As the day draws to an end, twilight commences the closing of a wonderful day of joy and celebration. All Jaquins get ready to leave behind the annual Solyestra festival and getting ready for their daily lives.
Dióntan's astonished by Luna's approach. She's reacting fiercely. She can come across as such but he knows she isn't hostile towards him; she practically never is. Knowing this, Dióntan regains his confidence and says bluntly: "I am better company than Cruz. He displays boyish insouciance."
"Hold on now! Better company? Then why did you scare me in the first place?" Luna asks vividly yet in a demanding way.
"I did not mean to. You just saw me sooner than I expected. But, it does make absolute sense…"
He ceases as he notices Luna gazing at him in disbelieve, unimpressed by whatever he's saying. "What does?" she asks sulky.
"You not being frightened of Cruz being close to you but you did so with me. Then I said what I said after you startled, meaning you are terrified of beauty…' Dióntan says with a smirk yet stops himself at that point due to a sudden realisation, 'Ow… I – did not mean… Argh! I ruined it, did I not?"
"Yep, you did." Luna replies coldly of his unintended offense.
"Aw. I misspoke, that is all. It happens every now and then but I did not mean it… Please, give me another chance!"
"Uh-uh.' Luna replies dismissively and takes back a few steps creating some distance from the azure blue Jaquin, 'You had your shot. This just shows my company is better spend elsewhere, with someone who is not that rude."
She blows him a raspberry. Leaving him with only a shameful gaze and little pride left, Luna takes to the skies to go after Cruz. She wants a solid goodbye before the one that doesn't offend her leaves for Avalor again.
While Dióntan sadly sees Luna leave and starts pondering over his verbal slip, Kamil and Llemopaz are playing at the funfair dearly. They found an avocado and utilise it as a ball to throw it over to each other. Shaniqua and Tudor are the few who remain there as the others take the funfair items back to the Palace to stow them in one of the storage chambers. Suddenly, Llemopaz starts looking at Shaniqua intrinsically and Kamil soon does too, seemingly having forgotten they were playing. "I want sleepover at your nest!" Llemopaz zestfully orders and receives an agreeing nod from Kamil.
Just as Tudor and Shaniqua start to think this over, Tudor's father arrives with Llemopaz's mother and lands near the cubs. "Ah, there you are, Kamil. It is getting late. We should head back to Avalor soon."
"Want a sleepover with Llemopaz here." Kamil responds joyfully.
"Hm-hm. At our nest." Shaniqua adds.
"Is it now? Well, if this is alright with the both of you then it is fine by me.' Tudor's father says calmly and looks at Llemopaz's mother, 'What say you?"
She agrees with a short but calm nod and says somewhat relieved: "I see there is a fine friendship in the making, so I think that will be lovely. Llemopaz has never slept at a different nest before. I believe this will be good for him."
Shaniqua gleefully replies: "We think so, too!"
"We – do?" Tudor asks giving Shaniqua a questioning look and frowns.
"Yes. It will be nice having them over at our nest. It is going to be fun seeing them play, and probably cuddle up together when going to sleep. Besides, you always do so well with Kamil so you will like this, too!"
Tudor looks at Shaniqua hesitantly. Normally, she wants to cuddle with him in a moment of peace and quiet before going to sleep. "Having another cub over sounds fun…" he sarcastically says.
Tudor's mother, now arriving and overhearing some of the conversation, notices her son's intonation and immediately steps in by replying cheerfully: "Good! This is settled then. Kamil will spend the night with the two of you."
"O-kay!" Kamil exclaims joyfully.
"Fabulous! Your mother and I will head back to Avalor with chief Zephyr tonight. You can bring Kamil back to us tomorrow. Any time will do because I will be around Mooncliff all day long." Tudor's father states happily.
Kamil flies up to Tudor's face. He sits himself down on his brother's elongated snout and starts hanging over his head and hugs it. "Aww, look at that! They are such great siblings. We are looking forward to having them over at our nest." Shaniqua says in a mellow tone of voice.
Llemopaz's mother relishes the thought of seeing her son spend the night elsewhere for a change. "You have no idea how much you are helping me with this. All those questions… It usually ends in a waterfall of words.' Llemopaz's mother says relieved and alternates her gaze between her son and the couple, 'Anyway, thank you for cubsitting Llemopaz tonight."
Tudor looks at the cub, who now sits himself down by his mother. "You heard that? I am going to sit on you, hehe."
Shaniqua looks at Tudor with an astonished gaze. *Really? Saying this in front of her? Now comes the wrath of a mother!* she thinks in fear.
