He could see her working through it, as shocked by his suggestion as he was. He stood there, like some kind of idiot while she took her time. He really should have just let her walk away. What was he thinking? He’d officially lost his mind. He felt like a fool, that was for sure. Just as the silence started to stretch for an uncomfortable amount of time, she spoke. Her words were neither agreement nor disagreement, though slightly insulting (not unexpected).

He huffed at her, and stretched a paw to the side.

“Just give me a yes or no, Tox. This is awkward enough as it is”

He scowled at her. Head was already flooding into his cheeks, and he could feel it up his neck.

"Speech"

When his paw stretches to the side, she understands finally that he means it. He is seriously offering her a hug. At first, she is unsure if that will help. Though she enjoys the thought, she doesn't want to make him too uncomfortable. Then again, she didn't care about personal space! A grin stretches across her lips as she leaps forward, quickly closing the space between them. Nearly jumping at the boy, Delphi wraps her arms around him and buries her face into his chest. Keeping her eyes closed tight, she lets out a sigh. Yep, ok, the hug definitely helped. "Not quite the asshole I thought you'd be," she whispers under her breath as she refuses to let go.

He grimaced as her awkwardness changed to glee, and she all but leapt at him. He braced himself, looking much like a man being marched to his death. Luckily, by this point she was already pressed against him and couldn’t see his martyred expression. She wrapped herself around him, and buried her head in his chest. He could feel her cold nose, and the beat of her heart. He felt her relax against him, tension seeping out of her. He trembled a little with the vulnerability of it. Both that she showed him, and that he was showing her by allowing it.

He awkwardly moved his paw until it was wrapped around her. He couldn’t stop himself from smelling her since she was right there but at least he didn’t have to admit out loud that she smelled nice. She smelled a little like blood, and damp fur, too. But maybe those scents were just familiar.

“If you tell anyone I’d have to kill you”

He muttered at her.

"Speech"

His leg wrapping around her leaves her surprised. Like wow, he actually was giving her a hug. Like a real, actual hug. Had he hit his head? Was this the same Strai she had met before? Looking up at him with her chin resting on his chest, Delphi furrows her brow and scowls at him. "You sure you're not sick or something?" She asks as a grin spreads across her lips. Then she remembers who this is. The boy who wouldn't share his honey with her, but the boy who also washed the blood from her coat. Fight, make up, fight, makeup, save each other's lives. Their cycle was exhausting but thrilling all at the same time.

Peeling herself from his embrace, Delphi puts some space between them. Looking up at Strai, she gives him a genuine smile this time. "Thanks though. I, uh, not sure really what happened. It, uh, is fun playing with you though," she says as she quickly looks down at the ground. She swishes her paw back and forth over the grass, feeling awkward and embarrassed as her cheeks light with warmth.

He scowled at her a little more as she asked if he was sick. He made sure then to lift his other paw, and give her a very comforting pat on the back with it. Grinning as he did so. That was the paw that was still dripping with honey. He wasn’t sure if she’d notice just yet, but he rubbed it up and down her back a couple more times.

When Delphi pulled herself from his embrace, he quite happily lifted his paws, and managed to hide his sigh of relief. There were very strong lines of benefit and detriment to hugging her. He did like the way she smelled, and he was astonished at how small she was in his paws - and this was before their sizes were more defined by growth. But it also took a lot out of him to let her that close into his personal space.

He scowled as she spoke. Not at her, exactly. Just in general.

“It was your tail, wasn’t it? Did you… want to talk about what happened?”

because he was definitely the best person to be talking your emotions out with.

"Speech"

He was full of surprises, wasn't he? She stares at him, confused. That same phrase comes up again. Why does he care? Delphi wants to explode on him. Even if he had saved her life and had given her a hug, he was still an asshole, a thief, a Thrall. There was a reason Vidarr had placed him in that rank. He was still the one who had slathered honey all over her back. Suddenly, she can feel the sticky substance all over her fur. All of her emotions begin to bubble over and she can no longer contain it.

"WHY DO YOU CARE?!" The words screech out of her as she bares her teeth once more. Her ears fold against her skull and her fur (what of it that could) stands on end. Her toes dig into the dirt and those threatening tears finally spill over. "JUST BECAUSE I GOT HURT DOESN'T MEAN I CAN'T TAKE CARE OF MYSELF. I DON'T NEED EVERYONE TO FIGHT MY BATTLES," Delphi can't stop as her throat tightens and her mouth goes dry. Rage courses through her veins, she wants to lash out, but she doesn't want to hurt him. Her mind is confused, her belly is twisted. Fucking dammit to hell.

"UGH," she bursts out one last time before she whirls around and storms off. As fast as she can, the small imp of a girl eats up the ground and heads into the distance. Not wanting to face the emotions. Not wanting to accept the fact that she liked him. Hating but liking the idea of him saving her, protecting her, being there for her. Stupid Thrall. Her mind screams as she cries and runs off. There was no stopping her.

-exit promptly-

Strai was just starting to understand how volatile females could be. From skittish, to weepy, to happy, to angry. How was anyone supposed to keep up? He stared at her as she suddenly screeched at him. His ears are folding back in surprise and alarm. He started to lower his stance, as if her words were a physical attack on his being that he had to defend.

“I know you can defend yourself, stupid. You do it all the time. Maybe I just want to know what happened?”

he growled back at her. After all, he had made her a promise that together they would hunt down the wolf that had hurt her. If the adults in her life hadn’t caught up with him by then.

But, it seemed there was nothing he could do to quell the emotions boiling over in her. She turned and took off. He hesitated a moment. Glancing mournfully at the beehive that he had put so much work into getting. He’d barely had a lick of it. He fully expected it would be stolen if he left it there. But he had to choose. Delphi, or the hard-fought food? Cursing every Æsir he could name, he dropped into a trot and followed after her.

"Speech"