If anything, Cheri appreciated the candor between herself and Obscene. Even when they’d been brutally at each other’s throats like two dogs gnawing over old sores, they somehow still managed to keep honesty at the forefront of every insult. Were it not for the gravity of the situation Obscene was describing to her, Cheri might’ve been mildly impressed with how fluid and easy their conversation was going, but that desire was quickly eclipsed by her curiosity over Gale.

Obscene really was trying his best to put her off the notion entirely, but the way he spoke so adamantly against her father’s half-brother came as a shocking surprise to the once-Taigan. She couldn’t help but to be suddenly focused on what little truths she did know about Gale, and her recollection was bare. She only knew that he was a relation of her father’s and therefore a distant relation of her own, but his involvement in her and her family’s life had mostly been kept to the fringes. Cheri did know that her father had always been stand-offish about his origins, though everything outside of that had been an easy topic for Yanhua to talk about.

That’s probably why it’d been one of the first mysteries she set out to solve in Loess, with Tarian no less. Another one of her distant relatives (they’d come to find out) who also ironically seemed to have a chip on his shoulder about Obscene.

But Aela? “I’m sorry, what did you say?” Cheri interrupted Obscene’s questions about her father, somewhat in disbelief. “You think that Aela and I… That we’re related?” Her expression faltered, switching rapidly from disgust to surprise and then back to disgust again.

It had always irked Cheri how much Obscene’s Seneschal took after the northern tribe, and upon their first meeting one another she had been a bit shocked by the obvious likeness between the small palomino mare and her uncle Nashua; especially with the glowing leg stripes. But the idea that she could’ve been from the same bloodline just seemed too surreal to even consider. Not to mention the fact that Cheri never remembered seeing the irksome troublemaker at any point in her childhood.

“Is there anything else I’m missing?” Her disbelief turned to frustration, shaping her eyes into narrow slits and giving her mouth a dissatisfied air. “My father is missing, Gale is dangerous, Aela is related to me… What’s next? Are you going to tell me that another Eclipse is coming?” Cheri laughed bitterly, only to keep herself from grumbling.

She forced herself to think rationally. If this was the terrible news she would be receiving upon her grand return, then perhaps she should be grateful. Life could always get worse, and her youthful memories of living in constant fear during a never-ending darkness reminded her of that truth. So she sighed deeply and collected herself, closing her eyes for a moment and steadying her nerves before she could calmly proceed.

“What a mess.” Cheri commented dryly. What a mess indeed. She could only look up at Obscene as the sun descended with the finality of a grand finale, choosing to ignore its brilliant display of heavenly-borne colors for the familiar black-and-speckled gold of the Prince’s dark skin. “Funny,” She thought, “that he would end up being the uncomplicated one.”
-
After a moment of quiet contemplation and enjoying the last of what their day had to offer by way of light, Cheri answered Obscene’s offhanded questions about her father.

“Yanhua.” She started out softly. “That’s my fathers’ name. Everyone called him Yan.” Cheri smiled. “He’s a giant. Made of legs that kept him just as tall and proud as the Redwood forest he watched over.” She recalled. The nearly seventeen-hand figure her father made might’ve been imposing to outsiders, especially with the added length of his curled goat horns, but Cheri spoke of him with a cherished fondness in her voice.

“He loved Taiga.” That same soft voice broke into despair. Cheri looked away, bit her lip and swallowed down the pain. “He would’ve never left without a good reason. Not even to die.” The appaloosa tried to recover with a sarcastic laugh, rolling her eyes.

“And that is exactly what concerns me.” Cheri admitted. There was no pain in her tone now, no trouble or sadness that moved her body to react; there was only the unsaid forbidden: that something terrible had happened. Something terrible had taken her father and mother away, made orphans of her younger sister and infant brother, and something terrible could jeopardize the home she grew up in - possibly the north entirely. Her eyes flashed up at him.

“I won’t seek out Gale.” Cheri promised Obscene. That much she could do. “But I am planning on flying north.” She exhaled. “I’m thinking of gathering those relatives of mine.” She smiled. “You know, the ones I’ve ‘set’ at you from all sides?”

Even in the midst of chaos she saw the humor.

“I think it’s time we all got together again. Past time, maybe.” Cheri told him her plan in so many words. Then she couldn’t help but grin into the dusky night air. “And since we’re trying this ‘truce’ thing, I guess that means you’re invited too.”

It was here, that inevitable hour of conclusions. Cheri sensed it as much as she knew it to be true: that all things must resolve themselves in order for new things to begin, but this one felt especially hard to let go of. She told herself it was because of the undercurrent feeling she was getting, that Obscene hadn’t really decided on her measure of sincerity regarding their new (tenative) truce. It certainly wasn’t because she considered herself in any sort of danger concerning her feelings toward him, no. Not that at all.

Instead she tried to tell herself that it was lingering fear. More specifically, the lingering fear of their next meeting reverting back to how they’d been before. Cheri would absolutely loathe that outcome if it were the case, and the only way she knew for sure to prevent it from coming was by keeping Obscene here. And like always, that was the exact opposite move the Pampas Prince wanted to make.

“See you there.” She told him, powerless to prevent the inevitable any longer. He’d only been half-engaged at this point anyways. Curiously, Cheri wondered alternatively about what ‘things’ he’d be doing in his spare time, but quickly abandoned the thought when she realized he’d paused before heading off into the night. “Not like his usual calling card.” She remembered, smiling inwardly at herself.

When things got boring, that was typically Obscene’s cue to exit stage left.

This time though, he seemed to have one last trick in his arsenal for Cheri. Taken by the remark, the lovely creature gently glowing in the dark replied, “you haven’t.”

She would’ve liked to see him try.

By choice, she sprung into a trot instead and flared her wings, taking to the sky in the measure of a few, meager flaps. They’d see each other again soon enough; Cheri just had to trust things wouldn’t go to hell before then.