[ fin ] Right on Schedule (Shadelight & Statice)

[medigel]

xKrysin

Well, he had done his duty so to speak. He had even courteously checked on High Noon to make sure the pregnancy was going along. What a nice guy Shadelight was to this absolute stranger he didn't care too much about outside of sex for. Truly he was a model Crow. Now, he could have decided to stay with High Noon just to be sure, but this assassin was not one to just sit and wait; he'd be there when the kids were ready to get a move on and not a moment before.

Once he returned home, a snack of a squirrel in his jaws, Shadelight considered sneaking in a nap before returning to work. However, once he heard Statice was back from her trip, he quickly changed plans and veered in her direction, his somber walk quickly pushed back into the confident strides he was known for. Yes, there went Shadelight off to woo yet another lady, the rascal. Crows were always worth the effort of flirtation after all, even if nothing happened beyond that. And he could pretend for a little while longer that he was a bachelor with no anklebiters to think about.

"Ayyyyyy~" he said around the squirrel when he located her, tail wagging. "Greh tehmin! Hungee?"
 

[Krysin]

She hadn't been home for more than an evening, but already Statice was beginning to feel better. There was something about being home that rejuvenated the soul, especially when she had been away for so long this time. Recruitment had never been easy, but it went considerably better for a young female wolf who looked harmless. Still, she had not heard of any wolf she personally spoke to coming to join the Crows. It made her question whether she had lost her touch, and so when Shadelight approached her she had a careful and considering frown upon her face.

She quickly cast the expression aside when she noticed the dark wolf with a squirrel stuck between his jaws. "Shadelight," she greeted with an amused smile. It had been a while since she had last seen the male, and she was unaware of his latest endeavors. There was plenty of time left that she would spend in the pack to get caught up on all that she had missed.

The she-wolf sat down, tail curled around her legs. "There is hardly enough there for you, I would not dream of taking from your hard earned meal."

Statice tilted her head at him, a coy gleam in her eyes. "Besides, I am well sated." She was well aware of his slightly flirty reputation, and couldn't resist playing into it a little. Statice was not careless with her affections, however. Rather, it was a playful game that she would indulge in every now and then. "I just ate earlier this morning," she clarified, as if he would get the wrong idea.

medigel

 

[medigel]

Shadelight decided not to pursue the easy conversation bait and sat across from her, grinning as he dropped his meal at his paws; said grin was probably enough of a hint that he read between the lines. "You wound me, sweetheart," he said. "Squirrels, hard earned? I'm a professional now. Will you at least tell me about your exploits while I eat, then? I'm ready to hang on your every word~"

Krysin

 

[Krysin]

Statice let the pet name slide, deciding that it was a battle she did not want to engage in. He had meant it affectionately, and she took it as such. "You wouldn't be the first," she instead answered playfully. While slight of build, Statice had done her best to balance her skills in diplomacy with skills of physical merit. She certainly was nowhere near the stands of an assassin, but she could hold her own.

"Are you? I must have been away far longer than I thought," she teased with good intentions. The wolf certainly did not mind talking about herself - it was one of her better attributes. She was not shy, though she could play at being so. "I went south this time, towards the Forest where we know there are a lot of other wolves. There were some packs in the area, but we managed to avoid them - with just me and my Scout, I wasn't really looking forward to running into an substantial numbers."

She sighed then, and tried not to dwell too hard on her failure to bring anyone home with her. She had directed a few wolves during her travels on where to go, but it seemed like none had arrived. "I met a few promising individuals, but maybe my skills in persuasion are lacking... Hard to believe, right?"

medigel

 

[medigel]

"The days stretch endlessly every time you leave," he assured her.

Shadelight dutifully listened as he tore a strip off the squirrel. Some days, he envied that the scouts could come and go as the job demanded. Not that he could ever truly be away from the Crows for long, but it was good to get a change of scenery--especially in practicing in different terrain for his own jobs. "I would've called it a bad rumor if I'd heard it from anyone else," he said after chewing. "Some wolves just don't have eyes or ears, sadly. But if they weren't capable of listening to you, well, maybe we're better off without them."

