"I really am fine" the princess muttered as they reached the door of her room. She did not need to look back to know Carrick was still there. Ever since they got her from the roof of that building, he had refused to leave her alone; they were transported back to the Mansion together, and then checked out at the Infirmary by DocProf, and then promised s thorough talk by the X-men and by the guidance counselor for later on. Now the was headed back to her room, and Carrick was still there. Barely dressed, obviously, but otherwise all healed up. The princess was still sorting through the events of the day in her head, and she knew how he got when they had to talk about him changing shapes. She looked back at him as she opened the door. "You're not gonna just go to bed are you."

He was tired but knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep not with everything that happened today he got the Princess kidnapped and then rescued her single handily even with an audience. If he had bowed after everything he was sure he would have gotten a standing ovation. He didn’t though. He was more worried about the Princess. It was his fault in the first place after tying to swindle the cultists out of the gems. He won in the end. Hopefully they learned a lesson.

He was healed but still sore. Carrick also knew he’d have to talk about what happened later either with the X-men who helped or his moms. It was either way a pain he’d have to deal with later. For now he was just focused on the princess and that was the only thing he wanted to focus on.

Since they got to her he hadn’t left her side. Making sure to stay as close as possible to her. Even having been ‘shooed’ away from Doc when he needed to heal her. Carrick watched from a few feet away but still stayed close. Now he was following back to her room. He didn’t realize where they were till she spoke to him. His tail flicked behind him.

”I’m sure ya are...” he didn’t argue. She should be furious with him at least. He shook his head, ”Nah, too much happened today. Managed to rescue a Princess, heart still going.” he said thumping his chest. ”Just glad yer safe.... sorry again, love.” his tail and wings dropped behind him saying more than Carrick ever could.

>>”I’m sure ya are... Nah, too much happened today. Managed to rescue a Princess, heart still going.”

Amethyst had a suspicion Carrick was going to hold on to the whole 'rescuing a princess' thing for a very long time. It seemed to have a lot of significance, or he just enjoyed being the rescuer, she was not entirely sure. Either way, she was too tired to care right now. She opened the door and walked into her room, knowing Carrick would follow.

>>”Just glad yer safe.... sorry again, love.”

She looked back to see his wings and tail drooping. He looked miserable, with his torn clothing and all. His wings were singed from the fight.

"For what?"

The shiThe shifter raised his eyebrows looking somewhat shocked when she asked him what he was sorry for. Did she not blame him from being kidnapped? She should have. He blamed himself. It was something he felt like he was going to live with for a long time. Longer if she didn’t get upset about it.

Her door opened and he followed he wasn’t invited but knew she’d kick him out if she was too tired. Again Carrick was just glad to be near her after everything that happened. ”My fault they took ya.” he said not making eye contact with her. He felt guilty and the fact that she wasn’t yelling at him made him nervous.

”If didn’t cheat ‘em out they wouldn’t have taken ya and wouldn’t have figured out what ya can do... Messed things up today pretty good... just glad I got there before they hurt ya.” he said folding his arms.

”Understand if ya don’t' want ta see me fer a bit.” he said throwing himself a pity party.

Carrick looked defeated, and also kinda sheepish about following her around. Amethyst knew he wanted to make sure she was alright. He had been protecting her all this time. She was not sure why he expected to be scolded for that.

>>”My fault they took ya. If didn’t cheat ‘em out they wouldn’t have taken ya and wouldn’t have figured out what ya can do... Messed things up today pretty good... just glad I got there before they hurt ya.”

Oh. Right. "Yes. Well... Try not to do that again." She was too tried to be angry at him, and she didn't really see the point. He tried to pawn her gems, which was stupid, and she would have helped him anyway if he had told her what he was planning. But she didn't really blame him for the whole thing. Having her powers and being out in the world, this was bound to happen sooner or later.

>>”Understand if ya don’t' want ta see me fer a bit.”

There it was. He'd done that before, when he'd turned into his beast form in front of her. Carrick was prone to sulking when he felt guilty.

"You did save me" Amethyst pointed out. He pretty much mauled a bunch of people to get to her. She knew he did not like to lose control like that. "...Was it bad?" she asked more gently.

>>> "Yes. Well... Try not to do that again."

He blinked still surprised at how cool she was about the whole situation and not trusting it. The shifter would have almost preferred it if she started to yell at him for being reckless. That he was dumb for trying to cheat some cultists and even dumber for trying to swindle the pawn shop. This was normally in his wheelhouse but it had a different outcome this time. It put her in danger.

