Hushed Willows And through the merry flowers of June

Tags for ref!

After his talk with Mahler, Mali had become even more restless.  He'd gone over everything with @Brilliance, but was mum on his thoughts if @Delight came around.  His trust in his father had decayed over time, and Mahler's suggestion that Delight was weak just nudged it further that way.  The only one thus worth trusting was his sister... At least as long as she didn't spill the beans.  He was more adamant that they needed to do something.  It wasn't like either of them were really happy here, right?  But still nothing changed.  They were just unimportant in the pack, the rest of them totally just went on like nothing was wrong and had parties and stuff while they ignored the dysfunction that they had created.  They'd rather be ignorant.

He was pacing a loop around a few game trails, thinking.  The only plan he could think of was that he should go, find somewhere good, and then come back for Brillo if things looked good.  Then while he was gone, she could take what he'd ordinarily be eating and maybe that would help her, too.  But then he'd have to leave her.  But he didn't want her hurt if wherever he went turned out to be psycho-murderers.  None of it sounded good.  They were all blah options, but that was why he was out walking around -- maybe it'd make him think.  And it'd probably keep him off the radar of the people he didn't want to talk to -- he totally looked like he was doing something important, so they'd leave him alone, right?  Maybe?

Lily was restless, too. Her advancing pregnancy was tethering her more and more to the willows, when all she wanted to do was run. Trouble was, she couldn't run anymore without getting tired after a short while. She kept up a good shuffle, but it was slower than her usual gait, and it frustrated her. So she paced, much like Mali, but for different reasons.

Her belly churned--though not unusual, anymore, with these babes inside her--when she spotted Delight's boy, looking deep in concentration. She hadn't properly spoken to him since the incident with Mahler at the border; she'd never gotten the chance to talk to him about his behavior. The moment had come and gone, and bringing it up now would be inappropriate, ill-timed.

Instead, she tried to be casual as possible as their paths came to an intersection. Lily gave him a chuff of greeting as she neared, dipping her head respectfully. Hallo, Mali, she said softly. I hope you're doing well. I don't mean to bother you. Any overt hostility from him and she'd be on her way again.

She did so hope, though, that she could win him over. At least eventually.

The one that interrupted his jaunt was Lily.  Now, his opinion on Lily still wasn't as strong as it was regarding Olive and Seabreeze, but that didn't mean he trusted her or really wanted much to do with any of them.  For as much as they'd talked about how the pack was a Sanctuary, from the view of the boy, they'd done nothing to solve problems that already existed.  They were happy to leave things the way they were, thinking that ignorance would somehow fix things.  There was no saying repairing relationships would have been easy, but they had let problems fester and his hatred and distrust had fused into something harder to just brush away.  He'd been treated like a child, dismissed and ignored and the only one who'd (eventually) listened was a stranger Mali also didn't entirely trust.  But here?  They'd made the decision for him, and all he could hear was that he didn't belong.

He came to a stop, eyeing her warily.  He had to assume she wanted to heckle him about something -- about what, he wasn't sure.  Maybe she wanted to tell him he shouldn't leave the territory or something, even though he was pretty sure another trip was on the horizon. Maybe she decided he'd be useful and would try to conscript him into some kind of awful job nobody wanted.  Either way, Mali didn't want to be forced to act before he was ready -- so he fell back onto his usual method of acting around anyone, his attitude metaphorically resembling a hedgehog so that maybe they'd go bug someone else because that was far easier than trying to get past spiky exterior.  Hi.

Well, she got a word out of him, at least. Just one, and it wasn't altogether pleasant, but she wasn't being hollered at. She decided to dip her toe a little more in the water, perhaps submerging her paw completely. Maybe she'd even fall down into the pool in the process. But it was worth a try, right?

How are you? Lily asked, watching a little carefully to gauge his reaction. I haven't seen you in a while.

It was like handling a bomb. And she was very much aware that if things had been better for them--if she had just taken the time to get to know Delight's children when they were younger--that this would be easier. The past couldn't be changed, nor fixed. All she could do now was try and remake the bed while lying in the mess she'd made in the first place.

There was that whole issue of not wanting to get in trouble because he didn't especially like it versus not wanting to be here.  There just wasn't anything to fight for right here.  Lily would probably get bored and leave Mali alone soon enough, he figured.  Wasn't like he'd do anything right at least.  But what did she want?  Fine.

