This is our room!

Along the trip from the castle to the separate dorm buildings, Valentin noticed some new people he didn't know. He should probably approach some of the new people and make sure they didn't need any help getting around, but he could do that another time. Right now, he just wanted to get Zerda to their room because the sooner they arrived, the sooner they couldg et to work on the heated blanket. He didn't really want a repeat of the previous night. Not that he'd been offended by Zerda's.. assertiveness! Just the freezing to death part. Not the.. Yeah, so anyway, they were arriving at the dorm buildings now, so Valentin cleared his throat and nodded ahead.

The Buildings were all in a line, south of the castle, their front doors facing north along a small turn-off of the main dirt road. They were all pretty large and similarly to the main building, built in a baronial-castle style with gray-red stone and slate roofs. The only separation between each one was some short, full bushes. Each building had an arched front door up a couple steps from the earth, the door's panels painted in the color of their house. Other than that, the four buildings were almost identical.

"That one on the far right, that's ours." Trotting up to the door of their building, Valentin pulled a chain from under his shirt with several keys on the end. He made a mental note to remember to give Zerda his key once they reached the room. Pulling the old door open, he held it aside for Zerda to pass through.

The foyer was cozy with a couple chairs and side tables all huddled together. A door directly to their right led to the building's first set of staircases that led to the second floor commons and dormitory rooms. Another door leading from the foyer was ahead to the left, and this is the one that Valentin led the way towards. The door led them through a Regency-style sitting room--Valentin pointed out the bathroom off this room--and then the sitting room exited into a long hallway that extended to the back of the building. The faun gestured towards the end and led the way to the very last room, which was theirs. Pulling out his keys again, he opened the door with a small click and stepped in quickly so that he could hold the door for Zerda to enter as well.

"This is our room!" He glanced quickly over his shoulder and found himself wishing he had taken more care in picking up before Zerda arrived. He had tried, but cleaning was never something that held his attention for very long. At least he had managed to get all of his metal junk into trunks, though. He spotted Zerda's clothes folded neatly on top of the fox's bed.


(( Kinda sped that through~ xD ))

Zerda followed Valentin as he observed the area around him. He was so focused on trying to remember his way around that he nearly tripped over the steps of the Sionnach House stairs. He looked at them then snapped his head away. He thought of all things normal to Valentin was mean to him. He walked in and continued to follow him along the halls. The jingle of the keys had his attention and he on occasion tried to take them, but Valentin's arm would swing forward before he could grab them. "jingle jingle jingle....." He whispered. As they approached the door he paused before slowly poking his head in. He looked over the room with caution then slowly took a step in. He smiled at the warmth of it and before long fond himself tossing himself onto the bed. Grabbing his clothes and twirling around on them he smiled. He was happy to finally have them, but it was now time to put them on. Standing up on the bed he took the dress off and threw it at Valentin. He smiled as it covered the fauns head. Slipping into his shorts he found himself sitting down again. Looking at every bandage he pet them with care as he wrapped them around the same areas he had them before, but this time one went over his bruise. He sighed and leaned back into the soft plush bed. Admiring the pink colors he snuggled into them, "So Valentin, about the whole family thing....I once was told I had a mate, but she had died. So I was left alone. Since then though I was very lonely....but now I have a friend." He said as he was still looking away from Valentin. "You'll always be my friend right?"

Valentin sputtered then scoffed as the dress was tossed at his head and managed to canopy itself between his antlers and impair his vision. Carefully so as not to rip the thing, he tilted his head to the side and worked the fabric off of his tines. Once free, he held the dress awkwardly for a moment before deciding to deposit it on one of the stools by his work table. He noticed Zerda wrapping up his bruise and his own suddenly ached, reminding him spitefully of its presence. Suffering minor injuries somewhat frequently, the faun wasn't entirely unprepared. Crossing to one of his cabinets, he rummaged around in the drawers until he found a small glass jar that was half full of an ivory-colored paste. Crossing back to his new roommate's side of the room, he dropped his scarf off on top of the dress on the stool, and approached the fox.

When Zerda started talking about his mate, Valentin felt a pang of hurt for his friend, his ears drooping on either side displaying his dolefulness. He responded to the question with an encouraging smile and a nod, reminded of one of their first conversations back on the dirt road. "Of course, kiddo. I'll be your friend for as long as you want to be mine."

The faun fiddled absently with the metal lid on his jar, the action reminding him that he was holding it. "Oh yeah, I have some cream.. for bruises. It's nothing fancy, just arnica and comfrey. But it should prevent some pain and swelling.. if you want some--you don't have to." He shrugged.

