Krys didn't really think too much of it before she said how she enjoyed his presence. He merely thought it was logical for Liz to come and seek him out since they were the only two wolves outside of Blaine and his children in Arri. It didn't occur to him that there was more to it or not. But now that she mentioned it, their nightly runs seemed to help him as well as before he hadn't even thought to go and run in his lupine form for a while. He smiled at her before they started their little game of hide and chase.

Despite him getting an advantage later on, she found a way to escape from him. She was a craft one for being a younger wolf, he'd give her that much. "Hunting by myself since my pack had split up when I was younger than you are now helped some with my train of thought. Even after reuniting with my siblings and going on hunts with them, I more or less find myself operating alone." And especially now, with the exception of Liz and sometimes Blaine. His sisters were nowhere to be found, but that was the usual case for them.

"We never stop learning in this world. Even now, I find myself learning at least something new every day", he replied as he felt her rubbing herself against him. She seemed pretty comfortable around him and he did as well for letting her. Then again, they were wolves and they did operate on physical comfort more than other races did. The licking, on the other hand was something unexpected and he just looked to her as she went back and retrieved her clothes. He did the same and followed her along towards the lake up ahead. Setting them down, he approached her with a bumbling look when she asked if she bothered him. "No, why do you think something like that? Don't tell me you were worried about waking me up tonight." He shrugged his shoulders and looked down to her face, "You shouldn't worry too much. I'd let you know personally if that was the case. However, it is not. I do like running and playing around with you."

"Maybe it's because we are products of our environment. Destined to run by ourselves or in small groups? I don't know if I could ever run in a pack… I've never had one to see what it's like. It's always just been myself." Even when Kai was alive, all she ever had was herself when it came to the lupine blood that ran through her veins. After all her father had disappeared before they were born. So she had no other wolf to help her with the shift or even to teach her how to be in a pack.

"Exactly why it would have been a shame if you hadn't learned. To survive is to adapt to new situations and our surroundings. It allows us to live longer and fight harder. It's why you should never lick your wounds until a battle is won. You learn to win and you can fight another day to bring victory." She smiled at him once more through her wolf form. 

Now at the lake she was confused and laying on her paws as she contemplated everything. "I thought I was bothering you tonight. You seemed rather sore at me for waking you up." She was worried about it as her brown eyes shifted over to look at him. "I enjoy running and playing with you as well. It is something I've never had before even if Blaine and his children have invited me in the past. It has never really been my place to accept. I didn't want you to think you had to babysit me if you came. In truth, I just like to run. I didn't really expect to keep asking you to come with me, it was more of a want and desire I felt the need to fill."

"Guess you could be right about it. I'm used to running and hunting with a pack until we got separated. For a time, I was all alone and had to do things as such, but then I reunited with them. But in truth I can do these things either way and see the benefits of performing with or without others." Krystopher understood Liz's past and it helped to explained why she would find such comfort in participating with other wolves, or in this case, just him.

He felt a bit bad that it took him that long to get the thought through him. But at least now he was understanding her some more. There must have been some trust built up in her for him to get her to open up. Especially after having to deal with it for years. Of course with that, she was letting him know that she felt like he was having his arm yanked with their runs. The wolf shook his head and laid down right beside her in front of the lake. "Meh, it's not really that much of a thing to worry about. Sounds like you're being silly", he reassured her, nuzzling her head with his nose.

"It's not a problem really. Time just went by us and before I know it, it was becoming a routine. Hell, I would have thought something was wrong if you hadn't tried to convince me to come tonight. You shouldn't worry too much, lest you will start to look older." He laughed at his jest but then held a much more serious face. It really didn't seem like that big of a deal for Liz to bother herself with. She didn't need the added stress. "Well, I wouldn't have known if you didn't need babysitting- you seem to like letting me know how old I am on a daily basis."

Liz gave him a wolfish grin as they spoke. He understood her and it was comforting that he didn’t ask any questions about it. They could run forever and they were only doing it for each other or themselves. It made things less complicated that way and Liz was appreciative of it.

Perhaps it was that Krys was the closest person in Arri to understanding her, not that Toya hadn’t lost a child but she had gotten better. Liz felt like she was in an absolutely chaotic loop and couldn’t get out. For whatever reason Krystopher felt like a person who could understand her. He also had been spending time with her without asking too many questions about it. She smiled a bit as he nuzzled her and she snuggled her little body up to his. “Maybe I am being silly.”

Her amber eyes looked up at him and she could sense how serious he was after the jest. “It has become routine hasn’t it?” She looked at him sheepishly before putting her head back down on her legs and closed her eyes. “It seemed to bother you at first but then… It became a habit to call you Old Man.” She chuckled a bit. “Do you like having me around Krys?” It was an odd thing to ask but she was worried. Krys seemed like her only friend at times and there were things she didn’t feel comfortable talking to her mother about.

