In Dire Straits - A drop of Knowledge (Carissi)

At the river bank, near the scar of the Valley, the Yellow Seour was fishing alone.

Normally he didn't fish, he wasn't the biggest fan of fishing but for some odd reason he'd had a feeling that he should go fishing. Normally when he got one of these silly feelings it preceded a dream of his past. This was no different than most of those times, a dream of his lost sibling that he had all but forgotten popping into his mind while he slumbered. The vision of the darker colored wolf playing in the water and throwing fish out like it was the easiest thing in the world. It wasn't that the Seour was bad at fishing, he caught more than enough to feed himself but it took a little more concentration and effort to be successful with the water distorting everything like it did.

Achilles was standing still in the water, staring down at the rippling surface. He'd been like this for a few minutes, waiting for the fish to forget he'd invaded their space. When they finally began to swim closer once again, he picked a nice fat one out and watched it closely. For a while the stupid thing was just out of reach and Achilles dared not move lest he frighten the others but eventually it came closer. It was so very close now and he was happy with the size of his prey. He was leaning down towards the water, getting ready to snap it up when he heard something move close by, a branch snapping and the rustle of foliage.

Someone was coming and they'd frighten away his kill.

He lunged suddenly, teeth tearing into the slippery thing as if flailed, but caught. He grunted as it fought for dear life, stepping out of the river, water dripping from his underbelly to soak the grass below. He glared in the direction of his visitor before looking at the fish. With a short amount of consideration he tossed the fish at their paws, "Here, it was too small for me." The water must have really screwed with his perception, it had looked so much bigger.

He growled softly before he began to run his tongue along his fur to chase off as much of the water as he could manage.

He really hated fishing...and he cursed his brother for invading his dreamscape.

|☠| oukoku-kai |☠|
the banshee & bondless

"Fear and greed are potent motivators. When both forces push in the same direction, virtually no (human) being can resist."
-Andrew Weil

ooc| short but it's here.

This valley was strange, it's children strange, it's climate strange. But perhaps that was suiting, Carissi was strange too; a strange bird as the phrase went. The Bacchus mix licked her lips as she moved through the arid part of the Oukoku-Kai. Thankfully, unlike her father and little brother, Carissi did not have the thick Bacchus fur and did not suffer any more than the typical dire in this heat. But the season was favorable and she enjoyed her stroll. The newcomer had not been in the Holy Land long, brought in by the saccharine smile of Anamelech, the Goddess she had not seen since then. Her entry wounds still fresh, the smell of the outside world still clinging to her coat like blaring sirens for all to sneer down at her. High and mighty, she remembered that little bitchy child, so stupid that it could not use it's eyes to see the literal in front of it's face. Secretly she wished to see it fail in the Valley, so that some day she could rub it in that girl's face. A devious smirk pulled onto her lips as she thought of the look that child would give her. Oh it was delicious.

Carolina blue eyes followed the water, it sparkled and reflected the sky above, almost the same shade as her mother's eyes, her eyes. The bulky woman smacked her lips for a second, making a bored popping noise with her mouth. It was truly a new experience for her here and she had to start planning what she was going to do with herself. As she watched the water swiftly sweep by she imagined that she would need to learn more about the culture here if she was to ever excel. Though a tickle in the back of her mind made her wonder if she'd ever be as good as a "Valley wolf" like those children she had met were... Would Gigantea bring her here if that was the truth? Or were Gods as cruel as Mother had always said? Eventually she would find out, and the young woman sighed as she saw a figure in the distance.

Fishing it appeared, and as he struck and pulled out a fish, Carissi was impressed. Fishing had never been her strong suit and she imagined it was because she didn't feel like waiting for them to trust her toes. The man however seemed disappointed, he glanced her way and tossed it, and she watched it flop for a moment before dying. It was a strange thing, a creature that drowned on air. Though her strange ponderings were interrupted by Achilles' voice, speaking that it was too small for him. What a very masculine sentiment; Carissi fought the urge to grin darkly at her thought. "If you are sure, sir." Oh the Bondless loathed to call him sir but she was wary, the boy was right, it was important to be careful how you spoke in the Valley... Plus there was a slight apprehension over taking his fish so willingly. She hated it really, feeling as if she was walking on eggshells and the uncertainty showed for a moment. Caution. Carissi would try to judge the man for a moment and if he gave no further indication she should beware she would flick a tall ear and learn down to grab the chow.

"Thank you.. I like fish, though I was never as good a fisher as my mother..." the grayscale and red woman would start slowly, the sentence coming out more like an afterthought to accompany the gratitude, "I never had the patience, though I guess I should learn, I hear it's a virtue..." Natural urge to grin something almost a little too dark finally swept over her and she looked up at Achilles with a very playful smile-- though it was less playful like a child and more playful like Harley Quinn--. It would eventually subside into a calmer expression, "Carissi," A slight dip of the head towards the stranger as she offered her name.

