[Weiss]

With winter on the horizon making itself known with the chill in the air and darkening afternoons, Weiss knew that she was living on the borrowed time that the unusually warm autumn had granted her. Soon enough she'd change from the outwardly enthusiastic girl into one secretive and nocturnal who played her cards much closer to her chest, but for now she had to grasp the opportunity that was left in the vacuum of the Emissary's absence to do what she could in order to strengthen the pack. To do what she could to make sure that something like the war that had destroyed lives and families would never happen again. Paws still slate from the activated melanin allowed the wraith to shift between trees towering despite how some lacked chunks of bark, ears pointed forwards as she made her way across ground washed clean by the summer rains of the blood staining it. She chose the Meeting Grounds, a place she could sit among her peers instead of above them, and called with that soft, eerie howl of hers once she had settled in the center with her tail curved loosely around her flank.

She waited for those either invited or curious enough to join, and then she began.

"I'd like to challenge Blaise for his position as Emissary," Bicolored eyes in that foxish face glinted as she raised her chin and shifted her shoulders out ever so slightly, projecting a calm sort of confidence that came with mulling over this decision for a long time now. It had taken a lot of introspection to find that she was perhaps capable of this position despite the emotional and physical setbacks she experienced with the seasons like it was clockwork, but she had found that she could do it if she just set her mind to it. That they didn't have to define her if she did not let them. "He was absent when Inaria needed him most, slacked in his duties in our darkest hour. Perhaps he even left us weaker than we should have been as we were without information he should have provided for us." She nodded to those gathered as she outlined her points, meeting eyes with those who left them receptive with none of the frailty they might see in her frame. "I however was not."

She bowed her head as she began to speak her next words, her gaze drifting down to legs still patchy as the fur ripped from torn flesh still tried to grow back, but her eyes soon slipped shut from the memories. "Even though I'm not the strongest by any means, I still fought for my country. I was due for the caravan to Nardir, but when I found that I had lost my way I stood my ground and did whatever I could to defend Inaria. I have the scars under my pelt to prove my claims if there are any doubts." Weiss nodded again as she laid down her defense, but the roll she had garnered with her words allowing that strength in her chest to blossom once more. Her eyes then opened to meet those of the people around her unflinchingly if they dared to judge her character and her efforts. "I also volunteered to lead a group into Alteron even though we were still healing to thank them for their words of warning, to strengthen our alliance with gifts and goods, and to invite their children over to our land to teach them about our values and who we are as Inarians."

Weiss stood before them all- her heart, her ambition, and her love for them all laid bare, and accepted their slings and arrows.

"I'd like the opportunity to continue to prove that I am capable of such duties."

Blaise will have one week to respond before this challenge ends in favour of Weiss.

Gin had a lot on his mind.

It was a bit of an unusual thing for the young adult. Normally he paraded throughout the pack lands with an air of relaxation that most weren't able to carry. He had a grin on his face for anyone who cared to look in his direction, and honestly he often filled his time just moseying around the place. But nowadays he spent it poking around to those who were interested in becoming Pages like himself. With Blaise having up and left the seat empty, he took it upon himself to fill it in spirit and get things organized. Despite his confidence in his job (and he had plenty of that!), he knew doing the missions by himself left a lot of blank spots.

Which was mostly why the howl took him by surprise. A wolf he didn't recognize, asking for Blaise? Had they not caught up to the news yet? Perked ears listened for a moment even after the cry died down, searching perhaps for an answering call from his mentor. It made him unexpectedly nervous, something he shook off and ignored. "Better go see what's up," he commented to a bird perched nearby. The bird tilted his head and peered at the wolf. Okay fine, so Gin was talking to himself. That wasn't a bad thing!

Right?

He appeared at the Meeting Grounds, finding a female who looked a lot like Haylyn the ex-leader of Inaria. At first he thought it WAS her, but then stopped himself short when noticing it wasn't. Instead he raised a brow at the girl just before she began to speak. "I'd like to challenge Blaise for his position as Emissary." If he had been drinking out of a cup, he would have spurted his drink everywhere, choking on it. As it were, Gin's jaw merely dropped in uncovered surprise. You'd like to what, exactly???

"He was absent when Inaria needed him most, slacked in his duties in our darkest hour. Perhaps he even left us weaker than we should have been as we were without information he should have provided for us. I however was not." Very grand and all, but did she know the first thing about being a Page, let alone an Emissary? Was she aware of the political stances Inaria had with the rest of the world? Not for nothing, but Gin had been working hard! It wasn't that he wanted the position... he wasn't exactly jumping at the chance for it. But he didn't know this female, let alone what knowledge she had to lead them.

