Hushed Willows eyes on the road.

@Stark and @Banner <3

She would not have stoppped if she hadn't recognized the scent— his scent. It was not a former lover or really even a friend— but it was so unforgettable that she needed to find it. She had to be sure that this was who she thought it was. 

Perhaps this was his home. He had struck her as the wondering type, place to place, woman to woman, but maybe he had found something to call his own. Maybe that was honorable— maybe she didn't care. Regardless if it was his, she kept her distance, standing still and a ways back from the edge of the border than she had found. Taking a deep, uncertain breathe, she tilted back her crown and called for whatever leadership would come greet her. Then, when her song died down, she sat with her tail placed neatly beside her and waited— eyes scouting the area around her with a slight caution. 

It would be a lie to say that Natasha ever crossed his mind. There was a lot of his journey between where he'd grown up and where he was now that had just been swept away. It was better that way, in his mind. Stark was finishing off a rabbit when he heard the call, his ears perking up as he left the remainder for Tambourine and turned to head to the borders. It wasn't often that they got joiner calls - the last three joiners had been recruited by current Keep members. 

Maybe it was better that way - it provided a stronger sense of want and of belonging. The wolves that had joined the pack by the traditional methods had all gone away, their cowardice demanding them to go out into the waste of the world. The Alpha approached the border where the call had come up, his blue eyes scanning for the owner of the song. Of course he hadn't forgotten Natasha, she had a cold, almost distant way to her but underneath that she was an enigma. There was much to her that Stark didn't understand and every time he thought he'd figured the redhead out she changed again. 

"Of all the places in the world, you come here." 

There were no emotions that played against her nerves— she was still and calm as ever. The only thing she would admit to being was curious— intrigued even. Natasha was patient, but she did not have to wait long. The dark figure that she remembered well enough soon appeared, holding himself like some sort of arrogant God— which was to be expected from Stark himself. His posture was more than just arrogance, however, which led her to believe that this was his home, his territory. 

Her posture loosens slightly, no longer worried about dealing with a territorial stranger. Still politely aware of his position, she keeps her tail lower than his and stays away from his gaze— she has no quarrel with him. 

"You can't keep me away," she says, her voice deep with only the slightest twinge of an accent. Her gaze wanders past him, seeming almost uninterested in him, and studying the territory behind him. "You've surprised me, Stark. I didn't ever pin you for a homebody," she tells him, her gaze falling back onto his dark figure.

Well her honeyed voice and it's sultry tones could have once whipped him into a frenzy, now, all he can think of is how he's suspicious - there's too many memories that swarm around what had happened to him when he'd been kept captive and how hard he'd fought to overcome the situation. Stark looked her over and found no flaws; not that he truly expected any. Natasha was respectful, which was nice, and a little unexpected. 

"Really, Natasha? Not one of the things you pictured for me?" He asked, keeping his voice rather neutral. 

No one could even suggest he'd get to the point he was at - Stark didn't expect it for himself after all, and this brought a lot into light. He wasn't sure about his life, but he was sure that he was trying and he couldn't ask for anything else. She sounded like Pepper, the male realized, and that was a thought he hadn't considered before - the two redheads could be alike, especially in their criticism of one another. "But here I am, and this is my Keep." 

"Не юмор меня," she says, the words slipping cleanly from her lips. She can't quite remember if he'd known her native tongue, but didn't repeat herself in English. Regardless, he knew her answer. She secretly wondered if he'd ever managed to lock down a woman as well, or if he had flit from one to another as she always imaged he had. Not that it really mattered to her— just an observation she wished to make. 

"Is your pack large?" she asks, eyeing him with a slight prick to her dark ears. She studies just past him once more, the territory seeming calm and inviting— but foreign all the same. Was Stark really the alpha here? he'd seemed like a 'act now think later' sort of guy— hardly a leader. Maybe he'd managed to pull one over on her... or maybe he changed. Though, judging by his demeanor, she felt the answer was unlikely to be either of the two.

The strange words give him pause and for a moment his head canting a slight bit to the side; curious and full of wonder - had he known she spoke other languages before? He wasn't sure. Stark didn't ask her what it meant because he truly doubted that she would tell him anyways, and it would waste time and divert his attention from the true cause of things. "It's stable." Stark countered - could he say large? Perhaps not necessarily, but then, large packs meant more chances for disruption and chaos. 

"How did you come by these lands, Natasha?" He asked curiously. "I'm going to assume you weren't just out for a stroll after all."

His response didn't answer her question completely, but she doesn't pry. She shifted weight to the other side, ears cupping forward to hear his question. "I go where I please," is all she tells him, but truthfully she can't quite say what brought her here. Certainly not a stroll— but she had no direct intentions on stumbling across the man or his humble abode. 

