Silverlight Terrace if you were on fire, i'd roast marshmallows

@Rannoch & @Rian - I hope the location is ok!

The young flame had been subconsciously drifting towards the direction of her home ever since she had left the glacier. It was a miracle she had made it this far alone, but as expected her luck eventually ran out. She was completely and utterly lost. Not that she was particularly bothered by this seeing as the place she stumbled upon happened to be unforgettably beautiful and all. The moonlight showered the field before her in a blanket of silver, and even Rose herself appeared to glow upon the rolling hills of the terrace. 

Smells nice, she thought. Like warm vanilla and sweet honeysuckle blended together to bring forth a perfume that entranced any who breathed it in. A soft smile found it's way to the girl's lips as she bent down to take in more of the scent. It really did smell nice.

Thanks for starting, you rock! @Cypress feel free to hop in, too!

 
Another day had come and gone, leaving the Teekons bathed in a blanket of silver. Starlight danced overhead while a delicate scent of vanilla and honeysuckle whafted through the night. It seemed as though all the components of the night had come together to formulate the perfect atmospehere for some late-night wandering. 

Taking the weather as an indication, Rannoch trudged into the night. In his wandering, it did not take him long to come across another. Pausing at a comfortable distance, Rannoch looked to the young woman with a smile, his tail waving gently behind him. "Hey," he offered in way of a greeting, feeling the need to reach out despite her minding her own business. "Nice night, isn't it?" 

Truthfully, Rian had no idea why he decided to follow Rannoch into the night. But he did know that he wanted to strike up a stronger rapport with his grayscale cousin, and cement his role as the third, but no less important, partner of their wild adventure. So he trailed after his scent and the prints he left in the occasional patch of bare earth until he came across not only Rannoch, but a stranger, on a higher tressel of the Terrace.

An uncomfortable, but familiar, twinge of anxiety lanced through his heart at the sight of the child. He didn't want his flanks to withstand a beating if the girl's parents were nearby and became irate at the pair of yearling males. Rian recalled Amekaze, Hydra's mother, and swallowed thickly. But he couldn't leave his, well, brother out here alone. The thickset boy clambered up to the same level as the pair and, after greeting Rannoch with a gentle nudge to his burly shoulder, turned to Rose with a nod and a shy smile.

The wind was gentle that night and kept the girl from realizing she had company until the soft patter of paws caught her attention. Glossy admiral eyes peered up at the familiar male through the thin blades of grass and she slowly raised her head to meet him on equal ground. "Oh" she let out, glancing behind him to catch a dark figure moving towards them, "it's you again." Their last meeting was still clear in her head and even she wouldn't forget it so soon.

Not moments after the last word left her mouth, a second male worked his way atop the mound and Rose watched with curious eyes as he greeted the grayscale male with familiarity. "A friend of yours?" she guessed, and turned to offer the earthly toned stranger a swish of her tail.

Cypress was the third musketeer to materialize from the shadows.

As it so often did in the presence of strangers, the raven’s countenance adopted a stoic, even sinister mien. Sulphureous eyes focused intently upon the cinnamon-furred female with an eerie, unblinking stare, but his voice as he interjected was quiet and slow, devoid of malice — or any other discernible emotion. “Brothers,” he corrected her calmly, his gaze flicking to Rian and settling inoffensively on the briar-and-bark male’s cheek. The flicker in his lantern yellow gaze was warm and inclusive. As far as Cypress was concerned, they were all brothers now. He lingered at the outskirts of the starlit tableau, standing some distance away from Rian and Rannoch, placing the most space between himself and the girl.

He didn’t know what to make of her. She was a lithe, pretty thing with startlingly blue eyes that caught the light and sparkled with what he perceived to be curiosity and intelligence, but she wasn’t Alya.

Rannoch had not realised just who he had stumbled upon and it finally occurred to him, his expression brightened considerably. He had figured, just as he thought with most, that he would never see the medic again. Here they were, reunited once more. He offered her a gentle shake of his tail, picking himself up a little taller as he felt a nudge on his shoulder. His eyes turned to his cousin's face, and he smiled quickly before returning the gesture. 

"No, he's my--" he said while turning his attention to Rose, the words were cut short by another voice. His ears perked and he turned again, pleased to see Cypress join. "Brothers," he confirmed,  his eyes lingering on Rian for a second before turning back to Rose. 

