They had always been so different, the FrostHeart and the jackal. He was so cold, so distant, so in control of his emotions, his actions. Everything was reigned in, kept under tight ropes, never to be freed. And she was his opposite, everything about her suggesting a raging inferno. She was heated, intense, and in control in a different way. She allowed her emotions to direct her course rather than holding them in; she retained control of her mind while allowing her passion to guide her. Passion - the one thing she could truly count on.

There had never been passion between them, not in the sense that one would assume. They had never looked upon each other with the warmth of love shining from their guarded eyes, never shared a touch that sent electricity coursing through their veins. But there had been agreement, and shared goals, and shared desires. Perhaps 'desire,' then, was a better way to sum up their relationship. It was separate from passion, a whole different element.

Her words had their intended effect. He became a bit less distant, a bit less (or was it more?) cold, responding forcefully. "We will." A small shiver scattered over her hide at the word. Shared desires once more would tie them together, even without a shared passion. "Do you just want to rant an prod me, Psyche, or do you actually have a plan? Maybe a masterpiece you're just dying to share?" The dry comment, perhaps comical in some senses, invited her closer in its own way, a concept reinforced as the king silently motioned her to join his walk. She did so.

"Well, darling, as fun as prodding you is -" she brushed lightly along his side, then retreated, the momentary touch a lapse into the past "- I do, in fact, have a plan." But then, he would know that, would he not? He knew her, or at least the part of her that she allowed him to know. He would expect no less from her. "What ever happened to the Plague, Mauja?" For the first time, her tone was serious. She had not inquired about her organization, had not seen any of its members. Seasons had passed. Things had changed. Would she have to start over?

[W/C | 381]

Walk walk walk.
"Talk talk talk."
Think think think.