Cerulean Cape hey-- i was doing just fine before i met you

Tine almost glowed under the compliments-- her ego was already huge and gold plated. She really didn't need more, but the girl would certainly never reject a compliment. You're too sweet... The shadow said softly.
Before she could say anything more, Engel said something-- love, and she was prepared to feel bitter. Disappointed. Angry. Was he already there, when she was not even close? But he cut himself short, and Tine found she was content to leave it be (if a little curious). Whatever he had been about to say, either it was unimportant or he had, in a rare display of observance, sensed that she wasn't ready. Either way, Tine nuzzled into him lovingly.
I'm... really cold. The complaint was sudden, coming after a few beats of silence following his unfinished sentence. She dared not touch that. Instead she was realizing she actually was cold. The shadow looked at Engel a little expectantly; if he enjoyed their closeness, now was clearly his chance.

Engel felt her nuzzle into him with such affection, he rumbled deeply. After hearing that, Engel cuddled up closer to Tine. It was getting dark, and they would need somewhere to rest until the time for low tide came around again. He sighed, now choosing to just enjoy this moment in silence. Every time they met he seemed to learn a loto f things about her, and he loved them all...though the nips still needed some getting used to, but that wouldn't be long at all.

in which Tine discovers a strange weakness

Satisfied when her pet obeyed the unspoken command, Tine took to grooming his ears. They were probably the only thing she actually liked about him. Cute and fluffy and soft and red-- yes, she did like his ears a lot.

It likely showed in the gentle affection she laid upon them, but she didn't care. They were so soft! She nosed through the velvety fur, drawing her tongue through it slowly at first, then briskly. Her tail swished behind her at this discovery, and promptly she realized she wasn't about to leave his ears alone anytime soon.

Engel felt her begin grooming his ears and as she did, he felt it tickle a bit. Her tail swished next to his, even touching his time to time. Was she quite enjoying? That most surprised him as she continued to groom across his ears. He snickered quietly, flicking them to see if that did anything as she groomed from side to side. He waited a while before finally he spoke up, "You like my ears, do you?"

When Engel flicked his ears, one of them batted Tine's nose. She giggled softly but didn't halt her affections. The only pause came when he asked her if she liked his ears. Tine held no shame in her answer. I love your ears.
She took the tip of one into her mouth and nibbled it gently, continuing down along the edge until she reached the base of it. Then the shadow resumed her grooming and weird-kind-of-nuzzling of his ears. It was something she could really enjoy about her pet.

Engel laughed a little. Well this was new. Most said they liked his eyes. Or his fur color. Or his...Anyway, none said they liked his ears. "Huh...no one has before...but I guess they do make me a perfect listener, so that's something to love about them" he said with a humoress tone. 

She nibbled at them gently, and he could feel himself shiver. He wondered where her soft spot would be. His ears were quite sensitive, though the most sensitive part he would not mention was sensitive.

Well... more fluffy ears for me. Tine said impishly, rubbing her muzzle against the outside of one of them as if to emphasize her point. She wondered if this fondness for his ears could extend to a fondness for the entire wolf. Maybe with time.
A brief silence passed over the pair before she spoke again, so quiet it could easily be missed. There's a lot to love about you in general.
She sounded a bit longing, but truthfully Tine was mostly trying to convince herself. Oops.

"They're all for you then" he said quietly, rubbing back to rub his ears against her. He arched his expression at her as she said that. "Oh, really?" His ego felt boosted by hearing that. "Want to make a list? Then I'll give you a list of all the things I like about you" he added after. He had a few things in mind already.

Honestly, just when she started to grow a little more fond of him, he had to go and do that. The shadow resisted the urge to frown at his request, instead offering a slightly shy smile.
Well... your ears, obviously. Your kindness, your experience, your humor, your singing... and your striking red fur. She nuzzled into him. I just love being around you. You make me happy. That part was actually true in a way.

Engel listened as she listed the many things she enjoyed about him. So it was the ears, the fur, the humor, the kindness, the singing, his experience. The last surprised him, he wondered what she meant by that. 

