Dreamland
Satisfaction. That was the word that still held truest to Lillianna's emotions; it resonated in her entire being. The inferno of her heat had been assuaged in the most pleasant of ways, and the female would make her way back to Abaven quickly, almost alight in her contentment. It was almost as difficult crossing back into the territory as it was leaving, but unlike before, Lillianna was not irritated with the world. Rather, she was utterly calm and serene; quite the rarity in the messenger. She would leap up to rocks where it was relatively dry, searching for the hole where she had made her and Farrym's den. She had been leaving the kitten behind lately, craving her freedom just a bit, and the now older feline was okay with it, enjoying the ability to curl up on the rocks for warmth. It was in that sunshine - after cleaning her paws in a puddle and getting a drink in a different puddle - that she would sprawl out, eyes half closed from enjoyment.
"speech"
It'd been awhile since his last real encounter with Lillianna. She'd seen her, more than a few times - and he'd even talked to her briefly at the meeting. He'd only translated a word for her, and that certainly couldn't be considered a conversation. Luckily, it seemed she hadn't been fighting over Finch.. not that Finch had really been present, as of late, and it had been easy to keep her out of his mind, for the most part. Not that their last talk didn't still bother him. Lark was stubborn. Always had been.. likely always would be. In fact, it bothered him so much that he visibly bristled when he caught whiff of her scent, as he was wandering through the thicket. He'd been fairly relaxed, but found his aimless pace slowing and his brows pulling tightly together as he moved toward her. She seemed.. careless. Laying in the sun, without a worry in the world. Had she even noticed the sound of his approach? "Stupid place to lay," he muttered as he gazed at her. The thicket wasn't particularly dangerous at this time of the year, though he knew the underbrush could get pretty uncontrollable once summer came. An easy place to ambush someone, most definitely. |
Brush would rustle not far from her, and without opening her eyes, she'd angle her ears towards the sound, nose sniffing the air. Was it Farrym...? No, she could smell him in the other direction, passed out in the den. He hadn't yet awoken. It would take only a moment longer and she'd catch a whiff - Lark. A spark of annoyance would appear, and she'd deliberately keep her head turned away from the male, though one of her ears was still flicked slightly back.
She wasn't sure how she felt about Lark. On one paw, he had understood her and had been blunt after she recieved her scar and a couple months after that. On the other paw, he was too damn possessive over Finch. On yet another paw, he was rather amusing. On the last paw she had no freaking clue.
So when she heard a lack of movement, she figured he was standing nearby. "Lark," she said evenly, his name a greeting right before she turned her head, glittering green eyes laying on his brown form. She said nothing more, though her head tilted, and she would incline her head to the rocks, a clear invitation. Might as well; it would rather be difficult for her to become angry at this current moment. Perhaps, with luck, her and Lark may be able to regain that easiness that was there prior to the... Finch incident.
"speech"
Lark felt as ambivalent about Lillie as she did about him. He'd been drawn to her from the moment he'd met her - she was reckless and passionate, and though her ferocity was annoying at times, he also found himself admiring it. His own stubbornness felt aimless in comparison. And yet at the same time, she annoyed the hell out of him.. and yet here he was, walking up to her and shooting off a snarky comment. If she really bothered him, he could've just avoided her entirely. The land was definitely big enough for both of them. "Yes," he answered plainly, his head cocking to the side as he gazed at her. She seemed.. oddly inviting today, despite the circumstances surrounding their last meeting, and he stood still for a long moment. "All patched up from the siege?" It was a start.. though of course she was fine now. She hadn't been seriously injured, and it'd been ages since they'd won. But it didn't hurt to ask. And it filled the silence, where he shuffled his paws, coming to finally settle on his hindquarters nearby. |
Hmm, he was being pleasant. That pleased the woman, and she'd languidly stretch out her front paws, tail wagging briefly behind her. That really did make her happy; she liked getting along with the fiery male who was so defensive and protective of his sister, and she appreciated and respected that quality in him... well, except when it interfered with her own protectiveness. Which he would have to learn to deal with. Period.
