Broken Boulder lonely and dreamin' of the west coast

@Olive is more than welcome, ali's just looking for sb because he knows her a bit better :) other tags are for visibility, but AW !

The cat situation is bad — the sickness situation is worse. On top of his own regular cycle of personal crises, it's too much to handle; he's not sure he can manage solving the Sanctuary's problems on his own, and something needs to be done about it. Now. @Delight is far too sick to help — @Lily and Eris, too, and he can hardly think beyond feeling sick himself with worry near constantly.
Unexpectedly, @Seabreeze has stepped up considerably, mostly helping him with treating their sick packmates. It's a relief in many ways, but he feels guilty; she's given the Sanctuary more than she owes already. He'd never asked her to take on the responsibility, but she has — and he feels it calls for a higher rank. She's already doing the work, he figures.
So it's Seabreeze he goes looking for when he finally decides it's time to take action. He's not sure he's ready to put it to words yet, but the world will not wait for him; they can't stay here any longer. All he can do is try not to wonder if he's killing whatever small chance he has of ever seeing Zamael again as he searches for the sandy wolf.

slight pp, can change this if it isn't ok?

She does not feel the same about herself.  The Sanctuary took on her four children, and for that she will be eternally grateful.  Nobody has really needed any counseling, because they're all too busy being deathly ill.  She is most worried about @Delight, her moonbeam boy, her best friend.  

Seabreeze is not hard to find.  She is usually in one of three or four places; there has been no time to sunbathe so she is with her patients, with Olive and the kids, or collecting herbs and when Alarian finds her, she is doing the latter.  

His presence catches her off guard and she startles before she collects herself.  Alarian, she says with a respectful dip of her head towards the Governor, How are you?

Paradise was, quite unfortunately, not so.  The cats which had taken up permanent residence in their home, which Olive had once considered amusing when they stayed far enough away from her children, were becoming sick and beginning to waste away. Olive, who was not a medic but a healer at heart, could smell the stench of sickness upon them and carefully corralled her family away from them. For the most part, it seemed as though the wolves of the sanctuary were resistant to the disease. Many wolves’ health remained remained completely intact, but those who didn’t, seemed to go downhill fast.

It was a eerie reminder to Olive that no place was truly safe. When she fled to escape one danger, there was always another waiting just across the threshold. It was the essence of existence — that nothing was ever permanent, not even happiness, not even safety, not even life itself; the last lesson of which had been imparted upon her by both Dakarai and Oaxaca in their leaving. However, Olive, still in the throes of her new love with Seabreeze, was keen to enjoy the bright moments when they existed so that she did not wallow in guilt when they inevitably ended; and they all inevitably ended.

It was also the reason that Olive was reluctant to become intimately involved with her new pack mates. There were many of them, new faces, new names and new personalities; but Olive doubted her ability to become close with them, not after Kaali had left so unceremoniously, and now when so many others were sick. After so much death and emptiness, it was a measure that the woman took in order to protect herself. Thank god Seabreeze was there to step up in the ways that the fae could not — at least, not in this moment. 

When Olive came across Seabreeze and Alarian; the stress upon them was more than palpable — they wore it almost as they would wear their coats in the winter. She had seemingly entered upon the nascence of their conversation, so the woman kissed Seabreeze’s cheek and offered her own cordialities. “It is a lovely day…” she noted somberly, knowing very well that the truth was anything but.  

It's easy enough to find Seabreeze — he knows it should make him happy to see her collecting herbs, but it only reminds him of the sickness rampant in the Sanctuary. He's suddenly reminded that he needs to check on @Bunyip and @Xahi, sick as they are — but not now. Seabreeze, He returns the greeting, but before he can respond, Olive arrives.
He offers her a nod and a faint, weary smile as greeting before turning his gaze back to Seabreeze. I've been meaning to talk to you — I want to promote you, Well, don't beat around the bush or anything, Ali. It's been difficult, with the sickness and all the cats — Delight is so sick, and I can't handle this on my own, and you've really stepped up already. He shifts a little uncomfortably, suddenly aware of what he's asking.
You don't have to say yes — I understand you have young children to look after. But if you do... Bracken Sanctuary has three ranks just below leadership, called the Senate, He briefly explains the Senate roles to Seabreeze (because Som doesn't feel like typing that out), then falls silent, allowing her whatever time she needs to come to a decision.

