[LOG] Too Soon? (Iseult x Teo)

[Reeshie Hack]

Iseult:
Iseult trudged back from a day of hunting, tired but satisfied to a degree after having dropped off her kill with some of the other members. She'd already taken a small portion for herself before she brought it back. Time had passed since she had joined this group, and she really felt like she was a part of something, like she was finally somewhere she belonged. It was still settling in, she was still adjusting to this new life and the others in it. There were still some things she didn't understand about the coalition, but that was fine. They didn't outright hurt anyone, no one here seemed evil to her, so it was a good enough place.

Having Teo there helped a lot.
By the gods, she didn't think she would meet someone like him. He was arrogant, secretive, and he knew what advantages he had, but at the same time he was kind with her. He teased her and let her tease back, he did his best to help her adjust... He was just perfect. Okay, so maybe perfect was much too strong of a word, but still. He was definitely a catch for any female.

She shook the daydreams from her head and paused in her strides, biting her lower lip. He had been so nice with her, she felt worse and worse keeping her secret from him. He had said seers were special. But she didn't want to be something to be traded about, and she wasn't that good of a seer, anyways. No, it was something better kept to herself.
Mind made up, she walked the last few paces to the entrance of her den.

Teo:
Good or bad of a seer, Teo didn't care if she was or not. The red male was happy she was adjusting. Honestly, she wasn't like another female in the coalition. She challenged him. She pushed his buttons, teased him and kept him on his toes. He enjoyed the banter. He enjoyed her looks, the way she grew bashful sometimes... She was just an enigmatic female. He liked puzzles as much as the next male, but Teo felt a special connection to her.

Since Iseult was int he pride, he hadn't needed to seek out the other females for his entertainment. She was entertainment enough. Grinning to himself as he wandered through the coalition, he let his tail flick this way and that.

Teo had decided he was going to ask her to be his denmate. A smirk crossed his face at that. Den mate. He hoped she would understand what went with being a denmate.

However, when he came to her den, it was empty. Arching a brow, he tiled his head and shrugged, sitting at the den entrance. He would just wait for her there. Teo had taken it upon himself to wait at her den quite a few times. She shouldn't be very surprised when she found him there. But maybe surprised that he opted for napping until she got back. His head was on his paws, his tail was wrapped around him and he was starting to snore.

Iseult:
Iseult stopped quickly in her tracks when she saw the familiar male lying just inside her den, snoring in his slumber. Her tension eased away as she tilted her head slightly, a soft smile on her features. She sat down, resisting the urge to smooth his ruff or stroke his cheek.

"Have you been waiting long?" she asked, hoping that would wake him up in such a way that he wasn't startled. She didn't particularly like that feeling herself, a sudden, harsh sound jerking her away, eyes snapping open. The soft sound of birdsong or the warmth of the sun on her face, those were always just the right way to get up. Hopefully her voice was soft and smooth enough to wake him up nicely.

Teo:
The voice didn't cause him to jerk awake, but it did wake him up. Sighing heavily, the male raised his head and blinked bearily before smirking. Oh, she was here. He laughed a little more before shrugging. "I don't remember, honestly. It was warm and I grew tired... I knew you would be back soon. I saw the hunting party when I was... .... Doing something for the boss." This was one of the times she wasn't allowed to ask what he was doing. It involved a body and well, it wasn't pretty.

He had managed to wash the blood off of him, and hopefully the scent with him. "How did the trip go? I didn't really see what you got," he explained, sitting up and stretching slowly.

Iseult:
"Well enough. It... I don't think I really noticed, but I missed being around others, hunting together, things like that. It's really nice to be a part of something again," she replied with a very pleased, contented change to her face. She really was growing happy here. It was... almost like one big family, really. Everyone helped out and made sure that everything that needed doing got done. She only hoped she would be as helpful as a nanny as she seemed to be as a huntress, once she got properly placed into the role.

Teo had been coming by whenever he seemed to have a chance to and it was, to be frank, very flattering. If she had once thought his attention had anything to do with getting a new female to join, she was certain that it wasn't the case anymore. She had already committed to the group, he didn't need to keep trying to draw her in.
Of course, her father had warned her and her sisters that some males could spend every waking moment charming you until they got what they wanted and fled, but she didn't feel like Teo would do that. But then, she didn't know many males, all she had was a sort of instinct deep down that had nothing to do with her gift that said this wasn't how he normally treated females, that she should pay attention to whatever was going on here.
"So, you were waiting for me, was there something you wanted?" So he had done this more than a few times, he probably just wanted to talk like normal, but she always asked if there was something more pressing he wanted, just to make sure.

Teo:
Of course she didn't notice. She was a hunter. She hunted practically every day and the days were bound to blur together. When she went on to say she liked being part of the coalition, his silver eyes lit up and a grin came to his face. Good. Teo was honestly glad that she liked being apart of soemthing bigger. It made him feel like he'd helped, not only his coalition, but her by bringing her somwhere safe and where she'd feel needed.

