Temporary Bliss

The emotions and tasks he was put through were overwhelming from what he had be brought to. Not only was she the one he had been looking for, but it was putting a greater toll on his shoulders, and now he had her closer, so close they were actually going to spend an evening together. His hands raked though his hair and passed his ears relentlessly as his tail swung too and fro behind him while pacing into numerous rooms in the convenience of his home. No sleep had come to him the few nights before after he had asked her, his plans were to originally put it to the day after, but with the joining of more surprising Mora, his hands had been covered with more important duties. The nerves and small sense of anxiety was getting to his head, pressing his palms against the door of his house with his head downwards between his arms. He whispered few words and rubbed over the center of his mother's neckless he had hidden under his shirt until he calmed himself enough to think straight. Why did she do this to him? Doesn't she see it? Covering his eyes, he turned to lean his back against the wall in defeat, sighing at the options he had planned for what they could at least do together, and for that matter, where. The thought of wilderness or some deep adventuring sounded intriguing, though he wished he knew what she believed in her opinion was 'fun.' His eyes opened to reveal the color of an evergreen forest, blinking with a small hazel sunburst to glow within them as he resorted to the internet's opinion. Moving towards the computer to sit, his plaid pajama pants dragged across the ground at his feet along with the tip of his white one ringed tail, only to leave him bare at the chest other than his case of bed-head cowlick hair. Connor flipped through the screen, tapping lightly on the touch-screen through wonderful places nearby, targeting one in particular a friend or two had advised for him from when they stayed with their relatives or sometimes companions for late-night enjoyment. It was enough for him of the price in order to hitch a ride, and the tickets were an easy win for his taste. Pressing accept with a tap of his finger, he sent her an email through;

Willow,

As things have been busy as of recently, I give you my apology and thanks to your patience. Here is where we will be going, pack light since we won't need much, we're not staying long unless you would want to. I've left most of the work with some of the others so the kingdom will be safe while we are out of reach. There is service, so bring a phone, and I shall meet you there at the Falls. Hope to see ya soon,

~Sincerely Yours,
Connor Lee James

After its process of pending had ceased, he sighed slowly and got up to head up the stairs to pack his belongings in a small athletic string backpack, putting it on his bed to search through his list of clothes within his closet. The weather was light, sunny at its best, but not as hot as a sauna thankfully, choosing light attire to move freely in on his own without trouble. Slipping on a pair of loose kaki shorts to reach his knees with a brown belt and a simple red band t-shirt, he combed his hair back and sprayed himself with a light cologne he had bought recently that didn't however affect his sensitive nose. At last, he examined himself quickly in the mirror and preformed a quick shave to the sides of his face before easing on a pair of black and red Reeboks and dark sunglasses. His amulet hung around his neck naturally, smiling and flexing his muscles to show off in front of the mirror of his secret confidence. Never would he do that in front of people, only here, alone in his own world he would. Turning around his baseball cap for the lid to be at the back, he hitched his back by the one string strap and swaggered out of the house before locking it up. It was mid-day, perfect and a normal time for him to get to Astridax without being late to show up earlier before her. Connor stayed quiet, slinking his tail and ears to hide beneath his human suit for the sake of his identity and race being found. Luckily, he still had his earbuds to block out the sounds of anything else as he reached the man with the boat, telling him that there will be another wanting a ride, but letting him be the first shift to be taken over since she was not there. He rested in one of the seats as he was taken over the water, gripping the bars in the fear of falling off and into the water. It was not that he was afraid of water, no, that wasn't the issue at all, it was boats, he hated them more than anything in the idea of sinking and soon to be trapped under it like Titanic, a strange really old movie Americans thrived over so much. He had never watched it, only heard of its fame, for which he really did not enjoy at all since he thought it was the most boring story ever, however, it changed his opinion on riding in boats entirely as a child. All he could think was how lucky he was that she was not here to see how bad of a coward he was to it, but everyone had their fears, right?

When an half-hour passed, the boat slowed to a stop at the beach's dock and shores, unhooking the anchor to rest in the water and rope loop around the dock's station bar for more hold. Jumping off onto the dock safely, he nodded politely with a tip of his hat to the man with the order to be ready for when she'd get there to be taken over. Watching the boat leave off into the distance towards home, the Noble saw no one around, the coast was clear so he let out his ears and tail with a long and relieved sigh, cracking his muscles in his upper back. Continuing his adventure, he decided to stay close by the shore, following its edge till he reached a river path that led into the jungle. Off towards the background he could see a house, a large one big enough to fit three normal sized families if not more for vacations. He smiled, keeping it in mind for later if the Queen wished to rest somewhere for the night instead of head home. Connor edged along the river ways till he heard the sound of rushing water pulse through in echoes, running a bit faster with the music coming from his earbuds singing in his ears. Wildlife surrounded his every being, each angle satisfied with some intensity of green to match the color of his eyes, and even flowers as orange as the harvest moon to resemble the Queens. "It's beautiful..." He whispered, shaking a handy fist with a wide smile before heading up the hill to settle upon a large edge near the waterfall's side. It was a magnificent background for a picnic, he thought while setting up the thin blanket to lay across the hard ground, taking out small sandwiches and orange juice from the small bag. He prayed internally for this to go smoothly and even for them to be weird, comfortable around each other instead of business reasons. This was his chance, but was it enough for him to get away with?

