With great care Malleus picked his way across the field. Every which way he looked there were plants of value just waiting to be crushed underfoot. So plentiful were they that he couldn't walk in a straight line. The titan took two steps forward, one to the left, another forward and then two to the right. His efforts brought him maybe a yard closer to his goal. He would be getting nowhere quickly, it seemed. That was alright. He had all the time in the world. Up ahead, the very thing he wanted, waved gently in the breeze as if inviting him closer. Boneset. Good for colds, aches and pains and a plethora of other things. It would be a good thing to have on hand. Now was the perfect time of year to collect it too. Yes, yes, yes. One of the almighty conquerors was dancing (more or less) through a field looking to pick flowers. But hey, if you lived with a band of marauding ruffians you needed to learn a thing or two about tending wounds. Since the release of Lydia, the Empire was in need of more capable healers. Unless he managed to find and capture one, him and a handful of other semi knowledgeable healer types would have to serve the pack, hence his current tiptoe through the tulips.

Navigation - The God's Garden.

She was free of the bite of winter in Boreas, and on her way to see the man who'd piqued her interest. In classic Iskra manner, she had decided to take a short detour first, and found herself prancing through pretty flowers and herbs that meant nothing to her. They smelled vaguely familiar, but, she wasn't the healer type so she happily trampled right over everything in her path as she made her way through the foliage with an easy grin on her face.

Ahead, she was aware of the presence of a male. Having caught his scent on the wind, the red woman took her sweet time in approaching. The plants really got crazy when she passed the smattering of trees and entered the open clearing. Spying a man with a mottled dark pelt - who appeared to be sashaying his way through the pretty plants without a care in the world - Iskra laughed without bothering to keep her voice soft. On a whim she loped over, stopping a short distance away and pranced sideways, legs crossing over each other as she moved smoothly and seemingly effortlessly through the plants. Her strides matched his and she grinned, tail wagging.

A laugh on the breeze caused the titan's eyes to widen in surprise. His head jerked up and he looked around in search of whoever was finding his situation so humorous. In an instant he found her; her coat so vibrant and eye catching he could see nothing else. A spirit! His thoughts went to Pyralis and the spirit who'd sired her children. If he had his guess that particular spirit also looked like fire incarnate, given how flame-like Asharya's coat was. The woman glided closer and began matching his steps. She grinned at him and her mood was so contagious he couldn't help but grin back. So that was what he looked like right now, huh? Pretty silly. Usually that thought would have caused him to immediately stop what he was doing and try to salvage his dignity, but here, with the plants that were so precious and the spirit who was so beautiful, his dignity shuffled to the back of his list of priorities. Finding the whole situation ridiculous and funny, Malleus couldn't help but laugh. After a few moments he planted his feet and straightened, willingly admitting defeat in their little dance of silliness. "Alright, alright. I give up. I'm ridiculous. Although I can't say I regret trading my dignity for a dance with a fire spirit."

Sashaying with easy, carefree movements, Iskra couldn't help but giggle at the way the guy moved. He was so tall and large, when he tried to move with gentle grace it just looked kind of funny. Of course her laughter was meant all in good fun, Iskra wouldn't dream of ruining a good time after all. Sure he looked a little goofy, but he was having fun, right? Iskra hoped so.

She beamed when he laughed, and twirled in place, all four paws rotating around the same spot. When she came to a standstill, he had also stopped and Iskra decided whoever he was he at least seemed to be kind of fun. That was always a good sign, she couldn't stand hanging around anyone who was allergic to a good time. "No, not ridiculous at all! I love it when I meet a wolf who can have fun," she assured, "After all, it's fun to dance like a live flame, no?" So maybe she was all too ready to play into this fire spirit business, but what was the harm in humoring someone a little? Not the first time she hard that kind of talk, anyways. Wait, was he related to that woman somehow? Leaning forward and studying him curiously, Iskra decided it was entirely possible. "So, what's your name, fancy feet?"

