Redsand Canyon When you were here before

hoping for @Arsenio <3

Regardless of the decision made about Towhee at the borders, the auxillary would seek out Arsenio. It was apparent at the gathering that he had known more about this woman, and he found it odd that she seemed to have a different perspective than his, some parts seeming vastly different. It was interesting. He couldn't help but wonder if she really was a spy. It would be a good way to get into their ranks—being a friend of the matrona. 

He decided he would withold judgment of and trust for Towhee while he gathered more information. His first place to check was with the other soldier. Kallik had already been curious of the older man. He seemed to have gained the imperator's favor; he was regarded differently than the rest of the auxillia. Kallik wanted to know more about him too.

He quietly padded along the borders of the canyon, hoping to find a trail that would lead him to Arsenio.

I'm so happy to get to write with you again!!! ^w^

Kallik had afforded Towhee more than Arsenio would.

The redstone figure did not think highly of the woman. He would not respect her. At least, he believed it would take a good deal of time before he was able to. She had not painted a favorable picture of herself at the borders of Akashingo. While Arsenio was not a man who thought highly of the Pharaoh’s kingdom, he had been taken aback at her sharpness, her complete lack of respect. Why should he offer his to her when she had shown him nothing but a lie and her scoffing features?

The mercenary caught sight of the pale soldier ahead of him.

Arsenio chuffed out a greeting to the man.

You are Kallik, yes?

me too!!

He wouldn't have to search long.

His name was called from behind, and the auxillary stopped. He turned to face the other soldier and greeted him with a curt nod. Yes, he offered. Obviously, Kallik knew the other man's name and didn't find it necessary to say as much. 

He turned, but not before lifting his chin in silent invitation to walk with him. They could patrol together while they talked. 

If Arsenio chose to walk next to him, Kallik would ask: You were in Akashingo before here? Because that's what was most pressing on his mind, along with whether or not he could trust Towhee.

Then this was another wolf who Arsenio would know. The pale man had been seen around Mereo for some time. He seemed duty-bound, like someone who would make a good soldier. Germanicus had chosen his members well. The Greek found himself growing more pleased with the canyon’s members, by the day. It had a great deal of strength and promise.

I was, yes, the man confirmed with a small nod of his head. He walked alongside the pale figure as they embarked on a patrol of the canyon’s borders. Arsenio only paused to mark the terrain in odd places as they went. It is not a good place. The ruler there is spoiled, worshipped by those beneath him. If his head were any larger, it would be difficult to sit in the same room. Distaste was on his tongue as he spoke of Ramesses. Arsenio was pleased to be rid of the man. He had never liked the ruler’s ways, or the culture that had thrived in Akashingo.

I am glad to be rid of it. I stayed to free my wife, Tamar. She deserved better than Akashingo.

Kallik knew nothing about the pharaoh, and that sounded like that might be a good thing. Arsenio had stayed for his wife and then brought her here. They had come with all the change. He had been resistant to it in the beginning, but he was starting to see how black and white his thinking had been. I met Tamar, he said after a few seconds. She is very kind. Another civilian he had been cold to who had only been kind to him in return. Guilt sat heavy in his chest for a few moments before he pushed it from his mind.

And I have only been to Akashingo once, before I found the imperator, Kallik added with a shrug of his pale shoulders. I did not meet the pharaoh, only a woman named Jawahir. She had been his entire experience there but it seemed he had missed a lot.

Arsenio nodded his head, smiling fondly, goofily, at the mention of Tamar. He was pleased that the other soldiers were getting around to meeting her. The redstone figure found that he felt better knowing that she was accepted by the wolves of Mereo. He hoped that it would help her, as well.

Kallik spoke of having been to Akashingo, once. He stated that he had met with Jawahir. Arsenio grinned toothily at the mention of the Pharaoh’s prized jewel.

