[[ tag ;; leon ! ]]

Tensions had always been uneasy in Pisces, and although the poor, peaceful bird hadn't understood at first, she was starting to feel how she felt Leon felt. Bevy was... What had they called it?... Jealous? She knew she didn't feel so too strongly, Cancer was still her best friend... But Bevy wished she could cuddle up with him and talk through the, uh, night?

Night didn't really exist in the Origin Caves. The lights had come on and stayed, mostly, on. Sometimes they would flicker, yes, but... It was not day and night. Sleep time was definitely a thing, however, and this 'night' Bevy couldn't sleep.

She felt horribly lonely and she was almost positive Ky and Cancer were together. She didn't know Leon well, but she felt the same, sneaky prickle of anger she had seen strewn across her friends' faces one too many times.

And she knew she had to keep the peace. Maybe she could soothe her mind and bring together Pisces once more by talking it over with Leon. She hated how they bickered, and she worried all too much over the great bear. She hardly knew him; how was she supposed to know how to help him? It felt like Ky was the only one who understood him, but now... Now she was busy with Cancer. Bevy had to at least try to mend the holes before the boat sank.

The bird flew to the cove where Leon made his nest-- er, den-- and landed gently outside. "Leon?" She tweeted softly, her tone traced in concern and worry.

"Leon, are you awake? I'm sorry," she continued, quiet as a mouse as she cautiously entered. "I can't sleep..."

Leon was content, lost in the hazy comfort of a dream. The day had been exhausting for him - first having wandered all the way to Cetus, only to be apparently followed by Makyna. He was drained both emotionally and physically, and had been eager to tuck away into his den for a long rest. The dream wasn't anything special. Replaying memories that had already played out before, faces that he knew and had only seen in passing, speaking words he recognized but hadn't ever heard. It wasn't out of the ordinary, and often when he woke, the dreams would fade away as he forgot about them, his focus on each new reality he would awaken to. He was in the midst of a dream when a voice pierced his thoughts. Often it was Makyna, but this time it was different. Almost unfamiliar.

The beat furrowed his brow and groggily opened his eyes. At first he didn't see anything. His sights were blurry, difficult to focus. The bear wrinkled his nose, almost ready to pass it off as part of his dream, until she spoke again. A complete sentence. Definitely not a dream. Definitely not Makyna. The bear raised his head, and there he could see Bevy poking around the entrance of his small, private cave. He sniffed and roused himself awake, blinking a few times as her words registered in his head. Can't sleep. Leon was never one to turn down someone in need, even if he had been in the midst of a pleasant dream. "Yeah, come on in." He invited through a yawn and laid back down, flopping onto his side. There, he could still watch Bevy without spending the energy to keep his head up.

Well, it sure looked like the big oaf had been sleeping just fine. She felt a bit guilty for waking the poor bear up, but he didn't seem upset. Just tired. She hopped right on over, though like always she made sure to keep her feathers far away from the other animal. She hadn't actually injured anyone with her toxic feathers yet, but she knew that it wouldn't be good to rub herself all over someone's face or anything. As much as she would love to do that nuzzling and headbumpy thing Ky always did.

"Thanks," she squeaked, bashfully tucking a few breast feathers into place. The flight over always managed to ruffle something, especially with how damp the air was. She stood there for a quiet moment, unsure where to start or what to say. It was a bit awkward-- her best friend was "best friends" with his best friends and... How did anyone talk about that? She didn't have an idea.

And now she felt horribly embarrassed. She had woken him up and she didn't even know what to say! "Um, I like your cave," she stammered after a moment, always speaking just a bit too fast when she was nervous. "So... Is everything alright? How have you been?" Oh, this was just a dreadful mess.

She could die right there and it would probably be easier than trying to befriend a huge, sleepy bear in the middle of the night.

Laying on his side, it was easy for him to accidentally fall asleep again. He realized it when his eyes had closed and his mind nearly drifted away. Had it not been for Bevy's quiet "thanks", Leon probably would have crashed again. The bear opened his eyes again and blinked a few more times, this time rolling back onto his stomach. If he wanted to stay awake, he couldn't let himself lie down completely. The bear sniffled a few times, keeping his head elevated as the bird commented on his cave. To which Leon quietly laughed and responded, "Thanks.", mimicking Bevy's earlier words. It was a pretty sweet cave. Not too close to the waterfall, but not too far that he wouldn't know of something happening in the room. Granted he didn't have access to all the room's nooks and crannies like Bevy did, but it wouldn't take long for Leon to make his way somewhere important if necessary.

