Sleep was a dream that Poser hadn't gotten to live peacefully in... well, in too long. Far too long. Dreamless sleep was the best thing for him, but his mind was far too busy. Too busy, too strange. Nightmares. Hell, he'd been living a nightmare of his own design. At least he was back home. Auster had welcomed him so warmly, the familiarity settling into his system in such a way that couldn't be argued with. Why had he waited so long to return? It was his only regret. The night was dark, settled around his shoulders and swallowing his dark coat whole. Seamlessly, he blends into the night, a careful jog carrying him ever closer to the runestones. They were strange, but he'd never minded that much. Strange and beautiful, terrible and wonderful. A source of closeness to his people... to the other gods... wherever they happened to be. It carried his mind away, if slightly. Where had they all gone? As he arrived at the runestones, Poser's eyes were peeled for something, anything to help bring him closer to rest. Closer to sleep. Closer to dreamless nights and comfort. At this point, he'd know it when he saw it. your charged touch poser breathy way of saying my name

Kahaia left the herb picking with a newfound confidence. A little more determination to get this healing skill down pat. She had spent the next day in search of someone to teach her more about healing. Someone that might just jog her memory. The plan was to find a pack, but she'd had no luck picking up on the scent of one. Had no one claimed territory in Auster? What a shame, that only meant the place was free land to roam.

An exciting thought she could celebrate about later, as she approached the Runestones, she saw another wolf. Or... was it? It didn't smell or look very much like a wolf. Now that she really got a good look at it, it looked like a dog? It kinda smelled like a dog too? She'd never seen one before though, so she was likely wrong. Girl wasn't going to go assuming and hurting peoples feelings. Now that would be just wrong.

"Hey, you okay?"

They seemed to be looking off at something or for something. Oh no, was he having a seizure or something? Was this her first chance at healing someone. If so she wasn't so sure she wanted to. Kaha didn't know the first thing about a seizure, or what might be wrong with this stranger.

Sometimes Poser forgets that he stands out like a sore thumb here. Wraithlike in build, razor thin, cocaine chic-- wolves are not like he is. The young god would not remind himself that he was built to slaughter wolves. Russian wolfhound... granted they tended to handle things in packs. He'd never been trained in such a thing anyway. Still, the idea that he could even be caught up in a manfight? Hell nah. Poser would rather take the run option. Too fast to be caught by any of them. Oh. A stranger. The thing about Poser happened to be that no one stayed a stranger for very long. He was thankful for that. The mad king's tail wags, eyes dancing on the face of a stranger. She was awfully cute, especially to be out here. Late. Alone. What a troubling thought for a young woman. Was she lost? She very well may have been, but she was asking him if he was alright? "Of course... ah, herb hunting. Are you alright? It's awfully late..." Poser's head quirks softly to the side, picking his way carefully toward her. The distance he'd leave would be polite, carefully so. Lately, he's been in flight mode most of the time. Still, his tail wags. your charged touch poser breathy way of saying my name

Kahaia was startled to hear him speak up and ask if she were alright. Hello, sir, you were just staring at nothing! Was she the only one who thought that to be a little weird. Still, she wasn't going to question that. This man said something about herbs? Could he be a healer, because that exactly what she needed right now.

"I'm Kahaia, and I'm fine." she said matter-of-factly. "How did you know I was herb hunting, are you a healer?"She was quick to put the little cockiness away, as the girl needed him. He was somebody that could possibly teach her much more about healing. Things she might need in the future, to prove herself useful and trade her skills for information. "I could really use your help. I'm trying to understand a little more about healing and remembering which herbs are which."

She normally wouldn't ask for help. Girl was too self-sufficient. She didn't need anyone else's help. However, the girl had learned earlier that sometimes getting the help of others is just what a young girl like her needs. She could do with a few more lessons before trying to jump right into healing people. Lass needed to know more before she acted like a pro.

Poser's tail wagged slightly, confused for a moment at the woman's words. Some evenings, the young god is a bit dense. "I meant I was out hunting too, sorry," his chuckle is soft, face cracking a sort of smile. He feels light, tonight, like a sort of warmth lives in his chest that can only be fostered. Something soft in his eyes-- she was asking for his help. "I'm sure I can, what ailments do you seek to cure?" Poser's specialty was not one he would reveal yet. When you tell people that recreational drugs are your favorite thing, they tended to get... judgy. That wasn't something he'd get into with a complete stranger, after all. Important questions were to be asked. Oh! And she'd given her name too. "I'm Poser, it's a pleasure." Right. He could be polite. Tail wagging, basking in the moonlight, he would be polite. your charged touch poser breathy way of saying my name

Poser, huh? What a strange name, and she'd heard some strange names before. Stil, it was nice to have something to call him other than stranger. Kahaia was caught off guard by the man's own question. What ailments was the girl aiming to cure? She honestly just wanted to learn as much as she could about healing. The girl had a feeling this man could shed a little light on the topic, and maybe even a new perspective of healing that she'd yet been exposed to. Still, there was the question of how she should even explain what she wanted.

