Shit!  Beru could feel his blood run cold as an actual giant came hulking his way over to the pair.  He nodded and peacefully obliged as the towering and quite menacing figure apprehended him.  Maybe if they just cooperated and minded their manners they could get this over with without inducing further trouble.

"S-Sorry, sir.  My bird only knows two words, stupid and thief.  He uh --"
"Stupid" The bird interrupted, snatching the remaining deer meat from the yearling.  Beru scowled.
"I-- Sorry.. I think he just got excited that I had food on me. I didn't steal anything, I s-swear." He looked at the older male with wide eyes.  Man, he felt like such a baby. "A-And Kite was just there, she didn't do anything wrong either, so uh.. So don't be mad at her, please." he didn't want the princess to get into trouble because he was dumb enough to intentionally bring his stupid bird to the marketplace, knowing all too well that when the raven decided to speak it never did him any good.

”Speech”  ’Thought’

Start carvin' darlin'

Thief! Thief! Thief! Kyanite’s side hurt from the effort to keep her laughter on the inside. She let in a few shuddered breaths. Oh my. She needed to find out what Walpurgis’ favourite food was and supply him some. If she could train him to play shenanigans on Beru, he was worth his weight in gold.

Oops, she could see Basilisk making his way over, and she tried to put on her most innocent face “It’s fi--” She started to say when he scowled at her and grabbed Beru with a giant’s paw. “Hey!” She said, before they were both whisked away to a small antichamber.

When Beru started defending her, she felt her ears fold back. Feeling of remorse flooding in. “It’s true! His bird only knows two words. He purchased everything, I swear!” She told Basilisk.

"Speech"

Basilisk looked from one yearling to the other. He hadn’t ever been that young, right? Foolish pups. He shook his head at them, maintaining his scowl. “You took your bird, who’s only words are ‘thief’ and ‘stupid’ into the market of a pack made for war. That’s what your telling me?” He asked Beru. He flicked his ear at Kyanite as she tried to defend her friend.

“Kyanite is one of the youngest daughters of our Warlord, she’s half blind and her mother passed away only a few seasons ago. If you’ve come to make mischief, you’re going to have a very, very bad time.” His voice slipped into a low growl as he spoke, his eyes only for the strange male. On the inside, he was grinning. If only his dad could see him now. See? He took his duties seriously.


"Speech"

'

"I, uh... Yes."  Beru answered the horrifying giant in a tone so soft it was barely audible, incapable of looking him in the eyes.  Think before you do, another thing to add to that stupid to-do list of his.  The only thing stopping him from crying was quite literally the fact that his ego couldn't take Kite seeing him that weak, but Gods knew if he were alone with the male right now he'd be a blubbering idiot.

"I'm not, I swear!"  The yearling said almost too eagerly.  He had to fight back the sudden urge to get defensive.  He wasn't happy with what the stranger had just implied, or the words he'd spoken in general.  So what if she was half-blind?  So far the princess had been capable enough to do everything Beru could do. Kite was strong.  She could handle herself, she didn't need this bozo for that.  She was perfectly capable of kicking Beru's ass herself if he stepped out of line.  And that part about her mother.. The fae had managed to avoid talking about it the night before and now he knew exactly why. Poor Kite.  He couldn't imagine losing his mother.  Bite your tongue, Beru.  This isn't your home and you don't stand a chance against this guy.

"I'm really sorry..." the yearling bowed.


”Speech”  ’Thought’

Start carvin' darlin'

“Basilisk!” She snapped. Suddenly, there was nothing even remotely funny about this situation. He couldn’t just go… airing her personal business like that! And calling her weak for her blindness was cruel. Her chin jutted out as she glared at him. Maybe she needed to teach Azure’s son a lesson. Clearly, he took a little too much after his dad.

She didn’t look at Beru. She couldn’t. She was afraid of the pity she might see on his face. She felt flushed and angry. “Nothing was stolen, the vendors will vouch for that. can we go now?” She asked him, her voice icy. If he said no, she swore she was going to challenge him here and now. See who he was calling half blind then.

"Speech"

Beru was unfailingly polite. Basilisk soaked in the obedience for a moment, only to hear in Kite’s voice that she was going to give him grief. He debated putting her in his place… but ultimately, he knew Sirius would not think well of him for it. Keep it professional.

“Very well, I’ll be checking with the vendors. Give me your name, and I have your scent now. If anything is amiss, I’ll find you” He warned Beru. Holding his stare to the younger wolf for a couple beats before finally inclinding his head. “You can go, and don’t bring your bird back to the market.” He warned.


"Speech"

'

Beru took a small, involuntary step back as Kite snapped at this Basilisk individual.  Related or not, the yearling thought this act alone was proof enough the princess was more than meets the eye when it came to strength.  She asked him if they could leave, though it teetered on a demand, and the stranger granted them permission, but not before asking Beru for his name.  