The blankets, like the rest of the house, were cozily warm. Willow’s plans were non-existent. All she needed for that day was her bed, her stuffed animal shaped like a, alligator, and the huge mass of blankets that already were tangled and wrapped around her. She had the corner of one between her fingers, rubbing at the worn edge like she did every morning and evening. Sometimes she thought that she did it in her sleep, for she always woke up doing the same thing as she was doing then. It didn’t really bother her much, for she was more asleep than awake at that moment. She was staring at the ceiling, seeing images of her dreams that would soon be forgotten. Lately, a stranger had been coming to her while she slept and taking her places. The queen never saw his face except for a pair of green eyes that she soon forgot whether they had been green of brown. Either way, she depended on sleep and wanted so badly to go back to sleep to see him again. Just as she was about to drift off, a chirp came from the laptop on her nightstand. Peeking out from under the blankets, she narrowed her vision to see that it was her Noble who had emailed her. Willow was up and out of bed so quickly that she felt dizzy. Not only that but, in the second she went to take a step, her face met the floor. Pain bloomed behind her eyes and she groaned, seeing that she had been careless enough to not untangle the blankets from her legs. Instead of getting the blankets off, Willow wiggled like a worm towards her computer and lifted herself up to click a button and read it. With every word, a smile crept onto her face, She would have jumped around her room if it hadn’t been for the fact that her blankets still hair their tangled hold on her legs. “Fuck.... You..... Blankets.... I have.... To get ready”, she nearly yelled while kicking each one off individually. Once she was able to get them all off, Willow ran into her bathroom to take a shower and prepare for the day. 


She came out of the house fully prepared half an hour later. The bag she carried was strapped across her body, filled with all she would need for where they were going. She wore an off-the-shoulder blue-tshirt paired with jean shorts that rests slightly above mid-thigh. Underneath, Willow wore a black and orange bikini that was one of her favorites. Both her ears and tail were already well hidden within her frame. Her hair was all pushes to one side and naturally wavy as it fell slightly past her chest. She wore no makeup besides a thin ring of black eyeliner and the least amount of foundation she could find. In her opinion, she looked like a girl that was going to hang out with a friend.It was nothing short of the truth, except where her friend wanted to go required a boat. She figured that she could count as Connor as a friend, though this surprise location made her feel a little more special than what would be his average friend. Willow couldn’t help but to think and wonder countless things, and she quickly banished all thought to go over all that she had done before leaving. Bruce was well fed, for she had given him two days’ worth of fish and other meat he could eat. Not only that, but he could also hunt in her lands. All Mora business had been taken care of and there was no need to worry about that. All it seemed she had to have concern for was the boat, but that problem vanished once she had gone into the city and to the docks. The man who allowed her onto the boat was nice and gentlemanly, but some other passengers were not. There were two teenage boys to her left, leering at her as they all waited for the boat to move. She was completely not in the mood to be hit on or flirted with, and so she slipped on a pair of sunglasses that covered at least half of her face. As if that wasn’t enough, she pulled out her phone and stuck in her earbuds. She clicked through the apps on her phone until the found the old movies humans used to watch. So far, Finding Nemo was her favorite, so she clicked on it and began to watch the movie just as the boat began to move. Her knees bent up to her chin and the neko curled into the comfortable boat seat, preparing for a long ride.

At least an hour had passed before the boat stopped at where she needed to get off. The movie was almost over, so she continued to watch it as she got off the boat and onto the island. Once her movie was finished, she looked up at where she was and gasped. The place was incredibly beautiful and none like she had ever seen before. Slipping off her shoes, Willow let the soft sand go between her toes as she walked along the shore. The simple beauty of it made her smile and nearly forget why she was here. The sight of a mansion not far off caught her eye, and she thought that maybe Connor would be there. Shaking her head, Willow remembered that his email had said something about the falls. Taking that he meant waterfalls, the queen walked into the jungle in search of the place she was supposed to be. It didn’t take her long to hear the splashing and rushing of water that could be nothing else but the falls. The closer Willow got, she realized that the flowers and vegetation got even more breathtakingly beautiful. She continued to walk and stopped short, catching eyes of the very person who had her come here in the first place. It looked to her like he was setting things up for a picnic. This made Willow bite her bottom lip and smile, blushing from her hiding spot and waiting until he turned his back from her direction. While she watched him, her ears and tail slipped from her and she sighed quietly in relaxation. In the moments she had been doing this, she realized that she had almost missed her chance. Connor’s back was to her at this angle, and she crept from her hiding spot. Once she was close enough, Willow covered his eyes with her hands and whispered playfully. “Boo.”

