Chapter 104: Idle Chatter
Pan stirred, the absence of a particular presence disturbing her rest. Her paw met an empty section of the bed, the contact she expected failing to happen. It was still far from lonely, especially when she could hardly move without finding colourful fur and carapace in every direction.
True to Joseph’s word, most of the entire den had been dragged into his room where the Atmo had provided an extension to his bed. The Human was promptly picked up by Sahari and Jax, deposited in the centre, and piled upon by those who wished to hamper his movement—much to everyone else’s amusement. Tel had taken to the top in her usual placement, Jax and Harrow occupied his left, Sahari and Nalah to his right. Sunundra had been included at the request of Daisy, the Grand Huntress politely acquiescing to the wish of the young Queen before being deposited somewhere within the bundle by the pack.
Volta was acquired when Scarlet suggested as much, pushing the blue-furred female towards the bed and planning on leaving immediately after—a plan that backfired when Violet insisted that the Wraith was to join as well, but only when the kit guilted her into complying. By the time all was said and done, the newly expanded bed was a cluster of fur, carapace, and a single Grand Hunter, Pan taking her own place atop of him since everywhere else was occupied.
It was a feeling of comfort that was not entirely her own. Her mate was back, her other was near, and all of them were surrounded by those they cared about. Those they trusted. Perhaps the next moon would bring a return to their pairings, but for now, it felt comforting.
Or it did, until she opened her eyes, fighting back the yawn as she tried to figure out what was missing. It didn’t take long, the warmth she had long since associated with her other just barely lingered on the spot she once occupied.
Without disturbing Joseph too much, Pan navigated the pile to leave, smiling to herself when he reached for the nearest person to entrap, now that she wasn’t there to be the object of his absent touch. Volta was the next victim, her face contorting into a frown as he pulled her close. It faded as she fell into a deeper rest with the Human encapsulating her, his claws running through the fur on her stomach. Pan made to leave before her amusement caused her to giggle aloud. Someone else was missing, and it only took a moment to identify who—a recently acquainted yellow no longer entangled with her kit. The white-furred female closed the door, feeling a mild concern as she went to seek them.
It was in the hub that her search was unceremoniously called to an end; Tel sat on the bigger couch designed for the Atmo, Daisy stretching across to use her as a cushion. The grey-furred female scratched at the back of the young Queen, her expression a striking calm that rarely existed.
It wasn’t as if Tel was overly affectionate towards Atmo—nor did she hold any animosity towards them—she just typically kept her interactions to the same tepid warmth that she treated most with. Violet received a kinder smile, and Mama had a large degree of respect shown towards her, but the Wraith always left the emotional side of things to the pack. Yet here she was, looking every bit a caretaker while soothing the insect kit on her lap. An ear flicked in Pan’s direction as the door to the dormitory quietly clicked closed behind her. The Paw approached, met with a silent gesture to keep her volume down as exhaustion dragged the grey-furred female’s eyes closed.
“Unable to sleep?” Pan asked, taking a seat next to her. There was no complaint voiced when she leaned into her other, merely a slight adjustment to make it more comfortable for both of them. The grey-furred female huffed her amusement.
“That would be this one.”
She looked at the dozing Atmo, confusion crossing her face. “Is the bed unsuitable?”
Tel shook her head. “Nightmares, I believe. It has been persisting for some moons now.”
Pan deflated, capturing her other’s arm for comfort. “Is it because of what happened while you were away?”
Her other nodded—hesitant, but committed. The Wraith’s voice quieted further, shame and regret colouring her tone. “He was injured severely protecting her.”
The Paw tensed. It was obvious to her that something was weighing on the both of them, but there was a feeling within her that wished for the question to remain unasked. “How?”
“Incursion,” Tel supplied softly. “They were repelled and eliminated, but not before placing his life in peril. This one was saved by him, but witnessed much. Her saviour bleeding out after taking lives, the state of the settlement after many explosives were employed, and the bodies of those lost defending her den. The entire return journey, she had sought comfort.”
“And you supplied it?”
Tel snorted, resting her head against Pan’s in an unusually open display of affection. “Our mate was suffering from his own thoughts. I wished to ease his burden.”
“He is a little better since speaking with Harrow,” Pan offered.
“I know.”
Her ear flicked. The confidence in her response striking the defect as odd. She decided to inquire about the events from him personally, rather than pursue it without his knowledge.
