Ankyra Sound to please their lord, so before the sword
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#1
All Welcome 
for @Vercingetorix, if/when you have time :D

there was a foul reek upon the wind, and it brought the harlot stiff-legged from the den. two-toned eyes swept rusalka coldly; with a word to rosalyn, she was off, seeking the rotted perfume of the dragedan in their midst. and while the true scent of the sea-cliffs had faded from him, his personal odor was not one easily forgotten by the woman, nor the wife he had oppressed in his time beneath the ill-fated heda.
"what de fuck are you doing heah?" she called in a cutting voice when his tall frame became visible to her. plume flung over her hips, erzulie approached, hatred and wariness comingling upon her features.
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#2
Oh, he remembered this one. The woman who'd implicitly propositioned him, that one time. He turned and grinned at her, thick pelt billowing on the breeze. I thought I'd tour some beachfront property, Verx shot back cheekily. Always did dig this place. I was really sad when I had to leave it behind, sooooo. . .I came back, I guess.

He inhaled and caught the sweet-sour scent of milk and pups on her, and his stomach tightened as he thought suddenly of Drago and Isi. The pang was enough to dim his smile as he responded, You had kids? Congratulations. Give my regards to their lucky-ass father. She was a pretty fine woman, after all.
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he was still so haughty, handsome despite the scarring of his throat. erzulie lifted her chin in anger, throwing his remarks aside for the present. "none of dat answers my question, dragedan." how had one of their enemies, who had fought against them in the battle, come to live in their land? from this distance, she caught only a trace of illidan's scent, and her brows knit, but in the next moment the harlot's feature's had smoothed and she regarded verx with contempt.
"dere is no one to tell. he ran away de day dey were born," erzulie revealed, unsure of her own motives, but gave a roll of her slim shoulders. "no matter. he is not needed." but now she feared for them, the sensation blossoming in the pit of her stomach — could they be safe with this one around?
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He snorted, shaking his head at the epithet. Drageda is no more--haven't you heard? he asked, a little incredulously. I'm as much a Dragedan as you are, now. He considered her answer regarding the father of her children, watching her quietly. Her contempt for men had been clear from the get-go. He was shocked that she had willingly fucked one (or perhaps it hadn't been willing; he felt a little nauseous at the thought).

To answer your question, Illidan allowed me to stay here, Verx responded. I'm a traitor to my family because I didn't go north. I'm a free agent. Why not take my talents to the wolves that bested us? He gave a shrug. He thought it was simple enough, easy to understand. Perhaps she just didn't get it.
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the irritation had not left her figure, but the anger was beginning to ebb, the longer she stood before the man and he did not threaten her. ”i know dey are gone. it does not change what you are,” erzulie warned with a fire snapping in her two-toned eyes.
if illidan had decided that this one was worthwhile, the jezebel saw no reason to question her leader’s decision. all the same she wondered if it was a ruse, a game devised to avenge the cliff-wolves at the end.
but rosalyn had told her of natrona; she thought it stupid, barbaric, unenforceable. and here was verx now, a traitor wearing caiaphas’ mark. poetic, somehow.
”and if drageda should rise again?” erzulie pressed. ”would you not go to throw yourself upon de mercy of de new heda?”
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She didn't understand, and that was okay. He knew that the ways of kru were hard for outsiders to grasp. He knew it all too well. And he'd never be able to truly hammer the point home to her, and she'd likely never trust him fully because of it. All he could do was refute her points, and look sincere while doing it.

And be killed on sight? I don't think so, Verx said, shaking his head. The new Heda is even more strict than the previous one was. She wouldn't stand a traitor's presence for a second, no matter how long I'd been kru before. No, there's no going back for me--no matter how much I'd like to.