The girl had more to say, so he politely listened. But on the inside he was bursting with questions for the wolf whose name he didn't even know. "Even though I'm not the strongest by any means, I still fought for my country. I was due for the caravan to Nardir, but when I found that I had lost my way I stood my ground and did whatever I could to defend Inaria. I have the scars under my pelt to prove my claims if there are any doubts. I also volunteered to lead a group into Alteron even though we were still healing to thank them for their words of warning, to strengthen our alliance with gifts and goods, and to invite their children over to our land to teach them about our values and who we are as Inarians. I'd like the opportunity to continue to prove that I am capable of such duties." Gin didn't know who else would show up, but he was solely focused on this proclaimed wolf who wanted Blaise's position. And if she won it, fine by him.

But he was going to make sure he had his say, first.

"Excuse me," he said, stepping forward out of the (possible?) crowd that formed. Taking bold steps, assertion gained from experience on the road outside of Inaria's borders, he stood in front of the gray girl without an ounce of hostility. No, he was here to merely poke and prod at her case. Be the devil's advocate, if you will. If you knew the job of Page well enough, this wouldn't come as a surprise. "My name is Ginsuisei. Ya can call me Gin, though. I have been a Page, working under Emissary Blaise for a good long time now." He gave a small smile, nostalgic of those days where he pestered the older man for all of his knowledge. "I mean no offense in standing before you, but I have to ask. By what means do you plan on being our leader?" In a motion mirroring his mother, he tilted his head.

"I didn't see you at the Page recruitment. And as far as I know, before the recruitment, I was basically the one and only Page serving Inaria to deliver messages and knowledge to our allies. In other words... I have never seen you before. I don't even know your name." He wasn't trying to be mean, or discourage her. Quite the opposite -- he wanted more faces to his rank and his co-workers. But he didn't want her to fall flat on her face when it came to really take on the job and the responsibilities on her shoulders. "Why should I be offering my loyalties to you?" It might sound rude, but this was the most serious Gin had been in a long while (other than on missions to other packs). He really wanted to know. "Why should I follow someone who steps up to take a leadership position after a single group mission to an allied pack -- and prior to that, has only been a whisper in the wind, never seen and only sometimes heard?" Gin was definitely a fun guy -- but mess with his job, and he was more serious than anyone you had ever seen before.

He heard a summons for a name he recognized as being the one he was supposed to have delivered his other message to so since it was still waiting to be delivered he headed towards the call in the hopes he would finally be able to dispense with his last task. When he arrived he found a young female and Gin, the one from his ranking as a Page and more specifically the one who had been in charge of the recruitment, already there. Shortly the female began speaking and it turned out she was challenging this Blaise for his rank and well implying that he was at fault for the war. Serious accusations indeed even if they were uncertain and mostly implied but he of course was perhaps a bit too new to know. He listened as she spoke though about fighting in the war which was an interesting thing to say for qualifications to be a..whatever the Emissary rank was since well alot of wolves, himself included, had also been in the war and taken part. Of course he didn't think that was reason to discount her as a leader but..even leaders of fighting ranks needed to be able to do more than just fight in order to lead and so he wondered what other qualifications she had but was rather hesitant to say anything in case there was more that those who were not new to Inaria were already aware of concerning the girl.

Once she finished however and Gin began to speak he he began to wonder more and more about the girl's qualifications as he nodded in agreement with his recruiter. He knew what happened if you were inexperienced in a rank like this, he'd lived it after all so he was rather interested to hear her answers as well especially since from what Gin had said the Emissary was the lead diplomat and her remarks about fighting in the war being her chief qualification were..actually rather offensive. Of course they'd been offensive even before he had known that the Emissary was the lead diplomat but now that he did know his thought was that her phrasing, even if she hadn't done so intentionally, still sounded as if she thought she was better than those she would be leading..as if her sacrifices were the only ones that were important which if she did that on a diplomatic trip well..it would hardly be very diplomatic and was more likely to cause one of the very issues they were supposed to solve and prevent and having a leader that could not do so that was supposed to train the others well..he didn't know how well that would work.

It made very interested in what her answers to Gin's very valid points and questions, at least in his opinion, were going to be while he wondered whether he could or should add his own observations or whether he even had the right to seeing as he was not a native Inarian and thus was not familiar at all really with how the politics within Inaria worked. Of course he supposed he could ask Gin for permission to address anything if he wished to do so but part of being a diplomat was about waiting before responding and of course being prepared in case things didn't quite go in your favor so..for now that was what he would do. He would wait and listen to how the girl answered first before he decided on whether or not to attempt to gain permission to speak to her himself.

(ooc: Dali ahoy. Unless any questions need to be directed at him, he's just gonna go ahead and watch so skip him if need be.)

There was bound to be discourse sooner or later.