"Tsubaki, sir."  Beru responded, though he wasn't sure if the lie was due to panic or a rare moment of brilliance.  If he and Kite were going to potentially be on the run soon it'd be better this guy didn't know his name in the long run.  Here's hoping the fae would be able to catch on quick enough. "And I'll get him out right now, I swear!" He swiveled toward the princess and desperately looked at her to leave.


”Speech”  ’Thought’

Start carvin' darlin'

“Come on, Tsubaki, we’re leaving.” She snapped. She pushed Beru with her shoulder and together, they fled the guard room. Leaving Basilisk behind, and she was relieved when the taller brute made no move to stop them. Shaking her head, and almost vibrating with rage, they dodged through the venues and she shoved her blindfold down as they neared the cave exit. She let out a few sharp breaths, and then she could taste the difference in air. They were out.

“The nerve of him!” She growled, before shaking her head again and a small smile peeked through. Sunlight over the storm clouds. ‘You were brilliant, though. Tsubaki? genius.” She complimented him. She wouldn’t have thought of that, and hopefully it would help her dad chase his tail later!


"Speech"

'

Once the pair were safe and a distance enough away from everything that had just transpired Beru let out a sigh that felt almost like breathing for the very first time and then turned to face the sapphire fae.  "Potato was actually the first name to come to mind.  Glad I switched to something else, he probably wouldn't have believed me." He allowed himself to laugh, which actually assisted in depleting some of that built up adrenaline he now had coursing through his veins. Giving the name of his brother wouldn't have helped them in the grand scheme of things anyways since as far as Beru knew his brother still lived back home. He wasn't sure where the name Tsubaki came from. "Kite, what are they feeding that guy?! He's huge!"

”Speech”  ’Thought’

Start carvin' darlin'

“Your right, Potato sounds fake. You sure that you have a brother called Potato? Or is he as fake as his extra limbs” She teased for the sake of teasing. For something to say, because it was better than storming back in there and challenging Basilisk. He was bigger, older, and heir. But damn she wanted to see if she could take him down a notch.

“He’s always been like that, he’s just… big. He’s Azure’s son.” She explained, sighing as she rubbed at the material over her eyes. It was still early afternoon, they hadn’t burned much of the day. “I’m sorry, you didn’t even get to see my favourite part of the market - or Ruga’s stand” She said apologetically. She wasn’t sure it was a good idea for them to sneak back in there.

"Speech"

'

"Trust me, I wish I was kidding."  He chuckled.  From time to time Beru wondered if there was a specific reason his parents named Tate the way they did when everyone else got such lovely names, but knowing his mom it was probably just something along the lines of she got sick of coming up with good ones and Potato was the next thing to pop into her head or something. Unless there was a cool story about Grandma Morg having to do with the vegetable, which he supposed was also a possibility.

"Ah, that makes sense then." That air of great importance attitude of his that Beru thought he saw just about lined up with the way he'd thought Azure would act.  Apple doesn't fall too far from the tree. "So, is he better or worse than his dad?"  Beru was willing to bet he already knew the answer, but he didn't want to imagine what worse might look like. Hard to believe he was just naturally that huge though.  The yearling wondered if they had a secret well of water that made wolves big and buff back in Armada that Kite just couldn't tell him about.

”Speech”  ’Thought’

Start carvin' darlin'

Poor Potato, and here she thought she had it rough. She wondered if she would be meeting the guy some day, and how weird it would be to put a face to the name and stories. No doubt he wouldn’t have enough limbs to live up to the expectations.

“Better, definitely better” She said glumly. Bloody Azure. She wondered if it was the truth, or if her experiences were clouding her judgement. She hadn’t interacted much with Basilisk. If she had, would she discover him to be just as judgmental and cruel as his father?

”I’m just sad I didn’t get to show you the menagerie” She said, and he had wanted to see Ruga’s stall. He didn’t know it, but it was all her fault. “If you like, I can still find a way to introduce you to Ruga?”


"Speech"

'

He let out a hum of disappointment as the fae said what he'd already figured.  Earlier there had been a small piece of him that had contemplated trying to join the ranks of Armada just to stay close to the princess, but if some of the members ranked from Basilisk to much worse?  Well, he was now much more than just content with the idea of leaving and taking Kite with him.  Tojo-Kai could be strict in some regard, and Hanzō definitely wasn't a wolf you wanted for an enemy, but overall he thought she'd be able to find more peace living within the bamboo.  They both would.. Together.  The thought made the god of blushing do what he did best.

"I'll take a raincheck on Ruga for now."  He shrugged.  Beru really did want to meet the wolf, but until everything was figured out maybe it'd be best not to allow other wolves living around here to become too familiar with his appearance and scent. Basilisk kind of shook him a little in that regard. "Describe the menagerie for me so I know what I missed." He smiled.  If it were a place she really wanted to show him then he especially regretted the way things had gone down.  The menagerie was probably amazing.

”Speech”  ’Thought’

Start carvin' darlin'

“Alright.” She agreed, but if he changed his mind, she’d introduce him to Ruga in a heartbeat. She knew she probably ought to come clean. Her harmless little prank had blown out of control. Just like her attempt at pretending she could read the future. She couldn’t deny how anxious she felt. How mad would Beru be? When she had pretended to read his future and then told him the truth, he had threatened to leave. That had been kind of sad at the time. Now it would be devastating.

