Dirty hand scratched at his lower back as Kiba stood in his new quarters to look at the room filled with boxes and half put together furniture. It was a nice enough room considering the reconstruction that had taken place in the new guild hall. He was covered in dirt from head to toe with the moving of his things through the large building. There were still portions that had not been fully fixed that had vines and dirt still. The diowolf had picked a room further off from the rest of the guild quarters to allow himself some privacy. His following had all found rooms on the same floor, though closer to the main portion. Kiba wanted his privacy to allow himself some time to deal with his work as well as find some down time to figure out what next what was going to happen for his life.

The location was also convenient since he could take some of the space near his new room to shape it to his needs. A private study to keep his work and persona life separate would be nice. It had been a while since he had been able to sleep without having a pile of paperwork looming in the background. There were not too many members yet that had join Nosse, but that was just a matter of time. The first thing that had to be done was the getting the Hall straightened out.

Kiba shook his head to through the work orders out of his head. He needed first to get his own room in order before thinking about how to do the rest of the work. How long had it been since he worried about running a guild? Now that Lokir was no longer a deity, he had had nowhere to go. Thankfully, Kythe had been there quickly to help move him to the Hall before Scarwood Fort was no longer to be inhabited. Kiba sighed heavily as he leaned back against an arched window that looked over the ruins that were still overrun by vegetation. He enjoyed the view as nature had its hold on their new home. Considering what most of them were, it made sense.

The diowolf turned around to lean his elbows on the stone windowsill to look at the calm water that ran through their Hall. They did not want to disturb much of what had come to claim the old ruins years ago. No, Kythe and Kiba had discussed making themselves apart of it. Both liked the sentiment as well as they were finding that the forest that surrounded them were in a way protecting their new members. It was oddly comforting.

He clicked his tongue before standing up. A thought went through his head that Kiba couldn’t deny was at the top of his list of wanting to know. Which room belonged to Kaya? He hadn’t seen her for a little bit, and he was getting antsy to see her again. Things were happening quickly in Revaliir to throw him off in many ways. Now, he was determined to figure out exactly what was going on between him and her. There was going to be no delay, and it was going to be set in stone.

It had been hard work getting to where they were, but it had been worth every minute, every bruise and scrape, every sore muscle. In a way the ruins reminded Kaya of home; when they had returned to Myna from DaeLuin, they had taken up residence in her mother's former home, the palace had long since fallen into disrepair, the world reclaiming the Valley for its own… but it had become home regardless. Kythe had been strict in her instructions with the reconstruction - they were to rebuild the ruins as best they could while allowing the vines and trees to remain where they were, it served a dual purpose - allowing the world to enter their home while also keeping it looking like a ruin, which meant less people would assume the Hall occupied. 
Kythe's paranoia had worried Kaya at first, though the situation with Raith and Alairia had made the young woman realise just how naive she had been - it wasn't paranoia where her mother was concerned, it was experience, she wasn't worrying unnecessarily, she was taken precautions to keep her people safe while hoping they would not be required. The more she was around the woman, the more Kaya began to realise she had not known her mother at all, she only wished that Luna would give her mother the chance to show her daughter that her heart was always in the right place. 

Kaya had found a room deeper in the mountain, tucked away from the rest of the Guild Hall and claimed by nature more so than the rest of the place. Here she had found a cave that served as a natural room, one wall of which would have fallen away if it were not for the vines and tree roots that kept the rock in place. An offshoot of the room led to a natural spring of warm water, and Kaya was taking advantage of the fact that she had her own private bath in her quarters, a run off from the main lake that had claimed a hall all of it's own - which they had discovered led in two directions, one deeper into the mountains and one down a river that was hidden by the mountain pass, meaning it was a perfect escape route whichever way they went. 

She had been working hard to help her mother and Kiba sort out the Guild Hall, though the latter she had kept a distance from - not because she wished to avoid him but because she was conscious that Kiba needed to spend time with his family, and she did not wish to get in the way of that in any way. Seeing him working on the Hall always made her smile, but she had a habit of moving out of his line of sight just as he would turn in her direction. 
Golden fur flowed over her slender, wolven form as she trotted through the Hall. She had been out on a hunt, led by the Little Ones, and bringing home a decent sized buck to feed those working hard at making the Hall a home for them all. She stopped by the lake, lapping at the cool waters, content with the life she was leading. 