Though he had no idea of how fate had allowed them to cross paths again so quickly, he was glad that it had. "Guys, this is the medic that helped me the other day," he said, his eyes lingering on the star-kissed woman before them as he recalled the tale that he had told both of his brothers the night before. "This is Rain and Cypress," he said, his eyes jumping to each figure as he addressed them before returning to her again. "What're you doing here?" he asked after a beat, his head tilting as to emphasise his curiosity.

;-;

Sure enough, true as day turned to night, Cypress materialized from the shadow in the same peculiar way that the eioldon often did. Rian attributed it to his dusky coat, but there could have been a supernatrual element to it that he was simply ignoring. Either way, the sight of his darker cousin bolstered his courage and he almost turned back to the conversation at hand, but Cypress' comment caused his breath to escape him. Brothers? The word echoed dimly in the sudden cacaphony in his mind—the familiar static created such a noise that he nearly didn't catch Rannoch confirming it a moment later. He stared back as the teal of the silver-saddled boy's eyes glanced over to meet his own.

Brothers.

Rian was thankful when the topic didn't linger but the idea continued to bounce rather heavily around in his mind, and especially his heart (which now pounded fitfully against his chest cavity). He fought to keep his attention on Rose, but one ear remained reserved, as always, for Cypress who stood a bit back and off to the side. Rannoch reminded them of the tale and Rian was able to hyperfocus on it, instead. The mangled gray girl, yeah, he remembered. Whoever harmed her was still out there somewhere, but this was not the time nor the place to bring that up with his... brothers.

Instead he nodded when Rannoch introduced them, just like he was taught long, long ago. "Nice to meet you, Rose." He offered softly.

As if on cue, another stranger had made their way into the conversation and the blue eyed girl found herself wondering if anyone else would be joining them tonight. She looked up at the three, carefully scanning over each one as if to assess if they had been telling the truth about their relationship. "I can see the similarities" she let out after a breath, and offered the trio the faintest of smiles. A part of her was glad to see siblings together; to know that not all families were destined to be torn apart like her own. But another part of her was envies at the bond they clearly shared with each other and no matter what she did the jealousy didn't subside.

If it were not for Rannoch's question, Rose might have ended up lost in her own mind. Luckily however, his words managed to pull her from her thoughts and bring her focus back to the conversation at hand. "I'm searching for something" she answered after a few moments, "though I'm not exactly sure what it is I'm looking for."

Cypress bobbed his head as he was introduced, maintaining his generally stoic expression, but even he had to crack a lopsided half-grin when the girl cited a certain family resemblance between the three young runaways. It was nicer this way. Nicer to look at Rian and Rannoch and call them both his brothers than to say the ostracizing mouthful: “Rannoch and I are brothers and Rian’s our cousin.” To be honest, though, Cypress was pretty sure if anybody had to guess, he’d be pegged as the cousin. His stygian pelage bore a sharp contrast to the other two’s agouti fur, as did his eerie yellow eyes in comparison to their jade green and turquoise ones. They even sounded better together: Rannoch and Rian. The alliteration was pleasing.

And with the addition of Rose —

Quite suddenly, Cypress decided that he didn’t like thinking quite so much about the differences he marked anew between himself and Rannoch, but he couldn’t stop. He’d always been this way — focusing on and obsessing over the ways he didn’t seem to match or measure up to his father and brother. His veiled visage tautened slightly, but apart from that he made no indication of his inner turmoil, keeping his quiet baritenor slow and easy as he asked, “What’s it like being a medic? Did someone teach you?” He assumed that his peers figured out what they wanted to do by observing their parents because Scimitar’s example had factored largely into how he and Rannoch had made their own decisions, but he didn’t know for sure. He forbore from commenting on her previous statement, as it seemed silly for him to do so; if she didn’t know what she was looking for, he didn’t see how they could offer to help her find it.

Rose's answer was one which stirred something within the wide-set male, bringing forth a flicker of repressed feelings. He had been in her headspace once, pushed away from the Teekons by both fear and the prospect of finding something out there. Unfortunately, or fortunately given his current situation, Rannoch had not found what he had been looking for. It had taken him coming back to realize just what he had been really looking for. Once reuniting, these feelings of had slowly slipped to the background of his conscious.

