Yurei was tired, exhausted after forgaing and working the whole day. Being the only healer Incendium had meant she had extra work to do. She barely had time to rest or take a rest and now with the evening upon her back she felt it was okay to go home now, to perhaps spend the rest of the day with her mate if he wnated that of course. The wood incident still kicked into her mind but she didn't feel anything bad toward Casso, he was just dealing with things out of his power. And she would be by his side regardless. He himself had to live with someone with pessimistic thoughts and a destructive way of thinking about herself, prey to the vicious claws of fear. She got into the ship, placing her backpack on the floor and just lying down into their bed of pelts and leaves for keeping it warm. Calmly she set a fire to make some tea. "Talk"

Ever since the day he had let his condition go too far and caused him to snap at Yurei as a result, he had been diligent about using the herbs his mother had taught him to use to calm his thoughts and had avoided being alone for any length of time. The whispers and voices of the demons that plagued him still lingered on the fringes of his mind as they tried to whisper in his ear and sway his decisions, but he resisted. For Yurei. She deserved so much more than he was able to give her and he felt himself only striving for more for her sake. It felt like he was constantly trying to make it up to her even though she had forgiven him almost immediately. That almost made him feel worse. He felt like he deserved for her to be distrusting or upset with him, but instead she only gave him love and care and he needed to give that back to her ten fold.

He had spent the day working on a small surprise for his mate. It wasn't hardly enough to be worthy of her, but it was a small thing that he could give to her to hopefully make up for what he had done. He had gone out to the mile high woods and picked off some of the thinner, younger branches and wove them together, curving them into a wide wreath of pine branches that he then interwove with a few strips of red ribbon that he had stowed away from one of his scavenging trips. He knew it would fit nicely on an empty hook that was built into the wall of their room and would bring a nice scent into the room. He wished he could find something more useful for her like herbs or something to help her with the work she did around the pack, but without the knowledge of what to look for he finally settled on this instead.

Walking back though the ship with his gift carried carefully between his teeth, he was happy to see the faint glow of the fire coming from the room that told him that Yurei had returned for the day. He stepped into the room with a gentle wag of his tail before walking over to the bare wall across from their bed and hopping up to hang the simply decorated wreath for her. "What do you think? I thought maybe a little greenery would help cheer up the room a bit," he told her, smiling as he came to join her on the bed and nuzzle his face into her scruff.

"Casso" | "Boris" | thoughts

After she had the water hot she placed it in lavender as she knew it could help with stress and other negative feelings, it could relax someone pretty well. And she thought it could help her and Casso, she only wanted good things for him and whatever she could do to do so she will. There she left the water to impregnate the water with the herb's flavors. As she waited, Casso came in and she gave him a sincere smile before serving the tea on two wood bowls. She saw Casso coming with something between his jaws. "What do you think? I thought maybe a little greenery would help cheer up the room a bit," "I think that could be a good addition to our room. Thank you." When he lied down with her she turned her head and licked his cheek warmly. "Talk"

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Casso smiled when she agreed and thanked him for the wreath. He knew it wasn't much, but he hoped that even little signs of affection and attention could begin to chip away at the guilt he felt. He settled in beside her with his side pressed to hers and gave a soft, content hum when she licked his cheek. The scent of lavender filled the room from the tea she was making - a familiar, comforting scent and one he knew very well from using it to keep the voices he battled with at bay. As he leaned into her he gratefully drank from the bowl she offered him, letting the warm drink chase away any lingering coldness trapped in his bones while that nostalgic taste of lavender tea coated his tongue. These quiet moments with her only deepened his appreciation for her and reminded him of why he had fallen for her in the first place.

After a few moments of quietly drinking their tea, he turned his attention away from the bowl and turned it fully to Yurei as he nuzzled his cheek into her neck, letting her scent fill his nose mixed with the calming lavender that still hung in the air. He gently brought his foreleg around her to pull her into his chest, his two toned finding the brilliant green gems of her eyes as a smile pulled at his lips. "You're so beautiful," he told her softly as he brushed his muzzle tenderly against hers. He still felt like there was more he could do, more that he could give her to show her how much he loved and trusted her. A simple wreath wasn't hardly enough to even begin expressing the deepness of his emotions for her and how much she had changed his life.

They had spoken of starting their family a few times before, but he had held himself back, too worried and concerned over his own condition and how that might effect their pups. But now, as he held his perfect mate in his embrace, floating on a calmness from the lavender, he wanted nothing more. He wanted all of her, he wanted their future together. He brought his muzzle to hers in a loving kiss before he spoke softly against her lips, squeezing her tighter against him. "I'm tired of waiting for the right time to have our family... I'm tired of holding that back from you..." A grin started to pull across his muzzle, excitement bubbling up in him at the thought. "What do you think...? A litter of pups all our own...?"

"Casso" | "Boris" | thoughts

[quote="Yurei" pid='212355' dateline='1616115550']

Yurei enjoyed the company, the closeness and warmth Casso always managed to give her, she felt like never in her 4 years of life. Casso gave all the love not even her own parents gave her nor anyone she shared blood with. She loved him for that and many more things he had done without her even asking about them. Feeling Casso's breath on her scruff and the scent he carried relaxed her, made her feel safe and she wished she could be here all the time, in his embrace. He pulled her againts him as both his eyes and hers connected. The word he articulated fell into her but like if anything else in the world mattered. She felt the warmth getting into her cheeks. "You are soo handsome and amazing..." She said softly, words like those were rare on her as she always was sad and lacking colors on her words. "What do you think...? A litter of pups all our own...?" She still had her doubts about herself but she didn't want to let him wait either. Smiling she nodded. "We can...and I want to..." And with that, she was ready to give that step into that new chapter in their lives. -Fade?- "Talk"

Casso doubted his ability to be a father as much as he doubted anything else in his life, but he knew he had to move past that or he would never be able to live the life he wanted. He wanted a family, he wanted children. If he continued to doubt if they were ready then their chances to do so were just going to keep slipping away from him. As much as he encouraged and preached to Yuri to be confident and to believe in herself he knew he didn't to do the same. As soon as she agreed that it was what she wanted as well, a wide smile pulled across his scarred face and he pulled her tight to him, nuzzling his face into her scruff as he melted into her, molding them both into one. If there was one thing that he knew for certain, it was that these pups would be born into a family of love - something he always questioned about his parents and he knew that Yurei had her own issues and trauma from her past as well. They wouldn't make those mistakes. He was excited to be a father and even more excited to have Yurei be his.

-fade-

"Casso" | "Boris" | thoughts