[ P ] Misery Loves Company

SIF ASGAUT

The soft chirp of birds would awaken the woman so used to being up well before dawn. A heaviness lingering in her eye as it refused to open at first till the scent of valerian tickled her nostrils and drew her far more to. Head would raise groggily from a makeshift bed that didn’t belong to her but seemed to have become hers over the last two days. Her ears would flick at the soft breath across the room where her gaze would come to rest, taking in the false golds of a man she was growing to trust slowly but surely over the years. A soft red haze would make him look all the warmer, as if made of bronze instead. That gaze would linger for a good long few seconds, ensuring his sleep was true; watching each inhale and exhale keep a steady slow rhythm that would dictate rem sleep.

Ears would bend back after she was certain, wanting a breath of fresh air and unsure if he’d try to stop her. She didn’t want a quarrel with Khepri, not right now while her mood wasn’t horrid, though knowing him he’d ultimately relent. Sweet as it was at times disheartening and she’d never understand it.

Raising from the earth, the weakness in her body was still heavy but it was clear the Diptheria had eased greatly, the chill in her bones so much more minimal than it was before. The fever must be nearly gone. Carefully, she’d slowly move outside of the cottage, keeping her paws as light as she could so she wouldn’t wake him all while resisting the urge to yawn. Once she was a few yard away, she’d release a sigh turned yawn, stretching out her body kink by kink, feeling some joints pop and crack under tight muscles.

As she relaxed, her gaze would shift toward the North, skin prickling in endless worry as she started to move more toward the distant horizon, able to see the mountains but not the trees of the Forest from so far away. Taking in a breath, she wanted to run, to charge back into the Highlands to ensure her daughter was okay and yet she wouldn’t, she was bound here till she recovered. This felt worse than a leash that she was used to digging into her neck, punished if she didn't listen. The fatigue would only weigh her down as she slowed, not too far from the College, reminding her she would be no use even if she could make it there on adrenaline alone.

She’d come to rest against some broken down stones of ruins long abandoned by whatever made them. A bit of noise would catch her attention, glancing in the direction it came from but making no attempt to acknowledge whoever was coming in her direction. Maybe if she played oblivious, they'd leave her to her peaceful morning, the little bit she appreciated of it.

Am I Beautiful As I Tear You To Pieces

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T

hey say distance from your problems can be a good thing for perspective, but Ramses wasn't quite sure the old saying was true. There were many thoughts rolling around in his mind like a tumbleweed caught in a fierce windstorm, but he willed himself to continue moving forward. He didn't wish to think of his upcoming arranged marriage or worry about the talk of war on the horizon. A heavy sigh slipped from his maw as he trekked through the meadows of wild flower toward the college where many a scholar called home. His destination wasn't the college of Eòlas itself, but a place where quiet serenity could be his for a small amount of time.

So adamant was he to continue his walk that he nearly missed the smokey coat and blazing orange eyes that belonged to another. He drew short in his walk to look a little more closely at her and realized he recognized her. While they hadn't interacted much with one another except in passing, he knew her name was Sif and she was a former Captain. Curiosity got the better of him, and he found his paws leading him closer to where she rested. Ever the gentlemen, he gave a wide-berth and stood some few feet away from her.

"Morning, Sif." He greeted, pointedly ignoring how awkward he sounded whilst attempting to make casual conversation. "I never imagined I would see you here. What brings you out?" Giving orders on a battlefield or talking strategy to another was much easier than holding a conversation, but he felt compelled to speak to her at least a little bit. Provided she didn't tell him to leave her alone right away.

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

@Sif

SIF ASGAUT

A voice would come with her name attached it would seem, though the voice wasn’t familiar really at all, making her touch confused till she turned her head to the young man addressing her. It would take her a moment to shuffle the cards of faces she had known over time, the list was extensive though half of them were crossed out to be tossed to the winds. Brown coats were surprisingly few in that list, making it not take long for her to filter out who he was, coming to the page of one of the captains from the army. “Captain Tarek,” she greeted in those Nordic notes upon her tongue, though she found mild agitation in his lack of formalities, she wouldn’t bite his head off for using her given name so familiarly to her. Though, she supposed, she shouldn’t expect more than that after having dropped her position. That respect she once carried was nothing but dust now, feeling almost forgotten she held it at all.

At least he didn’t try to pressure her with it being a good morning, however, she noticed his apprehension. He seemed uncomfortable beyond belief and yet he was still here. He wouldn’t get anything out of getting to know her, so she could only wonder what he wanted to be putting himself in such a position as this.