Inaria had been in a state of euphoria since the war had ended, and things had become somewhat inactive and laid-back. Although Dali was a stranger to pack politics, he could not deny that the ranks had also grown rather inactive themselves. It was not that he minded, he was a lazy hound at heart and was more than happy to lay about in the sun all day and eat berries. But he knew that this could not go on forever. Inaria needed energy, it needed a spark.

Or perhaps a gust, which appeared in the form of this ghost child.

He arrived just as the girl finished her explanation for her summons. For her challenge. Dali's blue eyes gleamed with curiosity as he stood with both Gin and Aeolus, stick-like tail wagging socially at being surrounded by familiar faces.

"Even though I'm not the strongest by any means, I still fought for my country. I was due for the caravan to Nardir, but when I found that I had lost my way I stood my ground and did whatever I could to defend Inaria. I have the scars under my pelt to prove my claims if there are any doubts. I also volunteered to lead a group into Alteron even though we were still healing to thank them for their words of warning, to strengthen our alliance with gifts and goods, and to invite their children over to our land to teach them about our values and who we are as Inarians."

Now Dali was hardly in any position to question or lecture somebody on their work ethic, so he only watched as Gin did it for him. He had to agree with some of the red boy's points. He had never seen this girl at the recruitment. However, he had not seen this so-called Emissary either. He was too chicken to make this point and, besides, Gin was on a roll with this. If the girl responded in a way that was deemed... persuasive, then she was more than adequate for the position. In Dali's opinion, anyway.

After all, they had been taught that words were powerful things.

"I didn't see you at the Page recruitment. And as far as I know, before the recruitment, I was basically the one and only Page serving Inaria to deliver messages and knowledge to our allies. In other words... I have never seen you before. I don't even know your name. Why should I be offering my loyalties to you? Why should I follow someone who steps up to take a leadership position after a single group mission to an allied pack -- and prior to that, has only been a whisper in the wind, never seen and only sometimes heard?"

Dali only glanced between the two wolves, waiting for the challenger's answer. His smile only gave away one emotion: anticipation.

This was going to be good.

The blooms of summer had floated down to the soil and the water, rustling westwards in the breeze to the ocean. The autumn was mild and sunny, and the lilac petals littered every walkway after tumbling from the dying stems and branches. Beams of light broke through the gentle canopy of green and yellow. The queen herself was like solidified daylight in this ambiance. Her pelt glittered. Her wounds had mostly healed - only a long, bright red scab across her belly remained.

It had been a great while since there had been a challenge for rank in Inaria. During the war, rank hadn't meant much - the Saborans killed the unranked and the nobility alike. But now they were recovering, and that meant reorganizing. Haven had come to expect this. It had only been a matter of time.

She came to the meeting place with a reserved curiosity. Weiss had grown into herself a bit, and so had Gin. The golden wolf had heard Weiss's challenge, and Gin's rebuttal, and now approached them both calmly before sitting immediately before them both. Alright then. It's time to sort it out.

The queen only examined them both for a moment. Then, she looked to Weiss and gave a firm but gentle nod of the head, promising nothing to anyone, yet. Well, go ahead and answer him. Some challenges are with teeth, but these were diplomats, so it'd probably be best if they used their words.

[size=undefined][ all of the individuals mentioned in the war have been given the all-clear from their players as the planned threads never finished! ][/size]

---

[size=undefined]Bi-colored eyes watched as they filed in one at a time. It was an acceptable turnout, several of the new announced pages making themselves known with differing degrees of suspicion and cheer, and Weiss gave the queen herself a respectful nod when she answered the summons. But more than her presence it was the crimson boy’s that preceded them all that had her on edge, his tough questions and seriousness enough to give her pause as the crowd settled into their seats. But Haven’s nod was enough to soothe the nerves stirring in her belly, and she was quick to take advantage in the lull in her anxiety the sight provided.

”Guidance and change,” she said simply in reply to what he asked where her intentions as the head of the rank. ”Blaise has been missing for months now, hide nor hair seen of him since his children were very young. Inaria’s lacked eyes and ears on the outside for a while, and it’s left us vulnerable to the teeth of those Saborans,” she nearly spits with an ugly wrinkle of that maw. It was personal what those monsters had done to both her and her home, and she began to get fired up at the thought of rivers still poisoned with bloated remnants of corpses- the feeling of her own flesh being ripped from her bones like a common meal. ”Our friendships with Alteron, Nardir, this Gemini blossom with the outreach we made after the war, yes- but what of Tortuga? Tjenu?” Brow furrowed as her posture began to straighten, her head held high as she addressed her peers and asked some questions they might find difficult not to bristle at. ”Why we hadn’t heard of these wolves from the jungle earlier so there was time to prepare our defenses, time enough to perhaps diffuse the situation before it escalated into this? They were a known threat to some of those we call friends, so why were we left in the dark? Why did all but Nardir leave us without the helping hand they promised us in wartime? It’s unacceptable.”

