Ankyra Sound I was born to dance with two left feet
Fear is the heart of love
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#1
All Welcome 
mostly for timeline and status update, but aw!

Leaving had been a mistake, and she'd messed up her injury something fierce by attempting to hold Raleska back that day.  She'd managed to founder her way home but the limb had swollen alarmingly and could hold no weight.  So she stayed off of it completely.

She'd told Erzulie about the meeting, and presumably some of her concerns.  It still felt like they were sitting on a powder keg and Rosalyn hated waiting with nothing to do until it exploded.  

Currently she was dwelling on it, staring at the cliffs in the distance with an inscrutable expression.  If none came, she'd remain, mainly because she had nowhere else to go.  She needed to let the limb heal, even if that meant going a tad crazy from the idleness of it.
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#2
Yami wasn't totally sure of what to do with herself now that she was part of this pack. It was her first real pack. Not that Moonspear wasn't a real pack, but she had been just a little girl there with no real responsibilities except to grow and learn and try not to set the territory on fire. It had always been understood that she was doing her growing and learning so she could one day be an asset to a pack, the way her older siblings were. But she had never quite reached that point, nor had she ever paid all that much attention to walking down the path that had been set for her.

She didn't like thinking of those days, but now that she was an adult and expected to be a helpful, hard-working member of a pack, Yami considered that she ought to have paid better attention and so now had to turn to those memories to try and find some idea of what to do now. Hunting was about all she could come up with. She was a decent hunter. Ripley had been teaching her how to hunt as well as how to defend herself while Tru had been teaching her how to charm others into hunting for her and defending her. Her tutelage in all areas had gone unfinished, but trying to hunt at least did make her appear busy.

So, that is what Yami was doing when she came across the woman. She had peered nervously at her for a minute or so from afar before swallowing her nerves and striding in for a meet and greet. It wasn't until Yami had come closer that her packmate's scarred, tattered face had turned and given her the full whammy. The Ostrega froze, her eyes popping open wide as she blurted, "Oh my god, what happened to you?" before she realized that that was an incredibly rude way to greet someone. Without missing a beat, she continued, "Do you need a healer? Are you in pain?" Because she'd totally been going there all along.

And on another note, what was up with these wolves all being scarred to ribbons? Was this a thing here? Was Yami going to end up looking the same? She didn't know how she felt about that...
Fear is the heart of love
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#3
Oh now.  Rosalyn was hardly in a mood to deal with this right now, but as Yami approached, there was also literally nothing she could do to avoid the questions.  

Whatever do you mean? She asked, with complete feigned ignorance.  God, yes, make her say it out loud then.  The girl was either going to get very uncomfortable very quickly or be blunter than Rosalyn imagined, and either would be better than explaining everything.

She hadn't met this wolf yet, but she was young.  Raleska's age maybe? The enthusiasm brought Lucca to mind though.  The girl had more of his openness from first approach than Caiaphas's children's seeming inherited distrust.  Around here she may or may not hold onto that.
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#4
Yami sure hoped this lady didn't need a healer. In spite of the numerous times she'd gotten herself hurt, she had no idea how to actually treat an injury and had yet to learn if the pack had a medic amongst them. The answer she received did not at all help her know the answer to her question. She blinked at the woman uncertainly, wondering for a moment if she really didn't know what she looked like. It seemed more likely that she was being messed with.

"Well, you're missing like half of your face..." Yami ventured, a bit hesitantly, "...for starters..." She didn't know how well this would be received, but no other response came to mind.
Fear is the heart of love
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#5
Am I?  I hadn't noticed.  Yeah, definitely fucking with her.  Rosalyn was impressed by her gall, but a little annoyed with the bluntness and not much in the mood to pull punches.  She still hadn't completely come to terms with her new disfigurement.  Rather perceptive if you, pointing it out.  A bit of a barbed jab, but harmless.

At least it got her mind off of whatever serious shit she'd been considering before.  This girl was definitely new, and Rosalyn gave her a good once over before introducing herself drily.  My name's Rosalyn, if you were curious.  She didn't have many manners, but she had spunk, and that was worth more anyway.
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#6
Yami still couldn't tell if this joking thing was going over well or not, so she added a slightly mumbled, "Seemed like the kind of thing one ought to be aware of..." before she officially shut her mouth.

"I'm Yami," she said in kind as the whole formality thing came up, "I've only been in the pack a few days." As if that hadn't been obvious. She frowned a little, not really wanting to push the whole you're lookin' real rough thing, but also feeling a little uncomfortable to leave it hanging. "Are you sure you don't need anything? Or can I fetch someone for you?" she asked.
Fear is the heart of love
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#7
Really?  Now it was Rosalyn's turn to wonder if Yami was joking - because there was no way in hell she could really think that Rosalyn didn't know.  Alright, let that one pass.

Yami.  Kind of an odd name, but she wasn't one to judge (some things).  Then she went on to again offer help.  Alright, fine, she'd throw her a bone.  No, I have someone who has helped.  You'll meet her, no doubt.  

