Whitestone Monadnock feels like hope

Set after this thread! @Celandine I didn't know if you wanted to make the BTP thread yourself, so I've left that to you, feel free to start it immediately <3 Or let me know if you want me to!

With a head full of delicious knowledge, Craw had loped back to his rock in the tundra, repeating the names and descriptions to himself even though it was superfluous; he had always had a good memory when it came to the important details. Set apart from any personal business, the information of a pack relatively nearby was always important, for Craw was determined to know the outer-pack relationships in this land better than he ever had in the willows. In the willows, all he had known - all he had had time to worry about - were the damn wolves in the damn willows. The tundra would be different. He trusted these ones, didn't have to keep whispering about them, so his efforts could be more suitably directed to finding out who they could and couldn't trust beyond Whitestone.

First, he needed to find Celandine. The information he had was relevant to them all, but by far the most to her.

Steadily he had trotted back through the short tundra grass and gentle inclines, the monadnock of home quickly appearing on the horizon as a goalpost which his paws pointed towards. Once home and having ascended that goat track, he made a point to swing by the pack's communal area near to where @Morganna lay with Odin and @Kara, placing affectionate licks on each of their crowns. When he asked after Celandine's whereabouts, it was @Isuni who had seen her last, and with gratitude Craw was on his way, winding towards the edge of the monadnock where the white Argyris was to be found.

Once her frame came into sight, he chuffed at her in greeting, a wide, knowing smile creeping across his face as he approached. Would she be able to tell something was up? Because something was so up.

She'd spent her day chasing after small creatures in an attempt to not only sate her endless boredom, but fill the few caches they'd had the time to dig since they claimed the lands upon which they stood. Needless to say, she was tired, and not in the mood thanks to an irritating mink that had seemingly gotten the best of the former princess. Brooding over the loss of it's precious tawny pelt, the woman sat alongside the edge of the enormous structure, waiting for a glimpse of the shimmering rocks that would undoubtedly catch the falling sun. It was something she did every night before sundown, though only the Gods knew why. 

One pale ear swung back, latching on to Craw's heavy gait as it approached. Without giving it any more effort than she absolutely needed to, the woman turned her head, amber eyes lighting like fire against the orange-hued sky. He was grinning from ear to ear, but not the sort of grin that meant he'd heard something funny. Strange. "I don't like that smile, Craw." Of course she was only teasing, but something had definitely happened. "Gods, you look positively deranged. What's going on?" More importantly, was she going to have to miss the light refracting from the stones below?

Have you seen my OOC preferences?

Do you want to have the thread at BTP at the same time as this one, or wait for this one to be done? Because I'm happy to start it (or you can) asap to get the ball rolling!

If there was one thing Craw was coming to learn about Celandine Argyris - and he was making a point of learning as much as he could - it was that she suited the word princess in almost every way. Regal, pompous, arrogant and snobbish were some of the descriptive words he gleaned from interactions with her, even though she did a good job of behaving herself and acting as though she knew her place. It was that fire he had first admired becoming something he could interpret and understand. Celandine was a monumentally proud creature. She was also competent, sharp and diligent, and so, as yet, Craw had no reason to disapprove of that pride.

So long as she continued to know her place. The one aspect of being a princess, perhaps the most important, was the one thing she definitely no longer was.

He had seen fit to test her on occasion, as he likely would continue to do - by sending @Wraith to socialise with her when she wanted to go scouting, for example, even though Craw could guess perfectly well by then that she would resent any implication of being babysat - and now he was looking forward to rewarding her for the loyalty and productiveness the woman had shown so far for this pack. When she glanced back and shot back her sniping remarks, he only laughed, a low rolling huff which died out as he came to stand next to her, a slow wag in his tail.

"You should like it," he rasped, nudging her cheek with his nose, ever determined to acclimatise her to it, gently snapping at the white fur by her cheek in much the same affectionate, teasing way. Do the trick, press the clicker, get the treat. She would learn. "Because I've got an excellent lead on Maeve."

A young deer has been separated from the rest of its herd. Hunt Opportunity

If you could start that would be fantastic! I’m doing replies on my phone so im sorry its poopy ;_;

The woman had come to know Craw better than the rest, simply because he was always there. His approach to leadership was very paws-on, which couldn’t be any farther from the way Phineas had ruled Silent Moon, but somehow it worked. The subordinates stayed in line, going about their days with the same dutiful gusto that one should expect from the lower ranks, and no one questioned him. He was soft somehow, but with the most morbidly dangerous undertones one could imagine. She still hadn’t figured him out, what the end game was, why he called upon her, and what he planned on using her for, but still the Argyris did not stray from the structure and it’s glittering rocks.

"You should like it," Which could only mean that she wouldn't like it one bit. Celandine nearly rolled her eyes before Craw's mass stepped closer. She was starting to grow accustomed to the odd displays of ‘affection’ that the brute imposed, but not so much so that one would mistake her for comfortable. The woman’s posture was definitely more fluid than it had been, and her shoulders less ridged. Still she didn’t care for it by any stretch of the imagination, so when he stretched his muzzle out to her cheek she simply waited for it to be over. The mild irritation was short-lived, however, for the mention of Maeve was enough to sate her entirely. ”What?” even she wasn’t sure whether she was asking if she’d heard him right, or what the lead was.

