Lonely Hearts

He shuffled back and forth, painfully early like he often was from having nothing better to do with his day and this time he couldn’t even go to work. Without an outlet, he took to more physical displays of overthinking instead of keeping it well hidden under the guise of someone in charge of others and always had his composure mastered. Today wasn’t like any other day in his life though, he was spending time with a girl. A woman. Not as comrades doing some mundane patrol or helping her get home because she was too frail after a mugging from scraps for thieves.

The concept of romance had been limited in his life. What he had experienced was often whims at best. His eyes closed at the thought of Sakura for a moment, the only creature he had tried to court to some capacity, even if his intentions weren’t wholly good when he had only wanted to have her as a secret. One to love and cherish had she not vanished into the mist without a word. He found himself chuckling instead of feeling any pain. He apparently had a type for fire coated women, finding the burning embers of their fur to be quite breathtaking compared to others. Perfectly symmetrical and elegant as well as looking too hot to touch.

Letting out a breath, he opened his eyes once more, glancing around at the few things he had brought with him. One of which was a rare cut of meat quite hard to come by. Caribou, his personal favorite. He wasn’t so sure she would hold any interest in it, though he was certain a dinner would be expected. That was part of a date wasn’t it? Maybe those were only stories and not actual reality. Would she think him an absolute moron the moment she appeared? He was starting to think so but it was a bit late now to be doubting what was and wasn’t normal for something like this. At least he didn’t bring flowers, he felt like that would be the last thing a woman like her wanted. She was no girly girl. So why did he bring a different gift with him that wasn’t any less feminine in his eyes?

He tried to stop thinking about any of that as he flicked the gift into a bush and slowly walked away from the heavier covering of flora to sit in the pathway they had last been, hoping it wasn’t someone like his brother about to appear before him. The completely wrong red wolf he wanted to see as the sun had only started its descent into what one called a sunset, only making the world around him in the wood all the more warm toned.

He decided not to be a creep by just watching and waiting. He turned away to look at some birds fluttering merrily in the sky, leaning against a tree just off the beaten path and away from the little picnic he had set up. They appeared to be finches of some sort though they looked like phoenix with the warmth of the sun reflected off of them. It wasn’t often he took in the world so peacefully

Art By Raven, Code by Ashon

She was excited. It was strange to feel anything but anxiety as she stepped out of Rionna and into the Red Wood so this was a welcome change indeed. She shouldn't have to go far to find him, thinking that he would not go deep into the woods without her. The sun was slowly setting in the distance she noted as the canopy swallowed up the sky and lit the world in bright reds and oranges above her. It was beautiful, really, and she found comfort in the imagery that reminded her of flames. She heard a rustle nearby and paused, ears flicking as she scanned the area. She spotted a white and russet pelt then, and a smile tugged at her lips at the realization that she'd found him.

She hadn't brought anything with her because she wasn't sure what to bring, especially for a man. She had never had the experience of dating before and so she hoped he wouldn't be irked with the fact that she'd brought no gift and only herself to this... date.

Yes, it was a date.

She felt a little giddy all over again as she slipped through the trees and into view. "Hi," she said as her gaze met his. Her tail wagged a couple times behind her before falling still.

"There's... a river not too far into the woods that I thought we could go to. A swim might be nice, since it's still so warm out." she suggested hopefully. "Unless you hate swimming. Then we can do something else." she added just for good measure.

"Badari Tiamat speaking."

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It wasn’t too long after he had turned away that he would hear someone approaching close enough that he would have been able to see them, causing his ears to preen back and listen to each step made. There wasn’t that noticeable anxiety that he recalled earlier that made for an uneven gait fighting its demons. Maybe it wasn’t her at all, having a hard time believing she had gotten over all her fears in such a short amount of time as his tail twitched a few times back and forth. Perhaps the one walking the path would ignore his presence and continue on without a single care in the world for why he was here, though he had little hope that would be the case. Everyone seemed to be nosier than he liked in his life.

A greeting, however, would lighten his mood almost instantly, his head turning along with his shoulders so he wouldn’t look like an owl. Abruptly he would rise to his paws, shifting his entire body in her direction with a gentle flick of his ears as he listened to any oddities in her breathing. She seemed composed, happy even as he watched her tail swish a couple times before meeting her sunshine gaze with recognition. “You’re doing wonderful, and it shows in your radiance this evening,” he complimented for his own greeting, admiring her for a moment before she instantly got to talking.

