"A Bruising's Musings"

Cast: Himaya (Sky) & Seed (Deme)

TLDR: Himaya is woken up by Seed while having a nightmare, causing him to accidentally bruise one of Seed's eyeballs in the process. After apologizing, they make up by talking about family and poetry while Himaya messily eats some of Seed's homemade preserves. They have a touching conversation about trust and decide to leave the comfort of the apple tree's shade to begin their march to the next objective.

Support Points Earned: 2

[1:52 PM] Best (Festive) Birb | Sky: After quickly gathering everything he needed upon waking up later than expected, he went to report to Zain. Upon learning that Savier himself wasn't ready to leave for an hour or so, Himaya felt it best to get as much energy as he could, and to conserve it. He wasn't sure who they would be up against, but he would be ready this time. No running away. He picked a nice shady area under a tree and sat down. He still felt a bit groggy from his slumber, so he rubbed his eyes. "I'll just relax here until I get the word to go. Simple as that. I won't be late this time... I won't go back to sleep... But I'll just... I'll... just...zzzzzzzzz" He managed to take a single bite from an apple he brought as a snack before passing out under the tree.

[2:07 PM] LadyDeme: Seed was still double-checking. Making sure. Carrying his round pack flat against his back (it was mostly his pot, with his belongings carefully tucked inside of it, using the space for a structure to his hold), with the new not-quite-a-fishbowl held carefully in Seed's arms, he was trying to see if there was anything still to do or put away. He'd figure out how to encorporate the precious treasure into his travelling gear once they got moving, probably. Seed glanced down, an uneasy expression filling his face... But then, he noticed something that distracted his attention from the circling fish. "Himaya?" Seed approached the sleeping boy, his voice at first wavering and gentle. Himaya was still moving, his chest rising and falling -- something that seemed a little sweet, about animals, humans and others alike. They were never still, but even this stillness made Seed feel a little tender. It seemed like Himaya had fallen asleep, but this was hardly the time. He drew closer and set the vase down, before reaching out to very carefully touch Himaya's shoulder. "I'm very sorry about this," he murmured. It seemed like a good nap.

[2:36 PM] Best (Festive) Birb | Sky: Himaya felt the gentle touch on his shoulder. Yet this was more subconsciously than in reality. In his dream-like state, he rolled over into a more comfortable position. "(Zain, give me a just few times more... I have tiredness...)" the Branded muttered before dozing back off into his slumber.(edited)

[3:04 PM] LadyDeme: "(I'm not Zain, but we do not have a few minutes, Himaya.)" Seed answered more loudly. He gently shook Himaya, trying to rouse him awake. He noted the slightly sloppy, even for a dream, language and pressed on. "Himaya, please wake up."

[3:12 PM] Best (Festive) Birb | Sky: Zain began shaking him more. He opened his eyes and saw him. "What?" he asked. "I'm not Zain, Himaya..." he heard as he watched his face morph into the face of the Rettatese general from earlier. Jo was now right in front of him, with that sadistic smile. His blade now rose up, shining that eerie red color, and plunged right into his face. Himaya awoke, for real this time, gasping for air and shielding his face, his arms and elbows pushing against Seed in the process. "(No, you damn -- aaaaaaaa!!)" he managed to yelp.(edited)

[4:34 PM] LadyDeme: An elbow struck at Seed's eye, pushing the Florkana backwards as Himaya started awake; his vision was momentarily blocked by a flashing black and green blossom of pain from one of the few parts of him that was truly vulnerable. He clutched at his face reflexively, but refocused back to reality, to the grass that he was now generally sprawled out on -- he'd been knocked back in the moment, from a crouch to full seat -- and the shadow of the apple tree, blocking out the slightly too-bright for this pain sun. To Himaya, awake now. "It's OK, you're OK...It's just a bad dream, that'd all. Are you alright?" Seed asked very gently, hoping for a lucid answer. He reached out a hand, unsure whether the boy'd rather a touch to anchor him, away from whatever had frightened him, or the space to not feel pressured by Seed's lukewarm touch.(edited)

