Holland had tried his best to keep his mind occupied when they all got back from the festival. he had arrived back in Lirim with the wolves who had gone to the event, hanging back to 'keep watch' while the others went on ahead. as soon as he entered the willows, he went to his den with his bundled items he bought. he was still uncertain about this as he stared at them, shoving them to the back of his stored herbs and giving a small start when he sniffed Kairi's scent on the autumn breeze. hastily throwing herbs on top of the bundle, he'd turn to exit the den. Holland didn't expect her to be nearby, not after the curt way they ended their interactions. he didn't see her at the prize booth - didn't want to - but saw her leave with her family. he kept his distance, but now that she was nearby he merely waited outside his den. not sure though why he did. he didn't see her, only scented her. it frustrated him how acquainted he was with her smell now. she was older than him, and she must have suitors better friends to talk with. he had the personality of a wet bundle of herbs. useful to the right people but terrible to hold a conversation with. "SPEECH"

They had all returned home, though she hadn't exactly seen traveled with him on the way. She was feeling pretty bummed, feeling like she had ruined the friendship they had...or...were forming? She didn't know. She still felt confused by it all, and had been abnormally quiet and not so animated on the walk home. Even at the prize booth, part of her had wanted to check it out with Holland and maybe see if there was anything there that he liked enough to get excited about. She knew she would have been...if she hadn't been in such a mood. She did get one thing, though. A red hibiscus flower that the festival hosts weaved into the fur on the back of her ear. They said it would last forever, and she wondered how true that was. Then again...she saw them performing rituals on some of the participants, so she supposed she didn't have any reason to doubt that it would last forever. Still not wanting to risk it, she would be sure to take it off every night and put it in a safe place before going to sleep. But tonight, even after the long trek home and all the things prior, she wasn't quite ready to go to bed yet. When everyone got home they had all gone their separate ways. She had remained on the borders for a few minutes, not really thinking about anything at this point, and she wasn't sure what to do. She didn't want to go to her den. Didn't want to really talk to her dad and tell him anything yet. Sighing, she slowly walked through the territory with her eyes on the ground and her tail slack. She felt...well...she wasn't even sure what to call it. Disappointed? Bummed? Sad? Regretful? Hell if she knew. Frustrated was definitely one, she was sure. Only she wasn't sure. She wasn't sure of anything the last few hours. So engrossed in trying to figure out how she was feeling, she didn't notice how close she was to Holland's den, the girl oblivious to his presence and her whereabouts as she slowly shuffled by. Walk, "Talk" Think

he saw her before she saw him. a small yet startled gasp left his jaws as he shuffled backward, out of her space as she neared. he was still a bit away from the woman though, but she was getting closer by the second. if she didn't look up she would have collided with him if he didn't see her. but he made sure that didn't happen with his mad dash away. Kairi did, however, look upset. he was close enough to see the expression on her face. opening his mouth, Holland wordlessly gaped like an idiot. the indirect kiss was still on his mind, not to mention her face nuzzled into his neck during their fishing practice. he gulped, looking away. suck it up, his mind screamed at him. he'd look back. "h...hello, Kairi" the healer cleared his throat, sitting down now (trying to act calm and casual) outside of his den. was it working? probably not. would she run the other way? potentially. he wouldn't blame her. it was his fault. it was always the man's fault. Holland wanted to ask if her family got home safely, that the pups were all tucked into bed and not nagging their parents' ears off with questions about the world. but he said none of that. it didn't matter to him how Torin and Derecho and their kids were doing. his face pulled into a frown. t-there was a mad dash for the... uh prize booth. I... I didn't see you there." wow, way to play it smooth, idiot. "SPEECH"

"H...hello, Kairi." Her head shot up as she realized where she was. Bi-colored gaze found him close by, and she blinked a few times as she pulled herself out of her sorry mental state. "Oh, hey Holland. I uh...didn't see you there," Probably not the best thing to say, but she really hadn't seen him there nor had she even realized where she was until he stopped her. Well, sort of. She could have pretended she hadn't heard him, but she didn't want to do that to him. She was still feeling confused about what happened between them at the festival, she wasn't quite sure what to think. Did she enjoy spending the day with him? Yup. She knew she enjoyed his company quite alot, and when she parted ways with him after the firefly catching, she wanted to turn back and make jokes to try and play it off. But she didn't do that. Then...he mentioned not seeing her at the prize booth. Her ears fell flat as she thought about it. Maybe she had unintentionally or subconsciously tried to avoid him after that...despite her really, really wishing they had checked it out together like they said before all the...awkwardness. "Oh yeah I uh...I decided to wait until there were less people around. I figured that's where everyone would go once the contest was over," Okay that was...mostly a lie. She had lingered around in the hopes of seeing him at the booth, but maybe she missed him among the gathered crowd. She had gotten a flower that was currently in her den, but she decided not to mention it just yet, if at all. "Did you get anything good?" She asked politely, part of her curious to see if there had been anything that did excite him. Then again, would he have gotten excited after their awkward night? "Speak"

