Lavender Ethos the world looks down and frowns

@Inna | backdated to August 13 

He had given the raven a day to herself—a day to collect her thoughts and hopefully forgive Lachesis for not giving her a chance to speak. It had also been for him, as the alpha needed to compose himself and release some of the anger that had remained from the meeting with Inna and Lorcán after their return from the lowlands. The ghost had worried he was being too lax with his subordinates, allowing them to get away with saying and doing whatever they pleased. Neither Maksim or Kisla would have stood for such behaviour. While he did not want to rule with an iron paw, XIX also did not want his subordinates to think they could walk over him without consequences. It was important for him to establish that relationship with his packmates especially after the matriarch’s untimely death.

Before leaving for the Ethos he had popped by Inna’s den and asked her to join him when she was ready. He had chosen the meadow in hopes that the soothing lavender would help calm the situation and keep tempers from rising once more (mainly his). The ghost had settled in the middle of the tall hyssop stalks, his chartreuse gaze fixated on the trees that surrounded him. He hoped he was doing the Baranski’s justice and that they were not disappointed in him. As the biggest worry-wart in the Lore, XIX frequently doubted his abilities and did not think he was capable of leading a pack. He was quite good at pretending he knew what he was doing and fooling others into think he was.

He sighed, his shoulders sagging as he waited for the raven to join him. For a fleeting moment he wondered if she would show—her behaviour after receiving her punishment had worried him. She had been complacent, almost dismissive. He felt as though his anger was justified, but he also understood why Inna had reacted so hostile to their neighbours. Reyes was not a stupid wolf—he was good at getting a wolf where it hurt and had struck the right cord to get Inna to bark back in defiance. And he had admitted that to Lachesis, which was why he believed every word that had dripped off the scarred male’s tongue. 

stick with those who stick with you

Since returning from her trip to Wild Rye with Lorcan and receiving their punishments and speaking with Lorcan after Inna hadn't left her den except to relieve herself and do whatever babysitting was required of her. She didn't find much point of it anymore, her mother was dead and all her siblings gone. Lachesis was still angry with her and most of all she felt the relationship she had with him had dissolved. She still couldn't wrap her mind around the fact he would believe an outsider over her and Lorcan. Part of her wished she knew who it was but the other part didn't care the damage was done. Her home no longer felt like her home, Hearthwood was lost to her.

When Lachesis stopped by and asked her to meet him in the ethos she figured it was time for the talk he wanted to have with her. She didn't know what to expect but she felt it was about her behavior at wild rye. Perhaps a more serious punishment for what he felt she had done. It was clear to her he wanted her to be a good, submissive little subordinate. She would do that if only to make sure that Oksana still had a place to call home. She didn't want to take a chance on her daughter having to leave Hearthwood especially when outside the borders could be such a dangerous place for pups.

She'd let a few moments pass before she finally drug herself up and left her den for the ethos, she supposed a fitting place to make sure she understood where she fit into Hearthwood. Right in front of her parents graves, a reminder that they were no longer there with her to help her. She didn't run to her meeting with the pale healer, she just didn't have it in her. When she arrived it was with a submissive posture and averted gaze and respectable dip of her head. “You wanted to speak to me, sir?” The word felt off coming from her mouth directed at him as it had the first time she'd said it but after his display of dominance over she and Lorcan Inna felt it was what he wanted.

~Table by Jacqueline

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For a moment he wondered if the raven would even show. She had been both angry and upset with him after their previous meeting, XIX knew that. The ghost worried that she might have taken the discipline more personally, thinking that he did not care about how they had been treated. Inna was like family to him and he viewed Lorcán as a friend, but he was not sure if the feeling remained mutual. His lips curved downward. He had punished them for their boldness, just as Jessie had done to Askan and Reyes. Both parties had been reprimanded for their behaviour. Lachesis knew that emotions had been high, as Risaela was the raven’s family, and the Rye wolves had made a comment about how long it had taken them to find the little Tainn. Perhaps it had been unwise to send Inna, for she was still grieving about her mother’s death and sensitive…