[7:12 PM] Best (Festive) Birb | Sky: "Seed!" Himaya called out once he opened his eyes. "Where is he? Did he do this to you?!" He questioned almost angrily, though with a touch of fear still present in his voice. He instinctively pulled out his Shiny Fang. He reached out and grabbed his hand with his own free hand. "F-forget about me, please tell me you're alright..." He asked, almost pleading. He looked around and found them by themselves. He continued looking around anxiously, praying he didn't let him get away to seemingly infiltrate their makeshift base.

[10:58 PM] LadyDeme: "Himaya, Himaya." Seed very gently grasped Himaya's reaching hand, and gestured out with the other. The field was mostly empty, broken only by trees. Everything was alive with morning; birds were chirping, the grass swaying gently where its unruly length reached high and heavy with seeds. There was no enemy there. He placed his other hand over the hand holding the Shiny Fang -- he'd stop the blade with his own self if he needed to, but before that, he wanted to see if he could still Himaya's hand. His eye still stung -- his flesh didn't bruise, but the eye was somewhat shot through with green, and the more delicate bark around it scuffed. It stung, but he wouldn't say it until Himaya calmed down. "I'm fine. You were only dreaming," he said, his voice quiet as if to soothe a frightened animal. "There's no one here but you and I. We're both perfectly safe, I promise." It was...unnerving, to see Himaya so alarmed by something that happened in his sleep. Did this happen often? He squeezed Himaya's hand. With a practicedly quiet air, he added. "You're safe. Try and take a deep breath. I can give you a count, if it helps."

December 17, 2017

[12:04 AM] Best (Festive) Birb | Sky: Himaya takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. "(Calm of sheep protected by shepherd's eye Calm of clouds floating in blue sky...)" Himaya recited a few times. Each time, the wrinkles of worry in his face disipated more and more. Although his conversational Pallo was more on the broken side, he could memorize and understand more complicated phrases such of ones of song. This saying in particular was one both his parents had taught him to help him calm down, and boy did it always work wonders. Both by the mere memory of his family when they were whole, and by the soothing lyrics itself. Soon Himaya opened his eyes and sheathed his fang. "I-I apologize Seed... Was I the one that hurt you?" was all that he was able to say now. Upon thinking more, calmed by both the words of Seed and his own, he managed to piece things together.

[10:31 AM] LadyDeme: Seed listened to the song thoughtfully -- a lullaby, he'd surmise, though just a quiet fragment, spreading out through the air like ink through water. Seed let Himaya's blade hand go when Himaya went to sheath his fang, though unless Himaya released his other hand, there was nothing Seed intended to do about it, and so he let it hang there in Himaya's grasp. "Yes, but don't worry about it, it'll be fine," he answered, with something of an uneasy chuckle. His spare hand touched the bark around his eye -- it'd be fine, even if it was a bit tender. His eye still stung, and he closed it reflexively now that there was less to look at, but that immediately helped it tear up and be soothed. "I won't even need to use a staff for it."

[5:49 PM] Best (Festive) Birb | Sky: "Ya sure? Ugh, I shouldn't have done it in the first place... Again, I'm sorry," Himaya reiterated. "You can use some of my vulnerary if you'd like--" he said reaching into his satchel. He let go of Seed's supporting hand and stepped back to get more sunlight from out of the shade to search for it. In his surprise, he hears some combination of a crunch and a squish, and feels a oddly strange warm goop-iness. He jumps a little and inspects what he'd stepped in and got all over the bottom of his bare feet. He was relieved to see his apple he was eating, now flat and warm from the sunlight. "Ew, I guess I won't be finishing that one." he remarks, a hand now back in his satchel as he rubs his foot on a drier patch of grass.