She took a moment to breathe, to let them digest her speech and to allow herself some time to regroup. The corner of her mouth turned down as she next looked for the words to address Ginsuisei’s more personal attacks, words she found quite frankly rash and distasteful for someone who claimed to have as much experience as he did, and she knew she had to say something even if he used the excuse of them coming from a place raw and hurting. ”It’s interesting what you say about my character for someone who claims to have never seen or heard of me before.” Because devil’s advocate was one thing, but outright insulting someone was another. ”I trained under Emissary Blaise at a young age, though I fell very ill before I was able to make the rank of Page. I was tutored from then on by Merope as I was unable to recover for a long time, but she has since passed.” Bi-colored eyes squeeze shut at the pain of the memory, a fault in that armor she had wrapped tightly around herself, and her prickly demeanor from his prodding eased with her sigh. There were no hard feelings for the red wolf, she was nowhere near perfect herself. ”But if your concerns are about the illness and the recovery process, I’d prefer to speak in private about that. It has no bearing on any of this, and I’d be happy to answer them.”

Her look softened further after a moment of introspection, the whirlwind of the last few months hard to sort through in her memory, and she finally turned her attention to the golden woman before her. ”I did not attend the Page recruitment because I was not able to, as I had been badly injured in the war and held by the Infirmary for a long while. Collette, Brace, and Luxord were able to pull me from the two-” trying to rip my limbs from their sockets my eyes from my face my tongue from my mouth ”Attacking me just before they had a chance to kill me.” She swallowed, the noise loud in her ears, but it hardly drowned out the white noise drumming through her skull at the memory of her grandfather- her best friend falling to a blow meant to finish her. ”Luxord… Luxord is unable to verify my claims as is Brace, but Collette and Xenia both can.”

She was quiet with her next words, each syllable cradled close to her chest like a bird in thin hands as she tried not to shake. ”I helped him find peace I think.” It was hard not to feel responsible for their deaths, hard not to feel like everyone she touched was cursed to leave her alone. But Weiss tried to shove down those ever present thoughts, blinking harshly in the soft light as she pulled herself together. ”But just as I helped one of our long-standing exiles find peace and family in a home that once banished him for crimes against the crown that he did not commit, initiative needs to be taken if Inaria ever hopes to be strong again. Though It needs to come from all of us, not just one person.”

”We are one of the oldest empires in this region and together we were once a force to be reckoned with.” She nodded and stood tall as she looked all of them one by one in the eye, her gaze falling on the queen once more. ”All it takes is some work from its people and we can be again.”[/size]

Words were indeed a powerful thing, and Gin was aware of that. It was one of the first lessons taught to him by Blaise, and his own mother had also made emphasis on that. Teeth and claws only got you so far in certain situations. It was why they had these ranks in the first place. And as he stood here now, that became even more apparent than ever. Even though he was focused on the female who would claim to take Blaise's title, he was still aware of others coming in and presenting themselves for this challenge. Namely the two others who were promoted to Page by yours truly. It made him smile to see Dali and Aeolus standing by him.

But what made his orange eyes widen was when the Queen herself entered the ring. When he had finished his speech, he looked to the golden ruler of Inaria and turned to her to bow in respect. "Queen Haven, milady, it is an honor!" he spoke, lowering his nose to the ground and bowing his body. Gin wasn't a groveler by any means, but he was very peculiar about portraying respect to the proper authorities. As he straightened himself, she gave them a nod as though handing permission to continue. Oh boy, Queen Haven herself was turning over the reigns to Gin on this one. No pressure!

He turned back to the challenger, orange eyes steadily gazing at the one he directed his questions towards. "Guidance and change." The first two proposals tossed to him by the challenger. Of which he still didn't know her name. "Blaise has been missing for months now, hide nor hair seen of him since his children were very young. Inaria’s lacked eyes and ears on the outside for a while, and it’s left us vulnerable to the teeth of those Saborans." Yes, we were vulnerable. As much as Gin didn't like it, it was true. "Our friendships with Alteron, Nardir, this Gemini blossom with the outreach we made after the war, yes- but what of Tortuga? Tjenu?" Hm, so she had knowledge of the alliances bonded between Inaria and other packs. This was good in Gin's eyes.