“Well, The menagerie is where a lot of Armada wolves get their companions from. It's a mix of breed, captured, or injured critters that had been taken in and healed. From there, they become companions” She explained to him. There were some interesting critters among them, and she thought he might have liked to see them. “Ranger was one of the birds that had been found injured, and instead of eating him someone hauled him back and patched him up.”

"Speech"

'

Beru's eyes lit up at the description of the menagerie.  He definitely understood why that would be her favorite part of the marketplace.  "That sounds amazing!"  He tried to avoid visibly showing any disappointment, though it was admittedly a tough feat.  The yearling would have absolutely loved to see what kind of creatures they had in there, maybe even purchase one for himself.  You know, a friend for Walpurgis or whatever.  

He was going to have to have a talk with the elder members of his pack when he got home about opening up a marketplace of their own so he wouldn't have to feel bad about missing out on the coolest part of the one he'd been to today. Though that probably wouldn't align with Tojo-Kai's goals of remaining a secret organization.. Damn.

”Speech”  ’Thought’

Start carvin' darlin'

He didn’t fully hide his disappointment, she could hear it in his voice even if she couldn’t see his face right now. Or maybe she was just getting really good at reading people's emotions in their voice. In his voice. She felt her muzzle start to lift. Stubborn till the end. She reached out a paw and touched it over his own. “We could… go back, tomorrow, when someone else is on shift…” She suggested. It was a risk, but she didn’t want him to miss out. Just because of her. It had just been a silly joke. She didn’t even know Walpurgis would understand her.

But she’d told him to, and it happened. It was her fault. “Beru… there's something I need to tell you” She said, scuffing a paw and wishing she could see his face. Man, daytime sucked. “I… I told Walpurgis to say that.”


"Speech"

Beru shook his head, though the fae would have no way of knowing that. "Nah, don't worry about it." The temptation was definitely there, but he wasn't sure if it was a risk he was willing to take, or that the next person on guard duty would be any less frightening if things somehow went south again.  He didn't want to get in anymore trouble, and even more than that he didn't want to add additional stress to Kite's life. She needed to stay in her father's good graces right now so she'd be able to travel to the Hallows, right?  He'd be responsible today and fight that nagging piece of him begging him to go back in and check it out.

His heart dropped at the fae's words and sudden shift in atmosphere and he prepared for the worst, whatever that was going to mean.  Never has that sentence left someone's mouth in that tone and something good come out of it. He nervously rubbed his arm with his free paw.

She.. Told Walpurgis to say that?  For a second all Beru could do was blink at the fae.  "You.. Did? ..Why?" Had she wanted all of that to happen?  He couldn't understand it.

”Speech”  ’Thought’

I keep dreaming of prairies and memories that we'll have.

She felt Lioness at her paws, and reached out for the sensation. The world always seemed so much smaller when she couldn’t see. She knew, only because of Lioness, that no one else was in hearing. That didn’t make the words any easier to say. She regretted it, she regretted seeing Beru’s fear - though his clever name swap had made her proud.

She shuffled her paws at his answer. Hearing the confusion in his voice, her head tilted downwards. Shame flooded her. “I don’t know. I didn’t even know if he understood me. I guess… I thought it would be funny. Now I’ve got us kicked out of the Market, I ruined everything ” She said hotly, anger surfacing again. At Basilisk, at herself

”Speech”  ’Thought’

I keep dreaming of prairies and memories that we'll have.

He wanted to be angry, and maybe he even would have been had she not beaten him to the punch.  Her tone made it evident that she was upset with herself, and something about that made Beru want to get closer to her, to comfort her rather than lash out and say something he'd regret later like he'd always been prone to do.  The yearling took a deep breath and tried his best to exude an aura of calmness before reaching out to place one of his paws on her own.  "It's okay.." He spoke the words to the princess, though at this point in time they were actually meant to convince the both of them.

"Without you I never would have seen the market to begin with, and nothing bad happened in the end so... It's okay."  One more deep breath and a sense of pride took over any bit of anger that might have tried to sneak its way into his emotions.  Beru had never felt so mature before.  Was this what growing up felt like or were these responsible actions reserved strictly for Kite?

”Speech”  ’Thought’

I keep dreaming of prairies and memories that we'll have.

"Is it?" She asked in surprise, feeling so much frustration for her disability right now. She just wanted a chance to see what expression was on Beru's face right now. Despite what hw said, she knew she had stuffed up. She probably needed to be more… mature, or something, now. Otherwise his pack might not take her seriously, and neither would Briar. She sighed softly, and listened to his voice as he spoke again.

"That's true…I guess, but it doaent excuse it." She said, and then an idea struck her. She held her body still and lifted her head to keep from quivering from exciting. "Maybe I can't bring you to the menagerie, but I can bring it to you. What if I purchased you a companion from thr market!?" She suggested, her voice rising.