family picnic

Oxide seemed entirely unbothered by his presence, which pleased him. The talk they'd shared had been a good one and Sota was grateful that the other man welcomed him into his life, in whatever way. Even Sota wasn't entirely sure where he fit here among the few Ademre that he'd stumbled across, but he knew he cared for both Eris and Oxide and that leaving them behind didn't feel right. Perhaps he could return to the Songa, or seek out Balsam as he'd originally set out to do, but... Balsam didn't need him. Sota knew that, part of him had always known that, as much as he wished the opposite was true. But these wolves? Casper? Casper didn't know him well yet but Sota knew raising a child was never a one-wolf job, and helping ensure he grew strong and capable sounded like something Sota wanted to help with.

Eris smiled his way, and he moved to approach them, with all the caution of someone approaching a new mother and her child. But she didn't seem threatened by his approach, not that Sota had a threatening bone in his body, and before long she was heading over to him with Casper in tow. His smile brightened significantly, warmth spreading across his gentle features. What surprised him was hearing her speak, a thing that only brightened his expression tenfold. "Hello, Eris, and Casper," he leaned toward the boy, feeling a similar warmth begin to blossom through his chest. It was a beautiful thing, to see a boy so young, untouched by the darkness of the world - the urge to protect him from it was strong, despite his Songa upbringing, where children were not coddled, but instead pushed to run free as soon as they were capable. He sighed, a content sound, as he regarded them both. "I'm glad to be here too," he said finally, somewhat bashfully.