Carrick smirked a bit when she mentioned he saved her. His tail was the first one to pick up mid-sulk. ”Aye, I did. Had to clean up me mess didn’t I?” puffing out his chest.

”They say I didn’t kill anyone. So I got that going fer me. Might have messed up their lives a bit but... they took ya.” he looked down at the ground. Not really wanting to talk about what happened but figured she could talk about anything and he’d have to join in because of what happened earlier.

”I remember most of it, just that I wanted to find you. We agreed we had to find you and we did.” he said his face getting a little red when the voice in the back of his mind chimed in. ‘Mate!’ he remembered what they agreed on. ”I might have also promised him something but it isn’t really mine to promise...”

Carrick perked up a little at her words. He did save her. He got her into that mess, but he risked his life to get her out.

>>"Aye, I did. Had to clean up me mess didn’t I? They say I didn’t kill anyone. So I got that going fer me. Might have messed up their lives a bit but... they took ya.”

"They deserved it." Amethyst agreed. In Atlantis, raising a hand at royalty would have cost them their lives, without question. She was not going to feel sorry for those idiots. They did take her, and they attacked Carrick too. They would have hurt him worse if they had the chance.

>>”I remember most of it, just that I wanted to find you. We agreed we had to find you and we did... I might have also promised him something but it isn’t really mine to promise...”

"You... made an agreement with the beast?" the princess blinked, both surprised and curious. So far, she'd gotten the idea that the beast was out of Carrick's control, or anyone's really. It was hard to think that it would... agree to anything. "What did you promise?"

They did deserve everything they had coming but he still felt a little guilty about it. Carrick might have enjoyed causing them pain as well a little too much. A deep-rooted fear he had was he was turning into his father. Using both fear and violence to get what he wanted. Carrick always promised his mother he wouldn’t turn into him every time his shifted form took control it was like he was breaking that promise.

”Yeah,” he said rubbing his arm sheepishly. ”Bit awkward to talk about though.” he said getting a little frustrated wishing he wasn’t so awkward around her. ‘Mate!’ he looked to a spot in the room he imagined the beast would be on her bed. ”He wanted too.. He wants to...” ‘MATE!’ he rolled his eyes.

”I’m trying to phrase it right. Fer **** sakes...” he said to himself then looked back to the princess and blurted out ”He wants to mate with you!”

Amethyst was not sure how Carrick's powers worked. He was three things in one, and he had to manage the other two like they were separate people. And one of them was a beast. And yet, somehow they managed to come to an agreement. One that he looked very embarrassed about.

>>”He wanted too.. He wants to... I’m trying to phrase it right. Fer **** sakes...”

"What?" This was beginning to sound ominous.

>>”He wants to mate with you!”

Amethyst froze, staring at Carrick. Did the beast just...?

"He wants to do what now?" Sleeping with Carrick, sure. She'd have done that before if he had not been awkward about it. But the... "Like... he..." Oh no. That was definitely not a promise he should have made.

The shifter put his face in his hands trying to hide his embarrassment. Carrick took a step forward and shut the door behind him and leaned up against it not everyone needed to hear this conversation. Carrick still liked to maintain he was more skilled in the area than what was true.

‘Mate!’ Carrick ignored the voice again and shook his head, ”I think he means me.” he said waiting to hear an argument. There was none. ”Yeah, he’s cool with us.” he sighed again. ”****ing Eejit.” Carrick grumbled more to himself.

”I was desperate, didn’t know howtagetya free by meself.” Carrick said starting to ramble his accent getting more intense the quicker he spoke, ”The X-men weren’t much help till after I already got ya so was grabbing thin air trying to figure out how to free ya. He knows I care fer you so he was willing to help. Normally a fight it enough to get him to agree on anything but he kept yelling Mate.” ‘Mate!’ Carrick shook his head, ”Shut up I’m explaining it.” he turned to her door and rested his head on it.

”Like I said, not mine ta give.” he grumbled.

While the princess was busy wrapping her mind around the idea of what the beast wanted from her, Carrick closed the door and leaned against it. He looked equally embarrassed and distressed. Leave it to his strange powers to have a part that wanted to... that wanted her, while his usual self was... reluctant about it.

>>”I think he means me... Yeah, he’s cool with us. ****ing Eejit.”

