some would say she was rather... stiff. not outwardly and not to her face, but Heloise understood where they were coming from. she was stiff. she was rigid and calm and icy. that is how the world taught her to be. she knew nothing else. her friends were very few and she felt utterly idiotic weaving amongst the crowd in hopes of finding someone to speak to. especially one that wasn't occupied with another. there seemed to be couples of friends - or more - everywhere. she had no one really to speak to, aside from the ones she had met so far. Banshee and Gustav, yet they seemed to be busy themselves now. with her gyrfalcon riding on her shoulder, she looked to be a moving statue of some importance. a woman and her bird familiar - an idol, an ideal, a symbol. she was none of those things. Heloise was just a woman. as much as her ambitions were in play lately, she was a simple being with simple wants. she would talk to Acere about a promotion soon, but otherwise she was content being simple. duties could resume after the festivities have passed. she could use some fun and distraction. she continued to weave around the many others gathering, stopping when she saw someone in her way. "excuse us" she said, hoping they moved so she could continue on. "SPEECH"

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He’d made his purchase and although the sky was still dark, he was ready to be away from the crowd. Even a dwarf had their limits and he had reached his. The earth toned wolf wandered through the crowd, ready to find himself a place to hide for the coming day…he just had to get through the masses of wolves first. Thoren turned his head to the front just in time to see himself nearly running into a white wolf. He came to a jarring stop, his new pendant bouncing slightly on his chest, smiling faintly in apology. As she spoke, his head cocked to the side. She was very…cold, rigid, ice like. Not just in appearance but in expression and tone. Despite all of this, they were of roughly the same size, thus, Thoren did not find her as intimidating and because of this, he did not readily move to the side. She, like many others, had a friend with them, but hers was a bird sitting on her shoulder. He peered at the bird curiously, “your bird smart too?” He asked, thick accent butchering this common tongue he was forced to speak in. "this is speech."

the other did not move out of the way. instead, he asked a question of her. Kresnik glared at the short man as he was addressed so casually, a vocal shriek reaching the ears of all nearby before pruning his feathers. "he is smart enough" Heloise replied, casting a neutral look at the man before her "to be addressed with respect." the gyrfalcon was proud, even if he could not speak the wolf tongue that the majority of the communities could. Heloise would look for his familiar quickly, finding him lacking one. no matter. she did not have Kresnik until recently. it was not her place to judge him for having none. the man's lack of a pack scent was unusual; the wolves here all seemed to belong to one. since he would not move out of the way, she stood before him without flinching. "are you a foreigner? I am as well, though I cannot place your dialect..." her head slightly tilted. "SPEECH"

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The bird would shriek…at him…his brow rose at this, eyes shifting from the bird to the wolf, wondering if she would translate his speech…if she understood it at all. Ears twitched, eyes refocusing on the wolf as she spoke. Smart enough…to be addressed with respect? A look of confusion flickered across his countenance before he nodded slightly. “Of course, I meant no offense.” Although he wasn’t sure how to address a bird with respect, he could at least address her with a bit more respect. “Does everyone have pet here?” He asked, “not normal where I from.” He would add, so that she understood he did not mean to insult her or her bird. Only special wolves had pets where he was from. He’d never been one of them. A smile pulled at his lips as she spoke of his dialect, asking if he was a foreigner. He bobbed his head, “I’m from Donyur…we’re known as dwarfs in this tongue.” He answered with a distinct note of pride in his voice. "this is speech."

"he fights alongside me" Heloise explained softly, wherein Kresnik looked up from his pruning to bob his head energetically, squawking. "so I should think that warrants respect" the man did not seem to understand how a companion worked. he would be in for a rude awakening if he ever fought against the other wolves in this land; most had familiars to assist them in a fight. Kresnik's bravery to face down larger foes was worthy of respect and admiration. "yet there is no harm done. only to his ego." Kresnik looked a bit insulted but other than a quick shake of his feathers, he said nothing. the man pulled a smile, causing Heloise to as well. "Donyur? I have not heard of such a place, though I have heard of your people. but yes, many here have familiars to assist them in some way" dwarven folk were revered as intelligent and crass, though almost secretive in dealing with the surface world. she squared her shoulders and placed her front paws together as she did a swift bow to the dwarven man. "Heloise cel Mare, squire of Winterfell. a pleasure to meet you." even if it had been a bit tense at first. "SPEECH"

