Scene Archives

walks from the hidden ravine into the valley, breathing in the strangely moist morning air. It’s not heavy enough for dew—not even here—but after the dryness elsewhere on the Beast she’s still struck by it, by the small stream meandering through it, by actual trees—albeit strange ones—and fragrant plants. She wonders, briefly, if Duškomira uses some of them in her incense, but she doesn’t linger—just heads for the flash of red coat when she sees it.

is wandering the valley rather aimlessly–occasionally reaching out to touch a leaf, or crouch down to examine some kind of thorny bush. For once, his naginata is not with him, despite the theoretical threat of glass sharks. (Glass sharks, glass sharks.) His eyes are heavy-lidded–the kind of look he gets when he’s halfway listening to the surrounding Song.

approaches loudly. She’s not precisely a hunter, but she knows how to move relatively silently through a forest. Here she doesn’t, instead stepping loudly on the first crunchy-looking twig she finds, announcing her presence.

doesn’t startle–taking his time examining some kind of shrub with wavy-edged leaves and reddish berries before glancing up at Salme with a slight smile. “Kind of you.”

gives him a small wave. “I didn’t want to interrupt.” She gives him a slight smile. “Or rather, I did, but I wanted to interrupt in the least disruptive way possible. A moment of your time, Wolf?”

stands with a grunt, brushing a bit of dirt off his knees. “Of course. As many moments as you require,” he says, answering the smile with his own.

: “Mostly I wanted to … I know you messaged me on the tomestone, but I wanted to check in. About … my getting hurt, and whatever happened with you and Jorule, and … anything else, I guess?”

chuckles softly, and a bit ruefully. “That…bird…does seem to have a knack for getting under my skin, doesn’t he? Though I could swear he nearly apologized after.”

: “I think that does count as an apology, for him. Not that I’m fluent in Jorule either.” She shifts from foot to foot. “He doesn’t really say sorry. Or. He did to me once but it was. A really bad fight. Do you want to … talk about it?”

grumble-sighs, pacing away into the garden, trusting Salme will follow him. “I suppose I am relieved by the fact that he has, at least, the capacity for apology…even if he does not use it nearly so often as I think he should.“ He stays silent for a long moment, chewing his lower lip, clasping his forearms behind him. “I wish I could say I thought him careless with his words. Part of my…difficulty…with Jorule is my suspicion that he knows exactly what he’s doing.”

does follow him. “What do you mean?”

is not, however, disagreeing. Simply seeking clarification.

: “Simply put? That he is being abrasive, even callous, on purpose. To what end, I have no clue.”

: “Oh. He told me that one.” She shrugs. “It’s to keep us at a distance. Possibly he’s gotten worse since I … insisted on that not happening.”

stops in his tracks for a moment, turning to look at Salme, his eyebrows lifted in a decidedly bemused expression. “…I see.” He narrows his eyes in thought, and continues walking. “He does realize that–given his current state–he could achieve his aim much more tolerably by remaining silent, yes?”

hesitates in her step. “I think. Maybe that’s my fault? I spent. A lot of time getting him to talk. I wanted to know him.” She catches up with Wolf. “Though also I’m not sure he’s ever really been one to shut up?”

: “I cannot call that your fault, Salme, and neither should you. If anything, you should be commended for being the one to manage to get civility out of that cawing–“ Wolf cuts himself off sharply and takes a slow, deep, even breath, which he exhales through pursed lips. A long silence, then he shakes his head and laughs, ruefully. “He must decide whether he is trying to have his cake or eat it, Salme. If he wishes not to be approached, so be it–but neither can he interject himself and his knowledge and then become the verbal version of a cheese grater when it suits him.”

snorts a little. “‘The verbal version of a cheese grater’ is …” She laughs again. “I mean, I did ask him to expand on his thoughts. And I kind of usually ignore when he’s being a cheese grater but.” She takes his hand and squeezes it. “Sometimes it gets to me, too. Not in the same way, I think? You don’t … care what he thinks about you so much as you don’t want him to hurt people. I, unfortunately, care about his opinion very much.”

: “You are not responsible for how he chooses to respond to a question, Salme,” Wolf says–firmly but gently, like the squeeze he gives her hand. “He could have expounded in a less abrasive manner…as he himself proved later, though I do not understand why. You take fault too easily, sister. If you ask a question and he answers in a way that irks me, that is his choice, not yours.”

shrugs. “I just feel like I set him up. I’m used to him talking like that. You aren’t.” She hesitates. “I’m not sure why he changed his tune either. It’s part of why I wanted to talk with you, actually. Something made him realize he needed to … modulate his tone. And I don’t know if he realized he’d upset you or what, but …” she looks at their clasped hands. “I realized, Jorule aside, I wanted to make sure you weren’t upset. Or to let you not be … resilient and patient. To give you space to vent. If you so needed.”

: “….ah.” He chuckles softly. “Well, I can’t imagine it was him realizing I was upset, because that doesn’t seem to bother him–as you just told me, making me dislike him seems to be an outright goal.” He sighs, shrugs. “Perhaps there is some gambit he is playing that I surely shall not see until it blows up in my face.” Wolf squeezes Salme’s hand again. “Resilient and patient is who I am, sister. I put my tomestone away before I said something I would truly regret, I went and talked to Lucxja, and now I am fine. As far as harms go, this is….aggravating, nothing more.”