“Sneaking away from medical care to get a breath of fresh air. It’s best not to get close to me at the moment, I’m probably contagious,” she stated candidly, her singular lens staring at him as it seemed like he was waiting to be told to come join her. He wouldn’t get the invite, if he wanted to stay then he would stay and if he didn’t, well it wasn’t any water off her back. She liked the peace of being alone. He was a big boy; she was certain he could figure it out and if he not, then Captain wasn't a very fitting title for him.

“And you? Are you on a patrol? Checking on subordinates? I’m sorry to inform you, I haven’t seen any cadets or foot soldiers toddling along here needing supervision,” she addressed calmly with a faint smile, leaning more into the stones for support. She remembered those days, keeping all her eggs in a basket. It was stressful but also rewarding.

Am I Beautiful As I Tear You To Pieces

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R

amses hadn't meant any disrespect when he failed to tack onn the title Sif had once wore. Sometimes, one didn't want to be reminded of what they once hand, but had he known she still wished to be referred to by her former title he would have certainly indulged her. A frown touched his maw when she revealed she was ill - whatever with? His crown cocked just so to the left, the curiosity dancing through pools of firefly as he regarded her. He knew not all sickness was evident to the naked eye, and if she said an illness plagued her who was he to disagree with her? "I'm sorry to hear that," he woofed sincerely, allowing his haunches to fold beneath him to sit nearby without closing the distance between them. His tail curled around his hip to tap idly against the ground, though his attention remained on the other. "Have you an idea of what ails you?" he inquired, not wanting to assume that it was the sickness that plagued many wolves across the land. "I hope you make a swift recovery," he added sincerely.

Ears perked when inquiries pertaining to his being there were made, and he offered a faint chuckle in return. "No, actually, I wasn't looking for any ruffians that escaped my watchful gaze. All cadets are accounted for last I checked." The small smile he wore slowly faded until he wore his usual facial expression of seriousness mixed with concern. "I was hoping to clear my head. I'd recently been approached by Lieutenant Major Nassar Tiamat regarding a... proposition. An arranged marriage, which I agreed readily to if only because..." he trailed off here, uncertain of what he was going to say. Nassar's niece was a good friend of his, but he'd never thought of marriage before. "I don't know."

He exhaled here when he realized he was giving far too much information, which was surprising and so unlike him to do. He didn't usually go spewing his business to near perfect strangers. "My apologies. I suppose things have been weighing more heavily on me than I had thought."

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

@Sif

SIF ASGAUT

His manners would slowly cause her to lose that tension formed from not wanting to be bothered, her gaze shifting to him with a slightly more gentle disposition than the porcupine that wanted to stand up its quills. She was being unfair right now, just as she was told more than once by a certain someone just not directly like she would do to him. Taking in a breath, she’d adjust her position to look at him a bit easier without having to turn her head so much. “Diptheria is what is speculated but can’t be known for certain. Too many things carry the same symptoms that I could have just gained a mixture of different things, coincidentally. My sore throat at least is mostly gone and I can walk again,” she breathed, happy it was only irritated and not what felt nearly impossible to do much of anything. Even still, she wasn’t one to seek pity points. “I’m fine…don’t worry about it,” she assured, knowing she had recovered plenty already, it was only a matter of time for her to get her full strength back.

A small smile would touch her lips as he talked of his cadets, he seemed to be keeping them all in a row at least, so long as he wasn’t lying. Wasn’t like it would benefit him to do so to her, it wasn’t like she had the authority to do anything besides be a tattletale.

What he had to say next would throw her off greatly, not sure why he was suddenly being such an open book with her as if they were long time friends that were reuniting after a prolonged absence. Men in general seemed to have this habit with her, oversharing their personal lives as if she could cure them of everything or strip it from their shoulders. Yet, here she was, still as surprised as ever that it was happening. At least with others she knew them to some extent, he was a certain stranger. Her ears would come forward at the mention of the Tiamats, feeling a little lost on such news, never one well aware of their affairs despite finding herself around them time and time again.

“Cairo or Xandria?” she tilted her head, assuming it was one of the Major’s own children, though her head quickly turned away from him as she realized she was being nosy. It was a true curiosity though. Was that why she hadn’t seen her friend in so long, she was off being betrothed? She took in a breath and shook her head internally, nipping her tongue for a second. “You don’t need to answer that. I was unaware you were of noble blood…I would guess it was just your mind following duty. It sounds like you regret saying yes, though. My daughter is in a similar position though at the moment no one has her hand at least after the last one... fell through,” she regarded him for a long few moments before turning her focus toward the North. All this talk doing nothing to take her mind off her daughter, knowing she was to be met with a suitor eventually and it made her all the more anxious.

