Broken Antler Fen and the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon

It was pretty much a total bluff; he wanted Reyes to stop him and insist he stay. And his dear ole dad did just that. When Caracal spun around again, he was all smiles. "Really?" he said, beaming when Reyes emphasized that they should hang out. "Yeah, yeah!" He didn't even really listen to the specifics of his father's suggestions. He would just be happy to spend some time with him, shooting the shit.

But now that Reyes had brought up the topic of Towhee, Caracal couldn't just ignore the fact that he was totally breaking the rules here. And he realized he wasn't just getting himself in trouble, maybe his dad too. He didn't want that, any more than he wanted to disobey his mom. He loved her dearly. Suddenly hesitant, he bit his lip.

"Mmm...maybe we could just walk here, near the borders?" he suggested, looking inquisitively at Reyes. He wasn't stupid; he knew Towhee would still be displeased that he was here without a chaperone. But wasn't there a word for this, a sort of lesser evil, a middle ground? Compromise?