“Are you alright?”Treno asks, pulling me from my soul observations.
His question throws me off for a moment.Am I?
“Are you?”I slingshot back.
“Yes, our disconnect was killing me,”he confesses.
Empathy washes through me, along with some other things Pigeon is experiencing.Damn, I didn’t know gryphons got down like that,I observe, twisting my head to try and understand the angles going on.
I focus back on Treno and his thoughts.“You know that what happened between the Avowed and the Hidden wasn’t your fault, right?”I ask, and Treno is silent for a beat too long.“Treno, I know you’re questioning everything and trying to understand why you didn’t see things sooner, but you have to consider the circumstances surrounding you too before you decide that you’re the only one responsible for the state of this world,”I tell him.
A screech of joy fills my head, and I focus on Pigeon, quickly wishing I hadn’t.
“Well, that’s certainly one way to use a tail,”Treno comments,a little stunned.
I laugh and then try to scrub the visual away, returning to what Treno and I are discussing.
“The battle about the Vow and the Gryphons started long before you were born, Treno. The Gryphons were barely even free and absolutely not at all recovered from what happened with the Ouphe when the fight for power started between your parents’ generation. You grew up in a brutal time, believing people you loved about the Vow and what it meant for you and those around you,”I point out.“I’m sorry that it took you until now to see the other side of things, but it’s not like the nature of the Gryphons in general is to sit and talk things out, it’s definitely much more of a ‘rip someone apart first and ask questions later’ kind of culture,”I point out.
Treno chuckles a little, and the sound of it makes me feel all warm and gooey.
“I’m not saying that the self-reflection you’re doing is bad or that you shouldn’t feel the way that you do, but at least give yourself some credit. As soon as you saw the other side of things, you’ve been working to better the situation. Not everyone would do that, and you should realize what it says about you and the kind of male that you are that you’re doing everything you can to be better and do better.”
Treno releases a deep sigh in my mind, and I wish I could reach out and hug him right now.
“I forgot that my flower was smart, beautiful, understanding, and...wise,” he tells me, and I’m relieved to hear the playful smile in his tone.
I gasp, shocked.“How could you forget that the gate chose so wisely for you?”I tease in mock horror.
“I truly have no excuses for such a derelict mind.”
“Well, great, you get wise, smart, beautiful, and understanding for your mate, and I get derelict and forgetful,”I taunt.
Treno laughs.
“Forgetful, but stunningly handsome, don’t forget that part.”
“True!”I concede.“...and that cock,”I add salaciously.
“Mmmm, and that,” he agrees on a purr.
“I’d fuck the derelict out of you right now if I wasn’t, you know, trapped inside my body.”
Treno sighs longingly.“By the stars, how long do you think they’ll go for?”
I shrug and shake my head, tilting it to the side as I take in what’s happening.“I mean, I thought their beaks were too sharp for what they’re doing right now, so what the hell do I know about anything?”
I mentally conjure a big fluffy recliner and plop my ass down, lifting the footrest.“I think it’s going to be a while,”I admit as I settle in.“But hey, plenty of time to hear all about your most embarrassing moments,”I encourage, and then I get as excited as a kid waiting for an epic bedtime story.
“What? Why would I ever tell you that?”Treno argues.
“You already said you would, you can’t take it back now.”
“When did I say that?”
I tsk, disappointed.“There’s that forgetfulness again,”I tease.
Treno barks out an incredulous laugh.“Oh, you think you’re sneaky?”
