[ P ] Hiding the Horns

they're circling above
smirking at fresh blood
but this is not enough

So desperately did she want time to stand still here, where she was most content; the warm sand beneath her paws and belly, the sun beating down on her even in the heat of summer, ocean mist that drifted in with every tide lapping the beach. Her brother's and sister dispersed amongst the others that also chose this day to visit the beach- no matter how hard she tried, she couldnt quite find a spot that didn't have wolves surrounding her personal space. Her next best solution was rallying her siblings to help her claim a patch of sand and shade beneath a piece of of cliffside rock that jutted out and became more jagged outside of the cliffside's form. Matteo and Enzo made a few snapping motions toward a few wolves who didn't seem to budge when they all strode in to the new spot Alessa picked out, and her sister was picking off any attractive faces that looked her way, leading them away from where Alessa was now.

Before long, the only company she kept was with herself; it was an odd feeling, being alone. Very rarely was alone, her daily life never allowed it, and that was due in part to Alessa constantly making herself known and involved in anything she could. More times than not however, her father only ever allowed her on trips with her siblings to keep watch or some block headed soldiers of his to scare off any company that she attracted-wanted or not. So really, it was a new experience every time she was left alone.

Her brothers, mostly Enzo, checked in on her periodically throughout the day, and then disappearing to do whatever it was that Enzo did whenever Noone was looking. She was almost sure he was the reason we were here to begin with- she overheard the trip plans to yorkshire when she was headed for her father's office. Alessa being, well, Alessa, walzted in and gave her father the best puppy eyes she could and convinced him to let her come here and take a short break from studying the cases he recently assigned to her. She was allowed however long Enzo needed to be in town, and nothing more. And according to Enzo, three days is all he needed here; really it was two, but Alessa gave Enzo valid arguments that eventually led to him relenting after only four minutes of the conversation- all because Alessa wanted to be able to watch the sun set on the beach, and some of them wanted to travel at night with such a long trip back home to Rionna.

And so, here she laid with no intentions of missing out on what she wanted now. Sunset was still a good few hours away, but that meant she had more time to let her pelt soak up the sun's rays that clung to her when she switched back and forth between the shade of the rock above and the warm sand in the sun's light.

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He was fuming, but hardly a muscle upon his body twitched to show it. Roman had been ruminating since he'd left the bar where his sister - and family - had so kindly introduced themselves to him, save for the children of course. But the presence of Odysseus left a bitter taste upon his tongue, and if he had it his way, he'd have nothing to do with the guy.

Unfortunately, life wouldn't let him have his way. In order to have a relationship with his sister and niece and nephew, the ominous cloud of disease had to be there, as well. This disgruntled Roman. So much so that he seethed as he walked down the beachline, a cloud of anger following after the dark man. Eventually, he knew he would have to deal with it. To accept Odysseus as family as a brother in law, but damned if he was doing it right now. Senka didn't need to know how much he fucking hated him, and even if she did, he could hear her now.

Just give him a chance.

You don't even know him.

Yeah, yeah. He didn't give a shit. He wanted his life back - what it was before dad died. It seemed his death brought many new challenges, and Senkas new "life" was just the beginning of it.

Regardless, it was his day off. He was supposed to be relaxing, but here he was, stomping down the beach like a stubborn little boy. A sigh forced its way out of his lungs, and before he knew it, it was... alone? Roman blinked, his walk slowing to stop completely as he looked around. It seemed this part of the beach had been cleared, but for what reason he didn't know.

And then unease prickled up the length of his spine. The colonel looked up, green eyes scanning the area and realizing that some unknown men were approaching him. He swallowed, his gut screaming at him to leave, that these were bad men, but his eye caught another - a beautiful woman, laying casually further up in the sand, obviously enjoying herself. She scanned the beach periodically, and he found himself almost tripping on sand.

"I'm just passing through," he spoke to the men that seemed to want to curbstomp him. But his eyes never strayed from the woman.

they're circling above
smirking at fresh blood
but this is not enough

Was it too much to ask for a little fucking peace and quiet on the beach? Yes, obviously, it was a popular time killer for most, especially on days like this. Her ears would flick as crinkled lips danced on her muzzle that was resting on her front paws, the sound of her sister calling to her from the distance. She ignored her, of course- she was more than likely toasted and wanted Alessa to come join in on whatever shenanigans it was that she was up to while surrounded by those that were giving her attention, but the she wanted nothing to do with it. What she wanted was to stay where she was, sleep some more in the sunlight and wait for the sun to set. But when she heard her full name come from her sister, a slate or rolled open and looked to find her sister gesturing in the other direction. Instantly, ears perked and a golden gem also lit up as she swung her crown in the direction Arabella was pointing in. She herself wasn't in any trouble, at least not yet- her brother's were zeroing in on their prey, and she had half a mind to let whatever happened happen so she could go back to what she was doing.