Zerda looked over at Valentin as he rummaged through the cabinets for a little jar. A little curious he eyed it for as long as Valentin was speaking. The thing that got his attention was what Valentin had said. He smiled as he looked down at his bruise. Once again he was just so happy to run into him first. After a moment of thinking he noticed the jar once more as Valentin presented it to him. He looked over it and questioned the color in his mind, how could people possibly know what one was what. Did they all have names like numbers and shapes? He blushed slightly and then grabbed it gently. Looking over once more he finally opened it and sniffed it before reaching in and pulling out a little on his finger. He observed it closely and then smiled, "I think I will have some!" He said as he plopped the paste in his mouth.

The taste was beyond powerful and Zerda found himself swallowing the whole thing in one giant gulp. he coughed over and over as the smell of it seemed to seep through his nose and burn the little hairs on the way out. After a moment of uncontrollable coughing and wheezing he looked up at Valentin with tears of pain in his eyes. "That didn't help at all!" He said before he held the jar up and was about to throw it. He stopped himself though, as he realized it wasn't his to break. He slowly lowered his hand and the jar and then handed it to his friend. He smiled then found himself having his head hit the pillow on the bed hard, "Owie...tummy..." He murmured as he held it and rocked a little. He lifted his head over his shoulder and pouted at Valentin, "Kiss it...." He said referring to his stomach. When he was younger his mother had always kissed his wounds and aches, and right now he really missed that.

"Oh! No, that's not what it's.. yea.." Valentin trailed off with a wince when Zerda began coughing after eating some of the cream. He retrieved the jar and offered his friend an apologetic smile. He considered explaining that the ointment wasn't for eating, but figured it might be easier to just do it himself. He made to lean over the leg with the bruise when Zerda's request hit his ears.

"What?" His gaze shot to Zerda's face and blinked, then sidled down to glance at Zerda's relatively exposed stomach, save for the fox's own hands and some bandaging. One ear batted forwards while the other swung back apprehensively. He looked again to his friend's face, then quickly back down at the stomach as if deciding if this was okay. Not that it wouldn't, or shouldn't, be okay. His eyes flinched diffidently, but he eventually decided that he couldn't disapoint the fox, and was simply making too big a deal over it. He twisted so that he could take a seat on the bed by Zerda's stomach. Gingerly he took one of Zerda's palms in his fingertips and moved the hand aside. Leaning down, he paused only briefly at the last moment, before pressing his lips to the skin and bandages there, where the hand had laid previously.

As soon as the contact was made, Valentin felt his cheeks heating up uncomfortably. He hastily pulled back in a smooth motion, and quietly cleared his throat, both hands returning to the jar and fussing with it as he bent his torso, redirecting his attention to the leg. He kept his head somewhat bowed, trying fruitlessly to hide the color on his face.

"It's uhm.." He tried, picking up the topic of the cream again posthaste. "It's topical.." With a faint frown of unnecessary concentration, he gestured to the bandaging without looking back up. "May I..?"

Zerda laid there with his stomach in pain and on occasion he would look up to Valentin as he noticed his movements as uncertain. He smiled briefly as the attention Valentin brought upon himself made him feel as if he made the little faun more uncomfortable that any time before hand. The next moment though was what shocked Zerda, he didn't really thing Valentin would bend down to meet his upset stomach, but he did. He could have jumped up and told him no, but instead he was interested in if Valentin would actually kiss it, or would be back out and change his mind. In a brief silence it seemed his friend was only to kid him, but just as that popped into Zerda's mind it went away. He felt the soft lips of Valentin make a brief connection to his flesh and he shuddered with both what seemed to be excitement and fear. He looked up at Valentin then quickly looked away as he made a little humphing sound. Not only had he notice Valentin's face he had noticed his own as it matched the red shade of his friends. Perhaps they were a little to close and the cook Rosie was pointing out some obvious things. He smirk a little as he though of how could a meat eater and a vegetarian be mates. Then again he though of his own mother and how she and her own mate seemed to be from very different worlds. They acted nothing like each other, nor did they do things the same, but some how they fell in love.