His expression turned sympathetic, and he nodded, not adding anything to the conversation. Instead, Cypress stood up to the podium to do so, ushering forth his curiosity. Rannoch turned to his sibling briefly, now curious to what had been voiced, before looking to Rose again as he waited for her response.

There was the odd sensation again—as if he was backed up to the cusp of something very large and important, but his mind couldn't fully define the idea slowly rolling into motion. Cypress' sudden question and Rannoch's own silence was interesting, because it was more often than not the gray saddled boy who led the conversations. Where Cypress and Rian were lacking in proper social skills, Rannoch seemed to have it in droves. He cast a glance to his swarthy cousin, wanting, desperately, to read his thoughts somehow but found nothing but a blank page. He wasn't good at reading others. Until recently, he spent most of his time looking at his feet while addressing others. 

He was unaware of Cypress' own discomfort from comparing the pair of them, so he simply took the question for face value rather than a hurried topic change. Rian's own heartbeat slowed a bit and he raised his brows when his attention diverted to Rose once more.

This time it was the charcoal smudged youth to ask the questions. Out of the three he appeared to be the most serious, while the other two put off a more welcoming and warm atmosphere. She thought it to be a good mix of personalities; one outgoing, one reserved and one solemn. They fit perfectly together and as a perfectionist she found their little group to be rather attractive. Unlike her own family, they all seemed to have a part to play in completing one another. 

She swallowed the lump in her throat and thought for a moment on how she would describe being a medic. While she had never really considered herself to be one, she supposed that was the most fitting trade to describe her particular interest. "It's...difficult but worth the effort" she let out and wondered if that was the best way to describe her trade. It was incredibly satisfying when she got to help someone, but there was also that unimaginable fear of harming someone or even worse, losing them. As for the whole educational part..."I taught myself" she proudly declared and gave a smile at her own accomplishments. She had spent quite a while by herself and had way too much time on her hands, so experimenting with plants had become an interesting and fun way to pass the time.

Whether it was due to the pride in the girl’s smile or the passion in her declaration, Cypress came to know a begrudging respect for Rose. If he, Shrike, or Allure had been trained in medicine, perhaps Eshe and Scimitar could have been saved. Perhaps they’d be alive now. “That’s real good,” he said, the first tendrils of respect sending fissures of honest warmth through his brittle baritenor. “You can help a lot of wolves with a skill like that.” For a moment, the eidolon almost considered it — if she can learn it, can’t I? — but the notion was short-lived. He wasn’t a fixer. He’d proven that time and time again. The best he could do was try to break the opposition before it got close enough to break his family. Cypress was an infantryman, made to fight and die on the front lines. On that note, he wasn’t a great conversationalist either — and with that thought, he turned his attention to Rannoch with a meaningful look. He didn’t know what to say.

Cypress' remark was one that set the cogs in Rannoch's mind into motion. As he broke down this information, he turned to meet his brother's gaze, nodding gently to agree with what had been said. Their band was lacking a member that could heal, and Rannoch could easily see her slipping into place alongside them. He knew this would be a relationship that would benefit all of them and he simply could not pass up this oppratunity. 

With this thought, he looked to each of his siblings briefly before turning to Rose, picking himself up as if to assert his place in their conversation to everybody. "I think that we have a place in our group for your skills," he began, his eyes lingering on the pretty-faced girl as a smile graced his dark lips. "Maybe we can help you what you're looking for." With this, he silenced himself, waiting to hear Rose's reaction.

And, once again, Rian was at the precipice as the conclusion began to take shape among the brothers. He had his own opinions, of course—he could learn to heal. But instead Rannoch desired the easier route. He would rather take in yet another mouth to feed (when they were already middling hunter as it was) than to dedicate one of them to a craft. The implications of this group was sending blow after blow of anxiety against his fragile defenses. 

But, at the same time, the O'Malley yearling was not a cruel nor selfish creature. He saw the merit in her skills, and what she had to offer them. In exchange for food and protection, she could provide a life-changing service as she continued to hone her craft. It wasn't a foolish offer Rannoch made. If they were going to survive, sacrifices needed to be made. His selfish desires of solidarity was the most logical point to start cutting.

His eyes flickered to Cypress, then to the strong curve of Rannoch's jaw as he ruminated. He trapped the side of his tongue between his molars and returned his attention to Rose, his jade eyes reserved but intense.

