Valencia how have you ca-been

looks

---

Maybe it was the new pool of strength he was navigating in, maybe just the feeling of rediscovering his surroundings after a while out of his comfort zone, but Matti was feeling everything. Every ruffle of leaves, every blade of glass, every buzz of insects.

One night on his mattress mountain and he felt ready to go back to these streets. He understood Jasper's restlessness now, how a little comfort could go a long way.

Understanding it didn't mean he wanted to join him in this life, however. He had felt the pleasant hum of timelessness and freedom, but to properly enjoy both, they needed to be contrasted.

And more importantly, people needed him, as evidenced by the texts in his phone once he turned it on the morning after coming back. Hasty breakfast and he would make his way to the Cabin, curious as to what Waylin wanted to talk to him about.

Even the Cabin felt different as he approached it.

fit

---

Waylin had his eyes closed and was presently lying in the middle of the living room floor when he heard footsteps. His senses weren’t going off, and the cross had already started wagging his tail to alert that it was a friendly.

There would be a soft ‘bark’ of greeting, a sound barely there.

The bruises around his neck were faint, a distant middling of cruel yellows and faint purples. He had planned to shift today and get another spurt of healing to get rid of the remaining bruises, but it didn’t happen. In fact, he hadn’t done much but lay in the middle of the floor and focused on his breathing.

He took an exercise suggestion from Dr Ivy and made it his own.

When the presence drew closer, Waylin opened an eye to spot Matti and he gave a small smile from his spot on the floor. He raised a hand to wave and found himself signing ‘welcome back’ without a second thought. Signing with John had really made him want to stay animated with his hands but he kept the whiteboard near him just in case.

Well that explained the change in the surroundings sounds. Too bad Matti didn't know ASL, but he had enough bases in Auslan to know what was happening here.

"Sorry bro, we'll get lost in translation if I try to sign back." He replied, sitting on the floor after kicking off his shoes. "What happened?"

Waylin reached for the board next to him, not bothering to lift his head from its perch upon a pillow.

Rogue vampire attack in the fringes. Busted my throat up pretty well.

A shrug as he turned the board to show Matti. He was over the attack by this point. Okay, maybe not like over-over, but he was healing and alive. Even if he had been shaken up with no one he felt capable to deal with the immediate fallout of it all.

There had been one but he had been projecting exceptions and…well, he didn’t want to think about that right now.

"Ouch." He commented with a sympathetic wince. "Was it close to here?"

Were the others aware of the threat?

A little ways out. Closer to the Valencia-Hawknell border part of the fringes.

Waylin shared.

It wasn’t close to the side of the cabin, so he would never pose a threat here directly. The way home would have been long and tiresome if not for the shifter he had trouble identifying the animal of. Still, he had made sure no one would wind up in harm’s way before he dug underneath the old fox den to go sleep.

I post-shift napped under an old den closer to that border than trailed Alder’s border before another shifter found me wandering and offered me a ride home.

Well, paid given that he didnt have a phone and the walk home would have been killer on his aching body.

The Valencia-Hawknell border. Part of him wanted to go check it out at night and maybe avenge his fox brother.

"Shifter solidarity is the best." He replied with a smile. Vampires didn't have this, if his interpretation of Evelina's words was on point.

Then reached to poke at Waylin's leg with his foot, Sirius doing a lap of patrol around his friend before getting closer to sniff sniff sniff.

"You okay? I mean, other than the injury?" He asked gently.

The presence of Sirius crossing to sniff and protect had the cross wagging his tail wildly.

The whines that would drift from the bigger fox would be quiet, barely there sounds but it didn’t stop him from inspecting his brother. Little nose jabs would be returned as he sniffed at the smaller’s flanks, then neck, before giving a lick right at bridge of about to forehead. See, all good, just quieter than normal!

Yeah, I’m good. Hate not being able to talk…less dramatic when I have to use my hands to write instead of exclaim.

There was a joke among his parents if there was any hidden Italian in their blood with how much he could talk with his hands. He had to really get going for it to come out in every day conversations versus his usual subtle stemming.

Fox would flop along for a small fox pile.

