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 Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2011 3:53 pm
It was not one of her better days, no. Things were...well, sticking to her, like honey, like s**t, things that ought to come off of her coat like water off a duck's back. And it made her terse and fuddled and rough around the edges, and the knowledge of her discomposure just made things stick at her more. Even the option of running seemed grim, as if it meant that this place had cowed her somehow, that she had run from kindness and community as if it had threatened to break her.
Oh, god, that was grim.
So, she slunk. She knew enough about low moods to just let go and ride them out, be aware, and try to mitigate any ensuing damage. Meaning, she skulked. Her head down, she picked her silent way back from the river, her coat beaded and dripping. A day of drowsing in her den wouldn't be so bad.
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Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2011 6:21 pm
 Adonai was in a perversely good mood.
He was, to permit a vulgarity, "getting some", but that wasn't the real reason for his almost-contagious enthusiasm. Tiyana appreciated him. That was the length and breadth of it. She laughed at his jokes. She accepted his gifts. She preened for him. She, in short, made him feel like a bigger sort of man, and that was one thing his bruised ego desperately needed.
So this fine day -- it was cool, but not achingly cold, which added to his pleasant mood -- he was walking with a bit of a skip in his step, actually singing a bit to himself in a breathless off-key howl somewhere between a hum and a whistle.
And...who was that, skulking about? Why, none other than their resident interloper.
How the tides have turned, he thought, an grinned, moving in a position to intercept her. She was plenty experienced in seeing him at his weakest, and now here she was skulking around like the very image of woe. Well. It was cruel of him...but he couldn't resist an opportunity to twist that knife just a little.
In a friendly way, of course. Just some teasing. Between friends.
"Oh, hey Thrush," he called, grinning exuberantly. "I hardly saw you there."
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Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2011 7:11 pm
Oh, are you kidding me? Being off her game, and in Adonai's case, being on high alert for any sign of advantage, the look of displeasure that briefly darkened her face would hardly go unnoticed. Even then, the furrowed brow was smoothed down to neutrality within moments, and she raised her head to give Adonai the cold, pale stare of baleful courtesy. She could feel his good mood imposing on her personal space. Her eyes crinkled in a believably genuine smile. "Almost made it, then."
Skulking away was unacceptable, of course. She sat, in that prim and delicate way that she had, and continued to watch the male with eyes that, from moment to moment, seemed either harmless or startlingly angry.
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Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2011 7:14 pm
His big dopey (some might say s**t-eating) grin stayed firmly planted on his maw. He folded up his somewhat gangling limbs and seated himself in her path. "You're looking a bit down-and-out tonight, ladybird," he said, and chuckled a little at the cleverness of this nickname, although it would probably not seem nearly so smart-sounding whenever this good mood faded. "Nobody's mistreating you, I hope?"
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Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2011 7:37 pm
For just an instant, Thrush's face went alive with a flat, internal rage. Her eyes darkened as her pupils expanded, and her mouth twitched in the ghost of a snarl, as if she had just been physically attacked by a known enemy. A moment later, everything was under control, barely, her face slack and her stare openly foreboding. He was just some old wolf, she tried to tell herself, just a meddlesome old codger who'd never learn how nice it could be to keep his yap shut. Not an enemy.
The smile that worked up one side of her mouth looked a little sickly. "Ladybird," she said, her voice as soft and trembling as a new-turned leaf, "that's clever." As the desire to go at Adonai like a wildcat began to fade, she found herself stuck instead in a mire of impotent fury; she was under his thumb and could not get out. "And no, I couldn't imagine being mistreated in a pack so mannerly as this one." Her eyes were easily as hostile as bared teeth.
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Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2011 7:45 pm
"Well, that's good that you're being treated as you should be," he said. He still couldn't suppress that damnable grin, though. "But -- seriously. You look a bit off. You coming down with something? I could go fetch you something to eat, if you'd like."
The goodwill just poured off of him in waves.
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Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2011 8:09 pm
On a different day, she swore, she would be up for this fencing. It would infuriate her, but it would also fill her with a savage joy. But not tonight; tonight it was all she could do not to throw down the mask of courtesy in disgust and...and if she kept going with that, it would get her no closer to regaining her composure. She needed to get the ******** away from him, and spend the next unpleasant hours hating him, and hating life, until she presumably wore herself out. "You know," she replied, a hard edge in her voice briefly presenting itself before being lost, "I have been feeling quite ill lately. Bad air, I think," she stressed. "Would you be so kind?"
