Northstar Vale Tactiques de Manipulation

Chaudry never imagined that he would find himself searching for @Tousaint. He felt no resentment towards the boy, but what reason would he have to seek out a child? Well, he supposed that he had answered his own question.

The pack growing steadily Chaudry had found himself dissatisfied with his role. He had no desire to become an Iris, and as a son he could not inherit the role of his mother. He craved a deeper appreciation from those around him, enough to prop himself up and take the lead where he was. He wished for other's to look to him and listen.

A plan had been formulated in his mind, something that would resolve not only his own issues but that of his mother as well. However he had found himself at a roadblock; he could not for the life of him speak with any sort of charm. He was blunt, and though cool-headed he often spoke without thinking.

He was much too embarrassed to ask his mother, and Chesley was worse than him. He only hoped that Tousaint could keep a secret.

A quick trip out to the Oceanside he had made overnight, returning with a pouch of thick kelp that clanked as he carried it. Empty mussel shells, seaweed and aloe cuttings made a fragrance that reminded him of home- salty, herbal, medicinal. The scent would grow as he returned to his densite to process them.

The sea lavender he had transplanted thrived in the Vale, and had begun to show new growth. It was no longer fragrant now that the blooming season was done, but it still had a stately presence just outside the mouth of his earthy den. 

There, he lay and spread out his wares. The empty mussel shells were put to the side and he separated the aloe from the seaweed. He decided to start with the latter- and began chewing it up, grimacing lightly as he passed the squelchy rope of tough plant matter around his mouth so that it eventually became a paste. 

Once chewed, it would be spat into a mussel shell for preservation- and then he would move onto the next. 

He spotted Chaudry in the distance, just when he had moved on to the aloe. The aloe didn’t need to be chewed- he simply needed to strip the outer skin, and then scoop the translucent jelly into the mussel shells. He wondered if the man would come any closer, or if the pungent scent of medicines might drive him off.

Spotting the younger wolf he began his approach, his expression growing puzzled when the various plants and odd objects were spotted. They did little to deter him however; this was much too important. Laying himself down across from the other he sniffed at the pastes, though he was quick to pull his head back with a scrunched nose. "Where do you find these things?" He asked, furrowing a brow.

Shaking his head, he moved on without waiting for an answer. "That isn't important." He grunted, "I have something to ask of you."

Looking from side to side, he checked to ensure that there were no prying eyes nearby.

Tousaint chuckled. The man was unrefined- asking questions, and then dismissing their importance, and sticking his nose close to something that could be smelled from many lengths away. Still, Tousaint expected very little of Chaudry, and chose to consider only that the man looked adorable when he crinkled his nose like that. 

It seemed that he had something private and urgent to discuss, and he expected Tousaint’s cooperation. He scooped more aloe into a mussel, and set the small, scalloped shell down. What be in it for me?

He raised a brow at the question. He had not considered that this may be a trade of any sort. "Well, what do you want? A good word with my maman? A meal? I know how to make a good nest." He listed off the first ideas that came to his mind, as there was nothing he had on hand.

He only needed some advice, really. But if Tousaint saw value in it, then he would need to match his request. It was his own fault for failing to take the time to get to know him better.

Tousaint was a packmate, not a close friend. Truly they owed each other nothing.

I would ‘ave your favour, He replied, a cryptic answer that he felt was sufficient. He’d sensed some amount of resentment from Chesley, and among the three family members he still felt like an outsider. It be a cheap price. Be kind to me, it be all I ask. 

Chaudry had a brother and a mother who would no doubt own a certain amount of his affection- but Tousaint wished to be ingrained; Chaudry seemed like a way in. 

What is it you want? He asked then.

A simple request, and one he was sure he could fulfill. It was not hard to simply not be cruel. Now came the hard part - Tousaint said he would fulfill his request, and now Chaudry needed to skip around his intentions.

"The woman Chesley and yourself returned with, Palade? Maman has said we will be working together." He began, taking a short pause to gather his words. "She seems cold, I do not know how to speak with her."

