Stavanger Bay atop sins towered heaven high for me
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whenever you have time, @Rosalyn <3 set for tomorrow morning

dawn had not yet let down her rosy palms to touch the winterbound bay when erzulie awoke, restless in the usual way it happened when there was a new home in which to settle. the cold staleness of her den had not yet abated, but the snow had not yet allowed flowers to bloom. their petals were what erzulie intended to use for fragrancing of her lair, but in lieu of such, the wanton opted instead to clean the rest of the bones from its interior.
the morning rose to find the woman settling the discarded jawbone of a deer outside her threshold, pacing to its edge to look over the frozen basin. hunger stirred behind her expression, but erzulie did not rise — not yet. she remained poised outside the entrance to her denmouth, the darkness of her pelt lightening to rich honeyed hues as the sunglow grew.
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#2
So used to and prone to wandering, Rosalyn tended to curl up and settle wherever the whim took her for the night.  In the cold like this, she'd prefer to settle in with a few bodies for warmth, but she hadn't yet found in this pack if that was to be expected (ie Starr doesn't know but if that's a thing she's cuddling).  

Rosalyn rose as the sun's rays were just peeking out and stretched, stiff from the cold morning air.  The south's climate agreed with her far more but she was growing accustomed through the years to the relative cold.  Unaware that she was passing Erzulie's new digs, she trotted off, intent on hitting the coast to rustle up a spot of breakfast.
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#3
dawn brought with it no warmth, and erzulie’s jaw tensed — the warmth of another would be a welcome respite for the evenings to come. spring had not yet come to breathe sunlight into the land, for what reason she did not know.
in the next moment, erzulie’s two-toned gaze flickered with a sudden interest, as the morning delivered almost to her threshold the traipse of the dark woman.
”would you be wantin’ company?” the harlot called from the stonebridge to the sable leader, noting how even in the cold glow of early morning, the shadows limned the woman’s figure, accentuating the careful poise of her bearing.
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#4
Rosalyn's ear flicked and she turned to see who had called out, relaxing some when she saw it was the complicated woman who had joined them yesterday.  Rosalyn wasn't sure how she felt about her.. threatened? Yes.  Jealous? Yes.  Attracted? Hell yes.

Lovely.

"Sure, was just off to check the tide for a bit of breakfast," she answered, pausing to presumably allow her to join.  "Pack treating you alright so far?"  The words sounded oddly formal to her ears, and she wondered if she was beginning to grow back into the stilted and informal tongue of the coastal pirates.
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erzulie moved at a steady clip from her doorstep to the earth-toned flank of the leader, sweeping back her cinnamon ears and proffering a submissive kiss to the underside of the proud chin. it perhaps lingered a half-second longer than necessary — erzulie drew back and fell into step. "so far, so good," she rejoined with a grin that darkened her eyes with a momentary pleasure.
"i did not get yo' name when first we met," the harlot murmured after a few beats of time had passed. she could all but laugh — gaining entry into the ironsea quarters without a title but the one she would wear pinned to her shoulder. but if it was to become a scarlet letter, erzulie knew she must wait to see.
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The woman's touch lingered, and Rosalyn stepped back, once again leaving a bit of grounding space between them.  It was good to hear she was settling in well, and she wondered briefly who among their motley crew the woman had met with.    Likely she was already mingling as her given trade deemed necessary, and she caught the brief notion that perhaps she should worry about her own position once more.  

"Rosalyn," she responded, a bit distracted, but then focused on and shook off her thoughts for the time.  She'd never enjoyed worrying, and rarely had the patience for it.  "Yours?" She asked, realizing she'd never gotten one back either.  Way to welcome committee, there, second.
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erzulie was compelled to believe she unnerved the first mate in some way. and the jezebel coquettishy wished to exploit whatever it was she felt, for her own pleasure, for the delight of the hunt. "erzulie," the woman offered, not closing the space rosalyn had put between them, but drifting forward on languid steps in silence, till she paused and rolled her cream-chai shoulders.
"would you be wantin' t'race wid me, rosalyn?" the swab inquired with a delighted glow to her mismatched eyes. "to de shore, to de water's edge," she added, noting where the pair were in the forest, and how close they might be to the sandline.
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#8
Erzulie.  The woman did indeed get under Rosalyn's skin, for the same reason Smokestep had... she was drawn to the confident and sure like a moth to flame.  A flame she was adept at avoiding, but no less enticing for that.

