And promise me this, you'll wait for me only.

For the mood <3

---

He'd promised himself he wouldn't roam, that he would root himself to Vanderfell and commit himself solely to caring for his packmates. And Quicksilver had done well: he strengthened their borders and tended the garden, set herbs out to sun-dry with Autumn's approach and prepared a den for Winter storage. Heartache had done wonders for his work ethic, as the druid dived headfirst into anything that might distract him from the hurt.

But he was tired. He was exhausted in all ways, more so on the days when memory would drop a great weight unexpectedly on his already bowed shoulders.

I am terribly sorry. That's what she'd told him.

And oh, how it tore at him. He'd known right at the centre of his being that Reiko would not return the intensity of love that burned in him for her, but the confirmation of it hadn't helped him find closure. Instead, he felt as though he might soon face a downward spiral.

There was a frost underfoot as Quicksilver wandered aimlessly through an unknown meadow, between towering sequoia that stood guard at its edge. Each exhale came in a pale cloud that faded into the crisp night air; he glanced around with pale eyes as he stepped into the open and drank deep the sight of mountains that reared up before him. The druid paused to quietly admire the way moonlight softly illuminated the land and the stillwater lake, and thought fondly of @Izumi.

---

+1 discovery

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---

 The crane found herself wandering near the mountains again, though this time her journey was no meaningless one and her sights were set on finding a particular face. As to what she'd be going out to seek the druid this late at night for wasn't something she thought about at first, but the day was far too busy for a trip so far out into the tundras -- ecspecially with her newest promotion as Duchess.

 Their prior meeting ended too abruptly for Izumi's taste, and the siamese felt it necessary to extend it with another.......ah wait, maybe this was stupid of her. To go and visit Vanderfell's borders, sweaty palmed and quite, just to visit someone who'd probably be asleep and far too tired to bother accepting more of her banter anyway. 'Perhaps it would just be best to turn back soon and try again in the morning....'

 Strangely enough, however, her travels did not need to extend as far as Vanderfell -- Quicksilver was not far from where she was.....that was him, right? -- It was! So wait, what the hell was he doing all the way out here so late then? This was fine though, actually, as it meant Izu wouldn't be waking him out of sleep for something she thought was unimportant.

 And as she carried on forward towards the silver druid, a soft -woof- was issued in his direction. With that was an expression and regal poise which sought to hide any anxiety or second guessing which might've plauged the crane's mind before, but it was true where her curiosity lied right now...

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Above, a bird hovered silently. Quicksilver was drawn to the movement of it as it swooped, lightning-fast, several yards in front of him. It was a raptor, swift and majestic, though it was too quick for him to determine the exact species. Gripped firm between its claws was a tiny creature - a mouse or vole, perhaps - and the druid watched as they disappeared toward the distant treeline.

As he lowered his pale muzzle, powder blue eyes caught sight of a familiar figure. On long, darkened limbs the crane seemed to venture his way. Quicksilver stared at her in surprise for a long moment before he pressed forward, eager to shorten her journey to him by playing his own part in closing the distance between them.

“Izumi?” He wondered what might've brought her so far from Shiroshika's claim. Something uncertain tightened in Quicksilver's gut as fear forced the uncomfortable flutter in his chest; had Reiko told her what he'd said at the Vanderfell wedding?

---

+1 discovery

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 The white plume above Izumi's rump began to slowly wave when the silver white acknowledged her presence, but dark ears flattened against a pale crown as some of the confidence from earlier began chipping away. For the few seconds in which he paused to stare at her, Izu rewinded the situation a couple times in her head to make sure it didn't look like she'd been watching him from afar again. No, the crane only stopped to approach and that was all -- hopefully it would've looked that way and not how she'd dread it to seem.

 She cleared her throat "I was coming to Vanderfell to look for you, but I wasn't aware you'd been wandering as well." she revealed, and took a moment to pause and seek a reaction from him, which she simultaneously anticicipated and feared. Who would expect to be sought out at such an hour? -- who would even want to be sought out at such an hour? Surley not Quicksilver -- It was written all over his face. The reason he was suprised, too.

 "If I'm interrupting something though I....I can leave you, if you'd wish?"

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She seemed happy to see him, but something shifted in her body language. The enthusiasm of her waving tail lessened and her ears splayed backward, as though submissive or afraid. Anxious? Quicksilver knew Izumi to be as introverted as he, so he tried not to read too much into her awkwardness.