(This post was last modified: Jun 11, 2016, 07:25 PM by Celandine.)

Have you seen my OOC preferences?

I'll get it started today and tag you <3

She submitted to it like a good girl, and with far less tension now than when he had first showed such platonic physical affection. He had wondered for some time what her birth pack was like, what kind of father had created such a cool, standoffish daughter, and what exactly had happened to cause that proud heir to land out here. Beyond what had already been discussed - largely in @Morganna's presence, back when they had first recruited Celandine - Craw had not pried too much. But now that he was growing fond of the young woman, amused by her quiet ferocity and impressed by her attitude despite it, he made a note to ask her about it.

Perhaps she would enjoy the opportunity to crow about her grand past, or perhaps she would resent the reminder. Either way, it would be a decent topic of conversation for the little trip they were to be taking imminently.

Any discomfort in the white woman's body dissolved at the mention of that valuable name, her attention neatly hooked. He smiled, thin and slow. Did she not believe him? Heartbreaking. "I met a young woman just earlier today, out looking for her brother. She identified herself as Erebos' daughter, Zeta Argyris, and her brother as Zane. These cousins of yours apparently live in Broken Timber Pines to the south east with their mother and father - and Maeve." Was she lying? She wasn't like you at all.

@Craw I'm sorry paranoid Cela is paranoid.

Celandine couldn't help but pause at the names. Zeta, Zane? Surely her uncle would have mentioned his children at some point, though she never cared to listen to his stories. So Craw was.. toying with her? Confusion clouded her brilliant gaze for only a second before her voice broke the tension forming in her gut. "Erebos never spoke of them." And who would choose that man to sire a litter? No... this was wrong. It had to be. The former princess had looked for so long, and her new king just happened to run into a cousin of her's that she'd known nothing about? Had he known all along? Had he kept Maeve from her intentionally? Her mind was spitting questions faster than the woman could actually consider them, but still she forced a familiar mask of indifference to take over her delicate features. 

"How far?" He was up to something. She'd expected it from the beginning, but what was he after? Was he trying to break her? Build her up, gain her trust, and then laugh in her face as she hopefully awaited a reunion? No. She wouldn't let it happen. Not when things were just starting to become.. what? Comfortable? Ha, so he'd achieved it. He'd forced her into complacency, and she'd actually thought she was content in the tundra.

(This post was last modified: Jun 13, 2016, 11:27 AM by Celandine.)

Have you seen my OOC preferences?

it makes the payoff all the better!

He'd been hoping to see recognition in her eyes, for the names of her family to reassure her that his report was genuine, but, disappointingly, it seemed as though Celandine was not familiar with those particular cousins. Curious. So just how long had she been apart from her uncle and Maeve, for the man to have met up with his mate and children and relocated, all without her knowledge? Was there more to this?

Where he had been expecting to see relief, gratitude, hope, instead she wore only her indifference. Was it born from doubt and distrust? Was she actually trying to find her precious Maeve at all, or was that some strange lie? Craw had been under no obligation to share his fresh knowledge with her, save for the fact that he had made a promise. He took a small step back, giving the both of them just that extra half-foot of personal space, as he assessed her reaction and all it might mean.

Ultimately, right then, it didn't matter. He had made a pledge, and would see it through to its conclusion; either Celandine would learn of his sincerity, or he would learn of her lack of it. Either would be a valuable lesson. "Two days, if she spoke true and we rest little," he ruminated, what was left of the teasing gone from his tone as he answered. "I can get back to the great lake, and from there her directions were clear. She mentioned two other names, Iopah and Eirian. I don't suppose either of those are familiar?"

She had a tell, and unbeknownst to her, Craw had seen it. The fae usually prided herself on her ability to portray whatever she needed in order to fit the given situation. In fact, a great deal of her time at the monadnock was spent trying to seem open without actually having to be. Appearances and all. Celandine was good at it, groomed for it even. The woman knew what to say, and when to say it. Offer a bite, and save the rest. It kept others from starving, of course, and it left her with the meal. She preferred it that way. 

He took a step back, leaving her to assess the situation and what it already meant for them. Were things changing? "How.." The woman wanted to ask him so much, but dared not let on to her suspicions. It wouldn't do to ruin it so early on. Not yet. Not until she knew. "How soon can we leave?" Refusing to let hope's finicky tendrils enter her veins, the girl stared at the space between them. She he'd been disappointed so much in her life, and Gods be good, Celandine was sick of it. So they would go, and she'd find another dead-end so Craw could throw her the pity-party he was likely planning to gain her trust further. He had no idea that a little sympathy couldn't buy her.

(This post was last modified: Jun 13, 2016, 12:27 PM by Celandine.)

Have you seen my OOC preferences?

Apparently not. The way she blew past his question - which had been little more than an attempt to open her up, not a query of any importance in and of itself - suggested to Craw that she was taking this seriously. Either that, or she was putting on an excellent complex display of secretly caring deeply while wearing an outer largely-apathetic mask.

He hoped, one day, Celandine wouldn't feel the need to hide from him.

The hesitant question betrayed her eagerness, unless it was all a part of her charade. A dark-pointed ear flicked out as Craw watched her, desperately trying to catch a glimpse of what she was thinking, but she was so controlled and closed-off that it was impossible to be sure. "As soon as you want," he replied gently, passing control of the matter over to her. This was her search, her friend, so it would be her decision.