K'ile was still concussed. He hadn't healed between the beggining of the ritual to the end. So when K'iara pushed between them, he stumbled back a bit. K'ile had managed to watch K'mih's dance even through the sting of the firelight, but the pressure of a headache had built behind his eyes during the ritual. K'iara's push broke whatever dam had been containing it and let it flood around his skull, down the back of his neck and up into the tips of his ears. Not that he'd expect any mercy from K'iara. No, that's just how she was, and he liked her that way, but damn it.
Still, the Tia only scowled at K'iara's receding tail for a moment before looking back at K'mih and trying to recover his smile. His ears wouldn't rise from where they'd retreated into his hair, but he managed to get his lips up at the corners. "Your energy was great, K'mih, and that's the most important thing. You and I need to start meeting up in the mornings before everyone else wakes up so I can teach you. Then once I get my stones back we an do some two-person dances. Ah, I really miss team-dances! They were so-"
Li slapped his shoulder. The headache roiled against his skull, and K'ile cringed against it. The pain stole his smile again and made his tail shiver. And how lucky that Zhuzhu's kid was sticking around to absorb K'ile's rising frustration. "Yeah, Xha'li. Me and you have some work to do tonight. But if you call me 'Unc' again, I'll beat you up a little bit. Or a lot. I'll just start small and keep going until I decide I'm done."
Still, the Tia only scowled at K'iara's receding tail for a moment before looking back at K'mih and trying to recover his smile. His ears wouldn't rise from where they'd retreated into his hair, but he managed to get his lips up at the corners. "Your energy was great, K'mih, and that's the most important thing. You and I need to start meeting up in the mornings before everyone else wakes up so I can teach you. Then once I get my stones back we an do some two-person dances. Ah, I really miss team-dances! They were so-"
Li slapped his shoulder. The headache roiled against his skull, and K'ile cringed against it. The pain stole his smile again and made his tail shiver. And how lucky that Zhuzhu's kid was sticking around to absorb K'ile's rising frustration. "Yeah, Xha'li. Me and you have some work to do tonight. But if you call me 'Unc' again, I'll beat you up a little bit. Or a lot. I'll just start small and keep going until I decide I'm done."
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