Boartusk Heights ≡Falling For Our Calling

Nails clicked on stone--gentle taps. Soleon explored the cavern like system with fervor. marked by the scent of Nivis entangled with his own he was far from a simple vagabond now. this thrilled him.

'seek out @Reyna' and like a good dog he did. There was a delay to his steps. Grogginess from the use of the poppy to sleep had done him good, alas there were side-effects. It would take some time to be fully alert. Perhaps he, himself, had taken a sprinkle too much. He wondered how his ruler fared?

  He needed to set out. If this was to be called his home he need to begin to stock provisions. He needed to be prepared if anyone needed anything. Relaxation or salve...it was an important task. Ideally, he would find Reyna beforehand, but such could not be promised. He found the exit where he found it to be later in the day than he could've imagined. He had slept that entire time? A stretch before the sun-kissed the earth good-bye seemed to relieve the delay in his limbs and he visually scoured the empire he was apart of.

tags are for reference! you're welcome to join in if u think chasing a man on drugs stumbling inside would be ic tho lol

someone had entered the palace. someone had invaded the palace.

she could only see red. at first, the queen was ready to tear out the throats of @Klara and @Basìlio for having not just failed to guard the borders but to guard the palace. @Paloma is the queen's last resort. but reliable as the maid may be she alone could not defend from an aggressor. so the queen slinks through the darkness behind the maid, and eyes the stranger. pure, pearly whites, sharp and ready to latch prepare to take aim at the man, until she smells a whiff of nivis on his coat. finally, she softens, and pushes paloma and maternal rage to the side as she confronts the stranger.

didn't your mother teach you manners? you could've at the very least announced yourself. the tall, cranelike figure of the matriarch blocks the interloper from any further trespassing. his dirt could not soil the future sleeping chambers of her precious children. ..did my husband send you?
she had yet to notice the man's intoxication.

It happened almost too quickly. a vampyric precense overtook him with another in tow. his presence invaded. Reflexively his lip curled back. And at the sound of a demanding voice he urged himself to relax. He was likely among family that he had been invited to live with--to assimilate with. his head drew lower than her own. A sign of submission, and though he knew not who she was...she had likely been here longer than himself and perhaps held title.

"Actually, she's quite dead so the lessons ended long ago," Perhaps it would've been said with remorse years ago, but now her death simply just was. Much as all of theirs. The end was as much a part of life as the first breath drawn of a babe.

  He was about to explain to the demanding she-devil he sought out the Empress, the Queen, but he'd be damned to find out--this was her. This was the charming wife of Nivis? She was, in fact, not sunshine and rainbows and his ears fell against his head. Maybe she was just having a bad day. He had something for that...."I--He accepted me. I sought sanctuary and offered my own skill-set for it," by the way your husband is somewhere. stoned. But, they could talk about that later.

he shows aggression at first, clearly he does not know who he stands before. but reyna is a very kind, very gentle woman. she fights back a scoff and a snort at his response.

you do not stand in any position to be sharp-tongued with me, sir. i am reyna — matriarch of la muerte.

this place can be sanctuary, if you prove yourself deserving of it.. what is this skill-set that you have, and what is your name? she tilts her head, scrutinizing the man.

If she would've walked up, shared introduction, or perhaps, in general said hello. Their first interaction would've been very different. Though, Seleon seemed to recall Nivis said he had children. The time of year seemed about right...and neither of them looked particularly old. He'd wager he was a few round trips older than the both of them. This would explain her rage at a stranger so close. He was sure of it. 

"I offer my sincerest apologies," Soleon dipped his head lowly to Reyna. Regardless of how he considered the way it could've been--this was whom he had sworn fealty. This was the one who would command him. He would be hers.

  "My name is Soleon Mathias," His words were a chirp and he offered a smile as his head rose from the position once it took, "I'm a medic. I'm still learning, as all should be in any endeavor, but I'm no fool to the practice," Perhaps, in the sense, he was his own medical study he was, but that was his own burden.

  These were good people. All were. Sometimes it just took addressing the problem that lay on top, "And, you can make full use of me," He attempted to lock eyes with hers. A promise that he would make himself important.

the queen remained quiet, firm, as she listened to him speak: soleon, medic, loyal. exactly what she needed.

medicine in my kingdom involves faith as much as it does practice — are you willing to learn just enough to help ail the wounded and ease their sorrows? there would be no saint anytime soon, so the queen had to take the role of priest and saint.

your competency will be measured throughout these coming days, before i decide whether you are worthy of such a role. with the lift of her paw, she ushers him to rise, a smile tugging her lips. finally, she settles on her haunches. ..regardless, i welcome you to my kingdom. i apologize for the aggression — there are children here. you must forgive a mother for trying to protect her life and blood.