The fire spirit was quick to defend him from himself. Her words were kind, but they didn't change his mind. He was ridiculous; this situation was ridiculous; there was no getting around that. But it was okay. Malleus was perfectly content to be silly this time. How many opportunities had he had in his lifetime? Only one incident recently; he thought back to his time on the beach with his cousins. It was likely that that day was the only one of its kind since his childhood. As far back as he could remember there hadn't ever been time for trivial, silly things. In response to her question he nodded warmly. "It is. Although," he said tentatively, fearing he might blow his chances with this spirit but nonetheless pressing on, "Perhaps not as fun as watching the embodiment of fire dance." She asked him his name and he gave it almost without thought, so proud was he of his family name. It was almost a knee jerk reaction. "Malleus Abraxas." Their mission was to spread their name; to fling it as far as the east was from the west. He'd been brought up on the idea; raised on the undeniable superiority of his blood. Conversation, as small a thing as it was, was still a step towards their goal. Not forgetting for a moment while he was in the field in the first place, Malleus resumed his careful stepping in the direction of the boneset. "May I ask you your name, Lady Fire?"

She grinned at his words, offering a flourishing bow and a wink, "That's me, child of fire and the stars, the very spirit of fun." It was way too fun to play along with this spirit stuff. After all, what was the harm in humoring a recurring theme? She hadn't heard a whole lot of better explanations for the funny starry coats her family had. Maybe it was true. Haha, nah, but it was still amusing to entertain the possibility. She'd rather be a fun spirit than any other kind though. She narrowed her eyes as he introduced himself and more carefully inspected his appearance. Padding around him in a semi circle, the nebulous fae took it all in, leaning towards him and looking very serious for a bit. Partly to determine if her eyes deceived her, and partly because she thought it was funny to keep him waiting and wondering why she was doing this. Iskra never would change. At least she hoped not. Straightening and nodding a bit she at last announced, "I think I've met some of your relatives. Pyralis, for one. And some others. At this rate I'll be bumping into one of you every few feet someday," she joked, laughing at the idea of a world littered with mottled wolves. What a sight. But geez, did they all have to be this tall? Who told them they could be so tall... Realizing he'd asked her name she quickly added, "Iskra Aeris. Bringer of fun times and endless trouble." Throwing in a mock bow just for kicks, she trotted after they guy as he walked. "So, what brings you here to this fine day, Malleus? Just smellin pretty flowers, or pickin 'em?" "Speak"

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The woman's behavior shifted after he introduced himself. Curiously he regarded her as she circled him. Perhaps, he mused to himself, this spirit knew of his family. If that were the case that had to be a good sign, right? The news of his family's successes being discussed by the celestial beings could be nothing else. She seemed to be working up to something as she looked him over. Maybe deciding how he compared to other members of his family? He wasn't sure if he should stand up straighter or what, but he felt a sudden blossom of anxiety in his chest. Much like how he felt about his father's opinion, the spirit's opinion of him mattered. He wanted to do his surname justice and while he did the best he could, there was always a nagging suspicion in the back of his mind that he simply wasn't good enough. In the end, much to his dismay, she withheld judgement and chose instead to tell him about the other members of his family that she'd met. Surely that wasn't good. Was her naming of Pyralis a subtle hint that she was comparing him to his aunt? That didn't bode well. When she mentioned bumping into Abraxas he forced a chuckle and joked dryly, "That's the plan." Casually he added, "If you wanna retake the heavens you gotta rival the stars in number." "Just smellin' pretty flowers or pickin' 'em?" He snorted and then chuckled. "Picking them. I'm a healer and this field is full of hard to find medicinal plants. Speaking of," he motioned towards a spindly weed with yellow flowers whose stem she was about to step on and possibly snap. "If you step on that one, I might have to shed a manly tear or two."

