Noctisardor Bypass Do you like it when I'm away?

@Mahler (Forward dated to around 7/3)!

The physician could continue lying to himself by saying he could fare just fine on his own, or he could stop beating around the bush and seek out what could potentially be a new place to call home -- and after a few days of hesitation, the latter was chosen. He had found himself traveling far from the foaming mouths of waves and granules of sand beneath his feet, which discomforted Mateo at first, but the distraction of foraging and sightseeing anything he could find around him was what kept the sire moving forward. There seemed to be no packs near the coast -- at least, not where he had looked -- so there was no other choice but to seek what lied beyond.

A week of travel and rolling around in mint leaves to mask the scent of anxiety later -- Mateo would come across the collective scent of wolf nearby; he gulped nervously. Scented areas and sounds from afar marked the separation from neutral land and the actual claim, and the already jittery he-wolf made sure not to step too close lest he cause trouble he didn't want. 

Mateo stood silently for a moment to open and close his mouth and rehearse words he might stumble over beforehand, and soon a long howl was sent out to announce his presence.

wylla had been getting about, and phaedra to boot. gone on excursions. mahler did not tempt himself with thoughts of going after her; she would drift back 'round in her own good time. his own was separated into many pieces: sequoia's den, the healing cave, the ongoing search for praimfaya.
the summons found him at birdsong lagoon, where he had been staring off and thinking of laurel, how agonized and pleading her beautiful face had been. it lodged hurt inside mahler. he wheeled away from the water and came to attend the cry.
but as he came near, mahler thought it might be taikon! why had he come! and so he barreled down upon the stranger with a silent lift of lip and full bristling of granite hackles, halting himself at the last handful of seconds and glaring at the man who resembled too easily the great sum of his own failure.
the gargoyle calmed, but not in apology, only watchfulness.

Footsteps that fell upon his ginger ears and his song quell into silence as he lowered his crown to see who had answered the call. For the fear and uncertainty that filled his psyche for the entire journey, the arrival of another filled his chest with something a little more wholesome: hope. Mateo had been so worried of everything that would go wrong with this that anything good didn't cross his mind yet -- what if this was the start of something good to replace all his dispare up until now?

Yet the stranger would ascend upon him, large and daunting with a look in his ultraviolets that didn't reach the physician until now, and all that enthusiasm was quick to revert back into fear.

The pricked hackles and show of teeth made his gradient tassle slow from its waving motion and retreat between his legs instead. His dark gaze widened in horror and quickly pointed towards the floor in an effort to avoid eye contact -- so did his body.

No words were spoken to him, only earcutting silence that made the anxious man fret worse than before. So through trembling dark lips come softe spoken words he'd hope would reach the gargoyle before him. "Y-you are from the village here, y-yes?" Mateo asked first, then licked his jowls nervously before continuing. "I am Mateo, a doctor from the c-oasts."

the wide show of submission coupled with his own realization softened mahler, and he stepped back some feet, allowing the stranger his grace to rise. he would not admit the fault, not when it was in the service of noctisardor.
village. he supposed it was, the strong dorf that had expanded beautifully. and another physician. mahler felt the sting of masculine pride; it was one thing to have worked with speedy and been iana's consistent patient, it was another altogether to have before him a possible replacement.
markings on the pale areas of the other's face. a shading of muted ecru and umber across the pillared figure. not taikon, but still, mahler was reticent.
"vhere on the coasts?" he inquired, voice a polite tone of silver. he would know more of this man before he gave of his own information; he felt it fair. it muddled him a bit, to react in this manner when he had not with ephemeris or argent. but there was reasoning for it, mahler felt.

For the short amount of time where Mateo would stare frightfully at the gargoyle's feet and pray he wasn't about to be chased off, the man would step a few paces away. The medic hesitated for a moment, dark eyes switching several times from the floor and the rising and falling of the man's chest, before slowly rising to his feet -- eyes still trained on the ground, and a tail wrapped cautiously around one of his back legs.

They'd speak up, in an accented voice that strangely hinted towards a calmed demenor despite earlier aggressions, and Mateo would speak up once again to explain himself. "Far west from here, but I'm n-not a native to these shores..."

