He'd avoided her at the meeting, and Fortune was... confused. She was unsure of the things in her head, all of it rolling around and rocking her very core. Everything was strange. The brave had been concerned, the creature that she'd known before seemed hollow. Like a shell. A shell that hadn't been eating, hadn't been taking care of himself. Wanting to reach out to him, but not knowing how. Fortune's feelings were... were a little strange. Night had fallen. She wasn't tired, no, on the contrary. Being home, around her family and the people that cared, that gave her a sort of renewed energy and other things. That, and the den that had once been hers, was no longer. It used to be that Fortune and Faite would bunk in together, but with Faite being away... well, it was another sort of being turned out. Fortune's mind was made up. Rin should be asleep, she'd drop him the rabbit she'd caught for her own dinner. She wasn't hungry, anyway. Carefully picking her way to the mouth of his den, moving as quietly as possible, dropping the fat rabbit and moving to slink away into the darkness to keep a watchful eye over the borders. Maybe tonight would be the night that Faite came back, after all. fortune shock & awe

He wasn't asleep. He couldn't sleep. There was too much going on in his head as usual. The nightmares. The monsters. But most recently, Fortune. She had come back, but he didn't know what that meant. Was she here to stay? Or would she be here and gone and back again like Faite? Too many times, those he cared about or wanted to care about came in and out of his life. More often they left and never came back, and those experiences alone had kept him from even trying to get close to anyone at all. Faite was the only one he had really talked to. But he hadn't really talked to her since the day she found his pathetic self. He sighed and opened his eyes, shifting his position until he could see the light filtering in from outside. His den was at the edge of the territory, away from everyone and close enough to the borders that if any trespassers came this way, he would hear them. But Lirim was quiet tonight, just as it always was. He figured perhaps he should try to get some sleep but...he just couldn't. Almost as soon as he tried to close his eyes, he heard a light shuffling outside his den followed by the scent of fresh prey. Brows furrowed as he listened, but he didn't hear much of anything out there anymore. He couldn't quite see if anyone was sitting there either, since he had dug his den so deep into the ground that if someone were standing outside looking in, all they would see was darkness. But if someone was standing right in front of the entrance, he'd be able to see them. Or at least their legs, anyway. Pulling himself up to investigate, he quietly made his way to the entrance. Once there, he discovered that someone had left a rabbit for him, and for a brief moment, wondered who. Who would be up at this hour to bring him food? Glancing around, he spotted the form of someone else already a good distance ahead, and he knew exactly who it was. He was afraid to move. So very afraid. But he didn't want to just stand there like an idiot and not say thank you at least. He moved forward. But each step brought him a fresh wave of anxiety that began to build up. And when he was close enough to her, he stopped and stood frozen. "Th-thank you..." He muttered. Maybe she was expecting him to be asleep, but sleep was something of a luxury and a mystery for him. "Speech"

Things were weird. Fortune had been allowed to live selfishly, and maybe that was to her discredit. Maybe that was something that she should have let go of when she was here last, two years ago, the secondary alpha of a pack filled with her family members and closest friends. Maybe she should have made different choices, better choices. You live and you learn, and maybe Fortune had done that. Maybe she hadn't. It was hard to say, and it was hard to tell. Those were the things that she wouldn't let get to her too badly, but... well, she was a little lost, all the same. Even more lost without her best friend by her side. Where was Faite? Where had she been? Fortune feared for her safety. After all this time, blood was thicker. Blood was thicker than everything she'd ever been through, and she was just... worried. Fortune wasn't used to worrying this much, but here she was. Was this what being home did to her? A small pang in her chest. Fuck. Fortune heard Rin mumble something on the wind, unable to catch what exactly it was. She froze where she stood, breath catching in her chest for a moment. This was... this was not what she was anticipating. "Come up here, I can't hear you." Maybe she'd lost some of her manners. That's what head injuries could do to you, at least according to the witch doctor that put her back together. That, or maybe it was running with them for so long. They were an awfully rough crowd. "Why are you awake? Are you okay?" All sorts of questions, but her tone and concern are genuine. Fortune's gaze on Rin is careful, over her shoulder. He looked... awful. All she wanted to do was help. fortune shock & awe

Audits moved forward, slow and hesitant. When she told him to come forward, he moved almost on command. No more than a second of hesitance. Maybe it was the obedience training back when he was a child, or maybe he was just moving on autopilot. Whatever the case, he didn't keep her waiting when he came to stand at her side. His head dropped. He was always sulking and appearing submissive, not because he had to in Lirim, but it just habit from his younger days. The look of defeat was always present in him no matter what. Mostly from the nightmares and the feelings of uselessness and like he didn't belong on this earth. It was a part of him, and he didn't know how to let it go. He wanted to. But he couldn't. She asked him why he was awake. If he was okay. And his mouth opened a couple of times, but shut each time. He looked pathetic, he knew. He always did. And he hated that this was who he was. Would he ever change? "I...don't sleep well at night. The night is louder than the day, so...it's when I go out on patrol." Partial lie, partial truth. The night was louder in his head. The nightmares that plagued him nearly every night. He knew he should be up with the rest of the pack during the day and helping then, but the day time was usually the only time he got any amount of rest. "What about you?" He looked at her, wondering if she was out for anything other then bringing him some food. "Thank you, by the way. For the food I mean." "Speech"

He was coming toward her, no resistance. Fortune took that as a promising sign... even if he had ignored her during the meeting. Maybe he just didn't see you. That was always a potential too, but she was just... worried. Maybe he was more angry than he was appearing. Maybe he hated her for it. No, still, here he was... she was confused. Her brain wasn't a huge fan of the overthinking thing, but that would be okay too. Fortune was trying to keep it together. The brave had always been good at that, so why was she so hung up on Rin? Why did it make such a difference to her? Hell. She knew why. It was a lot harder to acknowledge it though. "You're looking rough, but they have you taking patrols? You need to sleep more." Fortune's words are blunt. A lot of her social graces always came from Faite poking her in the side and reminding her to be civil. Interacting on her own was hard sometimes, but it didn't matter all that much. Fortune means well. She was concerned, reaching out to touch his muzzle ever so carefully with her nose. Gentle, but she just... it was a forward part of her brain that craved the contact. She still found herself questioning if this was a fever dream, if she was laying on the floor of the witch doctor's den writhing with infection from the cut on her muzzle. It didn't matter. For now, it felt real enough. "My sleep schedule is a disaster from my time with the gypsies, I haven't recovered." Gypsies, she supposed that's what they were. A tribe of wanderers, mostly shamans and witch doctors and all means of tribal elites. They'd been good enough to take care of her, take her in, and she was able to assist in training their hunters in return. Still, they were... different folks. She did not miss their lifestyle. "You're welcome. Maybe when you're feeling better, we can hunt again sometime." Forward of her once more, but the sleepy feeling in her brain left her with less of a filter. Fortune decided that was okay. fortune shock & awe