"Seour," He'd corrected her, "Not sir."

He said it without looking at her and without malice in his voice. He was merely informing her who he was before they went any further. He was still cleaning his fur of water while she waited for a sign that might lead her to believe he hadn't actually offered her the fish he'd tossed to her paws. He was no trickster like many of the Jin or White aligned wolves, he was straightforward and direct, like a proper follower of the Yellow path. He listened as she thanked him and went on to talk about her mother and how fishing and patience was some kind of plus, something that worked to only sour his mood while thinking of his brother.

He looked up finally to find her grin, a playful thing, maybe a bit too much? "You're welcome," Achilles deadpanned. He shifted to a more comfortable position now that he was done cleaning himself and regarded her features, curious but still very much wolf. "My brother was the better fisher," Was being the key word as Achilles considered his kin either dead or a heathen, which meant he was dead to Achilles. "I hate fishing so consider that a special gift, I probably won't be doing it again, or at least not until next he haunts my dreams.."

When she finally introduced herself, he hummed thoughtfully and stood, moving closer to her to sniff at her aura, moving around her to get a better scent before returning to her front, provided she didn't move while he inspected her. "I'm Achilles." He sat down once more and nodded at her entry markings, "A bit much for being welcomed into the pack, I only received a single scar across my chest." He narrowed his eyes slightly, "Who brought you through the maze?" Their scent had left Carissi's fur and he was curious who might see fit to maul a willing entrant so.

|☠| oukoku-kai |☠|
the banshee & bondless

"Fear and greed are potent motivators. When both forces push in the same direction, virtually no (human) being can resist."
-Andrew Weil

He replied, a curt and to the point word, a correction that she didn't recognize. For a moment the Bacchus allowed her brow to furrow before she expressed her confusion at the term, "Seour? I apologize, I'm not familiar with that... rank? title? I have not been here long at all." The Bacchus woman shifted slightly, uneasy with feeling so in the dark to who she was dealing with. Obviously his title-rank-designation-whatever was important enough that he felt the need to correct her calling him sir, which was sickening enough. The Bondless fought hard to keep from curling her lips in disgust but she steadied herself and eyed the dark colored stranger. Tall furry ears were still in the wind, only a slight breeze moving the thick fur in the lean ears.

The man was disinterested in her, Carissi might have taken insult if she was a different woman in a different valley. A tongue lapped against a canine tight against the inside of her mouth. But she listened, picking lightly at the fish, musing over it's scales as he talked blandly about a sibling. Oh Carissi knew the feeling, thoughts trickled to her sister and her sad little brother. The siblings that didn't meet mother's mark; not that it was such a positive test to pass. A gift. The woman would grin and nod, "I'll consider it an honor." She sifted past the way he spoke of his brother, Carissi didn't much care for his family drama, her own was mundane enough. Family drama was ultimately boring and mostly the same despite all the cultural differences.

A grumble, or what it a hum, a haw? Carissi didn't know, but he made a noise and then edged in closer. Whatever fear she might have had to have a "valley wolf" in such close proximity was dissipated by an intense sense of pride in her appearance. The woman did not puff but she sat still during her inspection by the dark man, one of the few she'd encountered so far that was larger than she. Achilles he finally introduced himself, 'Achilles, Seour' whatever that is, trying to click that tidbit into memory. He was not haughty though and she appreciated it. The 'Seour' was interested in her scars, blue eyes flicked down to them and she had not considered them too much. They were there, nothing more? What interested her was that he had received them, he was not a valley born? Probably why he wasn't acting like a little shit like that child she'd met, Feizin was it?

Curiosity seemed to run wild and she smiled at him, was it overkill? "Gigantea," that was what the strange little woman was called right? Some sort of little Goddess? "We met in the neutrals during the war. I returned to the Valley with her. Have not seen her since though, I suppose as a... Rosa? she is busy?" She knew so little of the can of worms. Perhaps Achilles would enlighten her?

Oh, she was very new it seemed, he was suddenly a lot more intrigued by the prospect of a wolf fresh out of the Maze.

He finished his inspection before listening, more carefully than he might have had she been any other wolf of the Valley. His ear flicked at the sound of the White's name, the god child. Achilles ran a tongue along his maw, thinking about her situation now that he knew a little more about her. "A heathen, saved by the grace of a Goddess." He smirked softly, it was less a grace and more a sickness maybe? Still she'd been saved all the same and lucky for her, she wasn't a slave. "Gigantea, the White, is one of the three Rosa, living Gods of Oukoku-Kai," He motioned to the land around them. "Chinensis, the Red Rose and Foetida, the Yellow Rose." He smiled after saying the name of the third for she brought him true happiness in this home of theirs. "I am Foetida's Seour."

He frowned softly, it had been a while since he'd been outside, the words heathens used to describe structure had begun to fade. He lifted a paw and rolled it as if to turn gears, then set it down, "Beta, yes, I am second to the Yellow Rosa."

