Neverwinter Forest i’d rather be alone, i don’t wanna go home

@Mal

Most hours of days are uneventful. They all consisted of four tasks: eat, sleep, play with the baby, feed the baby. It's slow and boring, but he doesn't mind. It's a well needed break from the usual hustle and bustle of life. Well, sort of. Taking care of @Caerus was still exhausting.

You almost finished there buddy? he whispered as he watched his son nurse for the fifth time today. Wow, he sure did eat a lot. Was this normal?

He still wasn't sure what to do in the long run. Probably had something to do with the fact he'd finally accepted the fact that Cupid was long gone about the time he showed up again. So now what did he do? Not a clue. 

But he'd managed to catch a smallish hare, and after some unsuccessful debating with himself about what to say, he finally went to go find Cupid and say... Something. What was he supposed to say? It had pretty well catapulted him into a permanent state of indecision, which was about the only certain thing. So he stood a distance from the den entry for a minute or two, having no more success at figuring things out other than the fact that staring at the hole in the ground existed. The fact that now Cupid had his own space rather than borrowing Mal's probably only emphasized it all more -- he could be intruding now.

He eventually willed himself forward, ears folded back on his skull, and set the hare down at the entry. Hey, Cupid?

If he had been sleeping, Mal's sudden appearance would have been more irritating. But hey, he's awake, already tired, so whatever. Though he is not angry about the arrival, he does fear it. Up until this point, their exchanges had been strictly buisness-like. Parent stuff. Nothing personal. Cupid was scared of the longer conversations.

Yeah? He almost asked him to bring the rabbit in, but he preferred the distance.

Wll at least he wasn't being told to scram yet. He figured Cupid could probably smell the hare even if he couldn't see it directly, but decided to play a bit dumb, I got some food for you if you want it.

Because that was totally everything. Yep. No. Mal certainly toned everything down here, not bold and loud. He was pretty meek when you got right down to it, half expecting he'd be talked over and told to go away. And. Um. I wanna know what you want me to do. Like since I got you into this, I want to help. Like I promised, even if he was keenly aware that it had certainly seemed like Cupid had wanted nothing to do with him. How did you even really approach someone after what Cupid had said?

Course I want it. What kind of question was that? Common now. He could eat a horse, and he was sure Mal knew. Food wasn't the reason why he came, he could feel it in his gut.

Ah, there it is. Let the personal shit commence. Just be here. All he wanted was a good childhood for Caerus, one opposite to his in every way. That starts with both parents being here and present. Be here for him. That's all you need to do.

Should I assume that Caerus is actually named in the other thread? Heh. If not, will address next post I guess??

All yours then. He didn't move to try to deliver it or anythin -- too skittish for that, opting to slightly nose it forward while staying put instead. Well it's my pack, it's not like I'm going anywhere, was his attempt at humor, a slight grin with it. And though it lingered on his face as he continued, it was somewhat strained by Mal's grasping at straws over the whole thing. And look, between the fact that by the time I start remembering stuff clearly about when I was a kid I didn't really have parents, and the fact the first time around you didn't want my help, I think I'd kind of prefer a little bit more specificity here. There was that fear he'd screw up and Cupid really would take his kid and just disappear.

I want people in my pack to be happy. Like sure, things may not be ideal all the time. But I'm gonna make sure everyone's safe and fed and things are as good as they can be. I'm not just here, I do stuff. Which was a line he drew in the sand snow between himself and all of Elysium.

gonna say no just to be safe!

His attempt at humor wasn't very funny. At all. His gut twisted up in ever which way, and a slight frown pulled down the corners of his lips. So what if this wasn't his pack, would he stick around then? Paranoid he was. Even when he tried to be more optimistic now, he could never shake off his pessimistic attitude.

But it's just a joke in the end. Mal promises that and more. It was shocking. He said he'd help before now, but he wasn't expecting much. Not this much. Cupid was at a loss for words.

Uh. Specificity? How specific did he need to get? He pondered for a long moment, ending up with nothing but a headache. I wish I had a list of things that need to be done, but I don't. I don't know what I'm doing so I can't help you much.

He sighed. We'll just have to figure out what stuff we need to do. Unless you've secretly done this before and know everything already.

Mal crouched down a bit more then, kind of uncomfortably, but he wanted to be able to see a bit easier while also not encroaching more than he kind of already was -- or at least he still felt like his very existence was encroaching on Cupid somehow. He didn't want to ruin anything more than he apparently had. Well, whatever you figure out you need, just gimme a shout. Like if you don't want to go find food or want a break or whatever. It didn't seem like it'd be that big of a deal right now at least. But it wasn't like he knew what things would be like in a month or something. He was trying to think of other ways he could help. Uhhh.

A pause. Mal looked away, then back to the dark depths of the den. Then he looked a little sheepish, realizing, And uh. What's his name? Or at least he figured the pup probably had a name, right? Not that he knew when pups got named but it sounded like something that should have happened.

Taking a break is the last thing he's been thinking of. In fact, a break has never crossed his mind. You'd think sitting in one place was enough of a break. You'd be wrong. This whole dad thing was a round-the-clock job. It's just feeding and entertaining 24/7. Such a draining occupation. A break was very much needed, but he couldn't accept the offer just yet. When Caerus started walking he'd be a bit more comfortable with the idea. Just a little bit.

At first the question was honestly kind of insulting. Like, dude, how did you not know your own son's name? His frown faded realized he had yet to tell anyone the baby's name (not that there were many people to tell). Caerus.

TBH I think that last post makes the other thread overreaction make more sense maybe, heh.

He caught that change in expression. His weight shifted backwards slightly. Cupid really didn't want him here, did he? What was wrong with Mal wanting to help? It all just kept feeling like what was said and done didn't agree, but then again, this was Mal, the being of skewed opinions. Either way, it made him want to leave. Coward. It's a nice name. He nodded. Then nudged what he'd caught forward slightly, But yeah. Uh. There's the hare. And yeah. Just let me know, I guess. He thought for a moment that things were on the right track and now he wasn't so sure -- it just... No, he maybe just should try again later.

wanna fade?

Cupid's always been observent, but now he was strangely hyper aware. No movement can get past these eyes, not even that little shift. And Cupid—who was a bit more on edge than he previously thought—curls in slightly. Stupid reflexes. Hopefully Mal didn't pick up on that.

Thanks. For the compliment and the food. Cupid made his way towards the hare, careful not to disturb Caerus. I'll call you when I need you, he said before dragging the prey back into the den.

Yep! Archiving here.

Mal was more about expression than just movement, and feeling antsy as it was, he was okay with just nodding and backing off. He didn't know what he actually wanted this between them  to look like, but right now just exiting stage left seemed the only option. He cloud think about it. They could talk later.