The boy didn't make a peep as she poked and prodded at his wounds. Not that she wanted him to. It was simply surprising. She did notice his interest in her methods. He kept looking at what she was doing. "Do you have an interest in healing, Basilisk?" As she finished up the rest of the bandaging, she motioned for him to right himself. Dark ears flicked forward as she cleaned her paws of the blood and puss that she'd squeezed from his formerly dirty wound. "If you are interested, I could give you lessons. That's part of my position here. I teach healing and crafting." A word from Aslatiel had Iolaire speaking again. "I help craft armors for our warriors as well." With her paws clean, Iolaire sat upon the pile of furs opposite Basilisk. Asla sat in the grass, simply watching the pair. "Where do you come from, Basilisk?" Making casual conversation, Io was interested to know about this boy that her niece happened to scrounge up. "Speech"

He opened his mouth to cycle a sentence, paused when he realised 90% of it would only earn him a scolding, and tried again. Living here was going to cut a solid half of his vocabulary if he had to skip all the honorifics and fluff his previous masters had preened to. “I do, Miss Io” short and simple. No need to mention it as one of the class skills assigned to him, or his own belief that knowing would be an advantage to him. “Healing lessons would be very welcome, Miss Io” he confirmed as she offered them. Her mention of armour had him baffled. “I would be happy to assist” he assumed that what she was asking for was a second set of hands. Assuming Asla could spare him, he would be a second pair of paws wherever it was needed. Upon completion of her task, the healer settled across from him instead of leaving. Strange. When the next line of questioning began, alarm tingled up his veins. Hmm. “Elsewhere” he supplied with helpful innocence. "Speech"

It was good to know that he was interested in healing. Enhancing his skills in this area would serve them both. The gods knew that she fought enough and always ended up with scrapes and bruises. If he could not only fight with her but heal her as well.. then he was beyond valuable to the princess. As Io sat down and began questioning his past, Basilisk gave a cryptic answer. Asla answered for him. "Bas was traveling with a companion. She died and he was all alone. Now he's here as my guard." Asla looked up at the sky and made a thoughtful noise. "Thanks for your help Aunt Io. Bas will come to you when he's ready to learn about healing." She motioned for the big lad to follow her and, after kissing her aunts cheek, moved back towards the kill den. "You don't have to be so formal. Others will think it's strange." She didn't particularly care if he was formal, but if he was going to pretend to be something other than a slave, he would have to act the part. Dipping into the stores, Asla came back out with the haunch of a freshly killed deer. It looked like someone had already gone hunting that morning. "Fo eww" she said with her mouth full, intent on giving him the haunch to eat. He needed to regain his strength if he was to heal quickly. "Speech"

He was grateful that Aslatiel was pulling him away before he had to deal with any more prying questions. He dipped his head in passing thanks to the healer, and followed her away. Walking just a step behind her, he turned his head in her direction as she began to speak. “I will try to learn… your way.” He promised her, through part of him quaked at losing so much of his identity. She seemed eager to strip him to his bare bones and build him anew. He feared he would not recognise the wolf he must become under her careful guidance. Arriving at the packs stores, she wrangled a large haunch of deer. He salivated at the mere sight of it. She was giving all that meat to him? Incredible. He wasn’t going to look this gift horse in the mouth, he knew the importance of good food to heal. It was a treat not normally afforded to him. He bit in, and steadily reduced it to bone. “Lady Aslatiel, If you might forgive my ignorance, but… what exactly is my role to you? Beyond the visual role of guard.” he asked at last. The question he had dwelled on in the night, and had come no closer to answering himself. "Speech"

Basilisk tore into the meat as though he was starving. If he wanted more after that, she'd get him more. He could eat til he exploded if he wished. While he consumed the haunch, Asla gave herself a little grooming. She licked her forelegs like a cat, setting each fur straight. It was only when he questioned her that she brought her attention back to him. The young wolf tilted her head slightly, looking upwards towards the sky. The sun was behind her. No one wanted to be blinded by it if they had a choice. She was quiet for a long moment before saying, "Even though I'm a princess of the Armada, I'm a pretty lonely wolf." A little shrug was given. "You were alone. I was alone. You needed help. I needed someone. Seems like it was meant to be, eh?" Giving her paw another lick, she continued. "Yes, you're my guard, but you're also going to be my friend, Basilisk." She sorely needed friends. Even if he didn't want to be her friend, just knowing that he would always be there was good enough for now. "Speech"

