Coconut Grove better follow me towards, downtown

tristan nodded, though bat didn't really give him enough time to actually speak. so he just watched as her expression went from happy to not so happy and felt all the blood drain from his own face. good thing he was already pale.

no, he said simply with a shrug, you don't if you don't want to. clearly she didn't want to, anyway. 

the young wolf shifted, tucking his feet beneath his chest like some sort of cat, leaning back into the tree. he looked a little strange but it was clearly some sort of coping method... look, you probably do weird shit when you're feeling emotions too. his eyes closed, and he sighed. we don't have to, he said gently, i just... i miss being in a pack. i don't miss the redhawks or firebirds or any pack specifically -- i don't wanna go back. i just miss the life that was associated with it, you know? 

he took this moment to blink his eyes open and look back at his friend, brow furrowed as he looked upon her, green gaze steady upon her own dark features. he was quiet for a second. i just... keep thinking of all the shit we both have been through -- we're not medics. what happens when shit happens again? we have each other -- and there's no one in this world i'd rather be with -- but like -- i can't help you like a real healer could. and it's not like we can teach ourselves anything right now. he looked pretty serious, a little too serious, and he must've realized, because a second later a wide grin broke out onto his face and he stuck his nose right into the sand.

through it, nice and muffled, tristan said, why the fuck do i sound so old and lame? maybe because he'd just missed his own second birthday, and somewhere somehow some maturity genes were kicking in. but who knows.