Big Salmon Lake Icarus

Lesser friendships likely would have found themselves strained by the constant back and forth Ridir was confident in the strength and his and Caeli's bond. They were not on 'lover' level (they shared a sort of purgatory status in that sense) and yet were bound with more significance than mere buddies. A laugh fled him as she so sassily shot down his declaration; he was not bitter toward her lack of cooperation. He'd been a big enough boy to smart off to her and he was a big enough boy to accept the consequences. He toiled on, laboring for a half hour or so, before retreating from their newly created shack and shaking himself off to rid his tufty pelt of the earth that had rained on him during the excavation.

"There!" he declared triumphantly. He took a step back and observed his handiwork with a slight cant of his head. "And because I'm so generous," added the male with a chortle barely contained in the back of his throat, "I even made room for your giant lady hips." He didn't dare look her way after his bold statement...convinced that if he did his bemusement would spill forth in uproarious laughter.