She considered only a moment, then gave a smile.  "Aye," she responded, and without hesitating, was off like a shot towards the water's edge.  Pirates... they don't tend to stop to hear the rules of a contest before attempting to cheat out a win.

She let out a breathy snort of laughter as she began, wondering just how quick Erzulie was.  Would she make up the lead?
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it occurred to erzulie, as her jaws closed with a surprised grin, and snow spurred beneath her paws, that she had been wrong in her judgement. her theatrics had veiled the true nature of the woman whose strong legs carried a lithe body toward the sea. no child; no child — erzulie could have well kicked herself.
instead, the harlot hurled herself headlong into their race, skimming spice-dark ears against her skull and lengthening her stride till she had reached the flank of her leader. but there her speed faltered — she was after all a creature of decadence and not athleticism. or perhaps that of a certain variant only. a peal of laughter broke from her throat; her white teeth flashed in a gritting expression and erzulie spurred herself, knowing soon the ground would change to sand beneath her inexperienced limbs.
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She felt Erzulie brush her flank and heard the laughter, and her own grin widened.  Now this was what crew was about.  It wasn't ranks, or fights, or she guessed even pride.  It was running and surviving and thriving with crewmates like this, without worrying about watching your back.  She'd known that before her conversation with Smokestep, but for some reason, this moment brought it back.  

They reached the beach and the sand made the path harder, her running stride sinking into it's soft surface.  She was accustomed to it, though she preferred the denser sand of the tideline as a running turf.  She continued attempting to bound ahead, though did sacrifice some of her speed to glance mirthfully around where she assumed her contender was.  The good-natured chase had melted away a lot of her initial misgivings, though surely they'd show again, as they usually did.  Now she was left with only curiosity... why would a wolf like Erzulie choose to throw her lot in with the rowdy Ironsea crew?  They were a rough lot on first glance.  Why settle here?
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within the salt-tinged reach of the sea, the pair slowed as they began to struggle through the sands — erzulie kept pace as best she could in the face of the first mate's rangier stride. however, with a shout of breathless laughter, she gave up the ghost of her attempt, falling to a trot. with some small flicker of bemused desire, erzulie observed the muscled haunches and well-formed legs of the first mate carrying her along the shoreline.
in time, assuming her companion let go some of her own speed, erzulie found her way to the darkfurred side and regarded rosalyn with a glint in her mismatched eyes. "dat be something i wan' to do often," the harlot mused. "run alongside de sea. an' in good company."
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At Erzulie's laugh, Rosalyn wheeled to see her slowing, and she slowed as well.  It had started a race, but really, it was an excuse.  She carried a short ways further, then stopped, letting the salt of the air fill her lungs and the breeze cool her off.  She was going to turn and return, but instead, Erzulie came alongside.

"Good company is something you'll hopefully find a lot of here," she responded, pleased at the compliment.  "But if you ever find yourself lacking, find me."  She was game for a run about anytime, and while sometimes she preferred to be alone, it wasn't often.  Rosalyn was a social creature, and she glanced back at Erzulie with likely a matching expression in her own gaze.
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#13
the harlot quickened her stride, if only to slow when she had fully positioned herself alongside rosalyn. their shared expression brought a curve of pleasure to her lips; the woman turned her mint-glow gaze forward, matching the first mate's strides with her own. "how did you come to be heah, rosalyn?" erzulie inquired, drawing the syllables of the other wolfess' name into a purr. 
if so granted the story she wished to hear, the spice-edged jezebel would grant one of her own. rosalyn was of intrigue to erzulie — she rather felt there was more to the other than previously assumed. a gatherer of such tales, the swab waited with a small, bemused smile, continuing along the shoreline.
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How did she come to be here?  It was a fairly simple question, but one that involved a fairly long process for herself.  She decided to go with the shorter version; not out of secrecy, but moreso an attempt to not wear the company thin.