: “I think … I can’t pretend to know what’s going through his head. I know the abrasiveness is a choice, because he’s said as much. I know he … also wants us to live, wants us to tell the best story we can, wants us to succeed. I’m not sure if he loves us. I think that’s maybe a strong term for what he does feel, but it is, at the very least, care.” She squeezes Wolf’s hand back. “I do know that he will protect us, and has already worked to protect us, will continue doing so. I don’t think he’s playing games, or at least he isn’t playing cruel games. I can at least offer that.”

: “Mm. I suppose I do him an injustice by positing outright cruelty or malice from him.” His tone turns bone dry. “Traditionally, though, one’s guardian spirit is supposed to be much less of an ass.”

laughs brightly. “Oh, yeah, that’s fair. And again. It’s not like I’ve never got my feelings hurt by him. He’s an ass. He’s just an ass that’s on our side.” She bumps his shoulder. “You spoke with Luĉja? How are they?”

: “Good, I think. It is hard to tell, with them. Understandably, many of my people-reading skills do not work particularly well on a man made of metal.” He grumbles good-naturedly. “Perhaps unsurprisingly, he advised me more than I advised him.”

: “Well, aside from Jorule, whom we’ve discussed as a source of interpersonal wisdom, Luĉja does function as our group elder. Your wisdom is great, yeresh, but you’re not actually an old man yet.”

gives Salme a very dry look. “I’m not sure he can age. That’s cheating.”

laughs and raises and eyebrow. “Do the years not count if you don’t wear them on your skin? That seems narrow-minded of you, brother.”

gives an eloquent and entirely unserious roll of his eyes. “I suppooooose. Perhaps we could make him a nice long gray beard. Give him the appropriate gravitas.”

: “Oh I think they’d like that. They are kind of performative.”

: “Were you talking about our bird problem, or was it something else you were seeking counsel on?”

: “Something else.” He stays silent for a long moment before giving in. “You, in the Rite.”

: “What’d they have to say?” she asks neutrally, but she is meeting his eyes.

: “To trust your strength. And to remember that we do not fight alone.”

: “But you did. Fight alone. For a really long time.” She looks away. “After your reaction, I spoke to Jae about it. I … she’s become something of a … confidante, as strange as that might sound. And she pointed out that you probably were often alone in battle, where falling meant death.”

glances sharply at Salme. “How did she…?” He shakes his head, not willing to let himself go down that tangent. “She was right. As I told Lucxja. But…it is not so much that I thought…in truth, that you would die. But because I fought so long alone…” Wolf smiles grimly. “I am not inured to the sight. It was only my life I risked. Yesterday, I was reminded, to my deep displeasure, that if I am weak…you may fall.”

: “Good thing you’re not weak then,” she says, then adds, more seriously, “I think all of us would rather risk only ourselves than each other. That’s sort of beautiful, isn’t it? But the challenge is—it’s in loving each other, and letting each other take the risks anyway. That’s really fucking hard. For me, and also, I think, for you.”

snorts, softly. “Indeed. Heh. I think…that I understand my master more and more each day. Why I got the scoldings I did.” He looks at Salme sidelong. “You may not believe this, but I was a very impulsive young man.”

considers him for a long, long moment. “You know. I wouldn’t have believed it before Samudra and the Beast, but I can … sort of see it now. Even if imagining you young is a bit of a challenge.”

: “I thought you said I’m not an old man.” He’s smirking.

: “Yes. But I feel like you walked out of the forest fully-formed at 22 or something. I can’t imagine you … I don’t know, getting your adult teeth as a child or going through puberty.”

chuckles softly. “I would have preferred that. Much more comfortable.” He reaches over and tousles Salme’s hair. “I did have a childhood, sister. Someday I may even tell you about some of it.” Wolf grins. “But not today.”

: “Fine, fine.” She pauses, and thinks for a moment, and then takes a step back so she can look fully and intently into his eyes, serious. “Though I did want to … I know I typed it, but saying it is important. I’ve spent a lot of time using myself as a resource, one that I didn’t care much about burning through. And. I promise that I am learning now to treasure myself, to take care of myself like I’m something precious. I can’t always see it, but. I know you think of me that way, and Awa and Aury, and … everyone really. So. I really, really am working on it. It’s not a promise that I won’t ever get hurt, but it is a promise that … I won’t throw myself away callously.”

inhales sharply, then nods–and the hint of a smile around his lips might just have pride in it. His eyes certainly do. “Thank you, my friend. You have blossomed beautifully since first we met.” One corner of Wolf’s mouth quirks up, just a little. “I will not ask you to promise not to spend the coin of your life–I would not bind you so. I only ask–as my master once asked me–if you must spend it…spend it for a glorious gain.”

: “That I can and do promise,” she says, easily, and then looks at him. “It sounds like you’re already so-bound, but I’d ask the same of you?”

: “Aye. I’ve no intent to spend that coin for anything less than direst need, or greatest gain.” Wolf snorts. “Now that we’ve been entirely grim about such things…”

laughs a bit. “I still think, more often than not, we’re going to live. But while we live, let’s also enjoy it.” She gestures at a spiky-leaved plant a few lengths away, with a tall, almost tree-like stem coming out of it, towering up into the sky. “What on earth is that?”