break me like a promise The time had finally come to say goodbye to Valhalla and the festival. Theory had overstayed by a few days, planning with Aurielle for the coming seasons. Just the idea of a festival of her very own made her feel a little bit more adult. More in control. She'd even shared a drink with a few wolves before leaving, which was out of character for the strait-laced Abavenite. Ever since she'd seen Shaye toddering on her feet from liquor it hadn't seemed very appealing. But now, as she loped back towards home just pleasantly tipsy and getting drunker, she had begun to see a different side. Her body felt loose and good in a way that she'd never felt before. Even a good nap and stretch didn't quite compete with this stupendous languor. Mmm. It was good. She picked her way carefully down the steep side of a ravine. Springtime rains had caused an raucous amount of growth, particularly at the bottom of this slope. Flowers bloomed everywhere and the evening air was sweet-smelling from all the competing scents. Theory's short tail wagged and her eyelids slid slowly down until she was blissfully half-lidded. She paused for a moment to appreciate the quiet beauty at the bottom of the gully. Everywhere she looked there were more colors. This is going to be a good year, she thought. "theory speaks!"

╔══════════════╗



╚══════════════╝

Thalia hadn't spent very long at the festival. Even going had been a stretch for her, but she'd forced herself to be semi-social in an attempt to get her name out there. She wanted her name to be known - not personally, but she wanted to be known as an Abraxas. Someone strong and capable, someone who might be deemed necessary by some wolves. It wasn't something that would happen immediately, she was well aware of that, but she knew she had to get herself out there, to learn, to meet new wolves and to grow because of it. The Abraxas influence would deepen across this continent and beyond, she had already made that her life's purpose.

The festival was no doubt concluded by now, but she wanted to survey the area to see if any wolves remained. Interacting in group settings wasn't easy for her, and she wondered if there were any stragglers who might be inclined to chat. About what? Well... she'd figure that out then, she supposed. Thinking on her feet was also something completely foreign for her, but if that was what she'd have to do, so be it. As she wandered near the edge of the ravine, not quite heading north toward the festival grounds - the best route, at least for her, wasn't directly through the desert but rather around it - she was surprised to catch a hint of Theory's scent. Not that picking her scent out was terribly hard; it was strange, the way she picked it out so easily, like it was something woven deep into her subconscious. She felt her body react to the smell before she even registered it, her heart beating a hair faster, her nostrils flaring as she grabbed hold of it and refused to let it go.

The scent was fresh enough, which meant she must be close. Thalia wasn't sure how long she followed her scent around the edge of the little gulley - but before long she spotted her, down at the bottom of the luscious cut of earth. She headed down in her direction, wondering how long it would take for her to notice her presence. "Surprised you're not home yet," she observed out loud, her form of a greeting, watching her with vague amusement. Something seemed off about the way she was moving, though not in the way that suggested anything was wrong.

break me like a promise She turned - although it was more of a lurch, really - at the sound of Thalia's voice. Theory was soft and pliable from the alcohol; everything felt and looked just a little bit brighter. "Hey there, Thalia," she called, her tone warm and jovial. It was less restrained than she usually was around her. With little thought, Theory bounded up towards her with her short tail wagging. "I was just taking my time heading there. Aurielle talked my ear off. She's lovely, yeah? Motherhood suits her." The pearlescent alpha had a matronly way about her. Theo wouldn't be surprised if she'd be content to whelp season after season. Not that that was a bad thing, really. She just couldn't imagine it for herself. She sighed pleasantly and stepped closer, pressing her cheek against Thalia's with undue familiarity. Well, perhaps not. The two young females were quite well acquainted at this point. In fact, if pressed, Theory would call Thalia among her closest friends outside Abaven. Strange how life worked. Once the Abraxas had ruled them, and now... well, now she felt her heartbeat quicken and then settle into a staccato beat at just the sight of this particular godling. "Why did you attend the festival? Spreading the word of god?" Theory murmured directly into her ear. "theory speaks!"

