Emberwood and i know we'll be together,

12/14

negotiations with courtfall were no longer at a stand still. there were still facets to be finalized, but the goal was in sight. bhediya bounced through the territory, pleased with her work. she would not worry about pygmalion's potential thoughts on her leave, not until sitting down with @Ibis.

when was their last true meeting? bhediya sat beneath the canopy and released a quick call for her child.

This time she was decidedly slow to respond; she didn't call back, and she took her time to intercept where the summons had arisen. To say that Ibis was bitter about her position wasn't entirely wrong: she enjoyed the freedom of the forest and the safety of the pack's strength, but it felt less and less like a family working together, more like a group of strangers each in need of something that only she could provide. Whether that was an opinion, a job, or merely her company, Ibis was starting to wear thin with all the criss-crossing of the forest.

So, when she arrived where Bhediya was waiting she didn't say much; her face was drawn and her eyes were tired, and for all the prancing of her steps, she seemed distracted. After a couple of moments of quiet Ibis finally voiced something — not as welcoming as she typically was, and a little short in her tone, but as focused as she could be with so much otherness on her mind.

You called...? There was the slightest undercurrent to her tone, a faint edge, as if she was implying something more along the lines of, 'what now..?'

the smile faded from bhediya's face. ibis spoke and the counselor's brow immediately furrowed. there was something on her mind, bhe could tell. well, there was something..., the scout began, but it can wait a while. there was always an opportunity for conversation, so she was confident that they would eventually find the time to discuss courtfall.

for now, her focus was ibis. we haven't really talked in a while. you still doing okay? with all of the commotion, bhediya hadn't even stopped to complete a wellness check. better now than never, she thought, and waited for ibi's response.

Whatever Bhediya needed seemed unimportant, or at least less important as soon as Ibis arrived, which was irritating. Why call for someone and then delay them by waffling about? She was tired; she told herself to let it go, and mostly did - evidently Ibis got cranky with too much attention, which was a laughable issue for the master ambassador to have. She took a deep breath and let some of her animosity go (there wasn't much to begin with) and breathed a sigh.

I'm fine. She fibbed a little. It wasn't meant as a lie, Ibis just didn't want to get too deep in to it; she knew she was being petulant. Every time I have a moment to myself, someone needs me for something. That's fine, too. Judging by her tone, it really wasn't but she was doing her best to shrug it off. What did you need?

bhediya's lips pursed in shared frustration. my current priority is making sure you're okay because you sure don't seem like it. the words came quickly with little forethought, though the inquiring tone wasn't uncharacteristic. ibis appeared overwhelmed, something that bhediya feared might happen once the pack truly got going.

if you need some time, all you have to do is say so. i'm sure kavik can step up for a few days, and if he can't, awol and i will do it. it was painful to see the girl so stressed, despite the veil that she was working to maintain. there were few things that bhe disliked about her, but the hesitance to share was most prominent.

she waited for a response before continuing. seriously. we're here to help each other out, ibi, that's why you picked this council. just say the word. an expectant glance shot at the young leader.

Bhediya was right of course, and Ibis was thankful to have her voicing her side of things so readily. She needed the reminder that there were others there to help her, and to each point she gave a little nod, but then grew frustrated the more she heard; all of it was common sense and all of it was known to her already. Yes, there were others that could do the work for her. Yes, that was the point of the counsel.

If everyone is ready and willing to play their part, why do they keep calling for me? She didn't give Bhe any time to reply, and continued: Sure I'm at the head of this whole family, thing, whatever — but I wanted the counsel so that we could share the limelight. Everyone keeps calling me to ask basic questions, or to get permission to do things, or.. To have me vet newcomers, at this point she flashed a brief look to Bhediya as if to apologize without speaking; she had been referring to the new arrivals.

I'm happy to have everyone living here, but I don't know why its all up to me. The point of the counsel is so that everything is fair, and right now it doesn't feel fair. Did that make sense? Was she losing her mind a little bit and being a child about it? Ibis did not want to be a burden to anyone and would continue with her duty, that was her role in all of this - but she did need help, and it didn't feel like anyone was really there for her, not really.

In the next breath, she was deflating. I'm sorry, I'm being... I dunno. I'm just so tired of being summoned, its like nobody has a mind of their own. That's the kind of place I want to build, somewhere free - open - where everything runs smoothly. Sigh.

bhediya allowed ibis to finish. she didn't move to interrupt and kept her expression neutral. the goal was to foster an organic read of the leader's mind, free of visual influence. 

to ensure that the explanation had ended, bhe allowed a moment of silence. she settled back onto her haunches then, hoping that it might ease ibis's nerves. i was afraid of overstepping boundaries, she explained, defining what you are comfortable with us doing on our own might help.

up until then, bhediya was under the impression that ibis preferred having the final say. had she known that the girl felt otherwise, she might have hesitated to call so frequently. i've been at the border a lot, as you know, she quipped with a smile, are you okay with me accepting new members?

The silence felt like pressure, something folding in around her—around them. She wanted to know what the woman thought but anticipated some kind of motherly counter-point or maybe even a more visceral reaction, like anger or frustration to bubble up. When that didn't happen she cleared her throat, but didn't speak, and then Bhediya was speaking - calm and measured as she always was, outlining her thoughts.

The question that she posed felt so obvious that Ibis had to stop herself from scoffing openly; she inhaled sharply, then made herself hold the breath for a second because otherwise she'd probably have let her frustration win. The woman explained and Ibis tried to reign in her emotions (as was often her problem as a girl, she needed to be better now, more mature and in control).