"A few more shifts and you'll be back to normal." Matti commented, ever the optimist.

He did however doubt that it was the extent of it. Such a wound couldn't come without feelings, but he wouldn't pry.

"Too bad I don't know ASL."

Would spare all the writing.

John does.

Waylin grinned with a little bit of teeth showing.

This would lead into a brief topic change. He’d talk to Matti about other things…just not in the middle of the living room. Yeah, he was writing but reactions were still strong.

He’s the rogue that was living in Yote territory. Henry came across him yesterday and brought him here.

Ah, so Henry found the rogue, which, good for him! And low-key bad for both Matti and Waylin to not have managed it.

"Good thing he didn't get bitten." Matti replied.

This John had sounded very feral from the accounts.

The fox side is new…Henry bribed him with food. John, himself, seemed…experienced, but like…I don’t know…hard to tell the extent of experience when limited on ways of communicating.

There was a lot of ASL going on but at one point they wrapped it up so John could shower. Rest. Don’t look like a wild feral man that lived out in the country. Yeah, they still lived in the country but like this was HOME not something minor.

It was hard to peg someone, or even guesstimate when talking with hands. ASL required a different sort of attention span compared to speaking a different language.

He’a mute, so he has to write as well or sign.

A mild frown.

"Wait, he... brought a shifted fox here without the human side's imput?" Matti asked.

Jasper would never have trusted them if they had dragged him across county like that. It was kinda kidnapping? In a way?

Led him food into his work truck. Fox ate his full and then napped. Woke up here on the couch.

Waylin explained before pointing to the couch closest to them. He wiped away the words with his sleeve as his fox gently nibbled at Sirius.

Fed him. Offered him any of the couches and a shower. He’s still lurking around, told him to play nice and he can eat whatever he wants as long as someone else hasn’t labeled it as theirs.

Full blown kidnapping, and it didn't matter that this guy had been fine with it. The next person might not be!

"Well, okay, that's good and I'm glad he's safe and out of coyote territory, but like... in the future, we shouldn't kidnap foxes. Henry should have gone to the closest spot in the fringes and you could have met him there. Bringing a feral unknown here and exposing the Cabin's location to someone whose human side we knew nothing about wasn't a smart move."

Henry might not have thought it through, but Waylin should have. What if the rogue had lashed out or something?

Waylin listened, and he blinked, because wow look at Matti go. Technically, most of the foxes were given the address without much fuss of anyone knowing anyone overly well.

Look at Jasper who showed up when rarely anyone lived here but now the rooms were full and no one was ever ‘alone’ and it had been under control. Plus, Jasper got a map, no one else did! It didn’t matter that Waylin only met his human half once before, he could have been very convincing up on the conscience store roof that night.

Could John have attacked? Yeah, he still might but who was he to turn away someone that was clearly in need. It could have been bad if they were all human, but none of them were. They could have handled a feral man, and if anything, they would have let him go with warning to the other territories.

That’s not what we do.

Waylin wrote and held a hand up to indicated he wasn’t done yet. Not having a voice made this feel more one sided but it also forced them to stop and read/write.

Foxes have always been openly invited here and this guy was is on the brink of starvation. Not including anyone else here, Henry and I would have been capable of handling it.

This place wasn’t nicknamed Foxadise for any ole reason.

"Foxes that we know, sure." Matti replied. "I'm not saying to let anyone starve, just to have the first meeting with someone in a more neutral place that's not three towns away from where they remember shifting. And Henry's not a fighter, he shouldn't even have been in the room when the guy woke up."

Henry shifted over pinecones once. Matti couldn't imagine putting him in a situation where he might have gotten mauled by a feral foxguy.

Waylin frowned at the insult towards Henry.

His body stiffened as he met Matti’s gaze head on because he hadn’t seen what he saw with Henry. The fox may have been small but the human wasn’t and both halves were prepared to enter a fight to keep Waylin safe.

Henry was the one who found him, fed him, and therefore had the right to be in the room as someone briefly familiar. HE!!!! Handled the situation pretty damn well for someone ‘not a fighter’ because he was ready to be one if necessary.

