[2913] Careful Conversation [Maintain]

There were several efforts to comfort the Matriarch in her current situation. The stress of the excavation took a toll even on her. Theneras couldn’t help but feel saddened for the poor thing, even if her attitude towards them as outsiders hadn’t quite been a warm welcome.

So, he came to slightly regret the decision to take care of her, physically, when the time arose. It had been a suggestion- one which the Caregivers happily took on board.

“Sooo, what are your hobbies?”

He asked her, nervously, as his paws gently scrubbed over her claws. They were caked in dirt, and gravel, and likely felt like they were stuck in concrete- because well.. They were.

When the Matriarch didn’t respond, he mumbled a small ‘tough crowd’ underneath his breath. He was never good with serious situations. He would rather put a smile on someone’s face than be down and gloomy. The quiet emptiness of the cavern unnerved him, until he heard a scoff.

“What? It’s not like you don’t have the time for it.”

“One cannot indulge in such a thing as hobbies when one is entombed within the caverns.”

“... Fair point.”

Theneras conceded, looking around on what he could do to help her then. He focused on her claws, then, his eyes moving over the grime and raising a lip quietly.

“Does this even matter?”

“It is a sign of respect. One of your kind would not know it.”

“And does yours not know kindness? Because that’s a very rude thing to say.”

He countered, and after a little while he heard her scoff again.

“I just mean– they’re going to get dirty again. And you can’t even move them, right? So…”

“If your bonded were to be incapacitated, would you also scorn their comfort, even if they could not move?”

…

“Fair point.”

The Matriarch let out a slow grumble, and Theneras could for a moment believe that she sounded amused.

“So then- if not hobbies- what do you do day to day? Surely there’s… something.”

He asked in turn, but was met with silence. He tilted his head as he looked up at her while his paws did the cleaning, scrubbing the keratin. 

“Like, I don’t know. Spot the difference. Orrr, hide and seek.”

“And how long do you think that remains amusing?”

She sneered.

“So you just sit in silence, all day, every day?”

“Yes. It is most preferable.”

The way she said it, Theneras could tell that the Matriarch was hinting at him leaving her alone. Alas.

“It’s boring.”

He started, and before she could point out that that was also disrespectful, he continued.

“You must have some interactions or playfulness. The mind suffers otherwise…”

“And how would one like you, know?”

“Because I’ve been there too. Well– not entombed into the walls or anything. But alone. It’s scary, so you need things to take your mind off of it.”

The Matriarch was quiet as Theneras continued.

“I don’t remember much from my birth parents, or their pack. But I remember being lonely afterwards. I got picked up by an elven clan in the forests of Warrenfall, who raised me- but sometimes you can’t really escape the loneliness.”

His paws lingered, recalling those days.

“So my new companion- Ashryn- she taught me how good it is to keep busy. Even if it’s as mundane as collecting rocks–”

He looked around and grimaced. Maybe the Matriarch had seen enough rocks for a lifetime. 

“And this worked?”

The Matriarch’s voice responded, resounding through his head as if she was stood right beside his ear.

“It did for me. It gave me something else to focus on; something I could do physically to take my mind off of things. And even better was when Ashryn also helped. Made it feel like it was a more collaborative effort.”

Theneras smiled, looking down to the claws and brushing the cloth over the areas that he’d neatened, making sure the rocky crystal was clear enough for him to file the edges a little. Last thing they needed was her accidentally stabbing someone with them once she was free.

The Matriarch herself seemed to contemplate his words, letting out a soft hum in thought. She didn’t have much time to herself, however, before the Governess found her way to the pair of them. She turned her head to look at Theneras below her and let out an appreciative sound at the sight of his work.

“I trust that he has not been any trouble, Mother?”

She spoke, looking up at the Matriarch’s head as if the reply would come from there. Theneras pouted- he wasn’t any trouble! But, surprisingly, the Matriarch seemed to speak with a smile.

“No, he has not. Say, my Governess… Would you like to collect some flower petals with me?”