They remained silent for a moment. Leon had barely registered the awkward silence, still blinking sleep out of his eyes as he tried to grapple with waking consciousness. Another wide yawn broke through his jaws before the bird spoke up. His orange eyes slowly flickered back to her, and his head tilted slightly, uncertain of how to answer. There was a general uncertainty about his current state of wellbeing, actually; the fact that he had just woken up only made it harder for him to articulate a response. "Ah... good... tired..." He answered after a moment, staring blearily past the bird. But then he realized his words could be construed as... what, blaming Bevy for him being tired? The bear widened his eyes and focused on her again. "But it's alright. I'm fine." He assured her and smiled. "What about you? What's goin on?"

Mostly, he asked with regards to her earlier statement of not being able to sleep. There was usually an underlying cause for that, about which he was incredibly curious. His mind traveled back to their short field trip out to Polaris - he hadn't even cast her a second glance then, so brimming with fury and anger at Cancer's hissy fit. He hadn't even considered Bevy's feelings. Maybe that was why she had come to talk to him. Though the thought filled him with grief, he carefully masked it behind curiosity and concern for his groupmate.

Bevy did feel slightly bad for waking the bear up, but he didn't seem too grumpy and Leon usually was fairly bad at hiding his emotions. If it wasn't for the sleepiness, she might have had an easier time gauging how 'good' he really was... But for now, she would just have to assume that he meant it. No reason to push it.

Besides... She settled down, fluffy plummage tucking her feet into the warmth of down as she relaxed just a foot or so from the great big grizzly. Besides, they hardly knew each other. She wasn't Makyna after all. The bear wouldn't just open up for no reason, even if they were both founders of Maji.

"Um," she chirped weakly. She would just have to give until he was ready to talk about it... If it even bothered him. Maybe it didn't, truly, but surely his jealousy of Cancer still picked away at him. She could at least, maybe, help with that. Somehow. Carefully, she picked her words so as to keep the subject off Leon's anomosity with their leader and instead, focus on the lioness. Her crimson eyes met the floor and stuck there, but she managed to start speaking.

"I'm alright, really... I, um, I'm just jealous of Ky." There! That wasn't so hard, was it? Just had to keep talking. "It's bothering me a whole lot. She's my friend, and she's never done anything bad... But when I see her with Cancer, you know, it's just... She's a feline just like him, and they can play together and do all sorts of things. It's gotta be nice to have someone you can snuggle and bump and groom and stuff." She took a breath for one quick moment, wriggling into a position that was more comfortable. Unfortunately, she was so anxious that no matter what she wouldn't be able to relax.

"You and Ky always go off on amazing adventures too. She's so brave and... And strong, and her magic is amazing..." Bevy's eyes flicked up at the end of her quick, fumbling ramble. "I can see why you and Cancer admire her so much."

She felt so small in that moment, in front of the huge bear whom she barely knew. Ky would be able to speak to him without speaking at five hundred miles an hour; Ky was so put together and... Bevy just wasn't. She trembled slightly, feathers shivering on her wings. She hoped the bear would understand. She really did like Makyna-- she liked her a whole lot. Ky was easy to talk to and even easier to like.

He wondered if she found him imposing at all. Well, no, it was a stupid thing to wonder - unless she had brass balls (figuratively), of course she would be. Considering they had rarely spoken, Leon wouldn't be surprised if she found his large size intimidating. He absolutely dwarfed her. He could probably scoop her up in his jaws and eat her in one go if he tried. Not that he would, but the thought existed, and for somebody who really couldn't read his thoughts, he imagined that underlying threat would always linger for her. The thought made him feel even worse, actually. In a way, he was glad that she had decided to come speak to him. It would give him a chance to prove himself. He wanted her to know that, even though he had basically flipped out at Cancer, he wasn't trying to be mean or anything. He wanted to show Bevy that he really was worth friendship.

