Dead Empress Backwater be damn proud of me

@Clover -- He's not a simp... really, he isn't... February 24, 2022

what i really need now is a double shot of crown

He didn’t really know what he was doing. He was doing well. Once again she had patched him up… except this time it hadn’t been any kind of broken bones. It had been a particularly nasty bloody nose but once again he was indebted to the healer who had slowly but surely become one of the only real friends he’d ever had. Vayko had a plump rabbit gripped in his jaws as he headed off to find the healer. Golden eyes tracked around the territory for the familiar alabaster fur.

His nose brought his to her den of herbs and tinctures. He set the rabbit down and let out a small woof, alerting her to his presence before he spoke. “Clover?” He poked his head inside. “I brought you a snack… I got really lucky with a warren waking up from hibernation.” He offered, as if he needed to justify signaling her out to bring food to.

Now that spring was almost upon the lands, Clover had begun to frantically once again sort through all her stores, weeding out any old or wilted herbs that she could easily replace once the snows receded and plants began to grow again. She did this periodically, but right before spring was when she practically did a complete overhaul of her den, digging in around the back to throw out anything that had gotten lost out of sight over the colder months.

It was there that Vayko's voice spoke out from behind her, and she turned her head to look over her shoulder at him. Her lips curved up into a smile, tail wagging at the familiar sight of his face. She was glad to see him, and the rabbit he brought with was an added bonus.

"Vayko," Clover said warmly, now fully turning around to face him. She stepped out of the den, bowing slightly to quickly stretch her front legs after a decent length of time spent cramped inside. "Thank you," she said, glancing down at the rabbit he had brought with him. She was feeling a bit peckish, but it would be rude to not at least offer to share it with him. "Would you like to share it with me?"

what i really need now is a double shot of crown

There was an answer, and his tail wagged lightly from side to side upon hearing the warmth in her tone with a friendly smile on his features. A year ago, he would not have considered bringing her a meal, but now things were different. He’s changed a lot… he liked to think that he had grown into a wolf his mother would be proud of. He watched as she stretched and found him finding his seat, falling back onto his haunches as his tail wrapped as much as it could around his legs.

He shook his head at the question of sharing. “No, it’s all for you.” She was working hard; he didn’t really understand herbs and healing too much, but what he did know was that spring was a busy time for healers because he had noticed the way she spent so much time working in the den lately. “What have you been up to? I’ve hardly seen you around.” That was perhaps his own fault as well. He had been lost in his own head with everything that had happened over the past few months: his father, Modesto, his mother still missing…

Vayko assured her that she didn't need to share, and she wouldn't push him to change his mind. It was nice that he had brought her something to eat, and so she sat back on her haunches to mirror his position. She'd wait to see what he wanted before eating it, not knowing if the visit was purely just to give her a gift of food or if there was something on his mind.

She hummed softly under her breath at his question, an ear twitching slightly to the side as a half-grimace momentarily appeared on her maw. Being so busy with reordering her medicinal den, Clover possible had been a bit distant from everyone else, even sleeping inside it some nights rather than going back to the communal den. Perhaps she should take some time to catch up with everyone before going back to her pre-spring cleaning.

"I've been cleaning out my den to throw out any old herbs and make room for what I'll be gathering up once the snows melt and plants begin to grow again." Her tail thumped softly on the ground beside her as she spoke, lips curling up in another smile at him. "I guess I got a bit too focused on my work lately." She could be a bit tunnel-visioned sometimes.

"What about you?" She asked Vayko, cream ears pricking forward with curiosity, wondering what he had been up to in the recent weeks.

what i really need now is a double shot of crown

She sat back on her haunches but did not touch the food and uncharacteristically he felt a sense of nerves. Did she not like it? Was it not enough? What was even causing him to act like this? He truly did not understand what was going on in his own head right now. He hummed as she spoke about her work and he nodded as he relaxed, letting his limbs slide out in front of him. It sounded like she both needed and deserved a break and so maybe some idle conversation would help. “It happens… especially with there being so much to do. It sounds like you’ve been working yourself ragged.” There was a hint of a lighthearted tease at the end of his sentence.

The question was a more difficult one to answer and he simply hummed. “A lot of patrolling, and planning.” The season was upon them and he was preparing for Viorel and Vanadis to have another litter, which meant scoping out caches that would be safe from flooding so they did not run into a repeat of the previous spring. “I’ve been trying to figure out who my new advisor is going to be with Modesto gone… and my father, he’s found his way here.” That was a whole can of worms he had already discussed with Sharlee but no one else in particular. “Just the usual, I suppose.” He added because apart from the whole run-in and acceptance of Rochus, there was nothing else really.

She was glad that Vayko didn't appear to be bothered by how busy she had been. The teasing tone didn't go unnoticed, and Clover let out a semi-dramatic sigh. "Between the kids and my duties, it's a wonder I even get enough sleep every night." While not untrue, making sure all the children were good and that she was not behind on her tasks was something she took joy in, even if some days it left her with only the desire to eat and sleep. But she wouldn't change it for anything.