“I must say it is odd to see you so...caring,” Pan hedged, hopeful that her comment wouldn’t be taken the wrong way. Much to her relief, Tel smiled through her tired expression.
“It is normally not my place.”
“I doubt any would complain.”
Tel shook her head softly. “I know not why it tells me, but it is not my duty. It need not be, for...”
Pan tilted her head upward, meeting the sliver of amber peering behind the cracked eyelid. “For?”
The Wraith cycled a breath. “It is yours.”
The Paw frowned. “You feel it is my task to care for the others?”
“I do not claim such through feeling, but knowing through...something. As if it would be incorrect to act in those ways—act against my purpose. To impose upon myself that which is meant for another.”
Pan nuzzled further into her other, Daisy tensing in her sleep. Tel showed pain as the blades pinched her flesh, but the calm never faltered. Without waiting for meaningless reassurances, the white-furred female separated and set to do what had become second nature by this point; many moons of calming her kit while Joseph was away made the instinct surface.
She gently lifted Daisy’s torso, compacting the blades and arms into the Atmo’s chest, and eased the weight back onto the appendages so that the dull outer edge rested against Tel. Satisfied, she looped her arm with the grey-furred female’s and reclaimed her comfortable position.
“You are practised?” Tel asked, exhausted eyes opened to inspect the result. Pan smiled.
“Violet grows restless some moons,” she explained, absently grabbing the female’s paw. The connection between them felt right. Warm. “Mama demonstrated, but I began doing it after.”
“You are certainly her mother.”
Pan caught the slightest wistful slip, her other’s tone soft and considerate. Gone was the sultry and salacious edge, replaced by serenity and certainty. “You are drawn to this kit?”
Tel glanced at her, returning her gaze to the young Queen after a moment. “It pulls and encourages. There is none assigned to this one, and so it demands such be done.”
“It?”
The grey-furred female tensed, releasing her breath as she relaxed, her voice reluctant. “I have...changed, as of late. Those whom I would be wary of have become but commonplace existences. Where once I would have kept myself tempered and sharp—ready to dispose of any on my Sheath’s whim—I have found myself lacking that impulse with many.”
Pan felt her paw receive a squeeze as Tel fully accepted the small intimacy. “How so?”
“Sahari, for example. Though I have worked with her in the past, and is perhaps the one who I know the most of, I have never been without a weapon to act against her, should the situation call for it. Her movements, her cadence... All noted and analyzed for if I must act.”
“And now?” Pan asked, Tel huffing a laugh in return.
“Now I am only wary of the crushing embrace she imparts upon our male,” she returned wryly. “No preparations to harm, no cautious eye kept... No threat. It is the same for all in the pack, and I find it discomforting at times.”
The Paw’s tail twitched, her core delighted to have been accepted. He was theirs, and it had become a fact, rather than compromise or occasional allowance. She swallowed her joy and focused on the concerns of her other.
“It is disquieting to feel safe?” she queried, holding another curiosity for the moment. Tel nodded.
“It is my duty to remove that which would endanger it; to disregard even one from such goes against what I am.”
“What of myself?”
Tel eyed her for a moment. “Nothing.”
Pan’s ears drooped at the unfortunate news. It was subtle, but her heart stung—the paw holding her own stifling, rather than comforting. “I am nothing?”
The Wraith tightened her grip when Pan went to move away, locking the white-furred female in place as she tried to rectify her mistake.
“You are like him,” she clarified quietly. “It is beyond the absence of potential harm. You are not within my considerations because there is nothing to consider. You are right. You belong. You are...a part of him. I could not think to remove you, for to do such would be to act against my Sheath.”
Pan blinked, unable to process the depths of her meaning. Luckily, Tel felt it to be a moment to continue.
“Once—before we entered his pack—yes, I was as wary of yourself as any other. Even when I accepted that I would be unable to truly adhere to my convictions, you were a factor of his safety. Now... Now there is a part of me that finds such scrutiny abhorrent.”
Dots connected, words unspoken were suddenly voiced through slight clues. “You have bonded?”
Tel stiffened. “It is unlike Sahari or yourself, as far as I can gather. His joy is pleasant, yes, but it holds no impact upon my own, other than being pleased he is such. His sorrow draws my itch to remove, but only because a Blade should do such to all that brings dissatisfaction. There exists little that drives me within him, like it does you.”
