code (c) daanyen

Time had both crawled by at a snails pace and raced by like a cheetah it seemed, it felt like just yesterday she was brought here by her mother, meeting her betrothed, and feeling awkward, shy, reclusive, but now, she felt closer to Temero, and she knew any day now the time would come. She had made sure not to mention it, not wanting to seem too pushy, she would wait for him to address it, but if he wouldn't, she wondered if she would have to.

At the moment, the young lioness laid prone in some taller foliage, relaxing, but also keeping an eye out for @Temero, her tail flicking quietly beside her, her dual toned eyes were half open, looking out at her surroundings, when he didn't appear, she opened her mouth and let out a few playful beckoning calls.

Lorelei was in an unusual playful mood, she rolled in the tall weeds, stretching out and waiting, a smile ghosting her lips, then she crouched as if preparing for a hunt.

His duties kept him busy these days. And by duties he meant trying to stay out of his mother's way, while also figuring out how this fighting thing was supposed to work because he clearly wasn't very good at it, and if he couldn't figure it out how was he supposed to protect his family? If he couldn't do that, what good was he? He had, at least, finally given up on the idea of following his mother's paw steps with poisons. He wasn't good at that, or at sneaking around, so he'd decided to take a different approach to plants instead. Which seemed to be working better for him, ironically enough.

Still, his embarrassment and shame at his maiming in the Pit had kept him away for some time, spending as little time in the Brook as he could. Finally winning a fight at the war had helped, but he hadn't really done much there either.

His morose thoughts were derailed by @Lorelei's call, his ears perking up with interest. It had been a while since they'd had a chance to talk, he realized. So he rose and moved to join her, though when he got there he didn't see her immediately, hiding out in the weeds like she was, and he paused while looking around with slight confusion.

art by inky, code by corvus

code (c) daanyen

She knew that with the War and everything, everyone was busy, so she'd done what she could, staying out of the way, practicing with poisons, and helping patrol, but it was sometimes quite lonely.

It doesn't take him long to appear, looking confused as he looks for her, she smiles to herself and begins stalking him through the brush, her body low as she circles around to a better position, and then when she feels right, she lunges forward, attempting to playfully tackle him, though pulling her weight and strength back so that she does not hurt him, just in case he is still hurt.

Gotcha." She smirks playfully, long lashes batting over dual toned eyes, her smile softens as she looks at him, feeling the now common butterflies in her stomach.

His ear twitches as he picks up on the sound of someone sneaking up on him, only attuned to it because of how long he'd spent training for just that, but since he could figure out what had happened he didn't say or do anything, pretending he hadn't heard a thing. He did still yelp in genuine surprise when she leapt upon him, not having expected the actual timing of it, but he laughed as she teased him.

You sure did! What's up? he asked as he turned to her, genuinely delighted to spend some time with her. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed it, actually, in this time when he'd been so busy. He should have tried harder to eke out some time to spend with her, he thought. She was his betrothed after all, so surely she deserved as much of his attention as his family did, right? Yeah, she did. He'd have to make it up to her.

@Lorelei

art by inky, code by corvus

code (c) daanyen

Whether she knows he's on to her or not, she gives no indication as she keeps her front paws wrapped around his mane, her eyes shine brightly, just as bright as her smile, her chin tilts up as she laughs, happy to just be in the moment with him. She softens as her eyes open to look up at him, a shy smile taking over her lips, I've missed you...."

She speaks softly, eyes searching his, she feels flutters in her chest that travel to her stomach, and she can feel the moment her breath is taken away. The strawberry girl is left breathless as she tries to gather her emotions, but the sudden realization that he will be hers, and she will be his has her nerves all over the place.

But as she looks at him, she can feel that she wants nothing but him.

Finally she averts her eyes, clearing her throat as she does so.

@Temero

He grins at her, though as she speaks he looks away guiltily because that goes right to the point of what he was thinking. I've missed you too. Sorry, with all the drama at the Lagoon I haven't been paying enough attention to... anything else, he said apologetically. He really didn't have any excuse, it was more up to his mother and grandmother, but in his defense there had been a lot going on. That and he really just kept proving he was incapable of winning a fight, which didn't make him feel any better.

Have you been doing okay? We didn't really get to talk after that fight for the Mire, he said, thinking of how he'd been introduced to her family. He'd had no idea what they'd said about him, but he doubted it had been good. He'd seen that look her father had given him. Maybe you could teach me... whatever it was you all were speaking? Then he would know what was being said about him, and they could spend time together! That seemed like a win all around.