It seemed they both had been trying to make plans without ever mentioning it prior to, making him tilt his head slightly, knowing how hungry his own stomach was but it could wait. “Well. I haven’t gone since I was a child, but I did enjoy drenching my brother back then,” he smirked at the thought, missing those days when he had endless support around him and siblings to bully at times. He didn’t dwell on it long, focusing on the woman before him as he moved closer to her, his muzzle brushing her shoulder before lingering to her side as if offering her an arm for her to take. “Guide the way, I can’t say I know these woods very well. I’m rarely stationed this way,” he tipped his head for her to lead, ready to follow her into the flames of the forest.

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His praise sent a shiver down her spine and her ears tilted back slightly, though not from discomfort. It was strange to feel so... bashful beneath the words of another. She wondered if she felt this way just because of her inexperience or if it were something else. If anything she wasn't entirely sure how to act. "I feel like it's a little easier because of earlier," she admitted. She'd had her reservations but she'd pushed them aside for tonight. "And thank you," she said, her tone warm from his compliment. "You look very handsome tonight," she said with a smile. She wasn't blind, he was a good looking male, she just hadn't ever been given a reason to notice before.

She wondered what he might say to her suggestion, not knowing that he had been thinking of things to do himself or that he was particularly hungry, but he seemed amicable to a swim for now. She lifted her head at the mention of his brother and her brow rose curiously; she didn't know anything about his family but of course would not pry unless he wanted to talk about them. The mention of a brother was surprise to her. She had no brothers, only a sister and she was gone. It was a shame, she wished she had more siblings but a slew of cousins was there to make up for that, she supposed. Still, despite having a family so large, she often felt lonely having nobody she was particularly close to.

He drew nearer and she felt only a twinge of anxiety as he brushed against her shoulder with his muzzle, she angled her head slightly towards him and appeared more or less unaffected by the touch -- or so she hoped. He then settled beside her and offered her to lead the way. She smiled and nodded her head. "Alright, this way." she said with a nod before heading off. The river wasn't far but the further she got from home the more anxious she felt. She wasn't having trouble breathing this time but as the sun began to disappear and darkness settled in she felt it creep up slowly. She tried to swallow the lump in her throat as she walked, sidling a little closer to Arran for comfort as they went. She was trying her best not to appear nervous but it was hard to hide.

Eventually she heard the babbling of the river and finally they stepped through the trees and onto the short bank.

"Here it is..." she murmured, turning her head to look at him. But with how close she was she bumped her muzzle against his on accident then quickly lowered her chin in embarrassment.

"Sorry!" she said, her tone higher than she meant it to be partially because of the other anxieties she was feeling. She felt her cheeks heat and internally, she berated herself. Stop acting like a giddy girl! she seethed inwardly. She stepped away from his side then, her paws dipping down the slope that led to the river. She paused to look back at him and see if he was coming.

"Badari Tiamat speaking."

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He watched her silently as she reacted to his compliments, though her reaction was so subtle he couldn’t tell if she was flustered or not, finding her hard to read as a whole. Nonetheless, she hadn’t seemed off put by it either, not at all shying away from him or showing a flash of anger. Instead, she seemed to relax to some degree, listening to her with his undivided attention as she spoke of his help from early on in the day and it would cause a smile on his lips. To have someone that needed him, he relished it and he was all too willing to continue with that assistance in part for his own selfish desire of being wanted. “It’s what confidants do for one another,” he hummed faintly, though it was for the most part his usual tone. He dipped into a charming bow at the compliment returned to him, knowing well he was a plenty attractive man, but it was still nice to hear it.

Silence filled the air a little too strongly after the mention of his brother, having expected her to hitch onto it and wanting to know more about him and it made him almost a little disappointed. Was a date not supposed to be a means to get to know one another? He had always thought it was both mentally and potentially physically. Maybe they had a different understanding of what a date was, or he was taking it differently than her. Though, he couldn’t take the way she pressed herself against him earlier as a means for this to just be a platonic friend date. It had been too seductive and teasing, surely, she knew what she had done to him. The way she had made him pine for her and even now there was a brim of desire behind that gentleman's exterior.

His attention would draw way that as she started to guide him toward where she so desired to go, he would not hesitate to follow, keeping close with the occasional brush of pelts so she would know he was right there. Emeralds were far more focused on the world around him at the moment, taking in the way the sun beams trailed between the branches, leaving patches of light here and there but no solid opening with how close together the red leaves swayed above. The closer it got to nighttime, the more he noticed the peace that enveloped them, finding it comforting despite his company seeming all the more anxious as further they went, certain he felt her tremble from time to time.

