Ricochet really hated this. She hated having to think too much about anything. She was more of the act first, think later type. But this, she knew, was a situation where that wasn't going to work. She needed to make a smart decision, not a hard and fast decision. But man, it sucked. She wished she could just have someone tell her what to do. She padded out of the trees and toward the broad river where Peregrine had staked her claim. Her steps were calm, almost lackadaisical, which was usual for the brutish female. She continued to walk until her front paws were submerged in the squishy sand of the river bed, and she looked down into the moving water to try and catch an occasional glimpse of her mismatched eyes. She didn't know what to do. She needed help making this decision, so she turned to one of the only friends she had in this whole damned place. She lifted her head and tossed up a howl for Peregrine, and then settled back onto her haunches to wait. "Talk" "You" Think

Peregrine was surprised to hear a howl from Ricochet, if only because she was more used to sneak attacks and ambushes. Why hadn't she just- oh. Right. Now Peregrine had borders to observe, tasks to deal with, plots to plan. Her life had never felt so full, but upon hearing Ricky's howl on the wind she realized that some of her closest companions had been a little scarce lately... She grinned in anticipation and ran off towards her supposed direction. Tsiry would unfortunately not be attending this meeting, having been sent off earlier in the morning to find them a good den site, which Peregrine lamented seeing as the lemur always seemed to get along so well with Ricochet. Peregrine snickered at her own thoughts. Upon finding the charcoal woman sitting upon the river's edge Peregrine smiled, but that dwindled when she took in the slack set of her shoulders, the distant way she gazed out on the water. Well, this couldn't be good. "What's up, buttercup?" she greeted with the ease of familiarity, trying to keep her voice light. Ricochet reminded Peregrine of how she herself had acted the year prior, testing limits, trying to find her place in the world. Whether or not Ricochet's place was within Aerie, well... Peregrine wasn't so sure anymore, because this was not the exuberant meeting she had hoped for. "Talk" "You" Think "Tsiry"

Luckily, it didn't take long for Peregrine to respond to her call. When the chocolatey woman made her appearance, Ricochet couldn't help lightening up a bit. She always felt in a good mood around Peregrine. "Hey, asshole," she said with an endearing smile. "We need to talk about something." The ebony woman backed away from the water, shaking her paws dry though a bit of sand still clung to them. Screw it, she'd wash them out later. She turned and walked closer to her little friend, smirking as she took in the slight difference in her posture. Of course, Peregrine had always been a confident little shit, but now there was some real authority behind that confidence. Ricochet, unsurprisingly, found that to be ridiculously attractive in a woman. "How've you been?" she asked first, surprising even herself with the attempt at pleasantries. This whole discussion thing was not her forte. "Look, Pere, I'm..." How could she say it? No matter how it was phrased it would come out sounding hopelessly sappy. "...really, uh... proud of you, for taking control like this and getting your own pack. It's... it's pretty cool..." Yep, sappy. God damn it. "I'm just gonna be straight forward with you. I like your company a lot, in fact I might even fancy your cocky little ass from time to time," Ricochet said with as casual a grin as she could manage. "I want to be a part of this. I want to be a part of whatever you're building here, because I have a shit ton of faith in you." God damn it, not again. "Shut up, alright?" she said, as if warning Peregrine not to tease her even thought she knew she inevitably would. "I just want you to know that I want to be a part of your pack, which sounds crazy even as I say it because I've never wanted to be in a pack. This may surprise you, but I don't like being bossed around." After another grin, she continued further. "But here's the thing: I haven't told you much about my past. I have a lot of siblings, one of which I lost when we were young. I thought he was dead, but recently I found him. Here, in this land. He needs me, and I feel like we should stick together. I feel like I'm being pulled into two different directions, and I fucking hate it..." She sighed heavily and looked up at Peregrine, raising the brow above her one orange eye. "Is this making sense? I just don't really know what to do, I suck at making these kinds of decisions, I want to be a part of this pack but I also feel responsible for my family..." That was it. That was all she could say on the matter. The ebony dame let out another heavy sigh and just waited, hoping her friend could have some small piece of advice. "Talk" "You" Think