@Lorelei

art by inky, code by corvus

code (c) daanyen

He apologizes and she shrugs it off, trying to act like she wasn't that bothered by it, because she truly did not want to see like she was super clingy or needy, but she appreciated the apology, "It's Halright, I Hundersdand, all zeze challenges und vars, it's ein lot to handle.."" She gives him a soft smile before looking away, out into the Brook, finding peace in the beauty of it.

Her attention is brought back to him as he asks how she'd been and she makes a soft "hmm" sound before answering, "I've been Halright, just been trying to stay out of zee vay honestly. zough I haffe been zinking about going to ein few challenges myzelf, I zink I vould like to help, Hanozer lion couldn't hurt."" She lightly hinted at the possibility of her joining the fight, though she wanted to gauge his reaction first, though she was born of warriors, it only made sense that she too followed in her family's pawsteps.

She remembered the Mire fight, her brother's teases, and her father's hard-set eyes, she had paid them no mind, they were bullies, she was used to it. When he asks if she would teach him her family's language, she smiles, tail flicking happily. "Of courze... Zough don't pay Hattenzion to mein brothers und my vater, zey are Hasscholes.""

She would peer at him through long lashes, she tried her best to talk without an accent around him because it was a little embarrassing, atleast to her, most the time, she spoke more like her mothers tongue, but if he wanted to learn German, then she would begin with showing him the accent, then ease him into it.

@Temero

He almost winced at the thought of her fighting, because he didn't want to see her get hurt and also because he figured he was supposed to be protecting her so she didn't have to. But he realized that telling her that would make him just the same at her family, telling her what to do and all that. Ugh, welp. If that's what you want, he replied instead. Just be careful, the last one got pretty ugly. But I'll back you up. That he could do without stepping on her independence, right?

He couldn't help but laugh as she described her family as "Hasscholes", delighted both by her description and the way she said it. Well, you said it, not me, he replied. He was trying not to speak ill of her family, whatever he might think of them, but in this case she'd started it.

I dunno, I just figure it could be something we could do together, he said with a nervous little shrug, because he didn't know what was causing that butterfly feeling in his chest as she looked up at him like that. Her eyes were so pretty...

@Lorelei

art by inky, code by corvus

code (c) daanyen

She is almost surprised that he doesn't deny her, or demand that she not fight, she is a little shocked that he just agrees with her, and readily says that he would help back her up, it shows in the way her eyebrows lift. She doesn't know what to say honestly, at least not at first, her lips part for a second before the softest of smiles graces her lips, "Thank you.."" She really does mean it, she is extremely grateful that he chooses not to command her like she was lesser just because she was the opposite sex.

His laugh after she speaks of her family, her cheeks turn red as her eyes close as she too giggles, he chooses not to speak ill of her family and she can respect that, she would never speak ill of his family, though she had no reason to.

Lorelei nods gently, batting her long lashes and tilting her head just a bit as she looks up at him, she nervously smiles, cheeks feeling hot with blush as she wonders why she feels this way when he's looking at her, why him wanting to learn her language makes her feel so happy. "I vould love to teach vu...""

@Temero

That little smile she gave him caused warmth to spread through his chest, a feeling that he was coming to expect from his interactions with her but that he didn't know the name of. He certainly didn't experience it with anyone else. Well, maybe to a far lesser extent with Obsidiana, the only member of his family he really got along with and wasn't scared of. So he was glad he hadn't kicked up a fuss about her fighting even if the thought scared him. Not because he thought she couldn't do it, he had a whole family of women who kicked ass on the regular, but because he just didn't want her to get hurt. But hey, it was her decision, and he had to sit back and let her make it because he'd said before that he wouldn't tell her what to do.

Great! That's awesome! I uh, promise to try not to sound like a complete idiot, he replied when she confirmed she would teach him. I will sound at least a little bit like an idiot though, fair warning. He didn't mind poking fun at himself around her, because he felt like she wouldn't do it, at least not cruelly, unlike his family so it was safe enough to do so. Besides, a little self-deprecating humor never hurt.

I just wanna... you know... be the best husband I can be, he admitted, feeling more than a little shy and awkward as he said it, which was no doubt reflected in his tone. Since we're betrothed and all. I just want you to be happy.

@Lorelei

art by inky, code by corvus