[PRP] Owl-expected Catharsis (Kettil & Muka)

[Pales]

It took Kettil a bit of walking before he found the tree that he wanted to be in. Climbing it and then settling onto a nice sturdy branch as soon as he found it. His back rested against the trunk as he just stared out at the world in front of him.

Why did it seem like everyone wanted to run away from problems?

Kettil felt ... actually irritable when he thought of this, it felt like everyone just felt the need to run from problems and issues because they were scary or unpleasant while he preferred to face things head on and fix what was wrong even if it took a few swings of a fist. It must have been nice to just be able to turn around and run...

He grunted at his thought. No. He would never run. Never.  

[iloveyouDIE]

"Hee."

A giggle erupted behind Kettil. The tree was one of the larger ones and it's eternally fall shaded leaves left most of the area in shadow. There was a sound of hard soled shoes on the bark and wide golden eyes glinted out from slightly above the reaper. It was funny that they found the same tree... or was it.

With Muka you could never tell. His eternally plastered grin revealed nothing of his mood or motives. He could have been following Kettil since he'd entered the woods but there was really no way to tell.

"Hello Mr. Kettil." His fluffy head craned from the shadow framed by an elaborately embroidered collar. "I hope you don't mind some company because, well.." he giggled. "You've found some."

Muka was much.... rounder than the last time Kettil had seen him and despite his weight and the fact that he was dressed to the nines, he hopped from branch to branch like pro. His weight didn't throw him off or affect his balance in anyway. The strix's wings ruffled as he dropped down lower near to the reaper.

"You look.. hrmm..." His head turned sideways and he stroked the fuzzy beginnings to a beard. "..frustrated."  

[Pales]

The sound of the Strix made the Reaper startle just slightly to make him look up and then follow the figure about but instead of being angry or shouting at him to leave he just gave a small slightly amused smile. It seemed like Muka had been here first by all rights, he supposed he could have checked the tree before climbing it to see if he was truly alone, "It's you again," he said despite is dark mood it was welcoming to have a ... smile around.

"Mmm, that's putting it lightly, Brother," Kettil said idly as he sat up a little more, "you've changed since I have seen you but I still recognize ya none the less."  

[iloveyouDIE]

"I try not to change too much." He snickered, a birdish reverberation emanating from his throat as he settled on a branch on his behind finally, legs dangling and ending in some very very pointy looking shoes. He looked at them, kicked his feet with a giggle, and then finally settled. "I hope my newfound girth does not... hmm bother you. As long as my ghoulfriend doesn't mind, I haven't bothered to worry about it."

Muka looked out and up at the sky. "Where is your companion?" He meant his owl, of course. "With such a troubled look I would assume she would be with you.. hmm?"

Muka would continue to mention Kettil's frustrated look until he recieved some sort of acknowledgement of it. The strix didn't have much of a concept of privacy. He'd only just begun to understand what things between two people were meant for closed doors, but Kettil's furrowed brow was obvious and despite his slight smile a shadow hung around the young man. He didn't need his extra senses to pick it up.

The strix drummed thoughtfully on his own stomach and stared. STARED. STARED. Eventually his head craned back towards the view. "I am not the uhh.. best with emotions. But perhaps that is a good thing, for talking?"  

[Pales]

Kettil chuckled a bit, "Why would it bother me, you look just fine, healthy even," he said his tone brightened just a tad bit. At least the mention of ghoulfriends and companions didn't send Kettil off into weepy hysterics he just seemed as natural as ever - for the most part. "Endy?" he asked quietly as he rubbed his chin a little, "Thinkin' she is still on a hunt or just flyin' about. I kinda slipped off without tellin' her where I am."

A bit of guilt pursued that thought.

The insistence of talk, in spite of Muka's quirks, was rather nice. It showed that, in some way, the boil cared about something outside of himself. Kettil took in a deep breath and the sighed, "Just ... got a letter from ... my ghoulfriend," he paused a bit and then corrected himself, "ex-ghoulfriend. Just felt like she was runnin' away instead of just ... talkin' t'me face to face. Must be nice to run and not face things..."  