Much as recruitment was important, Shadelight had yet to really get on board, especially now that their numbers were higher and they had allies. Who needed to go out of their way to vet the strangers who didn't care they existed?

Krysin

 

[Krysin]

She chuckled, mirth shining in the reflection of her eyes. "I am glad you had persevered regardless of my long absence." Statice mindfully turned her gaze away from Shadelight as he chewed on his piece of squirrel meat. While certain that he would not mind being watched as he ate, she considered it better to be cautious.

"Perhaps," she mused softly. With her gaze turned back to him, her stare was momentarily intense as her thoughts rushed through her mind. "I can't help but wonder if they are not here, where else will they go then? What other pack will prosper from their ranks swelling with new members?" She shook her head, as if to dispel such thoughts. There was no reason for her to concern herself with things outside of her control. "Never mind, those are questions I can occupy myself with on my travels."

Gearing the conversation back to more pleasant tones, "Have you had any jobs lately?" Her voice was warm, the smile on her face easy and amiable.

medigel

 

[medigel]

"I'm very good at staying alive in times of hardship, you could say." Unlike this squirrel, which he finished quickly to be polite.

Shadelight was a little surprised she took the questions so seriously, though he supposed that came with having passion for her work. Taking her intensity with his usual debonair manner, he said, "Well, we have two others right here that might as well be Crows with how much the leaders and their members keep meeting up. Idiots are missing out. I wouldn't worry about it, Statice, you've always been fantastic on the job. Means I can keep you to myself better, too~"

The assassin puffed out a breath at her question. "Nothing interesting, I'm sorry to say. Most recent wasn't that sort of job, but I did do a duty. Should be coming in with pups pretty soon." Hopefully High Noon would be easy to steal from. Shadelight didn't yet know that the wolf would be interested in one of their allies. All he knew was that he still felt ambiguous about it all, like being a father hadn't quite sunk in. "Hopefully they're not little shits like I was."

Krysin

 

[Krysin]

"Oh, yes, I've heard about the few alliances the pack has been making while I've been away. It's good, allows us to keep a close eye on them." She knew some wolves would be more skeptical of the alliances, but Statice could not see the downfall in building relationships with other packs. The alliances, no matter how small they might be, had their benefits and the Crows were not so foolish as to reveal anything they did not desire to be known. Statice put her faith in their Alpha and her pack. "Keep an eye out for me, if you see anyone of interest I would like to know," she requested with a playful tone in her voice. Sure, she had flirted lightly with Shadelight, but that was all part of the game and she treated her actions as such.

"I am a busy woman, Shadelight, but I can always find time for you," she promised irregardless of her previous inquiry towards possible suitors outside of the pack. She did not face the same dilemma as Shadelight - if she wished to have pups she would have them here in the pack. Never would she have to hunt them down and steal them away.

She chuckled at his revelation that he had fathered pups, and fixed on him an easy-going smile. "Knowing your fortune, they will be just as much the little brats that you were when you were young. I wouldn't be concerned by it, though - if you're anything to go by they'll turn out just fine."

medigel

 

[medigel]

Close eye was right. The Sand Raiders and Iron Hides seemed like nice enough folks, but Shadelight didn't count allies the same way he counted his Crow family. Allies shifted and changed and couldn't always be predicted, but you could always trust family.

"Introduce you to someone? I'd never say no to your pretty face, Statice, but that's just cold," Shadelight said, feigning offense. "Besides, why would I do that when I'd rather have you all to myself~?"

...Spirits, talking about pups was such a mood killer. He didn't know why he had even done that, casual conversation or not. "Here's hoping," Shadelight said, shrugging, his smile casual and plastered on. "Not my problem if they aren't, though, you can look to the caretakers for that one." Assuming it was more than one. Maybe High Noon would be difficult, and he'd just have to take a pick from the litter and run for it. Ugh, that'd be annoying to deal with if the pup started crying about it later...What a damn thing to talk about.