He swolled "B-Bahía de Redfield..." then spoke the name of his previous home. Is that what he wanted to know?

the tension lifted, and with it came more words, and a language that mahler did not recall having heard before. so he too was a traveller, the careful man before him. more than careful, perhaps constrained by fear. it was satisfying, somehow, to know that he still engendered such in others.
mahler chided himself for these base feelings.
redfield. he had no recollection of this name, and lifted the veil of hard scrutiny with a lash of his own plume. "this is rivenvood. i am its graf, mahler." another doctor. "vhat is your focus of expertise in medicine?" the shadowpriest asked next.
an easier tactic than before.
wary, but not to a degree where he would impose further upon this mateo and his wanderings.

Feel free to skip unless she's interacted with. :)

In silence, she observed the gilded stranger from a distance. He was alone from what she could see, and when a call rose for the attention of leadership she made no move to intercept. Only when Mahler presented himself did she venture from cover, moving smoothly to join her father for support.

There was not much for her to offer and she doubted he'd have need of her, but she was curious to know what request the rogue might have.

Cirilla's approach brought her close to the gargoyle's flank, and her expression was soft as she took note of his tail's sweep. No hostility to be had there, thankfully.

The man introduced himself as well -- 'Mahler', he says, 'Graf of Rivenwood'; assumably the name of the village he so fiercely guarded on the forefronts. He had never heard of any portion of leadership referred to as Graf, and given the accent that drawled from the dark man's raspy baritones, it must've been for a reason.

Another had joined the fray -- their paws smaller, and dark as well but of a warmer shade. He still didn't wish to risk the eye contact to find out, however. "A range of skills in my field. I diagnose and treat my p-patients with medicines that I've been studying since y-youth." His mother being the one to teach him herself, as she'd been the coastal village's physician before she'd passed. Somehow his job was like a blessing and a curse -- a reminder that he needed to keep going and continue her legacy, all while living with the stabbing memory that he'd not been knowledgeable enough during his teen years to save the woman in time. 

He could not save her.

"I am also a pediatrician in this field. S-Since I've worked with children a lot..."

impatiently he wondered if the stutter was here to stay or if it would go when mateo felt more comforted. this was such a cruel thought that he was surprised at himself, refocusing attention upon ciri with a smile that smoothed his features further. 
"a pediatrician. ve are vell met, then. i have been a midvife for several years." the practices overlapped; he had done both for so many years that it was easier to note their similarities rather than differences.
he paused a moment, clearing his throat. "i vill accept you. right now i am in need of night vatchmen." a pause, then he went on. "there are young vones here, but their mother vill vant to know you for some time before she may allow you to see her children." 
he considered that speedy had gone, leaving malila to tend the pharmacy, and he did not think he wanted the young girl in the company of a stranger, even one who was a physician.
"can you hunt and fight, if need be, mateo?" mahler inquired, suspecting so but wishing to know all the same.

Some of his nerves were calmed -- some; the stuttering lingered for now -- enough for his tucked-in tassel to slowly furl from his stomach and back behind him. The surprise that the man assumed to be warrior had experience in midwifery, his head nearly tilted up to look at him, but with caution, it stopped at his chest. He could vaguely make out more of the young woman who stood beside him at the corner of his eye -- who were they?

"Yes...Yes, of course.." He nodded softly in understanding, more or less to the mention of meeting the mothers of pups -- Mateo understood the wariness of mothers. It was a natural behavior he could work with when attempting to gain trust. 

His next question was met with a slower nod, but self-assured, nonetheless "I'll be able to work with that as well..." hunting should be an easy enough task -- he'd done in before in search of his own food, and to use the leftover hide as cloth to hold his herbs. Fighting was less of a skill since Mateo was more of the "Pacifist" type, but he was still a healthy adult man either way. He'd be able to hold his own when the time came.

mahler wanted to leave this scene of ignominy. more often than not, he returned to himself with a crippling sense of guilt for previous actions. it was starting to dawn within him again, the pointed need to be alone, to reflect upon the root of how he had greeted mateo with such ire.
and even in this analysis, he could not shake the concept of der mensch als bedrohung.
"this is @Ciri, my daughter," he said solemnly, though again the lilac stare sparked with affection. blundering, perhaps; he would know in the following seconds. "vould you like a tour or vould you like to see rivenvood for yourself?" he asked, such a change from the lift of teeth scant minutes ago.