He wiped the smile off of his face as he looked down at his leg and to the new position Valentin was in. "You may..." He nodded slightly for the faun to take care to his leg and he then lowered his head back onto the pillow. He had not realized how soft it was until now, but it was definitely what the others would say the doctor ordered. He cuddled into it and awaited for Valentin to apply the cream. He wondered what kind of things were going on in Valentin's head and especially what he had planned for the locket and the blanket. Those two things were the projects that they were trying to achieve today, or even over the week. "I want it to be green....the blanket....can we?" He asked with a quiet voice so not to startle the faun and his leg. Zerda felt his tail sway back and forth at the touch of Valentin's hand and he lifted his head to look down at it. "Oh calm down, he is not our mate tail...not that I know of." He paused and looked over at Valentin and then bit his lip, "Ha ha...stupid tail..." With that he laid his head back down on the pillow and he covered his face.

Valentin kept his serious face on, since he was trying to ignore his blushing in the hopes that it would go away, but realizing it was there only seemed to make it worse. Once granted permission, he very gently worked the bandages around Zerda's leg loose. His ears droop at the sight of the dark patch of skin, feeling guilt for being the cause of it. But all he can do now is try to ease some of the swelling. He dipped a couple fingers into the salve and veeery very gently, so as not to aggravate the tender area as best he could, brushed the cool cream over his friend's wound. Concentrating carefully on trying not to cause Zerda any pain distracted his mind from the redness in his face, which was finally beginning to fade...

"Hm? Oh, yeah sure it can be green." The faun glanced up at his friend, smiling at him briefly before returning his gaze to where his fingers with slowly trying to rub the cream around enough so that Zerda's skin absorbed enough of it. "Green is one of my favorite colors."

One of his ears popped up when Zerda spoke again, assuming he would be addressing Valentin again, but the phrase--for a moment only--confused him greatly. Mate tail? From the corner of his eye, he noticed his friend's tail swaying. His brow that had been scrunched thoughtfully slowly fell into more of a deadpan-shocked expression. Both ears flipped forwards and he spun his head to look up at Zerda. When he felt his face resorting back to being warm and colored, he snapped his head back down and offered a slightly awkward chortle to try and play along and pass his friend's comment off as humor.

"Well, we're roommates, right!" He managed to sound perhaps a bit too cheerful as he continued his ministrations on the bruise, despite the fact that it was probably as well moisturized with the salve as it would ever have to be. "Maybe your tail's just confused." He dropped the cheerful grin after that and bit his lip because as soon as it was said, he knew how stupid it had sounded. Completely pointless. Rolling his eyes discreetly at himself, he finally went about re-wrapping the bruise gingerly for his friend.

Zerda listened to Valentin as his head still stayed on the pillow. He smiled at every word that came out the the fauns mouth and he couldn't help but laugh when he said roommates. Hmmm...so perhaps the little faun had more on his mind that he was actually saying. This was going to be a fun room and for that Zerda was excited. He had wondered if the faun ever managed to see his eyes, then again he would know as even Zerda himself showed great epression at the sight of them. He frowned a little as he sniffled a bit, "Ma ma...." He muttered under his breathe. Lifting his head up he looked down at his tail and shook his finger at it, "I know right! He is so confusing at times.....I think he wants to take over my mind one day..." He growled a little at the fluffy thing before turning his attention towards Valentin and his leg. He watched as he worked carefully with utmost care. Zerda smiled at him and sighed a bit to himself. Perhaps they both were too trusting of the world around them. It could be a dangerous thing, but in a way Zerda felt Valentin would one day change. He also felt like this about himself. Nothing would stay the same, and nothing would ever tell you otherwise.

Lost in his thoughts Zerda had not realized Valentin had finished up in his leg. The thing that caught his attention was his tail that literally slapped him back into reality. He looked down at his tail while covering his face and he felt his ears perk up, "I'm alert! I'm alert!" He said hitting it back. Feeling a slight relief in his leg Zerda looked up it Valentin, "....." He slowly got onto all fours and he moved his face right in front of Valentin's. He stayed there for a long moment as he watched the blush return back to the fauns face. "......." After the stare and a fill of amusement he returned to his pillow with his rear facing Valentin, "Can we work with the blanket while I lay down?" He asked as he found his stomache was still a little upset.

Valentin scoffs when Zerda was attacked by his own tail, and shook his head as he finally withdrew his attentions from the bruise and the wrappings. He watched curiously as Zerda pulled himself onto all-fours and crawled closer. Valentin subconsciously tensed and leaned justs slightly backwards away from the personal space invasion, his brows creasing like he wasn't sure whether he should be concerned..

