Northstar Vale i used to be gossamer and silk

tzenno seeks to settle into his new home without fanfare. guided by the soft glow of sugary moonbeams and wink of candied starlight spun in the velvet of the nightsky, the shadowed rōnin makes his way as any newcomer; with caution at both unfamiliarity of the vale and of fellow packmates. sunflower gaze sweeps over the shadow touched landscape; alive with nightlife and the glow of fireflies. he sniffs at the mouth of a small tunnel carved into the side of the left rocky sentinel that stands guard over the vale. it smells stale of earth, rockbed with the twinge of moss. he pokes 'round inside the small cavern it leads to content to find it abandoned and more than big enough to house him and a small shrine he would construct there. satisfied he shrugs out of the tunnel and rubs his cheek against the rough rock; claiming this space as his.

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157 words

the morning is distant and the vale remains in the thrall of night. his eyes investigating with hungry desire to keep things safe. this was nothing more than normalcy for him. once when darkness blotted out the sun and once more when golden rays would again kiss the earth. collision was often busy tending to things around the vale that maintained the level of security he wished to promote for the mothers and children that lived there. 

 tonight a new smell lingered in several spots around the vale and collision was going to track it. it didn't take long for him to latch on and follow it. the smell distinguishing itself and becoming stronger as time passed. 

 he comes to a rockier terrain of the empire. a small cave formation coming into view. and from it emerged another. he was as greyscale as the approaching count and he looked strong. he assumed no threat was posed given the distance the scent had travelled. had he been with ill will he wouldn't linger in the territory after his business had been completed. 
 
 a throat chuff barrelled from the diaphragm of the boy as he sought to make his appearance known. he wanted to avoid a quarrel at all costs and give the other chance to accept or decline company for the time being.

weight shifts, ears perk and swivel in the direction of the throaty chuff that hangs in the serene stillness of the moonlit night. mid-cheek rub, tzenno draws away from the mouth of the tunnel that housed his den. sunflower gold gaze sweeps over the shadows until it alights upon the packmate standing nearby. the rōnin's tail draws across his scarred hocks in a gentle, amiable wave. hello, he greets. i'm tzenno, he introduces himself. i'm new here. though he thinks only after he's said it that, that was probably as obvious as the moon in the sky.

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97 words

collision was going to wait for merely a moment and that is all it took for the other to take him up on his offer of conversation. it pleased the grey male, for he felt as though he should be well acquainted with all wolves that took refuge in the vale.  

 collision is greeted warmly and he offers the man a dip of his head as he approaches and introduces himself. a respectable distance apart for conversation he speak, "welcome to the vale, tzenno," his words are equally warm and a half-smile presses against his face, "my name is collision," his head motion towards the entrance to the tunnel, "it appears you're settling in well?" small talk could get old, but when it was a new face there was always an urge to push on past the pleasantries and really get into the dirt.

the welcome offered to him was warmly received with a respectful bow of tzenno's head. thank you. voice rises in a breathy acceptance to accompany the bow. there is a gust of something in his chest, though tzenno does not know what to name it. uncertainty? nervousness? he did not know how to be anything other than what he was: disgraced prince, lonely rōnin ...both weighty in their own way. reneian empire offers him something that tastes like warm, sugary pastry, like the most decadent of freshly baked promises. tzenno isn't so sure he wants to trust it blindly, having been burned more times than he cared to admit.

there was a chance here ...at a life he never would've been allowed both as prince and samurai. something new and delightful and terrifying, all wrapped in one neat package. collision, tzenno repeats, a small twitch of his lips into a ghost of a smile as the name — strange to him given his family's naming conventions — reminds him of clay: the first empire wolf to greet him at the borders. sunflower gold gaze peers over a shoulder to study the dark mouth of the cavern he's claimed and tzenno lets out a soft, almost wistful sound.

as well as can be expected, i suppose. he responds with an errant shrug of his shoulders. everything is new. but he suspects he'll feel safest in his little cavern and that was a start. have you been with the empire long?

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249 words

there was something different about tzenno. he was polite but struck collision as slightly guarded. perhaps it was simply being confused with the etiquette he seemed to possess. he seemed formal and well aware and in control of himself. most could not say the same and collision found himself with a deal of growing respect for his newest acquaintance. 

 after he answered the asked question collision's opinion of his 'perfect etiquette' diminished only slightly. it seemed he had made an assumption to quickly. but first encounters were always open to interpretation and false pretenses. it wasn't a bad thing; simple a reminder that collision didn't need to be so fast to add character labels. 