There would be a brief look away as he huffed, hating how he had to stay silent. Another shift may have been able to ease some of the swelling on his vocal cords but he didn’t know if squeaky voice would have made this better or not.

Also, just because I cannot speak does not mean we wouldn’t have been able to handle ourselves against a malnourished kit!

hi it’s a cameo he’s 100% silent downstairs and just being nosy

---

There were many foxes in this cabin. That is what the fox informed him of as he succumbed to his exhaustion on the couch downs stairs. He was surrounded. He should not trust them.

But the cabin was safe and full of food. He’d used the shower, he’d shaved his face and put the clothes he’d been given on his back. He would not pass the opportunity up, not yet.

So far he had not seen or interacted with any other fox, left to his own devices. A trip to the kitchen for more food, then a few more hours of sleep.

But now he was awake, standing near the bottom of the stairs, listening intently. There was a fox here, speaking at length with whom he could only assume was Waylin by the silent spaces between the responses.

Interesting. His presence here was not being met with as much acceptance as Waylin had seemed confident of. Whoever it was, they disagreed on the methods of his being here. Kidnapped he called it. Harland didn’t disagree. But he’d also been given an opportunity he couldn’t turn down, even if he’d been forced into it.

If there’d been less in it for him, this mysterious fox above would have been right in practicing all of the caution he urged for. Good to know there was at least one here with some sense. It would mean Harland would have to ply him for sympathy the most.

Wow who knew you could be screamed at via whiteboard.

"Had the right? He had the right to be safe." Matti retorted, getting a little irritated at the way his point was being missed in favor of justifications. "Of course he handled everything to perfection, Henry has enough resilience to live through a literal apocalypse. It's not a reason to drag someone in a risky situation. You don't get to force him to be a fighter if he doesn't want to be one."

Let the man get a handle on his fox before adding to the expectations put on his (strong, but that wasn't the point) shoulders.

I didn’t force him into anything. He came back from dropping off his work truck because he WANTED to be here for when John woke up.

Waylin had given Henry an out by telling him to return the truck because they had time to spare before the newcomer woke up. If Henry was uncomfortable he would have said something, he knew this of the smaller fox. Henry had no probably voicing what made him uncomfortable to Waylin, it was one of the things they agreed upon early on.

You can ask Henry yourself, if you want. He’s the one who chose to stand near me when he thought John might have attacked.

It wasn’t like he had Henry on a leash and kept him there. He even dismissed himself when he realized there were no present hostilities, just ASL that he couldn’t keep up with. Waylin didn’t fault Henry, and, it’d been a long night.

Waylin took a deep breath and forced himself to go through the motions of numbers to and from 10 before he continued to write.

It wouldn’t have been any different whether we were on the fringes or here, and a fight happened. At least here, if something did occur, there are others around who would have heard the racket.

He nearly wrote ‘was I supposed to call a phone that’s turned off’ but knew that was the impulsivity in him. It was something he’s been working on, and it would reflect here as he left alone what he wrote.

There would be no guilt-tripping from him when Matti deserved to have an experience with his boyfriend.

"Yeah, sure, I'll ask his side." Ultimately this part was about Henry, and Matti couldn't assume that just because they had a lot in common, the fennec would react the same way Matti would have. "But my point stands that this was risky for no reason, and I just want us to be more careful in the future. It's not because this went well that it was the right way to do this."

Ultimately, the only person who could speak on Henry’s behalf was Henry.

Matti wasn’t here to witness the way Henry had stepped forward, and he didn’t know if it was because the leader was injured or if it was because Henry’s confidence was growing. Either way, he was proud of the fennec and he wasn’t going to let Matti lead him to believe he put a gun to Henry’s head and told him to stay.

As for the rest of it…well, that stirred up even more feelings that he couldn’t express right now. Not when he would grow frustrated trying to explain via writing rather than being able to voice what he wanted to express. His jaw clenched, because what’s the point of letting any small animals around, only for them to discover the cabin on their outing?

What’s to stop those strangers from appearing once they shifted back? They haven’t put a lockdown on who or what could come around here other than vampires. Also, what about this being his home, too? Matti constantly reminded him of that but suddenly a strange new fox is out of pocket behavior?