With their foreheads almost touching, he was distracted by the curtain of hair. He tilted his own head just slightly, trying to discreetly get a glance beneath the bangs, but then Zerda pulled back, and Valentin was left blinking at thin air. He pouted but nodded absently at the fox's question. "Yeah, sure. We can build it over here by your bed."

As he pulled himself from the mattress and back onto his hooves, his right arm extended, one hand offering a brief pressure on his friend's shoulder blade. The attempt to be comforting towards Zerda's pain was a little awkward for Valentin, since he wasn't sure really how to properly go about comforting someone who wasn't feeling well, but he hoped the effort would be received alright. He smudged a couple fingers one more time into the bruise ointment and snaked a hand up under his vest, smearing it haphazardly over his own bruise, before spinning the cap back on the jar.

Withdrawing to his own side of the room, the faun abandoned the jar on a table and went about rummaging through his trunks, piling various tools and materials that he didn't need onto his counter--making a mess already!--and what he did need, or might need, into his arms. On his way back to Zerda, he paused, almost forgetting something crucial. Freeing one hand by moving the wire cutters from his palm to between his teeth, he reached for a shelf on the back wall and snagged a green blanket--luckily, green being one of his favorite colors, this was something he actually had handy, and he didn't mind sacrificing the fabric for his friend. When the blanket was pulled off the shelf a couple of other cloth items slipped to the floor, but he left the pile to pick up at a later time. He crossed back to Zerda's bedside and lowered himself to his knees, carefully depositing his things to the floor.

Zerda smiled as Valentin had tried to comfort him. It was very nice of him and he loved that he was that caring to actually do all of this for him. After a moment of more rubbing he felt the presence of Valentin leave the bed. He lifted his head once more and looked over at the faun as he scurried around for materials. He was happy that they coulld make it while he was laying down, but what he wasn't happy about now was the mess.....the mess..... that Valentin was making? Zerda stared at the horrid mess his friend was making and he couldn't believe that after all the wonderful things he had done, this mess was going to be the end of it. Wanting to cry Zerda sat up and shook his head, "N-no...my mess is okay! Cuz its mine, but, but no mess for you!" He said with a childish tone in his voice that was followed with stutters. Zerda then felt a little unease and smacked his head back into the pillow from his stomach pain. Letting out a moan after seeing the things just pile next to him, he bent over his bed and began sorting everything from each other, "Wire with wire, metal with metal, fabric with fabric...." He muttered as he finished, "Okay Valentin...your in trouble....and uh, I no good at disciplining people..." He said as he lowered his head.

Looking up at Valentin he shifted slightly and he watched as his hair slide across his face, yet still was glad that they hid his eyes. He smiled and grabbed the fauns hand. "Lets clean later okay!" He said before picking up some wire and the blanket. "Shall we get started!" He said while nibbling the end of the wire. He really had no clue what to do from here, but he would do anything that Valentin would ask him to do. He wanted to be helpful to his friend like he was to him.

The faun's ears batted forwards when Zerda began distressing over the mess. Mess? Valentin glanced back over his shoulder towards his side of the room. Sure, there were a couple things out now, but it wasn't a mess surely. He watched with insistent confusion as his friend began sorting the pile of tools he's just brought over. Sitting back on his hooves which were folded beneath him, he waited patiently until the sorting was complete, then offered the fox a small smile. Trying to look slightly more 'disciplined' for his friend's sake, he let his ears droop and drew his eyebrows together concernedly. His tail was hidden behind him, but even that fell to brush the ground dejectedly.

"I'm sorry, Zerda." Valentin glanced off to the side with a pout. When he feels Zerda's hand grasped his own, his gaze snapped back to his friend's veil of bangs and he nodded awkwardly.

"Well! Ahh.." Having to physically keep himself from mussing up the piles Zerda had arranged, he wound both of his hands together on his lap so that he couldn't search with his hands like he normally would. Spotting what he wanted--a very thin wire with a rubber coating that would suit this project because it wouldn't restrict the blanket's movement much--he carefully plucked it from the carpet and offered it to his friend. "You want to start unwinding this for me? It can't have any tangles." His tone was serious, wanting Zerda to feel like he was being given a very important job--which he was! It was an easy part for sure, but still important.

