Haunted Wood Purgatory

Watching Santiago and Serem's body language was odd. Maybe it was just that Serem wasn't particularly expressive, but it didn't really seem to him like she was enthusiastic about the idea either. And she smelled... different. Like other guys. That was pretty odd. But the look in Santiago's eyes when he looked at the woman...

Santiago loves her, too.

The thought sent a spike of pain through his chest, and his tail slowly drooped down next to his hind legs. For a moment, he wanted nothing more than to run away and maybe find a good hole to hide in, just to process everything he was feeling right now. All of the emotions made his eyes burn and his belly clench. 

However, as he recalled his conversation with Memory again, Clarence tried to quell the jealousy churning in his stomach. After all, the love for a mate meant someone who you would do anything to see happy. That was one of the things that the man had said about someone you were in love with. And Clarence did want to see Santiago happy, more than anything, so... if this was what it would take. He just had never thought that that would mean sharing the person he loved with another. 

"If this is what will make you happiest," he began, glancing from Santiago to Serem, then back to the man again. "If she makes you happy, too, then... I want you to be happy." There. Perhaps not the most eloquent thing, but he'd said it nonetheless.