Anyone in leadership can accept new members, delegate tasks, and make decisions. That's the point of the counsel. Ibis answered, perhaps a bit too tersely for the moment. She wasn't looking at Bhediya as she murmured this but now she was, glancing over the woman's face and watching her expression carefully. If issues arise, then I will step in. But otherwise—I trust your judgement. Its why I chose who I chose.

That felt as if it was settled. So she moved on - or maybe moved back - to the other topic: So, besides all that, what was on your mind? If I can help with something I will do my best.

bhediya's patience had a limit, too. they weren't quite there yet, but she could feel the irritation bubbling. a small twitch of her tail tip acted as visual indication. she was happy to move on and did so when prompted. 

the original point of the call had been to ask for permission, but that was no longer necessary. i went to courtfall with pihu and finished negotiating an alliance. it'd been a long time in the making, bhediya thought.

andraste requested a barter system between packs for the caregivers. she also invited any of our sick members for a stay. she wasn't complaining, though. it was a smart idea. in return, i suggested we gather as one big hunting party when the herds move closer. 

the rest of what they'd discussed was a given. bhediya didn't think ibis would be too fond of the gritty details.

At the mention of Courtfall, Ibis recalled the visit by Star. It was easy to tie together some of the information after that: the leader was some woman named Andraste, and seemed prime for an alliance. Although she would have preferred meeting this woman herself and getting an understanding of the particular individual (or her pack), Ibis trusted Bhediya—as well as the older woman Star—and so she kept any doubts to herself.

The concept of a barter system made her squint slightly, not fully understanding the value behind such a thing. As for sending any of their sick or weakened wolves up a mountain to visit them—it was a tantalizing idea, especially considering how depleted the plant-life was right now. But how different would such a thing be for a mountain-dwelling pack? Surely the snows were worse up there, plus the lowland pack had access to the marsh and various forests of the valley... Making most of what Bhediya proposed seem almost redundant.

I.. Suppose those are all good ideas. Ibis murmurs thoughtfully, trying to be careful with her words now, and most of her own frustration from their previous topic began to ebb as she focused on these terms. I'd be accepting of a hunting party since we don't have many dedicated hunters. How would the barter system work, though? We have plenty of access to herbs and plants for our own usage here in the valley and I don't see why we would need to share them.

Perhaps Bhediya could help explain the concept to her.

in truth, bhediya had some difficulty understanding it, too. andraste's way of speaking, while lovely on the ears, did make some concepts harder to comprehend. to make things all the more difficult, bhe understood about as much healer talk as a rock.

still, she had to try and explain. well, different plants grow in the mountains than do in the valley, right? duh. it'd be a lot easier to go directly to courtfall and collect what we need than to have to search the mountain range. same thing the other way around. 

plus, she continued, it's winter, so some of us are bound to get sick. and in spring, when both packs have pups to take care of, the healers might not have time to go looking. it's a matter of convenience, really. bhediya was quite proud of her explanation, especially because she'd pulled it all directly from her ass.

Bhe using her customer service voice, I see, lmfao.

The way that Bhediya put it made a lot of sense. Ibis was nodding along as she listened, and then stopped, thinking to herself for a few moments. It seemed like Bhediya was supportive of the idea and while that was usually good enough for Ibis, the girl couldn't quite shake the feeling that something was a little bit off about the whole thing; maybe it was just the newness of the concept. Was that how Elysium had functioned too? It had been a sanctuary in its own right and with how this conversation was going, it felt like this Courtfall place was trying to be similar to it. That thought made Ibis' chest hurt something fierce.

Okay. If its a case of trading a particularly hard to find herb for something, I think we could do that. We can test it out for a while and then talk about it again in the spring. If the winter was truly as harsh as Pygmalion had anticipated it would be, lasting far in to the spring, then maybe such an arrangement would be good to have in case of disaster. Would you like to visit Courtfall and tell them that we agree to their terms, or would you like to send Awol -- someone else, maybe? It didn't really matter who went, but since Bhediya had already taken it upon herself to start up that relationship.. It felt right for her to be the one to convey their acceptance.

she is a dedicated business woman thank you

the explanation sufficed, it seemed. bhediya would be lying if she said she weren't very surprised. still, she made a hefty effort to keep that emotion to herself, instead putting on a more focused and levelled expression. maybe awol and i can go together. that would probably make pygmalion happy. it'd also give the two more time to bond, something that she figured they might need.

the scout cleared her throat. the tension here, it felt heavy, uncomfortable. they'd need to either switch up the aura or try this interaction again some other time. i can take lainie, too. i'll ask kavik first, but i know she wanted a chance to explore more.

Fade here?

Everything felt settled; when the woman offered to take Lainie, Ibis brightened. I think that is a very good idea, she confirmed.

I think getting Lainie involved will be good, overall. She seems bright, and she's gotten healthier since joining us. The girl slept a lot from what Ibis recalled, or she adventured in the woods with her father close at hand. It might be difficult to have Kavik separate from his daughter for very long, but Ibis trusted in her friends - they would keep the girl safe. It would be a good experience for her.

gotcha.

bhediya knew about the incident before their joining, but she hadn't known lainie had fallen ill because of it. a frown sat on her brow for a moment, eventually loosening. i was actually thinking about going into the taiga, she laughed. the scout stood and turned to walk, motioning for ibis to follow suit. i actually have it all planned out...