Leaving that project in Zerda's care, Valentin glanced around the room for something. He wasn't sure what it was he needed yet until an old desk fan tucked away in the corner beneath his hammock caught his eye. With an 'ah-ha!' expression, he retrieved the fan, returning to his seat by Zerda's bed only a moment later with a screwdriver in hand which he jammed into a seam at the base of the fan. Leaning over the fan with it pressed against his chest for leverage, he pressed hard on the handle of the screwdriver until the old fan's plastic gave way and the base split open with a loud CRACK! Valentin discarded the plastic fragments and the screwdriver, going now for the wiring inside. He retrieves a small round metal piece with a pair of metal wings, only the size of a quarter. This he holds up to show Zerda with a smirk. "This is a snap disc. It will be our blanket's brain."

Zerda watched the expression on Valentins face and he stared closely as it seemed to be a bit fake. A real smile curved and a fake one drew right back. Zerda giggled slightly as he knew that his friend had no clue what a "mess" really was. Anything out of place was a mess to him, and sometimes he wished he wasn't like this, but he couldn't help it. Living alone for so long and having to have everything your own made having new people around a bit more difficult. Zerda shook the thought from his head as he noticed what Valentin had said. Looking down at the wire he slowly grabbed it and nodded at what his friend instructed him to do. Slowly Zerda made his way onto straitening out the wire as strait as he could, sniffing it here and there. The task seemed a little harder than he thought though, as he was never asked to make something 100% strait. Bitting down on his exposed tongue he finally managed to get a good majority of it finished and he smiled.

Today was quite interesting indeed and now he was learning mechanics with his best friend. Finally, the wire was strait and he nodded before looking at what Valentin was doing. He watched closely as he broke the fan to retrieve the wire and other pieces that was hidden within. Looking at the pieces he bolted his head up, "Brain? Like mine?" The thought of a brain in the blanket kinda made Zerda feel a little uneasy, "With a brain...wont it try to walk around with out me? I don't want it doing bad things!" Obviously, Zerda was clueless in both mechanics and health class. Hoping that Valentin knew what he was doing, Zerda didn't freak out too much. Besides he was to tired to spaz about anything now. He had to sit there and focus on what he was doing. He couldn't disappoint his friend in anyway possible. He was really happy that he agreed to make this for him.

Another smile spread slowly over Valentin's features in response to Zerda's concern. He shook his head reassuringly and tapped on the small metal disc absently with his fingertip. "Nah, it's not a brain as smart as yours. It can't walk or talk, or even think really. It just means it will be able to know when you're cold."

He paused a moment to try and determine a way to explain this without confusing his friend. He plucked up one end of the wire that Zerda had been unwinding and stripped a small bit of rubber coating off the end with his teeth. His gaze trailed over the wire and he nodded approvingly. "This looks great, by the way." Prying apart the know displayed wires, he began carefully wrapping each one around one of the snap disc's wings.

"So anyway, when the blanket is cold, it will turn on automatically, because inside this tiny disc, it has pieces that will pull together and touch when it gets a little chilly, and that will close the connection and make the blanket begin to grow warm." After the wires are in place on the snap disc, he finds a small roll of electrical tape, shrugging as he absently goes about re-covering the rest of the exposed wires. "In other words, you won't have to turn it on. You just bundle up and the blanket will turn itself on. And when you're comfortable, it will turn off so you don't get too hot."

Setting aside the wiring now, he glanced around before huffing and retreating once again to his side of the room and rummaging around in an old trunk tucked behind the branches of his metal tree. He returned with an old cast iron hand crank sewing machine. Placing the heavy thing on the floor, he flapped open the green fabric and lined up one corner of it with Zerda's wire. But here he paused because he needed both hands to be able to keep the fabric in line under the need as well as keep the wire between the threading. He smirked sidelong up at Zerda and motioned with a nod towards the old handle and wheel that would start the machine moving.

"Hey kiddo, do you think you can work the machine by turning that handle? You just need to keep it spinning for me until we're done."

Zerda was amazed at how Valentin explained the way the blanket worked. He smiled at the thought of it having the control to keep him warm whenever he needed it. Valentin was such a brilliant man and he showed his briliance with such gentle hands and keen accuracy. His work was fast and clean and Zerda loved everything about it. He admired the faun so very very much and it seemed he cared a lot for him to make something like this. He smiled at thinking if perhaps one time he could pretend it didn't work just to cuddle back with him for that nice loving warmth. His mind had trailed off and the red on his face had slapped him back to reality. He covered his face into a nearby pillow and pretended to cough. He hated blushed and he knew that Valentin was not quite fond of it either and in this case they had blushed quite enough.

