Welcome to Gaia! ::

Bane regretted what he had told Joachim. However, it was the truth, and it needed to be said. Swishing his tail, the Phyri couldn’t help being a bit anxious at the Constellation’s closeness. It was… disorienting. Their proximity to each other, now that Bane had felt it, made him want to curl up against the other male’s soothing and intoxicating presence. He clenched his fist as Joachim pressed his lips against it, startled at sudden yearning that flooded him.

The Phyri looked away, dropping his hand to his side. A dull heat sliding over his body. These were definitely not emotions that should have come from friendship. It was deeper, stranger, and chaotic. It would likely result in … crashing, if Bane were not careful.

“All right, then,” he smiled wanly at the Constellation before looking around them carefully. “I know of a place…” Breaking into a light gallop through the woods, the Phyri made himself forget about the emotions temporarily with the action. His legs seemed to instinctively know when to jump and turn. It was almost easy to get to the ruins of the temple the Cat hated so much.

Once an elegant temple full of worshipers, it was now a broken down construct. It had a small courtyard and a few rooms that weren’t piled with heavy stones from the ceiling. From age and lack of contact from civilization for some years, much vegetation had begun to grow all around and on it. Any sacred power gathered here seems to have faded long ago.

“How is this?” Bane asked, falling back into pace with Joachim.

Bane was enthralled for an entirely different reason. After all, he had been here countless of times; what more could he be intrigued about of an old rundown building? Though, admittedly, most of his attention was focused upon his fair-haired companion to pay much heed to the stone construct. He stopped himself from shifting restlessly, and resisted the urge to embrace the Constellation. Honestly, his feelings drew on such embarrassing desires.

“Is it?” He forced himself to say after a brief pause, lest Joachim thought he wasn’t entirely paying attention. He might’ve been interested, had he not been so distracted by the Constellation’s joyous grin. “I was aware that it was sacred ground, but not for a temple worshipping your kind… or the moon.” Bane shook his head lightly, a small smile touching his lips. “Though, I suppose the various carvings of the moon should have said something to me.”

He trotted deeper into the temple, into a large room with no windows. It had a purposeful opening in the roof that let in a perfect view of the moon and sky. “This room is my favorite,” he murmured, trotting towards a pile of cushions that had not been eaten away by time and chose to lie down upon them. From the Phyri’s ease, it appeared that he used the room often.

Bane wasn’t sure what to say anymore. Joachim’s closeness made thinking in a logical manner feel impossible. The emotions of affection, care, and something else were a blessing to feel, but they also seemed to be somewhat of a curse as well. It did not seem simply normal to feel them all so soon. He nodded lightly in reply, reaching over to caress the hand resting on his arm gently. “You’re welcome,” the Phyri murmured, taking the Constellation’s hand and threading his through the other’s fingers. He tugged the hand to his lips, mirroring the kiss Joachim had placed against his.

His grip loosened a moment later as the Phyri laid fully down and adjusted the pillows to get comfortable. It was… somewhat difficult to sleep as a Phyri. “...Shall we rest, then?” He murmured, keeping a light hold on the Constellation.

The Phyri decided to say nothing about the Constellation's closeness. Rather, he tried to take it in stride. His hold on Joachim's hand tightened for a moment and loosened once more. For a while, Bane merely watched him contently, almost as if waiting for Joachim's breaths to even out in sleep before he could fall asleep. However, realizing he was blatantly staring and how rude it might have been, the Phyri turned away, letting his head fall on the curve of his arm.

Bane shut his eyes, drawing in the content emotions he felt from their laced fingers. "Good night, Joachim," he murmured quietly. After a moment, each breath he took began to slow in even widths. He fell asleep.