It was not often that Chaudry felt the need to impress, but now it was necessary. He had realized the importance of bonding with the women of the pack, and Palade seemed like a good place to start. She was ugly, vulgar, and it didn't take much to see that she was not exactly a wolf.

If he was the first to get to her, she was sure to take a liking to him.

He was looking for a lesson from the book of cool. It stoked Tousaint’s ego to be regarded as one who might be the go-to for such things; gently he petted those warm flames of pride so they might settle and he might look modest.

I ‘ave met ‘er, He said, and he cracked half a smile. She be…Formidable, He commented, Per’aps not one for small talk. In other words, he could see why Chaudry might feel worried about making a good impression when the woman was business first.

She might be de type ‘o will open up wid time. He said. If you go on a few patrols wid ‘er, don’ try an’ talk ‘er ear off…But keep your expression fair, engaged, so she don’ t’ink you be in a foul mood. He coached.

He nodded carefully as Tousaint spoke, remaining engaged - not a common sight from Chaudry. It all sounded rather manageable. "I should compliment her too, yes? That is what I was taught was polite." He paused momentarily, considering his own question.

"She is far from pretty - that may be difficult." The statement was blunt, cruel. Such an opinion should be kept to himself.

He considered if he should lie - call her beautiful and compliment her scars. But such a task was easier said than done.

He couldn’t agree, necessarily, that Paladé was far from pretty- there was something to be admired in musculature that was perhaps less feminine, but still worth appreciation. 

Not all wolves want to ‘ear dat dey be pretty if it seems like it be insincere. He said. Save dat- save somet’ing like dat for a day when per’aps she ‘as done somet’ing to make ‘erself look good. Den you be complimentin’ somet’in’ she ‘as done, not…Just de way she was made. He advised. 

Simply calling her pretty as a means of starting a conversation could land him with a bruise; and while Tousaint did consider letting him learn that lesson on his own, no doubt it would come back at him later. An’ I am not saying to bat ‘airy eyeballs at ‘er- I mean to ‘ave a neutral face…Relax your jaw, soften your lips, smoothe your brow.

Yes, that made sense. He should wait until the fateful day that the woman finally put in an effort. It was hurting his head to even consider it.

"And if I do all this, I might gain her approval?" 'Attraction' was what he meant, but he thought that it would be too much to use such language. Vulgar, even. Tousaint did not need those pictures in his head.

Pala was not someone he would have ever considered back home, but here his options were limited. He was no longer admired, he did not have the upper hand. An ugly woman would be easy, he assumed. The decision was hard, yet necessary.

Approval.

His brow raised. He’d thought, originally, that Chaudry was trying to make a good impression on Paladé so that she might tolerate him and be less of a drag. Now, however, he wondered if Chaudry had other motives. 

Chéri; women approve of men ‘o do deir job. Do dat, an I am sure she will approve of you. He said with a gentle laugh. Besides- look at you, an ‘o you are, He said, gesturing with a paw toward the man. You be Viskani’s son- an you be de friendlier of de two- plus you be ‘avin’ a good look about you. He said. You will be fine.

He gave a gentle nod. Tousaint was right - Palade had more than enough reason to approve of him. He pushed to his feet, satisfied with their conversation. "Thank you, Tousaint." He began to turn away, his tail gently waving now.

Momentarily he glanced back at the boy. "I'll bring back a gift from my next patrol of the borders." He did not wait for an answer before making his exit, as though Tousaint had no say in the matter. It was a kind gesture nonetheless.

Abruptly, the man rose. Tousaint sat up, wondering quietly to himself how the man expected to curry favour with a woman if he was in such a rush all the time. He cut to the point, finished conversations when he was done with them- and shed no more than a minute longer on anything if he didn’t have to. 

Tousaint could weather the man’s abrupt nature, however; he’d been promised a favour, one he might have to call upon sooner or later. He did not need a gift- that was not what the arrangement had been- but he hoped simply that when the time came, Chaudry would remember that he owed Tousaint one.