Any of the humans here could have been just as deceiving as a starving rogue, Matti. I’m not saying I trust the guy, just that we stated we’d help those that need it and it had been made clear the guy could leave.

If we are going to start vetting anyone and everyone that comes here, then we may as well block all shifters in these woods because we don’t know their human selves and they could sneak in back here once shifted.

Fuck! He hated writing when voice was so much more important for conversations like this one. Why the change over a strange fox? Foxes were easier to manage than other animals, and it wasn’t like he had been bringing someone stronger here.

Henry made it clear that he was weaker than him which was another point in bringing him here. If the guy had felt stronger, then he doubted Henry would have done any of this - but he saw a starving fox, and stepped up. Yeah, things could have been done differently, but ultimately the guy probably would have ended up on his couch in the end.

Matti had to close his eyes for a second after reading this. His point had been thoroughly missed. How familiar. He thought they were beyond that.

"I'm saying," he tried again, invoking patience, "to be careful with someone who we know caused problems. That's all." A sigh. "I want to help everyone." His eyes gleamed red at this. "But not without taking basic precautions to keep our friends safe. I'm telling you valid concerns and you counter with exaggerated scenarios."

He wouldn't be made to feel stupid again.

They didn’t feel exaggerated to Waylin.

It was very real that a shit-stirring shifter could come upon a den of foxes, and want to start something. Like, it wouldn’t be the smartest thing to do at all, but then again, he had been accosted in the fringes while hunting a rabbit. One could never know what might happen these days, but Matti didn’t seem to understand.

I understand the need for caution it’s just strange that it only seems now to be a concern is all.

Waylin’s face would morph into confusion to match his written words because they never seemed to care about this. Again, they don’t know who was a troublemaker and who wasn’t when someone randomly discovers the cabin. What about that cat he met out on by the lake the other day? She could have been an arsonist for all he knew!

I’m not trying to argue.

A tired smile, and yet he was still gonna try.

"You argued every single point I made since crossing the door." Matti replied gently. "And it's not strange. It's the first time this happens so that's a new thing to think about."

Waylin rubbed the bridge of his nose before he pressed the heels of his palms into his eyes.

Just breathe.

Think.

It helped no one if they continued to go in circles whether this was new or not. He could point out that he was ‘expanding’ on what was being said, not arguing. He was poking the holes especially regarding Henry who was his own person that made his own decisions.

That he would have argued until he was blue in the face because he refused to be treated like he recklessly put Henry in danger or that Henry wasn’t capable of defending himself when pushed came to shove. He could only hope that once Matti talked to Henry that the younger fox showed off the point being made.

Waylin couldn’t help being proud even without a voice because Henry was growing even if it may feel like it’s slow to the other. Every baby step was progress in his book.

I felt like I was immediately being scolded for doing something that felt right in the moment for myself as well as in support for Henry. I am not new to bringing strange animals into my home.

No blame just using an ‘I statement’ like Dr Ivy’s been coaching him when trying to explain how he felt in the moment, or presently feeling. It is no one’s fault for how he feels but things didn’t get resolved if he doesn’t explain how/why something made him react the way he did.

"I'm not going to wait to express my opinion." Matti replied, unsure as to why this was even an issue. Was he supposed to hold on and bring a topic back later? He felt that wouldn't help the situation at all. "And yeah, this is your house, but not only yours anymore."

Waylin didn’t move at first. Just sat there with the whiteboard still in his lap and the marker clenched between two fingers, unmoving. He could argue it hasn’t really been his home since Jasper joined and he made the ultimate sacrifice to keep vampires away. Well, not a ‘sacrifice’ per se but he wasn’t about to go down that route.

It wasn’t a battle worth starting so he’d drop that and focus on the opinion side of things.

No one had to wait to express an opinion but then he went further with it and it felt like Henry and him were hopeless on how to function together or some shit. Matti expressed an opinion and Waylin expressed his own back leading to this ‘argument’ which still wasn’t what he wanted.

No words in his mind felt safe.