[8:50 PM] LadyDeme: "Unfortunately not. If this were back in the town, I'd have offered you a replacement, but it'll be a few more weeks. Unless you're interested in preserves," Seed said calmly, looking down at the remains of the apple -- from a certain perspective, the fruit had won. It had been carried away and returned to the earth, and Seed felt a little wistful hope that it would do well, like a fluttering in his core. In the present, he reached his hand up to his branches -- the few fruits that had come in during their stay in the city now gone, replaced by frilly blossoms just peeking out of buds. "I don't really need a vulnerary; I have some of my own, if I need it... But, Himaya... Is your sleep often troubled this way?" Seed followed after Himaya, feeling a gnawing concern for the innocent young fellow. He paused on the edge of the broken, lacy shadows of the tree and the open sunlight; it might have been a little much while his eye was smarting, like the sun's neutral, white-yellow light was a blinding flare. The best treatment for it, in his assessment, would be a little time to cry itself out in the dark; but he couldn't move for that. His hands, still a little warmer than they normally were, fidgeted his fingertips together, waiting for some answer. "What was it you were dreaming about, if I can ask?"(edited)

[11:07 PM] Best (Festive) Birb | Sky: "Y'know some preserves sound nice. It's like fancy jam, yeah?" Himaya asked inquisitively. "Though t' be honest, I'm down for pretty much anythin' t' munch on. Well, granted I can actually eat it. I may have a lot of Laguz blood in me, but I can't really eat meat raw, as an example." the Branded explained. He took a seat with his back facing the bulk of the sunlight, so it wasn't in his eyes. "Nah, I usually have pretty nice sleep and dreams actually. I guess I'm just a bit anxious about our last fight, y'know? We should've fought while we could've. Runnin' away didn't really do us any good. What if that Jo guy chases us down and attacks again? We had to run because there was word of more powerful reinforcements. If he brings 'em, we'll be killed for sure.... That's actually what I was dreamin' about. Though it's more a nightmare if ya ask me. I dreamt he stabbed me with that creepy blade o' his, probably killed me, I'd imagine... And what good would I be to the Pack dead? It's just scary..." Himaya admitted with a defeated look on his face.

December 18, 2017

[10:56 AM] LadyDeme: "It's essentially jam, though I do have something a bit more constituted preserved, as it were; like a canned fruit... Ah... I can sympathize on the meat front, anyway." He knelt back down and slung his pack around, opening up the covering sack to reach around in it for the jar in question, recovering it from amid his foodstuffs: quarters of soft, plum-like fruits, amid the syrup, crushing down towards jam. Seed offered him the jar uneasily, his face growing grimmer. He'd been the one... to deliver them the option they ended up taking, the flight they had. "I'm sorry," He said for that, staring down at the lid of his jar of preserves. He felt like he'd made the best choice he could -- he felt like he'd made the right decision. But... It still troubled the branded, and so it troubled Seed. "Himaya...I don't think we could have fought him off so severely he wouldn't be able to chase us. He had allies, and reinforcements, and we... Our goal isn't to fight these people; what good would it have done to just hurt people forced into fighting, and risk our own deaths besides?" His fingers loosened their grip on the jar, so they were only holding onto it in spirit, the weight born up by his palm; he barely warmed the cold glass. Maybe that was just his own weakness talking -- his fears of loss, the way the color and scent of blood dropped his stomach. The leaves at the ends of his branches drooped, coursing as his expression did towards long shadows. They rustled faintly against each other, joining his voice in a faint sigh. "...Perhaps that excuses nothing. Nevermind that, then... If you're worried about more nightmares, I have tea for a better sleep -- though it's no good for now, since we'll be leaving too soon for a nap."(edited)

