Redsand Canyon Parádeigma

This is intended for a lovely @Aquene ^^

The Roman had asked for him to set an example, and so Arsenio had done just that. He had patrolled their claimed territory several times a day. The man was swift to rise in the morning and he remained working until the darkness draped over them. The shape of him had hardened again. He had begun to learn the paths of the canyon and the best places to hide away for a moment of rest.

The Greek man searched for other Auxillary that day. He thought that he might get to know them, to see if they would like to set up scheduled patrols to keep the territory marked and fresh. Arsenio knew that he could not spend his time with Tamar, not until they had established themselves and bolstered strength. Still, he thought of her lovingly and hoped that she was finding rest.

The conversation the day before had made Aquene question a lot of things… was she meant to just be a healer? She had never considered that she might be able to do more. This was all she had ever been trained to do. She hunted… herbs. She knew how to hunt prey too, of course, but usually the men of the pack had taken care of that while she and the other women were busy tending to the children or tending to the wounded. While her birth pack had not been an outright military outpost, her father Karpos had been a man who quickly put down war by proving that their pack would win in the end.
 
She was coming out of the herbal den she had been creating and sleeping in when she saw the man, an Auxilia if she had to suppose. She assumed everyone was an Auxilia until something gave an indication to the contrary. “Hi! Are you an Auxilia?” It never hurt to double check. “Would you mind escorting me down to far end of the canyon? It’s a bit of a venture but there are some herbs I need to collect for my stores.” She felt safer taking someone who was actually trained in combat with her. As she had told the Imperator, she had never so much as sparred in her life.

A dark figure appeared, smelling of sharp herbs that were both familiar and foreign to the Greek man. He paused, sniffing softly until he found the fragrance that reminded him of Tamar. A small smile found its way onto his muzzle before fixing his sights on the woman who approached.

The stranger inquired to him whether he was Auxillary. She asked if he would be willing to escort her down to the far end of the canyon, saying that she wished to collect herbs. Arsenio nodded his head in understanding. From what he could tell, Germanicus was keen to keep their territory marked and patrolled. It would not have done much good to have a medic venturing on her own, not if there were threats in the mountain.

Of course, yes, Arsenio answered her with a toothy grin and a small chuckle.

You are an herbalist, hm? My wife has a small talent with herbs, he commented, fondness weighing his words. The mercenary truthfully did not know much of medicines, but he had seen Tamar moving about, tending to the dark shadow boy and stocking the herbal storage rooms. The Pharaoh would not have allowed that if she had not shown her ability, he had assumed.

This man seemed to have a much sunnier disposition than that of his counterparts that she had already met. It was truly refreshing and made her relax almost instantly, tension she didn’t know she was holding faded out of her shoulders as she started along the path. “I am. My name is Aquene. The Matrona recruited me to be Mereo’s official medic.” She explained lightly. The mention of a wife brought her ears perking. “Oh? I don’t think I’ve had the honor of meeting her yet. What is her name?” She would seek out the woman and get to know her. It would be nice to get to know other people of a kinder disposition.
 
She knew much of all kinds of medicines, including treatments from the sniffles to losing a limb… not that she could give the limb back but she could safe a life from bleeding out… and then of course she knew of poisons as well though she had never had a need or particular interest to dabble in that herself. “You are much friendlier than your counterparts I’ve encountered… I’m just about convinced you’re the first soldier who isn’t offended by my presence.” Surely the others at least meant well, right?

Aquene the medic – Arsenio saved that information, hoping that he might see her again on his patrols. She was polite with her words, seemingly grateful to have been given a place in Mereo. The Greek man thought it nice. She was so unlike the Fellahin and Mazoi of Akashingo, or so he believed from speaking with her.

The medic asked for the name of his wife. Arsenio smiled.

She is called Tamar and she is as beautiful as a falling autumn leaf, the man responded with sweeping wags of his tail and love glittering in his eyes.

As they walked through the canyon on their way to where Aquene would collect her herbs, Arsenio listed to her speak of him. She stated that he was the friendliest of the Auxillary, that the others had treated her with some modicum of hostility. This was something he did not understand. The mercenary looked to her, baffled.

Offended? Anoisíes! What is there to be offended of? You are a kind woman who heals. They ought to be grateful, hm? The Greek man chuckled, knowing the rough edges of a soldier well.

He was so kind, and she would continue to enjoy his company through the journey, listening as he spoke fondly of his wife. She smiled softly. Ruenna had mentioned her; she was the housekeeper. Aquene was still not certain what a housekeeper was, but she made a mental note to seek out the woman and inquire. Perhaps it was an added skill that Aquene herself could add to her resume. She felt she needed to do more than just healing to stay afloat here, though she knew her skills were invaluable to a militaristic pack like Mereo. “She sounds lovely. I have no doubt I will meet her soon.” She had been putting in effort to find all of the plebians, but it had to occur between stocking her stores which due to the season was a laborious task at best.
 
