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She had been hanging around close by after the finale of the fight, eager to speak with Thor about how he thought it had all gone, but even after that her curiosity seemed incapable of being put to rest. The wolf her brother had fought had been monstrous, so large and intimidating that she had not found it in her to say even one single word to him both before and after the spar. She had wanted to - a whole list of remarks and questions had been on the tip of her tongue before she had arrived, but somehow she had forgotten every single one. There surely had to be a way to remedy that. Bera felt very much that she was missing an opportunity here by keeping quiet, and she was eager to make up for her earlier folly.

Rather than leave the festival right away, the brown pup had stuck close, drifting past the boundary that marked the edge of Ebony lands and into the Rock Garden. Her eyes, however, green and alert and searching, watched that border, seeking the large wolf Thor had faced in battle. She just had a few questions, just wanted to know a little about him, his technique, and any suggestions that he could give to an amateur fighter like her. Thor was a wonderful help, patient and praising and always ready to tell her and teach her what he knew. But here was the chance for another perspective, new insights that maybe her brother had not figured out yet, or maybe that he might not have thought to share with her. Whatever the case, Bera was an eager student, and she waited patiently to spy her unknowing teacher. And hopefully her voice would hold out this time.

For Kau the spar had been just another battle to participate in. The Festival, unlike what he had hoped, had not drawn in his attention as much as he had hoped. Had not granted that distraction he wanted, no, needed. But such was life, because things did not always go the way that one wanted. This festival he supposed was one such thing, regardless of the fight outcome. But Kau would linger on the edges of the festival, watching, observing the packs. He was not incredibly impressed, and felt a bitter disappointment to see that strength was not as high a priority here as hoped. As he had heard, though wished was not the case, spars here were... well... just that. They were not the battles the ex-heir had been taught to fight in. These were not his kinds of battles... his kinds of warriors. He thought that coming to Alacritis was the right decision but... had he been wrong?

Kau would pad alone, brooding and lost within his mind. His heart was constantly asking; "What now? Where do we head from here?" But Kau didn't have an answer. He was lost. Forsaken. His path now... which way did it lead? The massive male would shake his head, a frustrated growl leaving him. Dammit! Was he so lost without Avion at his beck and call? Perhaps Kau didn't realize it... but he was losing his touch was all he knew. Everything he thought he knew. He was falling into a chaos that would, someday, spell his downfall. A deep sigh would leave the brute, and he would lift purple hues to the sky. Part of his mind would wonder now about his past. He thought he was alone, both literally and figuratively. But that was not the case.
"Speech"

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The young girl surprisingly did not have to wait long. She had been watching closely, expectantly, wondering if luck would be with her and the one she sought would come her way, and after her thinly woven patience was beginning to fray she spotted him. He stood out easily, tall, well built, with a coat pattern that seemed almost patchwork. What was left of Bera's ears perked atop her head as her green gaze fixated on him, once again feeling that same sort of intimidated awe settling over her and inexplicably hiding her voice from her. No! This was no good! She needed to be brave, to be bold, if she wanted to ask him questions about fighting and strategy, and so, though she still felt a flutter of anxiety start somewhere in her stomach she made herself get to her paws and approach him.

He seemed even bigger and more intimidating up close than he had over the distance she had seen him from both previous times. The little stumps of her ears shifted nervously, and had the whole of her ears been present they would have been leaning back in betrayal of her worries. But the little brown Bearcub continued resolutely forward, a little glad that the large male seemed to be inwardly distracted. At least if he did not scowl at her right away she might be able to go through with her plan. The girl stopped only when she was close enough that she thought her voice might easily carry to him, and hesitated with a little shuffle of her forepaws before she made herself speak. "You sparred with Thor." It was not a question, merely a statement, a way for her to break the ice that gave herself something easy to say that she would be less likely to stumble over. Before her resolve could give out on her, she added, "He's my brother."

It was the approach of another that would catch his attention... Well, more-so once the girl was too close to him. Not an adult, no, but a small child. The girl with the tattered remains of where ears once lay on her head, who had been present during one of his spars at the festival. Kau would raise a brow, purple orbs settling on her as she spoke. He didn?t scowl, but he didn?t smile either, wearing a bit of a neutral expression as he regarded her quietly. Sparred with Thor... Ah yes... The opponent of the first round -- the brown male. Kau would have asked what that had to do with anything when the girl would add onto the statement. Her brother. Surprisingly a light smile tugged at Kau?s maw, and the male would settle his rear end upon the earth. Speaking of spars, especially with opponents he had considered more than worthy, was something he had little problem with.

