[ P ] Morning Thoughts.

Summer did not much touch the chill of the Iverness. The waters remained frigid, but the breezes came warmer. It seemed that the sun’s warmth was more inclined to stay even on the breezy days, hell, even nestled against the chilled rocks. The ground seemed softer, less frozen. The area felt like the Tundra of his birth clan, the natal home of the Imperatorian bloodline. Danya raised his gaze to the sparsely clouded sky that arched high above his head. The two tone of his eyes seemed to sparkle with the new light of the day. He stretched a few steps from the door of the cottage that he and his courtesans called home. He rolled his neck, feeling a few cracks with the motion.

The man padded slowly down to the river’s edge at the base of the hill, not too far away, close enough to still see the slightly crumbling walls of the cottage. He bent his head, lapping at the cool waters with lazy Interest. He took a mouth full of water and shook his head, rinsing the fuzz of sleep from his tongue. Danya sighed, padding slowly into the waters with his eyes closed, head turnt skyward.

Outwardly, it was clear that he was having a moment to himself, something almost private. Inwardly, he sent a silent prayer to the First, thanking him for the opportunities that he’d laid at Dany’s feet. His life, since leaving the Tundra, had turned around for the better. Perhaps some part of his usually cocky and confident persona had assumed that he would fail. That there was an inherent folly in his actions. But stumbling upon the kingdom had perhaps been the gift the First had sent him, a small blessing at this attempt to spread beyond the simplicities and challenges of the Tundra’s cold grip upon the Imperatoria name. A smile touched Danya’s lips, before he opened his eyes and turned to slowly pad from the river’s current. Movement caught his attention, a familiar monochrome pelt striking his memory instantly. Aurelia.

He couldn’t help the slight smile that touched his lips as he began to pad towards his courtesan. ”Morning,” he said, alerting the blind woman of his presence if her nose had not already.


@Aurelia

Aurelia's ears perked at the sound of paw steps approaching. At first she thought it was a stranger, but then Danya's familiar scent washed over her. It was both comforting and a little unnerving, as usual. She warmed slightly at the sound of his deep voice, greeting her with a simple word: Morning.

"Morning," she replied back softly. She angled her body towards him, gray-tipped ears perking atop her head.

A few moments of silence passed between them and she let her tail pad the ground gently. She did enjoy his company, despite his rough nature. "Do you need something or are you really just here to hang out with me?" she asked curiously. She lifted her chin, unseeing eyes pinpointing his scent almost exactly. If he didn't know she were blind, he might've not noticed as she peered at him.

She wondered if he had something he needed, or wanted, to share with her or if he were simply bored today and wanted to bug her. Either way she was a little bored too, so she didn't mind. She was taking a bit of a break from work for the day, after all she did need time to herself still, and she'd done well to gather regular clients since he'd taken her in. It wasn't the life she'd wanted, but it was the life she now had, and she owed it all to Danya.

Danya watched as her ears perked, twitched at the sound of his approach. He could see something float through her eyes before recognition stroked her cheek like a gentle handed lover. He could see something unknown floating within her unseeing gaze and wondered briefly what it was that she thought. He smirked slightly, shrugging it off. It wasn’t important, after all.

”Morning,” she said back. A few moments passed as she moved to face him, her gaze settled upon him despite not seeing him. At least, not clearly. He wondered sometimes if she could still see shadows or colors or movement if the light were right. He’d never asked, and never would if only because he couldn’t be bothered to care quite that much about her predicament. It wasn’t, after all, as if he could fix it for her. Perhaps… not that he would if he could, simply because her affliction made her dependent upon him. It was beneficial to both of them, truly, in a backwards twisted way.

”Do you need something or are you really just here to hang out with me?” Aurelia asked, her voice littered with curiosity, her chin lifting slightly, her eyes meeting his own. Danya’s ears twitched slightly as he thought for only a moment before speaking.

”No, I don’t need anything. I noticed you out. Perhaps this is merely a friendly visit.” Danya spoke, his accented words floating easily through the air. ”I do have something to say,” he stated once more. ”You have done well in your job, done well for the business. If you keep it up, and help me recruit a few more courtesans, perhaps you can leave behind one aspect of the life.” He came to sit beside her, glancing to the side to eye her features with a curious look. He spoke the truth, rarely seeing the point in lying to the woman.

She had served him well, had done her job well without any verbal complaint. He might as well offer up a reward for her work, to keep her motivated.

Aurelia shouldn't have been surprised, but maybe she was a little disappointed by his answer. Still, she let it slide off her without showing it on her face and merely flicked an ear to show that she'd heard him at all. It wasn't until he began to compliment her work that she seemed to perk up slightly. "Oh...?" she said, her head tilting as her gaze lazily followed his paw steps. She angled her head down, as if she were gazing at his paws while he sat beside her. She leaned slightly, bumping her head against his chest before rocking back to her former position. "I look forward to it, then." she commented, though she wasn't at all certain he truly meant what he said. She brought him profit and that was all he seemed to want, so why would he let that go?

Unless...

She shook her head slightly, ears flicking as she glanced off and away.

