Ankyra Sound This is my catalyst for growth

Clarity had come with the morning, and the weight of what she'd done had settled uneasily on her shoulders.  

In no way had she wanted to lead these wolves.  Now, with the irrational haze blown from her mind, she wasn't sure why she'd sought to challenge Firefly.  She'd figured herself to be beyond the point where titles meant anything - but she was slowly beginning to realize that her common sense and her more base impulsiveness had two very different ideas.  First Sandpiper in Ironsea, and now this.

A large part of her was curious what Caiaphas would make of this flip.  Would she leave?  Would those who had joined loyal to her follow?  Or would she remain, and accept that this hadn't been her aim?  Because much as it may look otherwise, it was a simple truth.  She'd have been content to let the siren reign.  

And now she had to.  Fuck, she breathed out softly, sitting near the treeline and staring down at her rounded sides.  She wondered if anyone would wish to challenge her for her seat.  Luckily Firefly had been reasonable enough to allow her the rank without a fight.  She wasn't sure what would happen if she was called upon to defend it.

life in drageda is quite pleasant, thus far, if only because she has her cousin by her side once more. they seem to be racked with this silent grief—the loss of a beloved leader, she's told. tashkent has never had much time for melancholy, and she doesn't really care about the plight of a pack that's barely hers, anyway. so when the shadows intrude too much, she wanders, as she is wont to do.

there is a remarkably ugly woman sitting at the edge of the trees, looking contemplative. well, no—she might have been pretty once, but life had not treated her well in the slightest. didn't she know a lady was supposed to take brute force to the rear, not the face? tashkent sniggers a little at the thought.

and, of course, is so wrapped up in her snide imagination that she misses entirely the gravity of the situation. not that she would care that she was so close to a rival claim. (and not that she had been briefed much on the situation with rusalka, anyway.)

you look like you could use some company, tashkent calls out, padding closer with a small smile. a sounding board, at least. i am a good listener. (the test results determined this was a lie.)

Maybe the worst of it was that she'd been unable to find Erzulie, and that weighed on Rosalyn most of all.  After the announcement she'd returned to find her wife gone, and fear and uncertainty had left her groundless.  She imagined what her own thoughts would be, should Erzulie have taken the same step with Firefly - and it made her regret even more doing it.  She was not a jealous woman but even she had her limits.

And then there was the flip side, and this was the side that prevented her from searching now.  Maybe she was wrong - maybe Erzulie was traveling.  But if she wasn't wrong, was her leadership really so much harder to stomach than Caiaphas'?  She was prematurely wounded by the images that left as well, and definitely did look like she needed a good talking to when the stranger came upon her.

Is that right? Who's offering? She asked back, standing just in case the other woman meant trouble.  Sure she was pregnant, but that didn't mean she wouldn't punt a bitch who tried anything.  Wasn't her fault she was a little on edge lately.

me, she answers, grinning. she takes note of the step back and comes no further, standing before the other with a guileless expression. my name is tashkent. i am new to this coast. so anyone you wish to malign is not known to me, she added, raising her brows.

tashkent loves few things in life, but she really does enjoy a good shit-talking session. it has been much too long since her last—she's been too busy, too constantly moving in a strange world, for one to occur.

Hmmm.  She definitely knew better than to talk about the troubles of new leadership with a stranger, and she had no desire to talk about her feelings about Erzulie either.  Her wife deserved better than that.

But that didn't mean she couldn't have a little fun with this woman, did it?

You indeed.  Tashkent is an unusual name.  Are all those where you are from so eager for gossip? She asked, quirking her brow and giving a sly smile of her own.  She appreciated an ear for chatter though she had never had much of an appetite for it herself.

says who? tashkent asks with a laugh, wondering how strange the name of the woman was before her to offer such a remark. she shrugs at the question. we much prefer blood and sex, but when those things evade us, gossip is the next best thing. and besides. . .i always am an open ear for a burdened soul, she reiterates, blinking warmly at the seawolf.

a neighbor, no less. whatever she tells tashkent is information she must have, going forward. if she and her cousin are to rule the wolves of drageda, someday, alliances must be made. this could be a good start.

Says me.  Afraid my soul isn't all that burdened.  At least not in a way she wished to share with a stranger.

She did not want the woman to leave, however.  She was not only attractive, but she had that open and easy manner that always seemed to draw the pirate in.

Where I come from it is blood, sex, then food.  Maybe I could find us something, and in exchange, you could tell a bit about this home of yours?

Friendships.  She didn't catch a pack scent off of Tashkent (I assume) but if she was in the area, they didn't need her as an enemy.  Rosalyn's new missive was to ensure they had as few willing to stand beside Drageda as possible in the potential coming storm.  Making friends wasn't necessarily a strong suite of hers, but it was a constantly evolving practice.  Or perhaps it was keeping them that was the harder aim.

They spoke a while, but at length parted. It was at least a distraction and certainly not unpleasant company.  She felt there was something more to the woman but, not being keen on engaging in too much of her own internal thoughts, she let it pass.  Likely they would not cross paths again regardless.