Heloise followed after Fracture as she was led to the edge of the border. when he stopped, she did as well. though no foot was put over the new scent markings that made up the pack's land. her icy gaze hovered on the horizon and she had lifted her head to call for the king. it was only a matter of waiting now. two days had passed and like she said, she was coming here to give an answer to Acere. regardless of she had met Fracture or not, that had been the plan all along. it was difficult to describe how she felt in this moment. Heloise was giving up her freedom by agreeing to join here, after all. anxious was a close description, though the ivory woman did not let it show. her gaze was deadset on the pack's land, her eyes firm and unyielding. she waited for the new king to show himself after her call, though her head did swing to Fracture's form briefly. she settled for his support, and his want of her being in the pack itself. it would be good to have someone to rely on.

Fracture fell back as the ivory woman approached the border and called for the King. He suddenly felt very out of place at her side. What right did he have to bring a wolf to Winterfell's borders? Yes, Acere had been the first to invite her to stay with the pack, but it felt awkward to accompany her to her official meeting to join. Would the King think the dark male's presence was to vouch for her? Was he vouching for her? It was all very weird to Fracture, and he cleared his throat as the female's call drew to an end. "I am sure it will go well." He said, more to himself then to his companion. Eyeing the border, he wondered suddenly if he should be on the other side to represent his position as a Winterfell wolf. "Surely I am putting too much thought into this." He chided himself internally, settling four paws firmly into the grass beside Heloise as they waited the King's presence. "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

The first call at his new borders caused him to raise his head, the newly appointed king gazing towards where the call had come from. A feeling of familiarity tugged at him, and he realized it was Heloise. She had promised to show up within a couple of days with an answer to whether or not she decided to join. And he was glad to know that she had kept that promise, even if she didn't have to. He abandoned his exploration of the new lands he had claimed, and instead made a beeline for the snowy woman. He didn't want to appear overeager, after all, there was a 50/50 chance she might not join. He took a breath to calm his eager mind, and instead adopted a more neutral attitude as he loped towards the borders. He arrived within a few, short minutes, and was pleasantly surprised to find that one of his own members was at the border already. Though upon closer inspection, it seemed he had come with her. He quirked a brow, wondering if they had met recently or today, but by the looks of it..perhaps they had come together. He didn't know the male except by name, especially since he had yet to speak to anyone personally other than at their first meeting not too long ago. He had wanted to give everyone time to settle and adjust first, so when he approached the pair he dipped his head in greeting to the two. "Good to see you again, Heloise. I see you've met one of our members," He winked at the two, humor glinting in his eye. He was glad to see that Fracture was there, it showed him that he was likely to be an active part of the pack. He wondered then, did the male manage to convince Heloise? Or perhaps just accompanying her while she had been waiting for his arrival? speech action

Fracture assured her it would be fine, and she took his word for it. there was no reason this wouldn't go 'fine'. she had met Acere before and he offered her a spot; little sense would there be if the new king took back his word. Heloise didn't believe he would. he seemed a man of honor. there were worst packs she could join, surely. it was only a matter of time before she ran into the members of less honorable ones, after all. she didn't want Fracture to seem like he was more interested in the loner than possible for a pack wolf, so she kept her mouth shut until the king arrived. Heloise knew that pack wolves could sometimes be... iffy about their members chatting up to loners. she had no way of knowing if that was true for Winterfell; both men she had met tried to recruit her. she didn't want Fracture to start off on the wrong paw to his pack, either. though when the king did arrive, his expression and stance were welcoming. she felt her tail slowly sway behind her. "it is good to be seen, Acere" she glanced at Fracture "your man accompanied me to the border and kept me company." she would smile slightly, gifting the other man a good rapport. her pale eyes went to the king again. "I have come to say that I am joining Winterfell" her head dipped slowly to her new alpha "place me where you see fit."