December 19, 2017

[2:08 PM] Best (Festive) Birb | Sky: Himaya breathed in deeply, and had a pained look on his face. He didn't mean for this comment to be directed towards Seed in the slightest. "I'm sorry, Seed. I didn't mean it like --" he said before stopping himself and letting out a groan. "ugh..." said Himaya with a gentle facepalm. "I wasn't tryin' t' be mean or anythin', Seed. I'm just... concerned. I'm concerned about the safety of the Pack. I know it was the right decision to leave when we did, but somethin' just keeps naggin' me that I should've been stronger. Then he wouldn't've been a threat to us in the first place. Unfortunately running away all t' time doesn't solve anythin'. I wish it did. But the fact is, it doesn't. It has its place in some things, but there's always a time for fight rather than flight... Bottom line is," he said as he slowly removes his hand from his face, "I just want everyone t' be safe. I know it may be foolish, but I'm an optimist. I don't want anyone here t' die." Himaya sighed slightly and pulled out a pair of spoons from his satchel and offered one to the kind Florkana. "...well, some o' that jam stuff ain't gonna eat itself. Let's try to share some before we hafta head off, 'kay?" he asked calmly, trying to stay on a lighter note of things.(edited)

[4:22 PM] LadyDeme: "I'll agree to that, anyway," Seed said, giving a wan smile that suggested that, while things were smoothed over on the surface, beneath -- beneath it was not perhaps as settled, anymore than Himaya's own feelings were. Beneath, and this was far less clear, it was another log in a low-smoldering fire, another cloud for the storm always lurking beyond Seed's visible horizon. He answered Himaya's own worries, instead. "You were as strong as you could be then, don't worry. You can become stronger when you need to, as well...And we've earned time for that. To be honest, that there was a fight to begin with was already a bad situation." Seed had not seen what had particularly started that incident -- he could only shake his head ruefully, and let the conversation be steered to brighter ground. "Ah, well, it's more for you. It's slightly stuffy traditoon, but as it's jam made of my own fruit -- if that's not a trouble to you -- it'd be rather..." He pursed his lips, trying to grasp a cultural ramification that was never fully explained or fully sensible to him. "Untowards for me to have some."(edited)

[4:28 PM] Best (Festive) Birb | Sky: "Everyone has their own likings, I s'pose. If you wanted, you could get another apple from t' tree above us." he said with a smile. He took the jar and placed it in his lap, readying his own spoon to dip into the jar for some fruity relief. "What kinda fruit do ya grow? What kind is this'un?" he asks simply while taking his first bite.

[5:31 PM] LadyDeme: "Oh, that's a point." Seed said, turning his attention to the apple tree -- they were, he thought, a little early along in the year; but perhaps the weather permitted such a thing. He looked up through the layers of branches, eying the fruit. He thought he had a good sense of these things; the little twists in the stem that marked weight, the little, final gloss to the skins of the apples. He had enough length in his arms that he simply reached up and picked one, and to his satisfaction, it came away very easily, and without pain. To the tree, he gave a small not of respect. To Himaya, he glanced out of the corner of his eye to his branches, reaching up with his spare hand to finger the soft, silky petals of one of his flowers, tucked in amid the leaves. There was, as far as he'd ever seen, only one flower like his own, and no fruit quite the same. It wasn't uncommon among Florkana, as he'd seen; he'd seen cacti that produced roses. He could only answer, thoughtfully, "Hm... To be honest, I'm not quite sure. I'm rather plumlike in some regards, though I wouldn't exactly call myself a plum. The taste is rather a peachy-plum one, I think, but in its own right I think carries a much less tart aftertaste than a plum, a much less sweet one than a peach... It rather suggests something of a home herb garden, of the smell of freshly-turned soil, of a vineyard's sunny afternoon... To be a little poetic about it." He paused, having gotten a little bit carried away in a slightly difficult to grasp flavor; it was sort of earthy at the end: when he spoke of dirt he didn't mean it was gritty or dirty, but rather that there was something about it that pulled to mind something grounded and fresh. Of course, this was not something he should be checking his own memories for, and he hurried to add, "Or so my imagination from the smell is, and from what people have told me."

