Stavanger Bay rough and tumble
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ooc; depending on their interactions she'll be joining =3 @Ford

the day stretched beyond her. steps carried her to the bay. she was not ignorant of pack scent; the woman had come here by choice. t'was too soon to know what would happen in Teekon, and to be frank, this pack was closest to where she currently was. she required some questions answered if she was to join this particular location. Heloise cel Mare did not blindly accept things. stopping at the border to this spot, she would be careful of not adding her presence over the scent line. she was not a trespasser and she did not come to cause trouble.

who reigned here? she did not know. she found she did not care. not even knowing the name of this pack, she would lift her head and call softly to anyone. perhaps she would find out who did rule. their habits and their goals. their dreams and their ideas. Heloise would recline, her ivory coat buffering against the wind. if she had to choose a place to reside, this would be it. it was tough. it surely bore tough beings. she did not value weakness at all. her goal was to find out what this pack was about with about as much less hassle as possible.




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stormblessed
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The call did not go without notice on the edges of the rift. The lumbering titan of the water caught wind of it in his patrol. Once he’d heard the summons, his lengthy limbs carried him swiftly across the sands and grass toward where he believed her to be. Once he had latched his mismatched gaze on her pale figure, he slowed his pace to a relaxed trot and closed the remaining distance between them. When he neared her figure, he drew his crown upward and peered at her with a calculated stare. For a moment, he only allowed the sound of silence to fill the space between them. Beyond where they stood, the soft churning of the waves acted as a background noise.
 
“Welcome to Stormrift,” Ford greeted her in a smoky baritone. His dark tail wavered at his hocks before holding still. “How might I assist you?” the warhound then inquired to her with a slight tilting of his head. There was no emotion in his stare, but his features were still pleasant in spite of this. Something lived beneath the surface of the great titan, but it was not so easily uncovered, and this stranger would likely not see these things at all.
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she did not have to wait long for another to show up. though the man would give no rank nor title, he would introduce the name of the community. Stormrift. a fitting one, should she be akin to name things. Heloise regarded the other calmly, her focus entirely on his face. she was not over the border and therefore had much justification just sitting here. she broke no laws. though it was quite rude to do such a thing. no one would want a rogue upon their territory, even less one watching it. she could easily be accused of spying.

"hail" she would reply at last. a simple thing though enough warmth had been gifted. not rising from her spot on the ground, she would softly tilt her skull. "I have come to ask queries about Stormrift" Heloise would explain briefly. she would not give her name to the man unless he gave it first. she was a loner; her identity was all she had been given in life. important leverage. "my journey has brought me to Teekon, and I am without residence currently." that is to say, she had no affiliations with any pack.

"though before I commit, I would like to know more of Stormrift." a simple enough request.
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stormblessed
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The pale woman was quick to return the greeting. She was even quicker to announce why she was there, and to state that she sought answers to some queries before she thought she could pledge herself to any cause. Ford didn't see anything wrong with this. He couldn't imagine he could fault someone for wanting to learn more about a pack before they sought to join it. The titan thought it would have been only a fool that would join a group without knowing what they stood for, and he was even more certain that there were plenty of fools in the teekon wilds.

“I am the best person for you to ask,” he told her with a soft smile and a nod of his two-toned crown. His gaze lingered on her features for a moment before he made a gesture with his muzzle for her to cross the border. If she sought to cause them harm, he would just as soon drown her in the sea. If she was there to learn about them, he imagined it was best done by showing her the bay. “What would you like to know first?”
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the man was welcomed to the idea, which gave her a brief pleasure. it seemed he was no fool to accuse her of doing something she lacked. though he could always turn out to be a fool, or even a tyrant. "I take it you are in a leadership position, then?" or perhaps a historian of the way of Stormrift. she did not know how long the pack had been around, if it was even an active one, though she suspected from his stance he had some sway here. good. she would not be speaking to, well, a crazy fan spouting nonsense merely to get her to join. 

there was an offer to step over the borderline. Heloise would stare at the invisible line for a second before boldly going over. though was it so bold, when he had gifted her such a thing? the stranger asked what she wanted to know. her gaze turned from the bay to his face once more. "there are many packs at the coast" she would remark, having seen their borders on the way here "why did Stormrift settle here? is there a significance to this area? traditions?" she would begin with that as she stepped beside him, waiting for him to answer.
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stormblessed
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“You would be correct,” Ford confirmed with a solemn nod of his head. “I am the leader here.” It was not a boast, and his tone carried no ego in it. He was filled with pride, but he knew his place and he knew when it was appropriate for him to share such things. When a stranger had come to his border to seek answers to her questions, he did not believe that was an appropriate time to shower her in his own belief of himself and his capabilities. In time, if the woman remained there longer than just to ask questions, she would learn just how capable he was.
 