The diowolf stood there near the windowsill of his room as he tried to think of where he should start searching first. His eyes narrowed for a moment as his thoughts worked to piece together a plan. Kiba had to make a plan. Kaya wasn’t going to wait around forever for him to get it together. The woman was always patient when it came to where he was mentally. Whether he was working through the fact that Nami was not going to come back. If it was her meeting his family, or even dealing with the constant changes with the gods. Kiba knew that not being a Champion anymore also changed things for his life. Now, he could decide what he wanted to do. What he wanted was Kaya. It had taken a bit for him to allow his heart to reach that conclusion. She had been distant lately, and had a feeling that it was his fault….again.

He scratched the side of his jaw where the scruff had begun to take hold on his face. Turning around he rested his arms on the windowless window to look at the underground lake. There he saw exactly who he was looking for. His Reztreal focused on the wolf as she lapped up the water. Features softened as he looked at the gleam that came off of her health coat. It was an odd thing to notice if you weren’t a wolf. As he leaned further out the window he caught the scent of fresh blood. She had been out hunting. Only the barest of traces could be noticed, but again he was able to note the smallest details when it came to the femme.

A wolfish grin crossed his lips as he jumped up into the window. With deft agility, Kiba scaled down the wall until he was hanging just above the lake. He grappled along the wall until he was above dry land to fall on crouched legs. Standing up he brushed off his hands on his pant legs while walking towards Kaya. ”Kaya,” he said her name simply. It was just her name, yet there was a tone of caring in his voice. Features were soft as he looked at the golden furred wolf. His eyes watched her as he took up a seat on a small boulder next to her to look over the water.

”You’ve been rather absent from my sight lately. Care to explain that?” Kiba turned his head to the side to look at her with a tilted chin. It was most certainly on purpose, and he was going to wait for her to explain why it was this time. Her consideration for him was always beyond what he deserved. As he waited a hand reached out to lightly brush through her soft fur. It was surprising how soft her fur was to the touch. Wolf fur normally was rough, but her fur had the similar softness as her hair. A light smile traced his lips. His hand found its way to cup her wolven cheek to gently stroke it with his thumb. ”Can you stop running away from me? I’m obviously not very ‘quick.’ He knew she would understand that he meant his emotional swiftness.

An alert ear flicked atop her fine head, golden fur shimmering with the movement as she heard his approach. There was a small, wolfish smile upon her lupine face, his scent filling her nostrils as he strode over to join her by the lake. She lifted her head once he was near enough, jade coloured eyes watching the man who had captured her heart without even trying. Her name on his tongue sent a shiver of pleasure down her spine, her heart aching within her chest. How could one word from him make her feel so weak? No one had ever made her feel like this just by saying her name before, and yet somehow it made her love him all the more. 

She sighed softly as he ran his hand through her fur, it was an intimate thing to do and something that Kaya had never experienced… though she had to admit she enjoyed the feeling of his hand along it like that. As his hand found her cheek she closed her eyes contentedly, leaning her head into his palm as she did so, relishing in his touch. "I wanted you to spend time with Teu and your grandchildren, so I kept out of the way. It was less running away, so much as keeping out of your line of sight at the right moment," she chuckled, turning her gaze to look at him. 

"Does that mean you have made a decision then?" She asked, failing to keep the hopefulness from her tone. She did not wish to come across as desperate, she did not want to push him into anything before he was ready… but she ached for him in ways she had never imagined, never in her wildest dreams had she thought to feel like this for another person, not ever!

Expression remained soft as he continued to keep his focus on the wolven form of Kaya. She was patient and kind as well as being a fighter. In many ways, the woman reminded him of Nami. Even with their similarities they were wholly different. Kiba continually saw the differences between the pair. He knew that he was to stop seeing the similarities because it was a disservice to not only Kaya but to himself. Nami was gone. She would never come back. The little inclining of hope was pushed to the bottom of his heart. Kaya had never asked him (nor would she ever) to forget his past. In fact, she had told him to retain the ring on the necklace that he wore. Kiba was finding more often that he kept the necklace safely tucked away in a box in his room. Even now, it was tucked in carefully among his valuables instead of on his person.