Llemopaz's mother cocks her head to the left in response to what Tudor just said. Despite his odd joking, she's worried over something else more. She reluctantly replies: "Please, do not. If you do, he will start asking questions about your butt."
Tudor starts snickering over the word 'butt' only to realise what's actually being said. "Wait, what?" he gasps slack-jawed.
Shaniqua's thinking the exact same thing, now switching her gaze to Llemopaz's mother…
At the same time the conversation is turning weird, Dióntan feels he's looking for a "suitable" partner still. Suitable as in funny, responsive, and attractive. He thought of Sienté and Luna but both no longer seem a valid option. He notices Avira looking at him. She does so since Luna rejected him just now. He starts going through some questions: *Is she interested to be my partner, even though she will probably act reluctant about it? What if she says to think about it yet rather will waver me off?*
Avira sees how Dióntan keeps looking at her intensely. Yet, his eyes radiate a certain absence of mind. It makes her feel a tad unsure what to do or where to go but gives rise to a feeling making her want to leave the open woodland, nevertheless. So she starts cleaning her paws and face now that she'd just finished up eating to distract her mind from things.
"I think I will be spending the night elsewhere. You do not mind having the nest all to yourself, right?" Veje says to Dióntan.
Dióntan startles from his pondering thoughts now that his brother suddenly found his way to him. He eyes relaxed as always. "Oh… Uh, sure… Where will you be sleeping then?" Dióntan says being a little distracted still.
"Well, it is not official yet but I am going to ask Sienté if I can sleep in her nest tonight." Veje replies excitedly.
Dióntan looks puzzled: *Already? He is advancing this thing with Sienté this quick? What if it becomes serious, and… I better make some advances myself before… No, I cannot backstab my brother. He would not like it. I would not like it if he would do that to me, either…*
"I just had a dance with Sienté.' he outs confidently once again and grows a bit more relaxed as he's talking about her, 'She is fine, really. I felt comforted in her presence and shared my thoughts with her on getting a girlfriend myself. She told me I might want to spend some more time with Avira, get to know her better. She is worth it."
"Well, she is a Soothsayer so she might be right. Maybe Avira will liven up if you pay more attention to her. After all, you know what they say: if a lady looks at you for long enough, then long becomes longing. See you, Dió!"
As twilight becomes more apparent now, Veje heads over to Sienté's nest. He wants to see how it looks like, what she made of it, and… how he can join her for the coming night. If she allows him, that is. When reaching her nest a feeling of hesitation comes over him. *I hope I am not intruding. I want to make a welcoming appearance…* he ponders over her reaction to his oncoming presence.
He slowly moves into the canopy and goes to hover in front of her nest. He looks over the edge to see if she's there. Due to some branches being in the way, as well as the retreating sunlight, he has difficulty looking around. He doesn't see her. He sees nothing but a pair of eyes looking directly into his. He cocks his head a little as he focuses on what he has difficulty with comprehending. Then he comes to realisation and starts thinking: *Could it be hers?*
*Is that Veje? I believe so… He is acting weird, but somehow I find it cute. Shall I invite him in?* Sienté thinks to herself being intrigued by his seemingly mysterious behaviour.
"Are you coming in or do you keep peeping like that?" she asks him calmly.
Veje startles but immediately recognises Sienté's voice. He won't let himself getting asked twice! Slowly, he moves over the edge of her nest with care. He's now able to see her easily. Sienté lies inside her nest and looks at him with a smile that gives a gentle and warm touch to her face. He finds this sight comforting. "You have a beautiful smile." Veje says to her softly.
"Aw, thank you.' Sienté replies slowly as well and giggles, 'You are kind."
Veje nods slowly. "Can I sit here?" he asks carefully.
"No.' Sienté quickly responds and keeps quiet for a brief moment as she remains focused on him, 'Just joking! You can sit there of course."
"Oh, haha…" Veje replies with some embarrassment.
Veje sits down and looks around to see what Sienté's nest looks like. The moment he does so, a smell starts tingling him in both nose and mind. It's a smell so sweet and soothing that he starts feeling aroused of wanting more, out of sheer ecstasy. It makes him forget all that's happening around him. Inhaling it once made him mellow already, his limbs start feeling weak as if they could collapse underneath his body at any given moment. Yet, he has no desire to feel alarmed by this unknown feeling spreading rapidly through him. A sensation of tranquillity comes over him, one of sheer calm and security. Veje wishes to remain here and inhale this transcendent smell many times over. *This scent… It is overwhelming! It makes me feel so fine, so relaxed. I want more of it! But… where does it come from? Is something in this nest releasing it? Or does it originate from her – and have I been missing it all this time?* He ponders in ecstasy still.
