My heart saw the things my eyes couldn't see; Iset

[Fox]

My heart saw the things my eyes couldn't see

For just a second (the briefest of seconds), it seems he had stirred her. Had broken through that hard, calloused exterior to reach the tender heart beneath. The choked ‘thank you’, two simple words of gratitude that tell him everything he needs to know. The bright smile that touches his lips at that is warm, true, his eyes sparkling with earnest warmth as he shifts closer to her. Close enough to touch. Close enough that he can reach out, offer a gentle press of his velvet muzzle against the softness of her neck.

“You’re very welcome,” he whispers, his breath slipping against her warm skin. Lips stretching into a grin, her finds her mane, teeth tugging gently on the the shimmering strands before he withdraws, once more allowing her her space. A merry twinkle is evident in his amber gaze as he seeks her eyes once more, his tone, slightly louder now, low with good humor. “I like you, Iset.” His voice drops then, a faint of teasing entering the timbre. “Thorns and all.”

But then she is withdrawing, pulling back to allow him to slip alongside her. It seems she didn’t wish him getting too cozy here. Not that that particularly bothers him. There’s plenty of time as it is something of a hike to Tephra. And frankly, he’s pretty good at wearing a body down. In a good way, naturally.

“Oh, the cold ain’t got nothin’ on me,” he quips with a faint chuckle as he easily falls in alongside her. He matches her pace, bright gaze shifting as he divides his attention between the rocky and path and Iset. He rather likes looking at her. She is quite pretty, after all. And didn’t we already mention he’s a bit of a connoisseur of beauty? Well, if not, he definitely is.

“So Iset, tell me about yourself,” he continues, easily filling the silence as they walk. “I mean, Hyaline is so new I’m sure you couldn’t have been born here. At least I hope not. If that’s the case, I seriously need to re-evaluate my observation skills.” He laughs at the last, taking a quick peek at her from the corner of his eye. “So where are you from? And I suppose I should ask, where else have you been?”

Fox

[Iset]

Iset

there's an old man sitting on the throne that is saying
I should probably keep my pretty mouth shut.

Never had she ever seen someone as impenetrably happy as Fox. While she was swallowing a lump of gratitude he was smiling at her like she had just told the joke of the century. With no caution or hesitation, he sidles slightly closer to her and reaches out, softly pressing his warm nose to the side of her neck. She leans into him unconsciously, craving the contact and affection that she had not felt in so very long. Her eyes close at the feel of his warm breath dancing across her skin. 

He grins again (so. Damn. Happy.) and pulls lightly on the bronze strands of her mane before releasing her and retreating from their close proximity. Her eyes flutter open and she takes a moment to readjust to the light and the lack of connection the the horse at her side before focusing on his words. 

'I like you, Iset.'

He likes her? But why would he like her? He had seen what she had caused, seen the damage and destruction that had ensued because of her. She laughs lightly, and a bit of her old sarcasm and sass enters her tone when she says, “Well of course, why wouldn’t you?” But something is still off in her tone; still, she is not herself. 

He makes another joke, and this time she laughs because obviously the cold doesn’t affect him. He has a hold on the icy snow just as Levi had a hold on the flames. Polar opposites, those too are. They walk together for a while, managing about five minutes of quiet companionship before he begins to ask her about herself. And for some reason unbeknownst to her, she actually answers him.

Before she does, however, she fakes (a pretty damn convincing) look of anger and indignation before spitting out, “Are you saying I look old?” She is quite proud that even after all of the losses she had taken recently that she could still manage to inject so much venom and bite into a tone. She gives him a moment to flounder before giggling girlishly and shaking her head lightly to assure him she was only teasing him. Two can play at his game. 

“I came to Hyaline with my brother Amet. We, along with my twin Sakir, are from the Dunes, outside of Beqanna. Sakir did not join us until we had already lain claim to Hyaline, and that caused a bit of drama as well.” It would take a long time to get into her past in the Dunes, and that wasn’t something Iset cared to relive often. Maybe another time, she thought, she would share the details of her early life with Fox. 

“I haven’t been much anywhere else, really. The Meadow, the Forest, Hyaline and the Dunes are the only places I’ve been. What about you?” She questions, genuinely curious as to what sort of places Beqanna held.  

[Fox]

My heart saw the things my eyes couldn't see

He savors the way she leans into him, enjoying the brief caress in her own private way. He uses the excuse to linger before allowing her to escape him, before pulling back and giving her space. He has no desire to push her too far. They have plenty of time, and he’d rather win her over the old fashioned way. So much sweeter then.

Not that he’d tell her that. The way she uses her wit and sarcasm as a barrier against such closeness and familiarity tells him enough to know better than that. Besides, he is confident in his ability to survive her barbs. He suspects (knows) an incredible woman lingers beneath that prickly exterior, and he is patient enough to wait for her to come to him in her own time. Besides, he’s not lying about liking her just as she is. It seems he has a weakness for women with mettle.

Her rather impish response to his admission amuses him, and he offers her a sly wink in response. “No false modesty,” he quips with a grin. “I like that too.”

He likes her laugh, would love to see her laugh more often. The way it lights her features and softens the feminine lines intrigues him. Not that he hasn’t already been trying, but he would do his best to see her laugh again. It is rather a good look for her.

Fortunately (or perhaps unfortunately), Fox is equally impervious to anger (even fake anger), and so her sharp tone and indignant huffing only serve to broaden the grin upon his lips. He likes her laughter, but he’d be lying if he said he didn’t like her anger too. The fire inside her lights, a fierceness that draws him like a moth to flame. Makes him want to do nothing so much as stoke the flames. And instead of becoming flustered, he laughs before offering a wink and a gently teasing, “Positively ancient.”

But then he is distracted by her talk of her family and of her former home. Amber eyes lighting, he eyes her with open curiosity as they continue on their path towards Tephra (a journey that would soon bring them across the river). “Ooooo, the Dunes?” he repeats. “I’ve never been there. Sounds fascinating!”

He considers her quietly for a moment before his features split into a grin once more. “Well, I think we will have plenty to explore then. I’ve been lots of places already, but I have yet to make it to Nerine, Sylva, or Ischia. Sounds like a good starting place to me though, after Tephra of course. At least, if you think you’d like that.”

Fox

We can switch this over to Tephra whenever you'd like. Mostly he's just a chatty cathy XD