Of course he had to quip in a sort of judgy way, I've been around.  Mostly. Except when he was trying to find somewhere that might like them, of course.  That hadn't gone great so far.  But still, nobody sought him out, not that he minded the others his age (minus his sister) being totally MIA from his life, that part was good.  He pretty much just came to accept that they were all far too busy with their selfish lives to be bothered... Not that he'd trust any of them, anyway.

She shouldn't push it. She really shouldn't. But her burning desire to be everyone's friend far outweighed the trepidation she felt at engaging Mali in conversation. She stayed close, though far enough away not to be too irksome. Lingering like a pleasant (well, perhaps not to him) shadow nearby, ears perked in curiosity.

What have you been up to? Lily asked, as if it was merely a query on the lunch he'd had that day. Anything interesting?

She assumed he had been out exploring, judging by his flippant remark. She didn't have a problem with it at all; she wished she could do more of that herself. Lily would very much like to hear about his adventures, though she doubted that he would tell her much. Even if he did, would it be honest?

He frowned.  Why would he trust her to not interfere with his plans?  So far, she hadn't given him a reason, and not only that but she'd fled from his show of defiance so it wasn't like she had much of a hold over him.  He behaved so he wouldn't have to deal with all of them as a whole more than out of respect for her.

His words were only half of what he was thinking, though whether or not Lily could parse the quiet parts, who knew.  It wasn't like she was intimately familiar with his opinions, but it wasn't like he ever seemed to have been happy here.  Had he even smiled except for that one time when the other pups proved they were worse people than him?  Exploring, you know, looking for somewhere better than here.  Not much.  An opportunity, but not one he was sure if he trusted.  It left him questioning whether it'd be right.  The only thing he was sure of was that this place was wrong, and everyone here was blind to that fact.  They were all fools who were perfectly happy to just ignore what didn't fit -- literally, even if that was a couple of children -- and pretend everything was just fine.

Like blood from a stone. Lily nodded, her face serene, watching the way he frowned at the question. Could she blame him, really? Mali was surly, sure, but many children were. He had grown up without a mother and with an emotionally distant father (she loved Delight, but he was an enigma). The bulk of his interactions with Olive and Seabreeze--and herself, she hated to admit--were negative, scolding.

He probably just assumed she was here to nag at him over something that was, in his mind, at least, trivial.

Oh? Lily asked, smiling faintly. I'm quite fond of exploring, myself, though I don't get out much any more. She glanced down at her womb with feigned ire before looking at the young man again. I'll have to live vicariously through your adventures, she laughed. How're the mountains, this time of year?

At one point he'd merely been afraid that the adults would just be pissed at him breaching the borders.  Now?  Somehow it seemed almost worse that one of them was showing interest in it.  If everything he did was wrong, why would he trust them to be honest about their intentions if they seemed to be okay with something?

He eyed her warily, why was she so happy about everything?  Seriously, every time it always seemed like none of them thought anything was wrong.  Like hello?  Mali and Brilliance were still treated like the children locked in the back bedroom when company came by, even if sometimes people feigned to care.  Didn't go there.  Not really, at least.  The places he'd gone that kept inside this regional forum were pretty much just foothills.  He shrugged. They're just there, I guess.  It wasn't like he really had much to compare things to either -- the world was as bleak as his attitude no matter where he'd wandered, and this was his first actual full winter.  His creativity and observation were long since turned to rubble.

Wellp, this was a complete and utter failure of an interaction. It was obvious that he wasn't giving her anything, and instead of trying harder, as Lily might once have done. . .she was too pregnant and too cranky for this bullshit. At least she could say that she tried. He couldn't throw lack of trying in her face, at least not as of late.

I'll let you get back to whatever you were up to, Lily responded, her voice warm in spite of it all. Take care, Mali.

She padded off, hips swinging a little. It was only after she had retreated far from the almost-seraph that she let down her guard, allowing the storm cloud to roll over her. She had failed with him, again. And if she couldn't get through to him, she didn't know if anyone could.

But apparently she didn't have patience today, and for that he was thankful.  He shrugged a shoulder, Okay, whatever.  Bye. It was pretty neutral-sounding, perhaps because he was kind of getting what he wanted.  And the player just realized far too late that Mali also probably doesn't understand a damn thing about pregnancy, so he probably just thinks Lily got super fat because she's lazy.  There was every chance he could really have a messed up next year if nobody taught the poor boy anything.

He relaxed a little as she started to walk away.  At least for now, it was probably best he not deal with leadership.  That was just too risky and he had other things to think about that he didn't want to let them in on.  Mali actually wanted to go through with his plans, after all.  Now... What was he doing?  Oh.  Yeah.   Back to his planning.