She branched out to inquire about the significance of having settled in the bay. The inky titan watched her with a calculated stare that did not falter or fade. “The bay was once claimed by my father. He found my mother in the woods beside it. It was always meant for me and my siblings,” Ford answered her in a smoky baritone. The way he regarded the rift was with a quiet reverence. It was almost as though his belief in these words was enough to make it a reality. In truth, anyone could have wandered through and claimed the territory for themselves. The warhound preferred to believe that fate had a hand in all of it.
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she did not expect the man to reveal much to an outsider. it would be a foolish thing to do. weaknesses and strengths could not be given as much as traditions harbored by the pack. though her opinion of the man was quite neutral thus far, she saw no reason to personally settle here until she gathered more information. Heloise would take what she could from him and form her own opinion in time. perhaps quickly, perhaps not. she said nothing to his claim of leadership, already having guessed he was in charge. still, no name was given. 

perhaps Stormrift enjoyed keeping themselves closed off from the rest of the Teekons. she did not know how to feel about boxing oneself in, only interacting with people who had been chosen to reside in a community. Heloise gave a silent hum at the man's obvious protective and stubborn claim of the bay. so it was a personal claim, and not a spiritual one. most packs had a significant reason; it either pulled to them or their followers, or it was something like an obvious place to settle. "and your people" she finally spoke "what is expected of them?"
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stormblessed
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It was not that he felt particularly secretive about his intentions for Stormrift. He believed the pack would succeed or fail in its own time, with the members who were willing to stick beside it. Most of the group that he had gathered had proven themselves to be competent and strong-willed to the point that he did not feel the need to worry for them. Even Dalia had worked to improve her weaker areas. The titan knew that they had a great ways to go before they had reached the end-goal he had in mind but telling all of this to a stranger was more overwhelming than it would have been beneficial. The girl could learn more about their traditions and beliefs if she decided to join their ranks.
 
Or if she decided to ask the right questions…
 
The girl inquired as to what would be required of his wolves. Ford peered at her with a calculating expression on his features. The mismatched colors of his gaze seemed to be locked on her own. He was swallowing everything that she offered him. “I ask only that they push themselves to be better and to do better than they have done before. We are a pack that seeks growth and development. We seek to turn our weaknesses into strengths and to inspire those around us, and we have ways of doing that at the pace that is comfortable for those in the ranks,” the warhound answered her easily. Ford then waited to see if she would have any more questions about the rift and those who resided in it.
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she would listen idly, absorbing it all yet her eyes were scanning the bay. an ear would flick as he finished speaking, though she would not turn her head to look at him. "so your goal is self-improvement" Heloise would reply, simplifying his words into something that was not so simple. let him think that is what she thought, for it would be easier on both this first meeting. there was no need to give another everything at once. she knew that Stormrift was deeper than this; it had to be, to survive in such conditions. of course, she also merely assumed this.

she had no interest in ranks, however. she merely wished to exist in a place that was as comfortable as the man spoke of. her pale gaze shifted back to his. "what skills do you have a pressing need of?" and where could she grow, if the right answer was given. she saw no use being a place full of just warriors, or just healers. a healthy mix was required to stand out. "or do you merely wish for your people to figure that out as the pack swells in number?" for learning a delectable skill could add to one's rise in a title. 

but again, she had no care for such things. "I have no interest in climbing and in titles" Heloise added bluntly, though her tone was still quite soft "I do not join a pack for the sake of a guaranteed position of power. I would earn my keep, live in comradery until I am noticed. if I never am, I do not care. I come to a pack to seek allies, friends. perhaps family one day. yet I can only contribute as much as I am given. so I ask; do you make enemies better than making friends?" if he was a tyrant, she would move on.
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“That's... the simplest form of it, yes,” he responded to her first statement regarding self-improvement. Sure, the goal was to see those who had crippling weakness turn it to nothing but an outstanding strength. Ford had a feeling that if he were to give this woman the speech on becoming gods, she would have thought him a mad man and left their borders without so much as another thought. It was this realization that gave him pause. The warhound wasn't entirely positive that she would do well in their fold. He did believe that those who were quick to judge would only find disappointment, in the end. If she had a chance to learn their culture, she might find herself more comfortable with it.

