As the day turned into night, the festivities didn't seem to die down instead becoming more lively as everyone had their fills of food, drinks, and fun. Onyx all but the later. She did her best to stay 'in the shadows', definitely not one for the big social party. Easy enough to say for anyone that knew her. Oki that was.

She was feeling a bit woozy, perched on some of the blanketed stones by herself, just watching as others danced and hollered. She guessed she could at least have fun watching everyone else fool around. As the bottle ran empty she supposed she should have one more if everyone else was still pumping along. As soon as she stood up however her paws were swaying and having a hard time finding balance. Funny since she had four of them. She decided that was probably her sign not to put any more alcohol into her body and maybe grab a little more food instead. The problem was, when she was scaling the side of the stone to jump down her placements were all wrong and she was tumbling down very ungracefully onto the plush spring grasses below. If it wasn't for the hard buzz she felt she probably would have been incredibly embarrassed, not that anyone was really watching her she thought. She laid there for a moment belly up with her eyes closed like she was mustering up the energy and focus to actually get her paws back under her and working again.

"Speech"

Oki was having a good time. The vibes were good, the food was delicious and it was just real nice to see his girls having a grand ole' time. Oki couldn't really ask for anything else, shit had been hard for a while, real hard, but it got better. He wasn't even that drunk, maybe teetering on the edge of tipsy, he found himself wandering, just taking in the sights and sounds-only to come across a real interesting sight in and of itself.

Onyx laying there like an upturned turtle was just irrisitable to him, he had to go over and make a pest of himself, there was no other way. Skipping over, skipped over, he stood over her, leaning down slightly with his head tilted down as he stared, ears flopping slightly as his tongue stuck out from between his teeth. Oh, he was insufferable.

"Need a paw?"

Lost in the haze, Onyx wouldn't notice as Oki was leaning over her flopped form. Once he spoke, light eyes opened to look up at him but she didn't hassle around to get herself back together. Normally she would, but again the embarrassment she would have felt very simply didn't exist in the state she was in. How lucky of her, and if only she could realize and remember what being drunk felt like. She would do it more often.

Reaching a paw forward to his offer, she rolled back up on her paws, much more stable now that she was on the solid ground. "Nothing cheeky to say?" She asked with a short huff of a laugh. Maybe much more likeable while under the influence. Warmer, still a little spicy as usual. She gave herself a quick shake before turning back to look at Oki, how she enjoyed his company out of the million other wolves that were here partying. Still she wouldn't say so out loud, and despite her troubles of how much his life was "bigger" than hers, she was much more open to her feelings towards him at the moment.

"Speech"

"Oh, I've got plenty to say." Much to a lot of folks chagrin; not that he ever minded. He didn't mind much at all really, life was too short to be angry, or to feel some kinda way about things he couldn't change. "Was thinkin' you look pretty cute. S'nice to see you look not so...like you tryin' so hard to keep that ice wall up. You know?"

A strangely deep thought coming from him. But he meant it, she had nothing she needed to hide from him- no judgement on his end, and all that.

"This ain't yer scene though, is it? Wanna find somewhere a little more quiet?"

She wasn't totally plastered, but the drink certainly helped loosen her up a little. Helped her open up. A part of her Kuroki may have even seen before, but she was generally as he had said, ice walled.

The way just his few words made her feel, made her feel strange. Heated up inside. In good way, not an angry way. He was pretty charismatic right? Even for a girl like her. Maybe only because of the strange riddled history they had together. She wouldn't blush too hard at his cute comment, but it definitely made her feel some sort of special. The damn alcohol...

"More time stuck with just you?" She teased as she mustered up her balance again before taking a few steps ahead away from the crowds, accepting his offer. "Don't you know me too well." She had been alone up on that rock, that was much like herself. But she was better with Oki. At heart she knew this is what she wanted. Stuck with him. What a match made in... heaven wasn't the right word. But a match surely. Everyday she would consider that possibility. The two of them closer than she could admit to herself.

"Speech"

Kuroki fell in line beside her easily enough, his shoulder brushing hers as they padded along, the noise of the party growing all the more distant with each step. He knew full well that pack life hadn't settled well with her, she'd been struggling and his knee-jerk reaction had been to smother her, put out the fire. But this was Onyx he was talking about and he knew full well behaviour like that would just push her away, she'd get all prickly and defensive- and that was fine. He knew who she was; didn't wanna change her into someone she wasn't, cause she never tried to fix him either. He wasn't perfect, he was just Oki.

