Paradise Falls The teeth are shiny

Archer is calling for leadership. Please let @Nori respond first.

Archer

Nori had been quiet the last little while and while Archer was curious as to why his usually bubbly friend was down, he didn't press the issue. He didn't mind the quiet, although he did feel like a bad friend for not insisting she talk about it. Even so, she was good company and he hoped he might convince her to stay with them when he found his daughter and returned to the backwater.

It took a little longer than expected but the scent of a pack border finally met Archer's nose and he pulled up abruptly. He... he recognized that scent. His name prickled. It was a little different, belonging to another pack, but the individual who had marked the borders was familiar and Archer did not like it. He would have preferred never to face the man again. Maybe he wouldn't be the one to answer the call - and for the first time ever, he hoped he wouldn't find Ally here.

He glanced at Nori, then tilted his head back and requested leadership come to meet them.

Archer is very haggard and thin; it is obvious he is not doing well.

It’d been difficult to keep up her usual persona with what had happened between her and Jet. Archer hadn’t pushed her on it, which Nori was weirdly grateful for - she didn’t want to talk just yet. Maybe not ever, really. And it wasn’t even that big a deal! Jet had a family and that was great. She was happy for him, really, and they hadn’t left on bad terms, but the sting still remained in her chest and made her feel so tired and downtrodden, and she couldn’t quite shake it just yet.

She trailed after the dark-furred wolf and came to a stop, studying his expression. There was something there - hesitation, maybe? - and Nori found herself wanting to press up against him for support. Archer had lived around these parts longer than she had, and there were probably many struggles she wasn’t aware of.

What she did do in lieu of that was press her nose to his shoulder for a moment and offer him a small smile, hoping to reassure, before pulling back to wait for the pack wolves to come to them.

Chan did not recognize the voice, and whatever he might have been able to pick up on in Archer's scent was heavily overshadowed by the revelation that his niece was here at his door. It had been years, with so much change happening in between, but he still knew. Breaking into a run, he didn't stop until the other Eastfall was in view. Then he realized who was beside her, someone else he'd not seen in a very long time. Before all the worst.

A friendly smile was focused on Viorel's son before he greeted Staryn's daughter with a toothy grin and peppy steps. He would move to bump his forehead to hers if she recognized him in turn, the way he used to greet families and friends when he was much younger himself.

"I can't believe my eyes!"

For more reasons than one... what was Archer doing without his daughter? It had been nearly three months since Ally had left the Falls, surely they'd been reunited by now. Right?

"Nori, how have you been?"

His first priority - that his niece really was okay. Just being alive and present was not in itself proof of that.

(This post was last modified: May 13, 2024, 07:33 PM by Chan.)

Archer

The man responded and Archer ground his teeth together. After what he'd done, how badly he'd failed, he was leading his own pack? Again? Hadn't the Cove been failure enough? And to make matters worse, Chan smiled at him, like nothing was wrong, and then completely ignored him to instead talk to Nori. This gave Archer pause, looking at the pair in surprise. They knew each other?

And well, from the looks of it. Archer all but bit his tongue, using all of his self control not to lash out at the man who had for all intents and purposes killed his sister. He knew Chan hadn't actually killed her, but Sephrina was dead because of his neglect and that was enough for him. His eyes remained narrowed and his ears back, but he tried to take a neutral tone. "Nori," he said, almost conversationally, "I didn't know you were familiar with the Eastfalls." Perhaps not the family, but he didn't want to say Chan's name to his face. He didn't deserve his respect.

Archer is very haggard and thin; it is obvious he is not doing well.

Nori’s eyes widened at the sight of her uncle, and she almost wanted to bolt, but he looked so… happy. Happy to see her, for whatever reason, like she hadn’t vanished off the face of the earth. The greeting was far more positive than she’d thought it would be, and Nori found her tail wagging, leaning in to bump their heads together with a light laugh.

“I thought you were up the mountain,” she said, a lopsided smile on her face now that she was sure she wouldn’t be given the cold shoulder or turned away. Meeting family down here was not something she’d been expecting, but it wasn’t unwelcome at all. In fact, it made her feel a lot more like herself than she’d felt in a long time.

She shook her head, her smile becoming somewhat more of a grimace before returning to its normal self. “I’m good,” she said, even if that wasn’t quite true. “I missed everyone - how’ve you all been? Is everybody here?”

Hearing her name snapped her attention back to her companion and she glanced over at Archer, a brow raising. “Uh, yeah. I am an Eastfall,” she said, confused. His expression was so… harsh. “Is that a problem…?”

'I didn't know you were familiar with the Eastfalls.'

Chan blinked, gaze shifting to Archer briefly. Had they only just met, or did Nori no longer use the surname? It wasn't his business, really, but it couldn't be helped either that he knew what the point of such a jab was while his niece was likely oblivious. She certainly hadn't been a part of, or even in touch with, the Cove and that part of her family when the cause of such tension had happened.

It both felt intrusive to speak at this point, and an obligation of his. He had all the puzzle pieces, and this wasn't a situation in which he wanted to see any kind of emotional escalation. Not between them, not if he could nip it in the bud first. His smile had gone, a measured somberness taking over his affect as he found his voice again.

"Nori has not been a member of the Cove, nor even within the Lore, I believe, for several years."

His lips parted again to say more, but he closed them resolutely without another sound. It was Archer's loss to speak of, no matter Chan's own role in the situation. He wouldn't give more information without the young Valle's consent.

He wanted too, to ask after Ally and answer Nori's queries, but he wouldn't be the one to change topics until he was more confident mere association had not just unnecessarily lost his niece a friend.

(This post was last modified: Jun 07, 2024, 10:55 PM by Chan.)