As he worked, the tom thought of ways and interesting ideas of how else they could spend their time together, finding some ideas a bit too dramatic, but always keeping them there if it were even possible. He held a wild imagination, and could only smile and chuckle at himself from time to time when random things would occur. The best, and sometimes the worst of his memories were always her smile, her eyes, the way she walked, the way she talked. Oh, how he could imagine her all day and never frown, that is, until he would see that she was trapped, as well as he. He'd curse through his teeth at his behavior and rage towards the men in the lab coats, what things they did to him, to her, to their kind. He had to thank them, no, not them, but just, someone worthy of his acknowledgement, because without going behind those steel animal bars, he would have never, not ever been able to of come this far. Not that he saw himself as a partial animal, but with an actual place to call home, friends to talk with, a title to be proud of; a goal. Rubbing at the locket once more, he cleared his thoughts to not worry and think about his past as he was supposed to be happy, excited of her becoming upon this date between them. He'd take it like a gentlemen, use his manners, clear paths before she'd walk through, and keep her safe from only God knows what could be living in this jungle. With the help of the bubbling rush of the waterfall and light noises of birds calling to their mates, or a mate, easily calmed himself down and busied him back to his work.

Connor had just begin to be finishing up on his display, but the scenery instantly was covered and his vision was blinded by a pair of soft, gentle hands. They were warm, so warm, and when he reached up to feel over the back of the hands and around the wrists, he smiled wider, ten times wider than before. Meanwhile, the black and white ringed hairs around his tail stood on end and he shivered slightly as she whispered in a musical manner. Taking her by the wrists, he slowly rose to his feet and turned around, uncovering his eyes in doing so to peer down at her, "Good evening, my Queen." He gave a slight chuckle at her performance and cute way of spooking him, if that was what she was trying to do anyway. As he sized her up slowly, he made sure his gaze did not linger inappropriately, as much as it truly wished, and released her wrists with a slight blush across his dimpled cheeks. He could not help himself but feel a bit nervous of her presence, she was his ruler after all, and she deserved the best, not him, but better, much better, he thought. Connor was not what one would consider valiant, courageous, honorable, he knew this for a fact, for it was really her that deserved more and not to be spending her precious moments with a Noble like he. Stop doubting yourself, moron. Take it up like a man and be somebody for a change. You're not going to win her heart like this, so quit, he thoughts said, but his heart and tail disagreed, "How're you?" He said in order to try and make conversation, whipping his tail excitedly until he was able to keep it from moving entirely by curling it around his leg. In his mind, he cursed secretly through his shining white smile, stepping back to motion her over towards the blanket to sit on the other side. Handing her a couple different sandwiches as he was unsure of what she preferred and a small cup of orange juice.

"I didn't know what you liked, so I stuck to the basics. There's PB&J, ham and cheese, turkey on whole wheat, anything really, I on the other hand am a PB&J guy. If you don't like any of it, its alright, um.. maybe we can go up to the house up there and maybe raid the fridge to make something of our own, if you want, but its okay if you don't, its cool." He blushed a bit more as he realized he was ranting, pursing his lips in a small, sheepish smile while leaning back on his palms and tucked his tail under his lap. Great, now he looked like a fool. Why can't you do anything right, Connor? Just once? "Sorry, I have a habit of babbling, my Queen. How have you been? It's only been a week or so since I've seen you, and in that time I have not been able to make plans, as I too have been busy. Surely, you must have been busy with new recruits? I've been seeing more frequent activity around the fence since our last encounter..." As he trailed, he smiled slightly at the thought of them in her house, sharing information and sympathy over the death of their beloved friend, Grey. He was a true leader, one Connor could never replace, and always had the sense of happiness to fill the room even in the worst of times. It was the reason why Connor trusted him so easily, though, he was only five and knew so much at the time, it was still the fact that it was because of Grey that he found out what he was. "You look magnificent, as always, my Queen." He commented, keeping the conversation alive with small compliments here and there just so he could make her smile.

Willow hadn’t been quite sure of his reaction when she had covered his eyes, but when his hands had begun to cover hers she smiled brightly. For a moment she imagined wrapping her arms around him in greeting and a blush rose in her face and turned her slightly pink along her cheekbones. As her turned around, her smile only grew with her blushing. She took silent comfort in the fact that his was blushing too. Willow’s eyes connected with his olive hues and she couldn’t help but be nearly hypnotized by such green. The coloring of the jungle around them only added to their color, and it took all she had just to look away from them. Instead she chose to look over him as he did the same to her. Her gaze didn’t last long anywhere, more of a quick flick of her eyes though she couldn’t stop looking at his face. He’s just so cute... Wait, when did he become cute to you? Well look at that, Queen crushing on a Noble, her thoughts spoke to her and furthered her nervousness. She knew that around Connor she could be herself, though only in that moment was she realizing that she liked him in a way that was different than their friendship. As he smiled to her, she smiled back and took the many sandwiches he offered her. Willow took the PB&J while nodding along to what he said. The neko set the other sandwiches down on the blanket and took the cup in her hands. Orange juice was her favorite, though she didn’t think that he knew that. The motions of his tail slightly distracted her until he stopped. She realized that her own tail was still hiding within her back and allowed it to slither out to rest around her waist like a belt.

