Twenty Questions
Fel ♡
12-22-2020, 02:03 PM
While silence hung in the air between them, Azriel started to question whether Fel would give him any sort of response or not. It didn't matter if she did though, he had said what he wanted to. He had built his half of the bridge between them; if she wanted to finish closing the gap, he would welcome her. Azriel wanted so direly to believe that Fel continued to come to him and Sibyl for something more than physicality. But if she saw the two as nothing more than good temporary company, then so be it. The stillness of the moment lasted almost indefinitely with the two wolves quietly watching the ocean. He glanced over at her again; Fel's eyes had closed. Azriel didn't bring it up and just let her be for the time being. If she wanted to talk, she would. Pushing her in such a fragile state would have been a grave mistake. Fel needed to be handled gently and with care. She needed to be shown the love and affection she seemed so starved for. While Azriel doubted that his candidacy for such a role was a good idea, he was the one with the silver-gilded woman now. He would do his best for her—or at least he was willing to try.
Azriel felt softness and weight press into his side. He turned his head a fraction of an inch to catch Fel leaning into him, resting her cheek against his neck. A small smile twitched at the corners of his mouth for the briefest of moments before flittering away like a butterfly on the breeze. Raising a large grey paw, the larger brute carefully wrapped his leg around her back, holding her to him with little more than the presence of his touch. He was content to simply sit there with her and offer his existence as reassurance to her, being whatever she needed him to be. Azriel had a compulsive need to have a plan of action for everything; this was not something he could plan for or resolve on his own, and that frustrated him. He wasn't frustrated with her, of course. How could he be? She had done nothing to deserve this as far as he knew. But the fact that he could do nothing but sit and wait and watch as she withered away like a dying flower was infuriating to every sense he possessed. He gave a small nod of his head when she murmured a soft thank you, replying with an equally low-spoken, "You're welcome."
Now it was Azriel's turn to be surprised as Fel opened up a little more, volunteering information about her deceased family. It didn't shock Azriel as much as he thought it would. This grief came from a deep-seated pain, a wound with the salt of multiple losses thrown into it and left to fester. But she belonged to a pack. Why had no one else from Aerie been there for her or helped her through her grief and mourning? Why had she been forced to turn to two complete strangers for the comfort she so desperately needed? The thought boiled his blood and got him very close to snarling, but he kept his emotions reined in, sitting as still and pensive as ever. Fel continued to explain what she needed—time, it was all a matter of time. He nodded his head again. She would have to make her way through this herself, but at least he and Sibyl could make sure she didn't have to do this alone. It was clear that Fel felt more alone in her pack than she did when she was actually by herself. It did make the brute question why she stayed there and subjected herself to that kind of torment day in and day out. Maybe once she was in a better place mentally he'd have to have that conversation with her.
Azriel's ear flicked to catch the words of the obsidian-furred fae using him as a pillow, her words taking him by surprise. She wanted them to be her partners? While touching, it did raise his questions as to why again. Sibyl was an open book; she revealed everything about herself to anyone who gave her the time of day. There were no secrets between her and the Abraxas imp. But himself... They knew nothing of one another. She was taking a tremendous leap of faith by choosing him as a partner. Was he willing to do the same with her? "How can you be so sure you want me as your partner?" he asked. It seemed a fair question in his mind. Azriel was quite adaptable; he could be many things and fit many roles. He had been a son, a brother, a tutor, a friend, a slave, a killer, a traitor... But this was far more investing—for both of them, with a massive gamble and the stakes were intense. "I've been many things before, Fel..." Gods, he loved the way her name tasted on his tongue. "I've done many things as those different personas... What if you don't like all of them?" He leaned his snout down to her forehead, placing a gentle yet affirming kiss on her crown. He needed to show her that he cared, and just how deeply she had infected him, despite his concerns.
"I can be whatever you need me to be for you, but I can't be anyone besides who I am." Whatever she needed, he would accomplish for her. A quiet companion to keep the loneliness away, a shoulder to cry on when she needed to vent, a pillow to cuddle when she needed shelter and security in the silent nights, perhaps even a lover or partner if given the chance... But with him came everything about him. Was she willing to dive in headfirst without even the slightest idea of who she was getting involved with? Could he allow her to do that to herself?
"Speech" | Thoughts