As the smell has him wander off in thoughts, the same pair of eyes that observed him before he entered the nest, now start observing him in the utmost confusion, making loose a thought on him: *Just now he was a conversing type, and now look at him: he just sits there with his eyes half shut as if falling asleep. He is cute but distantly strange… It somehow makes me curious about him even more.*
"Hey, Veje. What are you doing?' Sienté asks cautiously but cannot refrain from making a witty remark, 'Being slow once more?"
"Jaa-wel.' Veje replies softly and slowly but suddenly realises that was a response and reverts from his trance, 'Ow! Uhm… I, eh… I was lost in translation. Something caught me off guard."
"So it seems. A Royal Guard being off "guard", hihi. Sounds like something hit you suddenly."
"That, it did. And I blame you for it." Veje says lovingly.
By now, Veje has completely forgotten he was observing her nest in the first place. He gets up and slouches towards her, and goes to lie down next to her with his wings and tail alongside his body orderly. "Well, okay…" Sienté says surprisingly of Veje's move.
"I hope you do not mind." Veje says flirty as he gazes into her eyes.
Sienté doesn't respond. Instead, she gets up much to Veje's surprise. She moves around him and sits herself down by his belly. Silently, this is what she'd hoped he would come to her for. This happening in the evening opens possibilities to get to know Veje better. Sienté goes to inspect the spots on his body that felt sore two days prior. Apparently, he acts af he doesn't feel much of it anymore, so this makes her curious if her concoction back then worked. Veje recalls how she inspected him when he was injured. With a warm touch to his voice once more, he says: "I remember your gentle touches on me."
"I remember you lying there helplessly, making a certain call for aid."
"So I did… Somehow I felt a warm presence, one that could ease my pain – and fear."
"Fear for what?"
"Leaving this world prematurely."
Sienté frowns and replies plainly: "Really? You were not in that bad a shape…"
While Veje feels Sienté's warm touches to his belly, he remains lying and starts enjoying it while saying with sheer pride: "I finally got my revenge on Skylar."
Sienté gives him a confused look, not knowing what exactly he's hinting at. "What do you mean by revenge?' she asks reluctantly but then realisation strikes her, 'Wait, you do not mean to say…?"
"I hit him with some left-over food, as payback for what he did to me earlier today." Veje says with a grand smug spread across his face.
"I dearly hope for your sake that king Verago did not see this."
"He was there, too." Veje replies plainly as if it's not a big deal.
Sienté never thought she would ever do this, but today… She facepalms herself, out of misery over Veje's idiotic behaviour. She knows he can act thoughtlessly but apparently, he manages to stress it. Veje, on the other hand, only raises an eyebrow pondering what Sienté is hinting at. "Tell me you did not…! Are you equally slow in thinking your actions over as you are in dawdling?' Sienté asks him yet gives Veje no time to respond as she sighs and continues immediately, 'I held you back when you wanted to do the same at the open woodland because king Verago was there. Him seeing you do this to his eldest son… There is absolutely no telling in what he will do with you. Oh well… All of this should not be ruining our evening together. Come here and lie with me. I truly hope you are better at romance than you are at diplomacy."
Veje clearly starts thinking this over before he says slowly: "I think…"
"Wow! That was rather quick thinking for your standards." Sienté jests to soften a tense atmosphere.
"So, can I dream with you tonight?" Veje asks slowly out of hesitation yet with a warm touch to his voice.
Sienté giggles softly. That inaudible answer is what Veje was waiting for. It makes his efforts pay off. Immediately he feels thrilled with excitement. This makes his body shiver slightly due to the overwhelming feeling of ecstasy. "You are cute, Veje. I like that.' she says returning the same warmth in her voice that fades as she continues, 'Yet, we should not move so fast now. We will see. Maybe tomorrow we can lie against one another. Okay?"
Veje slowly nods. He knows not how to feel. He starts experiencing two contradictory feelings. One is of victory as Sienté just said she finds him cute, while the other is of dejection as she rejected him that makes him feel vulnerable towards her. These are feelings of which Veje cannot decide which will surmount right now.