“For me?” The druid's brow lifted, his pastel gaze surprised to hear that someone... actually chose to seek him out. And for what? He was nothing spectacular, little more than awkward conversation and averted eyes, as Reiko's rejection confirmed.

The hour was late, and his concern heightened. There were many predators who prowled the darkness, wolf included. He blinked, moving in closer to have a better look at Izumi's face to be sure that she was unharmed just as she offered to excuse herself.

“Oh, I-” he fumbled with his words, “no, no, I... I'd like the company. Are you alright?”


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 "Yeah, uhm..." as expected, he looked surprised. Of course since nobody would go out this late to hound someone down unless it was for something important -- she only hoped her reason didn't sound strange or something. "I would've sought you out sooner, but I was a bit busy during the day. That's why I--" and before she could even finish the words which tried to form on her tongue, Izu had already forgotten how to speak all in one moment.

 The druid's approach was anticipated, but it was the closeness that had surprised her. Lilac orbs stared into their pastel counterparts, and a gulp of air was pushed down her throat when she began to feel his breath against her as he spoke. If Izu had human skin, she'd be sweating bullets right about now -- and as soon as she felt something strange form in the pit of her stomach, she made the move to shuffle some space back herself. How did one speak english again?

 "Yeshi'mokaythanksforasking-"

 Not like that.

 The willowy crane took a moment to sit, inviting him to do the same if he so wished, and allowed herself to gaze up at the star-littered sky to catch her breath and keep the blood from pooling in her cheeks. "I realized I cut our last meeting short last time, so I thought it would be okay if I visited you for another..."

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Her increasing discomfort made his nervous, and pressure began to mount behind his eyes as a hundred and one uncertain questions flooded his mind. Quicksilver, always in the background, the forgotten druid, the lost boy... why in the world would someone, anyone, wish to seek him in the night simply to share his forlorn company?

There was only one genuine explanation he could think of: Reiko had told Izumi of his confession, and this... this was her being sympathetic? She likely pitied him for the rejection he'd endured, and the realisation settled heavy in the pit of his belly.

Izumi scooted aside, which was troubling, but she lowered her haunches and he lingered on his feet a moment longer to assure himself that it was okay for him to sit also. He settled, his gaze averted as to the moonlit valley stretched out before them as she looked away and a silver ear cocked curiously in her direction. Quicksilver was made all the more confused at her reasoning which seemed so harmless, and the sweetness of her intention warmed his cheeks.

But it wasn't genuine, surely.

Rather than press for the truth, the silverwhite simply answered, “I am glad you are here with me.”

---

+1 discovery

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 "I'm glad you are here with me."

 Her skyward gaze trailed back down to him, thankful and warm all the same that her presence wouldn't be turned away afterall. The druid's words hit a sweet spot within Izu that made her relax some, and with the ease in tension came some more confidence -- she was glad that he was here, too.

 Contrary to what Quicksilver wished to believe, the young crane was virtually ignorant to most if not all of what happened during the wedding in Vanderfell. She had failed to ask Reiko, who was supposedly invited to the event with that mysterious man she's still never seen, and nearly forgot that it even happened due to being so accustomed to Rei's absence. Crowds of people she's never met before wasn't really a comfortable position for Izumi to be in, but it still would've been nice to be invited, too -- out of curiosity.

 So her inquiries turned to Quicksilver instead. He was a member of Vanderfell, and Izu doubted he missed such an event.

 "I heard there was a wedding in Vanderfell. Reiko had attended with one of our samurai, but I never really found out what happened during it. Was it...fun?"

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His gentle words regained her attention, for he felt her gaze upon the side of his face. Still Quicksilver stared ahead, up at the navy sky littered with stars behind darkened clouds, and his ears lifted as one darted over snow-capped mountains where it fizzled away to nothing in the atmosphere.

He exhaled, finding himself thankful for the silence that hung between he and Izumi. The awkwardness remained, the not knowing, and he could smell the unmistakable scent of Reiko waft beneath his nose from her furs as the breeze swept through.

Oh, the ache right at the heart of him. He worried that it would never lessen.

Even her mention of the Vanderfell wedding sent a shiver trailing along the length his spine for although the day had been magical for his friends, Quicksilver had been made broken by the end of it. “It was...” he pondered, not wanting to appear too forlorn as he mustered a sad smile and turned his head to seek the lovely lilac of Izumi's gaze, “quite the occasion. The new couple are very happy together.”

