It was a gorgeous afternoon. The sun was shining in a bright blue and the weather was warm. Strings of white clouds drifted lazily through the air and Valdís took the time to take a deep breath and relax. It had been a big decision for her to opt to set her ambitions aside in pursuit of a relationship but when it came down to it she realized what was the most important thing in her life. That was Ásvor. Especially, now that Valdís was getting older she wanted someone to grow old with far more than she wanted to be whipping young troops into shape. She rose to her paws and called out for Ásvor. It felt like it had been awhile since the pair of them had just hung out and done something fun. She wanted to reconnect with her lover. "Talk" "You" Think

Asvor had long since healed since the raid versus the band that had dared challenge Legion - now known as Fireside. They had won easily enough, with minimal injuries, and Asvor had been proud of all of their efforts. Not only that, but she felt strangely reinvigorated after her fight. How long had it been since she'd really fought? Honestly it'd been longer than she could recall, and it was good to know what she was capable of still, despite her age. Not that she was ancient, but... time wasn't exactly on her side these days. The harsh winter had reminded her of that, but the warmth of summer was helping loosen her joints and rid some of the fatigue from deep in her bones.

Valdis's company always helped that, though, more than anything. Already her mood was light as she wandered across the Range, returning from scouting Fireside's borders for the day in search of something else productive to occupy her time. Perhaps she could search for herbs? It was far from the most fruitful summer she'd ever experienced, but vegetation seemed to be returning to the lands - albeit a bit slow and delayed for so late in the season - but she was pleased with the regrowth. However, when her girlfriend's scent touched her nose, no doubt signalling her approach, all thoughts of plants and herbs seemed to fall away instantaneously. Asvor picked up her pace, twisting to turn in her direction and meet her in the middle.

Valdís grinned as she saw Ásvor come into sight. Her tail wagged lightly as she reached out to nuzzle the other woman. "Hello love, how are you doing? I was wondering if you wanted to spend the day together?" There was a thrilling freedom in not having extra duties to take care of. Sure, she had patrol but her shift wasn't til night fall and beyond that she felt they deserved a break. The pack had done well during the raid, beating back the raiders quickly and decisively. She'd been so proud of all her pack mates, including her girlfriend who fought valiantly against a fully armored opponent who had her outnumbered. Ásvor's bravery had been breath-taking, even if had worried her terribly. "Talk" "You" Think

Asvor's entire body seemed to lose any tension when Valdis came into sight, returning her smile easily. It was remarkably easy for the other woman to lighten up in her presence; she was hardly the same wolf she'd been when she'd met her, at least when it came to Valdis. Who knew love could change someone so completely? Asvor certainly never would've guessed it could. "I'm well. Glad to be resting," she admitted, finding no difficulty in admitting in her older age that she didn't necessarily want to be working hard all the time. She was just as content to spend some time Valdis, doing nothing at all, than she was in doing something much more productive - she'd earned it, as far as she was concerned.

"There's nothing I'd love more," she admitted, leaning to nuzzle Valdis's neck lightly. Her touch made her smile lift, her eyes sparkling with a hint of playfulness as she pulled back to get a better look at her. "What did you have in mind? Anything but a practice spar," Asvor teased, clearly joking despite her serious tones. She'd done more than enough fighting lately and wasn't going to be quick to jump back into honing her fighting skills, even if doing some practice soon would be beneficial to her.

Valdís chuckled at the mention of a practice spar. "Agreed!" While she was healing well she was ready for a break after the raid. There would be plenty of time to fight other battles. She grinned sheepishly. "I'll be honest I don't have any concrete plans, but I was thinking maybe we could go for a walk. Is there anything you need for your herb stores or your gods? I'd be more than happy to help." And most of all, conversation. Valdís just craved some time to talk with Ásvor. She'd been so busy with her training and of course the volcano hadn't helped matters. "I was also just kind of wondering more about your culture." She'd been quite young when separated from her family. Some of their customs she remembered but many she didn't. In particular she wondered if there were engagement customs among Ásvor's people, she just needed to figure out a way to ask. "Talk" "You" Think

Asvor had no doubt she could muster up the energy to fight if she needed to, but for now she was content to bask in some well-earned laziness. Regaining their strength was important, after all, in the event of another raid... and based on how they'd done, she had no doubt there might be more awaiting them in the future. Asvor looked forward to it, once they were rested and back to optimal strength. Not bothering to contain her idleness today, she let her forelimbs stretch out in front of her, releasing a long yawn as Valdis began to speak. "A walk and looking for some herbs sounds good. I'm not sure I need anything in particular but I don't mind seeing what's growing." Of all the choices leadership had made since she'd joined this pack, under whatever name and whatever leadership it was currently under, moving to the Range had been a solid one. Plenty of herbs and flowers grew here, more than enough to keep her busy for a lifetime, a far cry from the sparse growth in the barren northern lands.

Though she looked forward to a day spent with her, she hadn't expected the last thing she said. She wanted to know more about her culture? Once it had seemed so important to her, but as the years flew by - more quickly than she cared to admit - suddenly her family's culture seemed to matter less and less to her. Her younger self would've been disgusted at the thought, but now that she was older it was hard to even recall the sort of wolf she'd been back then. "What would you like to know?" Asvor started, as they began to walk together. "It's hard to pick out specifics, since it's all I've ever known. My mother always emphasized the importance of religion and our gods in everything. Even when she learned I was interested in herbs, she found a way to connect it to our gods. Worshiping them has always been ingrained in me." Whether or not she'd done that properly was a question even now she didn't know the answer to. She knew Valdis knew that they had similar backgrounds, based on their first ever meeting, even if Valdis had been separated from her family much earlier than Asvor had.