As the thought lingered int he back of his mind he could hear the ebony Baranski approach, her posture screaming with submission as she averted her gaze. Sir. She would have never greeted him like that prior to being disciplined; it appeared she was trying to prove a point. The downward curve in his lips deepened, a single brow raising as he swallowed back the desire to comment on it. “I am sorry I did not give you a chance to speak before,” he started, his voice low; neutral. “I do not want you to think that I don’t value what you have to say, so I’d like to hear what happened at Wild Rye. In your own words.” He hoped she did not remain complacent, for although he knew the story, Lachesis wanted to know how she felt about the encounter. 

stick with those who stick with you

While her actions at the rye border we're out of line, she should never have spoken to Jessie in the way that she had and she deserved to be punished for that. So she did not feel she was being punished for the right thing though she supposed a punishment is a punishment and she should be grateful for what she got. Inna knew it could have been a lot worse but Lachesis had made himself clear the night she and Lorcan had returned. Things had changed in their absence, Lachesis seemed to be asserting himself as alpha more and as his subordinate she felt she had to submit to that no matter their relationship whatever it was now, she wasn't sure. Everything seemed to have fallen apart and she didn't know what to do anymore.

Her den, her daughter, and Lorcan those were the only things that made sense to her. Even Ayti who was supposed to be her friend, she wasn't even sure if that and she was beyond trying to figure anything out. She focused on the simple things, looking after her daughter, fulfilling her punishment that was all she felt capable of doing.

As she entered the Ethos to speak with Lachesis she gave a glance to where her parents rested, they would certainly be disappointed with her behavior so she didn't blame Lachesis for his disappointment either, it was earned. She just wished it was for the right reason. She had gotten the message that he felt he knew the truth of what had happened so she'd kept her mouth shut and not fought about it, there had been no point as the way he spoke of Lorcan being Oksana's father had also made it clear that in some level his trust in her was gone.

As he spoke then in the Ethos apologizing for not letting her speak she turned her head so he would know she heard him but she still did not meet his gaze. Then he said he wanted to hear her side in her words. Inna didn't know if it would even be worth it to tell him, would it make a difference? Change anything? He wanted to believe the rye wolf, would he even believe her. She hesitated weighing it but in the end she didn't have a choice really it was what her alpha had asked of her.

“Lorcan and I found Risa's scent in our way to Wild Rye and followed it,” she started, “When we arrived we called for Jessie just as you had said and when she came to greet us she introduced herself and asked if we were looking for Risa. Before I could speak Reyes showed demanding our names and what we were there for. It was in my opinion not his place but I let it go and spoke to Jessie introducing myself and Lorcan and telling her that we were there looking for Risa and I told Askan I was happy to see he'd recovered before asking about Risa and if they knew where we might find her. Jesse told us Risa was there and offered her condolences about my mother which I politely accepted but then it went bad after that. Askan was different not like he had been when I had met him and I let that go even though I didn't understand but then he accused us if not caring enough about Risa to come sooner and Reyes joined in on that with another accusation that because Risa wasn't Oksana that there wasn't urgency.”

Inna paused for a moment to gather herself as her anger over the accusations started to get to her once more. “Risa’s my sister, she's the only connection I have to my mother how could they even think such things? I know I have done bad things in the past but does that make me so bad that I wouldn't care about my little sister?” Inna took another deep breath before going on, “Then Reyes whispered something to Jessie which I can only assume was about Lorcan being Oksana's father, Alek must have told him about his suspicions, I never told him. Then Jessie was whispering and all I'm thinking is if this was turned around and they were at our borders being treated as such they wouldn't be happy about it either. That was when I became so upset and I was wrong with the way I spoke to Jessie but I never threatened to sever the alliance,” she did finally meet Lachesis’ gaze, “I told Jessie that I would recommend it to you because I know I didn't have that kind of power but I thought that you wouldn't appreciate the way we were treated.” She averted her gaze once more, “I know it is your decision but as a scout for Hearthwood I think it's part of my job to let you know when I have been treated badly,” she shrugged since that was something else she just wasn't sure of anymore. “After Jessie gave me a piece if her mind I realized my mistake and apologized to her tried to explain my behavior but let her know that I wasn't trying to excuse it. I asked to see Risa and when he told me no I told her that I would have to tell you. Lorcan doesn't deserve his punishment, he was polite the whole time even though I know he was angry.” She met Lachesis gaze again, “Whatever else you want to do It should be me that suffers it I'm the one that messed up and made it so you have to go apologize to Jessie.”

