King Elk Forest i know my personality's not perfectly cultured

@Brienne <3 updated/set to present 10.28.17t 

with the stories of the silvery prince, his grandfather and grandfather's mate under his belt, delight feels he's making good progress. he hopes they expand soon so that he has an excuse to actually use the tale he's slowly weaving together, though he's still missing important pieces of the puzzle. continuing the thread of using mato as the center of the story - a completely objective decision thankyou - means he's prioritizing those closest to him and logically that puts seabreeze brienne at the top of his list but. he can't help but hesitate just slightly. not  because - it's - look, they're friends and he actually really likes the cream-colored girl and he's rooting for her definitely, but she's intuitive enough that he's a little afraid that she'll look right through him and know. it's not exactly a secret but he hasn't even been able to put it into words for himself and maybe he never will since it's doomed from the get-go, but what if she figures it out before he can stop her? augh. if she hadn't already put it together given the androgyne had downright fled from her explanation, the question on his tongue turned to ash.

all this to say he's waffling: he wants to find her because he has a job to do and he is also terrified of finding her just a little bit, and so instead of doing anything productive the dusk-wisp boy is pacing the forest near-ish her den, far enough that it could be coincidence but close enough he's not exactly hiding. alas, the woes of the poor observer, doomed to watch wistfully from the outside.

she had been swept up in the happiness of her newfound mateship for some time but the noticeable absence around the forest had brought her back down to earth.

it seemed as if they had started so well.  what happened?  the scents of both trajan and uka were disappearing altogether from their borders, and she noticed the absence of mato's sister as well.

that left only five — mato and herself, burke and malice, and her friend delight.  it was he who she sought out this fine morning, not weary of her mate's company of course but in search of something different.

she could not express her worry of the pack's future to mato, especially with how.. optimistic they had been.  she knows he must see it too but she cannot dare think about voicing it. not now.

so she puts her nose to the ground to track the dark-furred boy with those pale, broken china eyes, breaking into the clearing before him with a disheartened chuff.

he hears her chuff before he sees her and panic seizes him - does he run? does he pretend he hasn't heard? does he stick around and do his damn job, like he's planned? before his fickle heart can choose a course he sees her and roots to the ground, schooling his expression into one of hesitant neutrality - and then a small, strained smile. she is your friend, idiot, he reminds himself.

"heeey," the singing-sunlight says, the half-smile falling away into his usual gloomy countenance. he takes a moment to look at her for real, a little surprised by the general... sadness that surrounds her. he's usually the sulky one around here - bri is a glowing sunshine. "you okay..?" delight asks, ears twitching back in some approximation of something like concern, maybe. mato aside - brienne's a friend. he wants her to be okay.

the cemna regrets her decision almost immediately.  this is something she should have kept to herself, for perhaps there is no reason for her to worry.  besides, wasn't she supposed to be the comforting one?

yet it is obvious by her demeanor that something is up and she can't just... lie.  right?

i suppose, she says flatly, her heart twisting as she sees the way he has to force a smile for her.  it's been so long that she can't recall — was he always like that?  

she assumes it won't be enough to appease him. i just worry for tindome's future.  and i don't want to worry mato with it.

there. now it's been said out loud.

analytically he watches her; something is clearly off. for a moment he thinks it must be him, that she must know and he's hurt her (and he doesn't blame her, even if he knows he intends to make no designs towards the morwinyon, who seems, thankfully, completely oblivious) - but then she explains. "isn't that .. the whole point of the .. mates thing?" the androgyne asks, annoyed at himself for the way the word mates tangles in his mouth. "i mean - i'm sure he'd like to know what you think."

out loud his voice is normal, but his ears detect his own jealousy and his noise crinkles slightly. get it together, delight. "um, i mean, we were talking about something similar recently. relocating, possibly, though i think either way we should wait for winter to pass." part of him has assumed mato must have voiced his questions to brienne at some point - but maybe not, if she's been too worried to bring it up with him. from what he's seen, the silvery prince doesn't seem like the type to pick up on subtle distress -- too deep in his own lovely mind, surely. he is either way glad to know that he is not filled with too many irrational worries, if mato and bri are both worried as well.

ah, this isn't exactly what he meant to talk about, but - he feels himself hesitating again. (if the cenma is herself worried, shouldn't he talk to her about her troubles before demanding a life story..?) (does he want to hear it - or at least, the questions he needs to ask - now?)

delight sighs, silvered gaze drifting towards the lines of the trees. "it was beautiful," he says vaguely, thinking of tindömé's founding - not even three months prior, barely has the season turned over. "sorry i haven't been around," he adds, wondering if his own avoidance has added to her worries, "i'm - i'm here, you know."