After hearing Valentin's request he crawled down next to him and began to crank the little lever at an easy pace. He watched as Valentin worked his magic and he smiled. This was one of those times that reminded him of his past and all the work he had done with his friends. They all had the most creative things out for the market the children around town ran and he was proud of every one of them. However, Zerda felt he lost the touch to create magically beautiful things at will and in a way he felt a little lost. Focusing back on the lever with a frown he sighed a bit, "Valentin, how do you creat things like this so easily? I wish I could do the things that you do..."

Valentin missed the blush, which was beneficial for him, because it probably would have triggered one of his own for no good reason. He he noticed the cough, glancing up from the sewing machine concernedly. He wondered if perhaps Zerda was growing ill from the chill he suffered last night, and vowed to keep a close eye on him.

When Zerda started the machine going, the faun mindfully guides the fabric beneath the needle, stitching the wire into an 'S' pattern throughout for even heat distribution. He glanced at Zerda from the corner of his eye when his friend spoke, mindful not keep most of his attention on the task of sewing lest he puncture a finger carelessly--he'd done that before. Not fun.

Valentin chewed on his lip absently to keep back a satisfied smirk that surfaced in response to Zerda's admiration.

"Well, it's easier when I have help." He glanced at the crank that Zerda was dutifully spinning and the smile finally managed to break out. He found it really was nice having help, even on a short, easy project like this. It was usually just him and the machines.

"This is my hobby." He shrugged and eased the fabric forwards with his fingertips. "It's only easy because I do it often, and I enjoy solving the problems. Don't you have something you like to do a lot? I bet you're pretty skilled at something, you just don't see it that way since it's not 'work' to you."

Zerda watched his friend continue on his work with much concentration, but not so much that they could not have a nice conversation. He listened for a moment as Valentin explained his love for what he did and why he had became so good at it. Looking the blanket over as the machine did its work, Zerda began to think of the things that he enjoyed doing in his spare time. It never really had hit him to what he was really good at, he was always in the desert and based his whole life on survival and just trying to find food. Looking at Valentin, he didn't think that the faun would be interested in hearing about his hunting skills, but perhaps something else. his tracking. "I uh, guess that tracking is not just a survival skill, but a hobby as well. I usually like to go out when the day is getting near its end and look around. On occasion I find little gems and even sometimes pieces of stones that have very old writing on them." Smiling for a moment he then continued, "I like to collect them and try to remember the language of my tribe. Sometimes, I find old stories of a man who took the land by storm with his demon army, and before long he was taken down, by a woman of my tribe. Seems she was very pretty, but her face on the stones were all smudged out. I wish that I could see her face." He shrugged and looked at Valentin and smiled.

He knew one day he would find a piece that was smudge free, but it would just have to take time. In a way Zerda wanted to go home to find more, but he knew that he could find things here too, and that made him happy. "Valentin, tell me all of your favorite things! Like food, toys and anything else you can think of!" Zerda was now feeling a bit better, and was very excited to try and take this time to find out the little things out about his friend.

Valentin smiled as he listened to Zerda, glancing over at his friend briefly. "Like at the lighthouse." he mused quietly, remembering that it was Zerda who had found the cave--accidently or not--and him also who had found the skeleton and the treasures. The little pearl was still tucked safely in his pocket but he felt he shouldn't let Zerda know he took it just yet, since he may not approve.

He completed the last stitch that would hold the wire in the blanket, and pulled it out from under the machine. The thread was snapped, and Valentin unfolded a second piece of cloth--still shades of green, although unfortunately with a diamond pattern--but it would have to do. He lined up the edges and returned the fabrics to the machine to close the edges so that the wire would not be seen.

The faun glanced slyly at the fox with a playfully accusatory smirk as he heard his friend's lament about the woman's secret face. "I wish I could see you're face."

But he was prepared to let the comment slip by if Zerda didn't want to address it, since the faun didn't want to annoy the fox by insisting. His curiosity was just too great to let the comment go unspoken.

"Oh, I dunno, kiddo." He shrugged and grinned apologetically. "I eat vegetables? I'm afraid I'm not terribly interesting."

Zerda smiled at the lighthouse comment as he was right, "Yes I suppose that's very true Valentin!" He said with a slight laugh. Looking down at Valentin's steady hands work their magic he tilted his head and smiled at the diamond pattern for the other piece of fabric. He liked it and it made the blanket a bit more festive. As he continued to watch he was suddenly caught off guard from what Valentin had said next. "..." He went quiet for a moment thinking of seeing his own face and how unhappy it had made him. He had always though on if he should ever show anyone, but as soon as the thought could creep into his mind, it was shot down with reminders of the pain it had brought to him and others.