[11:08 PM] Best (Festive) Birb | Sky: Himaya nodded as he ate more and more spoonfuls, listening to Seed's explanations. "Y'know, all I knew at first was that it was good. But thanks for givin' me a more -- er better -- way to describe what the taste is actually like. It's nice t' know I s'pose. And it was lovely poetry, by the way. Do you write? You should, y'know. Ya gotta way with words like no otha." Himaya said with flatteries in between bites of the yummy preserves.

December 22, 2017

[12:28 AM] LadyDeme: "Ah, well, I'm glad," Seed answered, almost shyly, before taking a bite or two of the apple; it crunched undertooth in a rush of juice, satisfyingly sweet as sunlight and refreshing; he took the moment to reflect on it, while they were on the topic of flavors and descriptions, before he answered brightly, "I do in fact write. It's my craft, more so than any of the other hats I wear, born of lessons and necessity and hobby. Wheras writing -- poetry is my specialty, but I've dabbled in a novel or two -- is a passion, and I rather consider it a vocation. Pretty words are what I'm really good at," He said with a smile whose meaning was uncertain -- it might have been bashful in its pride, or self-deprecating in its humor. Whichever, he chased the ambiguity of it with a shrug. "I actually read something I wrote at that little talent show of yours... Though.... I think the place had rather cleared out at the time."

December 23, 2017

[12:58 AM] Best (Festive) Birb | Sky: "Oh riiiight!" Himaya said, his memory like a bell now ringing. "I remember the poetry fancy stuff you said back there. Y'know, up until I thought about it more, I hadn't realized it was somethin' ya did seriously. I thought it was just... well I dunno, a hobby you were good at? Ah, I should've connected the dots now that I think about it!" he said a bit embarrased. Some jam lingered on the sides of his mouth and lips. He always did make a mess when it was something he liked...

December 25, 2017

[3:27 PM] LadyDeme: "...Is that so?" Seed asked, shaking his head at the misunderstanding -- was that just the image he projected, of an unserious person? He wasn't sure, given the source. He'd take it kindly, probably. Seed reached for his handkerchief before he finished putting his pack back together -- a pattern of cloth he'd purchased back where they'd began, deep brown with hints of sudden, faint florals. He offered it with a hand to clean up Himaya's face. He laughed a little more earnestly; Seed was prone to laughing at small problems he encountered, or things that worried him, but this was a little bit more heartfelt than those: warmer, like a summer breeze lifting up his branches. "I've actually published and become somewhat well-known for a number of books of poetry, and for my forays into the medium of the day, the prose novel. I'd be happy to lend a few of what I have with me out, but first... You might want to clean up your face, though."

[3:39 PM] Best (Festive) Birb | Sky: Himaya smiled at the offer but just wiped his face with his mouth. "Don't wanna dirty nothin' we don't gotta," he replied simply with a wave of the hand. He rarely used a hankerchief anyhow, so why now? "Oh..." he said as he was still piecing things together for a few seconds as he took another bite of the preserves. "OHHH! phhhbbblpbphpbhb!!!" he said before doing a spittake with the jam-like stuff, making quite the mess on his face. But he didn't seem to mind all that much for the moment. "YER ACTALLY PUBLISHED?! CONGRATS, FRIEND! I'LL HAVE TO READ SOMETHIN' SOMETIME!" Himaya exclaimed with a wide, excited smile accompanied by some wagging of his happy tail. His excitement made him not hear the last bit Seed said about his face, even though he could use it now more than ever.

[5:08 PM] LadyDeme: Seed leaned back, out of the way of the sudden spit-take, though a droplet or two of preserved fruit-juice had managed to spray onto his clothes from that impact. Oh, well -- so much, he thought, for not dirtying them when he didn't need to. He dabbed the end of his handkerchief at them, until the color slowly faded to a dim faded moment of color. He passed it over again. "...Are you sure you don't want to clean up your face? Either way, thank you! I think the unsualness of my identity and proffession might pay no small part in the promulgation of my work... I'm still very proud of how far they've managed to spread."