[iloveyouDIE]

Muka giggled when Kettil admitted to giving his familiar the slip. He gave the other young man a taloned poke in the shoulder and a playful clack of the teeth. It was a bit of a sly look but he settled back and listened when Kettil spoke about his ghoulfriend.

"Ah.." Yes. Teenaged breakups. He knew vaguely of this. The strix even felt a pang of sympathy, something rare for him. He had a ghoulfriend now, someone who he could admit fondness for... very confusing and intense caring.

"She may have.." he mused and then was silent for a long pause. The strix made noises when he breathed and moved, bird noises mixed with something more monstrous and feral. It was like he was simply a beast in a young man's skin sometimes. Detached. "Were you with her long? I am no expert but generally behaviors can be seen ahead.." He giggled, though there was no humor in it. "though sometimes vision may be clouded by other things."

His only experience with running away had been his own. It wasn't quite the same but he'd been slowly realizing it and coming to terms with it, and his father, on his own. Could it be much different for this unnamed ghoul?

"What is she running from?" His head quirked to the side curiously.  

[Pales]

The poke was met with a light chuckle and a small poke back but this one was aimed toward the Strix's gut simply cause he could and he just felt he could do so without some sort of insult occurring. The noises Ulmuka emitted didn't bother him at all, it was oddly comforting and reminded him of home when it became dark and things started to prowl.

"Mmm, several months all things counted," he said thoughtfully he supposed at least it wasn't years. Thinking of it in these terms took some of the edge off but not much. "She'd always been a bit ... mmm not flighty but just kinda skittish in a way."

The next question caught him a bit oddly he felt his heart squeeze painfully, "The future I suppose...Her parents are fightin' fierce and she was afraid we'd become that way...I want to prove her wrong but...She'd have to come back to school and right now she don't seem ready for that and even then...Maybe we were better off as friends..."  

[iloveyouDIE]

Muka's wings readjusted and he shifted on the branch. Human form, though he was used to it now, still tended to be uncomfortable for him sometimes. He contemplated again what Kettil said. The strix was definitely odd, sometimes he was quick with a response and other times it took a long time to mull his thoughts over the concepts.

He let out a low hoot, as if he realized something. "Perhaps you are thinking about it the wrong way." The strix peered at one of Kettil's dreadlocks and lifted one with a talon. It was very disconnected to the conversation they were having. "Perhaps she has been running all along."

Another long pause and he leaned back, the trunk between his large wings. "Skittish, flighty. Perhaps you are what she ran to?" He didn't know her. He could be wrong. But that sort of behavior sounded like every bit of prey he'd ever hunted.  

[Pales]

Kettil seemed unbothered as Ulmuka deemed fit to invade his personal space, it was odd how accepting he was of the other presence despite not wanting company at first but it was nice to have someone bounce thoughts off of. He let out a small grunt, "I suppose she might have been in a way, she wrote me the letter and let me know her thoughts, she told me what she wanted changed but...I wanted something different I guess and when it didn't match my feelings I only feel hurt and loss..."

He dangled a leg off of the branch and just swung it a little, "I ... am aware she doesn't like change the two of us changed too much our relationship changed too fast...It frightened her and she wasn't ready for it..."  

[iloveyouDIE]

A twig snapped a ways away but the strix's head bobbed up and turned around. After a moment it slowly turned back. "I am learning how difficult and unpredictable emotions can be." That may have been his version of empathizing. "But we are teenagers." There was a giggle and he grabbed his large stomach. "Change is what we do."

The strix hooted softly again, "Ahh.. feelings will even out. Another ghoul will come along." He gave Kettil a cheeky grin. "And you will be better for knowing and recognizing things because of your experiences here. You will learn, yes? For the next time around."

Whether that was a help or not didn't seem to matter much to the strix, and if it did it was hard to visually tell. He wasn't the type to pander or mince words. He simply spoke what seemed to come to him obviously or what he'd heard or read places. Unknown to Kettil, Muka had made a concerted effort to 'research' being a normal teenager.

"You never know," he cooed, "perhaps she will eventually return, changed yet again. It could be a good thing or a bad. Perhaps you should focus on yourself." After a moment he tapped his chin. "What does your owl say? She is part of you too, yes? Essentially you are one and the same. Have you consulted with her?" Familiars were formed from the reaper's FEAR and thus Muka just assumed that they must be a valued asset to one's self.  

