Although she should have known better, the firebird was drawn straight into the trap her friend had created. She could hear breathing below the surface now that she was closed but it took too long for her to register that the breathing was.. calm. Too calm for a man who was knocked out beneath and avalanche of snow. Too calm for.. oh, shit.

Her eyes widened in surprise, giant green saucers staring up at him. She didn't have time to try and escape before he was promptly dragging her back to his lair into the snow. Nepth squeaked a pitiful protest before she was ensnared in his arms and toppling forward. Rude! she cried, huffing as she tried to pretend her cheeks weren't blossoming with warmth from his embrace. Her attempts at breaking free were halfhearted, but she did wiggle and squirm regardless.

In a matter of seconds, with snow flying everywhere, Bhaskar had successfully caught @Nephthys in his embrace and was falling down with the Tollaire in toll. Although the snow behind acted as a pillow, the gargantuan lion purposefully shifted in a way so he could shield the smaller girl from falling directly in the pile. Instead, he cradled her close to his hairy chest and belly, making sure that only he felt the impact.

As expected, his prey was wiggling and protesting against his bear-hug, but Bhaskar attempted to maintain his hold on the maroon girl who naw laid plastered against him. Smirking, he used one paw to try and shovel some snow in her face. Oh no, the mighty Princess has been abducted! He proclaimed. And now she'll be eating snow for the rest of her life. The war was over, she was not getting out of her man-servants clutches.

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There were several things working against her in that moment. One, she was absolutely powerless to get out of his grasp. Two, she wasn't sure she even wanted to anymore. There were a thousand more she could have plucked from the air, but Nephthys could only focus on the feel of his skin.. and then the face full of snow. She groaned in annoyance and shook her head, frowning down at him. In retaliation she simply began rubbing her face all over his, using him as a towel or blanket or whatever to dislodge the snow onto someone else. And she'll take you down with her, came the chirping response as she did her best to reroute any of the snow he shoved in her direction.

The two big cats rolled together in the snow and Bhaskar was enjoying himself quite a lot. Not only was he just having fun with the play fighting, but he was happy to have brought the red-haired girl so close. He was uncertain if they could get any closer than that, and praised himself for the smart idea of surprise tackling her.

Nothing was exactly conscious, but the drive to get close to her, to embrace her and hold her were growing stronger with each day and ultimately pushed him to flirt, even if he didn't quite know what he was doing. It simply came naturally, just like everything else that included @Nephthys.

Things worked in his favor or rather didn't work in his favor as she began to nuzzle his face with hers, successfully smearing snow across it. He began to pull his face back, so she wouldn't be able to reach it while simultaneously attempting to shove her face with his paws in his wet fluffy mane. The giant's back legs waved in the air, but he did his best to keep the Tollaire girl in his grasp.

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Her thoughts couldn't help but shift to the conversation she'd had with her father the night prior. Between him and Fang, the Tollaire had been forced to stare a rather unnerving thought in the face. Literally. She was staring him right in the goddamn face, knowing the butterflies in her stomach were.. wrong. It was exactly what she had been trying to avoid the entire time, and there she was bathing in hypocrisy. Her stomach began to sour at the thought; she didn't want this. She didn't want any of this. Nephthys wasn't going to just stand by and let her heart be destroyed by the man, and so she did the only thing she could think to do -- sabotage. Sabotage was the only thing she could think of to stop things, force them to a screeching halt.

Bhaskar didn't help too terribly much by being so effortlessly adorable, but she supposed he lost a few points for shoving her face into his chest. Nephthys grunted, mumbling into his chest before she finally popped her head up. I'm still going through with it, by the way. You can be mad all you want. And with that, she fully expected to get bucked off into the snow. She would gladly take that over the warming of her cheeks and the butterflies and the unrequited feelings. Yeah, hard pass on that one.

He was successful with pushing the poor girl's face in his hairy chest, managing to keep her head there for a good while until her mumbling made him untighten his grip. The paladin was too busy just melting under her touch to even process what she was saying. What, you wanna eat more snow? He continued to joke but then backtracked to what the Tollaire lioness said. Wait, wha? His brows lifted to signify his confusion. The man genuinely didn't know what Neph meant, having completely forgotten about what they talked about a month ago. Mad about what? Did she mean going through with her little playfight?

And then it clicked.

Oh! Ooooh. Oh. His heart began to beat faster and he was certain that @Nephthys could feel it. Eyes wide in disbelief, he glanced to the side in an attempt to process what she was saying. Many questions began to rise within his mind, an old wound reopening. This time, though, the wound just got deeper and he was unsure how to react. Does he get angry with her? Does he get angry with himself? Both?

Why?

His heart sank and he stared at the ruby lioness eye to eye, still unwilling to let her go. Did they not talk about that? Didn't she say she won't be doing it? Or was that just what he had imagined? No... he remembers talking with her, but Neph had never said that she won't go through with it. Bhaskar had been a fool to assume just because the betrothal hadn't worked out back then that she won't find a way to make it work.

He felt his grasp on her slip.

Everything once again spiraled out of his control ad he was in a loop of anxiety, anger, and despair. The fire in his stomach was the first response. I thought you- I thought you said you won't. But she hadn't said anything. She was doing that for her family, it was not his business, right? Yes, it was none of his goddamn business, but he was unwilling to let it go. Unwilling to let her go. Only to protect her, to make sure she doesn't suffer in a loveless relationship.