Holland would visibly hesitate as she asked him if he had gotten anything. he could lie to her and say 'no' but the thought was a bit depressing. but he didn't think she would press and he didn't think she'd go into his den and snoop around. and perhaps for once in his life he wanted to be a bit brave. or just about as brave as he would ever try to be. he'd nod slowly, gulping before turning his back to her. hesitating again, wondering it was a good idea, he'd march back into his den and paw at the bundle he had received. as he returned, he'd drop it gently on the ground in front of Kairi. "yes. I, uh... got you something" the healer's feelings were complicated. fear shot through his system at the potential 'she wouldn't like it' or 'tell him to take it back' emotions threatened him. Holland didn't know what caused him to be so afraid, or that it seemed he was walking on air with his head in the clouds. he felt... sickly. light-headed. unaware of what he was really doing at this moment. he unwrapped the bundle, revealing a leather string necklace. the metal etching of a bronze leaf was on the front, backed with a red background. there was another one next to it, a silver leaf backed with green. he nudged the red one to Kairi and waited. "SPEECH"

He was quiet. Hesitant. She wasn't even sure if he would answer her, but she also doubted he'd ignore her. Unless she had really made things so awkward that there was no coming back from it, but...it seemed not. Maybe? He nodded before turning his back to her and retreating to his den. She stood there, quiet. Unsure what he was doing but she stayed rooted in place. "Yes I, uh...got you something." She was...surprised. To say the least. After that last night at thr festival, she kept telling herself their friendship had been ruined. But...he had gotten her something. She waited quietly, practically holding her breath as he brought out a bundle and laid it between them. With bated breath she watched as he unfurled it to reveal the contents. Two necklaces with leaves backed each with their own unique color. Then he nudged the red one to her. She stared at it, then looked at him for a moment before returning her attention to the necklace. She was quiet the whole time. Perhaps a rare event in her life because she was seldom ever quiet. Finally, after what felt like a hundred heartbeats later, she spoke. "Holland, they're beautiful...I-I don't know what to say," Her voice was low but colored with emotion. She swallowed as she really couldn't find the words. He...had gotten her a gift. And she wished she could have reciprocated with a gift of her own but...with her mind telling her he probably didn't want to be around her after that, she hadn't.."Thank you..." "Speak"

he knew she wasn't expecting it, but he had done it anyway. taking a stupid risk for a girl... what sort of idiot was he? it seemed like forever until she actually spoke again. he held his breath the entire time, eyes focused on her face until the shock seemed to die down from her features. he let out a blubbering sigh, more of quick gasp than anything, as she proclaimed she liked it. "y-you do?" the healer exclaimed his own surprise. he hadn't been sure what to get her. there were so many options. "w-well... it's yours" he said stupidly, tucking the blue-silver one back in the package and allowing her full view of the red-copper one. he wondered if she'd just store it away in her den or if she'd actually wear it. should he offer to put it on her? n-no that was way too formal. Kairi thanked him, causing a deep flush to creep up his face. she seemed to be at a loss for words and touched that he had gotten her something. Holland didn't expect anything in return. he had gotten something for himself but... that depended largely on other things before he'd wear it. 'other things'... like his cowardly nature around a woman he liked. he was too scared to say anything about it though. "SPEECH"

She nodded to him. Of course she thought they were beautiful, and from what she could tell, he had put thought into it. Even the color on the one looked like her own wine red fur. She felt very flattered and even felt her heart skip a beat. "I really, really love it Holland, honest!" A smile started to form as he said it was hers. Her tail wagged and that smile started to spread wider. He had gotten her a gift. And it made her feel better knowing that somehow, she hadn't ruined their friendship. Or she hoped, anyway. But if she had then he wouldn't be here giving her a necklace, right? "Do you mind if I put it on now?" She asked with a hopeful tone. Surely he wouldn't mind that she wanted to wear it now right? She was curious to see how it would look against her fur, though it was dark out...it didn't matter. She would get to see how it looked tonight, and tomorrow in the light of day. "Speak"

he had been so worried, so focused, on her rejecting the necklace that he was at a loss for what to do now. she said she 'loved it' though, causing him to stare down at the red-backed necklace with a nod. good. she liked it. he'd never bought anything for another wolf before, so he wasn't really sure what to do now. Kairi stated she'd like to wear it now, causing his head to jerk up. if he was suave, he would offer to put it on her delicate neck. but he was far from suave. he was just... awkward. but she was expecting an answer, wasn't she? "s-sure" the healer blurted, even more awkward that she wanted to wear it right this second. did that mean she really did like it? Holland felt like he had run a marathon in under five minutes. his heart was racing, exhausted physically aside from the hopeful pit in his stomach. "j-just take it off when you... do physical activity. wouldn't want to, uh, strangle yourself." oh wow, what a smart thing to say to someone you liked. but Kairi did train to be a warrior, so he didn't want any of her sparring partners to catch her by the neck. using his gift as an excuse to gain the upper hand. "SPEECH"