A pause, and he cleared his throat. “Are you, uhm-” he rolled a shoulder, stretching it free of a tension that suddenly built there, “are you... have you someone to go home to, Izumi?”

---

+1 discovery

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 Yet his desolation reached her despite this, and the smile he'd wear on his face did little to hide it. She knew this air -- it was the same air that surrounded Izu whenever her emotions remained hidden behind that still-doll expression. If only the dame knew what Quicksilver was struggling with....but he still remained elusive. Regardless, she'd accept this space between them if that was what made him comfortable -- she was probably still nothing more than a stranger to him. Even if she wished to know more about him.

 "Someone to.....go home to? I...." His questioning earned a tilt in her head. What did he mean? Of course she had someone to go home to -- Shiroshika was where the girl lived, after all. Where the ones she held close enough to call friends lied in wait, and she'd even feel comfortable to see herself with a family there one day....whenever that day was, with whoever she'd see fit. 

 Unless he wasn't even talking about that at all....oh!

 "--I came here by my lonesome, if that's what you're referring to? I didn't wish to wake anyone in my absence tonight..." Maybe he was asking how she'd be getting home, then.

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“Ah, no, I... uh,” a beat of laughter, awkward, floated from his maw as he glanced with discomfort down at his paws. Quicksilver had not expected her to misunderstand the meaning behind his question considering their brief discussion of the Vanderfell wedding.

The silverwhite felt himself begin to falter. There was no desire in him to court Izumi, for the dagger of Reiko's rejection had embedded itself deep into the heart of him, but he was selfish in his grief. Quicksilver felt that the crane's friendship was dear to him despite the freshness of it. If she had a partner waiting for her at home while she roamed South in search of his companionship...

He couldn't allow that.

“Do you... have a husband?”


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 Oh christ. She couldn't have been more off the marker on that one, huh?

 What he'd meant instead didn't fail at surprising her, with the whites of her eyes widening and ink-welled ears pointed like they needed to hear a second time. She did not bother hiding the rosy tint in her pale cheeks, not that she would've had time to notice it in the first place. A Husband!? She barely turned 2! Well...it would not be long until she'd reach her third year of living during the autumn season, but Izumi still considered herself young enough.

 ....then, she remembered that they were just talking about a wedding -- for godsakes -- and the context of his question became more understandable.

 The fae calmed her racing mind with a sigh, though the pink pigment against her skin only deepened in embarrassment. "Ah……私はばかげている…ごめんなさい…" — Ah....I'm a dumbass...sorry... Izumi breathed with closed eyes. It was no whisper of the sorts, but she was never expecting the silver knight to understand her words in the first place -- they were more towards her than anything.

 "I am not wedded to anyone...sorry, the question just caught me off guard..."

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Ah, he'd made her uncomfortable again. Quicksilver blinked, his ashen ears sweeping backward apologetically, and he gathered to his paws. There was no use in them sitting fidgeting over one another's words. With a soft chuff he beckoned her to walk with him, an invitation to explore not only the land but... whatever connection they might share that seemed to bring them together time and time again.

“I'm sorry,” the druid offered gently, his pastel gaze sweeping briefly over the grasses as he began to pick his way through the frosted field. He tossed a glance over a rugged shoulder to check that the crane had followed, “I didn't mean to make you feel awkward, I... am not very good at-”

At anything, really.

“You caught me off guard too, by leaving your home to find me. Nobody... nobody's ever really sought me out just to talk to me, so I... I appreciate that.”


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 Her violet gaze had traveled upwards to find the silver druid had no longer seated himself -- was it time for him to go then? Wait, no; he was inviting her to follow him. She wasn't sure where, but...a walk didn't sound all that bad right now. Actually, some brisk pacing could be helpful in blowing off this steam between them...

 The dame wasted no time following his movements when he turned to look at her, ombred legs sweeping in graceful motions towards Quicksilver's side. Any of the awkward feelings he felt obligated to apologize for -- Izumi didn't think he could help. She was just socially inept, is all. Shy was not one thing to call her since she'd been exposed to social situations from a young age, but that didn't necessarily make her an expert in comparison to those who chose extroversion.

 To put it simply, awkwardness practically swam in her veins just as much as her own blood. The things Quicksilver claimed to not be good at? She was probably just as bad. The only difference is her practice in pretending nothing was wrong, hiding behind a face of indifference and a poise of dignity. That frail little girl from so long ago hasn't really changed much...

