Isuma's reluctance to have her wing unfolded had him frowning slightly. In every other aspect the young creature seemed to have no issues with being handled, whether it was holding her, tugging on her paws, ruffling her fur, or any of the other many things Rory had absentmindedly done (there was a reason all his animals ended up very tolerant; he did not always think about the way his fingers sometimes tugged on ears and tails). Sure, she'd playfully kicked her paws when he was messing with them, but this reluctance felt genuine in a way he hadn't sensed from her before.
Still, Rory was of the mind that an animal did not get to pick what it put up with and what it didn't. He wouldn't force anything upon them, but if he identified a problem, he'd work on it, taking it slowly, small steps, desensitizing them to whatever it was and working up their confidence that he wouldn't eat them.
So he held on to her wing, waiting for her to stop trying to pull it out of his hand. When she did he didn't open it further, but leaned close to look at it instead, and then let it go much sooner than he otherwise would've. She'd been good; she deserved the reward of having her wing back, and a chin scratch for good measure.
"Growth itch or soreness, maybe?" he suggested; it was common enough with teeth, so why not feathers, as well? "I know jack shit about wings and birds anyway." Dogs, goats, horses: that was what he knew. He was decent with handling cats, because they were kinda like mares.
Rory laughed a little at Jigano's comments about paws and feet and the number of them, his fondness for the man keeping most of the customary bitterness at bay; it coasted like a shadow across his heart, like a whisper in the back of his mind, barely even pricked his consciousness. "I prefer their four to my two," was his only comment, the humor in his voice hiding the black pit beneath.
But—mh... His heart pounded in his chest, what felt like a missed beat before it shifted gear and sped up even more as Jigano's arm snaked behind his back. A warm, solid weight across the back of his shoulders, and nothing—nothing—compared to the feeling of their thighs touching, flank to flank with nothing but shirts between their skin—
It was a wonder he had kept himself from gasping at that touch, but somehow he had kept his breathing even, though his muscles were rigid, tense, uncertain of this new shape he leaned so willingly against. "She isn't," he confirmed with a grimace, his hand busying itself in Isuma's fur. "Or, well, that's uncharitable of me; it depends entirely on what I want out of it." Talys loved running, but it was always controlled.
Esaia, she was a hurricane, you just held on and laughed and prayed.
"The withers is the part where the neck meets the back," he explained. "Some horses have barely any definition there, while some have a very defined 'slope' leading down from it. I can point at it once we're outside."
And then, of all the things, Jigano offered to make tea. Jigano offered to get up and make tea, barely even a minute after Rory had scooted over to claim the warmth and support of his body, his muscles not yet sure how to fit against the man so close beside him. Rory felt himself put a little more weight against Jigano, sort of snuggling into the space created underneath his arm. "Nah, I'm perfectly fine with the way things are," he responded, unable to keep the sly smile from his face and curling around his words.
Oh, the many strange turns his life had taken lately.
Still, Rory was of the mind that an animal did not get to pick what it put up with and what it didn't. He wouldn't force anything upon them, but if he identified a problem, he'd work on it, taking it slowly, small steps, desensitizing them to whatever it was and working up their confidence that he wouldn't eat them.
So he held on to her wing, waiting for her to stop trying to pull it out of his hand. When she did he didn't open it further, but leaned close to look at it instead, and then let it go much sooner than he otherwise would've. She'd been good; she deserved the reward of having her wing back, and a chin scratch for good measure.
"Growth itch or soreness, maybe?" he suggested; it was common enough with teeth, so why not feathers, as well? "I know jack shit about wings and birds anyway." Dogs, goats, horses: that was what he knew. He was decent with handling cats, because they were kinda like mares.
Rory laughed a little at Jigano's comments about paws and feet and the number of them, his fondness for the man keeping most of the customary bitterness at bay; it coasted like a shadow across his heart, like a whisper in the back of his mind, barely even pricked his consciousness. "I prefer their four to my two," was his only comment, the humor in his voice hiding the black pit beneath.
But—mh... His heart pounded in his chest, what felt like a missed beat before it shifted gear and sped up even more as Jigano's arm snaked behind his back. A warm, solid weight across the back of his shoulders, and nothing—nothing—compared to the feeling of their thighs touching, flank to flank with nothing but shirts between their skin—
It was a wonder he had kept himself from gasping at that touch, but somehow he had kept his breathing even, though his muscles were rigid, tense, uncertain of this new shape he leaned so willingly against. "She isn't," he confirmed with a grimace, his hand busying itself in Isuma's fur. "Or, well, that's uncharitable of me; it depends entirely on what I want out of it." Talys loved running, but it was always controlled.
Esaia, she was a hurricane, you just held on and laughed and prayed.
"The withers is the part where the neck meets the back," he explained. "Some horses have barely any definition there, while some have a very defined 'slope' leading down from it. I can point at it once we're outside."
And then, of all the things, Jigano offered to make tea. Jigano offered to get up and make tea, barely even a minute after Rory had scooted over to claim the warmth and support of his body, his muscles not yet sure how to fit against the man so close beside him. Rory felt himself put a little more weight against Jigano, sort of snuggling into the space created underneath his arm. "Nah, I'm perfectly fine with the way things are," he responded, unable to keep the sly smile from his face and curling around his words.
Oh, the many strange turns his life had taken lately.