Females liked to feel needed, right? That's what he got, anyway. They liked to feel needed, safe, warm and loved, sometimes, even if it's just physically. Well, he supposed that was wanted and not loved. As he thought about this, Teo's eyes kind of glazed over and he stare off for a minute. How many females had felt wanted because of him? Not too many, actually, but he did flirt with a lot of them. That made them feel special if the giggles and smiles were anything to go by. Females really liked it when he flirted with them. Though, as of late, Teo hadn't flirted with that many of them or talked to that many of them. It was weird. They would call on him for attention, he would chat, and then went about his job or went to find this one.

"Yes, actually. I want you to move in with me and be my den mate." He was dead serious when he spoke this, looking her directly in the eyes to show how serious he was. "I like you, you know. I have gotten to know you and I feel that I want to keep you near me."

Iseult:
Iseult tilted her head as she watched him think, watched his eyes gaze off for a moment, wondering what he was thinking about.
And then Teo spoke.
She blinked, not quite sure she heard what he had said. She went over it in her head, no, she had heard him right. He wanted what? Her eyes widened for a moment before she started blinking a little dumbly at him, her ears twitched as she felt the blood rushing to her face.

"You... I'm not sure I really understand. What do you mean by 'den mate'?" Oh, thank the gods, she managed to say it without stuttering or looking even more foolish than she felt at that moment. Her mind was racing with all of the things the request might really mean, from anything as simply living in the same den to... many other much more complicated things. Actually part of it could make sense. Save den space, spend more time together, keep an eye on her, even look out for her if need be. She was new to this coalition, after all. Maybe all this time he was spending with her was to make sure she was all right here and didn't get into any trouble. And by staying with him, he could keep an eye on her easier.
Her thoughts were certainly rambling.

Teo:
"Yes, den mates," he replied cooly. Arching a brow he watched her reaction and hid his smile. She was embarrassed. It had worked. He'd wanted to watch her blush again and to see her shy reaction. She was hardly shy when it came to the teasing and pushing boundaries, but a simple 'move in with me' and she was like a little cub all over again. "Meaning.. You'd be with me. As a mate, sharing my den... Maybe having cubs."

The tone he used, he could have been talking about the weather. Inside, he was a nervous wreck, however. He was trying not to shake, trying not to shift too much or look to the side. He had to be calm, casual and collected, the things he was all the time with her. Waiting for her reply, he laid back down and just watched her, his ears flicking every now and then, tail swaying behind him in a steady pace. Hopefully she didn't pick up on how nevous he was.

What if she rejected him? Then what would he do? Could he go on talking to her as if nothing happened? This was the first time he proposed this to anyone before. The whole coalition would be talking about it, he had a feeling, because of his prior reputation. Bets would be made on how long it would last and he wasn't entirely sure about that himself. However, he was willing to try. He wanted her near him. He wanted to be more than friends.

Iseult:
Iseult's eyes widened again, almost twice as big as before. Her mouth opened to speak.
And closed.
And opened again.
And absolutely nothing came out.

That was far more than she had expected. Were these kinds of things always this fast? She remembered her father and step-mother. They had met and mated fairly quickly, and all of the stories they told her when she was a little one, the adventure was quickly over and they lived happily ever after, together. So that was fast, too. But...
Part of it just didn't feel quite right.

"I... I don't..." Finally, words, and yet no coherent thought. She sat down with a definite thump sound, placing a paw to her head.
"It's... You're really forward, you know that? Knock me off my paws, gracious." She sounded flustered, embarrassed, but not in a negative way. The world sort of felt like it was starting to spin around her and for some reason she felt that the only thing she could do to make it stop was to cling to Teo. Was that how she was supposed to feel? It was disorienting and exciting all at the same time.

Teo:
He was getting nervous. It was taking too long for her to answer, and Teo didn't like it. She kept trying to speak but nothing was coming out. His ears started to pin back against his head and then sighed a little when she finally said something. Well, she wasn't going to go for it, and that was all there was to that. He tried not to look as crushed as he felt. This was his first ever rejection, and from someone he really wanted to be with, too.

Getting to his paws again, he turned around and sighed. "Sorry. I'll just leave you be for now. We'll catch up again... later," he said, voice sounding a little more hollow than usual. Without even waiting for a response the cheetah took off from her den, pissed off at the whole world. He'd waited to ask her that and she'd just completely blow him off. She didn't say yes, and he took what she said and how she said it as a no. If she had felt the same way she'd have absolutely no hesitation. Growling to himself, Teo's whole body language read pissed off.

Rejected? When word of this got around the coalition, he had a feeling he was done for in the lady's eyes. He wouldn't be seeking their comfort anytime soon. Perhaps he could arrange a punching bag tonight if he could get the Boss to agree to it. The red cheetah was itching to sink his teeth and humiliation into something.

Iseult:
Wait, what??
What had she said?
Sure, she had taken a while to get over the shock of it, and wrap her mind around it, but... But dammit that wasn't fair of him to just walk away like that! And she wasn't going to leave him be just yet, not after a question like that!