“As for skills, we are not in any pressing need for anything in particular. I encourage those who seek entrance in my pack to strive to become masters at what they're passionate about. If you are not actively thrilled with the work you do, I'm certain you won't want to do it for long. Whatever you find that you are good at, that is what we need,” Ford then answered her query. There was a knowing smile on his dark lips. It was as though he understood where she was coming from – the doubts and inquiries that only he could address. It was challenging to find a new home.

As for the ranks, well... that was something different altogether. “Your rank will only be a reference for how well you have done in your growth. It does nothing more than tell your pack who has dedicated the time to their own self-improvement and who has succeeded. You may approach it at whatever speed you feel comfortable with,” the titan told her plainly. There was a shrug there, as if he were telling her to take it for what it was. There were no secret ploys – no hidden agendas – in the way that he aspired to lead his pack. He believed that they were capable of becoming gods, and he wanted only to test his hypothesis.
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to become as gods was perhaps a bit farfetched, though she also knew great beings had risen above mortality in the past to take their place among the divine. to eat ambrosia freely. Heloise held no ambition for herself in that sense; she merely understood that becoming a deity was more to it than that. whether one did good or not, she would sit on the sideline, forever a judge of the delicate balance. she also knew she had enough fealty to admit she had been giving the man a hard time. he did not have to take her on this tour, did not have to explain himself. he had established himself as Stormrift's leader. that was enough.

she gave a little snort at his words, though it was not derisive. merely amusement. her eyes briefly closed, bowing her head to her chest. "forgive me, sir" she would say, a ghost of a smile upon her lips "I have given you the run-about only as a means to test your resolve and to see if you remain true to your ideas as we speak. I do not follow weak leaders" pacifist leaders were another thing entirely. it did not mean they were weak. people who had a sick mind, darkness about them clear as the holy halo... she considered them 'weak'. for who could ignore the joy of life, to take it so carelessly and ignore it be called strong? "my loyalty is hard earned."

she rather hoped he would not take it personally. he did not seem the type. Heloise did not give people her loyalty so freely, even if she had chosen to remain in the same place for long periods of time. she rather hoped if she could not come to see eye-to-eye with Stormrift, she could leave anytime she wanted. this was merely saying that the man would have to earn it if he had a mind to. though if he cared not to, that was not her issue. "as for my skills, I am versed in combat. protective, tactical or physical, I have studied all. I have the endurance for long patrols as well." she had an inkling of plants and herbs, to roughly heal people on the spot.

though she would not call this a skill. a passing interest, a means to assist when possible. "if you will have me in Stormrift, I am dubbed Heloise cel Mare."
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His resolve had been tested by far worse than her queries. He had endured more verbal lashings that he could have kept track of in his time. Still, all that he wanted was for her to feel as though she had pushed as far as was necessary to make her decision. It was not up to him whether or not she joined or decided to stick around. All that he could do was hope that she remained longer than some of the others. The more members he had lost, the more he thought that his aspirations were folly and that he would never succeed. To seek godhood, after all… well, it was a foolish feat. As much as it burned him inside to believe it, Ford might have been led astray by his own aspirations.
 
“Stormrift would gladly accept you and your skills as they would contribute to our group well,” Ford responded with a solemn dipping of his head and a soft smile on his dark lips. “Heloise, you may call the rift your home. I am Ford Lasher Mayfair-Cairn,” he returned to her his own full moniker. Typically, the titan refrained from tacking on his entire name in length. He was only swayed to respond that way by the introduction that Heloise had offered him. While it was formal in its own right, he felt it showed appreciation that she would offer her name to him.
 
“Come, explore your new home,” the warhound offered with a swinging gesture of his head.
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she was correct to assume he did not take it seriously. instead of berating her, he would welcome her. whatever aspirations she may have in the future, for now, Stormrift was her house. she may dream of leading but she would only lead when she knew how her followers thought. working her way from the bottom up in this community would give her an appreciation for the lower tier. "I thank you" she would dip her head to the man, who was dubbed Ford.

he invited her to explore, causing her body to move instinctively forward to look upon the coast more. "I will find a den, then do some patrols" Heloise meant to work right away. if only to cement her joining and be seen as useful, it would also be good to get the scent of the pack on her as fast as possible. she'd give Ford a nod before walking off, to wherever her paws would carry her now. hopefully with little to no trouble for the time being. though she was always eager to back up her actions.
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