 "Oh, was that strange of me?" the princess pondered softly, eyes reflecting the glittered sky they walked beneath. Her face had managed to cool down some, but a soft glow still colored it for the present. "I would've thought anyone would have the desire to visit their friend for a conversation here and there. You have friends in Vanderfell, don't you?"

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Quicksilver, too, was socially inept - and it bothered him to not know if he'd always been that way. If he really had been the aforementioned Sundance in a previous lifetime, that character's more positive traits had not been adopted by him. It was a pity, the druid mused, for he truly longed to be the type of wolf to attract the companionship of others, yet all he really seemed good for was throwing himself into awkward situations.

Like Ira and Hiero's wedding, for example.

A shiver tugged at his hide, and Quicksilver shook it off. He hated himself for that night, for hoping that his confession and the rejection that followed would give him the closure he needed to move on. He hated that Reiko still remained at the forefront of his mind and controlled the unpredictable flow of his emotion, that the memory of her smile was enough to weaken his knees.

Stop, he mused, stop thinking.

“Hm?” Izumi's voice drew him from the darkness, beckoned him once more into conversation, “oh, no, it's not strange of you at all, I... it's just... I didn't think I was the most... approachable?”

He glanced at her, a timid smile tugging a corner of his mouth. Vanderfell had opened its arms to Quicksilver and he was one of them, but there was so much of him missing. He couldn't possibly be the best version of himself, and had made many failures in acknowledging that. “I do, and they are very dear to me, I... I'm being ridiculous.”

Of course he believed that they cared about him: Ira, Hiero, Winter, even Orlaith in her own way. But Quicksilver was afraid of being a burden to the pack, oftentimes convinced that to be so. He had no shortage of comradery in Vanderfell - it was loneliness in the absence of love that got him so down.


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 To think that Quicksilver would see himself as unapproachable didn't fail at confusing Izumi -- how could he? He was a kind man with a gift at making her feel safe, even during all the times were she'd become awkward around him. If anything, Izumi had been the more unapproachable of the two -- so it was a mystery on how he'd been able to stand there and witness the insecure mess she saw herself as....if you take out the whole "resting bitch face" thing, that is.

 As a way of reassurance, the crane moved in a tad closer to the silver druid as they walked, brushing a shoulder against his. "You aren't being ridiculous, Quicksilver. Actually....it's quite refreshing to open up about this when I didn't know much about you not too long ago......hey..."

 The next question she wanted to ask caved into a pause of hesitation, and it was the same question he had asked her. There was no way Quicksilver wasn't in a relationship at all, right? A hauntingly beautiful man with the heart of a saint -- it was quite unrealistic of her to think there wasn't a woman on his mind or at his side. Even so...why did the thought of it slightly....bother her?

 She decided to push the strange feeling aside.

 "You asked me about my marital status, but what about you?" The crane asked, more softly than she would've wanted to vocalize. "Do you have a wife of your own to go home to?"

 Oh wait, no. It probably shouldn't have been fair to assume he'd been attracted to the fairer sex in the first place.

 "O-or a husband?-" She blurted out a couple seconds after.

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The land was beautiful, at least as far as he could see. Its verdant grasses, kissed by frost, crunched with a satisfying sound beneath each press of a paw, and he briefly acknowledged the plume of smoke from the end of his snout as he exhaled. Quicksilver liked to think he'd always enjoyed the Wintertime despite his poor experience at the tail-end other previous cold season.

There was just something magical about it, especially with a friend at his side.

Encouraged once more to reality with a nudge of Izumi's shoulder to his own, the druid blinked toward her face in search of wisteria eyes. He smiled for her, bashful, and averted his gaze once again as he dared to make a sweeping stride close enough to feel the heat of her flank so near to his.

Her reassurance was welcome, and the alabaster tip of his tail gave a merry little twitch between his slender hocks. Always grateful for that, Quicksilver very much wanted to express it, but it seemed she wasn't finished with what she had to say. Not wishing to overwhelm her by gawking, he opted to simply listed with a sterling ear cupped her way.

And oh, how her question pierced his longing heart. The silverwhite felt a muscle tighten as he considered it, the lost opportunity, the ache in his soul; he needed to forget, wanted to move on. “I...” he paused, swallowed, “I do not, but... but I would like to, someday.”

Someday.

With an awkward beat of laughter, Quicksilver clarified: “have a wife, I mean.”