"Why we hadn’t heard of these wolves from the jungle earlier so there was time to prepare our defenses, time enough to perhaps diffuse the situation before it escalated into this? They were a known threat to some of those we call friends, so why were we left in the dark? Why did all but Nardir leave us without the helping hand they promised us in wartime? It’s unacceptable." Something to think about. Gin's gaze flickered to their Queen, who no doubt had some of these questions herself. Who else would wonder about their alliances than their own leaders? They had sworn loyalty to these packs, only to get nothing in return. It was something to maybe bring up to whomever the Emissary would be -- even if it's this gray female who boldly questioned just as Gin did.

But there was more. There were plenty of Gin's questions to answer. "It’s interesting what you say about my character for someone who claims to have never seen or heard of me before." An ear perked at those words as he returned his gaze to the challenger. "I trained under Emissary Blaise at a young age, though I fell very ill before I was able to make the rank of Page. I was tutored from then on by Merope as I was unable to recover for a long time, but she has since passed. But if your concerns are about the illness and the recovery process, I’d prefer to speak in private about that. It has no bearing on any of this, and I’d be happy to answer them." Illness would be something to overcome, but would it hinder her process now in being an Emissary? "I did not attend the Page recruitment because I was not able to, as I had been badly injured in the war and held by the Infirmary for a long while. Collette, Brace, and Luxord were able to pull me from the two- Attacking me just before they had a chance to kill me. Luxord… Luxord is unable to verify my claims as is Brace, but Collette and Xenia both can." A lot of sadness, but sadness also shared by many other Inarians. Gin and his own mother had suffered a loss as well.

"I helped him find peace I think. But just as I helped one of our long-standing exiles find peace and family in a home that once banished him for crimes against the crown that he did not commit, initiative needs to be taken if Inaria ever hopes to be strong again. Though It needs to come from all of us, not just one person. We are one of the oldest empires in this region and together we were once a force to be reckoned with. All it takes is some work from its people and we can be again."

And she finally remained silent.

There were a lot of words to digest, but Gin had listened to it all. He took in her words, chewed on them, and swallowed them as they came at him. Meant to be counter arguments, but in all honesty it was simply very grandiose words. He was also silent for a moment or two, a thoughtful gaze settling on him. The seconds ticked by for a minute, until he turned a soft gaze to his opponent. "I'm sorry for your loss," he offered suddenly, a sympathetic gaze on his face. He wasn't a monster, after all. Gin wasn't blind to the losses suffered in the war. He had lost an adopted sister, almost lost a blood sister, and nearly lost his mother. But he wasn't here to focus on that now, and he wasn't going to toss that on the table as a comparison of pain. "And I really never have met you before. Only another wolf who I can only assume is your mother, who went to the Page recruitment. Haylyn." She wasn't here now, which was interesting as well. "Can I please have a name to call you by?" Gin had given his own name a while back, so he knew she had that already.

"I don't feel it necessary to validate your claims of what transpired during the war. That would be an insult to those who fought in it, and died because of it." Gin wasn't here to prove that she was honest. That should be on her own mind and in her own efforts. "My only point here is to have reassurance that you will not falter as well in the line of duty out of unfamiliarity with the rank and it's workings." And that was really all he was here to do. One of the last things he was here to do was toss insults like pups, or to judge a book by its cover. "No one here can deny that Blaise has not been around in a very long time." As much pain as that caused him to say. He admired the older man.

But things had to be said, even if they were distasteful. It was part of the job. "And you have very good points about our allies. I'm sure the Queen herself has thought of these things as well. But pointing out things that have gone wrong in the process of this war and what led up to it does not tell me what you intend to do to fix all of this. To make this better. To ensure history does not repeat itself." Pointing out the flaws of others only distracts the spotlight from remaining on you, the leader. "As the Emissary, how do you plan on guiding us Pages so that we don't wander into unwanted territory and cause another war like the one we just had?" That was only Round 1, my friend.

[size=undefined]Gavin had walked in rather late, but curiosity had taken hold of the gangly boy, and when he approached- he heard... arguing? Something of the sort. He would stand nearby and listen, his ears perked and golden eyes wide. Even Queen Haven was there, so it must have been something important. He was unfamiliar with the others, besides vaguely Weiss. He remembered her from their trip to Alteron. Even then, he still knew not much of her.

”Blaise has been missing for months now, hide nor hair seen of him since his children were very young. Inaria’s lacked eyes and ears on the outside for a while, and it’s left us vulnerable to the teeth of those Saborans,”

The happy teen's demeanor suddenly shifted- and quite rapidly at that. His ears drooped and his eyes brimmed with sadness. He could feel teeth grip onto his heart and twist sickeningly, aiming to dislodge it from it's very plugs. He had thought about his missing parents, of course, and most of the time with horrible sadness- but it was now that it only sank in that... maybe his father, his mother... maybe neither of them were coming back? He could feel his throat close as he swallowed mucus, attempting to hold back any sort of tears. He assumed this had something to do with his father's important position, and with that... he stayed, and he listened, quietly.