She'd smile at the affirmative, and she would would incline her head, in a continued greeting to him. That smile would be maintained as he asked if she was patched from the siege - though a momentary flicker of surprise went through her eyes. He noticed she had been injured, albeit lightly? Huh. "Yes," she answered firmly. "It was, thankfully, only moderate scratches - and they healed perfectly thanks to your sister, Sparrow. She did really well." Sparrow really did a thorough job of patching the russet female up. Very brisk, very efficient, and aware to the comfort of her patient. She had learned well, and while Lillianna was no healer, she could certainly appreciate that in her packmate.
"speech"
Pleasant was difficult for him. Sometimes. Being stubborn and stern came far more easily to him than anything else. Her own expression wouldn't be matched with a smile of his own - only a steady, unwavering stare as he watched her, curious about her light-hearted attitude today. It was.. not exactly like her? Not that he knew her super well, but she'd always seemed a bit more somber than this. Though stubborn, and not always willing to admit he paid attention.. yeah, he had noticed. His nose wrinkled a bit. "At least you got more action than I did," he said with a slow shrug. Lillie professed that she'd been healed by Sparrow. His siblings were talented healers, despite their age, he knew that. Sparrow and Starling both. He knew nothing of the art, but was grateful that he had siblings who excelled in it. Something else about her was different to now, he noted. What it was..he wasn't quite sure. Her scent was muskier and better than he remembered it, but he chalked it up to having not been around her for a few weeks. His eyes narrowed as he, once again, recalled their last conversation. "Hopefully you haven't told anyone to vaffanculo recently," he'd offer dryly, snickering to himself. At the very least, they could make light of things, right? "Though I don't see any new scars, so I'm guessing you've been good." |
She would nod to his words. She did get to fight, and with experienced Imperium warriors at that - an opportunity she appreciated. She did, however, wish that there had been more fights, so more of her packmates could have participated. Perhaps, too, it was due to Imperium; Imperium had been itching for a fight and pounced quicker than Abaven warriors could have blinked. "It's saddening how few showed up to fight - when I scouted their borders, there were a... lot more scents. Maybe half showed up." She shook her head. Some loyalty. If a pack had tried to siege Abaven, she'd be there on the frontlines, defending her home and all those in it.
His next words would startle a snort from her, followed quickly by a bark of laughter. Ha!. Well, maybe not fuck off, but fuck? Yeah, that happened. Lark didn't have to know that, though. No one did. Except maybe Starling. Because fear of pregnancy. And oh, the awkwardness that would be. Quickly, she banished those thoughts, and instead she grinned at him. "Me? Good? Nah, I wouldn't say that. Although, if I did tell someone to vaffunculo, I'd hopefully be a much better fighter than I was when I went against Evangeline," she laughed softly, eyes glittering. Yes, she certainly hoped she was a better fighter since then. Then, she just tried to flee. Now, she'd won a fight, albeit with some assistance. She did, though, tear someone's shoulder open pretty viciously... and their neck. She was pretty proud of those attacks still.
"speech"
He simply hadn't gotten a chance to fight because there had been no one to fight. He'd initially held back to keep an eye on the back of the group, to make sure they weren't being ambushed, and by the time he'd been ready to fight.. literally everyone was already occupied with a fight. Though disappointed he hadn't gotten to prove himself - he'd been eager to show his father what he was willing to do to defend his family - he was not exactly hoping for more fighting. Another siege meant another chance for his family to be harmed, and he didn't like the thought of that one bit. Surely he could find other ways to make his father proud than by winning a siege fight. A soft, barely audible sigh fell from his lips as he reflected on the siege. "Oh well," he offered finally, a bit dismissively, shrugging his wide shoulders. It didn't do much good to keep dwelling on it. She seemed just as happy to move their conversation in a different direction. He offered a faint, half-hearted laugh of his own to her comment. "Still, probably a word to avoid," he commented dryly. Surely he'd get a talking to from his father if he caught him saying that, especially using Italian to be deceptive about it. Whoops. "Along with puttana," he'd add with another chuckle, knowing she'd be curious what it meant. |
The dismissive tone would have her frown briefly, but... that was Lark. It was the vibe she had gotten; he was dismissive, stern, authoritative and way too damn possessive for his own good. And blunt. Which she liked, a lot. And hey, she got a laugh from him! ... sort of. But, hey, it was a laugh. She remembered when he actually got him to laugh laugh, and yeah, she felt a bit proud about that. She liked being amusing, making others pleased. Sadly, she rather sucked at it.