[5:36 PM] Best (Festive) Birb | Sky: Seeing him wipe it on himself and dirty it already made him feel less guilty for accepting the hankerchief this time. "Thanks" he said with a smile as he wiped his face clean, blushing a bit. His tail still showing off his excitement even though his face showed a bit of embarrassment. "And uh, sorry, I got a little excited there, didn't I? Haha, but can ya blame me? It's excitin' news! Do ya have anythin' I could glance at? I'd hate to not read even a little bit of a friend's work," he explained, still excited, but less so than before.

December 26, 2017

[2:42 PM] LadyDeme: It's News to him, I supoose, Seed thought to himself, finding a process that never fully completed, and started some time ago, to not exactly be news, as such... But it was exciting. It was heartening. It was worth it. "Don't worry about it, it's fine." He paused a fond-head-shaking, momentarily stilled by the radiating joy coming off of Himaya, and his own buoying spirits. It brushed up against him and pushed the smile on his face broader, and the light in his eyes made his limbs light. It was different than being happy on his own account, he rarely got to word it. "I do carry one or two things of my own, in case I find a likely distributor or collector while on the road, though I think we're starting to approach a waiting list for my library. But we'll have to wait until I have time to unpack again, at minimum." He'd opened his baggage and shut it again quite a few times in the last few minutes, and it was back in order, for the moment. "Thank you, though. And for the excitement. Aside from myself and my neighbors, who help me assemble and copy some of the initial books these days, it's not an excitement I have much opportunity to share around. Well, perhaps the work is sufficient excitement to spread."(edited)

[6:36 PM] Best (Festive) Birb | Sky: "Well regardless, even if I can't read it m'self, perhaps you could read it to me some other time.... Though!" Himaya said with a brightened look on his face and a raised pointer finger, as if an idea has just smashed itself into the wall of his thoughts. "If so many people wanna chance to read yer work, why don't we just schedule a time for you to read more of your work? Kinda like that talent show thing, except only you on the stage. Perhaps not so formal, but ya get the jist of it. It'll be like story time!" he said with an excited smile and a matching tail that had never seemed to stop. "And don'tcha worry about thankin' me for nothin'. It's what friends do. We protect and care for each other, helping us be happy. I don't mind, not a lick!"(edited)

December 28, 2017

[6:38 PM] LadyDeme: Seed blinked, for a moment taken a-back by the sudden offer for the waiting stage, though a cynical part of him noticed that his talent had gotten, at best, a forgotten reception at the time -- but the prospect of an audience was a fluttering bird in his thoughts anyway, opening up irridescent wings that might have kept pace with Himaya's swishing tail. And his expression shifted, melting the way a snow might around that very simple, and very plain, little word; one Seed wouldn't have dared. One he wouldn't have offered, but his smile was that curved wingspan of a bird taking off, reaching up into his eyes, warm as that melting snow. It was a moment of springtime, there in the summer sun. Seed's hands came to a stop amid their returning his pack back to his back, the satisfaction of the moment enough to nearly overcome any concern of time. "T-that," Ah, he was too off-guard. His leaves rustled in place of a bit more flustered response, like his beaming expression was a wind blowing through him. "That would be wonderful," he agreed, leaving for Future Seed the worry of a reading selection, or even the question of whether to sell with new content... And Seed took a moment to look over the unquestionably kind, energetic branded once more, his happiness tinged a bit with something -- not softer, but more tenative. Like he was speaking to something inclined to fly away, or to give this no thought. "The same can be said for us. Well, I won't speak for everyone, but... I understand your reasons for concealing things, but I hope you'll be able to put your faith that I'd intend the same. To protect and care for you."(edited)

[6:56 PM] Best (Festive) Birb | Sky: "Well then it's settled." Himaya replied with a thumbs up. "After we get this show on the road with uh..." he paused, thinking about the name of the new horseman, "...Xavier, yeah that's his name -- after we're done with helpin' 'im and get a chance t' rest n' stuff, we'll let ya read to us and have some fun with it!" Himaya said, making a mental note to remember such a promise. He did so by using an index finger to write into his palm, as if literally making a note so his brain could remember, but just without a pen and paper of course. "Oh and don'tcha worry at all 'bout it, Seed. You care for me and everyone else plenty. Think of all the hours of recovery time you've single-handedly saved us from. Just keep up th' good work!" he said with an almost congratulatory tone, like a brother telling their sibling how proud they are of them.