Then suddenly the trees were gone, and the world became far more open and with it, privacy seemed harder won, yet he saw no one else here basking under the setting sun. He went to look at her as she started to speak, only to find himself with a face full of another face, making her tail flare in surprise for a couple seconds, standing there as she frantically put distance between them with panicked apologies. One purpose or not, she was being horribly adorable for a woman he had such different notions of until today.

She didn’t get very far before looking back at him, feeling like her reds were all the brighter than before but maybe that was just the grip of dusk. A smile pulled on his lips as he stalked after her, tail swaying calmly as he closed the space she created. “Don’t be. I wouldn’t mind if you did it again… and again,” he whispered into her ear with a craving edge before prancing ahead toward the water, glancing back at her this time as he reached the edge.

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Badari could feel her anxieties mounting as he drew nearer again, a smile on his face. Was he going to make fun of her? No... he wasn't. "Don’t be. I wouldn’t mind if you did it again… and again,” A shiver ran down her spine and her lashes lowered shyly. She didn't know why she felt so... bashful around him, it was an odd experience to say in the least. But the moment would not last as he moved past her and towards the river. She was rooted in the spot for a moment, watching him and the way his body moved. She swallowed dryly then followed after when he finally paused to look back at her. This was her idea, after all, so she best get to swimming. Maybe the cool of the water would douse some of this unfamiliar heat she was feeling.

She slipped into the water and let out a small sigh as she did so. The night was still warm and the water was not hot nor cold. It was lovely, actually. She waded out a little further till she was swimming slightly backwards, her gaze lingering on him as she smiled. "The water's wonderful," she commented.

But of course the temperature of the water was hardly a discussion at all and now that she felt a little more settled she felt like she could actually talk. Her ears flicked and she looked to Arran, he'd mentioned a brother but nothing more on him yet. She wondered, what was his family life like? "You mentioned having a brother... what's that like? I only had a sister, but she's gone now." she said, her tone dipping into a bit of somber one at the mention of Minya.

"Badari Tiamat speaking."

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It was peculiar to see her so timid and it made him want to tease her, yet he wasn’t sure how to go about such things with a noble lady and what she might deem as inappropriate behavior. Not that they have been doing so well in the staying professional department today, so perhaps it didn’t matter if he became more devious with her. There were still other things holding him back from just diving in and risking everything entirely carelessly. His gaze was all consuming as he gazed upon her, tempted to press upon that boundary, to make her squirm even more in his presence in a cute way, to add to that femininity he drank in from the way she looked at him. So coy. It felt like she was asking for attention yet couldn’t find the words. Walking away might have been the cruelest choice to tease her with, leaving a lure for her to potentially grab onto and skimming it away at the last second.

Yet, she didn’t seem to fall for it as she followed after him and didn’t even take one moment to pause once she reached him at the edge, instantly gliding into the water. It was like watching a fire that was resistant to water’s cooling grasp, never seeing that vibrant red drain from her pelt. His tail swayed as he watched her intently, nipping his tongue as he witnessed her fur down against her skin, hiding nothing of her form from his gaze. The few touches of white gaining a faint pink, emphasizing her warm hues. It wasn’t until she started to swim backwards that his attention would be drawn away from her body and to her beautiful eyes and smile. “It’s just as breathtaking to look at,” he grinned, referring to her as he slowly following her in.

Though he had grown up in a land more adapted to fishing and swimming than the Mainlands provided, he wasn’t as comfortable as her when he waded into the water, though he did his best to seem put together. Though any thought on such a thing would fade when she would shift the subject to his earlier mentioned sibling and his mood was killed a little now, feeling like she had rather bad timing on when to address certain subjects, but he’d sigh.

“I have two siblings, a brother and a sister. I haven’t spoken to my brother in years, we are estranged at best and enemies at worst. I had to jail both of them during the protests and my sister attacked me at the end of the war…” he trailed off, looking up at the sky as it grew all the darker with the sun nearly dipped beneath the horizon. It made him think of Rueben too, a childhood friend turned enemy on the battlefield. “They might be both still alive but it’s like they are dead. To think, even my imperial soldier father dwells in the lands ruled by Jacob now. I’m nearly entirely alone, if it wasn’t for you being with me right now chasing away some of that solitude.“ He lowered his gaze to her, a ghost of a sorrowful smile on his lips.