?Ah yes... You watched that fight. A bit more quiet then, however.? Kau admittedly felt a little strange, not exactly having any experience with speaking with kids, though she could at least serve as a distraction. ?He?s well trained... A far better fighter than I was expecting to come across in these lands, to be honest with you. He is a brother you can be proud of, young lady.? Praise from the Kedieo was not a common thing at all, but shows of strength were something that would always get his attention and get recognition. Kau would tilt his head to the side, frowning for a moment. ?...What is it I can help you with though? You are free to ask questions, though there may be some I can not answer.? Or would not, depending on them.
"Speech"

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There was no scowl on the man's face as he listened to her address him, and for that Bera was grateful. He was intimidating enough without knowing that her presence was irksome to him, especially after witnessing the spar he and her brother had participated in together. To know what he was capable of, to have seen his strength and cunning first hand, as well as knowing that she could easily have been on the receiving end of it herself - after all, what might stop the burly male from turning those aggressions on something that bothered him? - would have melted away any self-confidence she possessed. But for now he was tolerant, studying her rather curiously, and she thought for the time being she might be safe.

The young brown girl was even more convinced of this when the male smiled - actually smiled - down at her when she spoke of her relation to his spar partner. Just a little her own expression began to draw upward at the corners and her lips pull into the semblance of a grin, her shifting paws shifted a little more as she wondered if she was interpreting his expression correctly. She must have as he willingly answered her statements with confirmation of his own, even going so far as to praise Thor for the fight he had given the patchwork male. He might have teased her a little about her quietness but she nearly puffed up her chest with pride for brother. She knew Thor was well trained and well versed in fighting, and she was indeed proud to have him as her teacher. In fact, after witnessing the spar he had went through, she was rather eager to grill him once they returned to the Prairie and ask him how he had done it, complete with demonstrations and an impromptu lesson.

To her surprise, the male tilted his head a little to the side and regarded her through a frown, but before her anxieties could rise overwhelmingly at the look he was offering to answer her questions. What remained of her ears twitched atop her head, and would have been perked forward in utter surprise had the rest still been present. He was willing to answer her questions! She had not even needed to ask him first! Her tail wagged behind her at her luck, though as she opened her mouth excitedly there was nothing there to speak. Oh, where did she even begin! Deciding to start simply, she spoke the first question her mind could grasp and offered it within a quiet, curious tone, "Do you train a lot?"

She seemed quite surprised. Kau resisted smirking at the response. Had he been such a force that she was really so intimidated by him? With a brother like hers he would have guessed the girl to be fearless. But he would not press the matter, instead going along with his initial thought of humoring her questions and answering. What could it hurt, really? It wasn?t as if he had a world of other things to do. No. By the light in her eyes he could guess she had a ton of questions within that mind of hers, but she would start with one quite simple. Ah... Training.

?Not as much as I used to, sad to say. It is harder to find partners that I feel can keep up with me here in this land. I haven?t been here too long, but it is very different from where I hail from... And when you are the son of an Empress, well, training is more of a daily agenda.? A bit of a hint at why he was so well versed in fighting as well. His smile would fade some, and he would add; ?While it is good to be knowledge in fighting it is not good to over train. It can eat at your brain... And turn you into more of a berserker than a warrior. One who lusts for blood when the battle begins.?
"Speech"

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The young girl's green eyes were wide and focused as she stared at the patchwork male, listening to everything that he had to tell her about his training and trying in a way to apply it to herself and her own practices. If she was ever going to get up to the standards that both this male and her brother fought with, then she needed to learn as much as she could so as to better her chances. Obviously not all opponents were going to be as huge as Kau was, but knowing how he worked, and how others like him might work, would likely give her an advantage if it ever came down to it.

The fact he did not train regularly was surprising to her, especially considering his skill she had watched him display. He seemed far too comfortable in that setting, far too ready to see things come to blows, to really justify having so little practice and finding so few partners to train with. But as he went on she started to think she understood. His training came from the place where he had been born, instilled in him from an early age and obviously it had stuck with him even now. Bera felt a little envious of him for it. She would have loved to have been trained in her old pack, her old home, but girls had never really been given that privilege, and those who did pursue it had always been treated unfairly for their deviation from the norm. But at least she was out of that setting now and free to pursue her interests without judgment.