She shifts more naturally in place as Olive arrives.  She returns the soft touch of Olive's nose by leaning into her, and makes to return the cordiality before Alarian drops the bomb.

Oh.  She's never been a woman suited for leadership.  In Sunspire, it had been more than apparent that her efforts were unappreciated.  She'd helped to found the pack and scout in their beginnings, and she'd arranged the alliance between Sunspire and Tindome.  She had fought off intruders who'd trespassed not once but twice and now had a nasty facial scar to prove it.

She'd been allowed to keep her children, but she'd always occupied the lowest ranks of the mountain, and she felt like she'd been shamed where Terance had gotten off scot-free — why else would nobody have come to visit?  Seabreeze wasn't important to Sunspire.  

But if this was the universe's way of making up for things, she.. didn't know how to feel about it.  It was obvious Alarian needed help, but this?  Oh, she says softly before she follows it with a quick nod.  Of course.  The Sanctuary had taken in her children without a second thought.  She was forever indebted to them.

I'd be honored to.. take the position of Consultant.  She takes a shaky breath and leans against Olive.  And as your consultant.. do you think it's a good idea to stay here?  The cats aren't leaving, they're dying...  She shuffles.  Maybe we should consider moving.

It was clear that Olive was an unintended audience to this convenance, but the pale sylph was glad she was there. The Governor spent little time beating around this bush and immediately offered Seabreeze a seat in the Senate. A small smile spread upon her thin maw despite herself, and despite the weary circumstances that surrounded such good news. Seabreeze, her love, deserved this recognition — recognition she never received when in Sunspire, but did much of the same work. Seabreeze had truly stepped up, in ways that Olive hadn’t been able to thus far, and Olive was not only proud, but grateful.

— but there was a small pause in her thoughts, a hitch in her throat, and a lapse in her gratitude. Within that small space lived a memory; the memory of she and ceannasach, amongst the bleeding sequoias, as he bestowed her with his trust and the title of red herring. It was the last time that she had been trusted as an advisor or a leader, and though she did not miss the responsibilities and self-sacrificial tendencies that came along with an elevated status, she did miss mattering that much. Perhaps the fae, for all of her stargazing and empty prophecies, was disposable. 

Olive swallowed such worries and plastered a beaming smile upon her visage.  “I can take care of the children,” she proffered sincerely, not wanting her love to know that she was anything other than happy, happy, happy. Then, in a murmur that perhaps only Seabreeze could hear, she admitted The pack needs you.” and she hoped Seabreeze would seriously consider. If disease continued to spread, Olive would not hesitate to take their family into quarantine, but that did not mean they had to abandon those who fell ill entirely.

Well, apparently Seabreeze felt similarly. Not wanting to interrupt the conversation of the elite, Olive just nodded but did not offer more than that.

He's undeniably relieved when Seabreeze accepts, though her next words cause his expression to sober slightly. He nods, casting a glance at Olive — she may not be leadership, but there's no sense in excluding her from the conversation. That's the other thing I wanted to talk to you about, He says, gaze flitting back to Seabreeze. I don't think we can stay here much longer — not with the cats, and the sickness. So — yeah, moving is probably a good idea.
He pauses a beat, gaze catching on a passing cat before he continues. I think... I want to get rid of the Sanctuary, too — not disband the pack, but... well, there's a lot of memories here. Maybe it'd be better for everyone if we started fresh — made something new. What, um, do you think? It's probably a bad thing that he's already seeking approval — but whatever. Seabreeze seems levelheaded — and so does Olive, actually. More suited to decision-making, maybe.

I would be more than happy to help you create something new.  I know what it is like, to want to leave memories behind.  Had that not been why she'd abandoned Sunspire so freely?  Do you have any scouts that might be willing to search for a new territory?  I don't think it's wise for either of us to leave, and Olive takes care of the babies for me.  She gives her sister an affectionate nudge, acknowledging all the hard work she does for them.

 Alarian makes mention of wishing to start something new, fresh, and a distant memory of the sanctuary. Like Seabreeze, the feeling was all too familiar to the sylph. When things fell out of favor with the gods — and they always did, for nothing last forever, not even the world’s most beautiful things — it was only natural to heed intuition and move onto something that entertained more hope. Their time with the sanctuary had been short, but not purposeless.    “There must be someone,”  Olive tacked on inanely, wishing painfully that she had more to add to this conversation.