The way he got so quiet, so uncertain, as she paced around the poor boy was delightful. She could practically see him squirming, though it was all in sudden sense of apprehension and the way his general look kind of changed. It was always way too easy to mess with someone's head with this simple action. Someday she might consider being nice to those who were easily flustered or messed with. Someday. Not today, though. "Interesting plan," she mused with an arched brow. She wasn't quite sure if he was messing with her or not. "I suppose you're right..." she took the opportunity to look at her nebulous coat, studying it and the many starry speckles that littered it, then looking back at him and giving him a shit-eating grin. "That could take a while though." Listening to him, and stopping in her tracks at he spoke, Iskra glanced down at the plant sitting just below her raised paw. Looking from him, to the flower, then back, she smirked and drawled, "What'll you give me not to squish it?" She really couldn't help being an ass sometimes. It was just waaay too enjoyable. Standing with her paw poised, she gently patted the top of the plant while eyeing the mottled man before her with those bright sapphire blue eyes. "Speak"

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My this spirit was feisty. Her cheeky grin didn't go unnoticed. He might have been worried about her thoughts on how he stacked up against other members of his family, but that wasn't going to stop him from playing her game. Malleus shrugged, the corners of his mouth briefly depressing as his expression turned mock contemplative. Would it take them awhile? "The Abraxas have a...can-do spirit, if you will." He tsked quietly, and rolled his eyes before parting with the words, "Ever heard the saying 'breeding like rabbits'? I don't even know how many cousins I have." "What'll you give me not to squish it?" Feisty, feisty, feisty! Gods above he was out of his element. This spirit was going to be the death of him; he found her confounding and yes, enamoring. It was a position he'd never found himself in before and his need for her approval wasn't dissimilar to his need to have his family's approval. Never before had he felt that way about anything else. It was at once a frustrating and intriguing feeling. Drawing upon all the playfulness he possessed (which admittedly wasn't much) Malleus widened his eyes in mock worry and fixed his gaze on the flower she was caressing. Okay, so he had the look down, but what did he say? Flirting, teasing, whatever this was, was far outside his comfort zone and he wasn't sure how to proceed. "For that plant?" He hemmed and hawed a moment, pretending to sweat over the answer, and then finally parted with the words, "I would give anything, but I'm afraid I have nothing to offer but my undying gratitude." He wasn't happy with that answer so he added, "Unless there's something in particular you want..."

Now both brows rose as she listened to his response and a certain level of skepticism appeared on her face. It wasn't to the extent that she appeared mocking or rude, but she couldn't really decide what to make of this boy and his family's grand endeavors. They were surely a breed all their own. Part of her had to admit that the strategy they seemed to employ wasn't a bad one as hard as it might be to admit. These might be wolves to keep and eye and an ear out for. "I see. Seems like as good a strategy as any, till you run out of unrelated wolves and things get a little awkward," she mused, a half-smile still on her lips. Seemed like her family was doing the opposite as far as she knew. Her parents fell off the face of the earth, aunt Caia had no kids she was aware of, and only Artemis had biological pups out of the three sisters. Much as she loved Arwen, the kid wasn't blood and therefore the Aeris line seemed relatively small compared to someone whose family had innumerable relatives. What would that even be like? Letting out a little hum, Iskra let herself ponder his response very slowly, drawing out her reply as long as possible because man it was fun to do that kind of dumb stuff. "Gratitude? Mh, methinks this is not satisfactory at all." Tapping the plant with her paw again several times, careful to be gentle but still pushing the thing around, Iskra let an idea roll around in her brain, in no rush at all to save him from the suspense she'd all too happily leave others in all the time. "Well... I do have a sort of idea," she began, words falling from her lips in a slow, thoughtful drawl, "Mkay, so, what if you... owe me a favor? I won't make you trade me one for just one plant though. I'm a pretty good navigator and an avid wanderer, I'd be more than happy to either find and bring you uncommon herbs or take you to places I find them growing." It was a unique proposition, but not a bad one for a healer. Iskra didn't like committing to one thing in a trade anyways. Having options for repayment and a recurring deal sounded way more interesting. "Speak"