"Well, I reckon you like me. More than you're willin' to admit." He side eyed her, a playful lilt in his voice. "Say, if I tried to kiss you or somethin' at some point, do you think you'd try to rip my tongue out? Hypothetically o'course." She had a little to drink and he weren't gonna take advantage of nobody, least of all someone he cared about, but he couldn't help but ask. A playful jab if nothing else.

The subtle connections of their bodies felt a little different to her now that she was under the influence. Even just his gentle shoulder bump, Onyx was strangely more welcoming to it even though it was so Oki. She wouldn't show any signs of weirdness, but the closer he got the warmer she felt. A lifetime of feeling rejected, and here he was...

Clearly audible, but her words slurred in a way like her brain was still trying to form a coherent sentence. Every few words or so that was. "Don't you see the line of others fighting for me?" Her tone joking, but all the while serious. Oki was somehow her last option to have a life of any kind, not that it was a sour future from her point of view. Just her list of mistakes, or being so hard to get to know. This wasn't a punishment. She had just closed herself off for so long.

His offer though, hypothetically, was something that almost stung when it sank in. When she realized what he had truly asked, and she could barely believe it was a true gesture. He had other kids, as much as she knew how obvious her own intentions were to be here with him. It had to be a joke. Or a dream. Something produced by the alcohol. The only sign that she was baffled, or had some kind of crunched emotion deep in her chest was the way her jaw clenched. The thought of her seeming desperate though, more desperate than she had already come across would keep her from pestering any more acceptance by him. She had stopped in her tracks, went silent for a moment as she turned to look at him. What was going through her mind couldn't even reach her conscious. She wasn't a flattering creature, but surely with the little push both by the drink, and by Oki's encouragement, she could be someone different for a change. "You mean it?" The kiss that was. She asked, a softness in her face and tone and of course her eyes glancing from his nose back to his eyes. "Hypothetically." Had that been inviting enough for him, because truthfully she was scared to death deep down in her core that he would turn it around. A foolish girl for thinking she could run past a harsh rejection again. It was him or it was no one, and she'd have to take herself back to the pines.

"Speech"

Kuroki watched her, head tilting slightly. Not that he'd ever think to take advantage of someone, he couldn't help but think this suited her. Not the tipsiness, but the ease, how her shoulders were no longer so tense, like it wasn't a discomfort to be perceived, seen by him and everyone else. Oki came to a standstill too and took a moment to think through her question, cause even though the knee-jerk reaction was to insist he wasn't full of shit, he could see why she'd want some clarification.

"Course. If you hypothetically, told me what to do I'd listen to you every step o'the way." Was he coming on too strong, oh certainly, dumb of arse, pure of heart. "Cuz' being for real, I've been hitting on you forever, yeah? I ain't subtle. So tell me, Nyxie"

How she could be so daft, it wasn't surprising to her. When she was younger when her and Oki had originally met, boys were far from her mind. Just training and being strong. Everything that was in her bloodline. And then time and time again, it was easier to think that her and Oki were just crossing paths by chance, as was the way of life. And then she was hit with thinking she was just wholly unlikeable, even when Oki made her feel like she wasn't. They bantered, but that seemed to be the way she showed affection, wasn't it?

Oki was far from taking advantage of her, it was more like he was fulfilling a dream of hers. As weird as that may have sounded if said out loud. At least coming from her. She was still having a hard time grasping this was real life. How girlish of her, feeling so fluttery over some guy. Oki knew how to play his cards at least. This wasn't his first rodeo clearly.

She took a deep breath, and it still took her a moment to find the courage to move forward. And maybe she wouldn't have even needed the drink to keep going on. If Oki kept pushing her, in time she would have come around. The only thing holding her back was the idea of other women, and that's what the alcohol helped to subside. If she could only have this moment once with him tonight, that could be enough for her for a lifetime. It was Onyx so, was there really any words to be said? She wasn't such a talker as Oki would have known. Almost reluctantly she moved her nose up to his, more gentle than may have ever been believed of her. And once he showed that acceptance of her, she'd take the rest of the night with him.

-fade?-

"Speech"

The ball was in her court and frankly, she had every right to tell him to piss off. And he would have listened, cause what kinda guy would he have been if he hadn't? Still, even with the noise of the party in the background, it felt quiet to him in their own little corner, their part of the world. Space that was just theirs for a little while. And he had no trouble giving in, cause he'd never been one to hold back to begin with. He'd always liked her and the reason he'd been so persistent was cause in a way he knew she'd always held a candle for him too.

A lot had changed, they'd changed as people, but this? Tale as old as time, a story that Oki and wolves like him would always stumble head first into.

FAAAAADE