Lost in the constellations
10-16-2016, 05:38 PM
Xephyris smirked when her voice came forth, her tone sweeter than normal. "I must be one special lady, then." His tail waved back and forth, cocking his head to the side as his blue-specked, silver eyes met hers and held her gaze for several moments, remaining silent as a charming smile was offered. The man didn't always have a lot to say, but some moments didn't call for words, as expressions could be just as powerful. He walked alongside her as they walked near the edge of the gentle waves, paws lightly splashing and turning up sand. Glancing sidelong at her as she went to adjust the scarf once more, he chuckled with a great, dramatic roll of his eyes as she lost her footing, quickly hitting the ground. Of course she had tripped up, no sooner than she had claimed to be fine on her own. And oh, what a shame, as he glanced at the scarf, it seemed it had been splashed by the sea despite Jaelle's efforts to keep it dry - water had sprayed up when she'd tripped. He leaned down toward her, nosing her shoulder in an attempt to help her back up to her paws, although she was up on her own before he could offer much assistance. He really did need to step back and appreciate her independence, even though he couldn't help that silly, chivalrous side of himself from showing. It wasn't his fault, it was just so easy to dote upon her. As their conversation continued, he was of course observing her expressions, and noticed the rather bashful look that crossed her face. Had he said something to make her feel shy? His thick, bushy tail flicked, amused by her playful reaction as she batted her eyelashes at him. He smirked again at her, a mischievous look upon his face. He found his gaze fixed upon her, admiring her simple beauty, ears perking to her words. So attentive on her, one of his forepaws fell into a dip in the sand, and momentarily he lost his balance, stumbling to catch himself from falling all the way. "And you know how to make an otherwise sure-footed man stumble," he said with a chuckle, feeling no regret at looking like a fool; instead, he felt a fuzzy warmth inside. Perhaps it was slight embarrassment, but it was also from the simple pleasure of being in her company that caused him to feel a light glow. He smiled as she said she'd love to take him with her to see the world, if it weren't for his need for rules and borders - the boring stuff. "Well, I think I'll have to make another exception for you," he said, glancing to the sand to make sure he wasn't going to trip again, "A mandatory vacation away from my pack and all its boring structure." He chuckled some more, realizing how easy it was for her to reconsider things. Of course, he hadn't missed her demand to have pretty things waiting for her when she did return from her frequent travels. He would keep this in the back of his mind, and perhaps one day he could find her a new trinket to wear, or something to collect. As he zoned out for a moment, wondering about the pretty things he'd have to find for her (and wondering where on earth he'd find them), he didn't notice her change in direction, until her bell-clad tail gently brushed under his chin to guide him. It snapped him out of his musings, and his attention focused back whole-heartedly upon her, that warm feeling buzzing through him as he followed her lead without hesitation. When she turned suddenly to face him head on, he paused in his steps, somewhat surprised as she posed a question to him. He blinked rapidly a few times in silence as she spun around and leapt up onto the rocks - why did he feel like the question had stumped him a little bit? Ah, no matter. He wasn't going to stay on the sand by himself and think about it too long. He followed her up onto the rather flat rock face, watching as she flopped onto the warm surface to look out over the ocean as the sun made its descent toward the water. Xephyris moved to seat himself nearby, his forepaws gently meeting her tail. He glanced toward, still wondering briefly how he would answer her question. "That's a valid question," he rumbled vaguely, looking out over the waves as sunlight glimmered off the surface, "I suppose it's a little of both... Mainly, I want to protect anyone who has come to trust me. Long ago I, when I was barely more than a yearling... I made the mistake of running from a fight. There's nothing I can do to go back and change that... but I want my future to be different. I never want to feel too weak to face a challenge, and I never want to go through the pain of losing everything again..." He wondered if he'd made any sense. He didn't want to divulge too many details, for her sake, but also for his own sanity - in his younger days he'd spent many countless nights with his eyes peeled wide, unable to shake the feelings of shame and pain from his mind. He'd moved past it, although the feelings were still there in the back of his mind and could easily be reawakened, but he did not want to summon those feelings if he didn't have to. "Looks like we'll get a chance to enjoy the sunset," he said after a brief silence, changing the subject as he glanced to her, hoping she would understand. Not that he would hide details from her should she ask, but his past was not something he wanted to remember anymore. |
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