[ P ] Lonely Fortunes

Anthe's head was a cacophonous storm of emotions - anger, sadness, confusion, helplessness... And all for a war nobody in her previously quiet, relatively happy life had wanted. But the ones in power didn't care. They only wanted power, glory, prosperity for their own blood... and at what cost it came to their peoples it didn't seem to matter. The world her mother's had woven around her and her siblings suddenly didn't exist anymore, and yet she was laid bare in the wreckage of it - too sickly to fight, too frail to be of any use to many... and she was filled with self loathing.

The whole way out of the dungeon, and most of the way into the safety of the auburn canopy of the redwood trees, her eyes had burned with tears she refused to cry. She had spent three years crying and wailing and hurting, feeling sorry for herself. But what her loved ones and her friends needed from her now was strength... and action. Whatever that would or could look like for Anthe, she didn't know yet. But she had a feeling that, once they were finished scolding her for running off like she had, her parents would help her find that answer...

After removing himself from the company of an odd, mouthy girl, Sethos had aimed on returned back to the Barracks in order to find his comrades and probably look for his sister and mother as well. A small sliver of guilt rested on his shoulders for not finding them first, but the relief of being away from the stone streets and smell of blood had cleared his mind to think properly again.

It was on his path back home - though he hadn't yet left the canopy of red - that he came across another lone girl. His lips pursed quietly, wondering why a handful of them decided to come here alone. Perhaps the same reason as himself? But a quick sniff and glance at her fur showed again, no wounds. Perhaps they were just merchants who had fled when the fighting had started - he hoped that was the case, and he wasn't face-to-face with more protestors. He didn't think many would respond kindly to a soldier so soon after such bloodshed and violence.

The ebony woman seemed... greatly disturbed. As he approached slowly, he didn't note any streaks of tears down her cheeks, so if anything, she could control her fear - if that was what she had been feeling - quite well. He felt some respect grow within his chest preemptively - just upon this first glance, she seemed like a strong woman.

The soldier part of him, of course, had to make sure she was okay before he returned back to his duties.

"Good day, miss," Sethos greeted, wincing slightly. He sounded far too proper to be some random in a forest. "I just... I noticed you seem upset, and wanted to make sure you were alright. I apologize for intruding." he remained a respectful distance away, eyes watching for her reaction on whether she was friend or foe... he knew it would get increasingly difficult over the next few months to determine these things.

Anthe's headspace had been so overwhelmingly loud that she had failed to notice the gilded man approaching her. She startled visibly at the sound of his voice, and snapped around to face him swiftly... relieved after a moment to take him I'm that he at least seemed to have good intentions on the surface. She composed herself after a moment, offering a somewhat sheepish smile and nod of greeting as she cleared her throat. "I... yes, thank you... for your concern, that is," she stammered, rather dumbly, as she floundered to get her head on straight.

"I have an affliction... Lyme disease, from when I was young. I just was... taking a stroll, and I guess my wandering paws got the best of me. I came to clear my head, and it seems my joints are having a protest of their own," Anthe chuckled, wincing slightly at her own bad joke. "Sorry, I'm uh... I'm not normally this bad at this. I'm Anthe... And, you are..?"

The girl started, obviously surprised at the sudden presence of Sethos and immediately his chocolate ears fell with guilt. He should have announced himself better, instead of just appearing like some kind of golden ghost. With a wince, he hoped she forgave him - figuring as much as she stumbled over her words and mentioned her affliction.

For a second, the man held his breath - it wasn't long ago where a nasty disease was making its rounds and infecting all kinds of wolves. However, he didn't recall it being called "Lyme Disease." He wasn't sure what that was either though. Honeyed eyes quickly glanced her over again, looking for any clues as to exactly what it could afflict, but found nothing. Confusion coloured his face, though the soldier did his best to mask it away.

Sethos smiled gently at her attempt at a joke - while it was still a little early for it, he could appreciate that some simply found solace in humour during tough times. A canine tooth popped out from between his black lips, and he allowed his tail to sway casually at his hocks as he acknowledged her name.

"Pleasure to meet you, Anthe. I am Sethos," his response was warm; non-judgmental to her own observation of her not talking as well as she had apparently hoped. But Sethos had an endless supply of patience, and girls like her were of the type whom he'd rather keep company with, as opposed to most of his military brethren. He didn't think offering his last name mattered, and being a soldier seemed to be quite a sore spot for most now so he avoided that as well. "Are you... visiting the Mainlands, or..?" he tried to not sound awkward, but wasn't entirely convinced he was successful. It wasn't like he was insinuating she was a part of the protests - the absence of injury was evidence enough. Ugh, these protests had made everything so... difficult.

As the golden man spoke, Anthe both listened to his words and watched his lips... though she could hear him fine from this proximity, she had found herself falling a bit out of practice reading any lips but her immediate family's. She smiled warmly as he introduced himself, her eyes crinoline at the corners as she raised her gaze to meet his again. Thankfully, at least so far, this man seemed the kind sort. She imagined there weren't many of his kind wandering about waiting to meet lone women like herself in the woods these days.