She snorted again at him, nodding. "Yeah - I remember Sparrow's reaction when I asked what that meant." It had been great; she had snorted in surprise and stared with wide eyes. The female's expression had been priceless, and had been a definite clue as to what it meant. Lillie's ears pricked at Lark's next words, and she'd give him a dirty look. She knew he knew that she'd be curious. "Puttanna?" she asked, head tilting, a smile twitching at the edge of her lips even as she gave him a look that almost demanded an answer, but... not quite. There was still a hint of a request - and a preparation for Lark refusing to answer to infuriate her.
"speech"
How could he be anything but dismissive and slightly standoffish? He was able to relax and be much warmer toward his family members, but around others.. he had to keep his distance. Smiling and laughing was not all that mattered in life. And it was obvious he thought that - his youthful face wore a tight scowl as he thought about the siege, and though it softened as they moved on from that topic, he didn't exactly look happy. "It means whore," he explained easily, letting out a soft snort of amusement. He wondered if his father would be upset if he caught him using their family's secret language to just.. say things he shouldn't be saying. Finally, feeling relaxed enough - and not ready to cuss out Lillianna entirely, though he was still mildly annoyed at their last meeting - he would take a few step closer to her and finally plop down to his belly among the grasses that made up the thicket. "Sparrow would really blush at that one." |
Lark never looked happy. Lillianna had resigned herself to this fact a while back; she now hoped for - instead of genuine laughter, and whatnot - just a simple neutral expression. He had glowered at the mention of the siege, and he still looked angry, though quite a bit less so.
It didn't take any convincing at all for him to tell her what it meant, and she laughed in amusement at his words, eyes widening only slightly at it. Whore, eh? She snorted, shaking her head, a slight grin on her face. That grin widened and her eyes sparkled with surprise as he finally moved closer and flopped down, though he flopped on the grasses below the rocks. She'd move to get up, pausing to stretch luxoriously before scooting to the edge and flopping down, head dangling to look at Lark more. Another laugh at the thought of Sparrow blushing - "Yeah, definitely," she agreed. Her tail beat lightly on the rocks, her head scooting back to lay on the rock just enough where she was resting, yet also looking down at Lark. She said nothing more, and it wasn't too awkward at all, a companionable silence.
"speech"
To be honest, Lark didn't really know what to say to Lillianna. He was still annoyed that she had acted like she knew Finch better than he did, because - in his mind - she most certainly did not. Her interest in Finch, however innocent it might be, felt predatory to him.. though he figured it would regardless of the individual, even if it was someone in Abaven. Though it was definitely best it was someone he lived near.. he didn't know what he would do if Finch started hanging out with some stranger. The thought, even in theory, didn't settle well with him. She laughed at his translation of the word, eliciting a slight chuckle from his own mouth. He wasn't always unpleasant.. just more often than not. And he still didn't know how to take Lillie. He settled into silence as she did, watching her briefly from the corner of his eye before averting his gaze away again. His stare settled on the thick grasses of the thicket, in particular a patch nearby, as his mind wandered. "So," he started after a moment, glancing in her direction again. "Seen Finch lately? She hasn't really been around much..." Which, in all honesty, wasn't that surprising in regards to his shy sister. |
He'd only glance at her briefly, in the corner of his eye, before looking elsewhere, but that was alright with Lillianna. Good enough, anyways. More silence, but that was alright, it let her think. Speciically, about the brown man that was flopped below her. He both infuriated and amused her - typically within the same day. Now how did that work? The woman wasn't quite sure at all, and it made her slightly hesitant to say what her opinion of the massive wolf was.
Her thoughts were interrupted as he glanced at her.. and asked about Finch. Finch? Surprise - pure surprise, and okay, a little bit of wariness. She thought he hated that she interacted with his sister. Why purposefully bring it up? But at the same time, it caused a bit of worry even as she slowly shook her head. "No." And come to think of it, when she last went past the den where she slept... "Last time I went past her den, the scent was stale, now that I think about it. I didn't think much of it at the time, because she'll go collect pretties and be gone for hours... but now that I think about it, it seems a bit older than that in my memory," she murmured, gaze distant as she thought back. Alarm sparked through her eyes, and she glanced down at Lark. It was obvious by his tone that he hadn't either, and Lillianna was trying very hard to press down that worry.
