Coconut Grove you can't catch me, a po-po can't reprimand me

continuing a thread for @Viinturuth <3

so now that harlow was secured in their ranks, and tristan's new friend had casually strolled on through, tristan decided he should take the time to really solidify this new friend. this dude friend. like, yeah, ladies were great -- but what if all these ladies were ruining his man card? nah nah, he needed some freaking DUDES in his life! only dudes he'd ever had were eljay and lucca... who were... lame, to say the least. and lucca freaking left, so, big nope. anyhoo. 

he motioned for viinturuth to follow him, and then they made their way towards the borders to get some good patrolling in. so, what's your hot take on harlow? you think you're gonna try to pipe? asked tristan, casual as all day and night -- this was easy dude talk, after all.

Friendship was an almost foreign concept to Viinturuth, who'd failed miserably to build relationships beyond his home pack. Akavir had been his favoured sibling, though he liked to think himself as having been close to Akatosh and Talos as well. He'd also looked up to the older wolves in Swiftcurrent, but those of his own age were scarce.

So it was nice to have a companion who actually seemed to enjoy sharing time with him, but there was one major problem: he barely had any idea how to communicate with him, and at times he couldn't understand what he was trying to say to him.

Pipe? What the fuck did that mean? He assumed it was something sexual considering how he'd referred to the newest recruit as "hot", so he went with it as smoothly as he could: "uhhhh..." Okay, maybe not, but he hoped he could at least save himself. "I dunno, maybe? Unless you call dibs, of course!"

his tail waved, quite pleased with the answer! nah nah, she's not my type, said tristan with a shrug, silently thinking of another wolf even though he desperately wished he wasn't, did you ever have a girlfriend back... wherever you're from? seemed like an innocent enough question. tristan was sort of the lone wolf type himself(as if), couldn't keep him tied down to one bitch, youknowhatimsayin? anyway, viinturuth seemed pretty chill with the conversation, and also like he knew what was going on... so tristan didn't explain.

i'm glad we nabbed her, though, we need more wolves in the pack, he added on a chiller side-note, appearing content.

He pressed on, staring ahead as Tristan either didn't notice or completely disregarded his subtle suggestion that he might wish to, uh... "pipe" this new chick. His gaze settled somewhere in the distance, staring at nothing at all, as he hoped with every fibre of his being that his ashen companion would not press him for more information that he'd have to feign.

When he did not (thank fuck), Viinturuth released the breath he didn't realise he'd been holding, but turned his pale crown to regard him stupidly as he went on to question his status back at his previous pack. Okay, so he had literally zero experience with girls, but he definitely didn't want to appear lame in front of his new friend. "Oh," he started poorly, but managed to collect himself, "yeah! Even my brothers' girlfriends preferred having me around."

He hated lying, it made him feel dirty, but sometimes it was ttotally necessary to promote coolness. "What about you?" Viin asked, eager to remove attention from his inexperienced self onto someone who clearly knew his way around the female anatomy. "What's your type?" What did that even mean!? Was her fur the wrong colour? Did he think she was ugly? Holy shit did he just confess to admiring an ugly chick? If Harlow didn't fit his preference, who might?

aye!! chirped tristan as he moved to lift a leg and mark a spot along the border, good for you -- that's what you want. implying that it was good to be a lady killer. this dude totally slapped! hell yeah, tristan was glad he really hit the nail on the head with recruitment. 

oh, said tristan with a shake of his head, no, i don't really do... relationships. kinda more into a hit 'em and quit 'em code, ya know? granted, tristan had only 'hit and quit' one chick.. so. and then he shrugged. i dunno, bad bitches? i guess? harlow is hot, like don't get me wrong, but she seems a little whacky to me -- and like the relationship type. yeah, like that made any sense. hard to believe this dumbass was literally leading this crowd. god, lets hope he didn't bang his whole female subordinate crew. 

he realized this, at least, and took a look towards viinturuth. that kinda makes me sound like a bad guy -- i'm not. i just don't think i wanna settle down, is all. yeah, that definitely solved it.