Instead, she gave a dramatic sigh and lifted herself up, sand clinging in tufts of her underbelly fur or falling back down to the ground beneath. She took her time as she stretched forward and downward, a gaze of contrasting gems fell on the man her brothers were approaching. His own gaze was on her and not on the men that were approaching him-was he an idiot? Blind? Why was he looking at her? She quirked a brow and gave a short scoff at him. Easing forward onto her front paws after the stretch, Alessa began walking to the trio.

She was slow in her approach, a tongue clicking as her chords hummed from her throat. "sistemarsi, brothers, sistemarsi. We cannot keep them all away, unfortunately. she tries to call them off, a poor attempt, but atleast she tried. She sits down, leaning against Matteo. "Why so tense, Belloo," she purrs. "youre on the beach, and youre souring my good mood. " she watches him, who still appears to have his eyes on her. Matteo spits on the ground next to him, throwing a paw towards him as he speaks to Alessa, "può sfogarsi da qualche altra parte." (he can blow off steam somewhere else) A brow quirks and she shoves herself off of Matteo now." "maybe you should do the same, no? Please, I'll keep him for company, until I do not want him.
She watches the stranger before them as her brothers mumble to her but turn and go back to where they were.
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It was clear the moment the woman stood and gave a gusty sigh that Roman knew she likened herself to some Goddess gracing the land with the touch of her paws. Those types were easy enough to pick out. Languidly, she took her time to approach, stretching herself and brushing off what bits of sand still clung to her dark fur. He was already on edge and being pressed by two unknown cronies, so he stifled the intense desire to roll his eyes when she finally approached and scoffed at him.

Here we go.

Foreign dialects were upon her tongue, the words lost on him as soon as they were spoken - but thankfully they weren't directed at him. An ear twitched at the word brothers, however, and the pieces to this weird puzzle began to click into place. As each minute passed, he firmly decided that he should have kept on walking, instead of being snared by a pretty face.

"Why so tense, Belloo," green eyes snap to her face, having drifted downward in thought. His chin raises a fraction as she continues to speak. ""you're on the beach, and you're souring my good mood." Immediately, he was dumbfounded, and the expression on his face showed as much by the minute widening of his eyes. He hardly had time to react before the brother she was leaning against spat at his paws and speaking more of the language he doesn't understand. The black and dusty furs along the length of his nape and spine shiver as he stands there, lips twitching as he struggles to restrain himself from making a stupid decision. He was vastly outnumbered, and they could easily kill him and bury his body without the Army being none the wiser.

Breathe in... breathe out...

"maybe you should do the same, no? Please, I'll keep him for company, until I do not want him." she responded in the common tongue, her eyes not leaving his tense form while her brothers leave. It takes everything in him not to spit at them as they walk away, but he clears his throat nonetheless.

"Your brothers always have sticks up their asses?" he then asked, his voice strained but trying to lighten the mood, if only to unburden his own mind. His eyes trailed after the brothers for a few moments before returning to her curiously.

they're circling above
smirking at fresh blood
but this is not enough

She's searching for his emeralds, somehow trying to command them with the mismatched gaze she lets fall over him. She's on her metaphorical toes here, feeling the tension grow tight and waiting to see who would cut the single strand that was wound too tight between him and her brother. Her brother's are both on different ends of the composure scale. Matteo is ready to erupt at the drop of a hat, whereas Enzo will let his cool distract his prey from the violent outburst that boils and brews over time. Either could snap, but that wasn't what she was waiting for. She was waiting for the stranger before them to show his face, show his true colors when under fire so abruptly. She was amused. And she let it show all over her face. She let's this build the adrenaline, letting it feed straight to her beating heart.

The subtle high is snuffed out when her brother's finally leave her side and the man clears his throat. Her ears prick back just so, ready to hear him tell her that he'll be on his way, and leave her disappointed.

"Your brother's always have sticks up their asses? a brow quirks and she gives a snort that mixes with a chuckle. "Not always, sometimes booze helps remove the stick.. for a little while. " she muses, shrugging into his line of sight subtly. She moves to all fours, gently padding towards her new guest and wanders around him slowly. Tall, a little dark, and handsome. what a perfect little treat for the beach, even if only eye candy.

Snapping her gaze from him, she gestures towards the shaded area she was previously occupying and began moving closer to her original spot. "Are you hungry? Thirsty? " she calls back to him, meandering up to her little sliver of paradise. A couple of smaller, gentler wolves came padding around as she arrived, satchels in tow with hares and an assortment of fermented berries and concoctions already made up. She steps around the selection being set up and settles back into her spot, her gaze following the man she hoped would accept her little invitation.



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