There it was—a small shame, a tiny sadness, and a feeling of inadequacy—festering underneath the protests. Pan raised a paw to caress her other’s cheek, putting every bit of tender adoration she could behind the simple gesture.
“But there is something that pulls for you.”
“Pulls me to inaction, perhaps,” she admitted, making it known how useless such consolidation was. Pan shook her head, gently tugging the female’s jaw so that she may fully view her.
“To be given a feeling of ease—to be told that your duty is yet to come—is not a failure, Tel. It is to be told that your willingness and ability to do such is all that is requested,” Pan insisted. She recalled the time when the bond demanded her action back when Violet was in danger. When it washed away all but commands and clarity. “When you are called, it will be cold. It will strip you of uncertainty, and it will reveal your purpose... It will make you feel whole.”
Tel stared at her, eyes noting every subtle feature on the Paw’s face—from muzzle to ear. “I thought you may be displeased to learn about it.”
Pan tilted her head, said ear flopping to the side in her perplexity. “Why?”
“Because then I would have taken that which made you unique for him,” Tel whispered, her voice almost regretful. Pan offered a smile, touched by the consideration.
“No, because all it means is that my loves are closer than I ever dared to hope.”
The Wraith’s eyes widened, Pan noticing her slip too late to correct it. She quickly lowered her gaze, turning to hide against the grey-furred female’s shoulder as embarrassment coloured her fur. A long moment of silence passed, only broken by Daisy quietly clicking every so often in her rest.
Tiredness eventually won out over her bashfulness, sleep tugging at her eyelids. Though she had made a bit of a fool of herself, it wasn’t like this was the first open admittance that Joseph’s care for the female had influenced her. Even then, it was hardly his affection alone behind her feelings. Tel was—in every way—what Pan was not. The Wraith completed her, and the fact that Joseph cared for them both so deeply only made that truth more powerful. The kiss before Tel departed was an act of whimsy—an urge that would hold no immediate consequence, given that they had left immediately following it. Perhaps that was a blatant enough declaration, though even now her own boldness surprised her.
Her mind clouded as her body accepted that her other was near, and their mate was close as well. The grips of peace tugged her deeper as the silence continued, Tel making no attempts to speak or separate.
The touch of a kiss on her ear—barely more than an accidental brush of lips—melted what reservations she had about sleeping in the hub. Tel doing such at all made everything feel right.
Pan was aware of her other resting their head on hers, and the breathing that synchronized as both faded into the realm of unconsciousness. For the brief moment before thoughts ceased, one was allowed to follow her as she drifted.
A faint ticking—once alone in the confines of nothingness—now shifted, the subtle grinding of metal on stone accompanying the ambience of her beating heart. Both echoed and intertwined, playful yet affectionate. Powerful, yet gentle. Calm, yet churning with anticipation, a viscous bubbling of heavy mercury colouring the absent air.
She felt complete, and she would wager Tel felt the same.
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“Thanks, Heralt,” Joseph called over his shoulder, pleased to have caught the smith at a good time. He wanted to get his armour back up and running—the previous iteration having been rendered fairly useless while he was away. Some thin metal would be added to the ironwood plates to help discourage gouges giving weapons purchase and causing more damage to the materials. Thanks to Nalah and Harrow keeping pretty clean lists of their inventory, he was able to comfortably slot his own needs into the male’s busy schedule, though he would have been given priority if he simply asked.
Sunny was visiting the ex-Grand Hunters, taking Scarlet as a guide. For once, the Wraith wasn’t instructed to really do much of anything, except maybe note if there were any problems. It was—for all intents and purposes—a lax day for her. She had done a great job watching over Violet and otherwise helping the young Queen, so some time spent ‘working’ while not being required to do anything important seemed to be the closest to a ‘day off’ that she would accept. It was basically just hanging around while internally laughing at whatever transpired, so it was a great way to bypass her insistence that she didn’t need breaks.
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He caught sight of Volta leaving the Hall with two Atmo and some Lilhuns in tow, their buckets and rags showing evidence of use. She noticed him, stiffening before excusing herself from the group and disappearing elsewhere in the settlement. He stifled the sigh.
The morning was interesting in a few ways. He had forgotten that he passed out in the puddle, so he wasn’t ready for how...fluffy his reintroduction to the land of the living would be. His pillow had disappeared at some point, but he was in possession of something to cuddle, and enough bodily contact in every other direction to dismiss it as Tel maybe moving somewhere else in the arrangement.