Every word that passed through his head carried a sharp edge or a weight that might turn this into something bigger. He didn’t want that. Not here. Not with Matti. He tapped the tip of the marker against the board absently.

Then stopped.

No words.

His eyes lowered, not in defeat—but in refusal. Not everything needed a reply. Not everything deserved one when it was just going to circle back into the same corner. It felt like they would just circle over and over until one of them walked away.

So instead, he leaned back a little. Sat with it. His silence wasn’t cold, just cautious. His jaw stayed tight as he focused on the heartbeats. The foxes. Counting. Then, he released the tension in his jaw, rolled his shoulders, and when he felt okay to write, he wrote:

How’d your walkabout with Jasper go?

Matti frowned at the abrupt topic change, feeling like he'd basically be told to shut the fuck up.

"It was amazing." He replied, getting back up. "Spending all this time with someone who actually gives a shit about my opinion on things. You only care about mine when I agree with you."

Like when validating the rat feelings, or even advice on mental health, but criticism wasn't tolerated in this house apparently, even when valid as fuck and he wouldn't change his mind about it.

He fetched his shoes and gave him a look. The very least he could do was wait to read a reply if there would be any.

Should he have not written anything at all?

The reaction that was tossed his way was worse than he thought because what the hell? His brows furrowed in further confusion as he rolled the marker between hid fingers. His fox’s ears would fly back in further confusion because things were calm and now they weren’t.

I stated it felt like I was being scolded and you stated it was an opinion. I took it as such and chose to change the subject because I didn’t know what to say that wouldn’t lead to an argument, or presently feel like it would continue to be a circular conversation.

I understand that things will need to be handled differently if another similar situation were to arrive because we may not be as lucky next time. If we start looking at it like that then the opinion of those that live here routinely would need to be input as well.

Waylin understood the concern that Matti had, and he couldn’t help but think if this was going to be something to think about. Then, they might as well run off any and all strange shifters that get too close to the cabin. It puts extra work on everyone despite also voicing that they were here to help everyone. A contradiction but if safety is the issue then they either go all out or not.

All of this was confusing…it wasn’t a simple cut and dry answer. It was complex, and clearly changing the subject hadn’t been the right call.

"It already was an argument." Matti replied, dumbfounded by the written words. "And at no time during all this conversation did you write that you agreed with me or that I had a point." He looked at him then, Sirius on a rock to echo this. "And then changing the topic without even voicing- writing that agreement. That's basically the most polite 'shut the fuck up' I ever witnessed."

It would appear he needed to continue working on conversing all his thoughts, not just some or the other.

He understood where Matti was coming from in that regard because he didn’t write it out at any point. Also, it was weird hearing Matti cuss but he could not focus on that now! There had been no intention of shutting him up, he viewed as a way to go towards something more calm.

Apparently, that had been the wrong way to go.

I am curious to know how the walkabout went. I can see how it came across as telling you to shut up…that wasn’t my intention. I’m sorry.

His brows would furrow as he frowned to meet Matti’s gaze. He raised a hand to scratch the back of his neck knowing he fumbled this entire thing because he felt slighted at the whole Henry ordeal from the start. He should have stuck to that and then moved to the opinion side of this thing.

I felt rubbed the wrong way regarding the lack of belief in Henry’s capabilities. It then went into feeling attacked and I should have handled it better. The thing is everyone is safe, and I didn’t mind Henry bringing John here because he is so weak.

I didn’t retreat into my bedroom, I wouldn’t let him walk freely without telling the others he was here. They’re at work and Emiko can sure as heck handle anything tossed at her. No one was in danger, Matti.

"What lack of belief?" He let out, even more confused. "I said he's amazing!"

And sure, no one was in danger now but that WASN'T THE POINT.

You said he shouldn’t have been present when the guy woke up despite being the one that the actual fox side had interacted with, and you insinuated that I forced him to stay.

Cue furrowed brows again and a hard blink because to him, that felt like lack of belief in Henry being able to handle this type of situation. Was there miscommunication somewhere?? That the whole ‘had the right to be there’ got misconstrued as him forcing him there as if Henry had stated at any point he felt u safe.