He seemed to grow more serious a he went on to warn her about training too much, bringing to light a fact about it she had yet to consider. She might never have seen exactly what he spoke of - she had been expected to stay with her sisters rather than train with the boys - but Bera had her own ideas about it. She had seen Arnporr get angry and throw fits. Likely it followed along those same lines of getting so crazy mad you could hardly control yourself. "I wouldn't get like that," she promised, confident though she had never been tested in it. But she had always been really good at keeping her temper in check, of not allowing things to get to her the same way they did her sisters and make her act irrationally or in fright. She felt sure she was steady enough to bypass any blood lust or berserker state that Kau spoke of.

Her resolve was firm, and Kau would regard her quietly. Finally he would give a small nod. ?Of that I hope, young wolfess. Even a moment of weakness can lead to chaos. To war on a grand scale.? His mind was shifting, and Kau would shake his head. ?...I suggest that if you are just beginning with fighting to stick with a routine. Work on memorizing your defenses, and setting them as quickly as possible. Work on simply moving with them set, shifting your form. It is not so easy to do in the heat of battle unless practiced, and a flaw of leaving one defense left undone could cost you in a serious fight.? He would pause again, looking skyward.

?Though I can not help but wonder why you seek to do so. It is more of a male duty, to fight. I can understand learning to defend yourself, but you are not secretly a warmongering type, are you?? His words were half a tease, and half serious. Gaze would shift back to the young girl, wondering what her response to his question would be.
"Speech"

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He did not reflect her own certainty in her statement regarding being able to keep her head during a fight, but only hoped she was correct. Maybe that was only because he did not know her or what she was capable of. Of her siblings, she always considered herself the most grounded, the most stable. She did not anger the way Arnporr did, nor did she shy away from things as Eostre did. Bera was tough, capable, and ready to prove herself. And, to her benefit, he offered advice regarding her training, all of which she listened to very seriously and honestly considered.

She had actually felt a sort of quiet admiration regarding the male and everything the had been able to offer her so far, insights into his own practices and advice for her going into future training, but it faltered the second he mentioned fighting being a male's domain. Her vibrant green eyes stared at him in surprise for a second as his words settled into her mind, and indignation was quick on its heels. Expression falling into a defensive frown, what was left of Bera's ears shifted as if to settle them against her head in irritation. "That's not true! Girls can be just as good fighters as boys," she answered heatedly, reminded very suddenly of the home she had left, the beliefs she thought were far behind her. How disappointing it was for those outdated ideals to still be lurking here as well.

No, she was no warmonger, but neither was she one to sit back and play the meek little woman part when she knew what she could accomplish otherwise. Feeling her face color beneath her brown fur, Bera tried to keep her cool while still speaking of a subject she felt very passionately about. "My old pack believed that too, and I'm going to prove them wrong." Her voice was restrained, low, her statement as much a promise as it was a proclamation. Somehow she was going to make it happen.

Her heated response told Kau he didn't deliver his opinion quite the way he meant for it to be taken. Yet her response was one that made him feel... something spark within. Kau's gaze would soften, and he would give a small nod. "I am afraid that you misunderstand me, my dear. I do not mean to imply that female wolves can not fight... merely that where I was raised it was more uncommon. It was not frowned upon, however. You are of the build a female would asked to join the ranks of warriors. You have promise, little one, to prove your old pack long. Don't lose that fire."

What was this... that made him favor her? That boldness... that will to try and overcome. Did she... remind him of someone? Kau would close his eyes. "Don't give up." It was then that he remembered. An old face... one that he lost. The night he truly broke. He would open his eyes again, flashing a small smile. "What is your name?" He assumed Bear-Cub, what Thor had called her, was more of a nickname. No... Kau wanted to know this young femme for who she was... and perhaps... help her achieve her goals.
"Speech"

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With her temper still heated, Bera resisted the urge not to simply walk off and finish the conversation she had been adamant about starting. She was disappointed by what Kau had told her, about thinking that he might be nothing more than like those others she had left behind in her old pack, those of her family who believed her place was nowhere within the fighter's circle. But as Kau went on to explain himself, it seemed he had been raised under similar circumstances, though at least in his case it was still allowed. Even so, he was encouraging, even said she had promise in her cause! Maybe he was not so narrow-minded as her family had been after all.

Feeling her temper cool and her irritation dissipate as quickly as it had come upon her, Bera was glad that things had been explained and she had not marched away before it could be done. She would have missed out on much otherwise, or at least any other advice that Kau might have been willing to give her for her future endeavors. To show that she did not feel anymore animosity toward him for his previous statement, she answered his request for her name calmly and with an answering smile to the one he offered her. "I'm Bera," she stated, proudly lifting her ear-less head as her green eyes stared up at the patchwork male, "fighter-in-training and sister to Thor. And, someday, a great warrior, too!"