[8:14 PM] LadyDeme: "It's Savier, actually... I hope we can at least do some good with that, even if it's not our task at hand... But that will be something to look forward to," Seed agreed, dwelling for a moment on their rather strange, and rather vital, mission. It was not the task they'd been assigned to, but they could not leave those Laguz to slavery. "Ah, I didn't mean about that," Seed's smile was a little more strained, since his point had been rather completely missed. He shrugged, and still gave a nod for the praise, as he adjusted his pack and stood up with it again. "I meant... That when we met, you were concealing your race; and I understand the reason well; but I also just... Wanted to reassure you, as a friend, that if there's anything else weighing on you, you don't have to worry about whether telling me would be sound or not; you can trust me as you please." The rewording had at least his point about not feeling like he ought to pressure the young fellow as well, and it kept his tone sort of soft and rounded, like a parent offering their child a little break from the world. Seed didn't want to weigh on people on things of such a grave nature, after all... But he'd suspected Himaya was hiding things from the start, and that reveal hadn't been of the young man's choosing. But their friendship was mutual enough that he wanted him to feel safe, he supposed.(edited)

[10:06 PM] Best (Festive) Birb | Sky: "Ah, I see what you meant now, looking back," he said with a look of guilt as he glanced his gaze away from Seed's face as he talked. His tail had stopped wagging and his wolf ears now laid more flat. "I didn't want to hide anythin', y'know. I was just warned by my Papa about people judgin' others because of who they are... or aren't. I'm glad you understand, though. I just wish that I was the one that could've tested the waters instead of my boat getting rocked by those weirdos back at the Arbor." he now said with a sigh. Talking about this had plagued his mind, so he was glad to bring it up at least. It'd give him closure that a friend has confidence in his decision -- or rather the forced situation he had no choice. "But I am glad that y'all are the accepting sort of people. I'm truly blessed things worked out they way they did, huh?" he asked with a smile, perking his ears up as he faced Seed again. "But I don't mean to hide anything else from y'all anymore. I'll answer any questions asked. I trust you and ev'ryone else in the Pack. It's the best I can do considering I'm a bit up there in command. Not the tippy top, but still. As that position -- and as a friend -- it's my duty to be faithful and honest, don'tcha think?" replied Himaya with a gentle swing of a tail before it lay to rest once more in anticipation.

[10:49 PM] LadyDeme: "Yes... It's unfortunate that you didn't get the chance to make that choice; it's hard to understand when to give and when to withhold trust... But your father likely had a point, abroad. People sometimes can get a little barbed about the unusual," Seed said, thoughtfully stretching out his back. His big circle of a pack rested up against it -- it was light enough for Seed, who might not have had much arm strength, but was plenty sturdy. When it hit his back as it relaxed, it made a sound like a wooden bell clapping. Point made, he supposed. "But this is an unusual group, so it balanced out rather well. I hope to be worthy of your trust." With another hollow-sounding ring, he gave a faint bow. "...I think so as well, though I'm not sure if professional duty quite demands personal information at times, but whatever seems necessary, I suppose."