When she finally summed up the courage to speak, his ears twisted forward in a show of attention. What she started with had caught him off guard - Leon was almost certain that she'd come here to talk to him about, well, him. He blinked a few times, but he had committed to listening. So the bear nodded and remained silent, encouraging her to continue on. When she mentioned Cancer, he wrinkled his nose slightly, but he understood how she felt. He experienced the exact same jealousy, except it was towards - of course - Cancer. He nodded over and over again, until her ramble had ended with her explaining all of Makyna's wondrous attributes and why he and Cancer seemed to be so admiring of her. Obsessed seemed a little more fitting, but he wasn't about to correct her.

Leon wrinkled his nose again, scratching at the side of his head with his long, black claws. "Cancer-" He started, right on the verge of letting loose a stream of consciousness on his feelings towards the leopard. But Leon's voice cut away, realizing that Bevy probably didn't want to hear all the vitriol he had to spew about their leader. The bear sighed and thumped his paws back on the ground, resting his chin atop them. "Yeah. I know how you feel." He mumbled, casting his eyes aside. Leon had the same reason as Bevy for feeling jealous, guilty, and all-around crummy. She had to realize that, right?

The bear huffed again and focused back on Bevy. "Makyna's great, really, but she's just a normal person like me and you. She's got her faults and flaws, too." His brows furrowed. Like going for that clown Cancer. Okay, maybe that was the only one he could think of off hand, but the point remained. "I mean, she isn't perfect. She's got... things... that others like about her, but so do you. You're very smart," He began, gaze flickering away as he dredged up all his memories of the bird. "and you have abilities that nobody else has. You even helped heal Makyna's chest, and helped her feel better. I owe you for that." The bear laughed quietly, but the sound was more guilty than it was amused.

He fell silent for a moment, gaze still drifted from Bevy. Leon sucked in a long, slow breath through his nostrils and contemplated the contents of their discussion. She hadn't come here fishing for compliments, as readily as Leon would deliver them. What this truly was about was jealousy, and the feeling of being displaced. "Maybe Cancer's just misguided." He said, fiery orange eyes lingering in the direction that Cancer's den would be - where Makyna probably was. "I mean, if that's the only reason he's into Makyna, that's just a... superficial thing. Maybe you just need to wait until he realizes there's more out there. Maybe... you just gotta accept it as it is... for now, at least..." Leon's voice trailed away.

Would he be content to wait for Makyna? What if it never happened? What if she lived the rest of her life oblivious to anything besides Cancer? The bear blinked a few more times and focused back on Bevy, but the feeling had caused some discomfort in him. His gaze averted once more, to the other side now as he struggled to come to terms with his own advice.

Bevy was surprised to find that it wasn't that hard to look at Leon as he spoke. Perhaps it was because he kept looking away, or maybe just that she really wanted to hear what he had to say. Whenever his eyes flicked back to her, she just stared at his big black nose. Embarassment bubbled up in her when the big bear complimented her, but it died quickly as the big lug laughed. He still felt guilty over that? "I just did what I could..." She couldn't help but remember how Ky had almost begged for her not to be mad at or scared of Leon. The lioness trusted the bear with her whole heart, even after he hurt her.

That aside, Bevy didn't even know if she wanted Cancer to like her like he liked Makyna. It couldn't.. It wouldn't work out. She loved just being his best friend. Sometimes she did wish she wasn't a tiny bird with dangerous feathers, was all. Maybe then she could... "Makyna thinks the world of you," she offered, trying to get away from her own thoughts. "No matter what happens, you'll have each other. Just gotta stick it out for now." Was the same true for the tiny birb and Cancer? She knew she would never abandon him, but he had been so young-- literally just hatched-- when they first met. Gembounds could grow and change- Aza'zel was proof of that. Of course, the four of them had made a family here, wasn't that proof enough that they would all be together forever?

"No matter what, Maji Walezi will always be together... It sucks that I feel this way, but it's not like they're going off alone or anything, right? I should be happy that they like each other so much. I mean, I wish you and Cancer got along better... I really like all of you a whole lot. I'm glad our family keeps growing, and I... I don't want to let this bad blood with Ky ruin everything. I'm scared I'll say something awful I don't mean to her and then everyone will hate me."

His mind was in turmoil - tumbling over itself, trying to sort out his own thoughts and decide if his own advice was really the right advice to give. If he wasn't satisfied with his own words, would Bevy be? No, it probably wasn't the right thing to say... especially if Leon couldn't be content with the answer. Then again, was he really willing to do anything else? Was he willing to disrupt what went on between the two felines and risk losing what he had with Makyna now? Sure, it wasn't entirely what he wanted, but it was better than nothing... yet... before Makyna, he hadn't the reason to suffer these feelings. Was he really better off just stepping aside and waiting, and suffering the whole way through?