"The pleasure is mine, I assure you... I'm counting myself lucky to have met a smile rather than snarl out here," Anthe chuckled, rolling her shoulders as they sent aches rolling through her chest. At his second question, she felt herself tense slightl6, and she had to quickly remind herself that it was just as likely a harmless question as an insidious one... she swallowed, hard, and put on another smile as she forced another gentle laugh. "Yes, just visiting... though I know the timing is poor. I just had to see for myself that my loved ones in the Mainlands were alright. If only to put my own mind at ease, I'm sure you understand..."

He was visibly just as relieved as Anthe that she carried the same gentle air, and breathed a quiet sigh of relief. No foes today; no more fighting - at least, for now. He would take the wins when they came, and worry about the losses later when they arose.

He noticed, as he spoke, that Anthe's attention dropped from the generalization of his face to his lips. He found that incredibly interesting, and his brows pinched slightly as he wondered just why she would do that - but didn't want to make her any more self-conscious than she already was. Possibly, a question for later.

The woman mentioned poor timing, and he had to bite back a laugh.

I just had to see for myself that my loved ones in the Mainlands were alright. If only to put my own mind at ease, I'm sure you understand..."

He nodded immediately, completely understanding the urge to make sure everyone was okay. "I do - I have a large family, and making sure they all stay out of trouble and harms way is almost a full time job in itself." he smiled, though now he was hyper aware of his speech. Did he sound or look funny when he spoke? Slowly, he dropped his hind quarters to the ground and leaned against a thick tree trunk. She seemed easy going, and hoped that him putting his shield down helped her relax as well. "I am deeply... disturbed, over how these protests ended. It wasn't supposed to go that way. I guess no one can predict violence but - there must have been something we could have done better." he paused, not sure where this sudden admission of honesty came from. Would she even understand? "Everyone deserves a voice, but it doesn't need to come at the price of hurting others. That's not right either."

He fell silent then, his musings quiet but more than likely still carrying over the distance between them with no issues. His eyes had roamed, though now they found their way back to her face and he smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry - it's just weighing on my mind heavily. I don't know how to deal with it. I don't expect you to agree, or even relate. I don't often voice these things out load." he regarded her thoughtfully, wondering what about her made him feel comfortable enough to talk so freely.

"I do - I have a large family, and making sure they all stay out of trouble and harms way is almost a full time job in itself." Anthe could scarcely contain her laughter at just how much she could relate to thar comment... Her sister, and the boy and girl who had formerly been her charges, all locked away in prison... She wiped a tear of amusement from one eye with the back of one foreleg, still snickering softly as she did so. "I'm not laughing at you... I swear... just the irony of that statement really tickled my funny bone. To be honest... I was returning home from visiting some family, extended and otherwise, who found themselves in jail. So, I guess I won't be getting the proverbial promotion any time soon," she chuckled, somewhat dryly.

It was strange how easily each of them seemed to be able to drop the guise of lies by omission, and admit things that might otherwise be considered inflammatory given the current worldstate. She fixed a timid smile on her face and sighed softly, listening as he spoke about the war and the way things should or could have been different. Her brows raised slightly as he continued speaking, genuinely shocked that she found herself agreeing with everything he said. He seemed... very level-headed, for one with such a soldier-esque bearing. It was refreshing.

"Don't apologize... please. You've made more sense in the last few sentences than any royalist I've ever heard speak on the subject. I've always been a pacifist at heart - and it's rare to find somebody else who so desperately wants things to be different. Why war seems to be the 'only way' in the eyes of so many, frankly, makes my heart hurt," she admitted, following his lead and sinking to her haunches. She was watching him with more intent, and more interest than before - and she found that she was settling into an ease with this practical stranger that was unlike any she had found in conversations before.

As Anthe sat down as well, Sethos felt relief release the tension that had begun to grow between his shoulder blades. Is she were someone who aggressively sided with the protestors, based on what he had implied so far he was sure she would have attacked him or at least thrown some nasty words. but it appeared that his status in the army didn't perturb her - or maybe it was because they shared the same stance, and he would come to realize as she confirmed his thoughts.

How nice it was to have someone agree. His sister, Xandria, may be of the same cloth but he was absolutely certain there wasn't another soul in the family who would even entertain the thoughts he was currently sharing with the ebony girl. In fact, just the thought of his mother finding out he was questioning was enough to send a shiver down the back of his skull. No, this was something he would take to his grave rather than tell anyone in his family. Except maybe Khepri - he would be the only one who might understand.

She was like a cool bucket of cucumber water. Both lovely upon his tongue and refreshing to take a quick swim in. When she sat, a soft breeze that carried her scent wafted over to him, and he caught diluted scents of parchment and dusty books - along with dried grass. He was sure she had been traveling for a while, and found himself curious on how life was currently treating her, considering apparently most of her family seemed to be contained in the cells. She seemed to resonate with his own observation of his life, so somehow she related in more ways he would realize in this moment.