Faith? Something Soleon had pondered time and time again. It was being brought back. Did she expect him to swear devotion to some anonymous lord? Would inextinguishable approbation to her be enough? It would simply have to be. Soleon would show her his best. He would show them all.

Was he willing to learn just enough? "More," Just enough would not do. Bare minimum was boring. Bare minimum did not save lives nor make them easier. His was a task that endured whether there was a physical ailment or siege. He was responsible for their self-care.

  While Soleon was typically named as a 'happy' man...he took this industry he was chosen for with the utmost consideration, "I'm in no rush to lead. I'm in a rush to play-my-role," Whatever that may be.

  "You have no reason to apologize, Queen. I should've taken better care of the situation--which asks; are you well after birth? Are your babes?" If he could be of use then day one would be a fine time to start. Perhaps he could travel out of the kingdom's walls and find what she needed--or gather to keep on hand what she presumed she did not.

more it shall be, your lessons start soon. she waves her hand. the man seemed suitable enough for the nocturne's tradition of gothic saintliness.

her smile reaches her eyes finally, as the man brushes aside her half-attempted apology.
i am glad you are reasonable. it's rare to find such a trait in a man nowadays.. i am well after-birth, though there is pain — my lovely dove has taken great care of me before i even had the children.. she tosses paloma a metaphorical bone.
and the children are all healthy, plump and lively. i can even hear them from here. bats screech from the nursery — soon they'll be vampires but for now they are her little, ear-piercing fledglings.

but my kingdom has formed very recently. truthfully, a headache has ailed me for the past three nights. if you could fetch me something to chase it away, that would be nice. her first test began now.

Soleon wondered what she would mean by this. Quite honestly, she struck him as theatric. All he could foresee was enthusiastic dancing beneath the moon chanting some odd mantra about 'bless these people'. Perhaps he was wrong, but he wondered what his future held. He would do as he was told and at the end of the day lean on his medicinal usages to ensure his spot. If he made himself valuable enough, perhaps, he would be too costly to lose.

Paloma. She sounded genuine, kind. Soleon wondered what kind of girl she was. She had earned Reyna's favor it seemed.

His ears tuned in to the whimper and whine of children adjusting to the new world that they were brought. The cries were so juvenile. They couldn't be old at all, but he would not ask to see them. You did not draw near a new mother's brood. Not after having just met said mother.

  But--his matriarch was not so 'okay'. La Muerte was new (wasn't he lucky to fill their ranks!) And to create a home, birth children--maintaining self-care often was regarded for last on the to-do list. What a lovely mother Reyna was, "I'll be honest. I know what you need, but I have no inventory. You must understand that I'll have to often leave to gather things we will need here. I'll gather as much in abundance as I can on my trips to make my time away minimal, but as I've spent but one night here...I need to leave to begin," Soleon assumed she would deem this necessary. He would need to examine his new home closely to see what it held, but various regions only grew so much, "I won't need to go far for your headaches. A day? But some trips may take days," And as far as Soleon was concerned it was better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.

if soleon is to be a medic, then the queen mustn't rely solely on him. his herb gathering will be most useful, but what are herbs without a medic to apply them. she would have to scour for another, one who can stay while soleon hunts for his herbs.

these hinterlands are lush, and fertile. you may not have to travel as far as you may think..
all i ask is that you keep clear out of rival pack territory, or behave when you encountet them. our neighbors in the past have been quick to pick battles that they could not afford, and just as quick to blame us for it.

but with herbs, soleon also brings information. of any changes in the hinterlands, changes past the hinterlands if he travels far. this appeals to the woman.
if you travel, i must ask you report everything noticeable you see and hear — conversations amongst rival packs, new faces in the hinterlands — the more i know, the safer my people and thus you can be.
soon her children will grow into ladies and lords. soon they will disperse, and houses in their name will erect. only one will be her heir, but all will have a chance at leadership. it is motherly instinct, then, to ensure that the world is safe for them. or maybe, it is just the vampiress plan for an empire.

go, then. i'll show you where your den and your cache will be when you return.

Soleon listens to Reyna. Perhaps it would be wise that he explore their home to see what could readily be available to them. Then expand when he sought things that were not native to their conditions. He wouldn't need to travel far for most things. Additionally, perhaps if he could gather some help, eventually, a long trip would render so many supplies it would lower the time away.

She makes one request of him. One that he can easily adhere to. Information. He wondered what kind of spy he would make. Most found him easy to talk to. Easy to invite in to their conversations. Under normal circumstances he would feel guilty, but he had sworn his allegiance to Reyna and all that fell behind her empire's gates. He couldn't fail them. It was for a good cause! There were children!

  "You have my word, Reyna. I won't disappoint you," He nods his head--bows to her. And then he retreats. First he would examine the heights. Then he would expand his parameters. At least, he knew where he could maintain a profound stash of poppy.

[exit]