Henry did not once lead him to believe he didn’t want to be there. He had hours to back out, but hadn’t.

Which I took as you doubting his capabilities of making decisions on his own…like I hold some leash and force him to do things.

"And I stand by it. If it had been me, I would have told him to go to another room for his safety and not risk getting him caught in a physical altercation, because it's not something he enjoys. It's your decision I'm questioning, not his. He just wants to help."

The leash imagery was absolutely horrible. Where did that come from?

I know he doesn’t care for physical altercations and no one would have forced him into one. I could handle it, but again, he chose to stay.

A frown with a shake of his head because Waylin hadn’t once put Henry in intentional danger.

He knew the fox didn’t care for fighting, and he wouldn’t ask that of Henry. That had all been him and it had surprised Waylin when he stepped forward once John was awake. The other had went to bed and he hadn’t made it around to talk to Henry this morning.

My main decision was letting Henry make the moves, and I supported him. He had hours to exit and he didn’t, not once. Only when it was revealed that John could ASL did John focus on me for ease of conversation and Henry retired to bed.

That was something he wanted to check in with Henry, make sure he was okay. To Waylin, he appeared tired and done now that everything was settled, but he knew looks could be deceiving.

"Well that was a shit decision, Waylin!" Matti let out, irritation bubbling into anger as his eyes turned red again. Sirius growled. "What if he had gotten hurt, would you have blamed him for his own decision to stay? I don't care that nothing bad happened, the point of a group is to keep the non-fighters out of possible danger!"

He was not giving up on getting his point across even through the brick wall Waylin sometimes was.

Would he have blamed-?!?!?

NO!!

He would have patched Henry up and be the support he needed. Also, shouldn’t Henry be here as part of this conversation about him?

No, I wouldn’t have blamed him in the slightest!

If anything he would have blamed himself if something had happened to Henry. It shouldn’t be surprising that guilt would have ate at him, not the person that was injured.

I’m not going to tell someone they can’t be somewhere when they have the free will to make their own decisions as simple as staying or going. He isn’t a child, and if I genuinely felt he was at risk then I would have stepped in but he wasn’t. I assessed the situation and it was fine.

Waylin didn’t need a voice to fight or push someone aside. He took the assessment from John’s level that was drastically weaker and his body condition. If the guy had been fit then yeah, maybe he would have told Henry to wait in another room.

John wasn’t a threat, at least in his current state.

"Free will is cute until you lose a fucking limb over it." Matti retorted.

This conversation wouldn't progress, so, his turn to drastically change the topic.

"You know what else I did on the walkabout?" He raised a hand, fingers splayed. "I got stronger."

Gentle sounds of bones breaking would resonate in the room as all his fingers broke and reshaped themselves, grew fur, and claws... well except the pinky and index for some reason. Still showing off his point.

"Not that you noticed." He added in a whisper.

It would seem that the comment of assessing the situation beforehand didn’t matter.

That Waylin wasn’t capable of keeping Henry, or anyone else in the home, safe. Yeah, cool, whatever. He looked away because he didn’t know what Matti wanted from him. If he thought about being too restrictive then it’d cause some issues and debate, but if he played it too loose then it was wrong.

There was no winning this debate, and he had to hope the talk with Henry went smoother than whatever tomfoolery this turned out to be. He moved to rub at his eyes and flex his hands because hastily writing caused some tension. There was mild surprise he didn’t crack the marker during this ordeal.

He looked up at the sound of cracking, and Matti’s words to watch the shifting of his hand. It dawned on him then that the slight pressure he had been feeling wasn’t anything actually related to himself but of the power different between him and Matti. Huh.

Waylin reached out a finger to boop a claw if allowed as his expression softened to something close to a fond pride. He wanted to keep playing with the claws but didn’t know how welcomed that would be. Then, because he couldn’t speak, he had to get back to writing which totally ruined the moment.

I didn’t realize the light pressure I was feeling came from you. CONGRATS!!!! Is it strange?!

Yes, he drew the little party favor because, again, he had to resort to writing.

His hand would be snatched away, once again dumbfounded.