The bear's train of thought had taken a miserable turn. Bevy's voice drew him back to reality again. Makyna. The bear looked at her, but his brows knitted and his lips had begun to turn. He didn't want to talk about this anymore. It was just going to turn his mood again. But Bevy went on, talking more about Maji Walezi, talking about how they were a family, and would always be together, and then her fears about turning everyone against her if she said something wrong, but she wasn't the one being villainized, was she? He sighed quietly and tried to think. "I'm sorry you feel this way. I wish you didn't have to. I know how it feels, and it... sucks." Leon's gaze softened. He tried to sound reassuring, but he didn't know what else to say. He really, truly wished that Bevy didn't have to suffer through it the same way he did - if only because he loathed to see others so miserable and torn apart.

At this point, he was beginning to feel more and more like he just didn't want to have anything to do with this room. He adored Makyna and Amaria and he was Bevy's friend - but he was beginning to feel like he wanted to leave just so he didn't have to see what went on between his best friend and their leader. But what kind of a person would he be if he just up and left? "Maybe just... don't talk to her for a while. Let your head clear, you know?" He suggested after a while, placing his chin back on his paws as he looked the tiny bird over. "Or we could go somewhere else. Take a trip somewhere else in the cave, make some new friends," He went on, and uttered a quiet laugh. It would certainly be a suitable distraction from the issue at hand.

Bevy was starting to get the impression that she wasn't cheering anyone up. In fact, she was just making bad feelings rise up in Leon and... sigh. That wasn't what she wanted at all. Was she really that useless? At least he knew he wasn't alone, right? That was all she really wanted to let him know, as well as herself. She hated the feeling of loneliness she felt and she... she hoped he understood that she was there for him. It was just so hard to get the words out-- for both of them. Maybe it would get easier with time for the bear and the bird to communicate. How did Makyna do it?

He had good, sound advice though. Just don't talk to her. That was fair. She wouldn't go out of her way to avoid Ky, but maybe... Just give her some space. Her and Cancer. That seemed reasonable. It was sort of what she was trying to do anyway. You couldn't hurt someone on purpose if you didn't let yourself interact with them.

... And then the bear offered to go on a trip with her. An adventure! Bevy's eyes lit up and her tiny beak twitched up to bring her gaze to meet his. He still had that soft, not quite sincere but trying laugh. He was trying so hard, wasn't he? "I'd really like that, Leon. I bet I could go all sorts of places I'm usually afraid to go to on my own if you were there." She had always been envious of Ky's and his little adventures. They would go off sparring or hunting down whatever they wanted in life. If only Cancer would go on trips like that with her, right?

Bevy considered for a moment, eyeing the bear with his chin on his forepaws. "You're tired though," she commented gently, tilting her head and closing her eyes in a smile. "We can go after you've gotten your rest. I'll see you in a few, okay?" Her friends needed their strength, and being sleep-deprived was not something she wanted to encourage. Their adventure could wait until the morning.

The small bird turned and hopped to the entrance. Pausing as she looked out towards Pisces, she wondered if they really would make new friends. The cave might feel a bit less lonely then, wouldn't it?

The bear smiled at her words. He was big and strong, yeah; a protector, without a doubt. He wasn't afraid to go anywhere. He'd never really had a reason to be afraid of anything. Was he afraid of the golems? Maybe, a little bit, but he just hadn't gotten to fight them properly. Besides that, the bear was pretty fearless. He could take Bevy to the farthest reaches of this cave just to show her the exciting and new things she might have been too scared to see herself. Her voice again pierced his thoughts, and Leon tilted his head. She was right - he was still very tired, although having been awake for a few minutes now chased the sleepiness from his head. Bevy dismissed herself, allowing him to finish up his rest. "Try to get some sleep too." He said as she hopped away from his den.

Once she was gone, Leon slowly lowered his chin back to his paws and huffed a great, gentle sigh. The bear closed his eyes, but he knew he probably wasn't going to fall asleep any time soon. He tried, but his mind was now buzzing, rolling over the words he had exchanged with Bevy and the adventure that he was planning for them. It helped to distract himself. Maybe he'd drift off to sleep in the process.

exit Leon