Brows furrow at his question. It wasn't quite like that. Csitri was generally a pacifist and one to think the best of others where she could, but she was no fool. "I just figure if you wanted to do something to me, you'd of done it already." she blinks at him, thinking it quite obvious. "Besides, if anything were to happen to me my family would be sure to avenge me thoroughly." a simple shrug. It wasn't something Cissy particularly wanted, but it was the way of the Savante. Even if she wasn't technically one of them by ritual right or blood, she'd spent what life she remembered with them. They'd fed her, sheltered her, welcomed her into the fold without a single question.

To her, that's all that one needed to consider someone their family.

She'd begun to clean his muzzle when it moved again. A small huff left her maw at the interruption, but Csitri would continue on while he spoke. The cheeks first, so they could still conversate easily. Arkyn spoke of things she was quite familiar with, and for the first time a dark expression crossed her soft features. Ice filled her gaze as it rose to his.

"Yes, I know." but almost as soon as it had arrived, the soberness that had consumed her melted away. "Geez, it's almost like you're trying to scare me! No need to wear yourself out, we're friends now. I'm not gonna go anywhere." a warm purr rumbled in her chest, paws continuing their tender touches along his torn up muzzle. They could get into the nitty gritty of their respective pasts another time.

@Arkyn

"Maybe it's because I'm too tired to try something." Whether it was true or not was still out for debate. The only woman he had willingly harmed was the one that he met at the flamingo pond, the one that initiated their underwater battle. He had left her with a deep scar upon her cheek to always remember him by - would he think to do the same to @Csitri?

And then a sensation as if he had been kicked in the throat, the sudden tightness and the lurching of his stomach as she continued on about how her family would avenge her if anything happened to her. His mind began to slip into itself, finding deep crevices and crannies to hide in during the brief periods of silence he gave while she spoke. And as he found himself buried in his own mind, he began to wonder: would anyone care to avenge him if something tragic happened? He would hope his aunt Morrigan would surely at least try, but with the lack of communication and familial bonding between the duo, the beast couldn't answer his own question with confidence.

"Friends?" Arkyn would echo, brows furrowing as she continued on with cleaning. He was hoping she was at least almost done, for his patience was beginning to wear rather thin and he could feel his body growing ever more exhausted than it already was. "You don't want someone like me as a friend." He couldn't even confidently say he had friends to begin with.

art by naki, table by gunner

It took several more moments to clean his face than she'd of liked, since now he chose to be a chatterbox. But Csitri wouldn't complain, simply work diligently until the task was finished. And once satisfied, the smaller woman would step back and begin to stride out of the water. She could feel her paw pads beginning to prune. So with a mighty shake, the piebald lioness padded over to where she'd abandoned her herbs and begin chewing them up - fully expecting the colossal to follow.

"Maybe." she'd concede with her mouth full. A simple shrug of her shoulders would follow. It didn't truly matter to Csitri if he decided to attack or not. She wasn't one to lash out physically all that often, and when she did it was well earned. Besides, most creatures with malintent were often the kind to reveal themselves early on. If he was smart or sly enough to plan out manipulation, he would be found out eventually. With the Savante at her back and the Mother watching over her, not much about this situation concerned her.

Spitting out her concoction into a broad leaf, she'd lick her lips to clear them of the scraps of herb that may linger there. A wry grin spread across her maw at his other remarks. "You don't know what I want, Arkyn." truth be told, Csitri thought she knew. Why did she want to befriend this man she barely knew? Well, he was familiar. And as much as he denied it, she believed him to be harmless. Should that land outside of her favor, maybe they could re-evaluate. But Csitri had a penchant for picking up strays. @Arkyn happened to be the newest addition, whether he liked it or not.

Her work was done, thankfully, and Arkyn would hoist himself back onto all fours with a grunt. @Csitri made her way out of the water and back onto dryland and he would follow suit, albeit it slow. He would watch as she chewed up herbs and placed the paste it made onto a big leaf, an ear flicking backward slightly as she responded to him. "You're right, I don't," he would begin, allowing for his haunches to recline to sit not too far away from what she had made, "but that doesn't mean I can't guess."

Paws began to shift, kneading the ground idly as he waited for the real fun to begin. He wasn't looking forward to having whatever it was that she had made to be placed onto his injuries, but he supposed having to endure whatever he would soon feel was a lot better than risking infection and creating even bigger problems for him down the road.

art by naki, table by gunner

an arched brow was tossed his way, her focus mainly on her work. the man was confident, she'd give him that. but csitri wasn't certain his guesses would be correct. she was stubborn as the day was long, and this man needed someone like her. he seemed angry and lost, something that the little savante-to-be had no business sticking her nose into. which was exactly why she planned to stick to him like a fly on shit.

he would crack eventually, they all did.

