Dragoncrest Cliffs sharing tree shade with a butterfly

Sobo went to the rendezvous to search for his mothers. His steps were slow, thoughtful; he meandered through the territory toward the river in the manner of a procrastinating student, enjoying the warm sunshine despite being deep within his mind.

He thought Mireille would want to take her trip to the moors soon. Aminthe and Quennell were growing quickly, sprouting up like eager saplings. Stingray, Swordfish, and Vixen were as well, though Sobo still did not spend a lot of time with them in the interest of avoiding their parents. Chacal's cubs were healthy, even the tiny girl, and everything seemed stable. A more perfect time would not soon come.

Another thought whirled near constant through his mind, born also from his conversation with his sister. He wished to know the answer to it before departing. He needed to, in fact.

For that purpose did he seek @Erzulie and @Rosalyn both. He would have liked to speak with Chacal as well, but he knew she was consumed with her little ones now. He would seek her out later, depending on how his mothers responded.

a 3 for today

Sleep had been hard to come by the previous night. Rosalyn found herself drifting more than other days, missing snatched of conversation and lagging behind in her thoughts. It was as if she peered out from the waves while her mind remained submerged.

Between her good days and her bad, today was worse than many.

She was lost in thought when Sobo came across her and wouldn't react immediately, or recognize that he was speaking with her, until a period of a delay. A delay of a flicker, full of distraction, before she realized and attempted to focus and hear what he said. It would likely give Erzulie time to join if she were close.

having spoken with jorunn, erzulie's decision was made. she would step down and transition her power to mireille, as ceremonially as they had done for chacal. having some concrete plan satisfied her.
as she did often these days, the obsidian trailed her wife. she saw sobo's form cross paths with rosalyn and hesitated only until it became clear that today was a difficult one.
"sobo," she said smoothly, coming to brush alongside her mate's flank. her two-toned eyes sought her son's face. "you look as t'ough somet'in' be on your min'."

He found Rosalyn first, but it was as though she looked right through him. Sobo faltered. Even knowing she had no control over it and didn't mean it, it stung to be looked at like that. He was terrified that one day, Rosalyn would forget who he was — who anyone in Sapphique was.

He recovered a beat later, doing his best to appear carefree in his warm smile. Hello, mamá, he said, tilting his head to include Erzulie as she came up alongside her mate. Hello, manman.

As per usual, Erzulie cut to the heart of the matter with a single look. Sometimes, Sobo was vexed when this happened. He disliked feeling like he was so transparent, he could hide nothing from his mother. Today was a rare day where he appreciated it, for he was unsure how to begin without her invitation. He settled in to walk beside the pair of them. Dat be so. May I speak plainly? he asked the both of them.

Sobo was speaking. Rosalyn leaned easily into Erzulie as she approached, almost instinctually, while she sorted the current situation. He wanted to speak. But he was already doing so.

Something wasn't clicking. She could feel it and the frustration that the sensation brought was too familiar.

She didn't trust the words so Rosalyn just nodded. Perhaps if he spoke more she would understand.

"mais bien sûr, ma douce," erzulie murmured with a smile. she pressed closer to rosalyn who still had not spoken.
her love had two categories of days that the obsidian could see: good and bad. and today was sadly one of the latter. it solidified her decision to step down.
erzulie waited for their son to speak, encouragement upon her face as they slowly moved along.

Rosalyn said nothing, leaving Erzulie to fill the gaps. This wasn't unusual even on her good days; on bad ones, he had come to expect it. It never failed to leave his mouth feeling a little dry, but he tried not to dwell on it often.

Mireille says dat she wants to be Obsidian when you lead no longer, Sobo said, summoning his courage and swallowing a nervous flutter. I do not t'ink dis be a secret. From the moment Chacal was promoted, most of Sapphique had known Mireille would follow in due time. Coraline was too distant, and Loko and Sobo were men, and likely never considered for the honour on account of that.

Nevertheless, he plunged on, knowing the probability of a favorable answer was miniscule at best. When de time comes, I ask to lead wit' her. Not necessarily as equal, if dat not be possible, but as somet'ing wit' her.

He was discussing leadership. Her gaze sharpened for a moment. Their children weren't in a place to discuss this yet, to assume. Sapphique had always been helmed by the wives and still had capable leadership in them. Who were they to decide if Erzulie was fit? And who were they to decide who would lead alongside Rosalyn, should her wife choose to step down?

Fortunately for all of them, Rosalyn expected Erzulie to immediately correct this. When she didn't, in the space of that instant, she remembered Chacal.

She leads now. Some of that sharpness left. That's right, there was a gathering. She'd stepped down.

Erzulie hadn't. But she would? Rosalyn grasped at what Sobo had said, attempting to bring it to focus. He wished to lead. Mireille wished to lead.

