[Orcrist]

Olive eyes cracked open just as the sun crawled above the straits, head lifting to the brisk air as his breath greeted him. A new day and a new opportunity. Of course the first thing on his mind was food — stomach rolling and churning, begging to be filled. Sighing, the Chariot lifted himself from his bed of grass and shook his coat. Maw opened into a lengthy yawn before he started to walk forward, in the search of something to satisfy him for the day.

What he found though was far more interesting, and his thoughts of meat sliding down his gullet ceased completely (if only for a few minutes.) "Cuff." he said, not caring if she was asleep or just beginning to wake. He had loosened his metaphorical leash for a time, ever since they had first arrived in Inaria, in fact. He had been generous enough to let her roam without his presence, but now... Now was the time for his proposal.

"Walk with me." he said, voice soft and calm. Even his facial features were calm, blank as he was too tired to really give her an atmosphere of malice. Making her walk on her toes wasn't his intention today, it was actually quite the opposite. Orcrist knew she was a good sentry, one of the best workers he had besides Connor who seemed to be making a name for himself. The Chariot was quite impressed, but again...

That wasn't the point.

He'd turn, waiting until she was by his side before he'd start a lazy pace. "How've yah liked Inaria, so far?" Orcrist was genuinely curious. Unlike Cuff who has been to other places in the world, the prince had been confined to one space all of his life. Was this a place she enjoyed? He wanted to know. "Y'know, this is the first time I've eva been outta Alteron. Somthin' new, somethin' strange. My ma hated this place. Guess she'd be rollin' in her grave if she knew we'd be playin' nice with Inaria of all places. It's been ruled by so many after her, guess it don't matter."

It didn't matter to him, at least.

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@Huckle

[Cuff]

Cuff had almost forgotten how tranquility felt.

There was a calm hush in the air that morning, an ilk of silence that didn't bear the same weight she'd grown so used to carrying in Alteron. The wind that whispered was soft and soothing, the purple trees that rustled gently smelling nothing but sweet. Beneath it all, the silver wolf rested on a soft bed of grass, wide awake and listening, her head perched atop crossed paws. A captivated audience.

Here was a peace, of a sort. There was no greed or unrest or constant sense to look over one's shoulder, only the silence, the soft breeze, the purple trees, and the sweet morning air. The tranquility couldn't last forever though. Cuff knew it was only a matter of time before something broke it. When she heard the telltale footfalls heralding the Chariot's lumbering approach, heard his deep voice call out her name, she tensed and closed her eyes, withholding a weary sigh.

Orcrist's visits were becoming far too frequent for her tastes.

Red eyes soon slid open again, slanting to the side to reluctantly acknowledge him. Cuff lifted her head and studied him silently for a moment, expression carefully blank, as it always seemed to be whenever he fell in her company. What did he want this time? The day had barely even started, and already he sought to ruin it. Something in the silver woman's gaze sharpened, almost bordering on a glare, before she blinked and rose smoothly to her feet to join him.

Naturally, Orcrist didn't waste any time speaking as soon as she was near. Cuff was quiet for a minute, pondering over his question, inherently suspicious of it, of him, because that would always be her first instinct. She was careful in answering him, weighing out all of her thoughts. He was digging for something, she was certain, though she couldn't be sure what.

"I've travelled to many places, but this is my first time coming here. Inaria's nothing at all like Alteron," she eventually settled with saying, matching his pace as they began to walk. "I used to hear countless stories about this place, about these trees, when I was a child." She didn't walk neck and neck with him, instead choosing a place a little ways behind him, near his hip. "Words don't do the real thing any justice though." She glanced up for a moment, studying the purple leaves around them. "It's nice to finally see them in person."

There were other nice things about Inaria, of course, though this wasn't shared out loud, and certainly not with him. There was something about the place that felt undeniably soothing. It made Cuff's heart feel light in a way that it hadn't felt since that fateful meeting, long ago, with a golden stranger on a lonely border. Since her children were all young and close and together.

Her attention eventually drifted back towards Orcrist, ears twitching, taking in every word he shared with her. She frowned at the back of his head, confused and more than a little suspicious (and not just of his accent, which she could have sworn she'd never heard before) of his visit. She almost preferred his threatening over this strangely normal conversation. At least she had a better read of him then.

But she'd play along for now.

"And what about you?" she dared to ask, staring out at the quiet forest in front of them, around them. Looking at anything but him.

"Do you harbour the same hatred for this place that your mother did?"

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[Orcrist]

He didn't mind the pace she decided to pace herself with. Cuff was a smart woman, only (occasionally) making bad decisions. Orcrist could tell she was stepping around him most of the time. She had her own tactics to deal with him. He was impressed, he was not a man with a mouth full of careful fluidity to keep oneself afloat against a sea of monsters. He told his mind, but that was because he was always on a plank of wood while the rest swam in the frigid waters.

Cuff's answer was curious to him. She had traveled throughout the fringe, and has heard of this place. Who hadn't? "Nah, they certainly don't, do they?" He wondered if she was born across the plains into the Outlands, another such place Rapier had interest in besides Inaria. Well, Blade had been easily amused by the place, anyway, but Orcrist barely remembered anything about the Outlands. Alteron's history was so long and drawn out, the Chariot thought it best to just forget about it.

The man laughed, pausing in his walk. Certainly an interesting question besides the obvious hilarity. He knew she would be confused by his sudden outburst, but he couldn't help his reaction. "If I did, yah think I'd be here? My mother was an insane woman, 'er hate runnin' deep. I honestly think it killed 'er in the end." Hate changed people, it forced them to have a skewed view of the world. Orcrist was a little more open, he had to be to deal with business. He was an easy man to please. Cuff just made it hard.

"Inaria so far is nice, they got good people. It's a good alliance that Telana set up for Alteron. An' I'm sure they ain't got no idea that we used to be enemies, goin' t'war w't eachot'er." It was a nice step in the right direction, they could do much with this alliance. He was interested to see what the trio had in store for the kingdom. Orcrist had witnessed hands shuffle many times ever since the death of his mother, it was getting tiring.

"I've seen how this place has flourished, children runnin' around. Honestly, I wish mine had been raised in a better place. With Atlas gone, and ..." Orcrist paused, realizing the emotion rising. He could feel it in his chest, his throat. "All I have left is Sarissa."

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