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look, i finally started this! 344 words
A lot had happened since Ares had last met Mati. The whole situation with Amata, and Princess coming back.. a veritable swirl of life-changing events. He wasn't the same person. How long had it been? As long as he had been a member of Crimson Dreams. Almost two months, wow. Did Mati ever think of him? Did she even care that it had been this long? Did she think that he didn't really like her, that he was avoiding her? He had hoped to see her at the pack meeting, but since then his life had been a-swirl with drama. Two months out of his eleven months of life. He was a good deal more mature now. A better person. Would she be the same? Ares had came looking at the Manor, once, before the meeting, but she wasn't around then and he didn't feel like sticking around to meet anyone else.
He climbed up the few steps onto the porch, idly near the front door. He had acquired a few articles of clothing in the meanwhile; seeing Princess wearing human clothes made him want to, too. Ares had on a pair of soft brown leather pants, rolled up to the knee, and an unbuttoned lilac dress shirt was tugged over his gray arms. His fancy book about the Greek gods was tucked under his right arm. He intended to move in today, regardless of whether he found Mati or not, but he really would like to. Otherwise, he might just pick an already occupied room, or pick one that was on the complete other side of the house from her! The place was huge.
Ares' left arm swung forward, tugging open the door, stepping quietly inside and closing it behind him. It felt immensely.. wrong, to howl in this place. Like it would echo all over and wake up anyone still asleep - it was pretty early in the morning. So he just sort of stood there, wondering if fate would throw someone down the stairs that could point him in the right direction.
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& thanks for starting... he practically leaves her speechless xD
She yawed, wide and full. It stretched her jaws and was as satisfying as the stretch she gave. The light in her room was dim as it always seemed in the cloudy summer months, and yet she felt the warmth of the sun on her face. Violet eyes blinked against sleep and stood to admire the meadow that sprawled beyond the back of the massive manor. There was a thick haze, and yet it still held a beauty that Mati wished to capture. She looked to her table, covered with the papers and canvases that wore complete or partial pictures. A soft smile came to her face, thinking of the new day, and it’s possibilities. She gathered an old can, brushes and walked out of her door. The picture she had hung on the old oak banged softly as she left. hurryingly moving down the hall and to where water was sometime kept. It wasn’t much for drinking, but at times her mother brought it to the house to water the potted flowers she kept. It was late enough that Anu would be up, and early enough that she wouldn’t miss a can full of water for her paints.
So much had changed. Her birth mother had left, banished and Mati found shame when she thought of it. The fire Naniko lit when Mati had seen her last, the way she had acted was not like a mother. But Mati was grown, and shouldn’t need her mother to always give her comfort. She found it in the care she gave to the pups, the art she created and the company she kept. Naniko would return, if it took weeks and months she would come home to the pack she had created, changed and yet the same wolfess. Mati found a small comfort in the belief, knowing their crumbled family would have one piece brought back to place. At least she hoped.
Her large brush needed cleaning. It was the thought that ran through her mind the moment she found him in her path. She hadn’t expected him, and yet he was not a stranger to her thoughts. He was actually a better friend to her mind’s eye then Mati believed they had become at their first meeting. She had a knack of bringing up unhappy thoughts and making others shut down. She had figured it were the questions she asked, they always seemed like the wrong ones. Though she had made him uncomfortable he had still been warm and friendly as they sat under a night sky. She almost ran into his chest, turning the corner and finding him there. He seemed taller then she remembered, and clothed. Instantly she smiled. His shirt was purple, and the taller fey looked at it with her own violet gaze. The can and brushes were held close to her chest. She suddenly felt naked in front of the outfitted male. Others wore clothing all the time, including her brother and yet she felt a sudden need for more then just her brown to cover the pure wolf that she was.
“Ares.” She said, still sort of surprised to see him. “I see you have your things.” She spoke, stumbling over her words as she almost stumbled over him and still not really looking him in the face, like her courage was lost and he left her with an unsettled and fluttering stomach. He had his book, and that was all he owned. Finally she glanced at his eyes, and her small smile didn’t disappear.