She ran after him out of her den, it wasn't like he was moving very fast, so it didn't take long for her to catch up, zip around him, and stand in his path.
"What in the world is wrong with you?" Iseult hissed softly, trying her best to look as normal as possible. She didn't want to cause a scene after all. She was too sweet-natured and somewhat shy to want too much attention on such a private matter, and she didn't want to embarrass him in front of others.

Teo:
"You know what's wrong?" he whispered back, looking at her. His eyes were full of humility and anger. "You rejected me. Why are you still following?" he half snarled at her. His fur wasn't standing on end, but he wasn't exactly being nice. Honestly, though. He took everything she said as rejection. She fumbled for words, didn't say yes and just... It wasn't good in his mind. He looked into her eyes, his silver ones softening despite what he wanted to happen. He wanted to stay mad at her. It would hurt him a bit less if he did. "I thought you wanted something else besides friendship, but it looks like I jumped the gun."

He looked away from her and sighed, tail flicking this way and that as he continued to talk. "I'm sorry. We'll remain friends if that's what you want. ....Just don't tell anyone you rejected me." His brows knit again as he sat down, sighing, tail twitching

Iseult:
Iseult's ears flicked back when he growled his words at her. Oh, no, she was not letting him turn this on her.
"I did no such thing, you, you, ooo!" Her words were still hushed, even when said rather strongly. She turned away for a moment as if she was going to walk off, but turned back almost immediately. She just didn't know what to do with him.

"You ask me something like that, so gods-be-damned nonchalantly and you expect me to not be surprised? Are you kidding?" She got even closer then, really making an effort to hide her words from all but him.
"I had no idea you were even attracted to, I mean I'm nothing special. Gods! And I thought you were just being nice to me because... well, not because of that." Iseult finally stopped, let out a slow, shaky breath and dipped her head, trying to get a hold of herself.

"I didn't reject you. I didn't say yes or no. You didn't give me much chance to think about it," she finally said after a moment, looking up at him again. Her tail was still lashing behind her, but it was the only remnants of her agitation.

Teo:
He figured she would blow up at that. Most women did when things turned out badly. She was obviously no expetion. When she turned around he knew he'd blown it completely. She was leaving and that meant Teo had lost all chances to be with her. Gods damn his anger! This was not, definately not, the way this should have gone.

"I was only nonchalant so I didn't throw make you too umcomfortable! I don't give flowers to every cheetah I meet, you know. That should have been your first clue! You're so thick skulled sometimes, Iseult!" He said, turning his head and then sighed again. He brought a paw to his face, rubbing his nose a few times before calming down again. Honestly, this was his fault. He shouldn't be mad at her.
"Look. I'm sorry, alright? I'm sorry this happened like this. I had meant to ask you and wait, but I got anxious and then that turned into irritation which just exploded." He turned around, facing her again and then dipped his head. So much for pride. Humility didn't really suit him, in his own opinion.

Iseult:
"It's a really big decision and you just sort of sprung it on me, Teo. Don't you remember? This is all new to me, and I don't mean the coalition." Her voice was softer now, her frustrated look changing to a more insecure, unsure one. Her ears flicked back as the frown remained on her face.

"I've never met a male that treated me like you do, or made me feel like this. I had absolutely no idea that... that you didn't give flowers to other females, how could I? I never would have asked because I really, really didn't want to think of you doting on other females, even if I did have the courage to tease you about it," she continued, glancing away from him.

"I've seen the other females that live here, I couldn't understand why me, so I couldn't really wrap my mind around what you were asking, so I couldn't give you an answer... And I'm not thick-skulled..." The last sentence was muttered, annoyed that he would call her that.

Teo:
He sighed at that and gave her a little smile. Moving closer, Teo dared to nuzzle at her cheek a little, brows knitting. "I'm sorry. I acted really rashly. I'm sorry.." He sighed heavily and just sat back and watched her. His brows were knit as he watched her again. He was being honest and earnest. He just prayed she would still be interested in him after this. This little outburst could have changed her mind compltely about everything.

"Why you is easy. You challenge me. You're not afraid to put me in my place. You keep me on my toes... You're witty and beautiful to boot. You just.. I like you." He shrugged a little more and and just hung his head, brows knitting.

Iseult:
Iseult leaned into the affectionate gesture, her heart clenching.
"I like you too. I guess... I was just stunned," she replied and stepped to him, tucking her head under his chin.

"I would like to stay with you," she paused there for a moment, smiling. "I like curling up with you to sleep, rather than being alone... If the offer is still open..."
Oh, now it was her turn to feel anxious. She was taking a step for him, not one she was really sure she was ready for, but she was doing it anyway. It would seem that something other than her mind was in control at that moment, something far more emotional and on his side of the argument.

Teo:
When she said yes he just leaned against her and grinned. Of course Teo could feel how nervous she was. He was nervous as well. Hel, he's never once lived with a female before. He didn't even really remember living with his mother, other than that he was usually out all the time with his dad.

Then she pulled away and his head tilted. "Of course it's still there.. .... Come on..." he got up and stretched out, trying to act like nothing had happened between the two of them. "I'll... show you to your new den." He nuzzled her cheek again, because it felt really good to finally do that and sighed, wandering off without even checking back to see if she was going to follow. Teo knew she would.