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As she swam backwards she caught him looking at her, though it wasn't like he was trying to hide it. She offered a small smile at his comment, realizing quickly that those words were meant for her and not the water. "You flatter me," she said with a soft laugh. She had never been a vain creature, never thought about the way she looked... especially to others, but she had to admit it was nice to be noticed. Especially by someone as handsome as him. She was about to swim towards him as he came into the water when he sighed and her ears flicked, picking up on the subtle change.

He spoke of his siblings, and not fondly. She tipped her head to the side and her eyes widened a little bit at the mention of having to jail the pair only to be attacked by one later. The mood shifted slightly and she paddled towards him till her paws touched again and she could reach out to him. She wasn't sure what to say about such things, for she had had a good relationship with Minya. "I'm sorry to dredge that up for you," she murmured. It was very sad that he had no family down here, but noble of him to still stay and fight for what he believed in despite that fact. At least in her eyes it was. She was a little lower than him in the water so she could gaze up into his emerald eyes as he looked down at her. "I'm glad to be of service, Major." she said playfully, trying to lighten the mood a little. Not that they were miserable or anything in the moment. "And I'm here for you, Arran... despite having such a large family myself I feel quite lonely most of the time. I don't have anyone I truly connect with..." she told him. It was a thought that plagued her a lot and one she had not voiced out loud until this moment.

"Our jobs are hard and it can make our lives harder, but we don't have to be alone." Her words were spoken quietly, as if she were telling a secret of sorts. She glided forward until her muzzle brushed against his shoulder, she dared to trail it up his neck a bit in an attempt to be comforting before drawing back slightly and looking back up at him.

"Badari Tiamat speaking."

"Badari Tiamat speaking."

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He tilted his head as she spoke of flattery, of which he had not been trying to commit though he wouldn’t say it to be so. Talking before thinking was sometimes one of his faults, it often caused problems, especially towards those he had held close once upon a time. In this case, it seemed not to be a bad thing as she laughed instead of cried. It only made her more beautiful in his eyes, how effortless she could hypnotize him, and no shame found its way into his veins now, not when she was a short reach away as she was now. His tail swayed along the water’s surface, breaking it but also making the sunset sparkle magically along the water, the colors dancing as he moved a little closer still but left enough space to not seem pushy while they spoke of a less than pleasant subject in such a beautiful moment. None of it halted his lyrics, as honest as he saw as truth.

As she moved closer, his ears would draw back, taking in her vibrant golden hues. “In fairness, I brought them up first. You are not to blame,” he said calmly, relieving her of any burden of guilt she may have manifested. He would hold her gaze as she insisted on capturing his, causing his head to lower a little toward her, a rarity when interacting with her to be above her. Not to say he didn’t like it. He followed her movements, listening to each little word that trailed from her lips and at her invitation of being there for him, he lingered ever closer as a smile lightened his features.

“You are surrounded by all loud personalities, it’s easy to feel left out if you find peace as more of a wallflower,” he teased lightly, noticing how much quieter she was than most of her kin in the army. Many of which were higher up on the totem than he was as he knew half of them had touched the rank of colonel though their deaths seem to come briskly afterwards. “Though I quite like that about you, makes you far more pleasant to be around than if you were trying to fight me every five seconds,” he’d add to make sure she knew he didn’t mean that as an insult.

Ears would perk at the last she had to say, though it was her touch that sent a shock along his spine and a mounding desire to flow without a cap to stop it. As she pulled away, he followed her movements, stopping her from floating away as a hand gently caught her wrist to draw her back toward him. His other palm cupped her cheek before trailing lightly along her skin till they would reach her neck. Fingers would gently coil along her nape, pulling her toward him with a small bit of force in that raging hunger. If she did nothing to show resistance or discomfort, a heated kiss would press against her lips, gauging her reaction before he’d attempt to do anything more.

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Badari was relieved that he did not seem upset with her for bringing it up now; at least she had not spoiled the time they were now sharing together. As he quelled her thoughts about her own family with kind words, she found herself smiling. It was true, she was both like and unlike those in her family to the point where she sometimes felt like she didn't belong. It was hard at times, but it was just something that was the way it was. There was little she could do about it, in the end.

As she drifted away she found herself stopped, floating in the water without movement and her gaze caught his again as he drew her to him.

She gazed at him innocently, but quickly realized that his own mind was far from that. A quiet gasp escaped her as he drew forward, but she did not stop him. She'd find his lips with her own, eagerly returning the affection he sought to give. Her thoughts melted away, as did her stress, and she felt a sense of warmth and acceptance in this moment with him.

There was no telling where this night would take them, but Badari was interested in finding out.

"Badari Tiamat speaking."

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