Stavanger Bay Noises closing in from all sides warning all the ways to die

tags can be for ref or to join!  Open to anyone

Rosalyn hadn't exactly been thrilled to find the man who'd broached their borders had been accepted into the ranks, though she trusted Smokestep knew what he was doing.  She'd seen his kind, and they were dangerous; wolves who could not even feign manners, who ran their own agenda.  She didn't know about his fervent devotion to his master, but she got the idea he didn't play well with those whose views differed, despite status or rank.

So she determined to keep an eye on him.  She caught glimpses of @tetsubo every so often and kept some track of his movements... only enough to know if he was interacting or perhaps leaving.

Today she hadn't seen him yet, but her goal was different anyway; she sought @Arturo.  She'd noted the man at the meeting as one of few she hadn't met yet, and she wished to introduce herself and get his name.  She started in the forest, skirting through the trees in search.  If she found no one there, she'd search the beach.

Whether or not the Cairn liked having a bodyguard, Tetsubo was loyal to the ideals of his true master. If Smokestep knew what was best, he would accept the situation as an inflexible certainty. He was an agent of order - a dog sent from the captain's father - and Tetsubo did not consider that such an action would be met with any resistance.

He kept busy watching the boy. He monitored the scents on the wind, investigated the territory when given leave to do so, but was all business all the time. The beast was certain in his own convictions; he was here to protect and serve, and until Smokestep gave him direct orders (or the elder master arrived) he was left to his own solitary devices. Currently he was lurching along the beach with his broad skull lowered to mere inches over the sand - following scents, prowling, until he found a collection of markings that spoke to him.

Then, like a sea lion sun bathing, he dropped to his belly and rolled about. The sand shifted beneath his mighty weight and excessive activity, and when he rose up from the grains he was dust-streaked, but carried the Cairn scent.
​

In spite of her differing motives, when she came upon the beach, it was the monstrous newcomer she saw instead.  She cast a rueful eye at him before approaching, knowing she should probably get his name, but still slightly sore about the other day.  She didn't care if he was an idiot; she had been in the right, to attempt to stop his entrance, and he had disregarded her completely.

She paused a short ways away and simply stared, standing straight, waiting for him to either notice her or perhaps say something.  Mostly because she didn't know where the fuck to start; 'hey asshole, sorry to see you still here' didn't quite seem right.

He shook the majority of the sand from his coat with a few motions of his head, the bulk of his coat shifting like the mane of a mighty lion. Bits of seaweed layered and tangled in the fur of his back but he did not appear mindful of this, and likely wouldn't have cared to any vain degree anyways. At this point, he was oblivious to the onlooker — although the same could be said for her. Unless she were to confront him (or magically become a member of the family he was bound to serve) there was no reason why the creature would take notice.

He began to stride along the beach within moments. The sea's raucous edge swept along the beach and out again, and the wind pulsed, buffering him with cold spring air; then, turning to regard the sea, he observed it until the quiet of the moment was broken by the shriek of a bird. Gulls were swooping at something in the water but he could not tell what it was, and soon lost interest.

It seemed like a peaceful day—and here he was, itching for something to happen so that he would have a purpose again. Things were supposed to change once he'd found the Cairn boy. He had expected orders, some form of command, but so far Tetsubo had been left to his own devices and that, in the long run, would be detrimental for everyone.
​

She was ignored.  Perhaps there really was something wrong with him; she considered departing.  But this was her best chance to find something out about this new packmate, unpredictable or not.  Worst he could do? Kill her.  Joy.

"Hey!"  She called out, coming to a decision and jogging forward.  She watched him carefully as she did so; she had no intention to repeat the last time they had interacted.  "Who are you? Why are you here?"  She asked, the question the one she'd wondered since she saw he had stayed.  He'd said some nonsense about Cairns before; she might have known had she been aware for the following, but she hadn't.

Hey! The voice cut through the wind, caused him to stop and to turn, and his lethargic gaze landed upon the woman as she advanced upon his position. She did not look terribly pleased to see him. The questions falling from her lips seemed redundant to the warrior but he would oblige her some answers—if only to pass the time.

Tetsubo, he introduced in a deadpan manner. To have to repeat himself was frustrating—he thought himself to be quite clear before; perhaps this woman lacked enough intelligence to understand him, but more than likely he was not being clear with his own purpose. He watched her a moment longer, but ended up stating: I am bushido, servant to the Cairn— there it was again, that same line. It hadn't explained anything before. A different approach was necessary, so he cut himself off and rephrased, Skellige Cairn is my lord, and he sent me to find his children. I am to serve them.