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a reply in less than a week, i am improving! XDD; pretty pretty pretty mati kiritarrr. 401 wrds
Ares waited there five, maybe ten minutes, wondering when people would start waking up. Maybe there just weren't that many people around here, today? Surely if there were, someone would have wandered out towards the door by now! Was there a back door, a preferred exit that could be reached without crossing what Ares had hoped was this pivotal junction in the maze of rooms and hallways?
Just as these thoughts meandered slowly through his mind, there before him was Mati. She looked nearly as surprised as he felt. Her presence was sort of eerily convenient, basically the person Ares would have picked to help him finally settle into the manor if he had had any choice in the matter. The brown girl was holding a can, and some weird brushy things, and Ares couldn't help but wonder what she was doing with them. A little, at least. Because his mind was largely preoccupied with how close they were. She had almost ran into him, loitering as he was, leaning back against the corner near the door that provided the best vantage point. She was taller now, too, still taller than Ares, but they had both grown in stature. They were adults now, basically. Size-wise at least, if still adolescents in heart and mind.
It was at the precise moment that she looked up at him, smiling a smile brilliant enough to illuminate the darkest shadows of his mind that he realized precisely what his feelings were for Mati. He liked her, and more than just as a friend. Like the romances in the stories. Thinking about it now, some of the weird actions humans did in the naughtier books he had read made sort of more sense. It was a strange feeling, a strange realization. It didn't become unpleasant until he realized how stupid he was; why would she ever like him? They barely even knew each other, and once they did it wasn't likely she'd find anything worth clinging to. He would be lucky enough to ever have her as a friend. The self-revelatory moment, as impressive and perspective-altering as it was, occurred in less than a heartbeat. It was only moments between her greeting and his response. "Oh, yeah. I was thinking maybe I'd move in now. Do you know where some empty rooms are?" Please let there be one near you, please let there be one near you.
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im fine with waiting, i hope my rapid reply isn't annoying... :/
sidenote; they are cute, and both their kiritars r steamin' hawt
She liked his shirt, the soft tone of it and the pretty color. A small ounce of her wanted to know the feel of it, was it a soft washed cotton? It looked as if it might be, gentle against the hand and fur. It was almost lavender, and she yet to truly look at the human pants he wore… Mati pulled her mind away, those thoughts were distracting and even though she searched for a distraction, anything to take mind away from the light beating wings in her stomach and the warm glow of her cheeks, it would be embarrassing to show such a flighty expression. It brought confusion to her, and nothing made her want to show him something she couldn’t even understand herself. He would certainly think her a fool.
Yes, he had his book. His clothes. And as he spoke, new deep voice of the grown young male resonating in her ears, Mati began to understand. “Oh.” She said, her eyes lighting up as she turned and placed the can and brushes noisily on the nearest surface. “I can help you find one.” She said as the can rolled form the table and fell to the floor in a clang. Was she nervous? She knelled, fetching the tin thing from the floor and placing it on the table in a flurry of motion. The calm confidence of the evening that they met had disappeared, and Mati searched for it furiously. Rising to her full height, she smiled at him once again.
“Well, there are so many rooms, big ones, small ones...” She began, starting to walk and glad to be moving down the hallway that led to the stairs. “First floor or second?” She asked. Purple eyes looked back to the gold that he owned. Her fingers played with the carved banister of the stairs. Her intentions were jumbled, she wanted him to feel welcomed here and for him to like the room they found. Those hopes blocked the urge she felt to guide him to the room beside hers; empty since the day she was moved into the glass-enclosed porch.
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lawl don't worry about fast replies, i'm just sorry mine are so much slower XD also yusss they are so cute. 326 words~
Mati dropped the thing she was holding, and he would have bent down to help her pick it up, but it had rolled further away from her and there wasn't really any way he could have helped. So Ares just watched her, sort of enjoying the quick moment his eyes had to scan her lovely figure without having to risk being caught. He was glad that she would help him find a room, he wasn't sure what he would have done if she was busy or didn't want to, anymore. But that wasn't anything that he had to worry about, because he had found her and she was going to help.