Her head canted slightly to the side at his mention of planning, a flash of curiosity in her eyes. But she didn't interrupt, instead wanting him to continue and explain what he meant by that. Her ears drooped just a tad at the mention of Modesto once again - Clover had yet to really ask how Vayko had felt about everything that happened due to being so busy. But then he went on to mention that his father had appeared, and at that her lips curled up in another grin. Surely that was a good thing, having more of his family find them. She would certainly be overjoyed if her father appeared at their doorstep.

"Sounds like you've also been pretty busy," she said with another soft hum, not quite sure how to navigate the topic that was Modesto. "I don't envy you having to find a new advisor, but if you ever need anything, even just to talk, I'll always be here for you." Her words were full of sincerity as she looked at him, wanting him to know that whatever he needed she would try to help him with, no matter what it was about.

what i really need now is a double shot of crown

The kids. The reminder of her children softened his expression slightly. What was he doing? She’d had children with his cousin surely that made her unavailable, right? What was he even saying? Viorel didn’t have any kind of claim to her; she was her own wolf who could make her own decisions. He pushed it down deep. He realized he had not said anything. “You have good kids, albeit all of Viorel’s children seem to have an edge of chaos to them.” He put the fault of that onto his cousin because it certainly did not come from Clover.

The mention of his father did not brighten his features like it did her. The woman in front of him was not a therapist, and so he saw no need to curse her with the mental spaghetti about that situation. He nodded at her statement. “I suppose I have been.” He hummed out simply before she contemplated further. “Thank you… of all the friends in my life, you’re the one I’m most thankful for.” He admitted quietly before chuckling softly. “Quite the change from last year, right?” The tease continued because of course he had been a little shit for so long, and especially to her.

Soft laughter fell from her lips at his comment on the chaotic nature of all the kids. Vayko certainly was not incorrect with his statement, and it only took a small amount of process of elimination to figure out what the cause of their chaos was from. But she wouldn't trade away that rambunctious streak in them for anything, in fact it just made her appreciate them all that much more. "They do keep me on my toes." But it was in a good way.

Her ears twitched at the mention of them being friends, and she grinned at him, going as far to step towards him to gently bump their shoulders together at his teasing words. Had that word been brought up this time during the last time spring had just been around the corner, she would not have considered them to be friends in the least. But now? Most definitely. Their relationship had come leaps and bounds to where it was now, and she felt she could really relax around him.

"It's a change that I'm appreciative for," Clover said with another small chuckle, and with just a bit of a teasing tone to her words. "But you're stuck with me now, no take-backsies."

what i really need now is a double shot of crown

Vayko smiled and chuckled softly. They were good kids, but they certainly did have that twinge of chaos to them that came with carrying the Valle name… he was still thinking about what Sharlee had said to him about reinventing what it meant to be a Valle, and defining it for themselves. When had they grown old enough to make these kinds of decisions… to have children? He didn’t know; it was beyond him. She grinned back at him and it soothed him just a bit. He lightly bumped back as she bumped their shoulders together. It had been quite a process.

His chuckle turned to a soft snort. “I wouldn’t trade our friendship for anything… besides, I think it is you who is stuck with me.” He teased again because he was known for being chaotic. He looked at his paws for a moment in contemplation, taking a breath and then he brought his gaze back up to her. “Do you like it? Being a parent, I mean…” He asked, though he gave no indication of the direction he was going to take this conversation. “Vi keeps teasing me about becoming a father just like he did, but I don’t know. Being responsible for life just seems… daunting. Were you scared at all?”

She stuck the tip of her tongue out with a very soft raspberry noise at his retort, but secretly she was glad that they were able to be so easygoing with each other, especially compared to how it had been when they first met. "I'll meet you in the middle: we're stuck with each other," Clover said with a sense of finality, diminished only by the large grin still on her face.

Her head canted to the side slightly at the sudden change in tone, one ear twitching as she contemplated his question while waiting for him to continue. There was no doubt about it that she was inherently good at being a parent given her caring and nurturing nature, and while she had not expected to have children so early in life, she wouldn't have done it any differently. Being a parent was just as important as being a healer to her now.

The grin morphed into a more softer smile when Vayko finished speaking, and she found herself humming softly while she thought about how to answer his question. "A bit yea. I helped my mother raise my younger siblings so I knew what it was like... but actually doing it myself," she took a moment to look at him, lifting her shoulders in a small shrug, "I don't know, it felt different and I hadn't been with the group for very long. But I'm glad I took the chance, I wouldn't change our family for anything."

Clover moved to gently bump her nose against his cheek fur, giving him ample opportunity to pull away if he didn't want to accept the gesture. "Being a parent is hard work, but to see the children live their best lives every day makes it all worth it. And I think you could make just as good of a father as Viorel." While just as chaotic as his cousin, she could tell that Vayko took his responsibilities seriously, and that made her sure that he would do great as a parent. The only thing missing was someone who he would have children with, and Clover was pretty sure she was the only eligible female in the pack so far.

The thought brought a warmth creeping up her face, and she found herself gently biting her tongue and turning away slightly, even though she knew her thick fur would hide any physical appearance of the blush.