What he wasn’t ready for was the unfamiliar texture under his finger tips. As weird as it sounded to admit aloud, he could identify pretty much everyone in the base by their fur with his eyes closed—even Jax, as mixed as his opinion on that was. Harrow and Tel had pretty short fur, but Tel’s was slightly stiffer. Nalah and Jax had a more medium length, with the male’s having a slightly rougher feel to it. Sahari and Pan had the longest coat naturally, but Pan’s felt like silk, where Sahari’s—while not unpleasant—still carried a feel closer to her mate’s.
Volta’s—as he quickly discovered—felt like opulent wool or cotton treated to be perfectly soft and pleasant to the touch. It may have encouraged him to play with it before he fully woke up.
As nice as it felt, she wasn’t very appreciative of his roaming hands. He tried apologizing for the whole thing, but she made a point of slipping away quickly while saying basically nothing to him. Though the others gave him shit for his unconscious groping, it was usually paired with suggestive comments. The absence of it made him feel even worse about it than usual, but he supposed it was nice to know that not everybody in the settlement would jump in bed with him—a facet of their culture that he was wilfully ignoring.
He crossed Sunundra speaking with Mi’low outside of the Hall, Sorren and Bratik saying their farewells before retreating back to the small church. Scarlet was absent, but she was probably called away to help with something—not that he really cared. It wasn’t like the one she was escorting would cause trouble.
Sunny noticed him approaching instantly, but the High Huntress seemed oblivious as they continued their conversation. He abandoned the idea of startling her, valuing his blood staying inside his body more than the shocked expression she would have.
“Hey—”
Apparently, he was too close and too quiet when he decided to greet them, Mi’low spinning to lash out in reflex. He blocked the wild swing with his right arm, flashing a jab with his left. The fur bent under his fist, his knuckle just shy of her snout, the slight wind sending the message. He forcefully softened the cold edge in his eyes, the callous disregard for his usual hesitation to use this level of retaliation worrying him. The crimson-furred female backed up a step and scowled while Sunny’s eyes widened.
“Apologies, Grand Hunter,” Mi’low offered half-heartedly, bowing her head. He lowered his arms and cycled a breath, huffing it out while he shrugged.
“No, it’s my fault. I didn’t think I would jump you like that.”
“I was dubious when Tel claimed you their guidance for close quarters,” Sunundra admitted, tilting her head to eye him. He repeated his gesture, raising and dropping his shoulders limply.
“Lots of time spent practising. What’s so interesting, anyway? Looked like you two were having a decent chat.”
“She was inquiring about your title as the Guardian,” Mi’low provided, staring at him warily before returning to her normal resting bitch face. It lacked the pure antagonistic colour, which was a curious thing to note.
He scratched at his cheek, shunting one eye closed. “Yeah, that would explain Bratik and Sorren.”
“None seem to have much of an answer,” the pale-furred female sighed, glaring at him. He shook his head.
“Beyond me. I only learned about it recently. I decided to just ignore it; it only really comes up on occasion.”
The Grand Huntress hummed a doubtful note, disregarding his input to switch topics. “To humour other curiosities: I wish to see your shuttle.”
His eyes widened slightly in surprise. “Yeah? Well, it’s a bit of a walk. We’d have to make two suns of the trip—assuming we only stayed a moon.”
“It is unoccupied,” Mi’low provided, her ears pivoting to track something in the mess of people coming and going. “The next rotation will depart in a few suns.”
He glanced in the direction, catching sight of Kelth eyeing the High Huntress. Something about the male’s gaze held more than a passing interest. Whatever was going on there, her persistent habit of being a frigid bitch was thankfully absent, so he filed it away to mention some other time.
“Then we can check it out, make sure nothing has failed. I need to do maintenance anyway,” he decided. “When do you want to go?”
Sunundra raised a brow, dismissing her unvoiced query. “I suppose it would be apt to leave as soon as we are able. The others will await my return, but I do need to return to my pack.”
He ran his fingers through his hair, pausing to return a passing greeting. “Then we can head out early next sun, and spend this one preparing.” He hesitated. “I’d hate to leave Pan again, especially since we just got back.”
“Must you?” Mi’low interjected casually, her eyes refocusing from following her ears. The comfortable air around her left him feeling stilted. He was used to her being confrontational—if not just sarcastic. Having the crimson-furred female be so relaxed around him felt...weird.
