When Whip finally beat it, Towhee huffed a breath and tried to catch @Reyes's eye. She didn't speak right away, instead trying to remember where they'd left off. Ah, yes, she'd propositioned him and now awaited his answer. But just in case he'd also lost his place in the conversation after the rude interruption, Towhee opened her mouth to remind him.

"I guess what I'm saying is I'd like you to be my... consort. I'll spend my heat with you, only you. And whatever pups result from it..." This was perhaps the most challenging part for Towhee, who tended to be so possessive of her parental rights. "You're welcome to help me raise them. Or if you'd prefer to be more hands-off, that's cool too. Basically, it's up to you."

She stopped herself there, exhaling through her nostrils as her heart lodged itself in her throat. If Reyes didn't accept, she wasn't sure what she'd do. This was already Plan B. Towhee tried to stop that train of thought in its tracks, her pulse pounding in her throat and her limbs feeling a little weak as she waited.

With the problem excised from their company Reyes could take some time to think and digest exactly what had been proposed, and what had been learned. He was still reeling from it all; to think that this man he'd grown close to and had grown wary of, was actually a woman, and that his feelings weren't so strange after all — it was a lot for Reyes to process. 

Meanwhile Towhee got right back to business, clearly feeling the call of nature. Everything she said held a new weight. She was giving him options — an out, if he so chose. Was this how connections were meant to be? Transactional? Was this how his mother had proposed to his father, with the openness to allow him to leave without question? Reyes found himself pulled in different directions as he listened. 

You're welcome to help me raise them. Or if you'd prefer to be more hands-off...

If he did anything, it wouldn't be a rehash of the past. He prided himself in being more dependable than his own dead-beat dad; to prove that, he'd have to stick around. It didn't take long before he opened his mouth to reply with something, but before he did, Reyes shut it again. He knew anything he said would be a mess right now — so he kept it short and sweet: Yes.

Reyes felt his face go warm with embarrassment, knowing he wouldn't be able to say much more than that. He could not deny the friendship that they'd built together, nor the attraction he felt now that he knew it was reciprocated (even if it was purely hormonal). The rest — being a proper father — would have to be shown through action, rather than promised with faltering words.

The answer was so succinct that Towhee met it with a slow blink. Had she read his lips correctly? Was that a "yes"? But wait, was there more? She held very still, her heart now veritably hammering against her ribs, as she waited. But if Reyes had anything else to say on the matter, he didn't voice it now.

The Sovereign sucked in a breath, her heart beginning to soar. In spite of all the tragedies lately, plus the obstacles placed in her path by Mother Nature, it was going to happen. She had found a qualified candidate right here at home to father her next batch of offspring. And while it didn't look like her original vision, true happiness bloomed inside her.

"Okay! Great!" came her somewhat imbecilic response, after which Towhee let out a loud bray of laughter. Maybe she should stop and hash it out more with him, though she was antsy for several different reasons. They could discuss details after they did the deed. "Would you like to head back to the cave?"

The awkwardness was doomed to get worse as the day went on; maybe it was a symptom of something greater, something left behind by the intrusion of the other man. Or maybe it was something Reyes carried within himself, a malignancy, which spread the longer he stuck around other people.

Whatever. He was glad to be of help, even if it required him to get physical. Towhee was good people regardless of gender and Reyes did feel a marginal amount of pride in himself to be the one they went to for this.

Would you like to head back to the cave? Towhee asked, and Reyes blinked. The cave? Oh, right, the cave. That place where they'd been bunking together. That cave. He nods, swallowing a lump in his throat, telling his legs to get a move on. 

As he took a steadying breath Reyes became aware of a nagging sensation in his chest, like there was a bird trapped there, and realized it was his heart racing a mile a minute. They hadn't even gotten to the good part yet and he was already drowning in anxiety.

Soon the cave would come in to view and he'd have to keep himself calm enough to be of use to his captain; (it wouldn't be the first time) thinking through all the steps, imagining what it would be like to climb up there on Towhee's back (won't have to hold you down this time) — it wasn't a thought progression Reyes could really stop from happening. 

Outside of the cave he pause and turned to look at Towhee, as if to make sure she was still there with him.

She sensed a nervousness about him. Towhee of yore wouldn't have even noticed. Towhee of today did, though she still said nothing. Maybe it was selfish, though she had a one-track mind at the moment. We'll talk after, she reminded herself, stepping after him. Well, in between... It wasn't like it would only happen the one time. Towhee hoped to spend the whole week with him. She'd never done it before—lingered with one partner—and had it in her mind that it would probably up their chances of success. Maybe it would even result in a larger litter.

Reyes paused in the entrance of the cave. Towhee slipped up beside him, offering a soft smile and a wave of her tail. Hopefully that would entice him a little without making him even more on edge. With a low rumble in her throat, she disappeared into the dark.

Towhee's waving tail surrounded him with the now impossible-to-miss perfume of her body; she bat her eyes at him and moved in through the cave entrance, briefly leaving him to his own devices. There was a split second where he could have changed his mind and left, but the thought didn't have a chance to root itself for all the other garbage rolling through his head.