They'd... spoken of this. She remembered. You want a purpose, Rosalyn said quietly, looking at Sobo before turning towards her wife. This wasn't something she could answer. But she wanted the answer to be yes, and these were the words she found.

erzulie did not expect what came from sobo.
and yet she was not surprised. this son of theirs had been the most involved in sapphique. she had grown accustomed to their boys dispersing early, and yet here sobo was, asking to tie himself further into the ranks.
she loathed herself for the glissade of resistance she felt at once to the idea. it stemmed from firefly and aningan and wintersbane and all the men who had ever seen fit to dominate rusalka.
the characterization of no men had marked sapphique ever since.
erzulie was wise. she understood that refusal would mean the end of sobo's trust in them, and perhaps the beginning of a deep hurt that would drive him from their shores.
it would only be tradition which kept her from saying otherwise, and had he not set it in his decision to stay close? to support?
erzulie blinked. "yes. i say yes." she paused. "de rank of jade."
she could not remember if it had been used before. mireille and her sister would be supported by their brother occupying this rank.
"i am going to bring it to chacal," she said at last. rosalyn was his mother, but their daughter helped to helm this pack. her input was valuable. but somehow erzulie did not expect chacal to be against it.
softly she shifted toward rosalyn. "mireille be a year old, over it. i am stepping down, an' it is to be wid you. it does not feel right to be wit'out you." her eyes searched the scarred face of her wife, the visage she had adored and did adore and would adore; her gaze filled with love and the request that rosalyn understand.

Rosalyn hit the nail right on the head. Sobo was grateful for her ability to cut right to the chase. He bobbed his head, but clarified something that had become crystalline to him over the past few weeks: my family be my purpose, but I be wantin' to do more.

He waited with bated breath as Erzulie silently deliberated. Sobo had come into this expecting a solid no and unsure how he would proceed with knowing it was final. Perhaps he would take up residence at the bay when he and Mireille left the moors for home, create something for himself, support Sapphique from afar. He had laid the plans for this in his head long before coming to speak to his mothers, for he felt sure their denial would be swift and absolute. Sapphique was a place of women. A man could never stand at the head of it.

He was shocked, then, to find this was not the case. Rosalyn said nothing, but Erzulie agreed after some long moments of thought. His breath went out of him slowly. T'ank you,, manman, he said, feeling giddy and lightheaded in a way he hadn't in a long, long while. It didn't show in the stoic lines of his body, long schooled away from boyish prancing, but was likely obvious in the way he pressed forward to butt his head lovingly and gratefully against both his mothers in turn.

Chacal. There was still the possibility Chacal would be opposed, but he felt he had a good relationship with her. He felt she would see in him a desire to serve, not a desire to take. He would let Erzulie speak to her; she could speak in confidence with their mother in a way she could not if he was the one who asked, he saw that now.

There was a possibility Mireille would be opposed, or would feel her ascension downplayed — he did not want to know if that was so.

He glanced politely away as Erzulie shared a moment with Rosalyn; he would be on his way if they wished for privacy now.

Rosalyn could see the joy in Sobo as Erzulie acquiesced and it warmed her. She was not fond of men, true, but she had always been soft when it came to their sons. A mother's love could introduce a surprising range of hypocrisies.

Their legacy would lead. She could rest. Even if she wasn't fully able to follow the conversation, that knowledge brought her a surprising relief. It was deeper now, and more genuine, than it had been when Chacal stepped up in her place. She was tired in ways she hadn't been then.

Erzulie's words still came as a surprise, when she realized they aimed at her. Her wife did not need to step down to be at her side, and to be the reason for it...

Rosalyn didn't respond at first. She studied Erzulie and felt the familiar brush of shame. She forgot Sobo was there. Don't. Suddenly, she was angry, and her teeth flashed. They had always stood together, but she would not let Erzulie turn her into a burden. She couldn't bear it. Not for me.

sobo; humble. manly, she realized with a start. so much of him was herself and rosalyn; it felt as though she had blinked and he had grown directly out of childhood. he was ready for this, and she smiled with deepest love at him as he responded to her decision.
she should have known her words would chafe rosalyn's pride, but erzulie sharply shook her head. "i be tired, my love. i want a rest. de rest we have built for ourselves. we lead toget'er. we rest toge'ter." look at all they had wrought. the years of sapphique were not ended simply because she would no longer be at the helm.
"i want to do dis," erzulie insisted in a loving whisper. 
this was a conversation for all of them, she felt; sobo must witness this on his ascension to the confidant of his sisters. erzulie saw the anger in her wife, but she would not let it stand. she had waited alone for this moment. now it had come, and she willingly gave her rank to their daughter and this newest to their son.

skipping bc it makes sense to get Rosalyn's response in here <3 vague on if Sobo stayed or not!

Her son's presence faded as Erzulie spoke. At first Rosalyn did not want to accept it, but the quiet affirmation got through. It pained her silently to hear that her wife was tired, for the same reasons her own retirement still cut at times. It was another sign of time moving, and this time one that Erzulie was changing as well. Her anger fell away, replaced by concern and a well of regret.

There was no lie in Erzulie's statements. Regardless of her role in it, her wife truly wanted this, and that meant Rosalyn had no right to deny it.

Then we will do this, she replied quietly, the apology silent behind the words. She wouldn't make Erzulie step down alone, and they all would have a part. Including Sobo... who soon would step up to replace them, supporting his sisters in continuing what they now no longer held.