"I fair well hopped from pack to pack for a time, but never found a crew worth getting behind.  Something either went wrong or was off... hard to get a fit sometimes," she said with a small grin.  She was choosy at times when it came to company.  And she didn't put effort into a thing that she felt didn't deserve it.  "Then I met Smokestep, and Raptor, and I liked em well enough.  This place feels a lot like old times, so I gave it a try.  And I like it fine."  

She glanced sideways.  "How about you? You don't seem the type for a crew like this, no offense meant."  This wasn't exactly your typical pack, and while Rosalyn had known those of her kind to seek such places, she didn't seem to come from that background.  Perhaps she was seeking a change.  The scourge type that this place collected tended to fall rather well into the wiles of a harlot, so maybe that was why.  Rosalyn couldn't say that even she was immune.
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ever so vague, or perhaps direct was a more apt word, rosalyn told the story of her ironsea belonging, and erzulie gave a nod when the story had finished. that the woman found pride in smokestep was apparent — the spiced creature knew little of raptor to form an opinion. but rosalyn held the pair in esteem, and thus so would erzulie also.
"i am de wanderer, prodigal child wherever i go," the harlot jested at herself. "but i also love de sea, and de wolves who call it home often do not bother wid de nuance of arrogant inland dwellers." a smile then, one for the first mate alone.
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She chuckled a bit at Erzulie's moniker- arrogant inland dwellers indeed.  Though she wasn't quite sure she agreed, and she jested back because of it.  "That's because we got enough of our own arrogance.  Some of us at least."  She didn't know they she counted herself among the number, but she'd run across quite a few with pride to spare even above her own.

"We do tend to talk a little straighter, don't we?"  She agreed, thinking on it.  Perhaps they was why she too so preferred the company of the pirates of the coast to any other pack.  Least here she for the most part knew where she stood.
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erzulie gave a small chuckle, one that thrummed in her throat and dissolved into a sigh. "arrogance is de way of de world," she intoned, piercing the space between them with an expression of faux haughtiness. a nod; directness was oft the way of those who sought to reign near the churning brine. 
he chai-tea pelt rippled in a low breeze as erzulie turned her mismatched gaze now fully upon rosalyn. there was a teasing light there now; the harlot bit gently the end of her tongue before a smirk gave away her open curiosity. "now let me be de one to speak straight: have you felt de touch of a woman before?" perhaps it was mere inquiry that fired the question; perhaps a desire to see if she could bring a squirm from rosalyn; perhaps temptation erzulie had kept carefully banked till this moment.
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Erzulie was looking like she matched well with their crew, now that Rosalyn was finding out why she'd decided to sign on.  And when the direct question was a hell of a lot moreso than she expected, her surprise likely showed, though a slow grin grew at the connotation.

"Aye, many a time." Probably moreso than the other, due to the nature of it. "I can't say if I prefer it but it tends to be-". She wanted to say simpler, but despite the lessened concerns, the experience wasn't one she would ever deem simple.  "It is its own," she finally finished.

Then she glanced at Erzulie, and knowing she would break her own self-imposed guide, her gaze gathered a bit more intent.  "Is that an invitation?"  If it was not, that was fine; the woman had the right to choose her partners no matter her desired role here, and Rosalyn likely shouldn't regardless.  But this was different; a physical encounter with Erzulie would not bear the consequences those with another might, nor the desired strings of debt.  

Besides that - it had been a long time.
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erzulie's mismatched gaze took on a satisfied glow as rosalyn answered with the same directness she herself had granted. in the manner of her profession, the first mate was correct in her assumptions — rarely was erzulie granted the succor of her own sex — and she gave a brief dip of her muzzle in agreement, small paws carrying her on slow sidles through the sand until her flank all but pressed against that of the fierce pirate.
"yes," the ironsea harlot murmured, though she did not reach to touch rosalyn, merely glanced into the gaze that firmly requested a rejoinder. "it has not been many a time for me, an' dat is what makes such t'ings sweeter."
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Erzulie drew in closer and Rosalyn allowed it, suddenly immensely interested in the intimacy she offered.    She had known the company of a number, but none with the experience or presence that Erzulie seemed to carry.  Even if she hadn't offered, Rosalyn didn't doubt she in turn would have been asking later; she was intrigued.

