Redhawk Caldera Dear god, this parachute is a knapsack

The Beta listened carefully as his Alpha spoke, offering some insight into Finley's world. What he said made sense; Elwood had noticed that Finley was constantly making jokes and keeping things light. Anytime things had gotten too serious between the two of them, she had pushed him away -- usually literally. He thought back to when she had slapped him in the face and then blamed it on a moth. With the new information that Peregrine had shared, he now wondered if she had been reacting because they were too close -- both physically and emotionally.

Something else that stuck out in Elwood's mind was Peregrine's mention that perhaps Finley had been hurt in the past. She had confessed to problems with an "old friend" recently, but maybe there was more to the story than she was letting on. Elwood knew nothing of Finn or her relationship with him, but things were slowly starting to slide into place.

Finally, Peregrine suggested that Elwood try not to push her into anything; advice that he whole-heartedly agreed with. His intentions had never been to sweep Finley off her feet or woo her. He simply enjoyed her company -- and assumed that she felt the same -- and wanted to spend time with her. He wasn't experienced in romance, so there were no delusions of grandeur dancing in his head. Until she had warned him against falling in love with her, he hadn't really considered the possibility, aside from a fleeting thought inspired by Fox. Yes, it was crossing his mind more often these days, but the last thing he wanted to do was lose her. He didn't want to compromise their friendship with romance.

He worried now that their friendship wouldn't be the same. His first instinct was to seek her out as soon as this conversation was over, but he also considered that, as Peregrine said, perhaps some distance wouldn't be so bad. Maybe they needed it. Maybe...

Elwood gave his head a shake, flashing a lopsided smile at Peregrine. "Thanks, man. I really appreciate it -- seriously. Sometimes it's good to just get someone else's perspective, you know? It's easy to get so wrapped up in your own thoughts and feelings that you can't see a situation from any other point of view," he said thoughtfully. He did feel better, in a way, though nothing had been resolved yet.

"So, anyway..." he said, ready to move on from the Finley-centered conversation. He picked up the rabbit carcass and lobbed it in Peregrine's direction, though there wasn't much force behind the throw so it was unlikely his aim would be as good as the Alpha's.