Avantika was both nervous and excited. Her first diplomatic mission! But on the other hand, she was alone, walking to a pack she knew next to nothing about. She was carrying a satchel full of bottles of wine, hoping that they would be decided a passable gift. She repeated Art's instructions like a silent prayer. She'd be okay if she followed them. It was just her natural nervousness making her want to run away back home as fast as she could. Her brother wouldn't have sent her anywhere really dangerous. She trusted him far more than she trusted herself, and maybe that was why she was afraid now. She stopped near the border of the pack lands and took a deep breath to steady herself before calling out for the pack and, specifically, their leader, Chimera. As she did so, Kaata suddenly flapped up behind her and landed on her shoulder. Thank you, she told the bird. While the little hawk was no real use in a fight, Avantika wasn't about to start one anyway, and she liked having her comforting confidence around. "Speech"

A howl rang out from the mainland and Chimera stopped what he was doing. The man had been hard at work for weeks, beating back the dense jungle and preparing various structures for habitation. The slave pens were in order. He had cleared out the wings of the largest building for himself and his women. Now he just had to prepare outlaying buildings in case he eventually found other wolves worthy enough to join. He wouldn't be accepting everyone that wished to join. Only those with skills. Those that were valuable. The worthless could die for all he cared.

Moving across the island at a distance eating lope, Chimera arrived at the rope and raft ferry. Pulling the rope repeatedly with his teeth, he sent the ferry across the water to the opposite shore. Whoever wanted to talk to him, they'd either get on the damn raft or they could just stand there all day. His time was precious and he had things to do.

"Speech"

An empty raft arrived over the water, bumping up against the shore. Avantika eyed it for a moment, then stepped gingerly on. It seemed safe. Even though she didn't know how to swim, surely she could hold onto it if it broke and make her way to dry land somehow. But how did she make it move? She laid down and scooted back, so her back paws dipped into the water off the raft and tried kicking at the water. That wasn't working so great. She glared at the island. She was going to get herself there if it killed her! Well, maybe not that. She had stuff to do. But she had told her aegis and probably her second-favorite brother that she was going on this mission, and she wasn't about to let him down. Eventually, Kaata did something with the ropes. Avantika didn't see it because she was too busy glaring at the island and kicking futilely at the water, but she didn't get a chance to miss her companion's teasing smugness. Regardless, they were off, and it didn't take long to arrive on the shore. There, a black and white wolf stood. Avantika bowed her head down and then up and assumed a polite posture. "Hello, sir. Are you King Chimera?" "Speech"

Chimera waited for the wolf to either say that they were ready or to begin pulling the cable to move themselves, but they used the raft completely wrong. The multi-hued fae arrived at the island kicking in the water. The dire brute wrinkled his nose for a moment. What in the actual hell? Had the woman never seen a cable bridge before? You just pulled the rope and the rope ran through a set of wheels set in the raft, thus pulling it through the water. He didn't think it was that difficult, but apparently it was. Whatever.

The woman finally made it to land, a bag around her neck and a bird nearby. The brow above Chimera's lifeless white eye lifted as he stared down at the smaller wolf. She questioned him, asking if he was king here. "Chimera, King of Fenmyre," he agreed in his low, growling purr. "Not many women come calling in this place. Who might you be?" Her scent held a hint of something familiar, but not familiar enough for him to be able to place it immediately.

"Speech"

Avantika got up, scraping her wet paws on the raft. She'd forgotten to stand up once Kaata started pulling the ropes. She hoped that that wouldn't make such a poor first impression. She wasn't going to disappoint Art. He confirmed that yes, he was Chimera, the King of Fenmyre. But then he also said that not many women came to this place. What did that mean? While Avantika probably wouldn't call herself such, she was relatively naive and new to the darker parts of the world. She couldn't even begin to guess at what went on in Fenmyre. Still, the statement knocked her nervousness up a level, though she hid it. "I am Avantika Carpathius, Templar of the Hallows." she answered with a small smile of politeness more than joy. "If you don't mind taking the time to show me around, there might be a possibility for an alliance between our packs." She laid her satchel down between them. "I've come with a gift of wine, as payment for your time." "Speech"

The woman gave her name, title and where she came from. Chimera couldn't help the amused look that crossed his face. This wolf was from The Hallows. It was terribly amusing that Artorias had sent his sister to this place to seek out an alliance. Was Art trying to give his sister a taste of the real world? She wanted him to show her around, so why not? With a grin, Chimera flashed rows of sharklike teeth. Lifting one paw, the giant made a sweeping motion, silently requesting that she follow him. One of the massive, obsidian mastiffs moved forward to collect the satchel full of wine without being asked.

Chimera began moving across the island. He didn't take the woman inside of the resort that had become home to him and his women, but he pointed it out. "My home." He led her the long way around, pointing out various wooden structures before moving through the jungle and towards the beach. A long stretch of cabanas in various states of disrepair stretched out on docks over the gently lapping water. Once past the cabanas, the pair approached a long stretch of cells nestled up against the wall of palm forest. "The slave pens." His voice was a low, rumbling purr. Yes, she was Arts sister, but that didn't mean that he couldn't have a bit of fun with her. "We have men and women. As the sister to Artorias, I'd let you sample one for free."