Jawahir is a sharp thing, a serpent, very good to the Pharaoh. He is fond of Jawahir. Jawahir is treated well by him. They serve each other. Arsenio wondered if the ruler’s toy had made an enjoyable experience for Kallik during his visit. The Greek man did not doubt that he had been treated like a treasure. He had witnessed the talent of the slender little creature.

You were treated well, hm? The glacial blue of his eyes shifted to the pale man. Arsenio trotted along their patrol at an easy pace.

It was most interesting to the auxillary that Jawahir was so close with the pharaoh after hearing what Arsenio had said. His tone had made it clear that he did not like the man the lead Akashingo. It made Kallik wonder if maybe he saw a side of Jawahir that wasn't genuine. He supposed it didn't really matter now. He doubted his night with the coyote would affect anything in the future.

Kallik looked at Arsenio strangely when the implication of his question registered in his mind. He wondered how he could know how the auxillary had spent his time there. But he considered how forward Jawahir had been and how good she was at relaxing his mind—as if she had done it before. It all fit into what Arsenio had alluded to. He didn't really care that much, but it was a little awkward that the other soldier knew something he considered private. He wasn't even sure how to respond, so he decided changing the subject would be best. 

I am not sure I trust Towhee, Kallik continued. It seemed like maybe you feel the same way? He wasn't sure how much the other man would be willing to share.

The pale soldier was sharp with his gaze. It seemed that he preferred not to speak unless he had something worth talking about. Arsenio could respect this. It was unlike the men he knew from his homelands, but it did not bother him. After all, he had found friendship in the likes of Germanicus. Kallik would not be difficult to bond with – the redstone mercenary did not doubt he would find a place of common ground and respect for the white-furred figure.

When Kallik spoke of Towhee, Arsenio grinned.

I met her before. She gave me a different name. She behaved differently, too. Acted rude, on the steps of Akashingo. I do not know if she is worthy of trust, yet. It will take a lot of proving before I will follow her lead or her instruction. She comes to Mereo as a master warrior and yet I have only seen a master at lies.

The red figure shrugged.

The truth of it was that he didn’t care about Towhee. If she found a way to remove the negative light she had shed on herself, Arsenio would be surprised. He had taken orders from far worse, if it came to that. Though, his only concerns were with his wife and her wellbeing. He wanted Tamar to be happy. He wanted them to have a home. Towhee did not fit into that picture anywhere.

A master at lies. That basically gave Kallik all the information he needed on Towhee. His trust wasn't given away easily, and what Arsenio already knew of the new auxillary didn't make him want to give any to her any time soon.

But he didn't have the luxury of avoiding her. Not only would their training not permit it, but she had also been instructed to evaluate each of them for their promotions. You don't trust her, he said, clearly going somewhere. Yet you didn't seem to have issues with letting her evaluate you. Or so the auxillary had assumed. He had heard the other soldier tell Towhee he would take her on his favorite patrol route. He had been trotting away, but he definitely heard that. Are you not angry about it?

I trust Germanikos. He has proven himself to me enough times, though not always in the way I hope he will.

Arsenio bumped his shoulder against the pale figure of Kallik.

My anger would do nothing for me, for my sweet Tamar, or for our future. I do not wish to fracture the comradery that I have built with the Roman. These are his grounds and I am free to depart from them, when I should please. The mercenary still wasn’t sure if this was what the white-furred soldier had wanted to hear. Arsenio understood his anger. He could not see why allowing a woman none of them had met – save for the Imperator’s wife – march into their barracks and begin barking out assessments. It was what the Roman had wanted, though, and so that was how it would go.

You have been a quiet soldier, Kallik. I do not believe you have anything to worry about. Besides, what would she do? Have Germanikos throw us all from Mereo? The noise that was made after this hypothetical question was mocking, but his smile remained upon his lips. Arsenio glanced toward his patrolling companion to see what he might think.

Kallik trusted Germanicus too, but he had not been able to let that overcome his anger over the situation. The other soldier bumped into his shoulder, and Kallik allowed the touch. 