"Dude, I'm angry at you, you don't get to praisebomb me to get out of this." He let out, anger falling into tonelessness.

Light pressure rubbed him the wrong way too, but he wouldn't nitpick these words.

I’m not trying to get out of it! If I ignored it then would have been in the wrong. You rather I just shrugged? Because, then that would totally be a ‘fuck you’ moment.

Waylin tapped the board lightly with a raised brow.

If he didn’t want to change the subject then why show someone who got sidetracked something as amazing as this?! Like, hello? Matti was one step closer to getting all Wolverine!

Dude, it was impressive and he wanted to gush over it because that’s who he was but okay. He wouldn’t. He’ll keep his hands to himself. A part of him wanted to ask if he sensed it first or Jasper while out on this walkabout, but Matti didn’t want questions sooooo, yeah. Cool.

"You're so used to me being less than you that you didn't even notice until I literally showed you this." Matti let out.

Barely a whisper this time, but no problem for hyper sensitive ears.

Waylin frowned because he was distracted in this argument that he had tried to not be an argument. Of course he didn’t notice right away.

I’m sorry, and I’ve never thought you lesser than me.

A beat.

We’ve literally been on the same power level for what felt like forever, and I was trying to not have an argument that still turned out to be an argument so I wasn’t paying attention to metaphysical auras.

If they hadn’t gone off the rails, he was sure he would have noticed sooner.

Also, not to mention the fact that, as Matti stated, it all started as soon as he walked through the doors. His jaw clenched because if he wasn’t supposed to praise, he didn’t get to change the topic to the walkabout, and they continued this circular argument…then what was he supposed to do?

Did Jasper immediately notice?

It would be apparent in Matti's expression that he did not believe the apology. As for auras, Waylin noticed Zelda's power signature while being actively under 'attack', so what was the difference.

Whatever.

"Pretty much, yeah." He replied, massaging his half foxied hand.

Waylin nodded, glad that Jasper had because that would have been embarrassing.

He felt no matter what, this entire ‘chat’ was a loss for him. Matti made it clear he fucked yo even when Waylin didn’t think he did regarding Henry and John. There was no smoothing that over, and he could only hope it lightened some once Matti actually spoke to Henry.

Rather than scratch the back of his neck, he gently massaged his throat. Swallowing and glad he didn’t feel any pain with that particular motion anymore. It had made eating and drinking a pain, but he was distracting himself so focus.

Waylin’s gaze drifted to the foxified hand, genuinely excited for Matti but felt it was soiled by the argument. He twisted his own fingers, tweaked them as he observed Matti because it wasn’t like he’d get to soak in the joys of something new. Then, he plucked up the board, erased the previous words once more, and quickly scribbled.

Despite what happened before this reveal, I am proud to see you grow. You’ve come a long way since we first met, you’ve earned it.

Matti looked at Waylin then, reading the words, taking them at face value.

"I know." He replied. He was able to validate himself now, and tied so much less of his self-worth in other people's opinions of him. "I'll go see Henry if he's there."

Voice still oscillating between toneless and gentle. The anger was passed but the disagreement remained.

Waylin gave a nod, noting the tone but refused to let himself fall down that rabbit hole.

Things got off track and ultimately not what he wanted to fully talk to Matti about but that ship had sailed. He wouldn’t let his face fall, keep the warm smile and fondness until he could slip into his room and self reflect.

I’m glad you had fun.

With that, Waylin would push himself to his feet, not to touch Matti. No, his brother had pulled away from the touch moments earlier but to flash a wider smile before turning on his heel to head towards his room.

The cross gave one last supportive ‘silent’ bark before Waylin closed the door.

Matti did his best to return the smile, but there was something missing. The great progress they made lately felt all ripped through with claws that hadn't even been the uneven ones on his left hand.

Now he got the feeling Waylin had after returning from camping. Great energy being sapped from outside circumstances. It sucked.

And if they couldn't agree on something as basic as which was more important, safety or free will, it sucked even more.

He'd take a big breath and have a silent sigh before putting a more believable smile on his face and setting out to find Henry. Maybe even before his hand reverted!