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"Till you run out of unrelated wolves and things get a little awkward." Would it though? There were some members of his family that he doubted would be stopped by that particular taboo. The thought was almost enough to make his skin crawl, but he truly wondered about certain relatives. If he caught one nut deep in a tree he honestly wouldn't be that surprised. "I can only hope it would get awkward," he muttered dryly. Iskra seemed far too pleased to be holding the life of a valuable plant in her paws. She savored her words before parting with them; taking her sweet time and seeming to relish his discomfort. Finally she spoke, parting with a few dissatisfied words before pausing to push the agrimony around. She was being a little rough with it, bending its fragile stalk with each pat, but thankfully it wasn't the plant he was here for. Of course, after all of this he may as well collect it too; it would be a shame to go through with this song and dance and not take it. His browspots rose in response to her proposition. He was loath to owe someone outside of his family anything, but the deal was...tantalizing to say the least. With Iskra traveling around finding the plants it would save him a lot of legwork and he would be able to devote more of his time to the pack. He wasn't going to tell her that right away. No, it was her turn to sweat. "Hm," he rumbled gruffly, his gaze briefly rolling heavenward as he pretended to consider her deal. Owing an unspecified debt was a dangerous thing. "I do believe you'd be getting the better end of the deal..." One day the Abraxas would rule it all. She could ask him for anything then...but did he really have to honor the deal? He mulled that over for a moment. She wasn't a simple mortal; breaking a deal with a spirit could be dangerous. In the end he decided that he was just a cog in the machine. What could it hurt for him, a simple man, to owe a spirit a debt? He shrugged as if the decision wasn't as big as he thought it to be. "Alright, you have a deal. One unspecified favor in return for legging it around the countryside in search of plants. On second thought, Lady, Fire, I think I've gotten the better end," he said with a grin.

She snorted at his comment, unable to resist muttering, "Sounds like some family, then." Even this wild woman couldn't fathom what the rest might be like. A strange sort, bent on ruling the world. Yes, that was at the very least unlike any family she'd met before. Iskra would not soon forget of their existence.

A soft wind caressed the flower much like she had, and Iskra stole a sideways glance to look out at the other herbs waving in tandem and the wall in the distance. That looked like it needed to be climbed and walked on asap, yes it did. She returned her gaze to him with an easy smile on those dark lips, blue eyes sparkling. Patiently the woman awaited his response, trying not to let her impulsive nature take the lead lest she start to give away how forced this patience might be.

Shrugging and giving him the most impish look possible she cooed, "I suppose you'll have to trust me not to be unreasonable," Batting those long lashes, Iskra brightened when he accepted, "Fabulous! Perhaps if all goes well we may have a recurring deal?" Her paw remained over the plant a moment longer before she at last released her hostage and pranced away a few steps. "I hope you'll find I'm not all that unreasonable though. I'll even go so far as to stipulate that you may deny totally outlandish requests, since I'd not put it past a sensible man to deny them even if I did not allow for such a thing. However," yes, that's right, she wasn't done yet, "I think it would be entirely fair to also stipulate that if I am of greater service I might increase the value of the favors I may ask for. Sound fair? You're free to propose anything else you like so long as I'm making amendments to this deal."

Her words and her expression did little to soothe his fears. Iskra struck him as, at the very least, wily and mischievous. He wouldn't put it past her to demand that he pluck himself bare or carry her around on his back for a day for no other reason than that it would amuse her. That made her dangerous in his mind. Maybe not in the physical sense, but certainly a threat to his dignity. Although really, what did that matter at this point since she had more or less danced with him across a field? Malleus chuckled and let his gaze roll heavenward for a moment. "I suppose I will." A recurring deal? He tipped his head to the side and thought about it for a second. If the first deal worked out and she didn't make him run through a bear infested forest covered in honey or something equally ridiculous, what could it hurt? At the very least he would be getting valuable information. But Iskra wasn't done. After she released her hostage and stepped away, the fire spirit elaborated on their deal further. As she talked Malleus carefully pulled up the agrimony she'd been standing over. It wasn't what he'd originally set his sights on, so instead of simply breaking the stem and taking it back with him to dry, he was going to try to save some of the root and see if he could grow it closer to home. Her deal sounded quite good to him. It was fair and it sounded like both parties would walk away satisfied. Malleus carefully set the newly uprooted plant down so he could speak. "Alright," he agreed. "That all sounds good to me. I would like to leave our deal open for future negotiations. A wanderer might be useful in more ways than simply plant gathering, but," he shrugged, "We should leave that discussion for another day." If she traveled a lot she could be useful in other ways. Tracking fugitives, spreading information...perhaps even spying if his confidence in her grew.

