[thetis]

Thetis spends so much time following people around, Her mistress, her wayward children, her mothers sometimes even. But, during the past few days she had made a point to try to be where her brother was, she never hid from him, but never spoke a word either. It wasn’t time for that yet. She knew little of him other than the sin he had been born out of. She wasn’t all that interested in him, he didn’t offer anything to her Rosa, or too her way of life.

He wasn’t a beneficial stepping stone or a particularly interesting plaything. But still, she had a duty to do, it was time that he was no longer a child, time he did something for them.

She approaches him as he overlooks the slaves. “Brother” she would call. “What are you looking at?” she smiles a bit, “Pathetic, aren’t they, its…unfortunate that they don’t accept our religion.” She would shake her head, lightly, hair that covered her empty, ruined eye pushed to the side, a white rose was tied around it, a makeshift eyepatch hiding the spot.

“Tell me” she would say, after a few moments, “Have you ever been in love” She thinks of Mistress Gigantea, her beautiful forumShe had to question him of course, she wanted to know who he was and what he stood for, was he compassionate, and gentle. Harsh and Cruel. Fierce and Fiery. She wasn’t sure.

Love was one of the only things she understood enough to judge someone by. The sun was lowering in the sky, casting long shadows over the valley, dramatic light hitting them. “Your old enough now, to join the valley.” She would say after a few moments of letting him answer. “As an adult.” She was an unfair woman, brooding and jealous. She could be terrible at times. He was nothing to her though, not in that way. “Tell me Crux, what do you want to do, for this valley.” She thinks of herself, her realization of how wonderful serving the White Rosa was, how all her hopes and dreams were answered.

Did he know he was a heathen? Would he leave one day too. “You know, Two of our brothers ran away, to the outside, what do you think about that?” Her look is serious as she stands beside him before stepping forward. “Let’s walk and look at the slaves.” She would order, curious at how he reacted.

She needed to know things first, before she truly tested him.

She had one last final question, “Is there anything you’re afraid of” she thinks of her orphans, of Anamelech leaving her, she thinks of the war an Ezekiel leaving, and remembers that at night sometimes she thinks she would have been happier if she left. They all had fears.

[Crux]

CRUX

thorn in your side

He'd noticed her watching him for the past few days, a silent shadow. It unnerved him in a way - he knew the girls he'd spent the most time with lately were under her protection. Knew Feizin was "owned" by her and her god. Surely she had noticed the way the zealot followed him - never clingy but always present in some capacity. A devotee.

"Brother, what are you looking at? Pathetic, aren't they? It's... unfortunate that they don't accept our religion."

Today, his older sister seemed to have made up her mind about something. She came from the shadows to speak with him. Today, he watched the slaves, deep in his thoughts - and she came to speak. Sister, he looked at her then indicated to the slaves, who were so pitifully squalid in their prison. Their stink was swept away by the winds so it did not reach his lookout point, but it was there. It would be much better for them if they did. It seemed very odd that they refused - couldn't they see that those who were redeemed lived lives much better than they? But they are too trapped in their unbelief.

"Tell me. Have you ever been in love"

Love? He looked at her, curious. While his first thought was, who has time for love? his mind returned to Feizin and her sisters - he hadn't let the feelings develop as strongly as he later would, but he knew they were there. Little seeds of 'like.' Not yet - maybe one day. When they were younger, Feizin had asked him to be her mate. His thoughts on mates were... different from hers, though. He'd grown up raised by polyamorous wolves in effectively what was a polygamous relationship, so he felt no need to tie himself to any one individual in a monogamous way. He felt that one day he would have too much love to restrict to only one wolf. She would have to understand that - he would have to make her understand that. A wolf with one or more companions is stronger than a wolf alone.

"Your old enough now, to join the valley. As an adult."

The realization of what was happening sunk in and he turned his full attention to her, a sister though also a seour. A potential vessel for godly power and spirit. He nodded, waiting for her to continue - he felt no words were due just yet.

"Tell me Crux, what do you want to do, for this valley"

He considered the question for a moment before speaking, I want to make Oukoku-kai stronger, help to build it up so that no enemies will reign terror on us, as they did when I was small. He knew well enough that many well-respected wolves had been captured during the war. Captains, Sohei, and others had been dragged away from their family. I want to help ensure that we are prepared for true Ragnarok, so we will meet it with teeth ready.

"You know, Two of our brothers ran away, to the outside, what do you think about that?"

Another moment of thought, though he spoke before she stood. They betrayed us. Both the valley and our family. They left us when we most needed them. and he never got the chance to meet them. He felt.. lonely, being so separate from his siblings. The two surviving members of their mother's first litter had no desire to be near him, until now.

"Let’s walk and look at the slaves."

He stood silently, with a slight nod, and followed her, walking carefully so that he would not fall into the pit and be devoured by the slaves within. Surely officers and slavers would stop that, and surely he was strong enough to fight them off, but slaves were opportunists at their core. His golden fire eyes watched her calmly as she spoke again.

"Is there anything you’re afraid of?"

This pause was longer before he could determine a reasonable answer. I fear the Red Dragon's influence. I fear that she will find her way into the valley and destroy us from the inside, that she will poison the very blood of our valley and turn it against itself. He'd thought long and hard on this before - knowing that he should not fear that the Rosas would turn on one another but knowing that their vessels might become... compromised. In a way, it seems like it's already happened - specifically with our family. He looked at her, sure that she understood what he meant. Their family was cracked, worn. Splintered in many ways.

OOC

Dialogue - Thought