Moonspear for my father to come and find me like he said

arcturus nodded alongside moriko, pleased that she took his light criticism kindly. in his eyes, she was not an unworthy competitor -- and he wished to help guide her in a way that chased away whatever demons she had about her own self-worth.

his ear was half-turned to moriko as she continued, a scarlet blush gradually rising to his cheeks. thank god for dark fur, for arcturus was suddenly quite bashful -- he didn't even mind being compared to a honeysuckle, even if it was uncharacteristic of a male to be likened to a flower.. he was more tickled by the fact she had mentioned eye-catching. EGO STROKED!

all the same he was terribly abashed by the compliment, partially because he did not know if he deserved a slew of them, and partially because this was unfamiliar terrain for the ostrega -- it opened up a path of vulnerability that both daunted and enlivened him. "um... thank you," he started, feeling inadequate in how he handled such high accolades. he felt silly, but to hell with it -- "i really like hanging out with you." what started first as awkward fumbling became something straight from the heart, and arcturus was surprised midspeech to see how easily the words were distracted. "you're funny and clever, and i like that you're always keeping me on my toes and showing me new ways to do things. it's..." he breathed in deep, feeling a peace settle across his thrumming heart: "it's a good change."