“I agree with you. PB&J is pretty much the best sandwich to have besides PB&Banana. I can’t decide which I like more. We don’t need to go back to the house to get anything, all that you have given me is perfect.” Willow took the sandwich in her hands and tore a piece of it to put in her mouth. She chewed thoughtfully and began to laugh softly when he’d started to apologize. Willow shook her head a swallowed before smiling sympathetically towards him. “It’s fine, Connor. I tend to babble sometimes too so it is completely okay. To answer your question, I’ve been very busy with all that is going on. The borders are steadily being frequented and I couldn’t be happier about that, though I must admit that I find newcomers with terrible timing. Sometimes I am just getting off work and I look completely unprofessional and a tired wreck. Other times I am just waking up and my mind is too foggy to even look at them properly. To be honest, I am considering putting security cameras at the border just so that I know and can be ready for the newcomers,” she said and sighed while looking at him. “I’m sorry for my ranting, but I understand that you have been busy as well. How’re you doing with settling in? I hope that you had successful house-hunting in my lands.” Willow tilted her head and looked at him questioningly as she ate her sandwich. She was genuinely interested in what he had chosen for his home. Maybe a cottage like hers that seemed to be straight out of a fairytale, or possibly a completely modern bachelor pad. The queen had made sure to have it all for her members, and she was interested in what he had chosen. Of course she would ask this to all of her members to build a friendship with them, but for her asking Connor this was slightly different. Her want to know wasn’t anything of the formal sort, but rather her want to get to know him better.

Orange eyes had began to wander until Connor complimented her and broke her from her reverie. She gave him and thankful smile and the tip of her tail twitched happily. The queen was grateful he had taken notice of her, for she had tried to look her best. Waking up to the message from him made her so excited that she was surprised that she hadn’t forgot her shoes on the way through the door. As she looked him over again, Willow smiled and spoke. “You don’t look to bad yourself, though you never have. I mean, you look really nice right now but you always have. You did when I first met you and I haven’t thought otherwise, not to get those two thoughts confused. I mean you do look good, really and thank you for your compliment. I’ll shut myself up now.” She had been rambling and her face flushed a reddish color as Willow placed a hand on the back of her neck. The queen bit her lip to keep from rambling more and went back to finishing her sandwich. Willow took a piece of crust a rolled it between her fingers as her blush deepened. You’re so awkward sometimes, Willow. This is completely unlike you. On the inside she was cursing herself for acting like she had, but on the outside she kept the slight smile and her cheeks were a rosy pink from her embarrassment. Once her sandwich was finished, she rested her elbows back against the blanket and looked at the trees. She was afraid to look at Connor for fear that he would be looking at her funny.

He smiled, "I love peanut butter and banana sandwiches, its actually one of my top favorite besides PB&J... I which I had of known you liked that kind, I guess I'll have to keep that in mind for next time, that is, if there will be a next time, hopefully," Connor gave a thoughtful glance to her eyes, a bit of a questioning answer as he surely prayed there would be another date like this to enjoy with her company. As if it were to happen, he could already begin to prepare how and when it would happen, what'd they would talk about, the things they could do together to stay occupied within their time. It would all come down to something in the end, maybe the chance to actually kiss her on the cheek at the least, or the possible image of them becoming something more. However, that would all take time to be processed, whether or not she would want to spend more time like this and simply talk for no reason at all or even maybe an actually date to have a whole day of fun. Whatever it may be, he wouldn't deny the invitation or turn down the option at all. Still staring into her eyes, he gave a light grin, leaning back on his palms and curling his tail off to the side now that it had calmed its emotions to remain unmoving. He couldn't keep his eyes off her, and for that, he began to blush, but didn't fear it and composed himself to just listen to what she had to say. Her duties were fascinating, and he wondered what all else such royalty had to be taken care of when Nobles like he weren't around. His thoughts could only begin to wonder, because he thought it would be rude to ask of what she did and how, so he kept his thoughts from reality to be trapped in his mind, nodding here and there as well as the occasional, 'mmhmm' to indicate he was listening, in which he was. As she had finished, he smiled, looking to his attire that fit him perfectly and was comfortable for the choice of weather the lands had encountered. The skies were a bit paler than the normal sky blue, and he could see clouds in the distance a bit grayer than the normal, meanwhile, his gaze faltered with hers off to the side. The forecast had not predicted rain, so he presumed it would just pass by without touching them.

"Anyway..." He began, disrupting the given silence and taking it as a good thing the more they would sit there. In a few short moments, the Noble spoke up, speaking softly to her as he flatten his ears, "I thought on this date I could get to know you more as well as me for you in return, which I would have to begin with a question game, I guess you could say. It's not hard at all, the whole object of the game is basically the same purpose of why I thought it would be a good idea to spend some time together. What all you have to do is simply ask me a question, anything, anything at all, whatever you want, and I'll answer it in return, but once I'm done you'll have to give me your opinion or answer about it as well in contrast." He had used this tactic a lot with other individuals, even as a young child, he would use it on other kids his age in order to know what they liked, and what all they did for fun, or how close they were with other people sometimes. Connor knew already of what her family was like, so he figured it wasn't appropriate to ask any further, though he couldn't say the same for her, for he didn't know what to say when family questions would approach. He would not cry, just simply stay quiet since it had been over eight decades since he had seen them last, nor remembered their names except for Michael. Keeping his wonders short, he sighed under his breath and smiled again just a bright as before, the shine in her harvest hues making it easier for him to feel happy as it was all that he wanted to see after so long was her smile, "I'll begin first and ask you a couple questions, only two, and you can say them back once you are finished so I can give you my answer, okay?" Connor asked politely, scooting a bit closer as he sat up straighter, brushing his hair away from his eyes as he remembered to get a haircut soon, "Hm.." He cooed, thinking to himself, "If you could have any super power in the world, what would it be and why. My next question would have to be... What is your favorite movie to watch when you're alone? Or maybe what type of movies?" He asked, raising his brows questioningly with a charming boyish smile.