Now, as he lightly dragged his fingers through her soft fur, Kiba took in her form fully. Kaya had been patient as well as understanding to the dilemma in his head. It was time for him to come to terms with his true feelings. Living in the past had done nothing for him in regards to a real life. What he needed to do was allow himself to live in the present into the future.

Eyes dropped down for a moment before he lifted the gaze to smile at her. ”It still sounds odd to hear that I have grandchildren to need time with. In the future, don’t keep yourself from my line of sight. I can’t handle thinking that you were avoiding me again.” It reminded him of when she first had started to run away from him when they were back in the fort. He sucked in a breath as he flicked her ear. ”Change back first, and then we can talk.” The diowolf hybrid leaned back on his hands to prop him up while leaning back.

He waited patiently until she changed back into her two-legger form. A bright smile spread across his lips that looked almost mischievous. Sitting up, he grabbed her hand to have her face him away from the water. His other hand brushed through her hair before cupping her neck. Bi-colored eyes were bright as he stared back into her eyes. There was no sense of hesitation in his eyes or his body language. ”You have been beyond patient and understanding. It is to the point of being too understanding where I know that I have most likely caused you pain.” Eyes never lost their connection with her’s, though there was regret in them. ”I am sorry for the drawn out process. You are strong, beautiful, smart, and more.”

Kiba leaned forward to rest his forehead against her’s as his eyes closed to inhale her scent deeply. ”I have come to a decision and it’s you. Why you have chosen me is beyond my comprehension. If you will still have me.” The diowolf was to wait for an answer, but as he opened his eyes to look at her there was little he could wait. Kiba captured her lips with his. He felt a hunger for them that had been consuming his thoughts for a while. Hand left her’s to grasp at her waist to pull her closer to him to close the gap between them. He could only hope that she would forgive him for letting his animalistic side take over.

Keen eyes flickered to the man’s chest, his shirt was notably flat and the sharp taste of metal was not upon the air as it usually was… it was clear to her, that Kiba had put aside his ring, part of her hoped that it was because of her, but she did not quite dare hold onto that hope, lest it were all for nought and she became more of a love struck child than she already was where the man was concerned. 

The wolf snorted, flicking an ear in mockery of his words as she rolled her eyes at him. She stretches her neck out to him, nudging his hand with her nose so that his fingers brushed against her silken muzzle, forcing her throat not to to let out a lupine purr at his touch. ”I’m sorry Kiba, I never meant to worry you. So much for making things easier for you, hm?” She chuckled softly. Cocking her head to one side at his request she nodded, taking a step back so that she could shift. Naturally she wore no clothes, ordinarily she was not self conscious - like her mother, she did not care what form she took, nor who saw them… this however was different, this was Kiba and she had spent many nights, alone, imagining his fingertips against her bare skin. 
Blushing, she flicked her wings around her frame, hiding her naked flesh from Kiba’s sight.

Suddenly his hand had hers, his other hand in her hair against the nape of her neck. Her eyes closed, as she let out a soft sigh, revelling in his proximity despite her nervous she felt. She looked into his mismatched eyes, and saw the regret there, without a thought her hand moved, her thumb tracing his skin beneath his eyes and across his cheeks as if she might be able to wipe it away, like a tear. Her eyes closed as he leant his forehead against her own. Her skin felt like it was on fire, and suddenly she understood what her mother had meant, all those years ago, when she had said her father had set her blood alight. She felt it now, her body, responding to his touch, flaring into life as her love for him raged in ways even her brother would have been proud of.
His words caught her off guard, and her breath hitched in her throat, touched by what he had said. As he kissed her, she meant into it, breathing in his scent and drinking in his presence. If that didn’t tell him what he needed to know, as an answer, then nothing would. Something in the back of her mind said they were too close, that she should step back and take a moment before she allowed herself to be consumed by him entirely… but that niggling voice was swiftly silenced by the thunderous drumming of her heart.