Peregrine was apparently right to be wary. From now on whenever she saw Ricochet thinking she was gonna turn around and go the other way. The dark fae unloaded a heap of information that Peregrine had never known. I mean it wasn't like she blamed Ricky, Peregrine hardly ever spoke about her past either. She didn't have a family to return to really, or at least she didn't know where she'd ever begin to look. She felt no attachment to them. If one of them waltzed up to her borders she would... what? She didn't feel strongly any one way or another. Clearly that wasn't the case here. Ricochet admittedly that she enjoyed Pere's company, and Peregrine too had come to appreciate the yearlings cynical sense of humor, her cutting wit that was seemed beyond her years. Peregrine opened her mouth to say so but Ricochet cut her off, and the earthen woman laughed. Ricochet was a good wolf to have at your side, not only because she could muscle her way around, but because she was loyal and uplifting. Peregrine took a long moment to think before answering. Was the girl making any sense? Well, yes and no. But Peregrine wasn't quite sure where to begin. She started with a deep breath. "Look, I mean... I don't..." Okay, lets try again. She let the breath out with a huff. "I don't have strong feelings for my kin, so I can't claim to understand, but..." What was she going to do, force Ricochet to stay? Hell no. That would compromise everything she'd worked to become in her life, but the thought of maybe no seeing the girl any more, certainly not as frequently, was just as upsetting. "I couldn't force you to stay. I wouldn't. Whatever you chose to do, you have my support." It was odd to hear her voice so sober in her own ears. It sounded queer, and she realized it was quite possible that it had never been voiced before in her entire life. "Your brother would be welcome here as well, if he chose. Otherwise, your ass better be howling at my borders at least once a moon," she said, and this time she did smile. It was genuine but she could not chase a small sparkle of disappointment from her molten eyes. "Talk" "You" Think

It took Peregrine a minute to gather her thoughts and decide how to respond, and for once in her life Ricochet was patient. She knew that she had just dumped a whole lot of crap on her friend, as if she didn't have enough to deal with right now. She had to admit that she felt a little guilty about that, but she had no other choice. "Yeah, I understand," was her response when Peregrine said she wasn't close to her family. She didn't expect her to totally get it, she just wanted a small piece of advice. Honestly anything would have worked at this point. But Peregrine was unbiased and understanding, which ironically was the opposite of what Ricochet needed her to be. She wanted to be told to get off her ass and take care of her brother, or something. Literally anything. But Peregrine simply promised to support her. But then she said that Mortar would be welcome to join the pack if she did choose to stay, and Ricochet felt the weight on her shoulders lift a tiny bit. "What? Really?" She looked back down at the water and furrowed her brow a little in thought. But this time it felt like there wasn't as much to think about. The solution could be right there in front of her, as long as Mortar was willing to join this new pack. "My brother should be nearby," she said slowly. "Do you think maybe I could call for him, and get this all figured out? My head hurts from trying to sort this shit out," she admitted with a chuckle. She just wanted it over with, so she could go back to being a carefree little asshole again. "Talk" "You" Think

Ricochet seemed surprise that Peregrine was so understanding, which was surprising to her. Did the dark youth not know her at all? For all Ricochet's peculiar ways Peregrine had come to like her as a friend, and was interested in where her path would take her. She was hardly the sort to bear down on anyone trying to follow their gut. "Don't act too surprised, now. My tyrannical side can be easily woken." She sent her a sly grin, eager to play pretend that she was furious. Her eyes glinted and she let out a mock snarl, but it broke into a rather unconvincing chuckle. Ricochet offered to call for him and Peregrine gestured with a paw for her to do just that. If he was in the area Pere would be glad to meet him. Anyone of Rico's blood was bound to be an experience, and one she was eager to get into. While she waited, Peregrine thought. Of course she wanted Ricochet to stay close, maybe to find a home in Aerie, but if she was pulled in another direction that was for her to say. The idea that her brother come as well seemed like a favor to the darker dame but to Peregrine it was a convenience. Their ranks were not quite so fleshed out as she would hope, and was eager to see more join them. This was a good thing any way she looked at it, at least the way she saw it. Bring it on. "Talk" "You" Think