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He could see the wheels turning inside her skull, questions threatening to spill off the tip of her tongue, but none came. For now, she was being reserved and keeping her words in check. She was being cautious—a side of her he had not seen in quite some time. Maybe even ever. She had helped him, too, in the past. Comforted him after he’d lost Anastasia. Helped him build up his confidence and find himself. Coach him into his position as leader when he had doubted himself. She had been there for him when the china doll hadn’t—perhaps even more so. He had high hopes for her—for them—when she had returned to Hearthwood. But she had broken her promise and disappeared, and drove a bigger wedge between them. Perhaps, with time, the wedge could be removed and things between them could be mended. But it would never be the same as it had been before.

Another sigh shook him as she continued her apology, her words frantic as they filled the air between them. He gave a small shake of his head, his expression soft. I don't hate you, Bastet, he confessed. Hating her was too hard. Too much effort. Especially when things had worked out for the better for him. There was no point on dwelling on the past, or what could have been. It is what it is. Another shrug came and went as a half-smile collapsed onto his maw. 

stick with those who stick with you

Bastet Akhenaten She felt herself fall, the hole felt deeper than before but this time there wasn't a cushion of soft feathers at the bottom to catch her, instead she felt the sharp piercing of ice slice through her heart and without muttering a sound, she sighed deeply as well. In the midst of all that time that she had disappeared, he had reclaimed himself and though she couldn't be happier for him, she was sad that she had lost him in the long run. Though she had usually been the one to console him, assure him that that things would be okay and that he could do whatever was asked of him she needed him now more than ever to assure her the same--she was having a hard time accepting this change. In fact, she hadn't even expected to feel this way and so soon but she supposed that her old wounds were healing slowly. "Okay." she said, the first word she could manage to produce after his dismissal but at least she had not stuck her whole foot in her mouth this time and admitted how much she still loved him. That would have probably been the hardest letdown in her life. Shaking her head, she felt those walls return, ever so slowly, back their hard exterior though they would never completely seal back up. "thank you for being so understanding. It's good to have a familiar face on this side of the Lore, maybe we'll meet up again and we can catch up from there?" she said, knowing he probably had better things to do than speak with her about the past. Apparently his future was much brighter, and there was no longer any room for the dark woman. she's the unpredictable sort

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His head tilted to the side as he held his gaze on the dark ghost. It was unfortunate that this was what their relationship had become. Like Anastasia, the dark female before him had been like an advisor to him, and had comforted him when he needed her most. He, in turn, had been there for her. But now—now he looked at her like she was a stranger. Like they had never shared private, clandestine moments together. Like he’d never loved her, or cared for her. But he had moved on and found solace in the blue-eyed sparrow. Saw a future with her. He couldn’t continue wallow in self-pity—especially not over a female. Which was why, before he had met Lilya, he had completely disregarded the possibility of him having a mate. He wasn’t even looking for something when he had fallen for the veteran. Lachesis would have been happy living out the rest of his life as a bachelor, but the sparrow had managed to tie him down; a welcomed surprise.

You like the Cove? He asked, his voice soft; almost reluctant to let her leave just yet. The pack must be near by, otherwise she wouldn’t have strayed too far. Which meant the possibility of them bumping into each other again was quite high. He wouldn’t mind. Maybe he’d be less bitter the next time around. I would like that.

stick with those who stick with you

A ear flicked backward when he spoke, her heart thumped loudly in her chest with anticipation for a response, anything that she could hold onto until their next meeting and was blessed with a question she hadn't quite expected. He asked whether she liked the Cove and for a moment her shoulder shrugged, tail swaying softly behind her in deep thought. She didn't mind the pack, the members and the opportunities were endless but she was not particularly fond of mountains and couldn't believe that she had pledged her loyalty to one without a second thought. She liked the shelter it provided, the visitors were becoming more frequent but most who risked their lives to come to the Cove had plans on serving them for life so they rarely had frequent visitors. She supposed it was like any pack, expect of course he was missing from the equation and that was a huge factor in her decision. "I like it. It's quiet and I feel safe so high up in the mountains." she admitted but she was sure he probably wanted to know whether she had missed Heartwood though she choked on her words, not wanting to put her foot any further in her mouth. He knew that she missed him, therefore the pack and him were constantly a missing factor in her life. "I can visit your pack some times too. I'm sure they wouldn't mind if I stepped out for a moment or two." she said, knowing that they would appreciate her having some personal space every once in a while. "that is you wouldn't mind having me? Where are you now anyway?" she asked, knowing he would be too polite to decline. It just felt good to have his acceptance in any form she could get it.