Her turn for uncomfortable questions.  You seem young enough.  What made you choose Rusalka?  A friend of Raleska maybe? Or did she lose a bet and sell her soul to Caiaphas?  The latter might be likely - she seemed naive enough to do it.  Or perhaps a man... it was often a man.  Ridiculous.
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#8
Man, this woman was cryptic. Yami didn't catch her drift when she mentioned that someone else had already helped her - someone she'd be meeting soon enough. Was someone already on their way? Maybe they'd arrived with her, but... Oh hell, what did it matter. She said she was good, so that was that. Yami only had so much patience, even when she was trying to be on her best behavior.

She smarted a little at being called young. She hated that, but had no way to argue the fact. "Firefly brought me here and Caiaphas accepted me," she answered with a small shrug, "Apparently I am very malleable and you all seem to value that kind of thing." That was really all there was to the story, as far as Yami was concerned. She didn't really feel like explaining how he'd told her it'd be too dangerous for her and that had instantly made her determined to prove him wrong.
Fear is the heart of love
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#9
Rosalyn didn't intend to be vague in her description and in fact didn't realize she had been.  It simply wasn't in her nature to talk about Erzulie, or their relationship, with someone she had just met.  Forever suspicious.  She wasn't lying, though.  It was likely Yami would meet Erzulie sooner than later.

She didn't hold much back, did she.  Rosalyn was about as amused by her words as she had been by Raleska's a week back, though to her credit this time she didn't laugh.  They might be cut from the same cloth, and if they were, Yami might actually suit Rusalka well.  Malleable is fine, but interesting is better.  She responded, but I guess if you like being 'malleable', that makes you different.  Not many here would admit to that, and Rosalyn wondered if she'd argue against it.  Personally I prefer a challenge.
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#10
Yami would never have considered herself to be malleable prior to Firefly and Caiaphas declaring her to be so. She had been a fairly stubborn and defiant girl growing up - always getting herself into trouble and doing the things she'd been told not to. But malleable seemed to have been what Rusalka's alpha had wanted her to be, so that's what she was. Which is not to say Yami wasn't pleased to hear that Rosalyn had a different opinion on the subject.

"Hey, I can be a challenge too," Yami commented, "I mean, I am malleable and all. No one ever told me what I'm supposed to be molded into, so. Interesting and difficult sounds as good as anything." She gave a little nonchalant shrug to cover the teensy bit of anxiety she felt over now knowing what was wanted of her. She wanted to actually feel as at ease as she was acting, and Tru had always taught her to fake it till ya make it.
Fear is the heart of love
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#11
Oh no.  This was a little sad to watch, though Rosalyn's expression didn't change as she watched the girl struggle.  Knowing some of the wolves here, and some of the wolves they were up against... this girl had a good chance of being eaten alive here, or at least not making it long.  Few weeks perhaps before she sought fairer shores.

Both interesting and a challenge mean not giving a damn what I or anyone else wants you to be.  You know that, right?  Her tone was rife with amusement, which showed she was sure the girl definitely didn't know that.  You care and you've already lost.  Never worth changing yourself to suit someone else, not unless your pretendin and aimin to get something out of it.  There.  Never say she didn't help a crewmate out.
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#12
Yami felt her blood begin to boil as Rosalyn laughed at her. She was so condescending. They all were around here. She was beginning to wonder if she shouldn't just bail on these assholes and find some other pack to conquer, but she wasn't quite ready to give up just yet. If she could only figure out what the hell she was supposed to do here. They wanted her because she was malleable, but they also mocked her when she offered to change to fit what they wanted her to be.

"Does Caiaphas share that attitude?" Yami asked, her tone growing huffy and put-out in spite of her efforts to hold her temper in check. She didn't know Rosalyn's rank in this pack, but it at least had to be lower than the spider that lead them. At the end of the day, it was the pack's leader she needed to please, not this condescending jerk.
Fear is the heart of love
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#13
Rosalyn wondered if Yami realized the humondr of that question in the context of their conversation.  No? Hmm.

Don't know, never bothered to find out. She responded blithely, hearing the heat behind the words and knowing a cavalier response could sometimes only worsen it.  She'd been well behaved for too long, and this girl was far too easily needled by her estimation.  Make that two weeks, max.

By all means, go be malleable.  Don't let me stop you.  To be honest Rosalyn wouldn't be surprised if Caiaphas did want the younger of them to be impressionable - easy loyalty, easy training.  But she wasn't about to confirm it so quickly.
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#14
She was hoping the comment about Caiaphas might shut this woman up, but she had no such luck. Yami frowned at the response she was given and looked away as it continued. Maybe she didn't belong here after all. It didn't feel like she did, and it didn't seem any of these wolves were going to actually help her figure it out.

"Thanks for the advice," Yami muttered, standing and making to leave. She paused before going, something driving her to ask just one more time, "You sure you're okay?" Assuming she was turned down again, she would go back to wandering and feeling sorry for herself, and dreaming that Tru might show up at the borders any day to tell her he was wrong and that he loved her.

But mostly feeling sorry for herself.
Fear is the heart of love
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#15
Well at least she was respectful, she thought, not losing any of her amusement in the face of Yami's obvious frustration.  A nicer wolf might have thrown her a bone but Rosalyn wasn't much of the type to cater to another wolf's ego.  In her mind, she was doing quite the favor, not only in imparting her wisdom but also in preparing her for the other assholes that made up the world.  Thanks was right.

Peachy, she replied, then gave an exaggerated yawn.  Enjoy your day.  This she delivered with an obvious innocent brightness.  She knew she'd worked her up and was being purely facetious now.