She was taken aback by the man’s baffled expression, eyes widening as he defended her to herself, a soft smile on her features. “Lady Ruenna has described it as though some of the auxilia do not understand why there are civilians at all… including a healer like me. I think I’ve changed Kallik’s mind but… he is not the only one I think thinks this way.” She had picked up on harsher tensions, but her interactions when helping Kallik had been good, and she was certain they were on good terms now.

The man had high hopes that Tamar would find friends in Mereo. He understood that she might wish to warm up to their new home, that she would have a period of adjusting to a new life. Arsenio would be patient with her. He only wished to see her happy. There was promise in the kindness of the women who had been permitted to join. The Greek man could only be grateful to Germanicus for allowing such things, for Mereo had been intended as a military outpost before Arsenio had pushed to bring Tamar with him.

When Aquene spoke of the other soldiers treating her coldly, showing their uncertainty for why a woman would be allowed in their ranks, Arsenio frowned.

Ah, it is not their job to understand. They are soldiers. It is our duty to follow Mereo’s code and to tend to the Imperator’s orders. They should spend less time thinking and more time protecting the canyon, Arsenio said this with a shrug and a small chuckle. Where would their thoughts be if one of them was injured in a turf war? Aquene would be invaluable to them, he did not doubt this.

She would seek out his wife later, to get to know her because she sounded like such a lovely woman. She was excited to know the other Plebians, and how they contributed to Mereo. She knew she had a very particular and specific function but she had been told the other Plebians were either to be wives or eventually train as auxiliary. Clearly, Tamar was a wife, but she wondered if the woman might take up another role as well knowing the expectations that the Imperator and Matrona set.
 
It had taken the Matrona explaining it to both herself and Malila for Aquene to truly understand the colder nature of some of the auxiliary. It made sense to her, but the man brought up an interesting point. It was not their job to question, nor understand. It had been an order passed down by the Imperator that she was to be permitted, well, the Matrona though with the Imperator’s blessing. She hummed softly and offered him a soft smile. It was certainly something she appreciated nonetheless. She had glad to know there were some other than the leading duo who appreciated what she could do. "I suppose. I am used to men questioning my worth... it happened often where I came from." While the soldiers had not hesitated to use her healer traits, they were looked down upon. Even with her former standing as the next female leader, the leading healer, it mattered not.

Arsenio understood what she meant. Men were swift to judge the worth of a woman. It was commonplace, even in his homeland. From what he could recall of his childhood, his father had not been a good man to his mother. She had not lasted long enough to leave an impression of herself. The other men were all the same. They would hoot and call after a pretty woman, but they did not respect them. It was a shame.

You will earn a place here. Having a skilled medic is valuable. When one of us is injured, you will have an opportunity to show just how valuable you are, hm?

Arsenio believed it to be true. Aquene had a set of skills that he wasn’t familiar with, but it did not mean that he couldn’t see its worth. Tamar had shown a small talent with herbs. With this in the back of his mind, the Greek man believed that the dark-furred woman would find the respect she deserved, soon enough. It would only take a single demonstration. 


I will tumble from the rocks and you can mend my broken bones, yes? A joke - Arsenio laughed.

The healing arts had been something taken for granted as every woman had trained in them. Healers were disposable where she came from, with the exception of a select few such as herself and her mother… but here, she was invaluable. There was a part of her that knew that, even prided herself on it secretly though she’d also chide herself for such vanity as to feel important. She offered a soft smile at his words. “I know… it just takes time… and to prove it, someone will have to be injured.” She could not finding herself to wish a fate. “A healer’s worst nightmare is needing to do their job and their dream is to be obsolete. It means a part of their family is injured.”
 
It was rather poetic, looking at it, and yet it was the truth. She couldn’t help but chuckle at his words, the smile on her maw reaching all the way to her eyes as he managed to cheer her up. “I recommend not. I don’t know what I would do having to get an escort from someone so grumpy while you’re recovering.” She offered back in a tease. Yes, she found she quite liked him, and was relieved to have finally found a friendly face within the soldiers.

The man nodded his head, understanding what she meant. It was good that she had such an empathetic heart. It would mean a good deal when it came to her healing processes. Arsenio believed that if she had some fighting under her skillset, she’d be invaluable to all. It would be good for her to learn, perhaps when she had settled in and gotten confident in her status as aspiring medic.

You are in the best place for such things, Aquene. Soldiers love to get hurt. It is what they are best at.