The infinite well of wisdom that her mother had somewhat terrified her. “I’m thinking about leaving Sularia, is why I ask.”

Krystopher was relaxed and calm as he laid onto the ground. They basked in the light of the moon as it shined overhead and his eyes fell onto the lake for an extended period of time. He enjoyed the comfort and peacefulness of the place. He wasn't really bothered by coming out here, despite what doubts may have been lurking in Liz's head at the time. He watched her carefully before he turned back to the lake, "Don't worry about it, Liz. We all tend to overthink things from time to time. I'm not bothered by your requests. I am an adult- I would have made it clear if I was." He didn't have time for childish games really and she hadn't done anything at all to make him think that she was immature. Well, not as much as she played it though.

"Aye, I would think so. It's been going on for quite the while now." It was easy to lose count with all their runs and hunts. He barely recalled what he was up to before she started wishing for him to come with her on a nightly basis. He felt her warm body snuggled up against him. It was odd since he wasn't used to another she wolf, another female creature in general being as close to him as she was. It had been a long time for him and he felt odd but it wasn't bad at all. The black wolf let out a sigh, "Well that part did annoy me, but given that you wouldn't give up the ghost, I just merely went along with it. Far better for my health, as old as you like to point." He tiled his head and answered almost immediately. "Yes. I suppose things would be dull here without you tossing rocks at my window or sneaking into my room." But Krystopher had meant what he said; he did enjoy her company.

"You are such a worrywart", he laughed, nudging at her again.  His smile wavered a bit though when she let him know what was on her mind. He hadn't expected to hear that she wanted to depart from Sularia. Blinking at her, he was kind of puzzled as to what to say. Even more so, he wasn't sure how he felt about it. "Why?" There were a bunch of reasons that came to mind as to why she would want to leave home. "Are you not happy here? Is that it, Liz?" Krys thought more about all of this. This was completely unexpected, even for the she wolf. "Why would my thoughts have any weight on your decision?" He was genuinely concerned about all of this.

It didn’t bother her being that close to him. Actually, it felt rather nice and therapeutic to be up against him the way she was. She chuckled a bit. “I didn’t think it would overly annoy you Krys. Maybe I should stop calling you Old Man.” There was another chuckle as she thought about their interactions. “Aye, things would be very boring.”

Liz listened to his words and shook her head a bit. “I may be but I have a lot on my mind.” He was puzzled at her and finally, she shifted back and laid on her back to lounge. More so, so she could look up at the stars. “No, I’m really happy here as of late.” The words came out in a whisper. “Because you have everything to do with my decision.”

Liz frowned a bit as she reached over and cupped his face. “I don’t want you to get misled into my misery. I feel like everywhere I go I just cause more problems. The last thing I want… is that to happen to you. I bring misery, don’t I? These past few weeks have made me feel a ton better about myself but still, I can’t help from worry. Everyone finds misery around me.” She was frowning a bit more now. “I just don’t want to bring that to you… so I was thinking about leaving so you don’t fall down that hole.” It was clear it had been on her mind for some time. “I didn’t mean to make this a routine… It just happened and before I knew it… I couldn't’ help but come get you at night.”

Krys was flabbergasted about the situation Liz presented him with. She said that she was happy being home and yet she was thinking about leaving it entirely. It wasn’t a small decision in the least and he wanted to make sure that she was certain that she was making the right choice. “What do you plan on doing then? I don’t know your experiences outside of Arri, but it's much harsher to those that aren’t of the fairer races. While she was part Rosenite, it was her lycan side that caused for him to worry for her. Humans didn’t like their kind and he had been through plenty to know that it was true. He looked at her, now shifted into her Rosenite form and he remained motionless as he felt weird about the whole thing. “What do you mean I do…” The wolf couldn’t help but to shake his head at her. This whole thing sounded ridiculous; she was leaving because of him?

Krystopher let her hands come to his face and he looked her squarely in the eyes as she filled him in. The more she spoke about it, the more his brows drew together. It sounded like she was punishing herself and also pushing him away at the same time. They had grown close and he was wondering if she didn’t want that. If she wanted to keep everyone else at arm’s length. If to not let anyone else know of her pain and such. He knew that she would carry the burden of losing her loved ones as he did. Pulling away from her, he shifted back as well and sat beside her. “Stop it Elizabeth. You are being too hard on yourself for things beyond your control. It sounds to me that you are running away from something.” He sought for her hand and took it into his own, “That’s not true- you are not cursed or a harbinger of misery. I didn’t know of such since we met…your family don’t consider you as such either. You can’t let your to drown in the sorrows of the past; you have to push through.” It was something he had to learn time and time again, but still, he remained. There were times when he drank himself stupid and contemplated many things but never once were those ideas entertained. He struggled and fought but would always find a way to carry on. “You think that leaving here will make things better? If my word does have sway over your decision, then I think you should stay.” His grip grew stronger yet still loose enough for her to break away from him if she chose.