“She’s needed here.”
The High Huntress gave him a skeptical frown. “The Grand Huntress entrusts her pack to their own devices. You are hardly leaving for long, would it not be acceptable to sojourn with her company?”
His mouth hung open, a protest dying on his tongue. A questioning glance shot to Sunny was returned with a blank patience. He wasn’t going to get any useful input from her. Even his brief scan of the pack told him that they’d be fine without him there to...look important? He really didn’t know what they would miss out on if he took the time to show Pan the pod. She just did what he would, and it wasn’t like there was much changing in the two days that a lazy round-trip would take.
Maybe how much was caught during the more localized hunting and snaring? Mi’low handles that, then passes it to Pan or him to note before it goes to Tel to make sure their stocks were correct. It was boring paperwork and levels of verification, but it caught mistakes quickly. Theft was a non-issue—anyone who wanted more just asked—so it wasn’t like their reports taking an extra day or so to update would cause any unforeseen shortages.
And he really did owe it to the white-furred female; since she had joined him at the base, they hadn’t gone anywhere together. Hell, even Sahari accompanied him to Trill’s, and Tel got to go with him, as well as going to Sunundra’s—granted, she was also the one most suited to deal with what happened while he was there. Pan, meanwhile, had sat by and held the fort while he was gone for several weeks, a few days with Tel when they returned, and another week while he was off doing more possibly dangerous things. She had been constantly worried for him, while he got to at least have some solace in the idea that the pack would be there if anything went wrong.
She had been locked up here and all she got as a break from it was the few moments in the night where the three of them cuddled up.
He let his hand drop from his head, his face displaying a mild shame. “Then, yeah, I guess. We can make a thing of it. Tel, Pan, and the two of us,” he proposed, holding up a palm towards Sunundra. “Mama can look after Violet and Daisy while we’re gone; I doubt those two will get up to trouble with her keeping tabs on them.”
Sunny let a twitch of a smile form before she nodded. “That suits our purposes.”
A male voice called from the crowd, Kelth raising a paw. Mi’low’s tail licked the ground as it swayed. “Forgive me, but it appears my presence is required for my duties. I pray the sun treats both of you well, Grand Hunters.”
Joseph and Sunundra quirked a brow as the High Huntress left, exchanging a glance. “You don’t think...”
“I would assume so,” she affirmed, disinterested now that the curiosity had been addressed. “Do you require anything of me?”
“Hm? No, just saw you and thought I’d come ask how things were going,” he admitted with a shrug.
“It has been interesting inquiring about you to your...collection,” she teased, a mild amusement filtering through her unending expression of exhaustion. The shimmer of positive emotion made his own eye roll and a smirk feel lighter. She was numb to it, yet the joke was enough to provide levity regardless. It made him glad to know that his unfortunate choice of family was entertaining enough to bring out something that was otherwise muted.
“Ah, yes. How wonderful of you to admire it,” he drawled, sighing his resignation. “Who did you speak to?”
She took a moment to reply, gaze following an adult Atmo stopping to assist with a pack member hauling lumber. The carts they used were designed to be hauled by either species, but the Lilhuns didn’t like the idea of always imposing on the insects—it would feel like their hexapedal kin were treated as beasts of burden. The Atmo, for their part, didn’t give a shit about being hooked up and pulling around stupid amounts of weight; they were just happy to help. The maroon insect pestered the proud male until they gave in, rigging the makeshift harness and sheepishly thanking their larger counterpart as they continued off to work on a den or facility.
Sunny turned her attention back to him. “I spoke to Toril first.”
“Anything interesting?” he queried, a fist brought to his lips in thought. Kaslin mentioned that he was making some potentially useful things, but the finer details flew over his head. She was quick to assure him that he was mostly just acting on the Human’s random thoughts, but he honestly wasn’t too worried about it.
The pale-furred female scoffed in amusement. “He wished to speak at length about your biochemistry.”
“Did he learn anything?”
“Nothing that I suppose the two of us already know—you are receptive to our saliva as a mending aid and that your pheromones are particularly potent for our people.”
Joseph frowned. He had supplied a variety of random samples that the chemist had asked for, but it was offhandedly mentioned in a report that they lacked the equipment for him to really dig into much. It sucked, but it made the tail-less male happy when he had more to play with, so he supposed it wasn’t the worst outcome. Hopefully, they could arrange something more useful in the future.
“Was it at least worth the time to speak with him?”