Don't be stupid, she scolded herself. There was nothing here, despite any nights they might spend together. This was a business deal and that was all, surely. "I am curious, what makes you say that?" she added, unable to hold her silly, stupid tongue. A sigh almost escaped her but that she managed to hold in.

As he spoke, Danya could see the woman before him perk up. The praise did well with her, that much he could tell. He smiled faintly. ’Noted,’ he thought to himself. He had known for some time now that praise generally went over well with Aurelia – as it did with most women. Compliments and the like seemed to be something they almost thrived off of, even if they themselves didn’t notice the reaction that they had to it. Of course, he couldn’t say that the same didn’t hold true for men either. But, in truth, his upbringing had pushed him to expect little in terms of praise. Generally speaking, Danya had grown up used to the fact that if you heard anything at all, it generally wasn’t good. Praise was few and far between, something reserved for true feats of conquest, epic proportion wins, the like.

”Oh…?” She said quietly, her head canting to the side, her gaze drifting as he moved.

”Yes,” he agreed. ”I know this was not the life you chose, in truth, and not the… life you particularly want. So I offer an option to get out, without losing the benefits. A… promotion, yes? If you keep doing the good work.” Danya said, looking towards her, studying her features, judging her reactions and responses to what he was saying with a pointedly calculated expression. He wondered if he had guessed correctly. It wasn’t hard to guess that she did not enjoy the ‘life.’ But then, he had never met many women that were. Proud, yes, of course. But happy with the continuance of it? No, not particularly.

”I look forward to it, then.” Aurelia commented. Danya chuckled softly, a full smile touching his charcoal lips.

”Good, good,” he murmured. He watched her, head tilting to the side as he puzzled over what could be going through her mind. He fretted with it little, looking away until she spoke once more.

”I am curious, what makes you say that?” He pondered her question for a moment, before responding, words almost thoughtfully chewed as they tumbled from his lips.

”It is an incentive, a reward for you for doing good. And, in truth, as we get more courtesans, we will need someone to keep them… collected, in ways I cannot. You would be a house mother, so to say, something of a second over this business. It would free me to run the full exchange and collection side of things without also trying to keep a bunch of whores happy and collected. It would take burden off my shoulders, and give you something to do other than give your body.” He paused, putting his maw a little closer to her ear.

”Unless… you enjoy it?” There was a perverted tease hanging within his words, a question, a curious prompt to try to figure something out about her… all, of course, along a vein that he hoped might make her blush.

Aurelia wasn't sure what she had expected him to say because she'd never entertained the thought of leaving her position behind. She had settled into it well and as much as she didn't care to think about it, it was an easy way to secure her own safety and wellbeing. Now... Danya was giving her oppurtunities.

"Yes, I know this was not the life you chose, in truth, and not the… life you particularly want. So I offer an option to get out, without losing the benefits. A… promotion, yes? If you keep doing the good work.”

She tilted her head and blinked, unsure for a moment. Was this a joke?

She didn't really know how a joke such as this would benefit him, or be even the slightest bit amusing, so she waited for him to continue. ”It is an incentive, a reward for you for doing good. And, in truth, as we get more courtesans, we will need someone to keep them… collected, in ways I cannot. You would be a house mother, so to say, something of a second over this business. It would free me to run the full exchange and collection side of things without also trying to keep a bunch of whores happy and collected. It would take burden off my shoulders, and give you something to do other than give your body.” It wasn't a joke... at least it didn't seem like it was, not anymore. A hopeful look danced upon her delicate features and she twitched an ear as his warm breath brushed against it. ”Unless… you enjoy it?”

Aurelia felt a lump form in her throat that prevented her from speaking right away and she ducked away from him slightly, a frown creasing her lips. After a few seconds, she shook her head. She would never admit the fractional joy it brought her to feel wanted, needed by someone out there.

"Not as much as you might think," she said, turning her chin up and sulking at him slightly. She cleared her throat and then shook her head, straightening back up. "I'd like that. A chance to leave it behind, if I could." If she didn't have to sell her body, she wouldn't. She still dreamed of a family of her own and what man would want her this way? She huffed quietly. What good man would really want her now regardless?

As he spoke, Danya’s gaze stayed upon the monochrome woman. It was a side-eye type of look, that truly only stayed upon her to capture her reactions and to judge what might be floating through her little head. Aurelia’s head tilted, confusion playing upon her soft features in a way that made Danya’s head turn to fully settle his gaze upon her features. A slight smirk touched his lips, as he realized that she must not believe him. While he wasn’t always the nicest of men, he was not particularly cruel. He would not offer a fake out, and the fact that she seemed to be so confused on the possibility of it amused him on some more sadistic level.

As he continued to speak, Danya could see hope flutter upon her features, land. Pollinate. Bloom. He could not help the honest, genuine smile that touched his lips. While he cared little if she were truly happy, there was something about the hope that touched her features that brought a strange warmth to his heart. It wasn’t a warmth that Danya was used to – it wasn’t something that… that he knew what to do with.

His whisper upon her ear made her pull away. A quiet chuckle rumbled in his throat as he settled back on his haunches, waiting to see her further reaction. She looked unable to speak for a few moments, whether it was being flustered or her usual unable to speak due to whatever happened in her head, he wasn’t sure.