 "a while now. reiko met me months ago when i was new to this entire land. i lacked purpose and she gave me one," now he was becoming a fairly handy guard and as time continued and he advanced his skills he felt more confident and adept at handling the role he assumed, "i was raised to be a warrior or a guardian. here i can excel at that," it was the most important job he had ever partaken. he doubted he could ever truly work a day in his life. 

 "where did you come from?" collision didn't want to pry and would stop immediately if asked to do, but he truly wanted to get to know his new brother-in-arms. his legs folded and he comfortably sat before the other.

a muted nod is given as tzenno's inquiry, born of nothing more than pressing curiosity, is drifts away with answer. it is enough to satisfy the most persistent of prying nature. both noble specialties. tzenno murmurs with an absentmindedness that is almost cottony. many threads that form something of a lump of soft webbing but no convictions to make it concrete. of course he thinks they are noble specialties: they are merely facets of one gleaming ruby gem. if he had to give his métier a name aside from rōnin it would certainly be mercenary. clouds drift across the gleam of sunflower yellow gaze; lids lowering to give hooded look.

disgrace —

banished and struck from birthright for insurgence...

i come from a place far away from here. solemn and hard words are as cold as the stone wall nearby. what matters now is that i'm here and i've sworn my fealty to this empire and its leaders.

Perhaps collision was biased but he couldn't help except to agree with the male. They were indeed noble. Collision wasn't selfish or much to really talk himself up, but he always felt as though he had a good heart. A noble heart, even. There was nothing wrong with being certain about one's self. Was there? 

 The question that Collision had asked was reponded to with...a quite short answer. Clearly he had overstepped into territory that wasn't his business to answer. He had to remind himself that the Vale was created to offer a home to those that needed a fresh start. Most of them weren't coming from glistening pasts with tales of beauty. There was often betrayal and ghosts that still haunted most of them. He was sorry, but did not voice it. The male moved on and Collision fell into rhythm with the new tune. 

 "We have a wonderful Empress. She truly lives for her people," Reiko did. Everything she did was to make sure they all lived a good life collectively and she had turned away those who had come to the borders and might threaten their way of life. He was pleased with his decision to be here and was confident Tzenno would feel the same in time. Whatever he was running from...hopefully it would remain in the shadows of his old life, "Perhaps we should train together some time or patrol. You're just getting settled in, of course, but I'm often available now that the women are becoming more active again," In the beginning of all of these pregnancies the men sort of ran the show albeit slight interferences. Then at the end they had to stand on their own. Now, they were beginning to see faces emerge again.

tzenno does not mean to be quite so brusque; yet, it happens, with or without intention. thoughts of zhànshì shāngōu dredge up with it uncongenial feelings that leave a metallic taste in his mouth and a deep sense of both inadequateness and nonfeasance ...regardless of how correct these crushing stirrings may be. tentative, tzenno approaches the switch of topic to the empire itself and how it is all that matters, a swell of relief rushing over him like hightide. collision speaks in high favor of the empress, reiko and tzenno takes this is a good sign. i was accepted by her counterpart, takeshi. tzenno admits, teeth grazing against his tongue for a moment. i have yet to meet her. takeshi had not filled him in on the terms of her indispose so tzenno remains unwillingly ignorant of her balancing act with leadership and motherhood.

i'd ...like that. tzenno responds to the offer of training and patrolling together. he hasn't had a spar or patrol partner since narashi and that, too, was largely his own fault. if tzenno is hesitant on the immediate acceptance of the offer it is only because narashi's murder is still a fresh stain upon his honor and there exists the paranoia that despite the distance between him and his lordfather that misfortune will follow him here.

Coll is leaving RE for at least a little while xD So I figured I better close up some of these threads! Thank you for writing w/ me <3

Collision is not yet aware of Takeshi and though he knows the name he didn't quite know the man. He was Lord? Baron? Something. Perhaps he had felt ease at accepting a new face. Tzenno seemed like a good warrior. That or Takeshi saw something that the other hadn't yet revealed to the Count. He offered a smile and stood from where he once sat. He didn't want to keep him and if he was just settling in it was likely he had a long day ahead of him and was quite tired, "There's lots of talk about Takeshi. I'd say he's a good man. I've yet to truly become acquainted with him," How long would it be before he could get to know the colorless man?

 "Just call for me. I'd be more than happy," Collision offers him a dip of the head, "I suppose I'll leave you to get settled. I'm sure you've had a long journey and rest is needed," He turns on his heels and goes to leave. perhaps they would meet again and then they could learn things and teach things to one another. It was always wise to keep an open mind about the way the world worked. 

[exit]