Ares wasn't sure how answer her questions about where he wanted to stay. He didn't really care about the floor or the size of his room. What he wanted was a place near her. He wasn't sure if he should just come out and say that, or if he should pretend to have some sort of preference, see if she makes any comment about where she lives or anything. But that seemed way too risky, and he'd probably end up having to just be dissatisfied with his place or just have to admit what he was too chicken to just come out and say initially. Gray fingers ran through his dark, short-cropped hair, his yellow eyes glancing directly at her. He could totally play this off in a cool, "oh it'd be nice to live near a friend" sort of fashion. "Well.. I don't really know anyone else," Ares sort of lied. "Where do you live? Is.. there anything open, around there?" He wasn't sure if his desperate attempt to try and stay nonchalant, casual, and only mildly interested in the answer was successful or not.
He shifted his book from under his right arm over to his chest, where he crossed his arms over it, holding it close, physically folding up a bit from his nerves.
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She was feeling clumsy and awkward. The banister steadied her balance and Mati had never been more afraid of tripping over her own feet in all her life. She hadn’t been like this when they first met, hadn’t she felt comfortable around the new Dreamer? But since then thoughts of him had taken a different turn, and the young woman found that she was more unsettled now that he was a friend and no longer a stranger, suddenly completely aware of the position of her body and yet unable to control it.
Standing beside the banister she listened intently. She found it surprising that he hadn’t met and befriended any other pack members. Gullible as she tended to be with those that she truly liked, she believed him and gave an understanding smile.
“I hope everyone has been welcoming.” Hadn’t she said that they would all be nice? She wanted then to, and knew that they should.
“I stay down the hall.” she spoke, as she turned and walked down the hall. Thankfully not tripping over her feet, as she had feared.
Before she reached the open room, one she had pictured him in, she paused at her room. The painting of a sunflower hung on the door, greeting them. The light of the morning sun shone through the large windows. It wasn’t a sparse room, the table she used for her artwork in the center, the small bed off to the side, and the pictures filling any rare windowless wall space. The Church girl reached for the cuff of his shirt, hoping to urge him just a little further.
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being slow on this thread makes me extra sad, cause they're so cute XD tiny bit of pp in here, lemme know if you want me to change anything~ 327 words
Everyone had, actually, been really nice. He just couldn't talk too much about that, not if he was continuing to pretend that he wanted to be near Mati because she was the only one he really knew. So he mumbled something about how they had all been perfectly cordial, but was glad that they were walking briskly enough that there were plenty of other things to discuss. For example, this one that was probably hers. There was a bright flower painting, one that he didn't recognize. It made his mind flash back towards his encounter with Noir, and faint twinges of guilt stirred at that. Where did that come from? He hadn't done anything wrong, then, cuddling with her a little bit, letting her put flowers in his fur. And he wasn't doing anything wrong now, either, doing his best to vaguely flirt with Mati. Why then did he simultaneously feel like he was betraying them both?
"What kind of flower, is this?" Ares peered closer. He had seen art before, but never very frequently and never in such a clean, good condition. "And where'd you get the picture? This is your room, right?" Just to make sure, because his first questions would be silly if the answer to the last was no. His golden gaze peered into the room, curious to discover what she kept in her personal space, to figure out more about her. But she had grabbed hold of his sleeve, and the quick tug dragged him forward obediently without even thinking.
Ares walked just into the empty room she indicated, and he glanced around at the bareness before settling his gaze on the bed. "All the rooms come with one of these?" He took a step further forward, studying it intently. He sort of wanted to sit on it, to figure out what exactly all the fuss about mattresses was about, but he definitely wasn't curious enough to tug his shirt from Mati's grip.
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no worries :] they are too cute!