Inna fell silent then and waited for his judgement of what she had said. It was up to him if he wanted to believe her or not. She waited not knowing what to expect.

~Table by Jacqueline

Please see Kajika's OOC profile for OOC preferences, thank you.

 

His lips were drawn into a thin light as he watched Inna expectantly, waiting for her to share her own side of the story. He could practically hear the gears turning in her head as she debated answering him, her eyes still averted from his has she did not uncoil from her submissive position. It was obvious that the raven was still hurt from his actions when she and Lorcán had returned to Hearthwood, but the leader still stood by them. He had sent two of his most diplomatic wolves to the Rye and would have never expected them (more specifically, Inna) act the way they did. Heightened emotions or not, it would not be tolerated.

He still trusted the ebony Baranski—nothing would ever change that—but he was confused by her actions. Never had the raven acted like that before, for she was always level-headed and composed. But, her mother had just died and her sister was missing—it made sense. Perhaps he should have just sent Lorcán to the Fields, for Inna was still grieving and being concerned for her younger sister did not help.

His ears twitched as she began speaking, announcing how her and the tawny healer had arrived at the Rye borders asking about Risaela’s whereabouts. He was not surprised to hear how Reyes had interjected, demanding to know what they were doing at the borders. The scarred male was far more blunt than any other wolf Lachesis had encountered, and showed all the characteristics of a Guardian. He was merely trying to do his job and Inna had mistaken his brashness for rudeness, which (again) did not surprise him, as it was had to tell what Reyes actually meant when he spoke. He gave a silent nod, encouraging the girl to continue.

A frown creased his dark features as she mentioned how they had accused her of not caring about the little Tainn. He sighed, his brows narrowing softly. “They were worried about her, too. A lone cub so far from her home—they were only trying to protect her. However, they had no right to say those things and I know that they were properly punished for acting so rudely toward the two of you,” he added in hopes of reassuring the girl, his voice level as he spoke. Once more he fell silent as Inna dived into her story, talking about how Reyes had been whispering to Jessie and how she became upset with them. I never threatened to sever the alliance. His tongue clucked against the roof of his mouth, but he did not speak. He would have to talk to Jessie about that, because Reyes had made it seem like she had. There was no reason for the scarred wolf to lie to Lachesis—the ghost had run nearly three days to save his mate; Reyes owed XIX the truth.

“I do want to know when my scouts have been treated poorly and I do not commend, or agree with, their actions. That is certainly something I am going to discuss with Jessie. I can not fault you for getting upset, especially with the situation involving your sister. But, when the conversation was going south, you should have walked away and gone to get me. They would never hurt her—not if they wanted to preserve our alliance. And they have full intentions of returning her when she is ready to come home. The girl is grieving, just like us, and does not know how to handle it.” He sighed once more, the tip of his tail flicking. “I am sorry for how you two were treated and it won’t happen again, I can assure you that. I think Reyes and Askan have learned their lesson, too.”

His maw canted to the side as he deliberated what to do about the tawny healer. He owed the agouti a conversation, too. “I’ll speak to Lorcán. I appreciate you being honest with me, Inna. Please know I would never allow you to be treated like that again. You are important to me, and I don’t want this to drive a wedge between us.”

stick with those who stick with you

There were so many things shouting in her head that she should not say anything the the pale leader. She felt his mind was made up about the situation, that he would rather believe the informant over his own subordinates. She wanted to know what made him so hard pressed to want to believe this informant was telling the truth. Normally she might have asked but as Lachesis had demanded her and Lorcan's submission just two days ago she felt it was no longer her place. In the end she had no choice but the tell him what had happened because it was what was asked of her by her alpha, she had to obey.

