All In All It's Just Another Brick In the Wall

Ruga couldn't help the snort of laughter that escaped him as she questioned him on the 'forbidden' nature of curse words and for a moment he couldn't tell if she was serious or not, but the amusement in her expression told him she was in on the joke. "Hey, ya never know what's going to offend someone! Besides, somewhere in all of those leather working and blacksmithing lessons there was something about how to treat a lady and I'm pretty sure that included not cursing in front of them." He chuckled as they continued on about their work. It was tiring, but in a good way that he liked. It was the same kind of pull and strain that he felt on his muscles after a long day of working at the forge so he didn't mind the repetitive work of picking up a stone and putting it into place as Keahi laid down the mortar for him.

It was quiet for a while and just as he was beginning to wonder if maybe they had finally run out of stuff to talk about for their 'game' his paw brushed hers as he was leaning in to place a stone. He glanced up and when he saw her expression he realized she hadn't run out of things to say, she had been struggling with saying it. When their eyes met that seemed to unlock something and suddenly she burst out with the secret she had been hiding. The easy smile that had been lingering on his lips fell away as she admitted to getting to getting her crew killed and that being the reason that she couldn't go home. Well, that certainly answered his silent question before he ever got a chance to ask it. "Keahi..." he said softly as she started to move away to get more mortar, but he couldn't think of anything else to say in that moment—or at least nothing else that felt comforting or constructive. He sighed softly and waited for her to return to their work, a frown tugging at his lips.

He couldn't believe that she would willingly do something like that and once she came back and settled into their work again she continued to speak, explaining what actually happened and how she had wound up in that situation. Just as he had suspected it hadn't been malicious in any way. An accident, a freak storm they couldn't have predicted. The guilt she had from being the only survivor out of the crew she was leading was obvious and it made a surprising amount of emotion clench at his chest for her. He already knew that anything he tried to reassure her of wouldn't really help—at least not right now. He wasn't exactly the best wolf to come to with guilt or grief, but here they were and for the first time in a long time he had some kind of genuine connection with someone so he did want to help her feel better, even if he was horrible at it.

She didn't turn her gaze to his again until after she mentioned how she was honoring their memory by continuing to live and when she did it was only for a moment with a small, half-hearted smile that barely lasted a moment. His ears flicked uncertainly, trying to find something to say, and ultimately failing. As far as he was concerned their game was done for now and his attention had fully been placed on the red-hued woman beside him. There was just a few stones left to finish this layer of the wall so he waited till they were finished so that the mortar she had laid down wouldn't go to waste, but before she could start the next layer he reached out and placed his paw over hers, giving her a soft, warm smile. "Lets take a break," he insisted. He wasn't good at consoling or working through difficult issues, but he was very good at distracting and hopefully getting a smile back on her face.

With how they were standing, his side was right next to hers and when he looked down to her his muzzle was just inches from hers. A little grin tugged at his lips and he gave her paw a gentle squeeze. He was most certainly not the poster child for how to handle things in any kind of healthy manner, but what he was really good at was finding more entertaining emotions to drown the other ones out with. Lifting her paw to his lips, he gave her russet toes a soft kiss and chuckled, interest and intrigue lingering in his gaze. "Maybe we could circle back to what I needed instead of a nap if you want," he rumbled with a chuckle. Releasing her paw, he nodded for her to follow and he led her across to where his workshop was, moving through it to his den that was just around a small bend into a small cave.

Picking up a water skin, Ruga took a long drink of the cool water before passing it to Keahi and settling onto his haunches on a wide fur that was spread across the floor in front of a larger mound of furs that made up his bed. After a moment of silence and thought he told her, "I'm um... I'm really sorry that happened." he told her quietly, knowing he couldn't just completely gloss over what she had shared without seeming like a complete ass. "But... If you just want to forget for a while... I could certainly help with that." Was it bold of him to make these kinds of offers when they had only just met and she had just revealed her deepest secrets to him? Yes, of course it was. But he somehow also felt like he had just found his best friend and there was only one thing he could think of doing with his best friends.

"Ruga Amanto"