”Not as much as you might think,” Aurelia said, lifting her chin, a sulk touching her features. Danya laughed softly; the defiance was cute.

”I’d like that. A chance to leave it behind, if I could.” She said. Danya hummed for a moment before speaking.

”The position is yours if you want it. And work for it. I won’t deny you something I promised.” He stated, before standing. He brushed her as he walked past, tail trailing under her throat if she didn’t pull away from his touch. He walked a small circle around her, looking her over for a moment before speaking once more. ”Tell me, Aurelia. What… is it that you want from life?” He asked, head tilted slightly to the side. Why did he care? Why did he ask? Whether it was because of some genuine form of giving a fuck forming within him or simply making conversation with the woman was admittedly beyond Danya’s reach. He glanced towards the river for a moment, its only slightly distilled surface glittering in the sunlight. It seemed like a good time to at least be… Friendly, so to say.

”The position is yours if you want it. And work for it. I won’t deny you something I promised.” he said and she nodded agreeably. ”I do,” she responded without little more thought on the matter. She would rather run the courtesans than be one herself. The fleeting bliss from the attention she got from some of her clients was not enough to tether her to this life forever. She had other aspirations, silly as they were. And like he could read her mind, Danya asked of them. “Tell me, Aurelia. What… is it that you want from life?”

She turned her head toward his voice and smiled softly. It felt foolish of her to say, but she could not stop herself from admitting the truth to him.

”I have always wanted a family... perhaps to replace the one I lost.” she said. ”A real family.” sh added, in case he had notions of calling himself and the other girls her ‘family’ when they were most definitely not. She wanted a husband, or at least children of her own. That dream seemed so far away from her now, but then again at least now she could dream. Before it was just about survival. There was nothing but that and now? Well, now she had a little more to look forward to, despite everything.

Danya eyed the woman before him, judging her facial expressions with a general look of muted interest. He couldn’t deny that he wasn’t somewhat interested in what she had to say. After all, it was hard to deny some intelligence and thought to someone he had spent so much time with at this point. He could no longer truly think of her as little more than a simple, thoughtless woman who only sought to survive. The more he grew to know her – and know her – the more he could place her into a section of having a mind, sentience, autonomy. He wouldn’t admit that his upbringing was wrong, but could easily attribute things to a single, simple fact. The women of his natal pack? Were a different breed, for sure. Quiet, demure, meek in many regards to the men of the pack – hardened only by the Tundra itself – these women of this kingdom were different. They had been raised with independent thought.

Raised to believe that they were equals to men.

His thought process was not the prevailing one in the kingdom, and he had encountered women in positions of power, actual power, and while strange to him… the more time he spent away from the environment he was raised in, away from those prevailing thought processes… the easier it was to think outside of them, to view things in a somewhat… different light.

”I do.” Aurelia said. Danya nodded slightly, offering a small smile despite knowing she could not see it.

He watched her reaction to his question. She did not shy away from it. Did not push it away as a silly thought. He watched, observing before him a creature that… thought. That had hopes and dreams and aspirations, however silly he may view them in hindsight. One of his ears flicked back somewhat. While he would never think of women as a true equal… The seed of his thought processes could never truly be changed but… Could he perhaps admit that some of his upbringings was… wrong? At least for this kingdom? Perhaps he could. Danya’s ears flickered back slightly, a blush touching his cheeks. He almost growled as he looked away, suddenly… Perturbed by these thoughts.

”I have always wanted a family… Perhaps to replace the one I lost. A real family.” She said. He tilted his head slightly to the side and offered a small chuckle.

”We are not family enough for you?” He questioned softly, perhaps some twinge of bitterness to his words. ”I won’t promise you that, I cannot. But I can help you get as close to that as I can,” Danya offered. ”Why is that what you want? Your family… abandoned you, did they not? Or, did you choose to leave?” Why did he care enough to ask?

It wasn't often she and Danya had conversations like these. They were often busy with their work, but she had to admit she enjoyed the moments like this as fleeting as they were. Aurelia might have the company of others on many nights and yet that did nothing to quell her lonliness. In fact, most of the time she had the feeling that it actaully made it worse.

Aurelia's eas twitched as she turned her head towards his voice. ”We are not family enough for you?” Was that... disappointment in his voice? ”I won’t promise you that, I cannot. But I can help you get as close to that as I can,” he offered. She could not help but return his words with a small smile. ”Why is that what you want? Your family… abandoned you, did they not? Or, did you choose to leave?” It was even rarer that he asked questions like this. Questions that showed he cared, at least somewhat, about her. She felt a flutter in her chest and brushed it off with an outward shrug. "They died and I was left alone." she said simply, choosing to answer his latter question first. A few short moments passed and she sighed. "It's not that I don't appriciate you and the girls, it's just... not the family I dreamed of. I always wanted a... a husband, children. But with my blindness I never thought it possible. Who'd want someone they'd have to look after constantly, after all." she said a bit sheepishly. She was sure Danya was exhausted with her at times, but at least she did well to stay out of trouble in this new life they'd built.