So she'd told her story the best she could being honest about it all because she wouldn't ever like to Lachesis. She had not even tried to deny that Lorcan was the father of her child. She was giving Lachesis this chance to trust that what she was saying was the truth. Yes, she had behaved poorly Inna would admit that but the thing she was being punished for wasn't even true. He tried to make it better, make her feel better about Risa still being at wild rye but it did not. “What you think is best,” she stated quietly as he finished. Inna wouldn't argue with him because he was the alpha and knew better than she did. As she told him what had really happened about the alliance she heard the cluck of his tongue causing her head to snap to meet his gaze. That was how it was then, he still did not believe her. She didn't think he ever would because he was so determined to believe the lie that had been told to him. She could accept that if that was what he wanted.

She averted her gaze again as he spoke of discussing things with Jessie, would Jessie tell Lachesis the truth or would she share in the likes that one of her subordinates had told? Inna could only hope that Jessie was as honorable as she had presented herself but then Inna knew she had been wrong about Askan she could very well be wrong about Jessie too. “I hope your discussion goes well with Jessie. I am sorry I'm sure you're right it just would have been nice to see her for myself.” That was all but at the end of the day that didn't matter just like it didn't matter she had lost her mom too. It didn't matter that there was a very good chance her litter mate was dead. It never mattered all that she had lost and now she was losing just another important person because she could not understand why what she said didn't matter. “If you think it's best for Risa to remain there then i have to accept it.” Inna wanted to scoff at Lachesis commenting that Askan and Reyes had learned their lesson, Inna doubted that but she kept these thoughts to herself.

She didn't doubt that Lachesis was sorry for the way they were treated but she couldn't get past him not believing her. “I'm sure he will appreciate that. I would never lie to you,” she said with her gaze still averted. She didn't comment on the last of what he said. While she didn't want this to drive a wedge between him his continued need to believe his informat bothered her and of that wasn't enough Inna knew she was going to be making this worse for herself.

“There's something else I have to tell you.” She started bringing her gaze to meet his once more, she needed to look him in the eye as she told him what she had done. “The day after you gave me my punishment I met a man from Oak Tree Bend at the border and I told him off my mother's death.” Whatever further punishment he wanted to exact on her she would accept.

~Table by Jacqueline

Please see Kajika's OOC profile for OOC preferences, thank you.

 

Shallow water has trapped several fish in a small pond. Hunt Opportunity

i am so sorry abut the wait, @Inna ! <3

The ghost nodded solemnly at her words, his lips curved into a small frown. “I know,” he hummed at her comment about wanting to see Risaela. Aside from her daughter, the little Tainn (and her brother) were the only family Inna had left in the Lore. Aleksei had moved west but he knew how the raven felt about him—he was as good as dead to her. It was important for the Baranski to get her little sister back, and she would. Just not as soon as she would like. “I think it will help her cope. I know she will not be there much longer. I want to see her, too. She is too young to deal with such grief; therefore, she does not know how. I want her to be here, with her family, just as much as you do. But a change of scenery may help her grieve.” He sighed, his eyes averted from hers. “I know they will not do her any harm, nor will they keep her from us.” For that would only make the situation worse.

His frown did not waver as she spoke. It was evident that she was still being dismissive with him; distant. He did not know what else there was for him to do, or say. The trust would return—he knew that. It would take a lot more than the situation between Inna and the Rye wolves to break his faith in her. It was just wounded. He still cared about her and her well-being, which was why he was so frazzled in the first place, and had sought her out once more. Lachesis knew that she was struggling with her own grief. “I know you wouldn’t,” he commented with a sad smile, his chartreuse gaze returning to her dark features.