---

+1 discovery

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 The land that hugged them was beautiful, wasn't it? It had not been a place she'd encountered before, but she was glad to have come here -- highlands that seemed untouched by the naked eye with the exception of viridecents and painted flowers, topped with the blanket of frost from its peaks. All of which was visible from soft moonglow which seemed to gently caress anything in its waking path, including the presence of the two who dared to invade the forbidden garden.

 There was something intoxicating about this closeness, and it felt as if Izumi was getting her fill of something she'd been starved of for far too long -- but of what? What about his presence caused something warm and fuzzy to flutter in her chest. She didn't know -- she wasn't aware -- but what Fujiwara was sure of is that she didn't want it to end. Something strong enough to crack the surface of what had once been the shield for her vulnerable state -- she had not noticed the damage that had been done to these walls, but she didn't want to leave it behind...

 He went on to confirm that he'd not been wedded himself which, other that giving her a strange sense of relief, had the dame thinking long and hard to herself about something she'd never really thought to ponder about before; and that was the idea of marriage. To share vows with someone you'd be spending the rest of your life with would sound scary to anyone, really. In Izumi's way of thinking, if she were to marry someone one day, it had to be someone she knew well enough to trust...having been raised to have a distrust in her male counterparts and lack of confidence as a partner in general, the crane had never pictured herself in such a scenario. More accurately -- she had never thought herself capable of love at all...

 "Marriage...has always been a strange subject for me..." The woman settled to say with a thoughtful glance towards the sky."My parents would've liked to see me and my siblings married off one day, but I'd never considered myself fit to be seen in that way by another before. As someone's potential wife, so...I never really gave it a second thought as a potential future. You though..."

 She then turned back to Quicksilver, both her gaze and her words genuine, along with the soft smile that found her beneath a moon light's gleam;

 "--I think you'd make a perfect husband for the wife you seek."

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Izumi shared with him her thoughts of marriage, and as she spoke he wondered if she'd been reared to harbour a more negative opinion on sharing vows with another. Quicksilver, without any strong memory of his own childhood, had only vague recollection to go on: three parents who'd adored him, who loved one another fiercely. Who they were was a mystery to him, but he retained enough knowledge of their joint mateship to believe that a partnership of his own could only bring good into his life.

Her mention of being "married off" didn't sit right with him, and the idea of a mother or father looking to their children as an object to sell or use fir their own benefit was something Quicksilver would never understand. Should he ever be blessed enough to become a father, he wanted nothing more than to be the best version of himself - for his sons, for his daughters. They deserved the capacity of his love, and to allow them choice in which path to follow was a basic right.

The crane spoke kindly to him, issued a compliment that roused butterflies in his belly. He pointed his alabaster muzzle to her and offered an appreciative smile as he met the glimmering lilac of her gaze, but swiftly turned away again as his skin flushed beneath his eyes.

“You are too good to me,” and he, undeserving.

Quickening his stride, the druid invited his companion to match pace with him. A run would do them good, he fancied, and provide an opportunity to stretch the stiffness from their beings and find some form of release.

To lope through the moonlit woods and frolic together in the shallows of the lake, relishing the magic of freedom.


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Ayo I'm late aF but I'll wrap it up!

---

 A certain fondness found it's way in her softened gaze as she looked his way -- A gaze that lingered a little longer than it should have, even when he turned his rose powdered muzzle away. She couldn't help but feel a heart lurch in her own chest few times too many, in an uncontrolled spasm that sent surprise in her rounded lilac stare, and only in a moment of panic and confusion did the siamese look down towards her feet as they walked.

 What was wrong? Had she been so nervous of relaying her family troubles to the moon dusted boy? Relieved that her words hadn't managed to sink the mood? -- or was something more complex taking a hold of the woman's being -- something more foreign than she'd realized? Izumi; a woman who took strength in the knowledge that she could just hide vulnerability from the world and not get hurt doing so -- why did it feel like that someone stripped her of her own iron-laden armor with just their gaze?

 A snap and a flash later, and the silver pelt woven in white had dashed in the corner of her eyes.

 "Quicksi-!" she exclaimed her surprise, though she did not stop her pace to slow -- it quickened in the beat of his. A moment's past and the blood which pumped the veins of her running legs drowned out any silence or confusion that raced through her mind. Right now, It did not matter if nothing could be understood better enough to process in the confounds of her mind. Izumi only wished for the moment to take her instead as they raced off into the night...

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