<3 Married At First Sight </3

((We could say they were moving in finally? If it's too much bother we can leave it))

((Yeah that sounds good xD))

Leonidas lifted the last of the suitcases out of the car and shut the door, glancing at the house thoughtfully. Hester was curled around his neck like a particularly scaly, loose scarf.

"You wanted to stay here to begin with, as it was closer to where your childhood friend lived, yes? The gardens look very well kept. An old family house?"

---

"The grounds are huge," Paige mumbled, sounding in awe. Beside her, Areli was circling impatiently in her cage, the metal clinking and clanking and the cage itself rattling. "How many acres is it? Or is it more appropriate to ask about square kilometres?"

Amber nodded her head. "Yes, he's just on the other side of the lake back out on the grounds. My family has lived her for many years.

----
Ian chuckled quietly. "A lot. Most is farm land, the forest or the lake but it's fenced off land."

"I think we're lost, Areli," Paige muttered, resting her hand against the trunk of a tree and staring up at the canopy. Next to her, Areli was rather loudly eating her way through a dead rabbit.

---

Leonidas was walking around the house, hands clasped loosely behind his back and his posture straight. He didn't open any doors, and instead only looked at rooms that were open.

Ian had watched them go off on their own as he stayed back at the house but as time passed he was slowly beginning to consider going to find them.

----
She followed silently a few paces behind him. "It's your home too. You can look in the rooms if you like."

"What do you think, Areli?" Paige asked, crouching down, and Areli rubbed herself under Paige's chin, causing her to huff in disgust as blood was smeared all over her neck and jaw. "That isn't helping the situation you stupid cat." Slightly agitated at the thought of being lost, Paige absently scratched at her arm, nails catching on the scales that had appeared.

---

"I didn't want to seem too presumptuous, or come across something that needs to remain hidden," Leonidas answered quietly. "To be intrusive isn't in my nature, I wouldn't want to cause any undue stress or upset by being somewhere I shouldn't."

Frowning slightly at the lack of their return Ian rose from the back steps and made his way off into the forest. He kept his footsteps light so he could hopefully hear them.

---
Amber smiled softly brushing her fingers lightly along his arm. "This is your home too. I have nothing at all to hide."

Paige scrubbed at her neck thoughtfully, scratching off the flakes of blood, and then thoughtfully tugged on a horn, keeping her fingers wrapped tight around the bone. "We shouldn't circle, that's too dangerous...but I don't want to go in a random direction. What do you think, you awful creature?"

Areli, with a full belly and rather content, simply flopped to her side and started to doze.

---

"Still." Leonidas shrugged languidly and slowed slightly so they would be side by side as opposed to her slightly behind. "I'd rather not enter a room I haven't been given explicit permission for."

"Paige?!," Ian called out every so often as he continued to walk deeper into the forest. Whenever he heard a shuffle he'd pause to listen more closer grumbling when it turned out to be animal.

---
Falling into step at his side she smiled softly up at him. "Well then I grant you that permission. Any and all rooms in my home are open to your enjoyment whether or not I am in them."

Paige snorted and sat cross legged next to Areli, one hand on her side. As she saw it, she could do little more than wait until night time, shift, and then use her better senses to navigate home.

---

"Thank you," Leonidas murmured in reply, smiling slightly. "That is very appreciated." After a moment's hesitation, he offered his hand.

He kicked at a pebble in frustration as he walked. "Paige? Areli?"

---
"You're welcome," She whispered in reply slowly sliding her hand into his when it was offered to her.

Areli's head suddenly perked up and it made Paige flinch. Before she could even lift her hand away, Areli was on her feet and darting away between the trees before Paige could catch up.

About maybe a minute later, Areli was proudly trotting up to Ian, rubbing against his legs and purring loudly.

---

"Perhaps some day, you could see my house?"

He let out a breath in relief stroking her head. "Where's Paige hmm? Take me to her?"

----
She smiled brightly. "Really? I would love to."

Areli pushed into his touch, pleased, and then seemed to perk up at the mention of Paige, head tilting this way and that before she turned around and trotted off the way she came.

---

"It is a fair distant, however. We'd need to plan in advance if we wanted to visit for any length of time."

He had no problem with petting her. When she went to find Paige he happily followed after her glad she seemed to be listening.

----
"When you want to go home tell me. We can plan it out and I'll go along."

Paige was where Areli had left her, sat against a tree as far from the rabbit remains as she could be, still nervously scratching at her scales.

Areli just seemed excited to see Ian, often ducking back just to weave around his legs a few times before wandering off again.

---

"It...I wouldn't call it home. It was the place I grew up, but it's not really home. Not any more." Leonidas lifted his free hand to his neck as if he was about to rub his shoulder, but when he lowered his hand again, Hester was wrapped around his wrist.

"Silly thing," he laughed lightly nudging at her trying to keep her on task even if he was still petting her at the Sam time. "Paige? Are you alright?" He asked kneeling down beside her when they got to her.

---
"What would you call home then?" She asked softly lifting her head to look at his face.

Paige flinched just a little at seeing him, seeming surprised he'd come to find her. She floundered a little, sinking her fingers into Areli's fur when she pushed her way between them but simply said in a quiet voice, "I got lost."

---

Leonidas' face went very still and he didn't answer for nearly a minute. Then, he said, "For a very long time, I didn't know. Unfortunately, I still don't."

He gave her a half smile. "It's a lot of land. Real easy to get lost I used to do it all the time myself and I've always lived here." Raising to his feet he held out his hand to her. "Shall we head back?"

----
The look on her face took on a touch of sadness as she watched him. After a minute of silence she stepped closer hesitantly laying her hand on his cheek. "Maybe someday wherever we end up you'll call that home."

Paige took his hand and carefully hauled herself to her feet, dusting herself down and the nervously tugging on a horn. "I just wanted to take Areli for a walk and get to know the place. And..." she looked down, to the side, as if embarrassed.

---

"Perhaps," Leonidas said softly, smiling almost crookedly before he found he couldn't keep eye contact and looked away. "It's simply been a very long time since I've settled, that's all."

"It's alright don't worry about it. We can walk around tomorrow if you like," he suggested with a light smile.

----
Amber stepped back giving him room to move. "Is there a reason you've never settled down before?"

"No, no, I don't want to take time out of your day or anything. I mean - Areli! Areli, no! No!" Paige darted over to where Areli was doing her best to eat the rabbit bones, and Paige scooped Areli clear off of the floor and nearly threw her into the air until she tightened her grip. "You'll choke, you silly animal!"

Areli squirmed desperately in Paige's arms, and then flopped and gave up when she realised she wouldn't move. It was nearly comical, that Paige was holding the large cat with ease despite being quite small herself.

---

"Many people get uncomfortable when they realise you haven't aged alongside them over the thirty or so years you have lived with one another. And those that were comfortable with it, I couldn't bear to stay and watch them die of age while I - " And Leonidas gestured loosely to himself here, careful with the movement of his arm because of Hester, the snake still secured around his wrist.

"And what do you think I'll be doing all day long?" He asked raising an eyebrow at her. When sh grabbed up the cat he nearly laughed shaking his head.

----
This she could understand a small frown tugging at her lips. "It's tough isn't it. Not really being able to have a large family or tons of friends to grow with."

"Sorry for wasting you time," Paige mumbled sincerely, shifting her grip on Areli and twitching uncomfortably when Areli batted at her closest horn.

---

"It was difficult to being with. Then, after a few years, it simply became a given. The others would grow old, I would not. It was just a fact of life."