The corner of her mouth curled up into a small smile, happy to know that he would want to see her again. “There will be a next time, I’m looking forward to it.” Her eyes confirmed the questions in his, even if she wasn’t aware of it. Willow was blind to his feelings as much as she was blind to her own. It was a subconscious decision, one she went with without knowing. She was detached, but she knew enough to know that she wanted to see Connor again. He had a way that made her feel warm, those boyish smiles making her want to blush. Willow found him charming, but not in the typical way of a prince in a fairytale. He wasn’t the danger that attracted every good girl, that didn’t draw the queen in the first place. She had experienced real danger, and being attracted to it was just silly. Willow couldn’t put it into words, and she was sure she never would. She was only getting to know him as Connor, not the boy in the cage across from hers. Words of her brother speaking to her rang in the back of her mind. It had been a night where they were speaking to only each other, murmuring so that no one would hear. He had wanted to to reach out to the others around them, to speak to them like he did. Willow was refusing, as she always did when he had wanted her to speak to anyone but him. Grey had sighed and said to her: “You’re going to wish that you had spoken to them more, had gotten to know them now. You’ll make a great leader anyways, but you’re going to regret not taking advantage of the time you had.” It only had struck her now that what he said was true, only it wasn’t too late to heed her brothers words. She lay down on the blanket and played with the blade of grass the rested between her fingers. Yet again her eyes had traveled their way to Connor of their own accord. Willow didn’t notice that he was looking at her too, she only continued to gaze at the hands that had been soft on her wrists. Her eyes worked their way up him and went to gaze at his eyes only to see them staring back at her. She immediately looked away and blushed, unsure of her feelings and gazing at the sky.

The queen had gotten lost in her own thoughts for a time and didn’t realize the silence that had stretched between them until Connor spoke. It seemed he had been reading her mind when he suggested a game for them to get to know each other, but she hoped the relief wasn’t obvious on her face. Her calico ears perked forwards and she nodded with a wide smile. “Alright, ask away.” Willow didn’t want to admit that she might be scared of the questions he asked. There were no questions that she wouldn’t answer, but questions of her family would be hard to answer. She didn’t really know the first thing about them besides the fact that she would never forgive them for what they did. The queen nodded her okay and was again relieved when he asked her questions more directed towards her personality. She was curious about his personality as well, and Willow had a feeling this would turn out to be a great conversation. She took a moment to think over his questions before smiling and answering. “If I could have a super power... Hm, well I guess I would want to be able to communicate with nature and be able to heal the earth that way. Movies I watch when I’m alone? Well I tend to watch the sappy, soppy love stories and cry at all the sad parts like any girl would. I’m a lover of the horror and comedy genre movies though. Any movie that can make it scary but funny is my type of movie,” she said and nodded once, satisfied by her answer before asking him the question in turn. “What about you? What super power would you have and what kinds of movies do you like?” Willow raised a single eyebrow and gave him a goofy smile. She looked put one tattoo-covered arm behind her head and looked at him questioningly.

He laughed softly, spotting and pin-pointing the specifics he would need for the possible future if it were to come up in one of their talks. Connor was glad to hear that she was comfortable with the questions he asked, knowing they weren't that big of deal, but there was never a wrong thing in asking out of curiosity. Pivoting his weight a bit back on his palms till he lay flat on his back, facing the side of her so he could still see, he thought for a moment of his answer, "I think I'll have to start with the movie question first, no reason. Hm.. Well, in all truth, you're quite the spot on of my answer for it, I mean, call me sensitive, but I cry a lot during those movies too, the sappy love ones I mean..." He gave a short laugh, placing his arms at the back of his head to replace the ground as a nicer pillow upon his tattooed forearms, "If I had to choose a favorite genre, it would have to be horror films. Something about the rush of adrenaline causes me to like it, I don't know," The Neko shrugged, flicking his tail to curl towards the ends while his ears turned back behind him, listening to the waterfall that bubbled just passed the cliff they sat on, "I don't think anyone could ever dislike a comedy, unless their a nut." His gaze went to her with the same smile, chuckling, "I meant as in like a tough case to crack, not the gross shell thingies." Making a disgusted face, he shook his head and stuck out his tongue, "I don't like nuts, but for some reason I like peanut butter, I don't understand it. Anyway, back to what I was saying..." Connor looked into the sky blankly as he tried to remember where he left off, narrowing his gaze in thought until he finally sat up once it came to his head, "Ah yes, what super power.. I would have to say... mind-reading. There are some things in this world I could never understand, and if I had that ability, who knows what all I could find out in one single living individual? I'd be a genius, not that I want to be one, but it would be nice to learn secrets and see other peoples' pasts without having to ask them, or what they're thinking about in general. What they dream about, answers and questions they want to ask, who they hate... who they like... who they love..." Trailing off into a small silence, Connor glanced slowly to Willow to see if she were listening, shrugging his shoulders as he hid his attention from worrying about the color on his cheeks. In secret, he wanted to know what she thought of him, the things she saw that he could not, though he could only imagine, and hope that she liked him like the same.

