The days after her acceptance into the Reneian Empire had been filled with naps and quiet contemplation. Saarthal had, uncharacteristically, kept to herself, exploring the territory in its entirety and mapping it out in her mind. It'd been too long, way too long since she belonged to a pack and by extension, had a semi-permanent place to call home. And after so much wandering it took some time for her to get used to. Scratch that, she still wasn't used to it, and reflecting quietly on that thought by the edge of a stream, she wondered if she would ever be. Perhaps, Grandfather and Father had been right - wandering was in her blood. But even they settled down and built a family. She was probably born when Father was her age now. Damn. That put things into perspective. 
 
With a shake of her head, Saarthal got up and started in the direction of the borders. The night air was crisp and cool, exactly how she liked it, and there didn't seem to be anyone around (which she didn't like as much) but having been plagued by insomnia lately, she knew sleep wouldn't come for her anytime soon. Might as well go for a border patrol, make sure things still smelled right, that sort of thing.

Saarthal - though admittedly the least well-behaved of her littermates and never the best at fighting or talking - was well-trained in everything that made a proper Roman legionnaire and heir. Soldier, healer, diplomat, the whole works. So, it didn't take long (like maybe a little more than few seconds, sorry, you gotta cut her some slack - she's a bit sad, not the most alert of wolves right now) before she noticed the presence of a stranger. The wolf seemed familiar and...was also incredibly attractive - well, from what she could see. Was it..Reiko?

"Hi," Saarthal said, head inclining in a small bow of greeting, lips quirked in an impish smile. "Reiko? Didn't think anyone would be up late," she gestured at the borders, "I was just patrolling...got insomnia, y'know." Yes, Saarthal, you're well on your way back to your normal, no-filter self. Nice. Good progress. Now you just gotta tell her she looks damn ho- nope, you don't wanna get kicked out. This is the Empress. And yet, there was something that didn't exactly sit well with her. Maybe it was the smell...? the scent? was that it?

Reiko was startling pretty...which, okay, obviously Saarthal noticed that on their first meeting but to be perfectly honest, she hadn't been paying the best of attention because of numerous factors such as 1. whether or not she'd get in 2. the thick swampy sensation that clouded her brain etc. anyway, not that it mattered, because she was...hold on - "I'd love some company," Saarthal began, eyebrows drawn into a slight frown as she appraised the girl, "but Reiko was - you were..quite pregnant the last time I saw you..." she trailed off. The Reiko/not pregnant Reiko was gorgeous and what Saar would give for - stop. but like, the Reiko? the girl? (so confused) looked like Reiko, acted like Reiko (well, like what she presumed Reiko was like...they hadn't talked for long), was attractive like Reiko...but there seemed to be a distinct difference in the scent and the build? Was she going insane? Was she beginning to see things? What the hell - feeling like life was a meaningless mumble jumble of crap was enough to occupy her on most days. Frankly, Saarthal did not need this sort of insanity in her life.

The blush that coloured Saarthal's pale cheeks was entirely unexpected and involuntary, but Reiko, or the Reiko-lookalike suddenly become so close? and Saar was not ready for it. Her heart was hammering against her ribcage and a strange slightly uncomfortable (but not entirely uncomfortable) sensation trickled its way down her spine so that imperceptibly, she shivered. This was unlike her. Well - unlike the current Saarthal, but very very like the old (or...young?) flirty Saar. 

The story was not entirely strange to Saarthal who, though raised by a conservative Christian mother which led her to question and hide her sexuality and eventually run away (damn, that was long-winded), had grown up in a rather liberal Empire where such individuals were common (though looked down upon by mother dearest). Something didn't sit quite well, though - "but he's pregnant? And if he was born a lady and wants to be called brother, surely the last thing he would want to do is pretend to be a lady?" That made little sense to Saarthal and never one to keep quiet about things which felt distinctly strange or just against her moral compass, she was not afraid to voice it. Nevertheless, she would not deny that her comments might have sprouted from a certain panicked urge rooted deep within her gut to draw attention away from the pale rosiness tinting her alabaster cheeks. 

Also, if the brother(?) had accepted her into the pack, then was her spot within the pack even valid? Was he the king? Was this wolf Reiko, the real Empress? This seemed like a real mess and truth to be told, Saar was not ready to be involved in another family drama. She had her own personal drama, and her own family drama (albeit some hundred of miles away), and just general life to deal with. She ignored the primitive squeaking voice in the back of her mind which pointed out in its characteristic know-it-all tone that Reiko smelled nice and looked nice and was nice. Like that mattered. Right? Right. Whatever. She padded forward, joining her for a walk.

Yes, that wasn't a particularly nice thought and for a moment, Saarthal felt almost repulsed. But, that was hypocritical of her - it was not fair for her to say such things when she had also, on other occasions, behaved or thought similar things (though never about this particular matter), and so she remained silent, trapped and mulling over various trains of thoughts wandering through her mind, some several light-years detached from the topic at hand.

Reiko (though Saar still had her suspicions...there was a nagging feeling that things did not exactly add up) leaned close and touched her, and Saarthal was jolted out of her thoughts. Her heart squeaked, jostling uncontrollably within her ribcage and she tried not to think about...well, anything. "It's alright," she said instead, even though nothing was alright in the slightest. "Though I do think he's pregnant - his condition is not that of general largeness." Matter-of-fact. Definitely uncharacteristic - Saarthal was the most emotionally driven of her siblings. 

"I'm good," Saar replied with a sideways glance at her companion, a touch of a smile tracing the shape of her lips, "are you okay?" Pretty Empress seemed a little strange in an almost comical way. Something didn't sit right. Though Saar would now admit, she didn't care much. 

"I love company," Saarthal replied somewhat coquettishly, "especially company like you." Hopefully, that made sense. There were moments when even Saar herself was aware of the sheer absurdity which seemed to make up the essence of some of her sentences. But, that was a story for another time. Handmaidens? What the bloody hell were those? Saarthal was beginning to realise that this so-called Empire of theirs was not like the Empire she was used to back home. Theirs was strange...not militaristic but...she didn't know how to describe it. There were obviously elements which were similar or at least the same, but there were also things that were massively different like handmaidens. Were they some kind of prostitute? Probably not, probably not. But still...were they? She didn't want to sound stupid by asking but also what the hell were they? "Handmaidens?" There, an inquiry, a curious tilt to the head, the shadow of a cheeky smile - that was a compromise.

A caretaker, devoted to the leader, day-to-day tasks. Though a respectful smile continued to adorn Saarthal's face, she felt a deep distinct disgust worm its way through her body. So, a handmaiden was essentially a glorified servant to the Empress? Noctem Vagus was many things, but its rulers had never required servants from their people and the fact that such a role existed felt deeply wrong to Saarthal. She voiced none of this out loud, however, though a niggling thought flickered into existence and nagged the back of her mind: had she chosen the wrong pack, after all? Her path was not that of servitude, that much she knew. And would always know. Even Reiko's remark of Saarthal's 'prettiness' - which at another time would have reduced Saar into a blushing mess - flew straight past her ears. Instead, a faint shadow of a smile curled the edges of her lips as she regarded the other wolf."Does it draw your eye?" she enquired softly, perhaps subtly teasing though she left that up to interpretation. She would not be a handmaiden but...perhaps there was another role she could play.