╔══════════════╗



╚══════════════╝

There was always an air of tension between them, even when they were literally laying curled against one another - recalling that particular memory made her feel uncomfortably tingly all over, from the tips of her ears right down to her toes. This evening, though, it seemed like that tension had been jerked away, at least from Theory's end. Thalia didn't feel quite so light. Her friend's presence always made her feel even more self-conscious than usual, and made her inevitably wish there was a way to turn off her brain, or at the very least made it move less rapidly. "Yeah, definitely," Thalia replied a bit too blankly. Thalia had no opinion either way about the woman, nor her children. But any thoughts of the woman who'd held the festival faded away at the speed of light as Theory leaned to touch her cheek, feeling the breath catch audibly in her throat.

She spoke lowly against her ear, the sound so close and so intimate that it made her stomach turn. She wasn't mocking her, was she? There was something uncomfortably light about the way she spoke that made it hard to interpret for Thalia. She always spoke about her God with an air of seriousness that it was hard to imagine Theory poking fun at her, unless she was trying to agitate her, which somehow was hard for her to picture. Their last meeting, aside from the festival, had been.. different. They'd gotten closer than she'd ever gotten to anyone then - in both the physical and emotional sense of the word - and now she wasn't quite sure what to think. It was impossible for her to not analyze every syllable she spoke, and while she desperately wish she knew the inner workings of Theory's mind, she knew such a thing was impossible.

"No," Thalia answered carefully, though instinctively pressed herself closer to Theory. "I know the wolves in these land are... generally nonbelievers." Finding those who could integrate into Aerie was one thing, but finding those who could truly be converted was another entirely. Her mother had been an obvious exception, and she hoped - though she was initially a mortal - that her service to God and the Empire had granted her a place alongside her father, whether they might be now. "I just wanted to.. see what was going on. I was curious." That was a bit of an understatement, but it mostly encompassed her actual reasoning for attending. "Festivals like that aren't really my thing," she explained quietly after a moment. Crowds and games and celebrations didn't do much of anything for her, though observing everyone in the process had definitely made the trip worthwhile. She'd ask why Theory had attended, but it seemed obvious to her, given her status as alpha.

"Aw, Thal," she cooed, flattening her ears against her skull and pressing her cheek even closer to hers. "Festivals not your thing? C'mon, even gods have to have fun sometime." Theory chuckled and rolled her shoulders in a carefree shrug. What did a god do to have fun, anyway? When you had all the power in the world how did you cut loose? "What do gods do to enjoy themselves?" She withdrew slightly and sat down, a curious look upon her face. Theo was drunk and childlike, flitting from thought to thought without much regard for those around her. "I mean, I guess toying with mortals might be fun for some," she laughed. "Is that what our friendship is? A game to you?" Suddenly she was somber, thinking very, very hard about what she'd just said. "Gosh, I hope not..." Games were things like foot races and hide and seek, not whatever this was. This was different. This was special.

"This isn't a game, right?" she asked again, a little bit louder now. Theo's brow furrowed and she looked to Thalia for reassurance. Had she been wrong all this time? Was she just another silly mortal caught in the Abraxas web? "I mean - things are d-different now. You're Aerie. We could be - things could be different. Boreas doesn't lie between us any more." What was she even saying? Theo stopped before she tripped over her tongue any longer, but couldn't help but mutter a few last words: 'I mean, we're closer. Like. Distance-wise."

But I am not a god, she wanted for a moment to argue, but that wasn't quite true. The Abraxas blood were descended from the Fallen God, and eventually their family would ascend to his heavenly plane, so long as they did right by Him. But Theory wasn't really thinking properly right now, was she? Her words were almost flippant in a way that surprised her. But there was something peculiar about the way she was moving, and speaking, and... what was that smell on her breath that Thalia caught a whiff of? Tilted her head toward her, she inhaled sharply before twisting away slightly. It was suddenly difficult to make sense of her words and what she was trying to imply, even more so than usual. Was she accusing her of playing games with her?

"Are you drunk?" Thalia asked after a long pause, finally catching on to why she was acting so strangely. There were so many things she wanted to say in response to her questioning. This was certainly not a game to her - Thalia didn't play games, not in the way Theory was implying. What she did do, though, was act according to what was required of her by her God and by her family... usually. Theory was an odd exception; somehow the female had wormed her way into her guarded little heart, far more than anyone else. "What do you want to be different?" There were too many thoughts and words to wrap her head around. She needed Theory to be straight forward, or at least as straight forward as she could aim to be in her current scenario. Warily she allowed herself to recline, acutely aware of the little distance that separated them and how badly she wanted to move even closer, but she needed clarification first.