[11:14 PM] Best (Festive) Birb | Sky: "I was referring to my adoptive wolf Papa," Himaya corrrected, "...but I'm sure you couldn't've known that unless I said so, huh? Whoops." He said a bit embarrassed, but waved it off as it wasn't really important anyway. "R'gardless," he continued with a wave of the hand, "You're right, though. We're all special little weirdos in our own special ways. I'm sure we're all searching for trust, so it makes sense t' trust others eas'ly enough, I s'pose." he said with a happy shrug. His tail started to wag gently and slowly, back to its normal self. "When ya boil down t' it, trust is trust. Even if it's not personal trust and the like, we just gotta rely on each other. It might be harder for others to trust in the mystery of it all, but they'll find it easier once they do anyway, if that makes sense. We're on our way to makin' this Pack one big happy family, like a pack should be. And that alone makes me happy. Even if some of the pack members have some buried bones, I'd trust any of them with my life." he said, a smile of naivete appearing on his face. Himaya, being the optimist that he is had a hard time distrusting people, lest they give him a reason right before his eyes.

December 29, 2017

[1:32 PM] LadyDeme: "Ah, an adoptive papa, I see... Is the term 'father' something you'd rather have reserved for your blood father, in your family?" Seed asked; it was hard to tell exactly what his tone was. Maybe an honest sort of curiosity, open and without ulterior motive... Except that bit where his heart was warmed up by the topic, of the myriad of ways people assembled families. It was something he was happy to watch. ...Or get suddenly pulled into, the notion of the pack as family -- Seed stood very, very still for that moment. It was a stillness that creatures of flesh and blood couldn't manage before they were dead, and the sort of stillness a tree might pull off on a quiet day, while it felt like the world was spinning around him. He was being hyperbolic. He was being simply hyperbolic, in this momentary display of trust. There wasn't anything but a smile on Himaya's face, so hyperbole or not, Seed managed a nod to break his own stillness. The Florkana would take care of this family for a while -- while they'd let him. He let a soft, flowery sigh diffuse that instant of tension, smiling up into the wind. "A wonderful thought... I'll do my best to satisfy that trust, and watch over them. Are you ready to go?"

[1:43 PM] Best (Festive) Birb | Sky: "Uh huh, it just makes more sense that way, y'know?" Himaya attempted to explain about his family life. "Even though I've been with my Papa longer, he's not my Dad. Don't get me wrong, I love him like a pup should love a parent, but... we're not related. There's just that part o' me that wants to find my blood parents. I've lived a good 30 years with Papa, and ony 7 with my real parents. I want share my life and love with them too, y'know?" He shrugged at his own question, watching the strange race before him stand still, perhaps in contemplation. Perhaps what he was saying was hard to truly explain well enough. "B-but enough of my blabbering," Himaya dismissed, "I'm ready as I'll ever be. Let's go try to get ready and find Zain and Savier. I'm sure they have a plan about our next move."

[2:20 PM] LadyDeme: The look on Seed's face was unruffled, unperplexed by Himaya's somewhat hurried explanation. A single hand landed on Himaya's shoulder, at once guiding him onward and bolstering him up. "I understand; I don't think it's blabbering at all. It's something precious to you -- the people you'd seek to reach with everything. There's nothing strange about missing someone precious to you, however, brief your time together, no matter how long ago... And no matter how precious the people you've had in the meanwhile. That's just how love is -- it doesn't care about other loves, or the passage of time." He shook his head. The way back to the collecting group of travellers reforged itself, out of the grassy clearing, out of the shade of the apple trees. "Our next move is to be ready to leave -- so I think we're rather already moving out, while you were napping." Seed set out without turning back, drifting along as he might have before. Unhurried but without pause, letting his bare feet brush along the ticlking grass, and transitioning into the dust of the road, with its taste of days travelled -- the taste that carried toward the next day. It was in that instant, before Himaya caught up and might start talking about their next plans or the preserves or who knows what, that Seed's face tightened with a pang of something -- of his own emptiness, of his yearning, of his envy, the face he though of as ugly, and that ugliness was added, too, in the tightness of his smile. The bruised wood crinkled around his eyes, and then was gone. Just a bruise -- he'd support this little family, for whatever little that was worth.(edited)

[2:20 PM] LadyDeme: == RP End ==