take two

Redrum is relieved to see she hasn’t forgotten him, that she even seems happy to see him!. With a boyish grin stretching across his face, he edges a little closer, mindful of the boundary. She chirps his name in greeting, her demeanor cheerful. Yet, as he probes further, her mood seems to darken momentarily, obvious as she responds with a frustrated huff. His smile wavers, a pang of concern flickering within him as he ponders the strictness of her father's rules. His mother wasn’t really like that. She trusted him to be careful, to be smart about going out on his own. Though he did have a ‘shadow’, somewhere in the area. But his mother’s Umbra was not the breathing-down-your-neck sort.

Her fleeting glumness dissipates quickly, leaving him speechless as she reveals her desire for freedom in light of his own wanderlust. His gaze drifts over her petite frame, thoughts swirling with the potential risks she might face. And oh, how soft she appears... so small. His neck tenses, jaw clenching and releasing in rapid succession as he struggles to find the right words through twitchy tics. Those musings of what little woodland creature she reminds him of are interrupted by the introduction of Princess, the canine presence he noted briefly that stood beside Elara. So, that's its name? "Prin-cess. Just. li-ke you," He quips with a conspiratorial whisper in return, a playful gleam in his eyes directed at the pouting Elara. Still, there's a reassurance in knowing she's well-protected. Safety is important, after all! Even if the two butted heads. He imagined it’s the same way Medusa felt about him taking along the smoky colored cougar when he went out. Peace of mind.

With a renewed grin, he chuckles lightly, his laughter carrying a charming quality. "Cheer. Up! Red. will- take you. out when- you are. allowed!” His reassuring speech is disjointed, but his confidence shines through. Despite the slight embarrassment he feels at the delivery of his words, it's the best he can manage at the moment so he tries not to dwell on it.