"speech"
Lark was unused to feeling ambiguous about someone. He loved his siblings, without question. He liked Calypsei and Tinaro, though the first few moments he spoke with Calypsei hadn't been exactly friendly. For him, things were generally black and white. He either liked someone, or he disliked them. His feelings for Lillianna were somewhere inbetween.. no, not even inbetween, but on both ends of the spectrum. Somehow. It made no sense at all to him, and it was easier to ignore it entirely. He shifted to eye her again as she spoke. She hadn't seen Finch either. Which made him feel partially relieved. It wouldn't have been great news if Lillie had seen her and she'd been avoiding Lark. His brows pulled together as he considered it. "Yeah..." he murmured thoughtfully. He didn't like to worry about his siblings all the time, but the fact that she'd been gone for awhile was a bit unsettling. But then again, she liked collecting things, Lillie was right; she'd probably just been wandering close to Abaven and had neglected to check in with them. "Weird." But.. sitting and moping about it sounded unappealing. Maybe they could go look for her? Not like.. a rescue-mission sort of thing, but just go see if she was around? It sounded good in his head. "You planning on laying here all day?" he'd inquire, raising a brow as he eyed her. "Or should we go see if she's around?" Her presence was more pleasant than usual, even if he expected her to irritate him soon or later, and she smelled really nice today. He didn't even know why, and it wasn't even a conscious thought, but spending a bit of time with her didn't sound that awful. |
Perhaps it was the way her mind worked, but Lillianna couldn't help the images of the worst possible thing going through her mind - what if she got lost? got attacked? couldn't make her way home? got hurt in the territory? nevermind it was perfectly logical for Finch to just be out and about, avoiding wolves and collecting pretties like her rocks and flowers to decorate the den now that it was spring. But at the same time... the river was beginning to flood, so good rocks were difficult to find. And flowers... hmmm.
She'd be pulled from her thoughts by Lark, who would murmur an answer, glancing at her. And then he'd murmur again - commenting that it was weird. She nodded absentmindedly, gaze drifting towards a patch of the high grass until yet again he spoke, but a question this time. She would peer down at him, curiosity alight in her eyes. Laying around all day? Well, yes, probably, or go on a patrol, but she wasn't about to tell him that. He obviously had an ulteri- there! There it was... and not at all what she expected. surprise flashed, but was quickly muted as the female rose, and leaped down from the rock to stand next to the laying-down Lark.
She'd smirk in amusement as she noted how tall he was - as tall as Bacchus, easily. Or perhaps Bacchus was as tall as Lark. Either way, she was completely happy with his suggestion; she'd never thought he'd have them look for Finch together, after their last spat. "That sounds like a wonderful idea," she commented, tail waving lazily behind her. "Perhaps we could pick up some pretties for her on the way? That'd probably make her feel happy." She made a suggestion of her own, the look in her eyes hopeful as she gazed down at Lark, hoping fervently he'd do that. She thought it would make Finch's day, to have her brother and her non-family friend bringing her gifts.
"speech"
Lark's siblings were not always.. present. Even Starling and Finch, who were timid and fearful at times, often kept to themselves. Perhaps they found solitude comforting, though he knew that they also flourished when among family, so not seeing them for awhile was strange. It simply wasn't panic-worthy.. not yet, at least. Give it a couple more days and he'd probably start to worry, but there was no need to right yet. He turned to face her as her features changed at his suggestion. She didn't seem more worried, which was relieving. Slowly he rolled to his side from his belly, looking at her from the ground as she moved down from the rock she'd been laying on to stand beside him. Grumbling, he'd finally move to stand, stretching his limbs slowly. "Yeah, sure," he commented at her suggestion. Lark didn't really know what these pretties might consist of. Pretty things weren't exactly.. something he knew a lot about. Choosing what things they picked up was probably best left to Lillie, but he was glad to join her. He'd flash her another glance before turning away, moving to amble through the thicket.. with an air of purpose, though he had no real idea where they were headed or what Lillie sought to find. |
She would look down at him in amusement as he was flopped on his side. Didn't want to get up, huh? She couldn't help it - she laughed softly at him, eyes sparkling with amusement. She was grinning, not even a little bit apologetic for it, either, as he grumbled and finally pushed himself up. Her head would tip back to watch him, even as he ambled away. She'd pause only for a second before following, tail wagging happily.