“It was,” she hedged, eyes moving skyward in consideration. “You have taken quite the risk having a Blade beholden to another within your walls, however.”
He smirked, waving it off. “Tersa won’t move unless Toril says to, and Toril won’t give the order because he doesn’t have a reason to.”
Her gaze sharpened as she regarded his lackadaisical demeanour. “And if he were to have reason?”
“I did mention that you were the only guest not under surveillance,” he returned dryly, matching her intensity. He didn’t care if people decided that the settlement wasn’t for them, but blatantly betraying them was a different story—one that stoked a flame behind his eyes. They stared at each other until she nodded, conceding to his authority within his own pack.
“Then I will trust in your judgment. As far as my conversation with him, he noted that he has a rather high opinion of you—though I could only speculate as to how much of that is gratitude for your sheltering.”
“The guy just wanted a place to do what he enjoyed without being pestered to make weapons,” Joseph grumbled, letting out the irritation he had built up. It disgusted him that the chemist had been put in a situation like that to begin with. With all the help Toril’s random creations had been in increasing the quality of life for his pack, the idea that the white-furred male would be almost killed for not making chemical warfare a thing was disgusting.
“And you would not employ such?”
“Nope,” he firmly denied. “Toril is the reason Violet can talk with everyone for as long as she wants, why we have safe, reusable lighting throughout the settlement, and why our leathers are processed in a time frame that everyone has something nice to wear besides the bare necessities. I’m not inclined to step on what he wants after that.”
Sunundra hummed a considerate note. “Very well.”
“Anything else of note?” the Grand Hunter sighed, thankful when she was willing to drop the topic without fuss. She frowned.
“Idee seemed more concerned with supplying myself with garments than discussing you.”
The abrupt shift in tone had him burst, laughter easing his nerves. He wiped a building tear away as he composed himself, fighting the chuckling. “Yeah? What, is your clothing no good?”
The female rolled her eyes at him, crossing her arms in an attempt to look aloof. “She claimed my attire was unfitting of my form.”
He winced at the sharp inflection. “You wear it because it digs into your scars otherwise, right?”
The long silence dragged the mood down, her deflating posture making him worry that he had stepped on a topic she would rather remain undisturbed. Eventually, she spoke, her voice low and mournful.
“I wish not to forget my failures, but your assumption is also a consideration.” She flinched when his hand rested on her shoulder, careful not to apply pressure to the marred flesh.
“Tell her that. Or, tell Pan and she’ll whip you up something strapless. The two of them are good at what they do, and both understand that some things are meant to be on display—if only for yourself.”
She allowed a nod of appreciation, taking a breath to refocus. “Besides that offer, she had little to say about yourself that I was not already aware of. You speak candidly and are fairly reserved in utilizing your influence.”
“That about sums it up,” he agreed, giving the shoulder a light pat before letting his arm fall. He stretched out, grunting when his back popped. “What about Mi’low, anything interesting there? She’s pretty vocal about her opinions.”
She shook her head. “Naught but reluctant acceptance was voiced. However, for all her complaints, none seem to hold any particular weight. She seemed to be opposed to your reign as a matter of consistency, rather than actual displeasure. Even that was waning by the time you arrived.”
His brows raised, surprised that the actress could go more than a few sentences without whining about him in earnest. A secondary thought admitted that—whatever was going on in the background to chill her out—he was thankful for it. He never hated her or anything, but the constant back-and-forth they had going on had worn thin over time. It was fine for them to disagree, or even argue about some things, but at some point it just became tedious.
“Well, that’s good news, I guess.” He shrugged, a smirk pulling at his lips. He jabbed a thumb back towards the base. “I suppose I should go let Pan know that we’re having an outing.”
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As he left the sewing room—Idee having been kind enough to inform him that Pan said she wanted to lay down for a bit—he grinned, having received the same news from Sahari about Tel.
Though they had moved on by the time he dragged his ass out of bed, his fiancees had apparently been seen cuddling up with Daisy while napping on the couch. News that the two were unfazed by the abrupt affection Pan gave Tel before they departed was certainly good—even if he was still confused by the whole thing.
It was a weird feeling, having a partner of his do such a thing with someone else, but the fact that the recipient was...also...his partner...?
It had been a while since he felt so befuddled by his arrangement, his mind quickly dumping any weirdness out the window when it reminded him that he intended to marry both, and any positive development between the two was for the best. It did make him wonder things that would be best left for another time, though.