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As she spoke of the Cove Lachesis let his chartreuse gaze wander to the snow-dusted peaks in the distance, his brows narrowing softly. It had been far too long since he had ascended onto the Mountain of Dire—perhaps not since he’d lost Anastasia the first time, in the blizzard. The tip of his tail twitched at the thought as he refocused his attention on the ebony female before him, his expression remaining neutral. He was happy for her, even if he didn’t show it. At least Baste had found somewhere she belonged, as it didn’t appear to be with Hearthwood or him. Things had worked out for Lachesis after her second departure; he couldn’t complain. Did he ever wonder what his life would have been like if things had worked out between him and the exotic female? Of course. But he wouldn’t change how things had gone down between them—aside from having it end on a better note. He knew he belonged with Lilya; things felt right with her. Bastet had helped him when he needed her, but she had also left his life when he needed her to.

Of course he responded with a lazy smile. A little west of Turtleback Lake, at the base of the mountain. Home. It was everything Hearthwood was and more; free of ghosts and tragedy. A sanctuary for the river wolves. 

stick with those who stick with you

It felt strange, this meeting in all its entirety, but she was grateful that it had taken place today and during a time when her mind was still at its clearest. Had it been later, near the peak of breeding season she would have probably driven herself crazy trying to keep her feelings in check--not that she currently wasn't anyway--but she could tell that this encounter was much different than the many they had previously and she had grown to accept that. She felt envy for the woman who had finally stolen his heart but happy that she had given him something she had failed to do so many times over. She only hoped his mate wouldn't make the same mistakes that she did, leaving and reappearing so many times over and find herself heartbroken and ashamed in the process, it truly did pain her that in the end she was the one heartbroken and hurt. He welcomed her to visit his home and she felt a smile come to her lips, happy that he hadn't turned her down. "I've always loved that about you." she wouldn't elaborate, it felt good to allow the words to grace his ears and she hoped he could read between lines, perhaps know that she still loved everything about him, especially the confidence that he wore so boldly with him. He gave her directions and she memorized them easily, hoping to steal some time away soon in order to see him again and she couldn't wait for the opportunity. "Noted...I should probably head back now, it was good seeing you Lach, please don't be a stranger." she practically begged for him to visit again but her eyes kept their fiery determination, as though she could understand if he was too busy for another visit. She hesitated at her spot, too afraid to move first in case he would think she was eager to leave him and waited to see what he would do--one of them had to make the first move but truly she was content standing here with him for many more hours to come.

(This post was last modified: Mar 13, 2018, 07:00 AM by Bastet.)

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He blinked at her words but did not address them; his expression remained neutral. Cautious. He did not know if Bastet would stay true to her words and visit the Surge. Part of him hoped that she wouldn’t. Bastet, Anastasia and Lilya all in one place? He nearly shuddered at the thought, as he could only imagine how well that would go over. He wasn’t sure if Anastasia had been aware of his relationship with the ebony woman standing before him. She had been there for Lachesis when he’d lost the dove and helped him overcome his fears of leading in Maksim’s place while he had fallen ill. He knew his sparrow had been aware of the past he shared with the dove—it didn’t take a genius to figure that out. Even Aytigin had been skeptical about her arriving in Hearthwood.

But, part of him also hoped that she would. That her making an appearance at his borders would show him that she had changed and was now a woman of her word.

I should, too, he confessed with a shrug and a half-smile, his gaze softening as he met her mismatched pools. Likewise. You know where to find me if you need me. His smile widened at this before he took a step back, away from her. This time it didn’t feel final. It actually felt as though he would see her again. Days, weeks, months. He did not know. But he knew it would happen. See you around. The ghost offered her a quick wag of his tails before he took more steps away from her, his peridots lingering on her before he finally turned away and headed north…

feel free to add on a fade or archive here! <3 @Bastet

stick with those who stick with you

She had no idea about the drama, how three women shared a common object--affection for his heart. She had no idea of Anastasia's return and even still had not asked of the woman who had no doubt stolen his heart. A part of her did not care, the less she knew of these women the better, it meant that they did not exist in her world and even better, it meant that to him she still mattered. She watched him in silence, her mix-matched eyes waiting for him to make the first move and he did so after after bidding her a farewell. Like him, she was happy that they had finally had this encounter and the possibility of meeting up with him again made her heart swell with excitement--perhaps next time she'd have something more interesting to say. She remained at her spot, watching as he bounded off in the distance and apart of her wanted to scream after him, beg for him to come back simply so she could enjoy his company even longer but the logical side of her knew that even this meeting had been too long. She sighed, feeling the air she didn't know she was holding release and with a whisper she said, "I'm so sorry, please come back." but she knew he could not hear her, not even if she had actually wanted him to hear her. She really had been sucker punched with love. Shaking her head she watched the last of his lanky form disappear before she clamped her jaws shut, desperate to keep herself from yelling stupidly after him and turned on her toes with intention to head back to her reality--the Cove.

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