art + code by Kara

A look of shock flickered across his face as she mentioned the bird fought with her. He bobbed his head at her demand for respect, though he still wasn’t sure how to do that…for a bird. Instead, he shifted slightly to the side, leaning forward a bit to get a better look at her bird. Ears pricked forward as sharp eyes took in the sight of the proud falcon, noting how he gripped her shoulder without digging into her flesh as he squawked and bobbed his head in agreement with her words. As she mentioned no harm done he smiled slightly, glad that his behavior wasn’t taken offensively. A wounded ego could be mended. He nodded slightly; he wasn’t surprised that she hadn’t heard of his home. It seemed not many of this land knew of the dwarfs and their culture. “I seen some here.” He gestured around them, “most are birds. Why?” He asked, curious as to why they chose feathered pets instead of well…anything else. His head cocked to the side as she offered a quick bow to him in greeting, ears slanting back slightly at the sight as he listened to her words. After a moment’s pause, he lifted a paw and bent his other limb at the elbow, an interesting form of a bow, but one he was more familiar and comfortable with. “Gamut sanu yenet Heloise, I’m Thoren Ahlberg.” Thick accent rolled off his tongue as he spoke his native tongue. “Well met.” He translated, as an after thought. "this is speech."

the man seemed confused on why the lot of them seemed to have birds over, well, anything else. "I could not begin to guess" Heloise responded truthfully. she could say it was personal preference yet some did not choose their familiars. they were gifted them or happened upon randomly. she heard tales of people claiming a familiar was part of one's heart and soul. that finding them was fate; they were destined to be together. she was as much an outsider as he was. her only steadfast companion was Kresnik - but she did not care if he was a bird or a mammal. he had proven himself a true ally. anyone that fought alongside her was a valuable friend. risking life and limb was courageous enough without loyalty questioned. well met yourself, Thoren Ahlberg. how long have you been in Boreas?" if he had not lost his language, then it may not be for long. "SPEECH"

art + code by Kara

Her answer was more then a bit disappointing for the dwarf, but he only nodded, offering a slight roll of his shoulders at the same time. He’d let the topic drop, they could only go around in circles so much before one of them got irritated. Perhaps one day he would find some defenseless creature and tame it to be a pet, but then again, he had never been interested in having one before…but it seemed like the common thing to do here. Maybe one day. Her question was a simple one, he shrugged a bit again. “One moon cycle…came to get sister, Dutch.” He replied, explaining his reasoning for travelling to such a strange world. “You?” Head cocked to the side, curious. Regardless of the length of time that he stayed in Boreas he doubted he would lose his native tongue. He still spoke it frequently enough. "this is speech."

"and did you succeed?" Thoren mentioned finding his sister, and Heloise wondered if she could help him in some way. but she had a feeling he had, else he wouldn't have stopped to enjoy himself. he seemed like a man on a mission. she would chuckle softly at his question, shaking her head slightly. that was something she was not ready to get into. "I came here for a new start" which was truthful but also not. though she dared for him to call her out for it. "I have a pack now, and allies. Boreas is not so bad." but who was she trying to convince - him or her? "SPEECH"

art + code by Kara

He wrinkled his nose slightly at her question, “no, she is about to birth, can’t travel. Found her, but she wont leave.” He shrugged, he’d have to wait until after the pups were old enough to travel to get home to the wolf waiting for him. Her soft chuckle would bring him back to the present, listening to her words with a raised brow. A soft clucking sound being made as she finished with Boreas wasn’t that bad. “In tunnels, it’s hard to see. Dwarf uses voice to get intentions across.” He explained, amber eyes settling on Heloise pointedly. “Not meaning to…push? But you are not being truthful. Dwarves respects truth.” His voice wavered as he tried to find the right word, push was inaccurate, but he hoped it would get the message across. He did not mean to pry, it was not his business as to why she was in Boreas, but he also didn’t like being lied to…especially over something that seemed so insignificant.

he seemed not to want to talk about his sister, and she let him be with that subject. sometimes family was... complicated. she knew that well enough. Heloise's ears piqued forward in some surprise as he did indeed call her out for her dishonesty. but instead of being angry about it, she would smile almost sadly. "my past is my own, Thoren Ahlberg" the woman would state softly "I hold it close enough, so that others are not burdened by it" she hoped that would satisfy him, for it was clear she was not going to give anything away. there was no price to her words; only grim acceptance of that fact. "but I did not meant to insult you. if I have, I apologize" she'd dip her head respectfully to the dwarven man. "SPEECH"

art + code by Kara

Thoren wasn’t sure what he expected upon calling her out on the lie, but he was pleasantly surprised when she did not react with anger. Although, he would have preferred to have not made her suddenly sad, at least he was getting something honest from her. Ears pricked as she spoke, her soft somber tones made him nod slightly. She didn’t want to talk about her past and Thoren could respect that. His own expression was one of knowing, “Dwarf have saying….’a burden of sorrow is…two heavy.. when borne alone.’” He replied, the word he had meant being ‘doubled’ but he couldn’t find it. “You’ve strong shoulders to carry such burden.” He added, trying to hint that he was not trying to pry further into her past. Thoren smiled slightly as she apologized for the insult. Dwarfs were proud creatures and that pride came in part from being so honest and forth coming but this was not Donyur, such insults could not be held to standard on the surface. Thus, Thoren nodded his head, “thank you, Heloise, all is forgiven. It’s hard to remember that the surface is not same as Donyur sometimes.” "this is speech."

