Neela leant back against the wall and let the last stabs of warmth from the setting sun wash across her face. The collie was currently resting in one of the windows that lined the fort, back against the wall and legs splayed across the sill.
It was odd but in the few days that she had been here Casa di Cavalieri had started to feel like more of a home to Neela than Ichika no Ho-en ever did. Life in the fort was more comfortable for the collie, lacking the constant sense that she was lying to the pack that had plagued her when she was in Ichika. Tony knew what she had done and accepted her regardless, and perhaps that was all she needed for the moment.
Tony. The brown furred youth was a large part of why she felt so at home here. While it had taken Neela a while to bring herself to accept her attentions it was nice to feel wanted on a more personal level than the camaraderie that existed between packmates.
Neela departed from her thoughts for a moment to stretch, letting out a happy moan as her back arced and then popped in several places. Bringing the Meria Lea round into the pack territory had been quite the job; it was a short sail but her crash had driven the Meria deep into the sand. It had taken several days digging to dislodge the ship and bring her around to the territory but she had done it; from her vantage point she could just see the mast of the Meria sticking over the trees between the fort and the sea, a silhouette against the sun reflecting on the water.
Reaching to the side Neela reached down onto the floor, pulling her guitar up into her lap. The instrument had spent a long time in damp conditions onboard the Meria but its waterproof leather wrapping had done its work and kept the instrument in good condition. Soon the fort was filled with the sound of gently guitar music as Neela closed her eyes and leant her head back against the wall, her fingers moving across the strings almost automatically. Despite all the things that changed in ehr life the calming effect playing the guitar had on her was a comforting constant, a way to relax that was always available.
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