03-11-2021, 11:13 PM
The best he could do was give her the map that she needed, and give her a brief smile of encouragement before he headed back to his own hut. A small part of him really did wish that he could help out, but he did also have faith in Vayne. He was sure that she could find the tokens all on her own, and that she would be able to bring them up to the volcano. Just thinking about that, though, did fill him with some sense of anxiety. What if something went wrong? What if Vayne ended up...? No, he couldn't think that way. He had to believe that everything would be okay.
It was because of this faith that he had just gone to bed, curling up and taking a deep breath before he managed to doze off. By the time the morning came, the dealer was sure that Vayne was already done with her task, and ready for a grand and successful life. Yet still, he couldn't shake the sense of worry in the back of his mind. Deciding that he couldn't just wait until someone else told him the news, Michael was quick to get to his paws, heading out and into the fresh air of the morning. The volcano lingered tall and unwavering in the distance, and even the bobcat felt a bit intimidated just looking at it. He wasn't about to just tuck his tail between his legs and run, though. Instead, he was going to make sure that Vayne had succeeded. And if she hadn't, for whatever reason... well, he'd help her try again. Because there was no way she'd give up. She had already been through so much... he didn't see her giving up for anything.
The actual trek up the path of the volcano was a bit of an arduous one, but Michael could handle it. His claws dug against dirt and stone, heaving himself upwards as he looked around, jaws slightly parted. His mismatched gaze lit up when he caught the scent of Vayne underneath that of heat, and smoke. His excitement caused him to speed up a bit, but only slightly – he didn't want to go stumbling off of or into the volcano, after all. Either way, it wasn't long before he reached the top, and he spotted Vayne sitting there, holding up the totem of the Blackjack Rats with a look of pride on her face. Similarly, he could feel pride spreading throughout his own chest, a goofy grin coming to his muzzle. Although Vayne technically hadn't been family for long, it felt great to have his niece accomplish such a gargantuan task, especially for someone her age.
With a light chuckle leaving his throat, the bobcat moved over to where Vayne sat, throwing one front limb around the smaller feline to give her a half hug. His words were warm and slightly tired as he spoke, glancing down at her, "Congrats, Vayne. I'm really proud of you..." Normally he wouldn't be so sentimental, but it felt like Vayne wouldn't mind the praise. After so much of her life with Aphra as a mother... it was unlikely that she had been told anyone was proud of her before. Of course, Michael wasn't able to be all sunshine and sentiment. So after another little laugh, the thief muttered softly, "So... you ready for the real fun part? Cause now you get to cause a bunch of chaos, with the rest of us rats." His smirk was delighted and infectious, his tail twitching behind him. He actually hadn't done much regarding the espionage side of the Blackjack Rats in a while, but he was sure there would be some excitement to be had in the future.
— Reggan
— Reggan