[Pales]

Kettil offered a small nod to Muka's wisdom; it made a lot of sense he quietly drummed his fingertips on the top of his own knee thoughtfully, "She said she didn't want to hold me back...I don't know anymore."

Oh, Kettil learned a lot. He learned to pay attention to a ghoul's feelings and to be more attentive to their needs amongst other things. He just...wasn't so sure about the finding someone else part. Freya's face flashed in his mind shortly followed by the figure of a large black boil behind her shortly after. So unlikely. So, so unlikely.

The boil looked sheepish, "I do not think she knows yet, she was out when I opened the letter, maybe I shoulda waited in retrospect," he smiled slightly.  

[iloveyouDIE]

"I'm sure she will forgive you for that.. but not if you don't consult with her." Muka giggled and patted Kettil on the shoulder. There another giggle and he straightened, wings ruffling as a breeze kicked up. "Do not ponder so much on what she said. Don't analyze it or you will worry yourself for answers you'll never get."

Muka pushed himself so he could crouch on the branch. His fancy shoes seemed to slide a but the strix effortlessly shifted his weight so that he didn't wobble at all. "Simply take the sentiment and adjust yourself accordingly. Remember, as teenagers it is our duty to change and explore and experiment in order to find ourselves as adults." He seriously sounded like he was quoting from a text book.

"It's worked for me so far!" He giggled. "My ghoulfriend is Needle, do you know her? That's how we met, in mutual agreement towards learning things together. We didn't know much about relationships and we still don't probably." He giggled, effortlessly balanced with no hands. One rested back on his stomach and the other stroked his chin hair. "You and your other self should talk. Perhaps she has some ideas about you moving forward? Perhaps you can just take the opportunity to explore and learn things. You never know what could happen! Discovery is quite fun."

The strix's decription may have seemed clinical but there was a definite warmth when he spoke of his ghoulfriend and their arrangement. It was as close to gushy as he got, it seemed. There were merit to his suggestions though, regardless of how odd he put it.  

[Pales]

"I plan to have a small chat with her about it," He assured Muka with a small smile as he just stared down at the ground below without any fear of falling or height. It was just a place to look as he gathered up his thoughts while he listened to the Strix talk of his own relationship experiences. Kettil's smile grew a bit as he heard warmth in the tone for him this was actually working somehow. It was stopping him from going insane with guilt and further self loathing, that wasn't to say he wouldn't still have his moments but for now this was good.

Kettil shook his head, "I never met Needle but she seems like a very good match for you, Brother," he said with the smile still present.

Explore? Discovery? These are all things that struck a cord and made even more sense. Kettil was all about these sorts of practices at least where it concerned the natural world, "I'll keep that in mind," there was a small thoughtful pause, "I really appreciate this, y'know. I'll have to pay ya back somehow."  

[iloveyouDIE]

Muka giggled again when Kettil said he'd pay him back. No one ever did that but mostly because he never expected anything in return. He didn't even view the advice as much of a favor in his own mind. Perhaps he could buy Kettil something nice at the maul... hmm.... Muka felt the reaper could do with a bit more high fashion in his life.

"You simply keep yourself happy.. and keep that owl happy." His teeth snapped with a dangerous looking tease. "I'm a bit biased I think."

When another breeze kicked up his back rose almost instinctively, wings catching and extending just slightly to enjoy it. "I think it's time to eat.." His stomach actually audibly rumbled. "I hope you don't mind if I leave you now."

Muka shuffled side to side as he thought that may have been momentarily rude. "Ah.. I'm always around if you'd like to hrrm.. do things?" He sounded confused by what he was proposing. He didn't often hang out with anyone. "Or just need company."  

[Pales]

Kettil smiled fondly at Ulmuka despite the snapping teeth, "I always keep my owl happy," he assured quietly as he watched the other figure for a long moment. He supposed it was time to seek out his Familiar and have that chat.

The boil gave a bit of a nod, "Hey, I'd love ta, you got an eyephone or somethin'?" He asked curiously as he reached to get his out. He always carried it around it wasn't something he absentmindedly left somewhere. They were expensive.