Her thoughts were very much wrapped up in the boy, and she fought the way he made her feel. It was almost like she was dizzy, or light headed. Mati kept thinking back to the way he looked or smelled, or that he smiled so softly at her. Violet eyes could looked strait at him when he did that, or he would certainly see that she smiled too. Mati had never worried about showing anyone how happy she was, and yet she feared to show the way Ares made her feel. Maybe if she could understand it she would be happy to let him see.
“A sunflower.” she answered him quickly, not sure how to turn the gabber in her voice off. “There are some in my mother’s garden. I painted it.” She said as he asked. It was one of her better pictures, the colors just right in her mind. It was not the most complicated of compositions and still Mati liked it so much she chose to use it as her door decoration. “This is it.” She answered, though did not let him examine it truly. Bringing him to the next room over they both stood outside the doorway and looked in.
She felt the tension on the fingers that held his shirt, and he stepped inside so that he could look at the room properly. Mati stayed in the doorway as he looked around. She smiled softly, though still not completely comfortable. He spoke, eyes on the bed that furnished the room. She let the fabric go at the sound of his voice, “Most do.” Her voice was soft, and the tall female followed him into the room. She didn’t know why, maybe it was her own curiosity eager to know what his room would looked like. “Have you ever slept in one?” She asked. It was an odd question but the first to come to mind. There were plenty that lived a feral life, and Ares seemed to still be wild. With his single book, his purple shirt.
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things are finalllly settled enough i think i will be active again soon! wanna make this a short-ish thread and have a new recent post-fight one soon? 320 words
Ares was very impressed to hear that Mati had painted that picture. That was so cool! It looked way much harder to do than his own relatively meager artistic efforts, the poems that bubbled in his mind and occasionally were transcribed to slips of paper. Some were even written in the margins of his beautiful book on Greek Gods, because he didn't really have a huge selection of paper. His arm tightened on the book unnoticeably. It would be so embarrassing for Mati to see those poems. They just weren't.. that good. Not like her art, this painting. She had real talent. It didn't even cross his mind that it could be wolf-made until she spoke on it's origin, that's how good he thought it was.
A sunflower. It made him think back to his strange encounter with Noir again. The blonde girl-child with the rose and the rich chocolate beauty and her sunflower. He should bring her some sunflowers, sometime. Isn't that what was done? Bringing people flowers? He'd heard of it, but never known anyone who actually had done such a thing. True, he didn't actually.. know that many people. But still, maybe it would be weird, or maybe there were implications to it he didn't understand. Ugh, he'd figure it out later. It was hard enough to survive the tensions and undercurrents of this meeting, let alone to worry about those of future ones.
The gray boy shook his head. "Nah, never slept in one. My mother.." he floundered, unsure where he was going with the sentence. He didn't actually want to detail the sleeping conditions of his childhood, which usually involved being kicked out of the den and consequently curling up at the very mouth of a cave. "Uh, usually preferred regular wolf dens to human ones." Ares finished lamely. Technically true, Tokyo had raised them in a cave, and was probably still living in one now.
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we can wrap it up!
It was a nice room, Mati believed. The window big and letting in lots of sunlight. There was a coating of dust on the windowsill and the furniture, but that was easily fixed. There were shelves for his book, and any that he might find on the city or around the Manor. A chest for his clothes. He would be happy in it, or so she hoped. So many came and went, the young woman did not want Ares to be someone that was only passing through.
Her soft smile remained as he spoke. Mati was curious to know about his family, the history that brought him to Crimson Dreams. There was so much mystery that surrounded Ares, and Mati was naturally curious.
“Oh” The earthen colored female responded, only a small hint of surprise in her tone. It was odd that he had been raised in a cave, or dirt floored den. So had she. As a pup the pair of females she called mothers lived outside the mansion and in a cave all their own. She had never really known why.
“I think you’ll like it.” Mati confirmed, knowing that nothing was better then a soft bed after a long day of chasing puppies and painting. On lazy mornings, when the clouds shrouded the sun’s light, she would lay beneath thick blankets and drift in and out of a light sleep. The thought brought a small grin. She wondered if he had any ideas on how to personalize the new space, something that she had done moments after moving into her sunroom.
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