She's quiet for a heartbeat longer, her gaze narrowing on him. Her eyes twitch in the gentlest of squints for only a moment before she speaks again. "And you... are you doing alright?" she asks slowly, like it took a moment to get it out of her throat. The question isn't foreign to her, but she and Stark weren't anything more than a pair of strangers who met in some unfortunate situations— mostly for him. Maybe it isn't her place to ask, and she's not truly sure she cares all that much... but all the same, she isn't a total bitch.

Fair enough. For a long time, so had he. If not for the fact he'd found the Keep he might have kept wandering - maybe he would have backtracked to find Banner and Rhodes but there was no promise he would have. This was, at least for now, what they had all needed. The male watched the longer curiously, not letting his eyes stray or hover too long for the sake of not making any sort of assumptions to make her uncomfortable. For a moment her question makes him pause; he isn't sure if he's feeling defensive or not. They aren't close, they aren't friends, they barely know each other other than a few uncomfortable weeks during his recovery. 

"Yeah. I've been fine." He left it at that, nice and simple, before his posture shifted a bit - less Stark and more Alpha. "Are you needing to rest for awhile or are you wanting to stay?" He asked, curiously. She'd called for the leadership, and while Banner might have been busy, it didn't take away from things. She must have had a purpose.

She doesn't answer right away. Is she looking for a home? She had no intentions on settling down a mere hour or two ago— it was only her curiosity that led her astray. With a bit of hesitation visible on a quick twitch of her brow-- instinct wanted them to furrow together, though she knew better than to let emotion show— She dips her head slightly. "A place to stay," she says, though does not move forward until she has a definite yes from him as well. Stark was not the violent type— she didn't think— but Natasha was in no mood to overstep any boundaries... even if they were only by default. 

She waits with a focused oceanic gaze that was narrowed and still— waiting for the dark male to give her the okay to come over. Otherwise, she'd leave, she had no obligation to this man or his palace.

He gave a brief nod of his head as she said she wanted to stay. That was good. They needed more bodies - they needed capable bodies and he knew that Natasha had an alarming wheelhouse of strengths. "What are you planning on focusing on here?" He asked - more for the curiosity of what she'd apply herself to more than anything else. 

He gave a nod, head jerking back towards the borders to invite her a little closer. They could talk and walk at the same time. It might be better that way anyways, it would give him an excuse to burn off some of the excess energy that was becoming anxiety in the male. 

He invites her nearer, and she takes the offer with a few graceful strides of long, red legs. Muscles ripple beneath the shortly cropped fur along her shoulders, and she shoots him a sarcastic look at his question. Was it even valuable even to answer? 

"I am a mercenary," she says to him with a flick of her ears. "I will be a mercenary till the day I die." A bitterness arose in her mouth at the thought of a second skill, but only the slight purse of her lips would give anyway any emotion. She moves away from it mentally. "And I have a way with people," she adds, pale gaze sweeping his way for a few heartbeats.

The look doesn't go unnoticed and Stark holds back the things he wants to say, choosing instead to opt for an attempt a calmer response. "I remember plenty about your skills." He said, voice a little gruff. "What I want to know is what you're planning on doing here. What you're wanting to focus on." Because it changed sometimes, people's love and drive for things, and maybe Natasha wants a fresh start. Anyone might. 

"We need a good ambassador." Stark said evenly. "And more defense is always welcome. The pack's founder - he's been gone for months now - believed in secrecy and wanting everything to be all hush hush." He didn't particularly see the need for it, really, and they had no troubles that he knew of. Not other than the internal ones, of course.

Focus on... good at... were they not the same things? She'd focus on the things she was good at, and fighting was one of those things. "If that's what you need," she says, her gaze staying forward. "Well, then a spy sounds like a safe addition to your pack," she adds, tail swishing once behind her. "I could— focus— on that," she says, the word dry in her mouth. No need for specifications. You do what you're told, if you're not good at something don't do it— no need to waste time trying to learn something totally new when there's already someone who can do it better than you ever can. Spy work, though, was something she could do.

Either she didn't get what he was asking for or she truly felt like this was the safest option and her focus was where she wanted it. No matter. If a spy was among their ranks it might be good - now if they could just get a healer. "I can show you where we all sleep - everyone stays together in the Crook. It's a tunnel system in the mountain side." He explained. Of course he believed in having some more options and having a personal choice but if she didn't want to take it he wouldn't force the matter. 

At the mention of the tunnels, Natasha's ears prick. "Together," she repeats, tail swishing. "An interesting way to do it," she adds. Her gaze wanders for a moment before it slides back towards Stark again. "Lead the way, chief," she says, lips curving in a slight smirk. She'd missed a bit of social interaction— the only encounters she'd had in a while were hostile and over food. Perhaps settling down was a decent idea— maybe even in Stark's pack. It helped to know someone. 

"That's how it's been since the pack started." Stark said with a shrug as he lead her towards the pack's inner sanctum. On the way Stark explained some of the history to Natasha, laying out the history as smoothly as he could. He gave a rundown on the recent disbanding of the Seadogs, tried describing everyone he could think of immediately, hoping to give her the best start that he could into the pack's inner workings.