The pair did not have to wait long before the King appeared, and Fracture lifted his head to take on a respectable pose once the ivory male came into view. He greeted Heloise by name, welcoming her and then mentioning Fracture with a wink? What did that mean? Black head spun to look at Heloise, then back at Acere. His face felt warm. No, no. Is that how this looked? Fracture shuffled uncomfortably, sidestepping a small distance away from the female and closer to Acere. "Your man accompanied me to the border and kept me company." That was not enough clarification, Heloise! And then she smiled at him. He spoke up quickly. "I found her wandering the red woods." Fracture said, a little desperately. "We talked about Winterfell for a time, and then came right here." A pause, then he continued hurriedly. "To join! She wanted to join so I brought her." "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

"it is good to be seen, Acere" Likewise, he thought. He always enjoyed the company of good people, and he had the feeling she was one such person. She went on to say that Fracture had been keeping her company, and his eyes quietly drifted to the darker male and watched with amusement as he practically blurt out what had really happened. He chuckled, head tilting slightly as his gaze lit with humor. "Is that so? Good work, it's nice to see you're out and about actively bringing others to the borders," His gaze shifted to Heloise then, a teasing grin parting his lips, "You managed to convince her better than I did," He teased, the joking tone clear in his expression. He knew Heloise had promised to come by with an answer, and he briefly wondered if talking to Fracture about the pack had anything to do with her decision to join. Whatever the case, she was here and ready. So now the matter was, where to place her? He didn't know what her skills were, where her strengths lied. That was perhaps the first thing he needed to know before he just threw her in a rank that turned out to be the wrong one. "Very well, what are your interests? I'd like to place you in a rank that you're comfortable with rather than say, something you won't like. I would hate to put you in a hunters rank if that's not your interest, for example." Of course, if she wasn't so sure yet about what rank she wanted, he'd probably place her in a common rank until she figured it out, much like the others. Though he intended to get everyone in proper ranks as quickly as possible. speech action

she wasn't sure why the dark coated man seemed uneasy about her words. her eyes drifted to him once more as Acere congratulated him, his own amusement clear. her head would softly tilt, not getting it but being too polite to ask. sometimes men were... in their own little world. best not to question it. "I was already going to join" Heloise confirmed her logic, oblivious to such things "Fracture was just kind enough to escort me to your border." she also confirmed Fracture's hurried words. the king would go on to ask, confirming her and the dark man's thoughts. he did not seem thrilled to place her or anyone in a position they were unsuited for. good. "I wish to defend borders and others in Winterfell" she'd go on to explain "I have skills in fighting, with tactical backing" in essence, she fought and was a good thinker. she was a tactician at the core with her meager bulk backing her up. "but I am not above marking borders or teaching others." Heloise wanted to get involved in Winterfell, and Acere was the only one that knew the ranks by heart. she trusted him to place her in a good position.

Acere made it sound like Fracture's recruitment was a good thing, and he was pleased to hear it. It was a good sign when the pack's higher ups trusted the commoners to bring in new talent. His embarrassment seemed to not register with Heloise and he was glad for it- while he didn't want anyone to get the wrong idea about them, he surely didn't want the female to think he was not friendly. She could be a strong ally and maybe one day a good friend. More heat came into his face at the thought, and his head shot downwards to stare at the ground until it passed. Heloise and Acere were discussing what role to place the she-wolf in, and Fracture didn't feel the need to interrupt them anyways. After Heloise said her part, Fracture cleared his throat and placed one paw forward over the border towards home. "I, uh.." He stammered uncharacteristically. Pausing, he centered himself to draw enough false-confidence with which to infuse his words. "Unless there is more I am needed for, this is where I should depart.. the border could use a check." Fracture looked to Heloise and then to Acere for confirmation that his presence was no longer necessary, unsure whether he was hoping for permission to depart or reason to stay. "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

He couldn't lie to himself, this whole thing with Fracture and Heloise amused him. While Ace could be oblivious to some things, it seemed he wasn't the only one. Where Fracture seemed to feel embarrassed about what was going on, it was going right over Heloise's head, but he'd make no mention of it and instead, decided to move things forward. Fracture was new, yes. But already he showed clear initiative, even if Heloise was already planning to join. It was a good start on his part, because that's the sort of thing he liked to see. At least he knew that wolves who would pull their weight had joined, and while still in the early stages of the packs development, Fracture was already earning his place.

When Heloise responded and explained what she wished to do, Ace thought for a moment. He still hadn't quite finalized everything rank wise, but he had an idea of where she could go rank wise for now. As for Fracture..."One moment, Fracture." This was the first time he had gotten the chance to speak to him one on one. Technically. He hadn't gotten the chance yet to speak to each member since he wanted to give them time to settle in. But now was a good a time as any.

Turning his attention back to Heloise, "If you don't mind, I'd like to place you in the rank of Squire. It's almost an in-training fighting rank, but I think we could try that out until I'm able to better assess your skills, if that's okay with you?" Of course, he would definitely place her where she deserved to be placed later. As well as Fracture. Speaking of which...he turned his gaze to him then, "And I have the same question for you. Where do your interests lie? I figure I can place you, too while you're here." Two birds with one stone.

