Now that Keyleth wasn’t focused on any task at hand she’s back to wallowing in her various shortcomings and she places the tip of her fingers on her lips with a forlorn sigh escaping from between them. She keeps on repeating her musings following her train of thoughts from start to finish on a loop in an attempt to find what was bothering her; she doesn’t think less of nor does she but the feeling of giddiness at her first kiss slowly turned into a mild discomfort that had her fidget and kept her mind wandering away from the journey at hand.
This momentous event in her life immediately gets coupled with another and the trepidation of her next big trail along with the possibility of finding clues about her mother has her wound up like a child toy’s spinner that never seems to stop. She tries to concentrate on her Aramente, shifting her crossed legs and swapping their positions every few seconds, she tries again to focus on the true goal of this journey - her personal goal - fighting against personal feelings that muddle her clarity of mind and comes up blank, she feels herself so lost, she can’t help but whine like a child unable to process any form of plans beyond keeping her breathing steady and trying not to let Vex notice.
There’s a heavier rustling of the flora behind her, branches snapping as the bushes make way for a big, round creature with black beady eyes that cocks his head and gives a growl of greeting. Keyleth lets her fists unclench, releasing the ball of magic tingling in her fingers and the breath of air stuck in her lungs.
“Hey buddy? Not cuddling up with Vax tonight? Naughty boy it’s a girls night out. You’re missing Vex already, huh? I think I’ll be quite boring company tonight,” she giggles weakly as she shakes the tickle of the foliage and the stuck leaves and twigs off his fur with happy bear noises and his happy jog towards her easing her into a small smile as he playfully sniffs into her ear. She tries to twitch away at the sensation of fur or whiskers pricking and witness only to have him in excitement at her laugh licking a long stripe along the side of her face. Thankfully he’s brought to a sitting position with one firm albeit squeaked demand when she pats his muzzle affectionately.
Trinket nudges her hand, raising her limb with his nose until she rubs his head, scratching along his neck and lets him cuddle up into her lap with his big and heavy head dropping with a curt snort. He turns his eyes to the body of water, watching the ripples of movement as Vex’s arms and legs hit the water expertly kicking forward in their direction. Keyleth tilts her head wondering if this was the closest a mortal could be to a siren; Vex is just stunning. She looks away from this little corner of paradise in Exandria - its not Vex’s elven features that are making her smile charming to her although she can’t quite understand the flutter of her heartbeat she acknowledges it - in her surprise she presses herself into the softness of the big, plush and loving bear.
Even with Trinket’s presence it’s hard to break away from her gloominess, sticky and muddling thoughts unfitting in a puzzle of her new experiences and push her feelings to a threatening high almost bursting from seams of her very being: the bubble stuck in her throat forcing her to swallow drying. She doesn’t know if she wants to scream or cry and now that Keyleth acknowledges the state she’s in she’s caught in its web pulled into a ball of stress, taking a shuddered breath into fur that tickles her nose.
‘What should I do? How would an accomplished headmaster react?’ Every idea that could be labeled a Keyleth seems stupid and off putting; unwise, uncool and every other ‘unreliable’ she can think of.