"guess away, piggy." csitri smirked, finishing her preparation of herbs and scooting closer so that she could dip her paw into the mixture and begin slathering it onto his wounds. the patched woman would start at his chest, parting the fur to find the wounds and apply it directly. each motion was firm but gentle, rubbing it in so that it could penetrate the wounds as intended.

every now and again her gaze would shift up to his face, gauging for a reaction and also listening for his assumptions. because mother knows he had plenty.

@Arkyn

Lips would peel back once she began, the feeling of pressure and whatever the chewed up mess was being smeared on raw wounds causing pain and discomfort. Arkyn would suppress the growls and the snapping of jaws that her work was threatening to illicit, grunts and rumbling sounds coming from him instead. He was beginning to realize why he never sought out a medic to help with his injuries, instead opting to wait for the longer process of natural healing - the shit hurt.

"Can you stop calling me that?" His reply was snippy, eyes looking down at her while she continued to work. Arkyn was far from being rotund like a 'piggy', big and burly frame created from thick muscle and his father's genetics. And even though he knew @Csitri was only teasing him he hated it all the same. Such a blockhead was he. "And for my first guess," the colossal would continue, a shoulder rolling slowly, "I'm taking it that you like to tease others far bigger than you because you enjoy whatever adrenaline rush it supplies." Probably the furthest from the truth but it would bring him one step closer in knowing more about her.

art by naki, table by gunner

do i need to get a stick? she'd rumble, noting the painful reaction she'd elicited when applying the herbs. her paw was dyed green as she dunked it back into the mush and slather it across the lower part of his jaw. if he wanted to bite, he was welcome to it, but csitri didn't figure her paw would taste too good at the moment. plus, when consumed, some of these herbs could make his tummy...rather upset.

he asked her to stop calling her piggy and she'd giggle mischievously. ok then, how about nagy malac? it means big man. no it absolutely did not, but she was certain arkyn wouldn't know that. and even if he did, oh well.

ark's first guess had csitri pausing a moment, paw hovering over his skin. hmm... the paw would travel to her chin, effectively dying it green too. you're half right. i like that these big teddy bears i meet won't hurt me, makes me feel safe. a shrug. but also most of you have no chance in hell at out running me, so there's that, too. her paw would move to continue her work as she hummed brightly to herself.

@Arkyn

An eyeroll would be given to her suggesting finding a stick for him to chomp one while she worked. Instead, a growl would begin, low sounding but there. "Just keep working," he'd retort, letting out a snort from flared nostrils afterward. He knew the uncomfortableness of the pain was only temporary, but that didn't mean he didn't want it to be hurried up and over with.

Arkyn would remain silent as @Csitri let out another giggle and call him something else in that weird, foreign language. He wasn't exactly sure why other languages got under his skin so much - perhaps it was the sole fact of not having a clue what they were saying. So when she called him something he couldn't understand and explained what it meant, he had nothing to go off of in terms of knowing if Csitri was telling the truth or not.

"Just because i'm big means I can't run fast?" Brow would cock upward above an eye as she stared down at her; was that really her logic? Arkyn had never tested out his speed or endurance against another in the form of a race, but having the lioness assume that she were faster than poked at his ego - as if that was a shocker. "If I wasn't so injured I'd challenge you to a race right now." Yes, bring up something you can't do in your current state all in the name of protecting your pride, Arkyn. Good job.

art by naki, table by gunner

A bland look was tossed his way when he demanded that she continue her work and essentially shut up. Her paws would grow minutely harsher on his wounds in retaliation, an innocent smile on her maw as she finished up her work then aimed a hearty smack to his shoulder just to rile him up.

A brow would arch as she strolled back toward the water to clean her paws. "Bullshit. You just think you'll lose." she shot back wickedly. She was in the mood to be fiesty since he seemed to believe she wouldn't kick his ass in any given challenge. He didn't know this, but she'd grown up with brothers. Huge brothers who didn't give a rat's ass if she was far smaller than them.

"Matter of fact, I bet I could make you eat my dust on your best day." Csitri sing-songed tauntingly.

@Arkyn

He definitely felt the roughness she was now being while finishing up, jaws clenching tight as the pain was only rubbed harshly than how she was working mere moments before. And then came the slap on his shoulder which would cause Arkyn to snarl, lips peeling back as the radiating sting of the smack to a wound pulsated deeply. But @Csitri was done working on him and he only felt relief at the realization. As she went to wash her paws he would reposition himself so that he were now facing her directly, another eyeroll happening at her retorts.

"Are you always this way?" As he asked his question a forepaw would list and motion toward her as if to emphasis the way she was being. He'd never met such a... frustrating woman, aside from his aunt Morrigan. While he waited to see what her next snip would be Arkyn would try to begin to allow for his muscles to relax, the paste and goop Csitri had lathered on his injuries seeming to start working, if only slightly, the sharp stings were dulling down.

art by naki, table by gunner