"Battle was something we were taught was important too," she added after a moment of thought. She knew Valdis felt similarly, though had never asked if she had the same beliefs regarding it. If anything, her girlfriend took fighting much more seriously than she ever had, which was something that had always attracted her to the fiery woman. "Dying in battle is a surefire way to go to Valhalla or to Fólkvangr. It's the greatest privilege." Perhaps even if she hadn't been the most devout or faithful to her gods, she could still achieve that kind of noble afterlife. She cast a curious glance at Valdis, wondered if she mirrored those beliefs, if that was part of what fueled her own passions.

Valdís smiled as Ásvor agreed to go on a walk with her. It was a lovely day and they couldn't have asked for better weather. "Yes, it's nice to see plant life growing here again. I look forward to the day that plant life covers over the scars the volcano left on these lands." There had been some small part of her that had secretly wondered if the plants ever would grow again. She found herself amazed at life's resiliency. She listened with rapt attention as Ásvor spoke and felt herself smiling at the emphasis on fighting. She nodded. "That sounds very similar to the beliefs of my family. There is no greater honor than dying in battle." Now how to ask about other aspects of her culture? Perhaps she should share some of her own? "Are there naming customs in your culture? What about weddings and funerals and that sort of thing?" "Talk" "You" Think

If anything, these lands had proved to be just as resilient as the wolves who grew here, which Asvor appreciated. She supposed that had been part of the reason Chaos had decided to settle in these lands. Asvor swore she could feel the history of this place beneath her very paws - she'd even seen a mound of dirt and rocks recently she could only presume was some kind of makeshift grave. "As do I," she responded, somewhat wistfully, as they began to walk together. Despite whatever tragedy or hardships befell them, Asvor had no doubt they were persevere just as the lands always did. She was a Finnvi, after all, and surviving against all odds was what they did. Her attention shifted to a cluster of flowers growing weakly against a stake that had no doubt once been a small fence.

Having Valdis listen so carefully to her words felt more intimate than nearly anything else they'd done before, somehow. Her culture and upbringing were important to her, even if Asvor felt she had strayed quite a bit from the kind of wolf she'd been as a child. "I'm not too familiar with my family's naming customs," she admitted. For a moment she reflected upon the circumstances of she and her siblings' birth; as far as her mother had told them, they'd been sired from Odin himself, and though she believed her mother's words she'd never quite admitted that out loud to anyone, even to Valdis. "And unfortunately I don't remember any weddings or funerals, though I'd imagine a funeral would be more a celebration of life than one of mourning. Depending on the circumstances of the death, I suppose," Asvor added thoughtfully. A child being taken too early was nothing to celebrate, but a grizzled warrior dying valiantly in battle? That required no tears, only celebration and admiration. "It's been a long time since I properly worshiped my gods and goddesses. I'm not even sure how I'd go about it anymore. I suppose living the best I can sometimes feel like worship enough."

Valdís listened intently as Ásvor spoke, learning what she could from the others words but ultimately not finding the answers she sought. Well, she did remember a few wedding customs from her family though not terribly many. It wasn't something she ever thought she'd need to worry about. She would need to make a wedding band for Ásvor when she proposed. In her culture they were bands that went around the right wrist and she'd need to get supplies gathered. While she worked on it it would give her plenty of time to consider preparations for a possible ceremony. That is if Ásvor said yes. Valdís didn't want to get too ahead of herself. Valdís nodded. "Yes, I suppose it would be. That's how I feel about mine though again I remember very little unfortunately." She grinned. "Ok, I swear I'm not trying to interrogate you but random question. What's your favorite color? Favorite animal?" "Talk" "You" Think

If Asvor was curious about why she'd mentioned weddings - or funerals, even - she made no real sign of it. It didn't feel strange to be barraged with questions from Valdis. Their connection was too deep, too strong, for her to really put too much thought into what they talked about... all sorts of conversation felt natural with her now. It was hard to imagine their talks drifting to something that caught her off-guard. There was nothing that had ever come up that they ever truly disagreed on; they had similar upbringings, similar beliefs and values, and Asvor truly believed that was why she'd ended up falling for her over their many years of preceding friendship.

But she did notice she was asking a lot of questions. Not enough to find it strange, but she noticed well enough. "You're full of questions today," she teased lightly, slowing her walk to lean over and touch her nose gently to Valdis's leg. The touch was brief before she turned her attention to a cluster of flowers that they passed. "Green," Asvor answered simply. The green hue of Valdis's eyes in particular, though that was a detail she decided against bringing up. Her devotion was obvious, at least in her eyes - the last nearly three years of her life had revolved around Valdis and building a life with her. "And I'm not sure. I suppose I'm quite fond of snakes - like my Jormungandr." She didn't always stay with her, but she enjoyed her company when she did. She was named after an important story her mother had once told her, and after her uncle's own snake companion.

Valdís grinned. "I can't help it! It feels like forever since we've had a chance to just relax and talk. First the raid, then the volcano, then the move. I never thought I'd say this but I'm just ready for life to slow down a little." Did this mean she was getting old? She didn't really consider herself old but she supposed she was starting to feel it a bit. She'd be turning seven next year and she wanted to enjoy life while she still had it rather than rushing from crisis to crisis. Valdís chuckled as Ásvor stated that her favorite color was green. It wasn't lost on the gray woman that her eyes were a rich emerald green. She could really say the same though in some ways. Ásvor's eyes were gorgeous and easily one of her favorite of Ásvor's features. "Talk" "You" Think