The grey-lady and the red-man talked back and forth for awhile, laying their opinions bare. Gavin didn't know what to say, if he had anything important to say. This was something important.

"No one here can deny that Blaise has not been around in a very long time."

He swallowed hard once again, gritting his teeth and glancing to the ground for a moment. He doubted anyone was looking at him, or even knew he was there with his silent approach, but he nodded. It hurt him to not stand up and defend his father- to be able to tell them that his father was the best at what he did, and maybe, maybe he was just out and he got lost. Maybe he needed help. Maybe they... they could...

"Will... will you look for him?"[/size]

He had seen the golden one around during the war and had an idea of who she was but the confirmation that Gin provided was still nice to have. He wasn't quite sure what measure to take as far as addressing the fact that the queen was here as not all leaders liked to be greeted in the same form and fashion as he had already experienced once before but as soon as Gin began to slope into a formal bow, he followed suit making a mental note that full formal procedures seemed to be, or might be, Queen Haven's preferred method of things rather than more casual and informal ones. Once procedure had been taken care of, with a nod from the queen to continue he listened. He took in all that the one before them had to say but did not speak as yet even though he had heard things that he did not think were such as could be brushed off as unimportant. He listened to Gin next to see if he might address those things which he believed needed to be addressed and while he did not hear any direct address of things he did hear another that had managed to slip his notice, not that it was any great surprise since he usually forgot himself until after he had started himself but still..names were a good starting point.

When Gin seemed the have finally concluded his own speech, addressing things that had occurred to him as well he supposed it was time for him to step in. Before he began he noted another arriving late to things but as the younger individual had not spoken at present he went on. "You say that your illness has no bearing on this meeting but if your illness was so severe that it took so long to recover from then might it not at some point prevent you from being able to fulfill your duties as Emissary and if that were to occur might not Inaria find itself in the same position as now once again?". As much as she wished to keep matters private the thing was such a thing could not be kept private and was really bound to come out eventually just as his own past was sure to come to light, again, at some point and when it did..well..the border patrol had been willing to accept him even after he'd been told but..he didn't know how others would react to the knowledge of his past.

As soon as he was done, at least for now, in addressing his own concerns the late arrival spoke up and asked a question that he could not answer so he simply looked from the boy to the Queen to the one challenging for the Emmisary rank to see if either of them had an answer.

((and short reply is short..sorry! Didn't want to hold this up but haven't been feeling to great lately so muse is kinda lacking right now))

hey just checking in to see if it was okay if i just continue this along

((yes please can we just skip over Haven for now and let the challenge continue))

Weiss looked so similar to her mother. So similar to that bitch Haylyn, thinking the name made him want to spit venom. The only person he hated more than her was Cappella. Cappella was the one had come to his home hoping to rip Kita's throat out. Blaise had defended her of course and Kita spoken up for herself and yet Haylyn had somehow decided Kita was in the wrong. Where one would normally have expected and apology for the brats violent and malicious behaviour at the very least, there was none, no admission of any wrong doing, the exact opposite in fact; Haylyn had kicked Kita to the curb without a moment’s thought, stripping her of her rank, ignoring her years of friendship, dedication and service. She had broken Kita’s heart in that moment and worse still had decided to make it a public humiliation just because that’s the petty and entitled kind of person Haylyn was. Kita had never been the same since. Blaise had no doubt that was part of what was killing her now and would never forgive Haylyn for it.

Now it seemed it was his turn to be dragged through the mud by that same family. A surprise retirement party, lucky him!

Blaise leaned against a trunk in the shadow of the trees, letting Weiss words and allegations wash over him even as he felt his heart clenching in his chest. Plenty were true and he could not deny them, and yet the tone rang with the same dismissive entitlement that Haylyn's had. It seemed in her opinion the blame for very war and every death in it could be squarely placed at his feet; no fault lay with her or anyone else of course, that would not have fitted half so nicely into her rhetoric and denial. She stank of the same martyred-do-gooder bile that Haylyn's always had and it made him sick. He heard Gin's voice speaking up in protest and smiled at that, Gin was asking all the right questions and phrasing them perfectly; he rebutted points politely but firmly and offered no insults even when Weiss was clearly baiting him for them. Good lad. That's exactly what Blaise had taught him and he felt a surge of pride. It was all well and good Weiss trying to brow beat them all with her more-valiant-war-hero-than-you-so-kiss-my-ass narrative but the fact she had gotten into a fight at all hinted at her unsuitability for the job and Gin knew it as well as he did.

