Solace

By the time Ren had finished his tale, his anxiety had skyrocketed again. The worries, the doubts, the fears swam around in his head, repeating like a sacred mantra. What if he doesn't want to, what if he doesn't want me, what if he hates me, hates me, hates me... Even though Kai had been nothing but accepting, radiating calm the whole time, he still braced himself for rejection. And yet, working himself up seemed to be quite pointless; Kaisu still appeared interested, childish enthusiasm causing the male to all but vibrate with excitement in his seat. He was further calmed by Kai's words, relief making his previously tense shoulders slump and his own eyes brighten considerably.

"I'm... You have no idea how happy that makes me, hearing you say that." He murmured, a genuine smile-- not his usual roguish, teasing grin, but a real smile-- tugging at the corners of his lips.

Or maybe Kaisu did. As Ren fell silent, listening raptly as the other male as he told his own story, he couldn't help but find the whole thing interesting, despite the lack of a more detailed account, like his had been. And then, when he realized Kai was a type of empath, the reason why they had been paired together made a bit more sense. He wouldn't brag, but he was generally an upbeat person. Surely that regular, constant emotion would be better for Kai than, say, someone with uncontrollable mood swings. Not only that, but he too would benefit; he could be considerably stubborn when he wanted to be, and it usually had to do with personal issues. The other male would be able to help, even if just a little, with whatever came his way without him having to explain what was wrong.

And then, those words registered in his mind. A surge of almost euphoric happiness flooded through him. Even if Kai's kind wasn't truly immortal, like Ren would be if-- no, when— they completed the bonding, so as long as he protected Kaisu, he wouldn't have to deal with losing the male, then searching for his next incarnation. He would be able to remain at Kaisu's side for much longer than he had anticipated, and that made him all the happier.

"I'm sorry about your parents." He said quietly, and the empath would be able to tell he really was, and that it wasn't just the generic pity one would feel when told someone lost their family; it was genuine. "I think, though, that my mother would love meeting you." He paused, blushing lightly. From his own words, he felt like some teenager bringing their boyfriend to meet their parents for the first time. After a few moments, he shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Regardless... The only reason I know so much about my ancestors is because they were very good book and record keepers. Several shelves in the family library are filled with journals detailing the actions and events each head of the family went through."

He smiled again, becoming a bit eager himself. "In fact, I think you'd like our library. It's not quite as large as this one, but, personally, I think it has a cozier feel to it. I often sit in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows during the afternoon to catch the sun." Of course, that was in his cat form; it was his favorite spot in the house.

"And now I'm rambling. Sorry." He added sheepishly, grinning lightly. "But anyway, I don't think your story's lame. I think it's just a bit more mysterious than mine, which is in some cases better. Who doesn't love a good mystery, after all?"

Currently unaware of how exactly his sudden shifts in emotions were affecting Kai, Ren's smile widened just a tad bit more as he the warmth in the other's laughter. Within moments, however, he nearly began to panic again, mentally berating himself for being so thoughtless. Then, he realized what he was doing and took a few moments to calm himself once more, projecting a slightly embarrassed but content air before he could work himself up and upset Kaisu even further. "Ah, sorry about that. I'm not usually so... erratic, but... I... I'm just glad to have found you, and that, well, you're you."

Again, the color in his cheeks darkened slightly, though he was unsure if it was from embarrassment or from something else entirely, as the fleeting feeling was gone just as fast as it came-- too fast for even the empath to pick up. He mentally shook himself out of it, and while his emotions still changed, it wasn't as dramatic a change and they remained along the same lines; contentment, tinged with supportiveness or gentle excitement depending on the topic of discussion. Surely nothing that would provoke such an extreme reaction from the empath as before-- there would always be a lingering fear, an illogical worry that he knew was practically uncalled for paranoia, but just like everyone else did with their fears, he pushed it aside for another time. He refused to ruin the time he spent with Kaisu fretting over what could possibly happen.

Blinking slowly as he broke from his inner musings, he merely nodded a few times here and there. He didn't push when Kai made it clear he didn't want to speak further on his parents, but would be there if ever there was a time he did need someone to talk to. "Well, whenever we're given some time off from the Academy, you can come visit. Hell, you could even come stay with us; it's not like there isn't any room." It occurred to him that he would enjoy it if Kai was able to stay with them when they weren't boarding at the Academy, but he didn't say it aloud, not wanting to pressure Kaisu into deciding. No, he would leave the invitation open and allow the other male to decide.

Changing gears a bit, he also decided that the other's homeland didn't sound too appealing at the moment. Sure, it would be interesting to see, but he didn't want to put either of them-- especially Kai-- in danger like that. "Y-You don't have to go through such trouble; you'll live much longer than I had anticipated, and that's enough for me." He murmured, rather touched that Kaisu would still try to look into it, and didn't hesitate at all this time to return the hug, all but cuddling into him.

"There's no need to apologize." He added quietly. "I mean... my history, my life is somewhat boring compared to yours. I haven't really been through many life-changing things, and I might not have the best advice at times because of it. But... I'll always be here to listen to you, if you need a hug, or even a cuddle from my cat form. Even if it wasn't part of my role as a Familiar-- a confidant and supporter--, I would still listen to you whenever you need it."

Ren didn't bother fighting the slight pull he felt, allowing himself to be more firmly ensconced within Kaisu's embrace. It felt nice, he admitted to himself, being held so tightly-- though, maybe it was only because it was Kai hugging him. This got him wondering about how much his feelings for the empathic vampire would change and grow-- and if it would be out of turn to feel such a thing for the other. Would he end up destroying the emerging bond between them with such feelings? He blinked slowly, clearing his thoughts before he started panicking or alerted Kai of the direction of his thoughts. Then, he easily returned the favor, his own arms holding the empath close, especially when he felt the other male all but try to burrow and hide himself in the Shifter.

Ultimately, he came to the decision that he would cross that bridge when they got to it; now, it was all about comforting Kaisu, who, even to someone without empathic-based powers, was clearly becoming distressed. Of course, he didn't think any words he could think of would be enough, so he simply tightened his own grip on Kai, gently nuzzling their cheeks together. He would provide whatever comfort he could, becoming a silent pillar of support. Just as he said, even if it hadn't been his job as a familiar, he would have done all he could to help Kai regardless.

Several moments and his monologue later, his brows furrowed in slight confusion. Had he heard right? He had... lived on the streets? With a soft huff, he shifted so he could look into the empath's eyes, a sternly concerned expression flooding his features. "Well, no more of that. Whenever it's required to return home, you'll come home with me." He said, beginning to fuss over Kai in his own way.

He added a small hint of a smile to show that he wasn't angry or upset, merely concerned, and quickly shook his head when he saw the beginnings of tears. "There's no need to apologize to me, Kai." He murmured soothingly, all but grinning when he remembered the vest he was wearing had a pocket that he used for handkerchiefs. He never usually used them himself-- it was just part of his clothing style-- and yet, he was very glad to have it, carefully wiping Kaisu's tears away. "No, never to me, Kai."

He knew he was acting like a mother hen, fussing like this, but he couldn't help it. The vampire just somehow managed to bring out this side of him, however. At the moment, he couldn't seem to bother wondering about that, instead casting Kai a bright smile, once that was much more genuine than many of his roguish grins or teasing smiles. I'll protect you, Kai. To this, I swear.