Looking up at Valentin for a moment he then lowered his head to the side as he sat up strait, "No...no you wouldn't Val....no one likes my face, and they have reason too...." The little fennec was now a bit sad and felt like running away to cry in a corner, but he sat there as to not make Valentin feel insulted or guilty in any way. Taking a moment he wiped what he expected to be a tear away then looked down at his hand. Shoving his hand into his pocket he quickly got up, "I uh will be right back... which way is the bathroom?" He asked with a nervous tone in his voice. He had hoped Valentin would not pick up on this, but with that fauns cautious nature he had probably blown his whole lie.

Zerda's silence concerned Valentin. He stopped sewing to look up at the fox curiously, and he listened to his next words patiently. When Zerda voices his assumption that Valentin wouldn't like his face, the faun's ears bat backwards, displaying his frustration with the statement. Why would he even think that..?

Zerda didn't have to run away to make Valentin feel guilty; he already did. Obviously it was a touchy subject and Valentin immediately regretting saying anything. The faun was trying to decide how to voice a supportive comment about how it was cool if they didn't talk about it (yet--because he knew he would always be curious) but Zerda hastily shoving his hand into his pocket was distractingly suspicious. Then he smelled it, and it was a smell that was so easy to recognize. It was tangy and made an instinctual panic bubble threateningly in his chest even though Valentin knew he was in no immediate danger--he smelled blood.

His eyes widened and he scrambled to his feet and darted around his friend to get between him and the door, his arms spread like a barrier. The last thing he's want to do if he had paused to consider the situation, was not to block the door irrationally, but his immediate concern was the fox running off somewhere where Valentin would lose him and be unable to help.

"N-no, wait!" He drew in a deep breath to try and keep his alarm checked so as not to freak Zerda out as well. "What.. are you okay??"

Zerda's mind was set towards finding the bathroom and getting his face and hands cleaned off. He hated when things like this happened to him and he knew that if Valentin had seen what was going on then he would freak. Just as he was about to reach the door, Valentin had stretched himself out before it. Zerda stood there and felt a sudden reaction building in him to just push Valentin out of the way. He didn't like the feeling of being trapped and Val had just pressured him into a very uncomfortable position. "V-Valentin...please..." He said in a whisper so quiet he had not know if he could hear it. His head was lowered at this point and he had no intention of raising it for him to see the blood trickling down his face. Turning around he felt his little heart race and he just wanted to rip his eyes out of their very sockets that cradled them.

Without turning back towards Val, Zerda scratched his head and sighed, "Valentin, what makes you want to see my face so much? What makes you stay by my side in all my times of weakness and despair? I hate this face and everything it has done to me, I just want it to go away and never come back." Suddenly he turned towards Valentin with blood rushed down his face and he frowned, "Why can't I have a face like yours that makes me smile everyday I see it!....I can't smile at what I have now..." Zerda then covered his mouth and then his whole face with his hands and stepped back a few steps where he felt the bed hit his legs. He then flopped down onto the bed and cried while trying his best not to stain the blankets. Never has he cried this way, and perhaps he had just held it in far to long.

Valentin slowly let his arms fall when Zerda turned away from him. He glanced around nervously, aware that he had probably made Zerda feel very trapped, and for that he felt guilty. Words wouldn't form in his throat to respond. He just shook his head, helplessly stubborn as Zerda's words broke his heart.

The faun shifted on his hooves awkwardly, his expression pained while he watched his friend retreat to the bed and cry. One hand gripped the back of his own neck nervously, not knowing what to do. He bit his lip and chewed on it while he shifted restlessly again, then finally made his way to the bedside. Slowly, Valentin lowered himself to sit gingerly on the edge of the mattress, afraid of making Zerda even more upset by refusing to give him privacy. But there was no way he was leaving now.

An arm extended to ghost over Zerda's shoulder, but paused there like he was afraid to touch him. He frowned and batted his ears backwards, aggravated by this indecisiveness.

"Zerda.." He tried to voice some concern or words of support, but the uncomfortable lump in his throat made it difficult. He frown deepened, and he mustered up enough gall to lower his hand to his friend. Reaching out with his other hand now, he scooted forwards and tugged Zerda's sobbing form to him.

"Hey, hey," he cooed quietly. "Don't you know you make me smile, kiddo? I don't want to go anywhere. I don't care if you don't have a face at all." He tried to sound light-hearted for Zerda, and it was delivered a little awkward and stiff, but it was true.

