04-23-2008, 10:24 PM
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private for Maria[/html]
For the lupines of the new Insieme clan, the last few days had been hectic to an extreme. Laying claim to the land, securing borders; establishing ranks and rules and festivities. They were all building their lives anew together, a task every bit as difficult as he'd imagined it. The stress was taking its toll on all of them - Giuseppe especially could feel himself stretched thin physically and mentally. And yet, the exhaustion was bittersweet; he was more content now than he had been in months. Perhaps it was the fresh air of the New World or the rekindling of familial ties.
Family was still a novel thing, however. The peace he and Maria had found upon the night of their reunion was short-lived. A tense void replaced it, full of things unsaid and (on Giu's part) old suspicions revisited. Still, Giuseppe was avoiding the confrontation he knew was necessary for healing, because even this half-relationship was better than nothing at all.
Finally one morning before the heat of the day, the broad-shouldered Luperci went to look for his lady-love. She probably wouldn't be far, not with her leg still tender. Perhaps the beach he'd check first, among the post-dawn seabirds.