"Well as promised, I shall say what I like about you..." He paused thoughtfully, though as if it would need a lot of thought to think up. "Your exquisite beauty, your eyes, your nice ass, your voice...and you are just so...so accepting of me" he said, and that had been a strong point.

Everything on Engel's list struck her as incredibly average-- disappointing, until the last one. That caught her off guard. In fact, it struck her in a strange sort of way.
She rubbed her head against him. I'll always be accepting of you, Engel. I like you... a lot.
Both lies, of course. The Messeda girl judged the hell out of him in her head. Because honestly he was kind of a loser. She supposed that, in a twisted sort of way, she liked him like that though.

Engel was happy to hear that. To hear someone was finally accepting of him, and liked him...a lot. He felt some others had been accepting, like in Morningside. But how that went, could he trust someone was again? Yes. And now he had proof, or thought he did. "I like you a lot too, Tine..." he paused for a moment. When was the last time he had felt like this? All fluttery in the stomach, like this was the first time having a crush...He remembered, and he had a happy yet sad smile.

The shadow wondered if she was being fair to Engel-- and decided instantly that yes, she was. He was annoying and undesirable to her, but surely someone would have found him charming. Especially if he had been around as much as he implied. If he was not with them now, well-- he was a fool to abandon a thing some (namely, Tine) would commit atrocities to obtain. The way he had spoken of love, she knew he must have had it before. Tine couldn't imagine feeling a jealousy more deep or cutting.
She shifted a little, rubbing her muzzle against his cheek. He would know love again, if Tine was successful. And he would know heartbreak, too.
I feel very lucky to have met you. The Messeda girl murmured, pine-green gaze fixed on him with an intensity she did not usually attempt.

Tine shifted against him. He was truly falling more and more for her. By now his thoughts were repeating themselves about her looks, her scent, and her name. Repeating over and over in his mind. And there was nothing at all he could do.

"And I, you...to be honest my time in these lands hasn't been the-" he heard rustling behind them, and slightly turned his head. And an eye widened. 

"Uh...dear...don't, uh...just look at the sea. The beautiful sea, the crashing waves, the shimmering water...and don't move."

Tine heard the rustling at the same moment Engel did, but for a moment she curiously peered at him instead of looking behind the pair. At his words, she felt a little alarmed, and all thoughts of the sea vanished from her mind. The shadow looked--
Oh, god. Something lurked under the cloak of night, hulking and tall and-- so much bigger than her. After a beat of terrified hesitation, she shrieked and bolted. She didn't think about where she was going, focused only on the pounding of her heart that filled her ears. The Messeda girl wasn't scared of a lot, but she did have limits.
Tine didn't know how far she ran, but weariness from the long day and the fading of adrenaline caused her to stumble across the exposed roots of a tree eventually. She whined a little at the impact, legs buckling underneath her. It didn't hurt that badly, but she was tired and ashamed and half-wondering if Engel would even bother to follow her. She made a mental note to bite him harder next time if he didn't.

Engel did not feel her leave his side, eyes on the...horse? Was that what they were? He vaguely recalled them as it seemed to notice him as well, then it was off. "Well...that was uh...that was some-" Then he saw no more of Tine.

"Uh...Tine?" Now he noticed she was no longer besides him. So then, where was she? He put nose to the ground and began following her scent. 

"Tine, where are-" Then he saw her. "Tine!" He rushed over, thinking she were in pain. "Please tell me you are still all right. What did you hurt?" He began sniffing her over as he worried.

As if on cue, the red-furred man showed up right as Tine had started to think he wouldn't. Despite herself, she was a little relieved-- knowing what kind of creatures were on this island, she didn't want to be alone on it. The girl stood, opening her mouth to assure him she was alright, but putting weight on the foreleg she had hit sent a sharp pain through it. Another whine slipped out of her, then she flattened her ears, embarrassed. She lifted her paw slightly off the ground and held it there, trying to act as if nothing was out of the ordinary about that fact.
I'm okay... Tine muttered, not even sure why she was still going with that answer. She moved to push her face into his neck fur, hoping he would be too concerned to ask why she had run.

