Several hours after he had returned to his room something dawned on him. He had been lying in bed with his headphones on, tapping away a beat on his stomach while listening to Tivadar hum along with him in his head. The gryphon had gotten a little bit better, to say the least; paying attention to the harmonies enough that he barely noticed him in the background anymore.

His weapon did complain when he hit 'pause' on the music, though, sitting up to brush his fingers back through his hair as he blinked. "Hey, Mjollinr, were you actually paying attention to things earlier?" His brow lofted out of habit, although he knew the other wouldn't see him. It wasn't necessary to show expression, or to even talk aloud, but when they were alone it wasn't as odd as when they were in the company of others.

< Things? You will have to be more specific, Hunter. I pay attention to many things even when you do not think I do. >

"Things, Mjollinr. Things. I made sure you were in my pocket when I journeyed down into the Crypt. You were either sleeping or paying attention when I was talking to..." He was pacing now, strands of hair still tangled around his fingers as his mind skipped through the things that he had said. Banter. Conversation. Words...

< Hunter. Hunter. I was listening. Are you listening? I do not think you are listening this time... >

The gryphon continued to mutter in the back of his mind as he scrambled to recall the words.

< Hunter >

"Yes? What. I'm... I am a bloody stupid git." Arland's hand slid from his hair and down over his face as he flopped down onto the edge of his bed, feet planted on the floor to keep himself from sliding down into a puddle of idiocy and possible regret. It wasn't often that he stopped to think about the things he said, or how they could be perceived, but it was different when you were flirting with a friend, or in jest with someone who was already taken. It was different when you didn't really mean it versus...

< You should not say things that you do not mean. It is unwise to not mean what you say. >

"I didn't..." He hadn't not meant it. "Huh." He blinked at that, processing the fact that the next realization didn't come as that much of a surprise. "Huh." This time he let himself slide down to the floor, crossing his legs while straightening his back against the bed frame and mattress. Maybe he hadn't quite meant the words in the context that they could have come across in, but he had meant them. He had put an offer out on the table and at any minute there could be a knock on his door that he wouldn't have the slightest idea of how to handle.

"Huh..." Arland took a deep breath, releasing it slowly as he slouched to relax himself a little, mind drifting through to 'what if' and 'maybe'. If the knock came at it was Ceres he would suit up and get ready for a round of training. If it was Quinn he would know that he was overdue for a hair appointment and thank his quiet friend for looking out for him. If it was Inoke it could be any number of things; comfort, laughter, training, venting, dinner, smoking... If it was ********." He muttered to himself as he shifted his position, drawing his knees up to rest his forehead against them. If the other Moon hunter were to show up at his door right this instant there was a good chance he was going to make a complete blundering fool of himself because he had no idea why he had said what he had, or how the other had taken it or... "Bloody hell."

The young man shook his head before stretching his legs out again. No, that train of thought wasn't right. He wasn't going to make a fool of himself and the reasoning for that was because he was better than that. He wasn't the nervous, frightened boy he had once been. He wasn't the incredibly awkward teenager he had grown into after that. He had put on a few more years, learned a few more things and he had found himself; who he was, who he could be. He didn't have to be nervous. He didn't have to be afraid...

He only had to be himself. He could manage that without mucking it up, at the very least. It had brought him this far. It had made him friends once he'd started college. It had gotten him laid once or twice. It had made him friends here on the Island. It...

< Do all humans put themselves through such unnecessary stress? >

He blinked, everything falling neatly back into the simple perspective and point of view that often came with one of Tivadar's questions. He laughed, softly at first until the sound became a hearty rumble as he shook his head, picking himself up off of the floor. "No, Mjollinr, not all humans... But most of them. Especially when it comes to uncharted waters."