He lowered his gaze to the ground and sighed, “Of course you didn’t mean to make this a thing, with us meeting and running and such. A lot of things in this world don’t come clear to us at first. It takes some time before we learn more and come to accept or reject it. I don’t want you making a choice like that out of fear. If you wanted to go for your own pleasure, then I could understand, but don’t do it if you are afraid of something.”

“I’ll figure it out Krys…” She wasn’t scared of the outside world. She knew it could be harsh to their kind.

Soon she was telling him exactly how she felt. The whys and she could see from his face that he wasn’t exactly agreeing with her. Her full name leaving his mouth caught her off guard. No one used her full name unless she was in trouble. Her eyes glimmered just a bit towards him as she blushed and nodded. Soon her hand was in his and she stared at how much larger his hand was than hers. “I thought me leaving would save you from trouble.” She gave a squeeze back to his hand. “I didn’t honestly think you would care if I left…”

Liz was hesitant at first before she leaned over and kissed him gently. It wasn’t long or overly powerful, just enough as she pulled back. “I’m afraid of a lot… Afraid of hurting you. Afraid of being too close to someone again. Afraid of being rejected.” She chuckled a bit. “You would think I was just a young wolf by the way my mind has been running things.”

She was silent for a moment or two before she took a huge breath. “I’ve only ever been with one person and that was Coriko’s father… That wasn’t even a long romance. We met and sorta just had him. So I am a bit awkward at my feelings and since the first time didn’t go so well I have been a bit skittish about it… I will admit. I was scared.”

For some reason, Liz’s answer wasn’t good enough for him. If anything, he wanted her to make the decision because she wanted to, not because she had to. Not because she was running from something here. What drove her to make such a hasty decision? He was determined to find out one way or another. He wasn’t the sort to abandon those he cared about and she was a part of that small, knitted circle. It was partly why he addressed her by her full name, to let her know that he was serious about this conversation. Would she had been alright by herself? Would she be reminded of their time whenever she hunted or ran? He certainly didn’t wish to her leave like this.

“I think that would cause more problems than solutions for not only me, but you as well.” Her hand felt softer than his easily and it still held fast to it. She didn’t look like she was going to run away, which was fortunate for him. “Of course I would care…our time…has been irreplaceable to me. I figured that it was the same for you…” His blue eyes looked up to her and was taken back by the kiss she gave him. One had to wonder just how long she had been wanting to do that. Krys had to question what he felt about it- her fears weren’t entirely misunderstood. In a way, he hadn’t wanted to be close with another again himself. Angelica…Emilia…Bast…Moliira… each of his relationships had ended badly and each person on that list had disappeared without his knowledge of their whereabouts. The last two surely crushed him though for different reasons. He couldn’t help but to look at her with a sad smile. “I understand. I had a few loves of my life that ended either badly or they would be lost. I can’t blame you for being afraid like that.”

His other hand went to take hold of the side of her face and made her look at him. Krystopher’s thumb stroked her for a bit before closing the gap between them. “Just know that I wouldn’t reject you.” His lips met with hers again, just as long as her kiss had been. “At least we can be scared together. Doesn’t that sound better than just leaving here and me?”  

His words almost broke her heart as she heard it. No one had ever called her irreplaceable outside of her mother. For her mother, though it was entirely different, she was her mother. Liz stared at Krystopher for a few long moments and nodded. The time had been wonderful for her. She was just glad that Krys understood even after the kiss what she was feeling. They were both scared.

Him cupping her face made her blush just a bit. It was much more intimate than what the wolf was used to. His words caught her off guard more than the motion as they kissed again. She had been eager to give it back to him and she put her forehead against his as he spoke to her.

“Yeah… I think I can live with being scared with you…” There was a light chuckle from her lips as she put a hand over his and gently stroked his skin with her thumb. “It’s just hard for me to say how I feel and the first thing my mind turned to was running away from it. I am scared of getting too close to you and losing you. Never being able to find you again if you got lost. That is my biggest fear. For me, it sounded a lot easier to run away and know at least where I left you than to lose you and not know where you were.”

Her blush faded as she kissed him once more. “So… do you think we could live with Blaine and Toya’s banter?” It was more of a tease as she struggled with what she wanted to say to him. “You could spend the night with me… here under the moons.”