Vercingetorix gave Erzulie a long stare, emotionless, searching. I know you hate me for what we did, he remarked softly. I was just following orders. And now, I follow Rusalka's orders. I'm nothing if not a loyal foot soldier. Here, he let a tiny smile return to his muzzle, an olive branch toward the woman.
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verx bore all of her questioning in a stalwart manner, perhaps understanding where exactly in her regard of him he stood. the harlot did not like how he cut to the bone with his eyes, his softer words, but she was determined to show no weakness before him. "i cannot afford to hate forever," was her only rejoinder, a lifting of the storm in her gaze the only response to his smile.
erzulie was not ready to trust him, was not sure that she would ever be. but, at least for the present, both she and the scarred man were rusalkans. it would not help the pack to continue the enmity between them. thus, shortly thereafter, the harlot decided to assume he was being honest, and shook out her ruff.
"rusalka too has changed since de fight," she remarked, stepping past him with a glance that invited verx to her side if he chose. "i suppose nei'ter of us were meant to stay as is."
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Peace, then. An olive branch. He would have been more than willing to offer it (and pretty much had, with his presence here) but hey, if she did--cool. Less work for him. And now, it seemed, an ally here, if not quite a friend. Yet.

He stepped alongside her, letting his smile broaden in response. War changes everything, Verx remarked, nodding. He cast his gaze toward Erzulie. How many kids did you end up having? They're lucky to have a fierce mom. It wasn't hyperbole. He carried a lot of respect for the woman; grudging, but there, just as with Blackhead.

'Grudging respect' pretty much summed up his thoughts on Rusalka, in general. Shame he'd probably have to burn and pillage the place, eventually, if only because he got bored.
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her ear flicked once, but she opted to answer. "four. but five, since i also consider rosalyn's son one of my own children." they were half-siblings, after all; it made little sense to the woman that they be raised divided in any way. war did change things, she supposed; after all, despite her initial furor, here she was, striding at the side of a man she thought she would always consider an enemy.
"rusalka is a good place. at first, i was unsure that i wished children. but caiaphas is a strong ruler." her gaze slanted sideways. "perhaps if you cannot evah like her, you can see why she is respected."
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Rosalyn had a kid, too? Verx was surprised the woman wasn't flat out dead after what Drageda had done to her, but then, she was a tough cookie. He acknowledged the answer with a dip of his chin before tuning into Erzulie's thoughts on Caiaphas. Thoughts that weren't, like, exclusive to her. . .but did she know that?

I respect the fuck out of her, Vercingetorix said sincerely, eyes straying to the far-off line of the cliffs. That's why I'm here, right? I wouldn't wanna follow anyone else.

And he certainly wouldn't want her as an aggrieved enemy, either. His scarred throat spoke enough to that. Nah, best to forge the tenuous alliance and get on her good side. Wait for the right moment, then. . .

Have you been with her for a while? he asked.
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respect was something that erzulie understood as currency, and so while she glanced at the warrior with the twisted throat, she did not question him. "rosalyn an' i journeyed up de coast far from here, and dat is where we met caiaphas. we were here for de conception of dis place." the sea-witch's vision, revisited again. and the harlot had few qualms in having accomplished that with caiaphas.
"everyt'ing else aside," she murmured, sweeping her gaze to the sea, "de coast is your home, as it is mine. i do not t'ink either of us could live anywhere else."
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#12
He murmured wordlessly in understanding, remaining silent. At her remark on the sea, though, he turned to the woman with a crooked smile. You're right, but you know what's weird? he asked (rhetorically, for how the fuck was she supposed to know what he was thinking?). I was born by the sea, but I grew up in a forest. Yet the sea called me back, I guess. And keeps calling me back.

Verx dipped his head respectfully, to the warrioress at his side. Honor to serve alongside you, ma'am, he said, chuckling, though his voice was sincere. You're. . .Erzulie, right? He thought he'd heard the name mentioned in conjunction with this woman, once or twice.
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#13
slapping a fade on this cuz i suuuckk <3

a nod. "erzulie." no need for more than that, no need for a surname. it had been both title and epithet for as long as she could recall. "an' i was born in de bayou, a sort of ... hot swamp." the sea called her eyes back to it again, and then she looked to the man again. "i am happy to serve rusalka beside you."
the pair walked along the beach a while longer, exchanging soft snippets of conversation. and when at last they parted, some part of the harlot was soothed, if not fully trusting.
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