He would have slipped away and left them all to bicker were it not for Gavin's plaintive question. His stomach dropped, oh Gavin... He had not been the father he had wished to his children, ever since Kita's health had taken a turn for the worse he had wanted to protect them from the reality of it, hide the pain it would cause them... Hide it from himself as well. Of course it wasn't possible, all he caused was different kind of pain and he knew it now... But how would he explain that their own mother might not know them even if she saw them? Still he could not ignore him, it was for him he steeled himself and stepped out from the shadows to confront his accuser.

"I trained Gin myself," Blaise said as he stepped shakily out from the darkness, pride evident in his voice, though he was unsure if he was doing his protégé a favour or a disservice by associating with him at this moment. "He is as good as I ever was at my best, better even. If you are looking for a leader, look to him." Blaise added as he leveled his gaze at the assembled group of vultures come to pick over his bones and stood tall, shoulders back and chest out, even as it pained him and his failing heart stuttered in protest. Anyone who had known him before would see the he was not what he once was, time had caught him up at last. "As I recall you never turned up to any of your lessons." He said to Weiss. "I have scars too. Too many and too old to count. They are from tooth, claw and saber," His days of service went further back than the first breath of most of those before him lest they forget it. "I have scars you can't even see from the things I have seen and done in service of this pack." There was no malice in his voice just bared and ugly disappointment directed at all of them. "But your family have a short memories don't they?" He smiled sadly, this time his eyes resting only on Weiss. "Heap the blame on me all you like but it won’t absolve you." He spat. Like mother like daughter.

"Take her if you want her." He said to the rest of them, he was too old and tired to care if they thought him rude, Haven included. What were they going to do take his rank? Ha! "I don't contest your challenge. You can have it and you are welcome to it." He looked Weiss up and down with his clouded and fading golden eyes. "Perhaps when you are old, after years of pain and service some bright young thing will show you how grateful they are by turning up and loudly assassinating your character while conveniently forgetting all the things you've done?" He suggested, one eye brow raised at her. He turned his back then, deaf to whatever insults she had lined up for him. She might even spring for him, deciding to make this a physical challenge after all but he didn't care. Would she savage a frail old man? Well, he wouldn’t put her past it, Inaria had plenty of ugliness hidden in its outwardly so perfect and noble soul. Even if she killed him what would that rob him of? Days? Weeks? Kita was fading fast and he knew when she went he would be quick to follow, he might even beat her there...

Without looking back he rested his eyes on Gavin moved towards him, placing himself protectively between him and Weiss in case she did decide to attack, and smiled fondly, but ruefully, down at him. "Come on, kiddo." He said softly, "Let's go. We aren't wanted here." They had much to talk about. He had so many painful things to explain and such a short amount of time to do it in.

[Weiss]

[Hello no more people posting in this until I do please (unless you are Haven)!]

[Haven]

"Queen Haven, milady, it is an honor!" Gin greeted her, and the queen gave only a nod, acknowledging him - he had done good work after all, and had every right to be invested in the outcome of this. Still, the pair of them would have to solve this conflict among themselves. The queen listened, her yellow gaze stern but otherwise unreadable. She herself had never enjoyed smalltalk - but this wasn't smalltalk, really. This was business. She let all their words wash over her, weighing them. 

First Weiss tried to explain herself, her absences: illness, war. The queen could not hold the war against anyone in the pack, that had been her failing, not theirs. However, illness was a concern - a head emissary needed a stable enough constitution to perform their duties. Should Weiss not be able to meet those demands...it would prove a major failing in the rank. Still, she had done good work during and after the war. The mention of Luxord was noted with the slight narrowing of an eye. The wolf was an exile, yes, and with good reason he had stayed an exile. Did Weiss know that it had been Haven who demanded the wolf leave their borders after meeting with his daughter? Haylyn had been much younger then, and Haven doubted Weiss understood. 

In the end, it was no matter. At least one of Inaria's accused kingslayers was dead. Haven would have rather he lived and the other die, but even Luxord surely would have to admit that the dice fall where they may and we are not always so lucky. 

Weiss concluded her argument, hoping for a better future for Inaria. It was a strong enough finish, and spoken eloquently. The girl took after her mother. 

"I'm sorry for your loss," Gin began, responding to Weiss politely. "And I really never have met you before. Only another wolf who I can only assume is your mother, who went to the Page recruitment. Haylyn. Can I please have a name to call you by?" That was fair enough. She'd leave the reply to the girl. "I don't feel it necessary to validate your claims of what transpired during the war. That would be an insult to those who fought in it, and died because of it. My only point here is to have reassurance that you will not falter as well in the line of duty out of unfamiliarity with the rank and it's workings." Haven raised a brow curiously. Diplomats needed polite words such as his, but Haven knew the core of it, Gin was calling her incompetent. In any rank except this one, Haven wouldn't have bothered beating around the bush. 