"Don't apologize... please. You've made more sense in the last few sentences than any royalist I've ever heard speak on the subject. I've always been a pacifist at heart - and it's rare to find somebody else who so desperately wants things to be different. Why war seems to be the 'only way' in the eyes of so many, frankly, makes my heart hurt,"

The gentle smile never left his lips as he listened attentively, taking in every word spoken with careful consideration. It was obvious enough that they were both born on much different paths, but somehow had managed to find a great deal of common ground between the two of them. Fascinating.

"I was raised Royalist, but... I'm not too sure what I align myself with now, to be perfectly honest with you," he replied, his eyes leaving her face to glance in the direction of home. However, the rest of his head didn't move; holding it relatively still for whatever the reason of her fixation was on looking at him speak. Then his eyes flicked back to her, and his grin widened to allow a tooth to poke out from under dark lips. "Don't tell my mother though - or any Tiamat, really. I just... war is necessary sometimes, especially when you're fighting for something you truly believe in. Maybe that's why I can't fault those who decided to choose violence. Everyone just needs to listen to one another. Work through the issues; some just want to be heard and don't care about a solution." he was quiet for a moment, seeming to give deep thought to his next sentence before finally blurting. "I'm not even sure if we really need a King, or anyone to hold that kind of power over others. There are some here who come from outside lands where things called packs ran independently of one another, and there was no one true King. I wonder what that is like - is it any better? Or possibly worse? We won't know until we try, I think." he swallowed, finally speaking out loud the thoughts that had plagued his mind for over a year. Somehow, he felt better, like a weight lifted from his broad shoulders.

His fiery gaze found hers; his warm and comfortable, like a hot log fire on a cold winter night. "You're lovely company, Anthe. I'm glad our paths crossed. I haven't, uh, told anyone this before. I hope it's not too heavy on you. It sounds like you have enough on your plate - I doubt you need the odd confessions of a stranger." but he was grateful, and would make sure he gave back to her somehow, somewhere, sometime.

She watched Sethos, and he watched her... and the words continued to flow between them as effortlessly as water through an old stream. The tension and the aches she had felt nagging in her bones all seemed to melt away, forgotten in the soothing balm that was his conversation and company. She wasn't totally surprised to hear that he had been brought up a royalist - there was something in the proud, staunch bearing he had worn so effortlessly when he first approached her that suggested a noble upbringing... yet he was wholly unlike most of them she had read about, or come across in her relatively sheltered life so far. He was truly a breath of fresh, Spring air...

Anthe returned his cheeky grin as he spoke of his mother, and another laugh bubbled up from her chest. "I won't tell yours if you won't tell either of mine," she teased, her tail thumping the ground in amusement behind her. "You know, in all the tales of great battles and wars... the changes of power they've all brought about... nobody ever seems to have captured the true nature of war. The way it affects us, the little people, or the way we interact with one another. I'm happy that there are still some out here in the world that can sit and have a level headed chat about the reality of it all. You're dead on that we need to be better collectively at hearing the other side... Many are too quick to listen only to reply, rather than listening to really hear if that makes sense. The world would be a better place for it if we could pull our collective heads from our asses..."

When he spoke of his feelings that they might not even need a King of any sort, Anthe's brows rose in shock. The very same thought had sat, unuttered for fear of the repercussions she might face if she admitted that to the wrong person... and her smile changed to one of shocked admiration. "You are truly unlike any other wolf I've ever met... Maybe we the people really do just need to be the champions of our own destiny. Shoot... We've just met and I know with certainty that I'd like to see what you could do at the head of a pack of your own. You've got a charisma about you that makes it easy to hear what you have to say... or maybe we're just the same breed of touched in the head," she chuckled, giving him a playful wink as her tail wagged once more at her haunches.

Sethos listened patiently as the fascinating woman talked, his eyes trailing over the shapes of her face and observing the brilliant red within her irises. He found himself growing fond of the eye colour, most likely due to the fact that a few women that had crossed his path wore the colour beautifully. They were all women of differing power or uniqueness; perhaps it was that in which he associated the colour with now. In any case, she was pretty.

She was much the opposite of his family, vying for the rights of all rather than some semblance of order and duty. And if he was being truthful, it was a refreshing mindset. He was beginning to believe that political reform would eventually be needed in his homeland, though how or when that would happen was unknown. It was also a bit of a terrifying thought - such things would being a chaotic change to their way of life, and he wondered just how many of the current residents of Rionnach would handle it.

"You are truly unlike any other wolf I've ever met... Maybe we the people really do just need to be the champions of our own destiny. Shoot... We've just met and I know with certainty that I'd like to see what you could do at the head of a pack of your own. You've got a charisma about you that makes it easy to hear what you have to say... or maybe we're just the same breed of touched in the head,"

Sethos blinked, having been lost in his own thoughts but brought back to reality by her blatant compliments. A hot flush rose within his cheeks, and his fiery eyes darted away for a second as he stumbled over how to react or what to say.

"Probably the latter," he finally replied, voice quieter than it was before. A hint of a smile graced the edges of his lips though, his gaze shyly returning though he tried to keep it casual. "I appreciate your words - you are equally as easy to talk to. It's comforting. I get the sense that many will be on edge now, so it's nice to find someone who just... gets it." he paused for a second, seeming to decide on something. "Do you live around here?"