Relationships, even the ones that were supposed to be simple like those familial ones shared with parents or siblings, were friggin' complicated. He listened, ears cupped forward curiously in his thirst for knowledge, as Tristan admitted that he wasn't the "relationship type". What the fuck did that even mean? Truthfully, Viinturuth didn't even know what the term "girlfriend" meant, he just assumed that it was a girl who... was your friend? Who you "piped"? Maybe?

Burgundy eyes blinked, and he lazily rolled a silver shoulder to pretend that this was all totally natural to him. Internally, he was screaming; so much, the young Frostfur-Mayfair wanted to fit in, be cool, and if banging bitches was how to get there, he was willing. He just had to figure out how.

"Fair enough," he said with his cheekiest grin, tail lashing (a little anxiously) at his alabaster hocks. Honestly, the thought of settling with a partner terrified him. Although his mother and father did their best to keep their feud private, Viinturuth had felt the weight of their disagreements long before the fallout. He couldn't stand the thought of being in his parents' position, of sticking around with someone just because, despite the betrayal he assumed Constantine had seen through. "Do you think you ever will?" Settle down, that was. He hoped not. It'd be nice to live in a world where no one would be tied into something destined to make you miserable.

tristan shrugged. i dunno -- my parents seem really happy together, he responded, not realizing the polar opposite thoughts that were running through viinturuth's head, it just doesn't seem for me, but maybe when i'm older. you're two years old, pal, you better start learning how to fuckin handle yourself or god help me i'm kicking down this door and beating the shit out of you. christ. 

maybe for the right girl, he added, definitely thinking of one but we all already know how the fuck that conversation turned out... yeah, okay, maybe he does need a little more time to get older.

There was a small childish part of Viinturuth that was immediately jealous of Tristan's seemingly content upbringing, and he hid his frown well enough as he veered to cock a limb and deliver a stream of urine intended to mark the base of a scrawny tree. Well how fucking nice for you, the pale yearling thought sharply, taking a moment to reign in his sparked emotion. 

His parents' bitterness toward one another had affected him far deeper than he thought, it seemed, and he'd struggled with the toxicity of it that he continued to carry. So while the idea of stability was always quietly appealing, he was concerned that his anxiety might prevent him being able to truly trust them.

"Dude," he turned toward Tristan again with a huff, "my dad was fucking around with some subordinate bitch and my mom lost her mind over it - they hated each other in the end. One girl can't be worth that sort of shitstorm, am I right?"

me screaming over poor baby aria in the distance

tristan paused and glanced at his friend with a bit of shock. it seemed to be a bit of a sore spot, from what he could tell, so tristan didn't voice the fact that he thought viinturuth's dad sounded cool as FUCK. two bitches? at ONCE? hot damn that's  some serious stud shit right there... but... well, he also could see how that probably sucked. 

his nose crinkled at the comment, and tristan shook his head. guess not -- sorry that happened, dude, he offered, a calmer tone of voice than usual, doesn't mean it's gotta go down like that, though. wow! such optimism from a shitty little shithead.

My Frostfur toons are so awful to Aria.  ;_;

He felt himself teeter on the edge of... something? Explosion of rage? [[I]Tears? Fuck no, he wasn't about to start sobbing like some big cry baby, so he inhaled deep through flared nostrils and looked away, ears pressed back against silver guard hairs.

"Yeah, I guess. It was..." what? Stupid? Duh. Hurtful? A lot. He worried that if his mother wasn't enough to deserve Constantine's loyalty, what sort of position did that put her offspring in? "It really sucked."

A pause, and an uncomfortable one. Viinturuth had 100% thrown the awkward towel into what was previously a very different anxiety-inducing conversation. "But hey," he said more gently, making to exchange an apologetic glance and offer a sheepish little smile, "that's in the past, and it can stay there. Margaritaville is the place to be now!"