Entering his room, he closed the door quietly, Pan holding Tel to her bosom while the two slept. It struck him as something that would be a shame to ruin before he could enjoy the adorable sight properly.
Tel had her arms curled around the white-furred female’s waist, her tail intertwined in a fuzzy mess of monochromatic embrace. Pan seemed perfectly content to bury the former in her fur, and completed the entrapment with a leg resting over the Wraith. Both held peaceful expressions that deepened once he had spent more than a fraction of a second in proximity—Pan’s turning into a face of contentment, while Tel opted to nuzzle deeper into the white fur in a rare display of complete ease.
“Pan,” he whispered, hoping to let Tel get the sleep she looked like she needed. Unfortunately, the keen ears of the grey-furred female snapped to him as she freed herself enough to open an eye. Pan—failing in her attempt to suffocate the other female in the bed—followed suit, giving him a dopey, blissful smile.
“Hello, Joseph. Is something wrong?” she asked, yawning as Tel rolled onto her back. He snorted at the momentary pout on Pan’s face when her cuddle-buddy fell out of her arms.
“We’re going to the pod tomorrow to show it to Sunny.”
“Ah,” Pan voiced, her tone falling as the joy became strained. “Shall I prepare for your departure?”
“Our departure, and yeah, that’s probably something we’ll want to do.”
The seconds ticked by as what he said registered.
“Myself? But who will oversee the pack?”
He glanced at Tel raising a tired brow at the exchange, shaking his head when Pan took it as an answer. “The pack can manage for a night without us. You two, Sunny, and I are going to check out the pod. I’ll touch up the systems while we’re there. Sunny is going to poke around and find whatever she wants to see it for—assuming she’s not just curious in general.”
Tears welled in her eyes, earning a stunned look from the other two. “I get to go?”
“You will, or I will have words with him,” Tel warned, glaring at him while pulling the Paw down into her. He wasn’t sure what startled him more; the relief on Pan’s face, the threat on Tel’s, or the fact that the two were teaming up against him.
“She is,” he assured, holding his hands up defensively. It took no time at all for Pan to raise an arm in silent request. One strong tug later, and he was laying across Tel while the white-furred female tried to crush his spine. “Hey, if Sunny can disappear for a while, I think the pack can manage for a night.”
“What of Daisy?” Tel asked, her interest in the topic surprising him.
“She and Violet will stay behind with Mama and Scarlet.”
A long hum preceded a terse nod of acceptance. “That will be suitable.”
He held the hug until Tel started poking at him for freedom, pushing himself back to his feet. “Then we’ll want some snacks and whatever tools Heralt had made for Harrow. I’ll get her to look at the meds while we’re out—hopefully, she’ll have some suggestions for us by the time we get back.”
Pan wiped her eyes, looking down at her dress. “I will prepare other clothing. Things of this nature are nice, but I should wear something better suited for the journey.”
“Why? You look great.”
She smiled at him. “I can not simply travel wearing this; what if we are targeted by the wildlife?”
“That is my duty, Pan. Our mate wishes you fetching. Would you rather I be the only one to entice him?” Tel purred, her sultry lilt and suggestive glance giving the Grand Hunter pause. Pan looked worried, but a few flicks of her eyes between the two replaced the expression with a shy one as she focused on the grey-furred female.
“Will you give me your opinions on some pieces I have made?”
A silent exchange was had between the pair, both ignoring Joseph as subtle eye contact and ear flicks communicated more than he could pick out. He was abruptly glared at by his fiancees, Tel taking a commanding tone.
“You will go prepare our equipment.”
“What about—”
“—Allow us females to have our time, yes?” she interjected, cutting him off with a promising smirk. He stopped his retort when Pan blushed hard enough to colour her fur, silently turning on his heel to leave. The door closed with a muffled giggle, Pan bashfully arguing with her more forward counterpart. Tel was proving to be a terrible influence on her, because the white-furred female’s tone turned to one he was very familiar with as the banter continued, the words too abstract for him to pick out. It was somewhere between embarrassed and chastising, like how she spoke to him when he teased her a little too much.
Joseph couldn’t help but roll his eyes affectionately as Pan yelped, Tel’s laughter loud enough to pierce the barrier between him and whatever dress-up or fashion show the two were doing. He shook his head and set about getting their bags ready for the morning.
He was looking forward to the trip.