Something that she'd done, or that she'd set, had seemed to make part of the composure he'd been holding on to -- the more logical part of him that knew they could not return to the days of their youth, and knew they ought to confront all that had happened before anything else -- had wavered. His facade had splintered, and each moment that passed seemed to make it harder to hold on to. Something akin to genuine happiness flickered in his sea-green eyes, the smile that tugged at his lips was hard to shake. "And," he started again, putting emphasis on the word, "If you were hungry, all you had to do was ask for me to get you a snack instead of trying to coerce me into it. I would happily hunt a few of those fearsome bunnies for a lady such as yourself. That is... if another pretty one didn't beat you to asking." Behind him, his tail waved, clearly quite amused at his own banter as well as hers.
His amusement only grew as she nipped at his chest, surprised at her retort. "Fine then," he huffed, feigning a bit of annoyance. He lifted a single paw, batting at her cheek gently. "Don't ask me to slay any monsters in the future, if you doubt my prowess as a fearsome warrior. I wouldn't want to prove you wrong and embarrass you."
His gaze roved over the spacious area she'd led him to, thoughtful for a moment, letting silence settle over him as the mood shifted to something less playful and more serene. Though watching her was more enjoyable, and he eyed her as she sat and answered him. She'd been having.. bad dreams? His brows furrowed a bit, something tugging at his chest. He could relate to wanting a place to call home again; it'd been a long time since he'd been truly comfortable anywhere, for long at least. Much like her, it seemed. Part of him wished he could tell her he knew the dreams she spoke of -- he'd experienced them for so long and only recently had he been able to mostly block out those images. The memories, though, they never truly faded. They only grow easier to ignore.
Her thoughts had grown more somber, and he regretted asking her about this place at all. Pretending nothing had ever happened between them other than the good things was easier and far more enjoyable. Frowning slightly now, he moved to sit at her side, tentatively leaning to let his snout press into the fur of her neck. "I.. know the kind of dreams you mean," Zephyr admitted, though his words were audibly hesitant, as though such a thing was painful to admit. "Sometimes being awake is so much easier. I hated sleeping for a long time after..." Had.. he just said that? He exhaled slowly, pulling his head away from her as he glanced toward the way they had entered the den, hoping that the moment would slip away from them as easily as it had come but knowing it wasn't quite that simple.
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