Sighing, he quirked his mouth to the side, wondering how else he could move the conversation a bit deeper into category. Before he could even speak or hum till he got the idea, the rush of water behind him overpowered his voice, and all he could do was look over his shoulder as it flew from its cliff all the way to the lagoon below. It was not a far drop, he thought, for he knew he had seen much deeper ones in his days, maybe that could be fun. Glancing to Willow once, he smiled, "Next question. Are you afraid of heights?" With a tilt to his head, he replied and leaned forwards, "And the next one is...Do you trust me?" His tail flicked excitedly as he had a plan, wondering if she knew how the gears within the walls of his cranium were twisting and turning, brushing off the dust to fill with ideas instead. The sound of small thunders went off in the far distance of the ocean, miles form where they sat for sure, and hopefully would not flow towards them. Connor made a small, confident smile to relieve her of any worry, slowly rising and pretending to stretch out his limbs as they had been sitting on a rough surface for quite some time. The blanket he knew was not much support for seating in such a place, but it was a start, and that was all that matter, right? As the hazel specks of warmth in his eyes grew into its natural given burst, the color of his olive hues brightened to a point of happiness as he looked at her in the sunlight. With a smile so beautiful, it made him weak in the knees, however he refused to give in and expose it. Something of such weakness should not be shown in a Noble, not now, not ever. If he were to do such a thing, his rank would not be necessary for him anymore, and he would accept the issue on himself to learn better from his mistakes. The Queen deserved far greater for a Noble, and hopefully, Connor would become that 'greater one'. But the only question he could think, was, when will she notice?

With a sky so magnificent, she was finding it hard to look away. Colors were changing from that of the ocean to a blue stone that had faded with the running water of a river. She could tell a storm was coming but the shifting of the clouds above her head were breathtaking. A breeze lifted a piece of her hair and it fell gently across her face. Willow’s nose scrunched and she stared at the hair covering her face with crossed eyes. Slowly, as if she were stalking it, her hand crept up on the hair and flicked it out of her face with one quick movement. She glared at it and mentally ordered it to stay out of her way before looking back to Connor. The queen seemed to have caught his face in a thoughtful expression that she couldn’t help but to admire. When he finally answered her questions, she laughed softly towards his behavior. Her hands rested on her ribs as she continued to listen and nod in agreement. It surprised her that he would admit to crying at a love movie when it wasn’t likely any other man would. Willow’s face became thoughtful as she thought about comedy. “Well, I guess very literal people wouldn’t like comedy too much either. But horror is like the ultimate comedy, especially the cheesy ones,” she said and silently laughed as she remembered movies she had watched that were like that. Her expression slowly changed though to that of a curious but serious person all at once. Reading minds was something she never personally thought about. If she knew what someone was thinking, then she would know who they were. She wanted to take that time to learn who they were. Though, reading minds could be a great temptation. Willow couldn’t help but wonder what Connor was thinking at that moment. Thoughts in the back of her mind rushed forwards, and suddenly she wanted to know who he liked and who he hated. Even more important, she wanted to know who he loved if he loved anyone at all. The way he spoke the words made her wonder, but she couldn’t get a single thing from his eyes like she could before. Her curiosity was shown by a tilt of her head, and she wondered if he could see it. How she felt, or rather how she was beginning to feel, was just barely over the brink of realization. It was like a drop of water on a window, sliding down slowly until she knew she liked him more than a friend. Suddenly Willow’s cheeks reddened and she looked away, conscious of that fact.

His next question eased her piece of mind for it was one that was easy to answer. The second one, though, was not as easy. Trust wasn’t an easy thing for her to give. She would welcome as many people as she could and be just as kind, but her trust was quite the effort to earn. Willow stared at the sky and tapped her lip with her index finger idly, like she always did when she was thinking. Her newfound feelings for Connor were trying to force themselves into clouding her thinking, but she shoved them back for the moment. When she thought about all Connor had done for her and how happily relieved she was when he came to her borders wasn’t something that went unnoticed. She took into account the many things he had done for her and she nodded slightly. Willow looked up at Connor with a small smile and reached over to poke his stomach playfully. “Well, I’m a cat silly. I’m not afraid of heights, in face I love them. As for trusting you... Yes, I do trust you both professionally and unprofessionally,” she said and rolled over onto her stomach to rest her head on her arms. When she looked at him again, he just had to be stretching. The queen bit her lip and looked at him in a completely unprofessional way. She couldn’t help but be very, very attracted to him in that moment but looked away with a blush when he looked back at her. Willow felt slightly uncomfortable and she lifted on her elbows to release knots in her back and shoulders. Her head tilted back arched up to sit on her knees in one swift movement. Her shoulders rotated and she leaned back on her hands to stretch her back. The queen relaxed back on the ground again once she felt comfortable again and looked at him before speaking. “What about you? Are you afraid of heights and do you trust me?” The tip of her tail swished against the ground and her ears swiveled towards him as she curiously awaited his answer.