He had to ready himself; what would happen if he couldn't.. ah, perform? Towhee had a boorish way about her, which is one of the reasons he felt so easily swept up in comraderie with her, but she could easily turn that attitude of her's against him.

Would she laugh at him if he couldn't do what she needed? Would she chase him from the cave and tell everyone how broken he was? He felt his manliness seeping out of him the longer he stood there; but it was for maybe one second, maybe two, and he knew his captain was waiting.

A low rumble permeated the darkness as he entered the cave, helping him to orient himself. As his eyes adjusted Reyes sought out the familiar figure of Towhee — but he looked around to the rest of the cave as well, worried. It could all be a trick. That other man could have been in on it. They could have tricked him, lured him here.

Nearly as soon as he set foot inside, Towhee invaded his space. Mindful of his nervousness in a way she'd never paid attention to a partner before, she telegraphed her intentions before touching him. Should he permit it—better yet, welcome it—she would give him some playfully flirtatious nips and press her body close to him. Between the physical contact and her scent surrounding them like a cloud and making conscious thoughts hazier by the moment, Reyes would hopefully relax and enjoy himself.

Towhee did, despite the inevitable awkwardness. Afterward, she felt a sense of contentment that went far to take the edge off all her recent trials and tribulations. She would not soon forget what they'd all been through lately, though down here in the dark where they clung, it was easy to forget for a while, stop looking back and instead look forward.

She rested a while, then rose to take a leak. "I'd like to do that again," she said a little coquettishly, glancing over her shoulder, "as many times as you're willing until the end of my heat." Towhee didn't await an answer, slipping outside to turn the snow yellow.

But she wasn't gone long for more than a minute, after which she peeked her head back inside in a very "Here's Johnny!" sort of way.

Towhee's behavior was a lot to handle at first, and Reyes could not help the stiffness of his body or the recoil that her proximity prompted of him; but she was patient, accepting of his apprehension in a way he had not thought possible. Every movement was a question which he was given time to answer. The experience was, as a whole, different from his previous misadventures with the pirates. It was surprisingly tender; in a way, as they came together and trusted one another in that cave, he felt an openness that was freeing to his spirit.

After, they rested together. Reyes basked in the warmth between them. He did not want to sleep but sleep came to him, and when he woke it was to the feeling of Towhee getting up. Any doubts he held for his captain had vanished in that blank space that they shared — maybe she was going off to tell someone of her conquest, to laugh at him behind his back, but he no longer cared.

She wanted more, and much to Reyes' surprise, so did he.

He looked rather out of it still, to which Towhee only smirked. She moseyed over to him, curling up next to him with a sigh as she soaked in his body heat after being outdoors. She told herself to leave Reyes alone until he woke properly, perhaps even catch a few winks herself. But her hormones were demanding and impatient.

Bending toward his face, Towhee nibbled at his ear lobe, a growl rumbling in her throat. It was novel, this dynamic. Reyes wasn't like all her past lovers: a one night stand, a means to an end. That came with a lot of considerations down the line, of course. Right now, it just meant she would have a chance to actually get to know her partner, find a rhythm between the two of them. That was exciting in its own right.

When Reyes didn't stir fast enough for her liking, she said, "YO, REYES," in an imperious voice, oblivious to just how loud it came out and boomed around their little cave.

With Towhee trying to nest in the crook of his belly, Reyes grew more complacent and began to drowse a bit. He liked the smell of her coat, the texture of it, and the shared warmth. It was much nicer to sleep curled up next to someone than in a ball on the floor of a random cave, he decided.

That was shattered when she shouted. His head raised from where it had been prone a moment before and he snorted sharply, blinking, pulling at her accidentally with his forelimb and elbow as he spasmed awake.

Too big, Birdy. He grumbled; but she was facing away from him. With a huff he started to get up but then decided against it, and essentially steam-rolled over her, so that they could be face-to-face.

Yes? He said next, blinking owlishly at her down his ruddy snout.

He jerked awake and Towhee laughed at his expense, the sound cutting off with a slight oof sound when his flailing limbs hooked into her and she found herself tugged face-to-face. She blinked owlishly, then smirked and did her best to stick her tongue in his nostril.

"Just wanted to say," the Sovereign said, shoving at him to free herself but not going far. In fact, she pressed back into him, teeth combing at the fur of his shoulder, "I'm glad we're doing this, Reyes. And now can we go back to actually doing this." The nip she delivered to the tender spot where his hip and leg joined left little to the imagination about her intentions.

When her tongue came close to his nose he snorted and wriggled a bit, but otherwise didn't do much to stop her. Playful behavior wasn't something Reyes was known for; but he wasn't much of a physical person either except in cases of extreme violence, so this whole experience was new and different for him.

Towhee's candid comments made him blush. He was thankful for the array of dark fur across his face to hide the warmth that flooded his skin. He wanted to say something that would be as heartfelt, but beyond the basic yes and no responses he'd mastered lately, he knew he couldn't do that.

Besides, there were other things to do beyond talking about their feelings. Reyes had committed to proving himself through action rather than words before this and given further prompting by Towhee, was more than happy to continue proving himself to her.