Whitefish River Got sexy pigeons, but you're gone

@Hieronymous / @Speedy :3

Though instinct told her to go North, towards the sea and the pack of mermaids the fae had befriended, her mind told her to be wise. Though there was no place in the Empire for them, mainly because there wasn't an Empire anymore, there was one other place they could go to for sanctuary. She remembered their meeting well, because it had been important, and she held them in high regard for wanting to fight evil. If anyone would understand, it'd be the wolves of Kaistleoki.

This is also what she told @Dante and @Eleuthera , if she'd stuck around, before suggesting they go there. Winter was coming, and there was little time to linger on uncertainties. Summer would come again, soothe their aches and heal their wounds as time usually did, and perhaps they'd be reborn.

She knew the flatlands well from her travels, knew it was close to her family's home. She wondered for a moment who now claimed the dark woods that once belonged to the Melonii clan alone, but decided she cared little. She wasn't there to defend their legacy, but her own. She recognized the scent that had clung to Hieronymous and Ira's coats on the borders of a territory. She glanced unsurely at those that decided to stick by her, tipping her head to let out a singsong call for the wolves of Kaistleoki.

With Ira gone, maybe it was now Orlaith being gone too - the borders seemed much busier than usual. Hieronymous knew that he would spend most of his time on his feet, making sure Ira would come home to a pack as well put together as she left it before heading toward the mountains. Perhaps he should pick up more of the duties knowing how busy she must be now that it was all on his shoulders... 

A howl rang out to summon the leaders, and Hiero was quick to respond. He was far this time, across the claimed land and so he quickened his pace, offering his own song to reply that he was on his way and that their visitor only had to be patient as he approached. Maybe by the time he got there, Speedy would have already taken the call and he would simply stand there awkwardly at the door. 

But she too was busy. They all were. And Hieronymous was the first on the scene to greet the familiar face of Lumiya. Once he was close enough, the Constable offered a bow in respect to what he believed was still the leader of the fairy folk beyond the mountain. Fairy Queen Lumiya, how are you? Offering a charming smile, it was nice to see a friend visiting instead of some creep looking for women...

Permission to PP Dante being with her :3

She looked to Dante then, the one fae that had followed her despite their unknown future. If the Fates wanted it to be that way, the mortals would follow. She'd forgotten to express her thankfulness, caught up in the recent travesties, though if she were to pause and wonder she'd be pretty sure he already knew.

It was then the constable approached, and Lumiya lowered her tail in his presence. Though her updated status was known across the mountain lands, it seemed it had yet to waft by the flatlands. That felt... awkward. Constable Hieronymous - though it's just Lumiya now. She informed as an embarrassed blush settled over her cheeks, 'neath titanium and coal fur. The fae dipped her head in greeting with the words she spoke, forcing a smile on her face - it was near identical to the smile she usually wore.

I'm 'fraid the Court has fallen - I was petrified, given the recent news of the Empire... Her voice trailed off, trembling softly with sadness still. She hadn't just lost an ally that day; she'd lost a friend. A kindred spirit. Dante and I are now humbly seeking refuge elsewhere, thus explains our presence here. She explained softly, almost apologetically.

The correction caused some mild confusion in the Constable. His head fell slightly to the side of his left shoulder, glancing at the grey-scaled lady for a brief moment as he waited for her to continue before interrupting. And continue she did... A look of concern took over his friendly mask. Not only did the Court fall, but some recent news of the Empire too had shaken the lady this much?

What could have possibly happened? Ira had already admitted that they hadn't visited the Empire in a while, with both their injuries, puppies to look after, and a plethora of new faces coming in and places for Ira to see - they were all simply too busy to go and check on the wolves hidden in the vale. Come to think of it... none of them had come by recently either. It was concerning now that this was on their front door. I'm sorry to hear that. A pause.

It was a lot to digest, a lot to try and understand. Of course you may stay for as long as necessary. He had to get that out of the way first in order to not leave her request hanging. Do you mind informing me of what happened to the Empire? We haven't heard from them in a while, nor are we aware of something happening.

Her face lit up for just a moment. She hadn't meant to doubt the generosity of the Kaistleoki wolves, but she'd thought that they'd at least inquire about her skills or the plans of the newly weds on their doorstep. Before she could excuse herself and rant about how she might be an asset to their ranks, Hieronymous let it be known that the kaistleoki wolves were clueless when it came to the situation. Her brows rose and her mouth stood agape for a second.