Fracture seemed eager to go off on his own. Heloise's eyes turned to him as Acere addressed the dark wolf, a questioning tilt of her head given to the man. though it returned quickly to the new king as he gave her a rank. "I accept that title." for it sounded good enough to work up from the bottom. she didn't expect to be given a title pertaining to a high one. she could work like the rest to gain her footing in Winterfell. squire was a start. one she was eager to move out of. she had plenty of time to prove herself. Heloise knew that the titles were late given out by both men's explanations, so no surprise wore on her face as Acere tried to gift Fracture with the same one. she'd smile reassuringly at the dark man, wishing to see if he would take the rank or not. he certainly earned it from what she could tell, and there was also no telling to see how he'd rise too. "forgive me... my paws are weary from travel. where might I find a den?" she addressed Acere after he was done with the other wolf. "or rather, where is the camp?"

"One moment, Fracture." Came the King's reply, and Fracture's head dropped in defeat. He turned back towards the two, patiently waiting to hear what Acere might need from him. The titan was discussing where Heloise might fit within the pack, deciding that she'd receive the rank of Squire to begin with. Fracture nodded to himself as the conversation continued. There was no shame in being placed in an in-training rank, and from the look of the scars she bore Fracture believed she'd prove her worth quickly as a warrior. Then the King turned to him. "Where do your interests lie? I figure I can place you, too while you're here." The dark male lifted his head high as his alpha addressed him, brow furrowing slightly as he considered the question. "Your Grace," The title felt right and so far the King had not expressed that he disliked it. "My sole interest lies only with helping further our pack, there is no specific title I desire. My skills are strongest in combat, I'd be happy to remain with Heloise in the rank of Squire should you have me." He paused, collecting his thoughts and considering carefully the best way to word the rest of what he wanted to say. "However, I do strive to be the best I can be; I ask that upon a day for promotions that you'd consider me. I feel I am not suited to remain at the bottom of the barrel forever." Fracture gave the King a small smile, hoping that his request was not too bold. Heloise then asked where she might be able to settle, and Fracture turned to her. "The large structure in the distance - they call it a ship? - that's where I'm going to be staying, I think. When you find where you'd like to make your home, you can come find me for a spar." "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

Heloise was okay with accepting the title of Squire for now. He would need to assess her later, as well as Fracture with whatever he chose. When Fracture responded to his question, Acere listened quietly and was pleased to see how eager and humble the man was. He didn't want to sit in just the one rank, and he hoped Fracture would in fact, pursue higher goals. "Then you will be a Squire, as of today." He glanced between the two for a moment as he mulled over what Fracture had said, "I'd like to let the two of you know, as well as everyone else, that ambition and the drive to want to go further in the ranks is welcome. I am pleased to hear that you wish to pursue higher goals." He gave Fracture a respectful dip of his head before Heloise had spoken again. "Ah yes, I believe that concludes our business for now. Heloise, I'm sure you'll find suitable dens here in the Pines, or in the ship. Myself and several others reside primarily in the pines." Right...he figured that was all. He couldn't think of anything else at the moment to add, and he didn't want to hold them up if they were tired, either. "Right, well I hope you settle in well and should either of you need anything, don't hesitate to seek me out." He nodded to each of them before turning to head back in towards the pines.

-exit-

she was quiet as the dark man addressed the new king. it was none of her business what transpired so she patiently awaited her chance to speak. Fracture would turn to her, telling Heloise of the ship though her eyes glanced back to the pines. she would rather not be surrounded by steel walls and cold ground, though she did keep that bit to herself. "thank you. both of you... I will do my best." she eventually said, already making plans to head to the pines and find a place to rest. Acere left promptly after giving Fracture the title of a Squire too. she gave a congratulatory nod to him before slinking off further into Winterfell. she would call over her shoulder to Fracture. "I will seek you out once I'm settled." she gave a smile to him before disappearing further into the trees. / EXIT

The dark man nodded his response to the King, pleased for his confirmation that there was the ability to move up in ranks. He gave a gruff "Thank you," and bowed his head as the alpha turned back leave. It didn't take long for the ivory woman to follow suit, promising to seek him out once she'd settled. He watched the both of them walk away, and then turned away from the border back towards the woods to continue his scenic walk. It was good to meet Heloise and bring her to Winterfell's borders, but this time the brute hoped he'd be left alone to absorb the atmosphere of the red woods in peace. -exit- "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

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