"No one here can deny that Blaise has not been around in a very long time." And it was true. Blaise had been gone since Kita had gotten sick, and his loyalty to Inaria had been faltering since Haven and Haylyn had taken their crowns. He had never liked them much. Haven had respected him, and had told him as much, but that had not been enough. 

The queen's expression remained stoic. Gin continued. "And you have very good points about our allies. I'm sure the Queen herself has thought of these things as well. But pointing out things that have gone wrong in the process of this war and what led up to it does not tell me what you intend to do to fix all of this. To make this better. To ensure history does not repeat itself. As the Emissary, how do you plan on guiding us Pages so that we don't wander into unwanted territory and cause another war like the one we just had?" 

Haven's mouth narrowed into a tense line. Neither of these pages understood the true cause of the war. No amount of diplomacy would have saved them. But for the point of argument, and for the purpose of letting them work out the issue themselves, she remained quiet. The other wolf, Aeolus, raised his voice to the conversation - "You say that your illness has no bearing on this meeting but if your illness was so severe that it took so long to recover from then might it not at some point prevent you from being able to fulfill your duties as Emissary and if that were to occur might not Inaria find itself in the same position as now once again?" 

This sort of dialogue was to be expected. What was not expected, however, was the arrival of one small boy, looking for his father. Haven pricked her ears as Gavin approached, unsure of how to respond. She ended up not having to - Blaise himself appeared, much to the shock of all around. Haven hadn't seen him since the winter before the war, right before Kita had fallen ill. 

"I trained Gin myself," the Emissary said as he approached his son, the pride still evident in his stride, as was his age. "He is as good as I ever was at my best, better even. If you are looking for a leader, look to him." Then he turned to Weiss. "As I recall you never turned up to any of your lessons. I have scars too. Too many and too old to count. They are from tooth, claw and saber, I have scars you can't even see from the things I have seen and done in service of this pack. But your family have a short memories don't they? Heap the blame on me all you like but it won’t absolve you." 

"We all have scars." Haven interrupted, her voice sharp and cold. Inaria had been ravaged time and time again, and every Inarian had fought in their own way. Age was not a virtue in and of itself, nor was youth, and discussions of these injuries on behalf of the kingdom was only making a pit of guilt and anger rise up in her. The queen did not need memories of the war thrown about in her face. "I am not here as a medic to examine any of your various wounds. I am not interested in personal family conflicts, or your pride, any of your pride." She says, glancing among the whole group, from Blaise to Gin to Weiss. None of us bear the sins of our families. All of us bear the wounds of our enemies. We can gaze into our various sufferings as much as we want and it will solve nothing. This wasn't about any of them. It was about Inaria. 

"Take her if you want her." Blaise said, finally. "I don't contest your challenge. You can have it and you are welcome to it." He gave Weiss a stare of judgement. "Perhaps when you are old, after years of pain and service some bright young thing will show you how grateful they are by turning up and loudly assassinating your character while conveniently forgetting all the things you've done?" 

And that was his final word on the matter, apparently. He gathered up his son and began to move away. "Come on, kiddo." He said to Gavin. "Let's go. We aren't wanted here."

Haven had no quarrel with him. She would not have held it against him, had he desired to contest the challenge for his rank. But if he did not see fit to defend it, then she would let him go. The golden queen had never been comfortable dealing with something as complicated and tender as people's feelings and so her relationship with Blaise had always been tenuous at best. She watched him leave without further ado, and turned to the pair of youths before her. They were both bright and eager, though flawed in their own ways. She liked them both, though her affection made no bearing on her choices. 

"You've both made your cases." The queen cocked her head at the pair of them, considering.  "I imagine you grow weary of discussion, and critique. Weiss, you served admirably in the war and before it, it has not escaped my notice. However, the concerns they brought up against you are something that I have to consider." She turned then to Gin. "You've done a great deal to critique your coworker. Blaise has spoken out in your favor, and you have done a great deal of good work on behalf of our pack. However, you haven't exactly explained what your plans would be. Are you proposing someone else for this position in her stead, or are you here only to disagree with her nomination? If Blaise has left his post," She glanced over to where the older wolf had walked away, "...which it seems he has, then someone must fill the position." 

She took a deep breath, surveying them. "I suppose what I'd like to see is this, diplomats. Your job is to reach compromises with other packs, or to convince them to act in Inaria's best interests. Work something out. Find a solution that all present here find amenable. Inaria needs to be unified on all fronts, and from what I have seen today, this rank is a source of contention." There was no room for bickering, grudges, or doubt in the face of allied or enemy nations. Inaria did not have room for this type of dissent. "Fix it."