"geez — you been awake the entire night...?" he looked the other beastkin up and down before falling to the ground next to her in a heap. he didn't want to say anything the other might find OFFENSIVE, but regardless of her answer...he could see the truth with his own two golden eyes.
"go ahead, get you some shuteye. i'll hold th' post 'til sunrise, if that's what you're worried 'bout." cactus spine he'd repurposed as a toothpick is twiddled between tongue and teeth as he leans back, fingers interlacing behind his head with the rest of him stretching out across the ground. " — 'less it's somethin' else keepin' you up...?" — ah, for haru...from sett.
lack of sleep // @face-breaker
they'd made camp beneath the edge of the treeline, not far from the shore. haru sat at its edge, the remaining embers of their campfire smoldering weakly in front of her. the soft sound of the waves crashing a ways away was background noise to all the thoughts in her head; how long had they been away from home, now? all that time she'd spent in the capital — in the castle — and now what felt like endless traveling across the continent. she guessed that they were coming to a close on the summer months, based on the drops in temperature. nothing frigid like rtali, the group being so far south, but it remained cooler all the same. did her family miss her? remember her? were they even capable of doing so? it felt like a lifetime ago that haru had lived so wild, as a creature of the northwood. feral and untamed, mind only focused on one thing: survival. and while those instincts may have been a bit dulled in her time closer to humans, they certainly weren't gone.
feline ears flick backwards at the other's approach, the cat turning reflective eyes on sett's massive frame as he fell to the ground beside her. a somewhat amused smile crossed her features at his question, her expression softening soon after at his follow up offer.
"you don't need to worry about me, i'm... more of a nighttime creature."
a half truth; while in honesty her beastkin genes did keep her more nocturnal, it was true she'd been sleeping less as of late. she wouldn't be able to lie about that even if she wanted to, the discolored bags under her eyes getting worse by the day. elias had offered her concoctions to help her rest, but she'd refused them. he was the most recent addition to their ever growing party, and while his grounding presence was welcome, haru couldn't help but feel some insecurity about how many people were with her. she was beginning to feel responsible for them, these beings who were following her needle in a haystack treasure hunt. she didn't know how she'd feel or what she'd do if anything happened to them because of this journey — a journey she'd set them on.
these feelings and doubts gave her pause to his question, unsure if she should respond in earnest. grey eyes turn to the sea, the water dark even under the moon.
"...do you really think we'll find it? the Star?"
it was an indirect approach to answering him, the cat avoiding eye contact as her gaze dropped to the sand.
"i... worry about letting you all down." her voice was quiet as she continued, before leaning back to lay down alongside the other, gaze moving up to the stars. "i don't... want anything to happen to you — any of you — over some myth that could have long faded into legend." she lets her eyes drift shut for a moment. "what happens if we're left searching forever?"
in her own way, she was trying to circle around to the core of her concern; losing everyone. there's another pause as haru considers pressing deeper; would sett... really want to know all this? would she be oversharing if she...?
"i miss my family."
it was out there now, regardless of if the other beastkin would want to know or not. the thoughts were beginning to pour out now, tumbling out of her mouth.
"i don't know what's become of them, if they're alright." her eyes open again, and finally she turns on her side to face the man, brows furrowed in concern. "they are forest creatures, they don't... there is no reaching them from here." they... as if she hadn't been one of them — as if she wasn't one of them. the realization was bitter on her tongue. "...i worry i'll never see them again."
she clams up a little at the admission, the cat lowering her gaze once more.
"sorry, um — i just... have a lot on my mind. keeps me restless."