He thought over Arsenio's words on his own anger. The auxillary wondered how he had learned such control. Kallik often had nothing near that kind of a hold over his own anger; it usually burned red hot within him. It was always such an overwhelming emotion. 

But he was right: what was the worst she could do? Surely the imperator wouldn't put more weight on her assessment than his own. You are right, he said after a moment of thought. 

How do you control your anger so well? he asked. He was genuinely curious; Kallik found that he envied that about the other auxillary.

Kallik asked him a question that he had not expected.

Arsenio’s gaze latched onto the pale soldier with some surprise. He wondered if the quiet wolf struggled with his anger. It must have been the reason to inquire such a thing. The Greek would not have expected it from the pale man, not without having heard the inquiry for himself. Arsenio had believed that Kallik was a good man – a quiet fang who fought when he was told to fight.

Mmm, the redstone wolf mused. He would not brush the inquiry aside.

When I was younger, I allowed my anger to do what it pleased. It took many things from me and it began to shape me into something I never wished to become. The cold blue in his eyes searched Kallik’s face, interested and invested. Arsenio did not feel that he needed to share the truth of his father or the anger that had been shown when he had been only a year old. The Greek man did not want to tell his fellow soldier of the anger that flowed through his family’s blood.

I had to decide if I would let it take me, or if I would overcome it. I found satisfaction in laughing at the anger in myself and at the anger in others. It gives me strength.

A flicker of care crested his face.

Are you troubled by your rage, pale solder?

Arsenio knew what it was to be ruled by anger, and Kallik was thankful he asked him how to control it. It was not something easily understood by those who did not have the same affliction. 

The other soldier's anger had taken things from him, and Kallik never wanted that to happen to him. So far it only poisoned him on the inside but with how easily it guided his decisions in the moment, he feared it was only a matter of time if he didn't learn some control. 

And laughing at his anger seemed like an impossible task. Kallik was fairly high strung, always looking for the worst possible outcome so that he could be prepared. But Arsenio seemed different, happy. The auxillary was envious of that. 

At the other man's question, Kallik nodded. Sometimes, yes, he added. When it is really strong, it's like I have no control over my actions. I do not want to be impulsive or do something to jeopardize my place in Mereo.

The first thing that Arsenio noted was that Kallik was an honest man. This was rare enough, at least from what he had experienced in his life. There was a humbleness to the pale soldier that most fighters lacked. For if Arsenio had ever heard a comment about his youthful rage, he would have shrugged it away, claiming that it did not exist. Hearing that Kallik had already recognized his own faults with his emotions was a valuable step.

The redstone mercenary did not want to speak down to the other man. He did not want for the soldier to think that Arsenio thought less of him.

Kallik, I believe that you are not at risk for such things. You understand the worth of your position in Mereo. You recognize your anger. You are dutiful, even when you do not agree. These are signs of a good soldier. In this, you are further than even I am, the Greek man offered to the other. The cool blue in his eyes did not move away from Kallik’s face. There was warmth upon Arsenio’s features.

He had missed the comradery of men who fought.

If you feel your anger overcome you, you may find me. I will spar with you. I will run you along the canyon borders until your legs quake from the effort of holding your body. A tired man has little room for anger. If it is your desire to conquer it, I will lend myself to your cause.

Could I make us another perhaps? ^^<3

yes please! i would love another one <3

Arsenio pointed out reasons he was a good soldier, reasons he would not be kicked out of Mereo or worse. Kallik had trouble believing these things. He thought maybe the other soldier had just drawn the wrong conclusions about him because he was quiet and kept his thoughts mostly to himself. 

But, the other man offered to help whenever Kallik was feeling angry. The auxillary thought sparring or running until he couldn't move would help when his anger felt overwhelming. Thank you, he offered. I will do that. 

He continued forward along the borders on their patrol with something new to consider.