Hushed Willows Forward

Octavia did not anticipate all of the information that came out of her friend, but as she spoke, she listened. Her mouth occasionally opened, hinge-like, but she did not inturrupt at any points - only felt like responding sometimes, but Desna moved on, and on, and there was questions in there for her to answer but she didn't have much of a shot. Little by little Desna showed off her distrust of her home, of the men in her life, and Tavi could only think, good! Because it was an accurate view of the world, at least according to herself. While she had never been too close to any women, she had begun to understand the trials of dealing with men, and it was interesting to hear similar things from her friend.

Then, as Desna re-introduced herself with a new name, the explanation for that name made Tavi sort of... Pause. There was a moment of silence and then, out of seemingly nowhere, she began to laugh. It was a sound she hadn't made in such a long time, and it felt good to feel her lungs fill with air and her belly begin to ache, because she just couldn't stop laughing. It was intense — and all because she had never heard the girl swear before. Or she couldn't remember the last time that happened, anyway. When her laughter finally died out, Tavi gasped a few times and used her forelimb to wipe tears from her eyes.

Oh, shit, Des -- Valette, sorry -- ahhh, if Valette could get these things off her mind, then Octavia could do the same. She felt her heart slow down a little bit, but it pounded in her chest, and she was filled with all kinds of silly emotion. You were just so straight faced - I didn't think you knew any curse words, hahaha, she snickered again, and sank back upon her haunches, breathing deeply. It sounds like you've made a home for yourself, and that's good. That's really good. As for your boy problems - I dunno, really. Its hard to figure out who to trust, and its not like anyone can forsee anything before it happens. You just gotta find someone that keeps you feeling good, and stick with them. I guess... Its a two way thing. It was something she'd not done with Reek. Maybe things could change - maybe she could stick around here after all if she had Stark with her. Tavi didn't want to rely on anyone anymore, even him. But her son was what mattered to her, and if there was good reason for her to stick around the Keep, if she could trust that they were safe and Stark could be there for her, maybe....

Still, Tavi was resistant. Something... Something had changed in her. Ever since that experience with Harlyn, or maybe before that. Silence engulfed her again, and she had to shake her head to rid her brain of the immersive thoughts. I think I've found someone I can trust, but I'm not sure. He... Reminds me of Reek, actually. And my friend Ukko from the Maplewood. I dunno if you ever met him - he was around when I first joined up, and briefly a memory flashed through her brain, an image of her younger self toying with the boy, lying to Saena, trying to sneak in to the pack lands -- but that had been a lifetime ago, she realized. She wasn't that person anymore. I miss her, she found herself thinking, and then once more shaking her head.

I dunno. Everything is so much more complicated than it used to be.