Positively tickled with herself for her idea, Iskra hoped she wouldn’t screw this up. She didn’t know why or how she came up with this deal, but now that she had she was pretty excited to see if it might be useful in the end. Never knew when it might be useful to call in a favor, after all! She did get into an awful lot of sticky situations, and he was tall, large, strong looking… maybe he could be backup? Oh, the possibilities! She’d outdone herself, truly. Naturally she did her best to keep any hint of her private thoughts from spreading to her expression, and anything that did show was overshadowed by her already mischievous nature.

Invested as she was in this deal of the ages(for her, at least), the woman found herself almost holding her breath as she awaited his response. To have a recurring deal with someone, that could be a heck of a trade. If it stood the test of time, well, she’d have herself a nifty little setup. What might come of it she couldn’t know, but that was half the thrill of setting this up on a whim!

Heartbeat quickened as she awaited his answer and- yes! Grinning wide as possible without straining something Iskra cried, ”Wonderful!” It was tempting to bounce around in a few lively circles, but she restrained herself and nodded, responding with a more controlled smile, ”Oh, absolutely. I’m sure I could do plenty to help you out. If I do well this time you can always give me different tasks the next time. I’m curious to see what you might cook up.” What would the titan propose when they saw one another again, supposing she did well in her herb gathering? It would be a hell of a surprise, surely.

Glancing at the plant he’d pulled up, Iskra contemplated her own lack of herbal knowledge. Maybe this would be a learning opportunity for her. The garden around them was wildly abundant with herbs of all kinds! Wandering towards one of the dilapidated stone ruins that stood nearby, Iskra glanced towards Malleus and asked, ”Now that we’re done with business, tell me, what did you come here looking for exactly? Maaybe I can help you find whatever it is.”

”Now that we’re done with business, tell me, what did you come here looking for exactly? Maaybe I can help you find whatever it is.” While he could appreciate her offer to help, in reality, he didn't need it to find this particular plant. He knew what he'd been looking for and where to find it before she'd crab walked across the field with him. It's why he'd been crab walking in the first place. But, that didn't mean he couldn't put Iskra to work. Perhaps a small test of her hunting abilities was in order. A demonstration to see just how well she could visualize what he described. He might send her on a hunt for specific plants. If so, she would have to be able to identify them by description alone. He quirked a brow at her. "Think you can find one unremarkable flowering plant in a field of flowering plants?" Careful not to allow his gaze to wander to the plant's location, he said, "It's called boneset. Each plant grows neatly on a single hairy stalk with long, pointed leaves...although because they like to grow very close together sometimes boneset plants look like a shrub. Their flowers are white, small and bundled together in neat little clumps."

At his question she would gasp with feigned shock, tossing her head to the side and huffing dramatically, "Oh, ye of little faith, I am plenty capable of such things." Was it true? Honestly, she wasn't actually sure! Lucky for Iskra she was quite capable of putting on an act she could make even herself believe in full after a bit. Her endless confidence in her ability to bullshit her way through life was basically how she'd gotten this far. What could go wrong?

The celestial lady would pause and listen carefully to his description, taking in each word and committing it to memory. When he was finished, she would spin away from him, getting right to work without another word. Okay, so she wasn't good with plants, like, at all, but how many could there even be? The answer was a friggin' ton but still she would wander carefully through the area with self-assured strides, eyeing each leafy thing she passed and comparing it to his descriptions. Once or twice she almost settled on a plant, but then after further inspection it didn't quite fit his description in one way or another so she moved on.

It was only when she was losing her nerve, standing in front of a patch of dandelions and considering admitting defeat that she would have her breakthrough. On impulse she whirled around, took several leaps with her eyes closed and- hey, what do ya know? Pointy leaves, one stalk, clumped white flowers... check! "Is this it?" she asked excitedly, gesturing to the plant she found by some stroke of luck. Sure finding it's place in the field was admittedly accidental, but she couldn't be faulted so long as she'd identified it correctly so there. Of course Iskra made a mental note to go learn the scents of some of these silly herbs so she didn't need to look via sight alone, cause that was more trouble than it was worth.

