"I BELIEVE IN THE FINER THINGS & YOU DON'T BELIEVE IN ME."
Beside him, Misty shifts in her sleep and he glances over to her quickly, a dull curiosity flickering in his bright eyes. Ray has always been fascinated by the nature of dreaming; knowing that even the most practical mind could whisk itself into fantasies that were far from reality and sometimes disturbingly close to it---something about that is just incomprehensible to him. He wonders what she's dreaming of, and somewhere deep in his heart where the faintest beginnings of feelings that he should not harbor stir, he hopes that he's apart of them. For once in a long time the ivory girl seems at peace, blissful even; her fur is wet and ragged from her swim but it still looks soft, and Raylen can't help but watch the slow rise and fall of her slim ribcage for a few moments.
His gaze flickers back to hers even though her eyes are not open, and he knows she's awake when she takes this deep breath that makes her shoulders lift slightly and that's when he looks away quickly, an ear twisting sideways to hear any reaction she has to his presence. He focuses again on the smoothly rippling lake-water, on the way the light reflects off of it. Although he knows she's awake, he looks away resolutely until she lifts herself up, her haunches on the ground. Like always they sit maybe a little closer than is chaste but that's okay---he welcomes her warmth.
Finally, he looks over, his blue eyes blinking into the soft gold of hers for a long moment before he cracks a small smile, one that's almost hesitant on his lips and sort of awkward, too. "Better than I expected," he responds, rolling his shoulders in as much of a shrug as he can physically allow. "I can't say I'd miss it, though." Ray licks his lips and looks over, something inside him just going a little less tense at the gentle, caring look on her face. He doesn't know what he should feel about that expression, or about the hollow undertone in her words, but he welcomes the slight gnaw of guilt. Of course she doesn't trust him yet; it's not like he's just completely welcomed himself back into her life and to be completely honest he's been avoiding her. Avoiding everyone, really.
But it's nothing to do with any fault of Misty's. It's just that after their little chat on the Cliffs---if you could even call it that---Ray just needed time to collect himself. Figure out what he was doing, where he was going, if he even had a destination or anything to look forward to. Now he's resigned himself to just going where life takes him, but things have settled down. He has settled down, and for the first time he feels comfortable in his own skin, like he's actually meant to be here. Next to her.
"I'm sorry for that. I'm not going anywhere, promise." As if to reassure her, he nudges his shoulder against hers and then sighs quietly. "I missed you too. Now tell me---" the serious look leaves his eyes and he looks bright again, younger than he actually is. "How are you doing? Found a lucky guy yet? Exciting hunts? Drunk on summer? I've got to live vicariously through you, Misty." There's a light grin, but it's not on his face; it's hiding behind his words. He doesn't want to go to those dark places that they ventured before---he realizes that, as much of an understanding as they have; as much as their broken hinges have fit them together like just-found puzzle pieces, he needs to get to know her, and not her tragedy. And he plans on doing exactly that.
RAYLEN
"i am so in love with you, i forgot what i wanted to say."
the golden boy of nowhere 