Bad Weather, Good Company

Walk | Talk | Think

Informed of Leon's spare dens lying about the territory, Ashtoreth tried not to outwardly give a reaction aside from a lazy grin while on the inside she laughed at herself. Caught in a storm while patrolling. Sounds like I should have asked for his help a while ago. No doubt a secret place to hide out somewhere along the outskirts of the territory would have been useful considering the bout of poor weather that had plagued the Valhalla for some days now, the same bad weather she had been caught in when Leon had found her. It would have saved her the trouble of wandering through the wet and getting soaked clean through before needing rescuing. Not that she minded the rescuing too much. Or her rescuer. In fact, if she was being honest with herself, she might have admitted that being saved by Leon was the highlight of her day in more ways than one, but unwilling to give rise to such thoughts she merely accounted it to his generosity and playful disposition that so well suited hers. No need to bring in the fact that she had been thinking about him more at odd moments, or that she seemed to notice more about him than she had before. There was no correlation whatsoever.

And yet, as he stumbled ever so slightly over the label he gave her... What was that, that odd little feeling? Surprise? Disappointment? She was grateful her eyes were still already closed, hiding any sort of outward display they might have given off from view. At any rate, she tried to keep her smiling mask in place, hoping it looked as sincere and genuine as she willed it to. You should be glad he considers you a friend, a voice in her head chided, quietly reminding her of the good qualities the male had. Yes, she was grateful - privileged even - but was that enough now?

She didn't want to think like that, wasn't ready to think like that, and as Leon changed the subject to the weather, she was happy to play along. "Neither can I," she mumbled, cracking a gold and purple eye to peer sidelong outside the cave and watch as rain continued to drum a steady, heavy rhythm just outside their door. "If it doesn't let up soon, I hope we're all good swimmers." Another joke, some tension relieved. But not enough. "Not sure the gills will come in quickly enough, though," Ashtoreth added as she opened her eyes and turned them on Leon beside her, feeling controlled enough to meet his blue gaze again. A smile played about her face, and after a moment she noticed that the shuddering that occasionally rolled through her frame had abated. She was warming now, drying, but with the storm still raging on outside there would be no chance for a relatively safe dash back to her den just yet.

Which meant she needed to make more conversation. And as she replayed his words through her mind - skipping the ones that had drawn about an unwanted internal confusion - she found something and lifted her head to set her gaze more fully on him. "Nearly forgot, congratulations are in order," she stated, her smile brightening with total sincerity though her eyes remained playful and teasing, "Lead Warrior. Well deserved, I'm sure." Though stated mirthfully, she meant every word. She knew first hand of Leon's strength and determination, his compassion and loyalty. If anyone had deserved it, he certainly did.