Sienté notices Veje has stopped moving. He's lying on his right side with his back towards her. He lies there motionless with only his chest moving clearly. This has Sienté recall the moment when she found him in a similar position on that dreadful day when he got bashed by that feral Veloz Ciervoz…
However, Sienté becomes curious about something different. She positions herself against his back. She can feel his breathing through his chest at a consistent pace, while his fur caresses hers with every breath he draws. The rather slow speed at which this happens is both highly soothing and comforting to her. It makes her want to remain in this position. Yet, her curiosity gets the better of her. She moves her head over his shoulder. Hanging partly over him, she wonders and thus asks softly: "So, tell me how this rose-taupe boy, of all Jaquins, became a Roy…"
She ceases. A sudden sight draws her attention and has her taken aback as if sudden realisation hit she shouldn't be asking. Her eyes go stand wide as she notices… he gone to sleep. *Really? Last time you were inconsistent with your story that I could hardly follow. I am starting to think not getting to hear this story anytime soon…*
Meanwhile, Tudor's on his way flying to his nest slowly. He's fatigued from eating so much today… again. It's become a customary thing by now, one he repeats every year. His belly weighs more heavy making every beating of his wings feel like a burden. But he's not there yet. He needs to ascend to the top of the canopy first and his mind, drained from nearly all energy, makes this climb feel cumbersome. If anything, he's ready for a good night's rest. *Am sooo tired! No more energy… Need sleep.* is all that comes to his mind.
Once there, he's able to barely make it over the nest's edge and immediately drops himself on his back, letting all four paws rest widespread beside him. He's completely motionless, except for his chest moving fast-paced due to his heavy breathing. Tudor has eaten a lot of delicious food at the festival. So much even that his belly has expanded from all of the food inside. *Oof, finally home… I must not – move, otherwise it – will get worse. Ate so much… so delicious! Feeling so nauseous… but so worth it!* he thinks to distract himself from his aching stomach.
Llemopaz: "Why is your belly so big?"
Tudor: "Because I ate much. Good food – does not need wasting…"
"Ow, Tudor. Look at you! All fatty because of your cheeky feeding behaviour." Shaniqua says disapprovingly yet knows her remark holds no sway.
Llemopaz prods his belly and immediately asks: "Why is your belly warm?"
"Argh! So, this is what she meant with 'all these questions'…"
Shaniqua nods at him and gleefully says to Llemopaz: "You want to know everything, do you not? You certainly are one curious cub!"
"Yeah!" Llemopaz replies exaltedly.
Verago remains inside the throne room when everyone else left. He decides to fly up to the entrance to his royal retreat. He sits himself down in front of it and waits… Shortly after, he sees Skylar and Nico enter the throne room. They're a tad later than he'd anticipated but on a day like this, that's to be expected. "Skylar.' Verago says with a stern voice that echoes through the nearly empty throne room and looks his son in the eyes, I need a word with you about what happened earlier today."
*Argh, am I getting lectured again?* Skylar thinks and displays a dull gaze at Nico.
Nico understands what's happening and lands immediately in front of the throne itself. "Good luck, big bro! You are gonna need it." he says teasingly yet with a serious look in his eyes as he follows up on Skylar until he disappears out of sight.
"He does not." Nico hears Verago respond to him before laying his head down and waiting out the conversation to come.
"Son.' Verago starts calmly and puts a wing over Skylar's back, 'I want to apologise for bellowing at you in front of many a Jaquin. This I should not have done. The situation went out of paw for me, and doing what I did was the quickest way to regain control."
"So, you are not mad at me?" Skylar asks reluctantly but with curiosity radiating from his eyes.
"Not this time, no. I am not mad about what you said. I became mad for the timing you used to say it. Unintentionally, you fuelled the tense atmosphere at the funfair. If I had not intervened it would swirl into a frenzy and turn a festive day into a rueful one. I know I was being harsh on you at that moment. I made myself come across as huffy but I never intended it that way but I did so with a purpose. We should let the past rest. It has no point trying to relive it. Only this way the Clan can keep living in harmony."
"I understand…" Skylar says with his head held down a little out of sorrow.
"Do not regret. I know how exuberant you can be. Call it personality or quirk, it is what makes you Skylar."
Skylar looks up at Verago. He sees his father smiling at him. Skylar smiles back at him. Softly, he says to him: "Just to say, father. Do not hold yourself responsible for something that is not your fault."
"Excellent advise.' Verago says calmly while nodding and rubs his face against Skylar's showing how much he cares for him, 'Tomorrow will be a normal day again. Just another day in paradise. Come, let us go to sleep."
However, instead of lying down in his nest, Verago starts gazing toward the throne room as if expecting someone to enter his cave home any moment now. "Are you coming, Nico?" Verago asks firmly making clear his intentions.
"Ooh, hermanito is getting a lecture on throwing food!" Skylar says in a sing-song manner to tease Nico back.
"Stop pestering your brother." Verago replies sulky of sleepiness and yawns as Nico joins them for the night.