"Of course, next time I'd be more than happy to just give you pups. At least I know you'd treat them right." There we go, back on schedule.

Krysin

 

[Krysin]

She smirked, amused by his response. Over-dramatic, surely, but she did not mind it. Words were used as weapons and toys at the same time, driving conversation where they both wanted it. With a soft chuckle, she brought her gaze back up towards his dark face. "I am sure you can find someone to warm you up," Statice teased. She supposed he could assume it was a slight to his character, but the words had come as a gentle push at him to step up his game. She was watching.

"And deprive the rest of the world of my stunning presence? How cruel." The laughter came again, effortless and sweet.

Any conversation with him she enjoyed, even if it was idle chatter about how he got pups off another female. Statice was not so weak to be effected by it, and she certainly had her dalliances that she kept much more private. Though, it was a tempting thought to drop a tidbit here and there for him. It was ammo to keep reserved for the future, if she was feeling particularly mischievous. "I suppose that's what the caretakers are for..."

His next statement was bold, and she arched a brow at him as if to say 'really?'. She could not decide if she disliked his confidence, but she also did not immediately hate it. It was also the first time in her life she did not know how to respond to someone else. If she engaged him here and now, she was certain that this conversation would spiral out of her control.

It would be better to gently deflect him, keep him on the edge of his toes. "Always so focused on the end result when pups aren't the first thing on my mind..." NO. s**t.

medigel

 

[medigel]

Oh? He ran with it because that was the knee jerk impulse, something as comfortable and unthinking as breathing.

"Well, they're a happy bonus, then," Shadelight said simply, allowing something lecherous in his voice momentarily. "If you want, why not come back home with me and get ou of the cold for a while? I'm very curious to know what's on that mind of yours, and I happen to have a nice new fur lining."

The banter felt forced, but the result didn't matter. Just like with sex, conversation was a means of remembering he existed and nothing else mattered beyond that moment. It was automatic, practiced, necessary. Breathing. He wasn't sure if he pushed it more on Statice because she was familiar and family, or because she happened to be close by. As in many things, Shadelight didn't want to think about it.

Krysin

 

[Krysin]

If she let go of her good senses, she might have taken Shadelight up on his invitation. Words were one thing, and actions were another, and she was not ready to be laden with pups. It wouldn't be long until she was back out of the pack lands on another recruitment expedition, and she did not want to be inconvenienced by hormones and pups. Moving through the world was easier when she could cast the illusion that she was a lone single female.

So, despite her slight interest in the suggestion, she found it more enjoyable to keep the banter playful. It wouldn't hurt to lead him on a little - it was not as if he would not do the same around others. After all, this was a pleasant game among friends. "As generous as the offer is, I am a busy woman. I do not quite have the free time to indulge myself as you do," she answered with a small smile. Thankfully, she managed to speak only after she had considered his invitation. It would have been embarrassing to run her mouth again without thinking through the implication of her words.

"Perhaps another time, Shadelight." She gestured vaguely with her paw, the words not exactly a promise, but neither a dismissal of what he had insinuated. "I should be on my way now, but I hope to run into you again before I head out on the next expedition."

medigel

 

[medigel]

Shadelight bowed his head as if conceding defeat and sighed dramatically. "How very sad that this is your reality," he lamented in her stead, getting to his paws. "But I, the good friend that I am, understand." The weight in his voice was gone, lightened back to a healthy-seeming cheer. "You know where to find me if you want better company than what you'll find out there. Don't break my heart and leave without saying goodbye~"

It was rote at this point, almost ritualistic to say that.

He grinned playfully at her one last time before picking up the bones of his corpse in his jaws. There was something funny in that image: two things, one alive and one dead, wearing a rictus smile in blood. And then Shadelight turned away to get his kill properly cleaned. Bones were starting to become a currency to certain members of the pack, and far be it from him to deprive them of their weird, weird collections.

Krysin