〔❁〕Why didn't you stop me....

 Had she made a mistake coming up to these mountains?

 Fustration was what fueled her steps along the rugged terrain, at knowing @Reiko had disappeared a second time without informing anyone first. She was in heat at the time, and while Izumi couldn't bare to be around the fumes of receptive women without wanting to draw teeth, that did not mean she did not worry for the snow dove's whereabouts -- she was knowledgable enough by now to know wandering so carelessly during this time was simply asking for trouble. Not only that, but she'd been injured along the way, and @Hotaru was once again leading without guidance...

 Even after all the thoughts which aggravated her soul had been the reason for her arrival, then came the heart-sinking realization that @Quicksilver had been a member of Vanderfell as well. Having been wrapped up in their time together in Elsewhen, the thought completely slipped her mind. Never mind the anxiety of meeting Heiro and Ira again after so long ago to mark the fall of Kaisteloki -- or the fear of possibly being pumbled to death by @Orlaith -- now she had to come here with the possibility of seeing someone who probably didn't even want to see her in the first place...

 Though there was no turning back now. She had come to check up on Reiko, and turning back was not an option.

 So standing behind the borders of the mountainous claim, the willowy crane emitted a long howl to announce her presence....

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She had spent the majority of the day shadowing Quicksilver in order to regain her strength, as well as spending as much time with the druid as she possibly could. Soon enough someone would come to escort her back home, or she would do the travel alone as soon as she felt capable of doing so. Until then she would assist when possible, and rest when fatigue was too much to handle. Every now and then a sting in her head about demand some rest but it was becoming less and less of a problem.

A familiar call caught her attention, drawing attention away from the herbs she was helping in organizing and cleaning out. Snow laced ears swept low onto her crown, anticipating what was to come… knowing who the voice belonged to.

Had Izumi come to escort her home? With a longing gaze to Quicksilver, feeling that the time to part had come too soon despite spending far too much time here in Vanderfell already; she would get up and waste little time to greet Izumi.

As the crane came into view she would force a smile and gentle sway of the tail in greeting. She would say nothing, knowing how much trouble she must be in for being away, abruptly… for a while… again.

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A call rose from the edge of Vanderfell claim, a voice that was painfully familiar. Quicksilver pricked his velvet ears forward briefly in surprise, before they splayed back. Anxiety spiked, he did not shift to look upon Reiko's face at once; the idea of facing both dove and crane together had not crossed his mind before. The sterling druid stared out over the plateau and across the vast tundra stretched far beyond, and inhaled deep to try and steady himself.

Soon, the snowflower would be gone, and he worried for the ache he would surely feel in her absence. Trying to remain cool and collected, he followed her quietly down the mountainside and toward the location where Izumi's voice had rose. To see the Duchess was hard, but he mustered a timid smile for her regardless. Quicksilver knew how this must look: the Empress, fuelled by the call of her season, had ended up in his home. Pale eyes lingered on her curiously - would she believe that he had been truthful to his vow? He had promised to choose neither fae to be his mate, and he had not disrespected that.

“Izumi,” the silverwhite greeted softly, hanging back to allow the reunion of two friends.


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 The worst of her worried thoughts had come true, and the two of them showed up -- one after the other, nearly at the same time. She sucked in a painful breath quietly as her eye averted to her feet. No, she didn't have a right to be upset seeing them together -- Izumi had said it herself that she didn't want to be the barricade that stopped them from being together, and that's what she'd been doing. Be a good friend; for them both. Dark lips fumbled wordlessly for a few seconds to gather her train of thought again. Fujiwara was here to check on Reiko, nothing more....

 So her lilac gaze, slowly, would lift again. To meet Quicksilver's first, who's own gaze grappled painfully at her chest in reminder of how these past few weeks hurt, and then to Reiko Mayan ones. Ones that she'd hadn't faced in longer than Izumi should have -- and she'd stare into them wordlessly to focus more on the anger that brought her here, and less on what she'd been trying to push in the back of her mind....

 "This has happened for a second time, Reiko," another time where she'd wordlessly vanish to make others of Tsukiishi vanish. What is to say that she hadn't disappeared into a pit of despair like she did last time? Did Reiko think that wouldn't warrant Izumi's concerns? "The others have been worried about you and so has Hotaru. She currently leads alone in knowledge that her mother is recovering from an injury elsewhere." Her brows furrowed as she took the time seat herself with a sigh, meeting the snow empress gaze head level. "You are an adult, and therefore I have no right to dictate where you should go or where you shouldn't be because that is your choice to make. I am only asking you to be more considerate as a leader and mother."

