Redhawk Caldera Out on the verge of the rest of our lives

Pantaleimon smiled when Perry mentioned finding a place for the two of them. It'd be sort of like their home, their secret hideout, a place for just the two of them. Pan was fine with the pups remaining ignorant for now, because she was afraid she might accidentally tell them exactly how fond she was of Perry some day. Being honest was so much easier in front of children, and as Pantaleimon was pretty honest to start with, it wasn't hard to accidentally let go of a slip of the tongue. When Peregrine searched for eye contact, Pan allowed their eyes to meet briefly before averting her gaze.

When Peregrine started to move, Pantaleimon followed suit. Peregrine brought them to the rim of the caldera, where they found a pebbly beach. When the pebbles gave way to softer sand Peregrine stopped and said he'd be right back. A shiver ran down Pan's spine when Peregrine nipped her ear, and she had to suppress getting too excited again. Pantaleimon watched as Peregrine disappeared. She looked about the area, admiring the lakeside view -- she loved the water, after all, and even though she missed the salty ocean scent to go with the view, it was as good as a view was going to get in Redhawk Caldera -- while she considered if she should lay down, sit down, or just stand around waiting. Pantaleimon sat down and watched the water for a minute or five before she got up again and paced around a bit, as though testing for the best place to lay down. She awkwardly shifted from standing to sitting to laying down until Peregrine returned, not sure what would be best. When she saw Peregrine return, she'd just lain down, but the sight of him coming towards her made Pan rise with a quick jump. Pantaleimon tried to look as casual as possible, as if she hadn't been fretting over what to do and how to act and look when Peregrine returned at all, when he returned.

"Hey you," she said softly, and considered saying something corny like 'fancy meeting you in a place like this' or throwing out a joke. In the end though, Pan didn't, knowing it'd sound weird and forced; she'd only say it because Perry was always so witty and she'd try to be something she just wasn't.

Pantaleimon watched as Peregrine laid down after inviting her to join him. Pantaleimon walked a tiny circle out of habit, even though she already knew exactly where to lay down, and then placed herself by Peregrine's side. Since she was only a little bit smaller than Peregrine, Pan could not fold her entire self against him as much as she wished. Instead, she let most of her body rest against his, her hind legs sticking out a bit, and she rested her left front leg over his front legs. "This is nice," she mumbled, even though she was still trying to find the exact right position and felt a little tense and awkward since all of this was a first for Pantaleimon.