"I am plenty capable of such things." In a response to this, Malleus scoffed and made a face that suggested he wasn't convinced. The unspoken challenge was quite clear: prove it. Malleus watched her wordlessly as she wandered around the field. He was careful to keep his expression in check; if she was hoping he'd accidentally give the plant away with a careless look or visible excitement, she was mistaken. Finally she selected one and turned to look at him, eager for his approval. "Nope," he said firmly with a stony expression that suggested he was disappointed. After a few beats - just long enough to dampen her spirits - he grinned teasingly and nodded. "Yeah, that's it." He padded closer, intent on picking what he needed of it and adding it to the bundle he already had. "Not bad. Although there's a bundle right over there...." he motioned back to where he'd been standing. The plant grew no more than a few steps away.

She felt her stomach drop at the single word. The crestfallen expression turned to vexation in an instant when he revealed he was only messing with her. Her eyes narrowed and she wrinkled her muzzle, huffing. Trickery was her job, not his! Sticking her tongue out at him, she mumbled, "Not cool." under her breath.

The playful irritation increased tenfold when Iskra looked back to where he motioned. They'd been standing almost on top of it! Leaping towards him, her right front paw shot out in an attempt to push at his shoulder in an annoyed, but harmless manner. "Whatever, I'd've seen it if I was more... herby. Plants are strange and mysterious to me, you know." It was honestly a wonder she found any at all, not that she'd tell him that. All he needed to know was that she could find them. Eventually. That was more than enough information to leave him with to avoid ruining their fledgling agreement.

"So, whatchya gunna do now? Get more herbs? Or return home with your spoils?" Tagging along to see more of these silly green things miiight not be a bad idea. Of course, she did have places to be eventually. Luckily Iskra never described herself as exceptionally punctual.

Iskra's reaction was priceless. The whole journey from failure to annoyance to outrage played out across her face in seconds. When she leapt the space between them to poke him accusingly, Malleus couldn't take it any longer. He cracked up immediately, the laugh bursting from his lips like water from a dam. His expression playfully smug, he nudged her back; copying Iskra's move by poking her shoulder with a paw. "Sure you would have. Eventually. ...Maybe." "So, whatchya gunna do now? Get more herbs? Or return home with your spoils?" He shrugged noncommittally. "I got what I came here for." And then some. "But it seems a shame to leave so soon. This field is full of useful plants; surely I can find something else to take back with me." He smirked, then asked, "What about you? I'm sure you have fires to start somewhere or something. Off to create more mischief? Or do you have a home to return to?"

She rolled her eyes in the most exasperated way possible as he cackled away at her rollercoaster of emotion. Ohhh, soooo funny. The look on her face was pretty clear now: "Screw you, dude". Her mood did lighten a bit as he jabbed her back lightly. Her face was getting a damn work out today as the look she shot him turned playful once more, lips twisting into a smirk as she cooed, "Guess the only way to find out is to make you teach me, if you think you can stand a hopeless case like me." Probably more of a pain in the ass than she'd be worth, but the idea of exhausting the titan with her total lack of plant-hunting ability sounded hilarious. It might ruin her deal before it started buuut, the laugh might be worth it anyways.

"One trip is better than two, I suppose," she chimed in, snorting a bit at the idea of the massive wolf making dozens of trips to the area for one plant at a time. Might be better to do things efficiently.

Shrugging, Iskra giggled, "Don't go giving me ideas, now. Fire sounds pretty thrilling actually and I do like the occasional rush." Slightly more than occasional if we're being honest. "Nah," she sighed, "My obligations and ties are minimal, although who knows, maybe I will have a home soon enough. Long as I don't start too many fires in the meantime." The rosey woman winked, amused by the idea of burning stuff down just for the heck of it. No, she had a man to go see though and as fun as her interactions with Malleus had been she might need to get going soon.

Trotting away a few paces, she glanced back at Malleus with a flick of her tail and chirped, "I do have to go, actually, but this was fun. So maybe next time you see me I'll come bearing gifts."

-exit unless stopped-