She knew how he felt about the situation. There was no doubt about that. Romulus usually is not expressive, but in his anger, he tended to be blunt and firm with his words as he seethed. She had seen it once before during her capture and now once again during her charade at the border. Thankfully for him, his frustrations were for a good reason. As he walked along to their meeting place, he pondered if Merlin knew the reason behind his actions, rather the expression of his misdeeds. To what he hoped was a potential ally and a friend, the lion did not want to reveal his disdain to her again. Yet, here they were.

The rising summer sun pounded down on his multicolored fur as he arrived nearby, purple hues spotting the other lion in a clearing. She seemed pre-occupied with staring at the bright sky as he approached comfortably. He walked slow purposefully. His gaze watched as her soft features switched down to her chest, a tongue caressing carefully along her pelt. A smile stifled across his lips. It faded almost instantly due to the situation at hand. The reason for their meeting was unfortunate and could not be forgotten.

His throat cleared in an attempt to catch her attention as he deaccelerated. Chiseled features looked inquisitively at her in hopes she would stare back and acknowledge his presence. A hesitant paw offered a wave. "Busy?" he questioned nonchalantly. Romulus thought she looked quite elegant for the messy situation that just occurred, especially how professionally she carried herself. A quick grooming session did not seem necessary.

Whether or not she answered honestly, he ambled over to her side and sat down. A relaxed tail swished downwards and wrapped around his side, curling around his paws to finish off. His attention turned to the sky. A pleased hum rumbled out of his throat, realizing the gorgeous perspective of the clouds she had previously. "I see why you were gawking," came his soft tone. The magnificent warm hues of the sky bounced off the clouds and painted a portrait above the two. "It's quite gorgeous." His gaze moved back down to look back at her with a subtle grin. How ironic.

A disappointed sigh left him. "I'm sorry we had to meet again like this," he murmured. With Ximen dead and their chance at an alliance temporarily squandered, Romulus was disgruntled. Even so, the kingpin couldn't imagine the pain she felt. Her friend is dead. She was visiting the land she was kept hostage in. The two feats couldn't have been easy to face. He couldn't help but feel sympathetic. A paw reached out to lightly rub the top of hers and then pull away, letting her know he was there for her. "It's nice to see you again though, Merlin."

A pleasant hum left Romulus. Her response was satisfactory and what he wanted to hear, after all. The busier they were often was aligned with conflict that occurred, so some peace and quiet was rather needed. In fact, even somewhat rewarding. With the sky above in a flurry of colors and the presence of a friend by his side, the kingpin could feel his breath begin to slow and mind start to clear. The present faded into view. For the first time in awhile, he could take a moment to live and spend it with someone who appreciated his presence without any underlying motive. Even his family couldn't do that...

Purple hues marveled in the warm sky above them. He listened to her intense spiel with interest, reconsidering his position on what laid above them. "I suppose that is why we keep beautiful things at a distance then," he mumbled inquisitively. Romulus' lips flatly pulled back as his browline furrowed, hesitantly questioning the validity of his response. The statement stood true though. The lion rarely let someone lurk in his thoughts for so long without any boundaries. He preferred to stand alone in his endeavors for his own safety and sanity. He had cared too much before, only to watch his family die before him in the span of months. Never again.

Yet he could feel something tugging on his insides. A member of his past stood before him with open paws, despite the negative connotations before them. Fate had brought them here. Whether that be to continue on or for closure, he did not know. He let his gaze wander away from the sky as she spoke, only to find her own eyes upon him and a smile subtly across her maw. His lips tugged back to echo her sympathy. "I wouldn't take fate to be cruel," he echoed back softly. "Maybe there's an end goal in mind." Was the future worth losing a friend though? Ximen's death was a tragedy, not a poetic exit from this world. Romulus bit his tongue as the thought arose, hoping for the best for the both of them. There was no need to damper the mood. "After all, we are here reunited and enjoying the quiet. Let's enjoy that while it lasts," he ended with.

He found himself leaning forward as she continued to speak, outlining her tragedies over the last two years. A hesitant laugh echoed hers as she finished. "I would not have taken you for a drinker," he honestly admitted. "We all have our demons and a need to cope with the downsides of our lives though." She drank, he dreamed. Was it so bad to indulge every now and then? Not excessively, of course. A guilty pleasure could enrapture someone so easily, as it had done in his past, but as world around him improved, he did not feel so inclined to indulge. Without a getaway, Romulus could only think he would have gone insane. Maybe the same was for Merlin? He didn't want to press too much, given her lighthearted facade, and kept that analysis to himself. Perhaps a different time.

What had he been up to though? Romulus, unlike his father, did not actively speak on his accomplishments, but Merlin had given him the chance. He hesitantly opened his jaws. Lost for words, he let out a sigh. "Work," came his blunt answer. "Fixing the mistakes my predecessors made and hoping the Coalition of the Condemned would make better choices after years of worthless rebuttals and revenge." Romulus wanted to relieve himself the pressure of pleasing his parents, who were dead at the time, and to create a better environment for those that remained to prevent their grief. He had succeeded for the most part. Though... a bump in a road always occurred. "As you can see, we're in a bit of a predicament now though." The paw opposite to her lifted up to his face and scratched as his cranium. A hesitant laugh exited him after a few moments. "We can't catch a break, can we?"

He shook his head in displeasure and lowered his gaze and paw to the floor in shame. In this moment, Romulus took notice of the proximity of her paw. The lion chose not to acknowledge her comfort verbally and looked back up with a smile in an attempt to offer mutual solace in their quiet moment.