 For her next point, she'd switch tounges. "さらに悪いことに、あなたは暑さの間に領土を去り、そして..." — What's worse, you leave the territory during your heat, and.......then there came a pause to process. "Oh..."

 and soon enough, her focus would lie right back to where she hadn't wanted it to fall. Rei had become receptive -- and a moment was to be had during this time.

 Once again Izumi fell silent, and again would her chest tighten uncomfortably as she looked away. She was intruding again, afterall...

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The air was tight among the three of them. Suffocating as she wasn't certain what was the right thing to do or say in this matter. She stood alone as Quicksilver remained behind, off to his own side, and though she would not be the only one in this spotlight, it still felt uncomfortable as she kept her eyes off to the side and down. Ashamed, afraid.

As expected Izumi began, her words were like needles - straight and to the point. Digging in as she was absolutely right. Reiko had no counterargument. The first time she had wandered away heartbroken, at one point even contemplating on not returning - though this time was not planned as well and felt more or less out of her control, it was still not good.

For Izumi's complete speech Reiko had remained silent. Ears tilted back as she hung on every word. The days spent here were nice by Quicksilver's side, but this was the inevitable that was only bound to come. “すみません — I am sorry” Feeling their native tongue would make her apology more sincere and not just a constant blanket to make up for mistakes being made.

The latter was a cause for concern, however. The way Izumi brought up her heat and remember then and now what she was hiding away from in the first place. An expression of shock took her features, stressing her eyes to widen as she sought Izumi's lavender gaze finally. Breaking her posture to approach with a beckoning tone. “私たちの間に何も起こらなかった、私は約束する ! — Nothing happened between us, I promise!” After all, Quicksilver had ultimately turned away from her advances.

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Izumi barely acknowledged him, which pained him more than he'd been expecting. Quicksilver continued looking her way for as long as he could until the sharpness of a wisteria stare became too much to handle. The druid's ears splayed backward, and he dipped his muzzle respectfully to her.

Truthfully, he hadn't expected the manner in which Izumi scolded her leader. It ruffled his feathers a little, even though he could appreciate the anxiety that Reiko's disappearance had surely roused among her companions, but Vanderfell had done its best to act swiftly and send word of what happened. She could have perished to the cold, to the water, to infection! It wasn't fair that she was bombarded with frustration when first and foremost she deserved support.

Their friendship and their pack's politics were none of his business, so he felt it appropriate to withdraw himself from lingering awkwardly in the background. Just as Quicksilver gathered to his paws with every intention of slipping away quietly, his decision proven best when they began to communicate in a language unknown to him, he swore he felt daggers aimed directly for his back.

He paused, feathered tail limp, and lifted his crown to dare peek over at the two she-wolves as a silent tension crept into the space between them. The words had been lost to him, but it was clear in the way they'd transitioned to use of their own tongue that the topic was focused on him.

On the receptiveness of Shiroshika's leader.

On how he had surely been lured, made mindless by instinct, to make the most of that.

Quicksilver frowned, and drew in a shaky breath before he veered off again. It was not his job to persuade others that he had not taken advantage of Reiko - if they did not trust him to be respectful, then that was their problem. The truth of it all was that he'd done his best and been true to his word, and he was unwilling to grovel for forgiveness or understanding over something he had not done.


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 The look on the snow empress' face after Izumi spoke up caused guilt to build up in her stomach. She was being too blunt again -- afterall, if Rei had truly been injured, then it was only safe to stop at the closest place avaliable -- that being Vanderfell's borders. Izumi had allowed her anxiousness over Reiko's whereabouts to fester into rage, and there was no excuse for that. Of course Reiko would care about her own kingdom and her own child -- to ever doubt that was wrong of her...

 "I .....レイちゃん、あなたと一緒にベックスをするつもりはなかった。 私はただ怖がっていました、そして私はその恐れが怒りに変わるのを許しました。 申し訳ありません..." — I.....didn't mean to get vex with you, Rei-chan. I was just scared, and I allowed that fear to turn into anger. I'm sorry... For the life of her, the young crane just couldn't look up -- was she really so cowardly that the sight of the wolves she considered her own freinds make her crumble? Izumi had been the one to say she was okay with it. So why....why was it still so hard to accept it?

 Only when Reiko began to approach would a gaze be cast up to her again, and with a soft melancholic smile she shook her head -- and using her forearms, she'd pull the girl close to hug her and lay a chin on top of her head. "それはあなたが説明するためのものではありません" — That is not for you to explain. The crane reassured, gritting her teeth for a moment so her voice did not become shakey, and continuing -- "私は彼を去ることに決めました。 私のことを心配する必要はありません。 お願いします..." — I made the decision to leave him. You have no need to worry about me. Please.... Izumi did not wish for pity in any of this.....she'd be fine.