Most of all, she just wanted the girl returned to her right now, not lost in the Highlands.

“It’s unexpected but not unpleasant, you may continue if you need to. Venting may help clear your head,” she offered lightly, knowing part of it was selfish, wanting to know more but at the same time maybe they could be a distraction for one another as well by speaking of the very ire they carried.

Am I Beautiful As I Tear You To Pieces

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I

t was a terrible thing when any illness sought to strike someone down, especially a highly decorated soldier like Sif. He could tell she didn't wish to dwell on the details of her recovered illness, nor did she want his sympathies. He would respect those wishes and allow the conversation to move on without another word pertaining to how she felt. Ramses wouldn't wish to impede on someone's wishes to move on when they were easily detected by him, even if she was too polite to say them out loud.

His cheeks were still warm with embarrassment when Sif finally spoke, offering a few names of the women she thought he was referring to. He offered a slight shake of his head, understanding where the confusion would come from. "Ismailia," he offered, seeing no reason not to say it out loud. It wasn't as if he was under oath not to talk about this to another and there was no reason not to trust Sif. She was loyal to the Imperial Army and wouldn't dabble in gossip. Her comment pertaining to noble blood earned a quick shake of his head followed by a soft exhale through his mouth.

"I do not have a drop of blue blood in my body. I have simply earned the respect of Nassar and she thought of me as a proper suitor. Still, it is difficult not to wonder what other's may think of it if I were to be wed to her." He paused, taking a moment to collect his thoughts before he continued slowly. "I have no military blood in my body--I don't come from a lineage of battle hardened wolves. My mother was a sickly woman who eventually perished a year into my life. I'm not here because I displayed any extraordinary talent past being able to hold my own in a tournament that gave me my title. I do not feel as though I deserve the recognition I receive even though I work hard to get it."

"It is a conundrum I wish didn't exist and yet it does." He shook his head and turned to look off into the trees that rustled just to his right. It was easier to look anywhere else than at the femme he currently spoke to. "Is your daughter in trouble?" he questioned, wanting to open the floor up to Sif to vent about what may be bothering her as well. He was observant and couldn't help but notice the way she looked away after mentioning her daughter.

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

@Sif

SIF ASGAUT

Ismailia? It took her a moment to piece together who that was but once it did, her attention shifted to him with even more curiosity than before. She hadn’t realized Lia was short for something so appealing, having never heard her full name till now so used to only the nickname being offered. “Khepri’s daughter hmmm,” she mused faintly, only hearing stories of the little father avoider but having never met her, she only had assumptions of what the girl was like. It was kind of humorous if the girl had taken this as an option, assuming Nassar had given both of them a choice in the matter, when she was so quick to shut out those that cared for her the most. A bit hypocritical.

As the boy went on, her ears flicked as it came to be clear it wasn't even a marriage of political standing or a route to get further in money or nobility. It was peculiar. Though it was none of her business, she would not stop him from continuing, quietly digesting everything he had to say and the many insecurities that seemed to swirl inside of him and spilled out into her tired lap. “I’m sorry for your loss. A tournament that only showcases your physical prowess, on the other hand, is a foolish way to gain a title that grants you responsibility over other’s lives,” she stated, leering at him for a second before turning her attention away from him. She wasn’t one that would pat his back like he was nothing more than a cadet just learning to fight and just proved he wouldn’t trip on his own feet. Not to say he didn’t manage to impress others but if it was all just a matter of tooth and claw with nothing else to show for it, well that was hardly reason to place others in his care.

Still, she let out a breath to everything else he confessed, having mixed feelings but that was true about more than just stuff revolving around him. It is a conundrum I wish didn't exist and yet it does. “You know, there is always an option to say no and decline? Unless, of course, someone is holding a blade to your throat to say yes,” she raised a brow, feeling like he didn’t want any of what he had been given so freely. So many others would wear it with pride, flaunt it and yet he sounded almost remorseful. If it was the latter, well she could relate to that, only recently had she gained any power over her own life. Everything chosen for her by her master’s hand. Or maybe he simply lacked a spine. “If you have a choice, love and trust matter more than benefit. Marriage shouldn’t be treated as a prize one obtains, no one should be property to be given away…you should be able to hold your head high for every choice you make. If you have nothing but doubt then all you’ll have is regret in the end,” she offered the small token of advice as she thought of the trust she was growing with Khepri.

She would only nod at his question about her daughter but unlike him, she would not flip the pages open for him to read so freely, far more taciturn in her choice of what to divulge. “I don’t know if she is safe…we got separated in the Highlands and she has yet to return,” she would finally say at least the bare minimum.

Am I Beautiful As I Tear You To Pieces

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