His voice; it had notably softened since the first time, he'd notice. Whether it be because he noticed Mateo's discomfort or on his own accord, the physician finally managed to calm down because of this. He was welcomed -- welcomed after being exiled from the birth home that no longer saw him fit, and the swell of emotion which filled his chest knowing this fact caused his eyes to water so suddenly that it suprised even him. 

Ah, he was just too emotional sometimes.

The man blinked a few times, letting the droplets fall down his cheeks though lowering his face to hide it. Using a back paw to dry them feverently, he looked back up just in time for Mahler to introduce the young woman as Ciri -- his daughter. Su pequeña niña 

A gentle smile traced his lips with warm eyes gazing at the girl he named Ciri, pale lashes still a bit dampened from tears. "A pleasure to meet you, Ciri." he greeted softly, then his dark eyes would trail up to the Graf, who's features were still fresh considering Mateo had been staring at his paws the entire time. He too, was greeted with an expression of warmth. "If you would not mind, I would appreciate a tour around your home."

The two, father and daughter, held quite the differences in terms of appearance. The medic wondered if it was the mother who she resembled more...

The gold-kissed wolf did not raise his gaze to look upon her as she eased her pace alongside Mahler, to whom her own attention shifted as he sent a smile her way. Ciri offered one in return, fleeting and encouraging, for there was business to be done.

The pair touched briefly on their shared skills, those that the swallow had never been patient enough to learn, and an acceptance on her father's part soon followed. What surprised her was the newcomer's heightened emotion, and dark ears fanned backward as her bright eyes caught the glimmer of tears in his dark eyes.

She wondered if he might hold onto some quiet sorry, as she did. Concerned, Ciri made to exchange a puzzled glance with the rugged Graf just as he introduced her as his daughter, something so simple yet warming to the heart of her.

"Hi," she peeped softly, almost timidly, as she looked his way again. Having missed out on the giving of his name, Ciri considered sneaking in a request for it, but the timing was off. She would hear of it in passing, surely, considering his acceptance of a tour that she herself would benefit from.

"very vell." mahler buried down his feeling of distaste for tours. why had he offered, then? he realized that the first snarl-up had confused him greatly on how to respond, and longed for the silent moments when he could recover and learn to never make such a mistake again.
"ve vill go to birdsong lagoon, mateo," he said gently. "it is a lake who vas named by a voman named laurel." he would set a slow path for the three of them to the vivid waterway, with its trilling of bright birds around the perimeter, where stands of purple flowers flourished in the heat.
"you vill meet her soon."
only that she had been gone far too long, or perhaps it only felt so long given the way that they had parted. 
he caught belatedly the anguish that befell mateo; the tears. 
the other's scent held no sickness, and so the physician must only infer that one of their own was now overcome. he chose to make no recognition lest it shame mateo, and pressed on through a stand of tall elms, noting ciri's reticence.

Should we fade here?

The two had welcomed him to travel along with them and Mateo hesitated in his movements at first, dark eyes that sought confirmation trailing up towards the Graf, then, to his daughter.  This was his home, too. 

And in knowing that, he gained the confidence to follow after them.

He spoke of a place called birdsong lagoon -- named by a person he had never met, yet, as told by Mahler. Who else would he meet during his time here?

First stop: Birdsong Lagoon. Ciri smiled shyly toward the newcomer, who her father referred to as Mateo, and her dark tail gave a soft wag in quiet encouragement. Despite his emotional response to Rivenwood's acceptance of him, he seemed pleasant.

The gargoyle turned away to take lead, and Ciri lingered at the rear to follow along in silence. Mahler spoke of a wolfess, Laurel, whose name she did not recognise, though it was tucked away safely for when she and the swallow's path might cross.

he would spend the next swathe of time showing them the core parts of rivenwood, the hidden footpaths, the summer repast that spread through the guarded place. mahler, experiencing pleasure in this tour despite how he had once felt, and grateful to be alongside ciri during it all.