 She'd be fine.

 Her gaze had stayed dormant, on anything else except ahead, where she knew who lied in wait. Izumi knew, as painful as it might've been, she couldn't avoid Quicksilver for long. Her intentions were to stop their relationship on good terms -- to make things right between them again. So....

 Her lilac gaze finally traveled, unglued themselves from the ground, and to peer over Reiko's pale shoulder. "Quicksilver...thank--"

 Though by the time she finally willed herself to make eye contact with him, he was walking away -- and to realize that was more painful that she thought it would've been, for him to up and leave so suddenly. He was upset with her, wasn't he? Becoming too afraid to look his way after so long, she hadn't even bothered returning the greeting...

 'I don't want you to leave.' she willed to herself, holding back what felt like bile rising in her throat.

 'Please come back. I don't want you to be mad at me, Quicksilver. I'm sorry.'

 She fucked it all up. Again.

 Carfully sliding a shakey chin from Reiko's shoulder, she pulled away softly from the dove to look at her again.

 [color=#b57edc]"If you are not strong enough to return yet..."

 and wish to stay together for longer...

 "-I will not force you back.

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Quicksilver remained behind and quiet. The bleached woman felt this was more of a matter of her own chastity versus a question of his gentleman pride. Which in truth the suspicions would be on both of them until proven with no children on the way. After all, it was her duty to remain away when her season comes. An attempt that had horribly failed thanks to the intervention of a snow-covered river.

Izumi continued, apologizing for her previous assumptions and reproach. “あなたと他のすべての人は作られるあらゆる権利を持っています” — You and everyone else has every right to be mad. Not knowing why Izumi had a sudden change of heart, it was Reiko's turn to reassure the crane that her feelings on the matter were valid. That it was not for the Empress to tell them how her disappearance.

This time Izumi was the one to draw her into an embrace. One that was soothing yet considering the man who had come to see her as well - suffocating. Reiko wouldn't pull away yet, letting both herself and Izumi unwind and let their emotions simmer down before stepping away from the crane. “We are just friends.” She'd say softly in return. Izumi may have turned away from Quicksilver, but he had turned away from Reiko. “I only wish to repair the friendships that were shattered.” To explain why she hadn't kept her distance and ignored either of them. She loved Quicksilver, that was true - both times she told him were no lie and it would not change any time soon, but that did not mean she wanted to change his desires to pursue neither dove or crane if it ailed him to do so.

She'd follow Izumi's gaze off to Quicksilver who was already walking away. A soft cry squeaked from her throat at the sight. After all the work he had done to aid her, after all the time they had spent repairing their broken trust and friendship, he was wounded by what she assumed was the accusations he could not understand. Izumi offered to return, saying it was now for Reiko if she was strong enough to do so...

Eyes focussed one after another on Quicksilver and onto Izumi. Torn between duty and holding onto what was only just being repaired recently. Anxiety, panic, it all rose up within her in an instant. She couldn't just leave Quicksilver in this state, nor could she not return soon to those who need her either - not when Izumi was now here to assist with the walk back. “Will you... If it is not too burdensome...” Can she even ask this of Izumi after all that had happened? After all the strain she had done for disappearing again, the heartache that weighed on the crane already. “May I fetch something precious and say my farewells before we go?”

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 All of this continued to remain as confusing as things could get. She thought stepping back would help them all come to a conclusion, but It didn't seem as if Quicksilver and Reiko wanted to continue on, either. The knowledge of this made it feel as though her head had been draining of blood, and became dizzy in trying to put this all together. A paw was held to her forehead, and she had to suppress the urge to simply scream her problems away.

 and her head was beginning to hurt anyways...

 "Mhm..." she nodded softly in her request to stay a little longer. Izumi noted that she wouldn't drag Rei back when she wasn't ready yet, and she wanted to keep that promise. For a moment, her violet gaze wandered -- over Vanderfell's looming mountains, and the clouds that overtook its peaks. Soon enough her silence would break, but not her eyes from those heights.

 "Tell Quicksilver....that I am sorry." The cranebird begun, almost whisper-like in tone. "--and that if he'd allow me, then I'd like to return to him soon to make things right between us. For now though....I don't think I have the emotional stability to face him right now....not in my current state..."

 With her own peice said and done, eyes fell back on Reiko. If she had anything else to relay before going, the siamese would listen. For now however, Izu would sit behind the borders to await Izuka's return....

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