You... don't know? She didn't feel it to be her place to bring the news to them, but it would probably be even more agonizing for her to swallow her secrets for someone else to come along. She cleared her throat. Empress Reiko and the Emperor were both killed. The Empire fell soon after, as none of their heirs were old enough to take over. A former member came to our borders to join us as a result, thus we knew about it - I'm sorry, I thought someone would have come to tell Kaistleoki too. She blinked the burning of tears away. This was no place or time to mourn. As to whom committed the crime, we don't know. It would be easy to blame it on the Saints, but they've been fairly quiet as far as I'm aware...

Gently he shook his head at her question, hoping that more information was to come - afraid of what it might be, but he had to know regardless; and what was to come, was exactly what he didn't want to hear. For a moment his face dropped, he mourned silently for the great loss of the vale and their inhabitants, how he must have failed them by going missing and getting injured. He was on his way over, after all, he could have helped. The details that followed were vague, and more had to be found out about what happened with the Empire wolves and the survivors... the children especially. This was news Ira wouldn't like, probably less so than Hieronymous due to the fact that she knew Reiko for a while now. 

What terrible news. Through hushed vocals, he let them slide. We will do further investigation on the matter and search for any survivors. It was the only proper thing to do, at least keep an eye out for them all and make sure they were doing well. Why didn't anyone else other than Lumiya come to them after the empire fell? Were they afraid of Kaistleoki's involvement? I'm sure you're tired and needing rest after all this. After the fall of two kingdoms, the massive loss of friends and family. The grey-scale fairy must be exhausted. Come on, I will show you to the resting grounds. We can speak about your role within the pack later.

He waited for the two to begin walking with him, the Constable would take his time with this joining request and take it at Lumiya and her companion's pace. Once they were comfortable, they could talk about both their abilities and what she could do within Kaistleoki to keep busy, for now, he didn't want to bombard them with too much.

Her ears lifted ever so slightly to see the constable take this issue so seriously. Of course, it would be crazy (and suspicious) if he didn't take the slaughter of the Empress lightly. She wondered if it really had been a Saint... It could just as well have been some other evil doer that had slithered their way into their ranks. Kaistleoki and her were both biased and would love nothing more than to shove the blame onto those that had caused them so much trouble, but really it mustn't cloud their judgement. Weed didn't grow just in one place after all.

Thank you. She breathed, voice melodic yet ever so broken by the loss she felt. She followed after Hieronymous, checking for a moment that Dante was coming with her.

I don't mean to alarm you with sudden awful news just as I said you need to relax - but I do ask that you remain within Kaistleoki borders for a little while. He started, despite the gloomy words, he tried to keep it light with his tone. I came across a man searching for women to take home with him for himself and his brothers, and there is news of a violent bear lurking. It was a lot to take in suddenly, but it was for Lumiya and her kind's own interest to know of the dangers they were possibly dealing with. 

So if it's no trouble to familiarize yourself within the border's safety for a little while, it would be greatly appreciated. He looked to both Lumiya and Dante, pleading kindly for their cooperation. The last thing any of them needed was more trauma and death.

just popping a little Dante cameo in here quickly

The spotted man was nice enough, Dante figured.

He was sure at another time in another context they might have become quick friends upon meeting, the candor of the man's- Hieronymous, he was called (and damn, what a name)- voice and winsome quality of his smile something that generally would have been an indicator to Dante of guaranteed connection waiting to be made. Now, though, his mind had wandered elsewhere, preoccupied with its own stubbornly-repetitive circles of thought. 

The young man had remained quiet beside his lady throughout the conversation, his usual brightness subdued in the wake of recent events. Though he'd come to terms with the fall of the Court, a dull ache still radiated in Dante's chest at the topic of conversation, his only contributions being a small nod here and there, and perhaps a quiet hum of agreement or two. 

The set of his shoulders shifted minutely at the man's words of caution, unease crawling beneath his pelt. Dante wasn't much in the habit of engaging with bears, and not looking to start; he gave a brisk nod in response to the warning before falling back into his thoughts, somewhat mindlessly flanking Lumiya as they walked deeper into the territory.

Closing this out with Meebee's okay! <3

With nothing else added by either of them, the Constable allowed them to split off from his side after reaching the resting area. The two had much on their plate and resting should be their top priority. With a gentle farewell, he was off to continue his patrols along the border and would talk to them further about their place in Kaistleoki on another day when they were less stressed.