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Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2011 8:19 pm
"Bad air?" A brow raised. Something challenging glinted in his eyes. "Odd. I haven't had any problems...perhaps you're spending too much time closed up in your den. Fresh air will do you wonders, you know."
He managed to wrangle his grin back down to a manageable level. "I've gotten rather adept at fishing lately," he said, conversationally. He rose up to his paws and stretched rather luxuriantly, clearly showing off a body he was proud of -- although he knew she probably wasn't paying attention. He had been fishing quite a lot, lately, to feed Tiyana. She was quite fond of the silvery things, especially when the water was cold. "How about you come with me down to the water, I'll catch you a couple fish, you can have a good cold drink and get away from that stuffy damp underground air?"
Oh, he knew she was bluffing. He was being deliberately obtuse. Killing her with kindness just seemed like too much fun not to try.
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Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2011 8:37 pm
I hate you, her eyes stated as he indulged in his little exhibitionism, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you. "I've just been to the river," she corrected, and her coat was indeed still quite damp. "And I've always had a delicate constitution. If I don't get back to my den I fear I'll catch a chill." She sounded about as convincing as a parent running autopilot through a bedtime story. I'm tired, the voice said, and this is the last of my patience. "You go on with whatever I distracted you from - or better yet," she added, her smile suddenly brilliant again, "go catch a fish for your daughter. She seems..." her eyes narrowed, "as if she could use some appeasement. And women do love getting gifts."
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Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2011 8:51 pm
"She can catch her own fish," he replied mildly, but the slightest flicker of annoyance caught in his eyes. Well. She wanted to twist her own knife, so be it. He wasn't half as vulnerable as he had been when they'd first met.
"But, as you say. It would be a shame to catch your death of cold standing out here chatting with an old fool." He paused, a hesitant beat, where he wondered if he had the courage to add, "...You know, if you needed a bit of extra body heat down there...To keep the chill off, I mean...."
Yes, apparently he did. He waited to see the flare in her eyes.
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Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2011 9:03 pm
There was a gleam, undoubtedly. She always made a point of speaking clearly with her stares, when her mouth was not allowed to. And now they gleamed, though not so much in rage. She brought herself to her feet, her head chastely lowered as she turned, and raised her eyes to land him with a look both disparaging and disturbingly provocative. "Come on in, then," she whispered, her tail crooking. "I'll never tell the girl you're catching fish for."
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Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2011 9:09 pm
He laughed then -- a good-natured chuckle that shivered down his body even as it tumbled from his maw. He'd thought, just for a moment, of calling her on her bluff just to see what she would do. Of following her into her den an making himself at home.
But the thought was not only absurd, it was revolting, and besides, he was only playing. He wasn't that mean or vindictive.
"So you know about her, then?" He asked, because he couldn't help but be curious. He'd been trying so hard to keep the romance secret! But then perhaps she had been speaking in general terms...bluffing terms.
"But -- anyway. You're a good sport, Thrush. Go rest a bit. Hopefully whatever it is that's got you down lightens up....and I mean that." He gave her a friendly 'for real this time' sort of smile.
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Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2011 9:35 pm
Thrush watched him laugh from over her shoulder, her eyes dark. With the game finally finished, she found herself suddenly, achingly tired, and she could feel the ache of sadness starting in her, too. Still, she shrugged, turning her head away, dismissing him. "You're not subtle," she explained, flicking her tail in goodbye. "Good night."
It settled into her, as she curled into an almost featureless ball inside her den, that staying here had become impossible. The thought teased her mouth into a tearful grimace, pulled a steady eke of tears down the stark black and white of her face. I'm taking Partridge with me, she swore to herself, and with that small consolation eventually found her way to the quiet of sleep.
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Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2011 9:38 pm
"I don't try to be," he muttered. "I'm honest. You should try it sometime."
He yelled the last of this as she disappeared into her den. His maw curled in a small, frustrated snarl. Maybe he'd gone overboard with the teasing, he thought. But, really, she brought it upon herself.
Muttering to himself, he turned to leave...heading for the river. He'd bring her those fish, after all, though she probably wouldn't eat them.
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