Engel continued to look her over as she began to stand. No, she was not okay, as soon as she began to stand up Engel knew right away that Tine was not all right. "Tine, we are going to find a spot to have you sit down are rest. Got that?" he asked.

Engel would drag her if he had to, to find a safe spot for her to rest. To him it was obvious that she was in pain.

That was a tone Engel had never taken with the shadow. She was immediately interested, though the throbbing ache in her foreleg was not entirely forgotten. Part of her wanted to give in, but-- well, she was interested to see where this would go.
I'm fine. She insisted quietly, but she didn't sound entirely sure of that. The Messeda found herself hoping that Engel would react the right way. Enough that she promised herself she would reward him generously for it.

Engel waited for an answer...then with a role of his eyes and a small grin was his response. "Fine...be like that." With that, he made a grab for her scruff, and gripping it he lightly pulled. Yes, this would be a long while. But he was determined to get her to somewhere to rest.

"You want...to be...stubborn. Then be....stubborn!" he let out around her scruff. If he knew she'd be this much trouble...well, she would still be here. Her beauty was too much.

Confusion filled Tine when she felt her companion's teeth on her scruff, but no alarm. Hey! What-- Oh. The last word, breathy and soft, marked the exact moment the shadow realized she didn't mind this at all. It was more than she had expected. More than she had even dared to hope for from Engel.
The Messeda girl was decidedly into this, and though she made him work for it she didn't fight him too much. Mostly she enjoyed the contact, the dominance-- it was more enticing than anything else the red-furred male had offered her.

When finally he deemed a place safe enough for them to rest, Tine was more than ready to show her appreciation. As soon as she felt his teeth release from her scruff, she rounded on him, a fire in her eyes. The girl paused only for a beat before she pressed into him and began to press furious kisses on his face. She said nothing, and failed to remember her injured leg even as she still held it limply off the ground. Engel held her full attention after that display.

It had been tiring, and by the time he got them somewhere to take shelter for the night he was huffing and puffing. Luckily she did not fight it, as he had somewhat expected her to do in fact. 

As he let go, he barely lifted his head enough before she was kissing him all over the face. This was...an unusual side of Tine. What had caused this? Nothing came to mind, but just with her, her injured leg passed his mind as he started to kiss back. "This...this is new" he said between kisses.

The shadow was persistent with her affections, enthusiasm renewed when Engel returned the kisses. A little purr escaped her even before he spoke. When he did, though, she paused a beat.
If you don't like it, I can stop... She murmured teasingly. Without waiting for an answer she went back to kissing him-- now she was working towards his ears. When she got there, she was as enchanted by them as before, nibbling and mouthing them almost possessively. Pretty, fluffy red ears. They almost made up for the rest of him.

Engel smiled lightly as Tine paused. He shook his head. "No...never stop..." And he went to continue his kisses. As she went up to his ears, he delved down to her neck. Delivering nibbles of his own. She really was enjoying his ears, wasn't she? And he could not understand why. But he wouldn't need to. As long as Tine enjoyed something about him, he was happy.

Though to tease, he flicked them away every now and then, laughing softly as he did. Engel could not hide the sly smirk he had.

Whenever Engel flicked his ears, Tine would catch one in a firm, playful nip before she resumed grooming them. The shadow would have carried on like this for some time, but her red-cloaked companion had other ideas. She hadn't paid much attention to where he was going with his own grooming-- until he touched on a spot she could not ignore.
The Messeda girl sucked in a sharp breath and shivered, pausing for a few beats to regain her composure. It was difficult with Engel grooming and nipping at such a sensitive spot; perhaps her most sensitive. The softest part of her throat, where it was so alarmingly vulnerable. All Engel would have to do now was bite down... she tensed a little, half expecting it.
But the bite never came-- and for the first time Tine felt some spark of real trust for Engel.