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The look of utter shock was not something she enjoyed, but it was evidence her target had landed. A frown flashed across her muzzle as she studied him, watching the myriad of emotions warring inside. Her thoughts drifted back to the conversation with Fang, how she'd asked what reaction Nephthys had wanted that made her so unhappy with what she had been given. The Tollaire understood now what she hadn't back then, and the fact was she simply had feelings for the peach titan settled below her. Unrequited, no less, the exact situation she had been attempting to avoid via betrothals or other arrangements. It was simpler to break things off between them then and there, wasn't it? She didn't know how else to minimize the damage that would inevitably exist between them.

Why?

Why? Her ears wilted against her head as she felt his grasp loosen; she wanted desperately for it to return and bring her close. Nepth understood it wouldn't, though, because ultimately she was spitting in her friend's face by bringing it up and going against his wishes. But why.. was a bit tricky of a question.

Because I caught feelings for someone who doesn't feel the same way, exactly what I was trying to avoid. It just reaffirmed my decision to bypass 'finding love' or whatever. I spoke with my father about it last night. And Bhaskar didn't need to know how pro-love Drakon had been. Hell, she wasn't even entirely sure the man would go through with a betrothal considering how soft he'd been.

He seemed so distressed.

I'll be okay, Bhas, I promise. Nothing will change. She appreciated his concern, but.. well, she couldn't handle the idea of it only being that. Nephthys was a selfish creature who craved a deeper meaning behind the actions, but it was a cruel thing to do to herself when there was none to be found. The scarlet lioness didn't move from his chest, wanting to stay perched there for as long as he would allow. It would be the last time, after all.

The first within him burned high and higher, burning and destroying the butterflies that flew in his stomach just mere seconds ago. He couldn't understand why her words hurt him so deeply, but they were like fuel to the flame. His grasp on her tightened once more. He was unwilling to let her go and he gave in to his anger and greed, justifying it in any possible way he could besides having any emotions for the Tollaire girl.

After all, he had gone through, after everything he had done to try and explain to @Nephthys why her idea was going to end up hurting her instead, she still didn't understand. Here she was, in his arms, and yet she felt so far away. Someone was threatening to take her away from him, and that someone was Nephthys herself. If he has to fight with her for her, then so be it. Bhaskar will fight until the bitter end.

His ears swivel from the depths of his snow-coated mane at her response to his question. Once more, he was unsure how to unpack the bomb that Neph threw at him. The phrase feelings for someone was a whole other stab to his heart, but learning that her love was unrequited? That was heart-shattering. For who? He didn't try to empathize, though, because he didn't want to confirm that her response was a valid reason. Not to mention that he didn't understand her perspective whatsoever. All he could do now was watch her fall in love and be rejected. If he knew the man, he would go and give him his two cents. Maybe throw a punch or two. Or three.

Her attempt to assure him that nothing will change was a failure. Bhaskar knew deep in his heart that everything will change, and he couldn't help it but hate whoever she ended up with.

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Guilt weighed heavily across her shoulders as she felt his grip tighten around her once more. There was a perceptible tension around them now, suffocating and miserable. Nephthys knew damn well she had brought it on herself, but what else could she do? It was impossible to deny her feelings for the man any longer, and with the knowledge he would never feel the same.. well, she felt downright foolish for having ever thought a friendship was possible. Stupid girl, she chided herself. This was exactly why she had wanted to take the easy route; despite her roughness, she was sensitive. Sensitive and easily wounded with a fear of feeling grief, what a lovely combination. Still, she didn't try to pull out of his grasp. She didn't want to pull out of it. Nephthys wanted nothing more than to lay there with him, but it was pointless. Torturous, really. It wasn't something she could put herself through time and time again, she wasn't.. she wasn't strong enough.

Does it matter who? came her response, eyes searching for some sort of understanding. She wanted recognition to flare up in his eyes, but Bhaskar had no reason to believe it was him. Of course not. They may have been best friends, but never once had they discussed anything beyond that -- and flirting? What was that? Nephthys frowned as she finally began to peel herself away from him, wiggling her shoulders against his embrace. You have to let me go, Bhas, she murmured, feeling the heaviness of the words hidden beneath the double meaning. He had to let her go for her own sake; she couldn't handle heartbreak and would do anything on earth to prevent it.

Her warmth against his chest felt so good, so right. As if that was @Nephthys' rightful place - in his arms. Cold iron-clad gaze interlocked with her fiery amethysts, trying to memorize the lines of her face and the depths of her gaze as if he was doing it for the last time. Everything, from head to toe, screamed in protest against the thought of losing her. They were friends, why did he have to watch her suffer for the rest of her life? He was trying to protect her, shield her. Why couldn't she understand?

There was nothing but calm fury burning behind his stone mask, his words sharp and intense as she denies him a name. Is it someone from Wolfbron? He felt his heartbeat begin to take up the pace at the mere thought of finding Neph's unrequited love. There was hatred and need for violence that Bhaskar had never thought himself able to feel. Damned be the pacifist path, he was ready to throw everything away for her. That's what best friends do, right?

The ruby lioness began to pull away from him and the motion felt wrong. He refused to even flinch a muscle and release her from his grasp. No. No. No. No. A selfish voice roared inside his head, and he tightened his hold. He wasn't letting her go. If he wasn't so emotionally affected, perhaps he would've freed Neph, but right now the colossal trusted his instinct.

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