The were-King was altogether oblivious of that almost subtle indication of just how terribly...stressed he had been of late. That simple apology slipped from his lips, even though he hadn't quite realized that simple fact that he'd never before voiced any sort of concession for his often chilled, demanding demeanor. What he was aware of, however, was the fashion that her smile seemed to falter, her eyebrows furrowed. He hadn't anticipated that concern that filled her features, nor did he have any great desire to inform even her of all that he was presently attempting to take on. It was a secret so clandestine that even his pack remained ignorant of it. A small brush of his wrist was all that was given to her, the man carefully sidestepping such an inquiry with a rather vague statement of his own. "The same old same." Perhaps it was best she viewed his troubles as that mere continuation of that pack drama with his sibling then the truth of his budding captivity that once again tightened around his neck. Rather than letting her dwell upon such facets of his own life, Tetradore was all too content to redirect her attention to her own disappearance. The causation of her sudden absence within his life was vastly more intriguing to him, after all, if only for all that it could mean.

The sheer change that inquiry caused within the woman was strikingly noticeable, her eyes seemed to light up with a sort of life that simply hadn't existed there before. That breath of air caused his eyebrow to raise ever so slightly and yet, that mention of travel was hardly enough for him to glean any information from her connection to that vampire that controlled her. It was that nod that finally provided him what he desired, the were-king unable to help that soft sigh of disappointment from his lips, even as she continued on with unbridled joy of all she had seen and experienced. He remained silent, in those moments, entirely content to simply listen to those names of the places she'd went to and the things she'd done. "It sounds like the world suits you." He commented idly, willing to ignore those tasks she'd done for Ivan across the way in the same fashion she too tried to brush off those assassinations that still burdened her shoulders. That freedom - that was where she belonged. That was what he had wished for her to have. Maybe this taste of it would be enough to prompt the pair to find a final solution to her problem.

Unfortunately, she hardly seemed to contemplate that desire for life without Ivan for very long. Rather, it seemed that it was that final meeting that tugged so forcefully upon her thoughts. He glanced upwards at that apology and yet, Tetradore provided her with little more than a shrug. His failures in the department of romance were...certainly well known at this point. He supposed though, that her declaration that Ivan knew shouldn't have surprised him terribly. It was what they did - those 'owners' of theirs. They needed to keep their pets shackled and chained. To have even the consideration of some sort of desired life outside of that carefully contrived world was a threat too great to be ignored. What he hadn't expected, however, was the sheer level of honesty that came tumbling from her lips in the aftermath, that realization brought upon her was...hardly undesired and yet...even she was not safe from the veritable hurricane that was his own life. The things Risque would do to her...he shuddered to even think of it.

He should have been used to it by now - that simple act of pushing everyone away. He should have been used to rejecting them, to making them hate him all for that safety they might have in being away from the death that orbited him. He should have...but he wasn't. How did he tell her that her advances simply couldn't exist for the fact of his own mistress' presence within his life? Those emerald eyes fluttered towards her and yet Tetradore hardly offered her any resemblance of anything she might wish to hear. "You best keep Ivan from hearing that, else he might keep sending you away." He jested with a small shrug. It was the best sort of non-commitment, the kind that kept his distance whilst altogether subtly reminding her of why those feelings could never be more than they currently were for either of them.