Northstar Vale kismet, right?

@Star, AW!

kalika was growing restless with their inland territory. she wanted to run back to the coast, bide her time wading in the shallows. its where she belonged, the siren queen; that's who she was, if based on inheritance. akantha's absence would leave her the next-in-line, provided the prior lead didn't have an able daughter hiding in the wilds.

she would continue to plot as she watched the clouds shift, sitting in her own pensive silence.

It was only recently that she'd met Melkor. She was feeling positive about getting to know more people of the Court- back in Swiftcurrent, she'd always felt like she was on the outside. Maybe it had been because of her immaturity at the time- but now she was sure to establish herself as an important, permanent, and valuable member. And with that, came the responsibility of forming a relationship with each and every member. To make herself a familiar face. 

It's just as she's considering that responsibility that she comes upon a pale girl, eyes tilted up into the sky as if to watch the clouds. The little cloud herself moves forward, careful not to be too disturbing, even though releasing a friendly chuff as if to announce her presence.

the sound was unfamiliar, not carrying the tone of any wolf kalika had come to know. she turned with marked unenthusiasm, but gave a smile upon realizing that this was a woman. a woman who she could herself in, no less; aside from the haunting onyx gaze, she carried a blanchard's coat to rival that of the siren. 

the grace with which she carried herself attracted kalika. we haven't met yet, she purred, then turning back to face the sky.

The girl's face turns to smile as she gazes upon the old woman. Star appreciated what she interprets as friendliness. The pale woman's voice comes out as a purr, gentle and enticing. A comment on their lack of meeting- and she turns back to look into the sky once again. 

Usually Star was used to conversation involving facing eachother, looking at eachother- but the girl's unusual ways did not bother her. Instead she laid down as well, midnight eyes reaching the clouds which so resembled herself. 

"No, we haven't." comes the hearty rumble of her voice. "I'm Star- the mavroimë. And you?" 

the ranks of the court were rudimentary, meaningless outside of these borders. kalika found star's inclusion of her title — mavroimë​, as it were — to be redundant, signified only by a small smirk. kalika nereides, she replied. 

after waiting a moment for a potential reply, she stood and turned to face her new companion. i can't pronounce any of these ranks here. kalika was a fast-learner, known for her ability to pick up different tongues. she didn't think that she would have a problem speaking the strange language of their leader, but saw potential entertainment in toying with her elder.

The woman introduces herself as Kalika Nereides, which held no particular meaning to Star. But the elder noticed the girl didn't bother to add a rank. Which was fine really, as whatever her rank was was probably unfamiliar to Star anyway. 

The girl humorously commented that she couldn't pronounce them. Interpreting it as a joke- a joke with truth woven in, Star chuckled. "I can pronounce them, but hell if I know what they mean." She laughs back. "I have no idea what language it is. Nothing like anything I've ever heard." 

a different response than was expected; kalika enjoyed it as a pleasant surprise. you've heard other languages? she asked, wondering if she knew of the nereidian tongue. by her reaction (or lack thereof) to the siren's introduction, she doubted that this was the case.

so you never speak this language here? she asked, ears perking atop her head. why have it, then?

She lets out slight laughter at the girl's first question. "Of course I've heard other languages. You live six years, you experience a few things. I haven't been holed up here all my life, I've been around." Hearing herself say all that, she could only wonder... When did I start sounding so much like an old lady? , and a bemused smirk touches her lips. 

Then the girl asks about the language here. "Yep. Never spoke it. But I'll utilize it if that's what Lady Andraste wants. I respect her enough to put up with it." She chuckles, before returning a "How about you? You heard any other languages?" 

i've been around.

kalika wondered what was meant by this assertion. like where? she asked, curiousity clear in her tone. while not (yet) particularly fond of such company, she thought that it might do her good to try. having a consort was convenient in the evening, but what of the day?

lady andraste, the siren parroted, and what is the proper name for her rank?

"To the east, Rising Sun Valley. When I was a yearling that is where I resided. And to the south... Blackfeather Woods. It was never my choice to stay there," She tells the girl, eyes flitting uncomfortably to the ground as she thinks of the evil place. "And to the North. That is where I spent most of my years." She finishes, mind wandering to her wild adventures there, the stories that would never be told.

And the girl wonders of Lady Andraste's rank. Star did not know them all, but as Andraste was whom she considered the most important member, she was able to utter "Undómiel." 

the siren realized that star's question had gone unanswered. luckily, the next topic brought in conversation allowed for an easy recovery. the nereides, we once settled on the coast, kalika explained, we speak a themiscyran tongue, san aftó.

undómiel, she chirped, finding it to be almost as smooth as her own native tongue. how long have you followed her, then?

She listens intently as the girl speaks of language and culture of which she does not know. Curiosity piqued, she has questions. "Nereides... Themiscryan? Tell me more, I've not heard of them." She speaks with a sort of awe. 

And to her next question, "Not long. Just since early November. But she gained my respect quickly, helped me fight off a cougar too." She says as she tilts her figure slightly, showing off the freshly healing scars upon her shoulders and chest, caused by the beast's talons.

the nereides, she said. kalika's chest swelled with joy as she recounted the story of her people, we are many groups, our base being the themiscyran coast. strong women, sirens as we are called. as aiolos had called her, burning a hole into her loins.

andraste didn't carry a hunter's prowess. she would have never considered the woman an amazon. kalika was uninterested in continuing that particular conversation, so she decided to ignore it.