His mouth opened, a piece of bloody meat slipping free. It was beyond the soaring heights of bad etiquette, but he was too stunned to care. She, a noble, rich blooded Princess, wanted him, a nobody slave, to be her friend? It went beyond incredulous, it was ludicrous. He could scarcely believe it, and he had heard it with his own two ears. He slowly closed his trap, lipped his lips and took a step forward, dipping his head to kiss her humble, beautiful foot. “You honour me beyond mortal ken. I am not worthy of such a place in your heart, as much as your beliefs seem to say otherwise.” He expected her to protest, and spoke faster. “Yet, beyond the restraints of my training, I want nothing more than to be as you wish. I will endeavour to fill this place in your heart, and give you the love of friendship that you deserve. My faith to you is absolute, and I will learn all you have to teach me of friendship.” he swore to her. "Speech"

The tenacity with which he spoke touched her. He kissed her paw and she was about to object but he continued to speak. He made promises and she smiled. Raising the same paw that he kissed, she patted one russet cheek lightly. "First rule of friendship. No more kissing my paws." She shot him a grin, small white teeth flashing for a moment. "I'll let you kiss my cheek though. Or my lips if you're feeling so incline." He was so fun to tease. Every time she said something outlandish, she could see his eyes bulge out of his head. Soon there would be steam coming from his ears. It was all too enjoyable. Her gaze became serious then. "Thank you." She left it at that. She could thank him for many things, but really, she was just glad that he was willing to be there. Aslatiel was odd. Her proclivity for bloodshed and gore set her apart from others. Sure, they were kind to her, but they kind of had to be. She was the princess; daughter to their warlord. She hoped that with time, Basilisk would be her friend because he wanted to be. Not because she was forcing him to. "Speech"

“Even if I enjoy the taste?” he teased, though his face stayed expressionless, leaving her to guess if he was serious or not. Ah! But her teasing won. Cunning devil that she was. His eyes widened in surprise at the audacity, but, not to be outdone, he leaned forward and peeked a kiss upon her lips. Gods, the audacity of it all. The heavens might strike him down this very moment, but he would die grabbing a taste of something for himself. She tasted exactly what he imagined kissing a star would be like. forbidden , glorious, and quick burning. He tried to keep off his expression how his stomach was doing flips and he thought he might puke from nerves. He imagined a Princess’s guard didn’t throw up for anything. He was a slave, a guard, and a friend. He did not know how to reconcile all those roles in his head, but he would find a way. He must. "Speech"

He kissed her. He actually kissed her of his own free will. Such big steps they were taking today. Asla hadn't realized it, but when he kissed her, her lids had drifted shut. She opened them again, though only half way, lest he see the desire there. Desire that she didn't know what to do with. To help herself with the situation, she resorted to humor. "Look at you. Leaps and bounds, Bas." She released a heavy sigh, but there was still a lazy smile on her maw. Also not to be outdone, Asla walked around Basilisk, sliding her side against his own as she curl around and ended up standing beside him with her head on his shoulder. "You're free to go anywhere you wish here. I just ask that you be back home by sundown. Learn what you wish from whomever you wish. I can train you in fighting myself. We can hunt together." Leaning up, she gave the man a kiss on the side of his muzzle. "Welcome home, Bas." This would truly be his home. She would see to it. "Speech"

What had he gotten himself into? He half expected her to smack him down for what he had done. Instead, she smiled, sounding for all the world as though she was proud of him. What was a poor slave to think? “Why face death half way” he muttered, more to himself then to her. Not that he was dead yet, at least, he didn’t think he was. It was still a matter of contention. He turned his eyes but not his head to follow her as she moved around him. Outside of his vision, and then leaning against him. “I wish only to be at your side, or bettering my abilities to serve you.” He promised, believing them more feverishly now then he ever had before. He would give this Mistress anything she wished, he would hand her his bleeding, still beating heart, if she asked it of him. Poetic fool that he was. She kissed the side of his muzzle, and he slowly blinked his eyes back open. This would all come crashing down on him soon, no doubt. A slave that had kissed a Princess. He wanted to groan at his own foolishness. He was supposed to be an empty vessel, but in only a day Asla had filled him to the brim, and he was overflowing with personality. Any other master would kill him for his fatal flaw "Speech"