Connor agreed with her on that statement, of course she wasn't afraid of them, she was a cat after all, all cats, as is himself, loved to climb to higher grounds and trees after trees, though, they were still human, and with that there were always things to be afraid of. He had met a couple of the Mora at the borders partially already, he wished to learn more about them later on, but for now, his main priority would be the Queen and her only. There was still much left to learn, maybe a thing or two of ways to keep in mind or the possibility for this to move further in their relationship. Just the look in her eyes made him smile, that confidence and strength in power radiating the color within them, warming him instantly without trying at all, "Great. I was just afraid you would, I mean, we all have our fears, right? Sometimes I've seen a couple people afraid of them, but, oh well. Comedy in my opinion is more of a time-cruncher type of movie, ya know? Kinda like the movie you use to get a bit of a laugh to lighten your mood or even make the time fly by faster. With the people being strict on humor, ha, yeah, I've met them and let's just say we don't get along quite nicely. People with no humor are to not be my friend, I need someone with humor, or else I'm going to look like the idiot cracking jokes with no audience to understand or back me up. I agree, as for your questions in return, I believe I owe you an answer." As Connor began to think his babbles were increasing, he shut up and looked away as he blushed, eyeing the surroundings of theirs slowly. Moving painfully away from her, he stared over the edge of the cliff that led to the lagoon below, seeing its murky shade of dark bluish green swirl around in rushing ripples as the water poured from the higher regions at their side down below, "And no, I'm not afraid of heights at all, actually, for I am quite the fear-factor. I'm not scared as easily, unless its about vampires. I've never taken a liking into them, probably never will. I've met a few, but have chosen my path to remain with Mora so I wouldn't talk to them about anything of what we are. Most of the time I was in my human form, but the damned blood-suckers have that weird power to read minds. It's weird..." He mumbled, sighing out his irritation in knowing such a creature of immortality.

Thinking on her last question, he had already known his answer for decades now, it was all he could ever ask for was her trust, and wrapped up perfectly in return was his own. The want to bring her into his arms, in his warm embrace still hung in the air, but the option was soon replaced by a simple smile to his face as he stared into her eyes, "I trust you with my heart, your Majesty. Since the beginning, I've always trusted you, even before the acceptance. In those cages, it was the first time I had seen you, and just then, I realized you were to be trusted, because I knew, somehow, you or Grey would lead us to freedom. If I hadn't of trusted you then, I assure you I would not be here, in yet I am." Bringing her gentle hand into his own, a spark ignited his insides, tingling through his body before placing a small kiss over the whites of her soft knuckles. Releasing, he moved away another step and stood straight, hopping just barely to lean off the edge. Connor quickly then dashed into the forest with his athletic bag, telling her he'd be back soon, before sprinting away to change into his dark blue swim trunks, tearing off his other clothes but the one, leaving his sunglasses on over his eyes. Whipping his tail, he yelled happily at the top of his lungs on his way back, running off the edge and jumping into the air, tucking his legs in a cannonball as he plummeted into the water deep below. Holding his breath, Connor opened his eyes and let go of himself to swim back to surface, letting the air wash over him and fill his lungs with renewed oxygen. His gaze flew up to hers and he smiled, wiping away his wet dark hair from his eyes as he shot his arms up, slowly swimming out onto his back while floating there next to the falls, "Come on! The water feels great!" He called to her, cupping his mouth for greater sound.

Willow was patting a soft beat on the ground that had no apparent match to any particular song. The soft thumping was only made for her ears, a quiet comfort though she could never figure out why. Her tail had curled around on of her legs and stayed there, tucked and unmoving. The queen tilted her head and looked at him curiously. Pieces of her hair were working their way over her should, finally tumbling down or clinging to her in an array of auburn and brunette. She rested her chin on her right palm and gave Connor a small grin. Her orange orbs held a certain warmth and affection for him, betraying her as they always did. The calico ears upon her head flickered forwards as she listened to what he had to say. She absently nodded along with him in agreement, adding the under layers of ‘hmms’ to show she was listening in full. Willow caught his blush and couldn’t help the small smile that wiggled its way across her face. When he moved away, she followed slowly and silently as to not startle him. If he looked back, he would see his Queen sliding along the ground like a snake on her stomach. Willow dragged herself along the ground, resisting laughing at the grass and its ticklish feeling on her legs. She looked over the cliff and rested her elbows on the edge. The water was calm at the bottom, and she admired such a bluish green hue. The sheerness of the cliff face didn’t bother her in the slightest. She was even tempted to push herself over the ledge and feel the cool of the water on her skin a few seconds later. If she looked at the water for long enough, her temptation would become a reality. Connors voice broke such a hypnotized reverie, and she focused on his words rather than cliff jumping. His mention of vampires both fascinated her and made her think of Vixin. Willow began grinning and wondered what would happen at a meeting between the two. At one time, the neko would’ve agreed with her noble but now she knew better.