"Oh." Amethyst breathed. So the beast did not... want her for himself. That was... an improvement?

>>”I was desperate, didn’t know howtagetya free by meself. The X-men weren’t much help till after I already got ya so was grabbing thin air trying to figure out how to free ya. He knows I care fer you so he was willing to help. Normally a fight it enough to get him to agree on anything but he kept yelling Mate.... Shut up I’m explaining it.”

Alright, so... the beast was willing to cooperate, to listen to Carrick as long as he got to... the princess was not sure she was going to digest hearing that information any time soon. Carrick looked miserable, turning away from her and leaning against the door. The princess sighed.

>>”Like I said, not mine ta give.”

"No, it isn't." No, it wasn't. No one got to promise Amethyst doing anything with anyone, other than herself.

"It is kind of funny, though." she added, not entirely sure what to say, and it was not exactly easy to talk to the wings and the tail. "Doesn't he know you don't want to do that?"

His shifted form could have asked for anything and Carrick probably would have agreed to it. However it asked for her. Something Carrick didn’t really think much of at the time. ”Would have promised him the world if it meant getting you free.” he sighed loudly and banged his head against her door again.

>>> "It is kind of funny, though."

Carrick’ tail flicked hoping for a joke or something to lighten his mood. He liked jokes. He was partial to the bad ones. That made people cringe. Dad jokes people called them.

>>>"Doesn't he know you don't want to do that?"

Carrick banged his head again failing to see the humor. It was more frustrating than anything. He felt a certain way about the Princess one where he didn’t want to do anything to scare her off. He knew his powers made it harder to do just that especially when he had to resort to the scary form to rescue her because of something he did.

”That’s not true...” he hit his head again, then turned. ”I do want to do that with ya just, afraid more what happens after or during...” he said, ”Though knowing Beasty wants me to do that. Takes some of the fear out of it. He seems to like ya.” he turned back away from her and hit his head once more for good measure.

>>”Would have promised him the world if it meant getting you free.”

That was... Amethyst did not expect that. She knew Carrick liked her, even cared for her, but that kind of feeling... was different. She was not even sure she was worth it. Obviously the royalty in her was, but she had hardly done anything to inspire loyalty like that.

Carrick banged his head on the door. Repeatedly.

>>”That’s not true... I do want to do that with ya just, afraid more what happens after or during... Though knowing Beasty wants me to do that. Takes some of the fear out of it. He seems to like ya.”

"Stop that" the princess sighed, gesturing at his head and the door. "You didn't do anything wrong." The beast might have, but that was another matter. "I don't know about you, but I need a shower. And you definitely need better clothes."

Carrick stopped head banging upon her request, knowing it wasn’t doing anything except for giving him a different kind of headache one that he caused instead of his shifted form who was still shouting ‘Mate’ occasionally when he could hear himself think. ”Keeps him quite.”

She kept saying he didn’t do anything wrong. If that was the case he’d be busy purring glad he was back in her room, not feeling like he was.

Turning towards the princess he looked down at his tattered jeans and his half missing shirt and then shrugged. His wings needed more care than anything but he’d have to remove those feathers. They were singed in multiple places. The unfolded and he looked at them for a moment, then shrugged again. Last time they were a mess the Princess preened them. He didn’t think that was going to be the case here.

”Thought this was me new look? How else are heroes supposed to look?” he kicked his legs out a bit ignoring the giant holes in them. Then he looked to the Princess, ”Eh, yer lovely.” smirking and not wanting to let her out of his sight.

”Ya fine with me coming back after I change?” he asked curiously hoping it wouldn’t be an issue. He didn’t want to be apart from her.

There was a lot to talk about, and a lot of emotions to sort through. However, Amethyst felt worn, and positively grimy after the ordeal at the warehouse. She was not going to stand around having a difficult conversation like this. And Carrick did not look any better.

>>”Thought this was me new look? How else are heroes supposed to look? Eh, yer lovely.”

"I know. By my clothes don't." she pointed out, looking at her torn and dirty dress. Carrick opened his wings. It was clear the fire had done damage. He needed to clean up too, but he seemed reluctant to leave.

>>”Ya fine with me coming back after I change?”

"Come on." she reached out, taking him by the hand and pulling him towards the bathroom. It was not like he had not been there before. It seemed to be a recurring theme. Once they were in there, she started working on peeing what remained of his shirt off of him. There was not much left. "Are your wings hurting?"