"That surprises me," Rosalyn said, a bit quieter, as she allowed her own flank to lightly touch the other woman's.  "Though I cannot say I enjoy it less now than I did the first, I suppose there is only one way to be sure" she said, grinning somewhat catlike at the insinuation.  She wasn't offended.... in fact, she would take the challenge.  If not at this moment, then perhaps a later time.
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rosalyn granted erzulie closeness — the harlot enfolded it in a kiss she pressed against rosalyn's cheek, the drifting mouth that moved its way to the edge of the first mate's own. closer her small body moved, until there was no air between their bodies. a flicker of rose; the harlot laving her leader's chin from where she had followed the line of the other's muzzle.
in time, erzulie drew back to find the woman's gaze, if only momentarily — here she paused to see if the other would return or resist, some fire leaping silver in her own veins, heartbeat quickened while she poised on anticipation.
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It was fast - she knew this.  It could potentially be a bad idea - she knew this also.  But it had been so long, and she craved the contact that Erzulie's touch was giving her.  She hadn't felt this freedom since Red, and a wolf would need to be blind to not be drawn in by the stunning beige courtesan.  Rosalyn might be a good many things, but she was not blind.

She closed her eyes and leaned in, lifting her chin almost without thought as Erzulie moved along her muzzle.  By the time she drew away, Rosalyn too was poised... but for her, the decision was made already.  When she met the other woman's eyes, her own gaze held not only desire, but yearning.  Please.
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#23
beneath her touch, erzulie sensed rosalyn's concession; her teeth glinted in a tiny smile. leaning closer to lave the edge of the first mate's mouth once more, the harlot glanced toward the sea, then roundabout the open strand of beach upon which they both stood.
an arch of her brow accompanied the wanton look she granted rosalyn now, a wry smile. she herself was no small sort of libertine — it mattered little to erzulie where she entangled herself with the wolfess of sandstone and chestnut hues. but perhaps it was of concern to rosalyn. she wet her lips languidly, lifting her countenance more fully to her companion. "i will let you choose where it is we go."
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It was tempting to meet her here, right on the strand, but the rational part of her knew she did not want a crewmate to stumble upon.  She was not particularly shy, but some things were better to be intimate and private.

Thankfully, she knew a place.  Nodding she began to step off, but turned to cast a heated, anticipatory look and a quick beckon.  Then she started to run at a slow, steady pace, leading Erzulie along the beach southward.

Here, at the southern edge, cliffs began to rise above the beach to meet the neighboring forest long burned.  She passed beneath them where the sand continued at their base, keeping close to the siren she ran with.  Here the ocean crashing upon the cliff side before them, and the outcroppings of rock at their back, would likely afford them some measure of privacy.
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they silently communed, and erzulie did not expect herself to be so deliciously scorched by the expression in rosalyn's eyes before the first mate led them onward. she ranged in a fast lope alongside the pirate, the scent of the woman wreathing in her senses as sand gave way to earth, the pair soon swallowed by woodland shadows. quiet here, save for the ever-present roar of the sea — erzulie slowed, thrumming with pleasure in the feral half-darkness.
there was a boldness in rosalyn she wished to uncover, but in time.
à temps, ma chérie,
marie had murmured when she taught her charge, younger then, how to resist the urge to rush into such interludes. les hommes sont facilement secoués par des affichages confiants.
sauver ceux pour le sexe plus juste, came the last of marie's remembered, dove-soft words. yes, erzulie answered the shade within her mind, drifting forward to find rosalyn again, mismatched eyes darkened with foretaste of what was to come. as they had done on the open beach, she sought to bestow the same affection on her companion, her mien changing only with a daring nip to rosalyn's shoulder. but erzulie did not pause; she sank down to recline upon the loam and motioned that the first mate should join her there in embrace.
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