His head tipped tot he side as she spoke and a sigh rolled off his tongue, the corners of his eyes crinkling in amusement. “It’s okay,” he hummed despite the raven blatantly ignoring the punishment he had placed upon her. “I knew it was going to be near impossible to keep you from the borders. Thank you for telling me.” Another sigh rolled off his tongue. “Was he a friend of your mother?”

stick with those who stick with you

No Worries!

Her behavior at wild rye left a lot to be desired, she knew that but she had apologized to Jessie and she still felt it was wrong for them to not let her at least see her sister. Was it not her right as her family to see for herself that Risa was okay? Even after she had explained how she felt about the Tainn child she still wasn't allowed to see her, Inna couldn't understand. What made it worse was that she felt Lachesis thought this was okay even if he did say that he knew how she felt. Did he really understand? Then the fact that Risa was there with Alek who she believed would poison her sister against her. The venom with which he'd spoken to her since the day she'd returned was what led her to believe he would. She supposed it wouldn't matter if it when Risa came back, she would hate her just as Alek did and that would be that, how long would it be until all of Hearthwood was poisoned against her because of Alek? Lachesis words were of no comfort to Inna because the damage would he done, she would lose her sister. The Raven wasn't going to to say anything as Lachesis believed that everything would he okay and Risa would be with them soon enough but she couldn't help herself. He needed to understand, “Alek will poison her against us,” she finally said quietly.

After all that he had obviously been told she didn't know why but she felt it important to tell him that he wouldn't lie to him. As if it really mattered as it was clear he believed the rye wolf informat over her. Inna couldn't help but feel she had wasted her breath and her time by trying to explain herself. He said he knew she wouldn't but did he really? If he did why did he have to go find the truth somewhere else? Again she didn't understand but she didn't say anything and instead hope that someone would back her up, that someone would make this right. She already knew that if he asked Jessie and the rye alpha confirmed whatever the informant had said whatever she had told Lachesis wouldn't matter.

Then Inna felt she should confess to breaking her punishment part of it because Lachesis needed to know. The other was some small hope that it would restore his trust in her. To her surprise he wasn't angry with her and in a small glance in his direction she seemed amused, even in the words he said. Inna nodded, “I'm sorry,” she said, “I just couldn't ignore him.” She was glad that she had been the one to meet Ice and not someone else. Inna shrugged, “His name was Ice and he was from Oak Tree Bend.” Inna had assumed from the moment he Introduced himself that he was a friend and maybe more. She couldn't get the man's eyes out of her mind but that was her mother's secret if what she thought was true.

~Table by Jacqueline

(This post was last modified: Sep 12, 2017, 06:18 PM by Inna.)

Please see Kajika's OOC profile for OOC preferences, thank you.

 

His lips tightened at her comment. He, too, had worried about what might happen between Aleksei and Risaela during her stay in the Fields. For whatever reason the older Baranski had a vendetta against the river wolves. Some grudge fuelled by his own guilt for not being present when his father had passed. Lachesis didn’t care. Without an explanation he had fled the Kingswood, offering nothing but a single howl to announce his departure, leaving behind his siblings (both new and old) and his mother. He snorted in response, his brows pinched. “He will try, yes,” he answered slowly, his tail twitching. “But he will not succeed. Risaela is a smart girl. Have faith in her.” Her absence did not mean she was any less loyal to the river pack. She was too young to understand the immense weight of grief pulling at her shoulders. Running had seemed like a viable option. Wild Rye was safe—for now. There was no death there; no loss. She was recovering and she would come home. Lachesis knew she would.

The ghost shrugged at her apology. He was frustrated that she had ignored her punishment but there was nothing he could do now. He had already frayed their relationship enough by implementing the punishment. While he wanted to discipline her for her actions he did not know if it would be worth it. Not after she had been so hurt by reaction to what had happened at the Rye borders. Instead he sighed and listened to her explain who the visitor was. Ice. He was familiar with the name, only because of Kisla, but aside from that he knew nothing of the man. “What did he want?”

stick with those who stick with you