In Dire Straits - Bold Encounters [Achilles]

speech ♚ thoughts

The stoic Captain was on the move.

Corvus always had a mission in mind; even when she was standing still, she really wasn't. She was a wolf that was always restless, always looking for something to do. Hating laziness, the god-child attempted to run from it by keeping herself busy. Even after the war, she found herself moving within the valley with purpose. Speaking of... many were coming back still from the war. Now that it was over (but was it truly?), Corvus waited to see what would possibly be coming towards them now. One thing was clear, though.

Even though she may not say it, she was proud of her Ashigaru.

They had moved in and taken the war by the horns, fighting for their Rosas. It almost made her smile (almost), and perhaps she would acknowledge that. While she wasn't one to praise often, she knew sometimes soldiers did better when they were given merit. Nonetheless, other things were also plaguing her mind that kept her from doing such a good deed.

Such as now, finding herself at the borders of the maze. Corvus was staring out into the endless labyrinth that surrounded the Valley. The wall that kept them secret from the outside world for the most part. Even still... that hadn't stopped Oukoku-kai from encountering its own opposing forces. The fire, the war, the intruders... all things that Corvus remembered, and even still tasted on her tongue. Her body was still healing in some places, the familiar itch of wounds still scabbing over and taking their natural course of healing. Death Valley fought valiantly, and still remained standing. Corvus would ensure that.

Sounds of another approaching made her ear swivel back to listen. The breeze kicked up a convenient wind, bringing scent along with it. "Yellow Seour," came the natural formality from her maw. Then she caught herself as she turned her head to look at her bond. "Achilles." Sharp purple eyes gazed sternly at the Yellow Seour, not because she meant it that way -- it was just how her natural gaze was. "It's been a while." Many questions hanging on those simple words.

He hadn't really expected to find someone waiting on the borders of the Maze. It had been a long meeting and a slow and heavy trek back into the territory for him but when he finally made it back in...Corvus was there. He blinked, the light of the rising sun cutting through the trees and kissing the hills of their Valley behind her in the far off distance. He stared at her for a long moment until she realized he was there and spoke out to him. Of course she might be a little surprised to find him coming form the direction of the Scar in the Maze. When she looked his way he continued forward, to stand before her, meeting her sharp purple eyes with his own feral blues.

Normally he'd have insisted she use his name and forgo his title, especially in private like they obviously were now. But it was important to hear those words in that moment, they grounded him, they brought him back to reality. His mind had been reeling during his walk back and the sight of his Goddess' daughter...His bond, it helped more than he'd ever thought it might. He found himself wondering if this was how it felt when Foetida saw him after a long time, if She to felt this relief at the sight of him.

If she'd ever feel it again.

Her statement, her hidden questions, captured his attention and he blinked as if she'd snapped in front of his muzzle. "Captain Yon..." he smiled faintly, "Corvus." It would have been him teasing her but not this time, she'd hear it in his tone, how much she meant to him. "It's been too long actually." He moved closer, looking her over, this being the first time he'd seen her since they all started coming home from the war. He was concerned but she looked whole, a few worthy scars would form but she'd retained her strong body. He lifted his eyes to meet hers once again, studying them carefully. "I am grateful to see you alive my friend." He'd not gone, she'd have to know that and he wondered if she knew why or if Foetida had kept it to herself while they were beyond the Valley's borders.

His eyes would move from one purple orb to the next, wondering how to tell her but instead, he decided to wait on what he'd only just learned. "You must have questions...ask them, ask all of them." he had his own too, "Tell me what you saw, what you went through."

This would be her debriefing, her time to let the floodgates burst.

speech ♚ thoughts

She had found the yellow Seour, and now they conversed.

His sharp blue eyes pierced into her own purple ones, alert as ever. Odd indeed that he was coming from the opposing side of the Maze, and it made her own questions begin to form. Assumptions could be made, but Corvus wasn't one for conspiracies. She would rather ask things straight; and she probably would soon enough. Right now, she simply analyzed as he approached. "Captain Yon... Corvus." A mirror of her own formalities, even though she half expected him to casually chastise her for being so uptight. Not that it would change her. Very little would.

"I am grateful to see you alive my friend." Corvus gave a nod, shifting her weight a little. "As am I," she returned, with a sway of her tail. Granted, she knew very well her Seour was not at the war. The reasons were unknown to her, and vaguely she wondered what would come of her questioning of it. "You must have questions...ask them, ask all of them. Tell me what you saw, what you went through." Silence settled between them, Corvus tasting the words he uttered and the offer he proposed to her. Something she would be stupid to ignore.

"There was a hard battle to win," she began, dutifully offering her report. "I cannot say whether or not there was really a victory to be had, here. However... my Ashigaru performed well." They fought valiantly, and deserved the praise. "I missed your form on the battlefield, though." A pointed observation, one she felt needed to be said. "Why?" Fuck being polite and assuming she just had to take what was given to her.

"What is at the other side of the Maze? Does it need to be investigated further?" Sudden change of topic, but one that poked at her since she noticed his arrival. Achilles was full of mystery, and she wanted nothing more than to uncover it. Because if there was something for her to know... she needed to know it now.