Was that enough? Speaking was a chore.
​

Tetsubo.

Ahhh.  So Smokestep knew this was a wolf of his father's, and this was why he was still here.  That also somewhat explained why he'd sauntered in as if he owned the place, though it did not excuse the lack of manners.  

"So are ye a babysitter, a spy, or a guard?" She asked, surprised that Smokestep would let his father's lackey join so easily.  Though he and his sister were close; perhaps he had a good relationship with his father as well.  Wonders never ceased.  He'd really hit the jackpot on family values, hadn't he?

It bothered him to be harassed by these questions - interrogated, in a sense - but if it kept her off of his back in the future then he would have to put up with it. It also seemed as if this woman was being specifically defensive of the Cairn in his charge; not just the land, which she had failed miserably to defend a mere day ago, but the important beings living off of it. In a sense, he felt they were on the same side.

To her inundation of queries, he looked at her with that empty expression and uttered a slovenly, Yes.

Was he a babysitter? Hopefully not, but if given the order, yes.
Was he a spy? Probably not a very good one (he was more of a blunt instrument and lacked finesse), but if necessary, yes.
A guard? Was that really a question? Certainly. And he'd be a better one than her, no questions asked.

Afterwards Tetsubo was silent. He was patient, and accomodating. If she had further questions he would entertain them but it was clear he wasn't exactly a vocal creature; although he did turn the conversation back at her with a drawled, In what capacity do you serve my lord?
​

She didn't like that answer much; the idea of a man loyal to one she'd never met, openly admitting to (potentially) reporting back... it rankled her.  Likely this showed on her face, but she knew speaking with him would do nothing for it. If she questioned that matter, Smokestep would be the one to ask.  He and daddy dearest must be pretty chummy.

"First mate.  My job to watch the captain's back, well as I can."  She said, her thoughts too falling to the previous day and how easily he'd overturned her.  But in fairness, she considered very little of her job to be guard duty. Smokestep didn't need a sitter to protect him; he needed a second to ensure loyalty held and his position was secure.  This was where she had seen (and had) seconds fail in the past, and where she would not.

Tetsubo was not knowledgable in the ways of the world outside of his basic training, but he had learned some of what he required through Skellige and the pale woman that tended to Skellige's needs; he knew that the lord held his family to certain standards and that he followed certain traditions that would forever confuse the beast. He wondered if perhaps the role of First Mate was an honorific—but the woman explained the purpose of her role and the gargoyle slowly nodded as if he understood.

Then, he stated: You are not equipped for such a role, which was an opinion based solely on their previous interaction, and her failure to deterr him. It was spoken of as an observation but was rather pointed, and likely would cause offense that Tetsubo neither meant nor considered. It was not a debate to him. Now that the warrior was here, he was ready to assume such a role and keep Smokestep safe for as long as either of them drew breath—and failing that, Tetsubo would take his own life in accordance to his training.

But he wasn't finished. The term she had used made him think of the pale woman that serviced Skellige, and that was where Tetsubo's bestial mind went next. He took a stride closer to the dark woman but not to antagonize (although he tended to do that regardless), and looked her over as if he were appraising every inch—If the young master has taken you as a mate, I will have to inform my lord. You are weak. Your children would only cause ruin to the Cairn line. He sniffed, he observed, and appeared satisfied to some degree. You are heavy, but do not carry the scent..

He sank back to a neutral pose and gave her the space she (probably desperately) wanted.
​

She had been expecting it, so when his response came, she was unruffled by it.  She knew his sort well enough to know the only strength they noted right off was physical; she had been underestimated to another's detriment before, and it was sure to happen again.  It was her belief that the strongest would always fall to the smartest, and this was why his type never ran a successful crew.  She had only joined because she had read Smokestep to be a different wolf altogether.  Tetsubo would be well enough as a guard, but as a right hand? Never.

She kept these thoughts internal, and was about to shrug off the entire thing with a laugh, when he set in on another path instead.  Did he... did he just?

"Any kid of mine would be a fair sight better off than you, promise te that."  She said with a bit of bite to it, miffed more than she'd like at the double insult.  Heavy?!  Excuse me?  She'd grown sleeker in her time since joining the crew, but curves were nothing to turn a nose up at.  "He wishes, I'm sure, but it isn't that kinda partnership". She did not truly think Smokestep viewed her in such a capacity, but his words brought her defensively out. Why she couldn't say; she didn't even want children, and had taken pains before to prevent the outcome. "Sorry, but if ye think yer better suited, I don't think ye got the right equipment there bucko." She didn't wait around to see if his reaction to the insults would be violent or indifferent - she turned tail and walked stiffly away, irritated.