It was impossible for her to find comfort anywhere. Regardless of how many furs she lined her den with, no matter how many herbs she took to relax -- the only thing she could focus on was when? When would it happen next? When would someone come and take the rainforest from her and her family, cast them back out into the cold? Why was there nowhere she could keep her children safe, and why was there no one who would stay by her side to help? Bhavani was old enough now not to be considered a child, but the girl was and always would be her baby. Even approaching her second year she worried whether or not her happiness was being met; her safety and happiness was just as important as everyone else. She was grateful for Sana and her strength, her willingness to bend when things became tough.. and oh, were they ever tough. Without her eldest two girls she would be lost, but it only instilled her with more fear should something even happen to Firnen. How did a woman protect the children of two men and a woman that had abandoned her with them? How did she forgive them? How did she survive? Aarani didn't know. She had never known. She only knew that her heart was dust in the wind after having been absolutely annihilated time and time again, and now she wondered if there was anything left to give. It didn't matter. No one would want such a broken woman weighed down by so much emotional baggage, nor would they want to step up and care for the seven children that were not their own. Aarani was struggling to resign herself to a life of romantic solitude, and for a woman who had such a massive heart to give, it felt like a death sentence. She was numb as she walked, unaware of her surroundings entirely.

Table by Ice. Graphic by Brooke.

He drinks because it's easier, it numbs the pain. For a little while he even forgets why he’s sad at all. And after that, when he blacks out, he can finally sleep. It’s well towards dawn by the time that happens, and for the moment the giant is only a few bitten fruits into the night. As usual, he is alone. Sometimes Calhoun joins him for a few hours, but it’s rare enough that Roarke never expects it. For the best; he’d be disappointed if he bothered to care if he were alone.

But company sometimes comes in the form of strangers, and at three coconuts in, Roarke is the friendly sort. He peers into the thick underbrush, spotting a pale figure - Cupid, maybe? His chest squeezes painfully until it’s clear that it is a lion lacking the king’s stature and mane, but she’s just as pretty.

"Hello, lass!" He says, immediately forgetting his disappointment that it is not who he absolutely does not want to see. "Have you come for a drink? Good! Here, pull up a seat."

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When she hears a voice, her heart constricts. At one time she may have been delighted for company, but now when she sees other adults she can only think of those who have left her. The company of children was far easier to handle, and good thing, too, considering the amount of them she has in stock. Aarani turns to peer at @Roarke from beneath a curtain of curled locks, assessing the giant man without the faintest hint of a smile. He invites her over, offers drinks. It is the promise of indulgence that finally causes her paws to approach, but settling beside him is far from graceful. Aarani very nearly collapses in a heap of grief, embarrassing as it was. "Yes, please," she murmurs softly, wondering if it was impolite not to offer her name immediately. Probably. Fuck it.

Table by Ice. Graphic by Brooke.

If there is pain reflected in her gaze, Roarke is too blind to see it. He can’t feel his own, either, but that’s exactly how he likes it nowadays. The woman settles in beside him, and before she’s even fully down, there’s some fruit shoved her way. He’d not know what they were when he first found them, but some investigating had taught him they are just as drinkable as coconuts he and his brother used to imbibe with.

"S’more the merrier," he shrugged, turning blurry eyes to her face. He’d always be happy to share drinks; it’s not in his culture to be selfish in that way. Still, he squints - or tries to - and tips his great head to the side. He knows most everyone in the rainforest. Had learned of them all when he was still king. Short lived as that time might have been, it had been important to him. No matter.

Anyway! He tries to summon a name to attach to this woman, and finds himself lacking. "I don’t know you." He says with a huff. He crunches down on the soft skin of an orange fruit, tipping his head up so the juice drains down his throat.

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The more the merrier. Aarani almost snorted at the comment, bit back a snappy response about how it was bullshit. The more he allowed into his life, the more would leave him. His heartbreak would be amplified to the thousands, and when he found himself all alone in a world where he had put his heart on the line time and time again.. he would regret ever saying such nonsense. No, she wasn't projecting. Not one bit. Aarani slouched next to the gargantuan man, his size reminiscent of Fionn. She missed curling up against someone so large. Gabriel had brought her the same comfort, and even Dior and Vine. Everyone. Everyone who had left her, excluding Oberon. He'd been smaller than the others but no less impactful when he'd fucked off. "Aarani. I know Cupid from when we were both in Wolfbron. There's seven cubs running around the pride and they're all mine," she said, taking a swig from the fruit without hesitance. "I've got some herbs back in my den if you're interested in those, too." Aarani chewed idly at the fruit, drinking every ounce of the juice she could.

Table by Ice. Graphic by Brooke.

She introduces herself, implies her staggering amount of children, mentions how she knows Cupid. Roarke nods along as if able to keep up with everything. "That is a lot of kids," he says wisely, "think I’ve seen some ‘o them runnin’ around." Probably. More than likely. Surely he’d noticed the influx of youth at some point. He can’t remember. "Met Cupid when he was in Wolf - Wolf buff - when he was there too. Saved my life, he did." Not that Aarani probably cares, but Roarke likes sharing when he’s three in.

"What sort-a herbs?" The giant inquires, taking a moment from drinking to lean on his elbow and study his new drinking partner. He’d never really had any in his life - getting drunk was more than enough for him, usually, but he can’t think of a reason to say no to anything right now.

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That's a lot of kids. Yeah. Yeah, it was. "It's not all of them, either. In total I have ten." Ten. Ten children from different significant others. Ten children that had been abandoned by one of their parents. Shit, at least Aarani's disastrous love life was consistent. She should have known by now that nothing good would ever come of her giving her heart to anyone, but the stupid woman couldn't stop herself. Her claws dug into the ground, frustration evident on her face.. until @Roarke butchered the name of Cupid's previous pride. At that, she broke out into a giggle that was in no way amplified by the drink hitting her like a freight train. "Wolf buff," she repeated, giggling like a schoolgirl. She only reigned herself back in when he asked about the goods, to which she flashed a smirk and whispered: "the kind that makes you feel like you don't have a problem in the world. Like you're on a cloud floating. The best kind." Duh.

Table by Ice. Graphic by Brooke.

Ten. Ten children. Roarke could not imagine raising that many - his three had been more than enough for him and his wife. "You’re my age, if that, did you start at two seasons or somethin’?" Not that Roarke had been much older - but that’s not the point. @Aarani dissolves into a fit of giggles at his butchering of the pride name, and Roarke merely grins in a semi-coherent, good-natured way.

But right - yes, drugs. The good shit. He considers it, drunkenly, and finds absolutely no reason why taking an unknown drug after drinking his weight would be a bad idea. So the dragon nods. "Lead on then, lass." He lumbers to his paws and sways, remembering something about them being in her den.

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