Zerda felt so horrible for the way he was right now. He was crying and bleeding all over the place and right in front of his best friend. He probably thinks in a complete idi..... Zerda's thoughts were interupted when he heard Valentin's voice enter his thoughts. Though is was shaky and in a way unclear of what it was trying to imply, it was soothing. Then he felt Valentin's warm arms wrap around him like a blanket and he couldn't help but show a small smile. He was loved and he had never realized how much till now. Valentin's words were just amazing, "I don't care if you don't have a face as all" His friend was willing to look at him no matter what he looked like, and he was even willing to stay around for anything that he needed. He was a true friend and Zerda felt a little foolish acting the way he did. If people didn't like him for who he was then they were not true, they were just judgmental and were not worth the time.

Something then hit Zerda, Valentin was the most caring person other than his own mother. He looked up at the faun and his worried look and swallowed hard as a blush hit his face. He really didn't know what to say to him for everything he had done, but all he could do was stare.

Valentin cuddled Zerda, glad that his embrace wasn't turned down. When he began to feel like Zerda might be calming a little, he pulled back just enough so that he could look down at his friend. His expression still harbored a lot of concern, but he smiled encouragingly.

The palm of one hand found Zerda's cheek while the other remained wrapped around him, and he tried to smear some of the blood and tears away--mindful not to move the bangs. He vowed then he wouldn't do that without permission. This was obviously something that trouble his friend deeply. The faun glanced down at his hand. It was just as messy as Zerda's face now, and hadn't really accomplished anything to clean Zerda's face--there was just a long smudge now instead of steaks. He smirked sheepishly and wiped his hand absently on the side of his vest.

Quietly and very fondly, he jested, "And you thought I was making a mess.." He glanced around his person futilely looking for some cloth to offer his friend to dry his face on, but he'd left his scarf on the other side of the room and he didn't want to desert him to retrieve any of the spare cloth they'd left on the floor. Giving up quickly, he decided to just use his hand again because he needed to do something.

Zerda looked up at Valentin as he let him attempt to clean off his face. The sad thing was though that he was expecting something else, especially since the way he had felt at that moment. He was wondering why Valentin was acting so kind towards him and then all of the blushes. Was Valentin confused? Or was it himself that was. Maybe they had two totally different ways of showing fondness, but it was quite hard to get along when one cant read the other. Zerda tilted his head as Valentin continued to clean off his face and he laughed a little as his attempts were quite useless. He shook his head and looked at Valentin's face seeing a little smeer on his face, instantly Zerda straitened and his face met with Valentin's. He stared at it for a moment then closed in and licked it off slowly over and over till it finally disappeared. He pulled back and stared at Valentin's lips, and then licked his own. He wanted to know what a kiss felt like, but he wasn't sure how it worked.

Zerda looked down as he blushed a bright red. He couldn't help it now and he just wanted Valentin to understand. "Uh, w-well saliva works....you know for getting rid of messes... and good for other things too...." He blushed more as he trailed off.

Valentin's hesitant smile grew at hearing Zerda's laughter. The sound made him feel suddenly like they had been under so much physical pressure and it had all been lifted off. Zerda was okay now.

He was going back for another wipe on Zerda's cheek when the fox straightened and suddenly his face was right there. Valentin froze when Zerda leaned in to lick his face, and felt a shiver lead a trail of gooseflesh up his spine. The only part of him that moved was one ear, which twitched deliriously before both fell limp.

When Zerda pulled away, it was hard to tell if the blush was really there or not, because of the blood smears, but he was too distracted trying to quell the creation of his own blush to really ponder it. It was a battle he rapidly lost when Zerda's next words filtered through to his brain.

"What." His shock had him blurting the word out as a flat statement before he had thought of a proper response.

Other things too? The faun blinked owlishly and those bubbles of nerves were threatening to rise up in his chest again. Surely his friend couldn't be implying what he thought he was implying. Right??

"I--Ah, yes! That, I am.. sure it does." His smile grew to reflect his nerves and he began to wipe his hand on his vest with slightly more vigor than was necessary. "I, y'know what, I'm gonna get something--a cloth. For you, just one sec."

The faun pulled himself gently away from the fox and slipped back onto his feet. He hopped over to his side of the room and began to rummage through some drawers very distractedly. That was smooth, he assured himself. Yes, nothing suspicious about that. Zerda had licked him before, and he was just being innocent like always and saying things that have double entendres without even noticing it! Haha~ silly Zerda...