Her smiled beamed brighter when the inky male told her she could help many with her trade. She had never given much thought as to what she was good at or what she might be capable of, but his words momentarily brought her to think about the future. Messing around with plants was just a hobby to pass the time, but it got her thinking. What if I can turn this into something useful? If she was able to save others and prove her worth, than healing had just gone from a pastime to a skill she would work on until she all but perfected it. "Thanks" she responded, though her expression of gratitude was for much more than just the words he had offered.

She inhaled a deep breath and then focused her attention on the next male's words. A place in their group, huh? She wasn't exactly sure what to say or think. They all knew each other and it was because of this that she was hesitant to accept his offer. She would be the outcast among them and she had yet to hear the other two opinions. She looked to Rian and Cypress, "as long as you guys are ok with me tagging along, then I'll happily accept the offer." She didn't want to be somewhere where she was unwanted, so as long as they agreed with their brother, Rose would gratefully travel with them.

Cypress’ compliment had been just that — a compliment. He hadn’t meant in any capacity whatsoever, “You can help a lot of wolves with a skill like that — and when I say ‘a lot of wolves’ I mean the three strapping young men standing before you.” His sulphureous eyes swung wildly to clash in startlement with Rannoch’s turquoise ones and Rian’s jade ones, but there wasn’t any inkling of challenge in his posture or his mien. Just…shock. Confusion. Maybe a good bit of panic, too. She was going to come with them? Just like that?

Rannoch wanted her, and Rian seemed — resigned to the whole thing, so the raven fell in line accordingly. “Lord willing and the creek don’t rise,” he muttered under his breath, the Eshe-ism startled out of him by the very real implication of what this was. Rannoch, Rian, and Rose — it all sounded so harmonious and cohesive until you added Cypress to the mix. And now she was going to be with them in an irrevocable, official way, and the eidolon didn’t really know what to do about it. Adapt, he snapped at himself. “I’m sorry, Rose.” His mouth shaped the words and his lungs fashioned the breath to give them life, but his eerie yellow eyes were deeply troubled. “I’m not real good around new people.”

Drawing a breath, he looked at his brothers again and drew reassurance from their nearness. “I don’t know anything about you,” he quietly voiced his main concern, “and I don’t need to know anything you don’t want to tell, but I need to know a couple of things before I can give you my loyalty.” Because that’s what this was, really. Rose spoke of “tagging along” but it was more than that to Cypress, who takes everything way too seriously and occasionally gives his scribe heart palpitations because of it. This was a matter of pledging himself to trust and protect Rose way before he ever thought he’d be ready to. He reasoned that she was probably just as uncertain as he was, and that helped, but knowing that didn’t assuage his fears. “If you leave, even if it’s just for a walk, you have to tell someone,” he said. “I mean, not like we’re going to follow you, but if you up and leave without warning — ” Well, if that happened, Cypress wouldn’t welcome her back. He didn’t say that, though. “ — we’d worry something bad happened,” he said finally, and that was just as true. “We have time to learn each other,” he decided.

With Rose's approval, Rannoch turned to the trio, his eyes curious as he surveyed his siblings. Cypress was the first to speak, and Rannoch allowed him to explain what he was feeling in regards to Rose's recruitment. What Cypress made sense to Rannoch and he nodded in acknowledgment, as if simultaneously agreeing on the subject matter and encouraging the furtherment of his thoughts. 

"I totally agree with you, Cy," Rannoch replied, feeling pride towards the raven's sentiments. He was glad that Cypress had been able to be open and articulate his concerns and hoped the same for Rian. Turning towards his jade-eyed relative, Rannoch shot him a curious glance, silently questioning him about his perspective on it.

Rian was silent, even when Cypress surprised him by properly articulating what reservations he had about the idea. He sat, quietly ruminating until the floor was passed to him and the question stood bold and bright against the grayscale plains of his mind: where do you stand, Rian? He sucked in a breath through clenched teeth, flipped his ears forward and looked, not at his brothers, but Rose directly. There was a moment that passed where he might have denied her, but Cypress' words rang in his ears, and Rannoch's agreement allowed him the peace to make his decision.

The ghost of a smile pulled at his lips and he nodded, "I agree." he said softly. "We all have a lot of learning to do, especially about one another, but I think we can make it if we work hard at it."