He tilted his head and thought about Gigantea's habits, eyes narrowing while he thought about the youngest Rose. "Mmmm...perhaps She is busy, perhaps She is resting, could still mean busy if you didn't want new scars." He shrugs, "Unless you are favored, i hear she has many favored Citizens." If you were interesting enough, maybe it was just that easy for the child god, maybe it was more than that? He wasn't sure and he gave the White a wide berth. "Either way you are a free Citizen and I welcome you to the Valley." He nodded to her, a formal greeting now that they more or less knew each other. "Had you found the Maze yourself, you might have been greeted by one of the Boshin, our Maze guardians, and received the proper singular scar." He tilted his head, "Provided you impressed them."

He motioned to her, "You would be called Bondless as of now, a Citizen with no Bond is encouraged to find one quickly so they may [b]fulfill their potential and rise to their purpose[/b]." He smiled fondly, thinking of his own bonds. "Bonding is sacred among the People of the Valley, a false bond can help you find your path and lead you to your True Bond, a Bond by blood." It spoke to loyalty, dedication and commitment, at least that was how he saw it. Others saw it as a tool, something to be used, abused and even discarded. "Sometimes the bonding is willing, others it is forced."

He decided to allow her a moment; to digest, to process and ask questions if she had any.

|☠| oukoku-kai |☠|
the banshee & bondless

"Fear and greed are potent motivators. When both forces push in the same direction, virtually no (human) being can resist."
-Andrew Weil

The recognition of the little heathen Goddess' name brought interest to Carissi. He knew, but his expression was guarded, she couldn't read his opinion on the girl or his relation to her either. He licked the edges of his mouth a bit and the Bondless offered a cool visage in return. A heathen. Oh she'd heard it before, it was a lovely title, made her feel like the big bad monster creeping out from under the beds of the weak minded to give them a scare; truly aghast. Saved by the grace of the little lamb, an interesting creature assuredly but the newcomer wasn't sure grace was the appropriate term. None the less she smiled back to Achilles, toenails pinned down so tight onto the tail of the fish that they had pierced it and were silently scraping the ground beneath. Gigantea, the White was a God, this she knew. That there were three she did not; if Achilles had a single observation bone in his body he would see the bit of surprise that pulled onto her face when he spoke of a triumvirate. What could he expect though really? Anamelech had a reputation to uphold.

Chinensis, the Red, Foetida, the Yellow, to go with Gigantea, the White; Rosas. Color coded, cute. It would be a struggle to remember all these strange new words and titles, but she would do her best seeing as mother didn't raise a failure. Thoughts of her mother eventually made her nose twitch just a second, but she looked back at the Seour spoke. Foetida's Seour. A possession of the God? Whatever it was it was special, and it seemed to be specific. The man seemed confused for a moment but eventually seemed to find the word he was looking for, 'Beta'. Second in command, second only to the Gods? What a place to be... The Bacchus mix nodded appreciatively to Achilles and offered her best, albeit not that great, curtsy to the man. "So if Foetida has a Seour, do all the Rosa's then? Stands to reason you might not be so specific if there was not respective Seour for all three?" Her tone was cautious, but genuine, learning the ranking system and the culture was important to surviving here and Carissi recognized in Achilles a chance to receive this information. So far without any discernible deception or anger.

His comments about Gigantea-- Sch-something she'd have to recall if she didn't just call her "little lamb" some more-- made her curious. Favored? It sounded nice, to be in the favor of one of the Valley's false God's, especially if the people here didn't see them as false Gods. But how did she know? "I am not sure I would know if I was favored or not... Perhaps because I am still ignorant of this culture? One would hope they were a favored citizen though I assume." She offered Achilles a wry grin while returning his nod and tried to shift into a slightly more comfortable position. Blue eyes still on this Seour. The maze, he mentioned it and her mind flashed back to following the entrancing little woman back through it. Maze was a thoroughly appropriate term, and Carissi got the feeling that the Valley wolves were quite thankful for it's presence. Boshin, another strange word, one she might forget if she prioritized remembering the Rosas (Carissi had the distinct feeling that information was more important to have on a quick recall).

Finally he moved into what exactly she was, a Bondless. Sounded so plain and sad, listless location for the new little heathens. Regardless, she nodded in understanding of her title and what it meant. So it seemed that Achilles had been extremely useful to her, if Carissi believed in all this religious nonsense she might think the stars had aligned to bring her this knowledge. She now had the next step in her plan to start climbing up the Valley's ladder, once she learned the culture-- or perhaps while-- she also needed to find a Bond. A very important step, a very sacred step. What interested her was his final statement, not all bonds were consent it seemed. The newcomer allowed this information to seep in, brain recalculating her moves like a GPS on a long trip full of road closures. "So how does one go about trying to find a bond?" Early bird gets the worm, and Carissi is eager to get moving.