Ankyra Sound Life, Death, Religion, Survival.

He returned and sought out @Caiaphas as soon as he had a spare moment, invigorated by the discoveries he'd made in the westlands but still leaning more towards doubt and suspicion than true belief. He approached the grotto where he first suspected Caiaphas would be lingering but did not find her there. Her scent was strong, so maybe she had been resting in the shade for a while — but it led away, and thus Firefly moved along the beach until he was alone beside the sea. His desire to find the truth wore away the longer he was roaming. When he finally paused to consider all the options he was alone, the scent of brine being so strong that he knew he'd lost the trail of the woman; but he basked in the company of the sea and listened to its roar.

the last time firefly had sought the siren, her crown had been wrenched from her clawed hands. this time, caiaphas was unaware that firefly sought her, but she came across him all the same. he appeared distracted, perhaps entertaining some whimsical thought -- for a moment the sylph considered passing him by, but in the end quietly padded besides him.

she did not speak, though she followed his gaze to the tumultuous sea. she would always harbor some sort of affinity for the ocean; simply glancing upon it quickened the pace of her heart, and made her feel a flood of immeasurable pride for her home.

He still carried the dimming scent of the westward mire, with half a mind to douse himself in the sea to clean it away. Having never been particularly invested in his looks as far as he could remember, this was a minor shift; perhaps it had something to do with his introduction to his supposed sister. He could wash that experience away and never think on it again - pledge himself to Rusalka and the sea witch as if it never happened. Or he could let it linger. He could think. He could ask questions even if they seemed so foul; hold on to that memory of the swamp as if it were a raft and do his best not to sink away from it.

When Caiaphas came upon him he was lost in thought. Feeling curious, quarrelsome, conflicted. She was silent save for the crunching of the sand beneath her spry body and together they lingered, until Firefly felt more at peace, then he spoke to her without taking his eyes from the sea.

There is a family living in the far west. A young woman with golden fur and a fierce attitude. While I was away I encountered her and she said she knew you. He didn't reveal her name immediately, and wasn't sure why he withheld it. Whether Caiaphas knew the woman or not wasn't really an issue - what mattered was the woman's spoken claim. Does she ring a bell?

for a while the silence stretched between them, a pause that did not perturb the wraith. she knew firefly would speak when ready; his mind seemed heavy, and often dialogue did nothing but clutter working thought.

after an interval he spoke, nary a glance given to the sylph as he did so. caiaphas kept her gaze trailing the waves fondly, her ripped ear flicking towards him as he mentioned a woman with a golden coat. "niamh?" she queried, looking upon his features for confirmation of her guess.

She said the name with ease, lacking any malice. Hearing it spoken did not rouse in him any further connection to the woman; if that was what he wanted. What did he want? Information? Answers that Caiaphas was likely unfit to give? But he thought of the woman in the swamp saying names and concocting stories. She would have more answers - so what was the point of calling for the witch? Caiaphas had not caused his issues nor summoned a cougar to eviscerate him all those days ago.

She says she is... My sister. He finally admits, but there is little feeling to his voice. He cannot fathom having a family all the way across the wilds. She called me Ambrose, and spoke of our childhood. But I don't remember. She said she knew you and I thought - a pause, he looks at her finally, mane tussling in the wind, Maybe you knew more.

she says she is my sister, came firefly's muddled reply, his brow furrowed in confusion. caiaphas glanced upwards, drinking in the way he seemed to fight this new piece of information on his identity. truthfully, she had never made the connection -- firefly, or ambrose, had been in redhawks during her tenure, but she had been saddled with the care of her children, and had never interacted with him in those months.

caiaphas too turned over this bit of information, inspecting its gravity with a troubled frown. "she is not a liar," the siren rejoined, an ear flicking as she cast the troubled thoughts away. "so, i would take her word as truth. but i do not know anything about your past life. the first day i met you was here. will you go to be with her?" selfishly, caiaphas thought this an inconvenient truth to learn, and wondered just how this would impact firefly's future in rusalka.

Not a liar? He took that with a grain of salt. Between the witch and the golden woman Firefly was more keen to trust the witch; still, having the truth confirmed was jarring. The next question caused the serious expression on his face to briefly falter.

He didn't have any memory of Niamh after all.

I want answers. But I have no reason to seek her out or abandon Rusalka. My alliegance is to you and the life we have built here. Little did he know that these words and subtle promises would mean so very little in the coming days. For now he meant them. Kin or not, Niamh is nobody to me.

caiaphas had lived a long life, full of many promises -- and almost all of those promises, made by men.

she remained unmoved by his promise, for she had never been a she-wolf to take them very seriously. time, and that irrevocable thing called (human) nature, had a way of undoing the words of even the most earnest soul. she offered just a threadbare smile, shrugging her thin shoulders.

"she is not nobody to rusalka. svalinn and raleska are quite fond of her. if you need to rediscover your roots, no one would fault you." caiaphas, of course, selfishly hoped he would stay -- but it was not her place to enforce it.

He was thoughtful - thankful, too, for the offer, even if he wouldn't let the feeling linger very long. It alienated him to think of Niamh for long. He didn't want anything to come between himself and his new family - even if he had questions, wanted a relationship with her or not, his place was here in Rusalka. But he didn't voice anything further. A disquiet settled between the the two of them; soon Firefly was too involved with his thoughts, so he ducked away from Caiaphas without a farewell - and began to stride along the beach, hoping the crashing of the waves would drown out his confusing thoughts.