"Well, Poser, I just want to know more about healing. Not any specific ailments I'm looking to cure though." She took a glance around and an idea came to mind. "Maybe we could look around here and find some herbs, you can teach me what they do?" It was a long shot, but at least it would teach her something she might not already know. The girl looked up at him, waiting for his next move. He either tell her to get the hell or take her to teach her something.

He would admit that it was strange, if he'd been asked. That's what happens when you do your best to turn out the lights on who you used to be, turn a cold shoulder to the names of your ancestry. Things were different now for the young god, and he'd been through hell and back. No family names could keep him safe this far from home, so he'd turn his back on them entirely. Things were strange. That was okay. "I think I can do that. This is a good place to look, if you're ever in need. It's one of my favorite haunts, some of the most useful herbs can be found right here in these soils." Poser's tone is soft, offhand as he turns his attention from his initial search. Kava was nice, but cannabis was a whole lot easier to find. In the damp soil, under one of the trees, he stopped. "Ah ha, come look at this. Cannabis, take a look at how the leaves are shaped and how they cluster together. What we want is the fluffy bit in the center." Poser takes a peek at the girl's face to ensure she's following along. "This is my standard cure-all. Insomnia, anxiety, pain, decreased appetite, depression... this is the one that sort of does it all. The fluffy bits, the buds, they're great if you keep them and dry them, or prescribe them fresh. They taste pretty foul, but they're most effective when chewed." Poser explains easily, plucking one of the buds free and taking it in his mouth. It would likely help him think, after all. your charged touch poser breathy way of saying my name

Kahaia followed the strange man, peering at the plant he was describing. It sounded like a miracle medicine! How had she never seen this used before? If she was planning on taking care of herself, she would need to collect as much of it as she could. After all the girl did want to be a great healer. "That sounds amazing! Can it really do all that? " She went to collect some more of these little buds, before realizing she had nowhere to put it. "It seems like I don't have a way to collect any of these herbs... maybe I could use some of that." The girl was extremely stressed, after all, he said it was perfect for anxiety.

She looked at the bud she was about to collect and chewed it cautiously. The man was right about their horrid taste, the girl was tempted to spit it out! However, she wanted to see this herb in action, if it was really the miracle drug, she'd have to find some way to collect these herbs. She was waiting to feel something but had yet to feel any change. She was still extremely worried that she wouldn't be able to keep the herbs this man was showing her, that she'd be a failure at this healing thing. "It isn't working yet, maybe I got a bad one? Are there more herbs you might be able to show me?" This might not have seemed like the miracle drug, but the man seemed to know what he was talking about still. Even if he was strange, little flower couldn't help but trust her teacher.

"Talk."

He was a little odd, Poser would give her that. Someone would have probably taken his life an age ago if he'd been boring. For a while, his only value was as an entertainment feature. A conversation piece. Poser was accustomed to that, after all. What was a borzoi, a dog of all creatures, doing out here? What business did he have thriving surviving out here on his own? He couldn't tell you.

His miracle medicine. That was what he was here for, after all. "It does a range of different things for different people, everyone a little different. Those are the most common uses, though." Poser's tail wags as he explains to the young woman. He'd missed this age, this exploratory age, with all of his own children. That was a damn shame, and he was enjoying it thoroughly now. He'd make it up to the universe in this context, maybe.

"It'll take some time to process, especially because it's coming into your blood stream through your stomach. Give it time, it will come." Poser knew the feeling well... if you weren't careful, you'd end up going down rabbit holes deeper than you thought possible. He wouldn't let the young woman mess with that. Not at the moment, or at any point in time. Too dangerous. Never under his care would he let anyone go too deep. Way too dangerous.

"I came out here looking for an herb that's similar, but can produce some intense psychedelic episodes. Less for healing, more for fun. Let's find something more helpful," Poser smiled over his shoulder, picking carefully over the soft earth, nose to the ground. A hound in true form. His eyes fell on a pretty golden flower, springing up among a bed of ivy and weeds, tail wagging. "Come look at this patch of plants, can you point out to me which looks like it would be healing herb?"

Kahaia nodded as the man told her it would take time, and soaked up his information about it working differently for different people. She'd have to take note of that. As he looked for another patch, she could feel her movements begin to slow. Had it started kicking in? It wasn't a strong difference, she wouldn't have noticed it had she not been waiting for the herb to take action. Kahaia shook off the feeling and looked up at the man, a bit confused. What had he just said? Oh, he was asking a question. Little flower turned to the patch and looked at it, looking for what might seem to heal someone.

Emerald gaze scanned the patch before nodded towards the ivy. It looked the most like an herb, maybe? She began questioning herself before changing her answer, deciding on the weeds. The flower would go completely ignored, as it looked like a simple little flower. "That, that one is the healing herb. Right?" She looked at the man, waiting for a nod of confirmation. Kahaia was beginning to feel a little more relaxed, unsure if it was the man's teaching or the herb she chewed up. Something about this moment just brought her back to her days with the Vikings. The man who taught her to heal there wasn't a wolf either. He was a canine and wolf hybrid of some sort, but he looked more like a dog than anything.

Realizing she was lost in her thoughts, the girl snapped out of it. Had Poser said anything? She couldn't be too sure, but she would ask just in case. Kahaia wasn't trying to miss out on any of their little lesson. "Huh? Did you say something?"

"Talk."