"that is a lovely saying" Heloise replied to the dwarven man, pleased that Thoren would not pressure her into revealing anything she did not want. a soft chuckle escaped her lips as he complimented her strength. she didn't know about that, perhaps it was arrogance that drove her lips silent... some would claim a burden would be best shared with another, though the woman had no one to call her own. he spoke of his home again, and she wondered what it was like. did he miss it? did he want to return soon? Heloise did not want to insult the man and speak of stereotypes - his people had enough of those. "do your people smith, Thoren? or craft things? I have heard dwarven crafts are the best in the world." though if it was a stereotype, albeit a postive one, she prepared herself for his anger. but perhaps she was curious to see if he made anything. she never was one for accessories or armor, but she could see herself getting a weapon or two. "SPEECH"

art + code by Kara

He smiled faintly as she spoke of his sayings, her soft chuckle at his mention of her strength had his brow raising but he did not question it further. He had pried enough into her private life. It was a soft sound, lacking much humor…it seemed somber, and that was more than enough for him to know. Burdens were easier shared with another, but he could not force her to tell him of the weight on her shoulders – and why would she? He was a stranger to her. Unproven and untested. Such deep secrets are not meant for the ears of acquaintances. He could understand that. Her questions of his people had a smile pulling at his lips, one that stretched nearly ear to ear. The dwarf did indeed miss his home, he missed the love that he had left behind, but he intended to return- sooner rather than later. “Oh yes! Many crafters and smiths.” He nodded. “I’m not one….I work tunnels.” He explained, sort of. His job had been to patrol tunnels and inspect complaints. A dangerous job- but an important one. “Sister does crafts, though.” He added, happy to brag on his sister. She did fine work, it was the reason she had come to this land- so she could teach her skills to the Viking wolves. "this is speech."

so he was not a crafter, but it was interesting... he worked in the tunnels. patrolling, guarding the others. a noble deed; he protected the ones bringing in trade for his people. he mentioned his sister again, causing her to tilt her head slightly and ask. "your sister does the crafting, yes? what sort of things does she make?" maybe she could request some items from the Donyur woman. Dutch, her name was. it suited someone working with the ground's blessings. she wondered if there was trouble with the siblings. he did not seem to want to talk about his sister much, but he did mention her from time to time. they either must be close or bickering. "I was looking to get a few weapons and armor." Heloise went on to say. "SPEECH"

art + code by Kara

Thoren nodded as she asked about Dutch being a crafter. When she asked about things she made he shrugged slightly, he’d seen her make many things, but he knew she had a fondness for armor. Her mention of armor and weapons had his head bobbing. “Armor, yes. She makes many things, but I’ve not seen her make weapons before.” He admitted, but he hadn’t seen everything she crafted, only bits and pieces as they were coming together. “She does grand armor.” He nodded, a hint of pride in his voice as he spoke of his sister’s abilities. “She stays with Viking group.” He added, pointing out where his sister currently resided, “don’t know if she stay there or go to another pack soon.” What were her plans after she told the father? Had she told him already? He would need to go back and check on her soon. "this is speech."

his sister made armor, but Thoren wasn't sure if she made weapons. blacksmithing and metalwork were knowledge beyond Heloise. she typically wouldn't bother with such things but the wolves of this land were hell-bent on getting an upper paw somehow in a fight. as a smaller wolf, she hoped to get by solely on her skills though the woman was loathed to admit she needed an edge. she would have liked to speak to Thoren's sister but if she was with a band, she would be a nomad. Dutch would be harder to locate. but none of that mattered right now. she spotted the fireflies dying out all around them, closing the end of the festival. she'd dip her head to the dwarven man. "thank you for speaking with me, Thoren, but I should head back north" it was a long trek from here. "safe travels." Heloise would have said to 'get home safely' but Thoren was a lone wolf. he had only come here to retrieve his sibling, so telling him to get home was a bit insensitive. she smiled one last time at him before shifting her body to go with her packmates back to Winterfell. / EXIT "SPEECH"

art + code by Kara