It was said easily, but Arsenio was not joking. He knew that fighters were at a greater risk. He knew that another’s fangs could carry the same strength as his own. It was a difficult job, and there would always be injuries associated with work of that sort.

When she joked about having to be escorted by someone grumpier, the redstone man laughed loudly.

Ah, but it is more enjoyable to laugh when others are stonefaced. You try, here, he instructed to her with a nod.

Arsenio’s expression of mirth vanished in an instant. His glacial stare was hard and cold upon her face. The man looked as though he had never smiled a day in his life.

While she knew that she’d prefer to have an easy job where no one required her treatment, she also knew it wasn’t realistic. While easier elsewhere, she was needed here and the sense of belonging that came with the job she served in Mereo was fulfilling in that manner. She had already helped with a number of issues, from creating a store to treating Kallik… and she had little doubt that as the pack settled and established, evolving from it’s young nature, her skills would be needed even more.
 
She was glad to have brought a loud laugh about, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes for a moment as she snorted, watching as the man’s face fell stony and stoic, and she couldn’t help but start to chuckle at that. She let it linger for a few seconds before she felt her chest starting to seize, threatening to throw her into a fit of laughter when she finally spoke out. “Stop that, it’s so unnatural to see you without a smile on your maw.” She pleaded through the giggles that had escaped. Truly, Arsenio was looking like Glaukos and that was enough to bid him to return to the warm nature he had been sharing with her.

Aha, yes, yes, well I suppose a few giggles will do.

The man smirked at her, breaking the stone-faced expression that he had held. There was no true need for the healer to focus on changing herself to appeal to her targets. This was merely something that Arsenio had found useful, in his time. Even as he thought of it, he couldn’t imagine that she would have been sent as a spy. If she could heal and she could fight, Germanicus would surely be pleased.

Have you gathered your things, hm? We should start back now before the shadows stretch too far.

Arsenio eyed her curiously, waiting to see if she would like to walk back to the barracks with him, or if she had other items that she wished to sniff out. The man wouldn’t mind. He was pleased to accompany her on her errands.

Aquene had almost forgot about collection until the striking scent hit her nose, falling into a more serious approach as she carefully started to collect the bundles. She really needed to figure out a better way to carry them. It would make collection easier if she could harvest more at once, though it did not particularly faze her in the winter months as she had little to collect to begin with. With due time, that would change. Still, she had a kind smile on her features, feeling cheered up by the man. She was grateful.
 
The question came as she was finishing up. She had a feeling she would be treating much inflammation and pain in the coming weeks as training geared up, but hopefully before wore broke out. She did not know if she had the supplies to handle vaster injuries, at least not yet. “Yes, please… we should start back.” She offered through the mouthful of the bundle she had collected, tucked away in a small hide that wrapped around it that she had been using to carry as to not infect her stores with saliva. “Thank you so much for coming with me. I was informed that the canyon was not fully fortified yet, and I am no soldier if it were to come to a fight of some kind.” She had been told as much about the fortification when she had first arrived, and to her knowledge that had not changed.

There was a liveliness to her steps. Arsenio was pleased that she had found a sense of ease, even if it was only in his company. Time would allow her to speak to the other members of Mereo and get to know them for who they were. Even the redstone figure had not made the rounds to introduce himself to them all. There would be days for that, days that were not so cold or so bitter.

When Aquene had gathered her things, the mercenary stepped in beside her and they began to make their march back toward the barracks of Mereo.

Until you are settled, you may call for me. I will escort you wherever you would like, to get what you need. Perhaps… you could meet Tamar. I think she could use a good friend. It was a thought that weighed on his mind. He did not want his wife to feel alone while he was tending to his duties. Aquene seemed like a kind woman. The man could see no wrong in it.

Their conversation had brightened her outlook considerably, a soft hum escaping as they continued to walk back towards the safety of that which had been fortified. “Thank you.” She offered sincerely to the offer, nodding eagerly, though not so much as to knock her herbs about, at the mention of meeting his wife. She would love to get to know the wonderful woman he had described more… Aquene could use a good friend too.
 
“I will seek her out as soon as I can. I would love to get to know her more.” She had little doubt that a woman worthy of capturing Arsenio’s heart as she had would be a lovely woman to interact with indeed.

The redstone wolf bowed his head in thanks to the healer.

It was pleasing to know that the Roman had gathered soldiers and healers. Mereo seemed to be more of a force to be fearful of than Akashingo ever was. Germanicus had gathered a variety of talent beneath his banner. Arsenio was both surprised and impressed, but there was a growing sense of pride to know that he existed beneath that banner, as well.

The mercenary bid the healer a good evening and made his way back to the den that he shared with Tamar. His mind hummed with thoughts of the canyon’s future. Images of pups played alongside these thoughts.