. And the fish by the ocean are extra tasty. The sea salt adds an extra kick.

ooc; You want them to just wander off and cut it there? Or do you want another thread for fishing?

The easier tone was soothing to the young male. He relaxed a little, perking up at the mention of fish from the ocean. "Really? I've never had many fish, let alone from the ocean." he turned to look at the huge, blue expanse. In truth, he had never even seen the ocean until a few weeks ago. He didn't say that, though.

"Sure. Yeah. I'd like to try that!" he brightened, adding after a moment - "Uh - please."

another thread would be cool! I’d be happy to make one <3

He’d met a good few of folks not akin to the sea. Well, two, as of this conversation. It’s out of the ordinary still.  Valentine was happy to teach these inland wolves the way of the coast.
Come along then! The ocean’s not too far a walk from up here. With that he spun around and began the journey down northward.

ooc; That's great, thank you!!

Feeling better and thoroughly enticed by the idea of food, Diaval followed quickly behind the male, whose name he still did not know. As they departed, he cast a look over his shoulder at the ocean - so blue and endless from their vantage point. He'd be at the shore again, soon, he guessed. He wasn't completely excited at the idea but he was happy to be with company...even if they were a bit confusing. 

He fell into an easy trot.