#wiltedrcses 004

[fatedbeginnings]

continued from here ( @wiltedrcses )

while he's often teased over being the brawn rather than the brains of the night courts inner circle, the man doesn't consider himself unintelligent ( yet now, he cannot help but feel horribly lost ). "i ⸺ what?" brows furrow further at her statements, scrambling to try to put pieces together to assemble a clear picture but clearly missing... something. "what am i meant to be ignoring, or rather, not ignoring? did one of my brothers do something?" not many other illyrians had made the journey, and the few that had accompanied their small entourage tended to be rather well behaved when outside the night court. "i'm afraid you will need to be blunt with me, your lady."

[fatedbeginnings]

for a man who prided himself in his situational awareness, this was shameful. how had he been so ignorant to something so important? something ought to have clued him in on what was occurring right before his eyes, yet the man had remained ignorant. "illyrians are taught from a young age the suppress much, as it only serves to be a distraction in battle." he explains, "we are aware that mating bonds are possible, but the view of many of my kind are not so kind or welcoming of such a thing, nor are such bonds as common among us as they are other fae. we rarely leave the night court, let alone our war-camps during the extent of our lives unless war is upon us." he was a rare oddity, having made friends and found a position amongst the courts inner circle. bowing slightly toward the woman, emeric flashes a smile, "emeric, my lady. forgive me, if i am not what you expected from a mate." neither high fae nor lesser fae, he fell to some in between that most high fae looked down upon. expandable assets in a time of war.

HER EYES WERE not leaving the Illyrians, being attentive to any changes in him, trying to understand how he felt toward the bond or if he felt it at all. Selene knew their reputation, of course she did, everyone was well aware of it. But even before she felt the bond, it wasn't something she paid much attention to, always preferring to be the one to form her own opinions and not let others do it for herself. When he called her beautiful, Selene felt a surge of heat curse through her body, her cheeks flushing with it. The fact that he also felt a draw toward her was a relief. "So you haven't been aware of it," she stated, a hint of relief in her voice. He wasn't ignoring her, not exactly, rather he was ignoring their bond, or wasn't even aware of it. "Is it also common for Illyrians to not be aware of such thing?" Selene needed to know the reasons behind this, how he seemed to be unaware of the mate bond. "My name is Selene," she said, the idea that such a fact had not been communicated earlier seemingly foolish. The fae didn't know what else she should say, there was so many things she wanted to know, needed to know, but the last thing she wanted was to drive him away.

[fatedbeginnings]

that was some relief at least. the other courts already had a rather skewed perception of the illyrians, and the last thing he wanted was for that to worsen beneath his watch. that aside, the fae was further grateful for her agreement to be blunt ⸺ as there is little else he can imagine that would have caused her attention to him. at least, he is until the word bond leaves her lips, and then he finds himself stiffening. he'd witnessed healthy successful bonds between many fae in his lengthy life ⸺ but the few that were sprinkled throughout the illyrian ranks were rare and well hidden. he'd been taught to ignore much in favor of the ability to push forward within a battle, but knowing he might have missed something so significant? "there was a draw, but i thought it was curiosity to your lingering presence and the fact that you are a beautiful woman," he admits after a moment. "mates are not... common among the illyrians."

THE MORE SHE stood here, the more confused Selene felt. The illyrian might not be brushing her off the way she thought he had been, his confusion being puzzling. Selene felt awkward standing here, having followed him around and disturbing him. Strangely, it never occurred to her that he had no idea why she was doing all of that. "No one did anything," she said as she tried to make sense of his words. Looking at him filled Selene with so many emotions and feelings that it was hard to process it all. "I'll be blunt if that's what you wish." Selene looked away for a second as she tried to clear her head. "I'm talking about our bond. Have you not felt it? If you're only trying to spare me, I'll be the one to ask you to be blunt so that I know."