The queen was about to tell him that not all could read minds when the thoughtfulness on his face stopped her from doing so. She didn’t want to interrupt his though process as well as what he was about to say. Instead, she leaned towards him curiously and listened when he spoke words of trust to her. His thankfulness towards her and her efforts to free the mora was like a warm sip of hot cocoa. It weaved its way down as a soothing feeling and warmed the cockles of her heart. She knew she didn’t want to break his trust and that she would strive not to harm him in any way for as long as she could. He was a gem, someone who only came around rarely. Meeting him was an incredible find, a meeting she was learning to appreciate more and more with the time they spent together. She leaned onto her other elbow as he took her hand, looking up at him with eyes that were beginning to hold a special warmth for him. Her skin tingled and sent the feeling of warm honey straight to her heart as he kissed her hand. Willow watched him a few moments more as he raced off, laughing softly once he was out of sight and standing to walk back to the soft picnic blanket. She sat there and patted a beat on her knees and pulled out a sharpie. The neko began to write random lyrics on her shoes to songs she liked, something she had only recently began. Willow only looked up when he came back and her cheeks turned red at his appearance. Her eyes watched him as he jumped straight off the cliff, and she rushed to the ledge to see if he was alright at the bottom. She let out a relieved sigh and laughed at his actions before moving away from the cliff so that he couldn’t see her. Quickly, she stripped down to her bikini and folded her clothes neatly on the blanket. Willow was slightly embarrassed and self-conscious of her own appearance, and she paced for a few seconds nervously. The bathing suit covered most of everything that needed to be covered, though it left the expanse of her stomach and the beginning of her hip bones. Willow shuffled across the ground a few moments longer and then turned, running right off the cliff and doing a cannonball that mimicked Connor’s. She the the water as soon as she expected, and her limbs worked to get herself back to the surface as soon as possible. She broke the surface within a few seconds, gasping for air and choking on the wet hair that completely covered her face. Quite typical that she would have an embarrassing moment such as that, though she hastily pushed her hair back away from her face.Willow sputtered for a few seconds then looked at Connor with a small and embarrassed smile. Her cheeks had turned red and she looked anywhere but at him for the moment being, completely unable to compose herself as she giggled and smiled. “You’re right, the water does feel great,” she said and went about floating on her back peacefully.

As he watched her float peacefully, his limbs maneuvered through the water to keep his chin above the water level that soaked the rest of his muscled body. He could not help but smile as he looked over her, shortening his linger of gaze to peer over on something else, soon enough, he was the one to relaxing on his back over the luke warm lagoon water. In the distance, clouds darkened and puffed up with humidity to soon downpour over the ocean blue, seemingly closer than it had been, but ignoring it as if it would just pass into the other direction so he'd get to enjoy the moment while he still could. A light chuckle whispered in his throat - held silently as he ducked slyly underneath the surface, eyes peeled to watch her frame under the afternoon's light that reflected off the water. Connor moved like a lurking predator, captivated by the Mora prey that made a glint of a smile shine in his olive hues, darkened in the outline of the very light from what all he could only see. Waiting patiently as he held his lungs together from bubbling out his use of oxygen and weighing his body down so it wouldn't surface. He made his hands to swim up towards her, attacking her sides in a fit of tickles as he finally reached new air, gasping softly as it had been a while when it was under, "Gotcha!" He chanted, tickling her sides as he cups his hands around her lean torso.

Laughing off his fun, he released her politely and made a break for it to dive back into the water, kicking his arms and legs into over-drive in order to escape before she could get to him. He chuckled each time he surfaced, making his way closer to the end of the lagoon nearest to the fall's side of embedded rocks. Dipping his head underneath the falling rush of water, he ducked inside the little cavern that it surrounded behind it, climbing up onto a rock to look through the clear waterfall to see her from a near far. He held his balance by a thin wirey vine that draped from the small cave's ceiling, letting his other set of fingers gracefully brush against the falling water in front of him so he could make an open crack for her to get through without getting water in her eyes. When she would eventually get near enough, he grabbed her hand and hoisted her up with him, keeping her steady so she too would not fall. Connor tried keeping at a comfortable distance, but his footing thought differently against the slippery rock and almost toppled over her, fortunately grabbing her with one arm around the waist to press against him as his hand stopped his body from the wall. He looked at her with wide curious eyes that trailed over her features, but before he could do anything to stop himself, the sound of thunder boomed in his cat-like black ears and it made him shy away to stand properly, "Looks like its headed our way.." He said quietly, sheepishly attempting a smile as he fixed his wet hair from covering his eyes, shaking out the fur of his tail behind him, "We should be getting to shelter before we get drenched enough as it is. Come'on." The noble then slowly took her hand and helped her down to the side of the rock nearest to land, making an easier way up back to their stuff as drops of rain trickled slowly from the air above. He sighed in defeat as he truly wished it had not rained on their parade of fun, but maybe it would turn out just as he liked, just as long as she was happy in the end if what mattered most to him. Grabbing his stuff back together along with hers, he glanced back to the skies and then over the lands, remembering back to a house he had seen not far up the hillside they could stay, "There." He said pointing a finger towards the light on the highest ground, "We can clean up there, let's go."