Gawain dipped his head to his friend, a sign he was going to let up to line of questioning. For now, at least. His next words surprised him though, and before he could think about any meanings behind the words, his words got ahead of him. "It was just a hare, are they not feeding you here?" he replied with a laugh. Perhaps the laugh was more to hide the fact that he had now advanced the line of questioning.

He dipped his head again to the thanks, unsure of how else to respond. "If you're still hungry, you're welcome to the rest of mine." Most of it was still left. In truth, he had mostly forgotten about it in his concern about @Elijah. He'd really only taken a bite, and honestly, the little lion needed the meal far more than he did. Gawain had a cub to feed, so he ate nearly as often as the cub did, though he always made sure the cub ate first. He'd happily go hungry for weeks to make sure Nazonal was well fed. And, now, to make sure Elijah was fed as well.

if gawain intends for his laugh to distract elijah, then... well. it works, even just a little. the warm rumbling laugh fills the chasm and his ears both, and elijah cannot help but smile to hear it. even if it means it comes on the heels of a pressing question, a pointed thing. still there is no offense taken and elijah's quick to shake his head, trying to alleviate his companion's worries. no, i'm good — thank you, he'd taken the smaller portion, true, but he still had a bit to eat left. and, besides, he needed less food than @Gawain surely did. i'm just — this is nice, he admits, even as his muzzle dips away, turning his gaze away from gawain and unable to maintain eye contact as he says it. a far cry from where he was even a year ago. and, he thinks, a far cry from the life gawain is used to, too. this was no room for preston, after all.

as much as he wanted to sit here for hours and hours ( and ask, maybe, some of the questions that churn in the back of his mind ), but he knew he'd have to be getting back soon. gawain, too, must have things he had to do -- taking those rocks back for his cub being the most prominent among them. we will do this again, yes? he asks after a moment, ears tipping forward with thinly veiled hope. it makes it a little easier to look forward to the future, to the days to come -- especially, he knows, if there are more of these lunches to come.

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"This is nice," he agreed softly. He felt different, apart from himself, but in a good way. It felt like reaching an itch you'd been been trying to scratch your whole life.

There had never been time in Gawain's life for close friends or relationships of any kind. Before Nazonal, he hadn't shared a meal like this in over four years. To be honest, he had never expected quiet moments like this to be a part of his life.

And definitely not for anyone to ask to meet up again. That was even more of a surprise. He was silent for a few moments, stunned. "You..." he paused, then shook his head. @Elijah really wanted to do this again? Wanted to spend more time with him? "Yes, if you want to, I would love to do this again."

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the silence following his request-slash-question is met with a nervous understanding. that — that was too forward, yes? too much and certainly too soon: gawain owed him nothing, of course. sure, the brown-pelted man might have tried to save him from those pits but nothing had come of it and they were strangers. connected only by the bad memories of that place. elijah's gaze ducks away from @Gawain, nodding slightly to himself. yes, yes — he knew a no was coming, and that was fine.

yet — that's not what the man says.

i would love to do this again. there's an emphasis there that elijah certainly does not miss and his gaze snaps back to gawain's, ears tilting forward. you would? the question is clear on his face but it goes unasked — instead, eli smiles. well — good! then, i cannot wait. he adds quickly, tail shimmying behind him with a nervous energy. there's a part of him that wants to run now, to wrap all of this up before he has a chance to stick his foot in his mouth ( again ); his portion of lunch is almost finished, after all.

but they're not quite done here, and he'll be damned if he lets his new friend leave empty-handed. does... does your friend like any particular color? we need to find them the perfect rocks! he knows that perfect is subjective, and gawain's cub will probably like whatever they pick out. but... he wants to do good. a thank you for the lunch, even if it's not necessary. ears tip forward as he stands, offering gawain a slight smile before turning his attention to the numerous piles. the chasm's floor is absolutely littered with them: some have fallen in through the skylight and others have simply been chipped from the stone walls themselves. others still have been deliberately brought here by others, and elijah lets out a small hum, considering. everything looked dark in here, but maybe if they grabbed enough there would be a few diamonds in the rough.

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Gawain noticed the way @Elijah started to shy away and he regretted that his own self-doubt had slowed his answer. But the moment had passed now, and all was well. Elijah seemed excited to see him, and he really could hardy believe it. But perhaps it was best to keep that to himself.

"Neither can I," he purred instead, heart all warm and brain buzzing a little. This wasn't at all what he'd expected to come from this meeting, but he was certainly happy with it.

Gawain stood when Elijah did and looked around the cave, flipping a few rocks under his paw. "I'm not sure, she's never told me. But they seem to really like things that are particularly colorful." He bowed low to stretch his back. It got sore more and more the older he got. Maybe he would bring it up to Elijah at a later meeting. But not today, no need to mess up this meeting with his issues.

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colorful, hmm? elijah repeats, all but tapping his dark-lined chin with a finger. we can work with that! if she liked colors, then that's what they'd get. fortunately for everyone involved, the corridors here are made of stone -- though the stone here is plain, and boring. a dull slate grey elijah thinks; they can do better than that. with a hum he turns, focusing towards the little lake in the center of the chasm's cavern. the bottom of the mini-lake was a mix of dirt and gravel, with stones mixed in -- perhaps dropped in from flying birds, or simply a gift of whatever forces had made this place. the edges, too, are lined with them -- and tucked into the corners are more. there are stones everywhere, in fact, but they have to find the perfect ones. only the best will do! he thinks, too, of the shiny rocks in his den from the pit. that would come later, though -- a gift, maybe. for now there is certainly enough to find here, even in the dim light. elijah is happy to do this, for the little purr of happiness it pulls from @Gawain and for the soft smile he wears. both things were meant to be treasured, and elijah is happy to bring whatever happiness to others he can.

exit via rock hunting!

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Gawain watched for a few moments before he stood to follow him around, looking for stones alongside him. Maybe one day he would get him away from stone walls entirely, but for now, this was enough. Watching @Elijah completely absorb himself in his task warmed him, and he wasn't really sure why. He looked forward to giving the stones they would find to Naz and seeing what she thought of them. She would certainly be thrilled. Gawain laid down at the edge of the pool and carefully pulled stones out one by one to examine. Indeed, they would find the best stones for Nazonal. And if he took a little more time than he really needed to, well, there was no harm in that. -Exit!

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