It was easy to block the worry with this. It was easy to ignore the girl's disappearance and instead focus on collecting pretties. After all, it would make sense if she just wandered off to find pretties... right? Either way, Lillianna would refuse to dwell on it, instead focusing on the ginormous of a man next to her. "What do you think we should get her?" she asked softly, glancing up at him as they walked together. "I got her a flower and a necklace once; she loved it." She spoke softly, almost hesitantly; she didn't want to ruin whatever they had going on right now. "But I think you should choose, because you're her brother, or we could decide together," she continued on, still in the soft-spoken voice that was rather unusual for her to have.
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Lark didn't have a clue in the world why her presence was suddenly more interesting than usual. It didn't do him any good to wonder about it though. His feelings about Lillie were not worth mulling over.. it'd only confuse him and probably leave him quite frustrated. He could've swore he really, really disliked her at once point, but right now he was not at all opposed to being in her presence. Oh well. He groggily stood up, deciding that - although taking a nap sounded like a good idea right now - looking for Finch and collecting some things for her, per Lillie's suggestion, was much better idea. Even if he couldn't begin to imagine what sort of things she might like to receive from him. Okay, from them. He rumbled softly in thought as they began to walk together aimlessly. "I know she likes flowers," he agreed nonchalantly. She also liked singing.. but he couldn't really get her anything that related to singing, could he? "Does she have anything to keep her.. pretties in?" He'd ask, feeling a bit awkward using that term, his brow furrowing in thought. He knew other areas of Alacritia had old relics, and maybe they could find something for her to store these things in? Briefly he'd turn to nudge her shoulder lightly as though to get her attention, before glancing away again. |
Lillianna had not a clue why Lark was being so friendly - her heat scent not even crossing her mind - but she wasn't arguing with it. She enjoyed his company, a lot, when he wasn't being an asshole, and she felt a small burst of affection for him, amusement in her eyes at that thought. Yeah, Lark not being an ass was rare. But, hey, it was part of his personality, and oddly, it amused her after the fact.
She almost sagged in relief as he didn't... well, snap or something like that at her. Woo! Step one, complete. She felt even more relaxed, even more pleased; perhaps she didn't have to tread such careful ground with her words. Only sometimes. She smiled when he answered, and she nodded. "That she does," she agreed. She remembered first meeting Finch - how she scared the girl... and then quickly became friends, simply by inquiring about them. She grinned again at his question, nodding. "Yeah. She buries them, around the den. She showed me once... she had shells, and flowers laid out around the den, and rocks... they were big, too." She laughed softly, it trailing off as she realized - this was kind of the thing that caused a problem last time. Okay, nevermind, still being paranoid. "Sorry, you probably already know this... it's a good memory for me, though." She couldn't help the grin reforming as he bumped her shoulder, and she'd lean to the side to bump his... okay, leg. She couldn't really reach his shoulder unless with her head. But that was alright.
"speech"
So what if he'd told her to fuck off? He didn't feel displeased with her presence now - and since he was very keen on not thinking too hard about his feelings for her, he would not start up again. Today, he was feeling friendly with her and for now, that was enough. He pondered over what exactly they might find for Finch as they walked together, trudging through the thicket with ease. "Maybe something to keep them in, definitely," he agreed, nodding thoughtfully. Having her favorite things all buried in the dirt, where they could be found, or lost.. no, they could find something better. At least he could. Lark barely even grumbled at her matter-of-fact way of talking about his sister; at least, that was how he interpreted it. "I just.. dunno where we'd find something like that." He knew that there were some old relics of structures to the west, and maybe something there? But that was a claimed territory. He clenched his jaw as he thought it over. "Ever seen anywhere with.. junk like that?" A great way to talk about a gift to his sister, no? He rolled his eyes at his own words, huffing softly as he turned to eye her again. |