"Speech"

Chimera looked amused when Avantika introduced herself. Was he surprised at her high rank? Did he think--know--whatever, she didn't know, that she didn't deserve it? Or was he thinking of Art? She couldn't guess at the king's feelings, but her thoughts were a jumbled knot of worry anyway. She took a deep breath as she followed him, trying to untangle her worries a little. He led her around, pointing out various different structures. Eventually, they reached a stretch of cells. Was it a prison? She still knew very little about this place. She was not prepared for when he said what they really were. 'The slave pens.' Her heart sped up as she stared at the scared faces. She could barely hear what Chimera was saying. Her entire brain was filled with a resounding chorus of fuck no. She couldn't help but imagine herself in their places. Kaata's claws pinched into her shoulder, bringing her down from the panic attack for a moment. "I'm here for business, not pleasure," she said stiffly, sounding more uncomfortable than she'd meant to. Did Art know that these were here? "Speech"

The discomfort on the woman's face was evident as the pair of wolves arrived at the slave pens. If Art wanted his sister to get a dose of reality, then she was surely getting it now. Chimera stepped up to the bars and the slaves shrank back from him. Despite being enslaved, they weren't in bad shape. They were fed, clean, whatever wounds they'd had previously were tended to. The slaves had access to pallets and furs. Though they would be used against their will in some manner, they were cared for.

The woman spoke, stating that she was here for business and not pleasure. Chimera chuckled lightly. "What a pity," he again purred as he turned his gaze to rest upon her rigid form. "I doubt you've taste much pleasure in your life." It was an observation. If she had, well... then she probably wouldn't be so stiff and wooden right now.

As an idea struck, the brute's brows lifted. "Perhaps you think you're better than the slaves, eh? Perhaps you'd rather lay with a king." Again the man's shark-like teeth flashed in a grin and he leaned towards the grey and gold woman, towering over her. "I'll make you a deal, Avantika Carpathius." Chi peeled himself away and began moving back over the beach towards his stronghold. "Come and sleep with a King just once and I'll agree to whatever alliance you want." He had no intentions of sleeping with the woman, of course. She was the sister of his friend, after all. It was pure amusement for the man to see just how much she might want to obtain this alliance for her pack and her Aegis.

"Speech"

Chimera chuckled as Avantika spoke. 'I doubt you've tasted much pleasure in your life.' While that was true--she'd only ever been on one date in her life and had never slept with anyone--it didn't mean she was going to stoop to this. Even if she had no empathy, she still wouldn't want it this way. She wanted someone to want her. That was a central point in her desires. She'd always loved validation and the approval of others, so taking someone against their will would make it less fun, not more. But Chimera wasn't done. He grinned and leaned so that he was towering over her. She'd never felt so small, and as he made his offer, she felt even smaller. Sleep with him in exchange for the alliance. It was a testament to her extreme loyalty to the Hallows that she even considered it. But Art couldn't expect her to do this--this whoring herself out. But what if it didn't matter what her answer was? He was big enough to force her. Maybe if she agreed, he'd be gentler. All she had to protect herself was a tiny little hawk and herself, and that was not going to be enough. Still, she couldn't say it. So, once he moved away, she made her choice "While your attempt at blackmail was--" She pushed all of her scorn into the word. "--interesting, I did say that this was only a possible alliance." "Speech"

Avantika turned down his offer, reminding him that the alliance was a possibility, not a certainty. The giant man seated himself in the shade and gave a good natured scoff. "Better to have the devil on your side, little Avantika." He let her name roll off of his tongue, somehow giving the syllables heat. Like a massive feline, the brute stretched, digging his black toed paws into the earth below him before sliding down to lay upon his stomach. "Imagine how pleased Artorias would be if you came back with a win. He would be so, so proud." The brow above Chimera's dead, white eye lifted. "And you would be the hero of the day. You would show your worth. Not just another useless body."

Messing with the young wolf was terribly enjoyable. Eventually he'd give in and they could talk business, but for now, this was just too much fun. Chimera wasn't opposed to an alliance in the slightest. He rather liked Artorias and imagined that an alliance would have happened eventually anyway. If the fae gave in and he got a little mental pleasure out of it too, then all the better.

"Speech"

Chimera sat down while Avantika was still frozen in place, unable to move her paws. She couldn't run, so she wasn't going to allow herself to move at all for the foreseeable future. It sounded like a better plan than anything else she could attempt. As she stood motionless, she decided she hated his voice. Not because it sounded particularly awful, but because it belonged to him, and she didn't like anything he was saying. It felt like taking back a tiny bit of control to think that. It seemed like the king couldn't stop changing his position. Now he was lying down. He spoke again. 'Imagine how pleased Artorias would be if you came back with a win.' Avantika felt her own thoughts twisting to this new idea. She'd said that she'd try to get the alliance. And she was far too loyal for her own good sometimes. 'Not just another useless body.' How the hell did he know that that was her key? Nothing else mattered more than proving her worth. It was too much to think about all at once, so she stayed silent, trying to get the two conflicting instincts to list their pros and cons in a more reasonable manner. "Speech"

He'd struck her silent with his words and he was completely tickled by the whole thing. Her reactions, or lack thereof, were priceless. The bastard couldn't help but tease her further. "Nothing to say to that, sweet, pure little Avantika?" Chimera tilted his head upwards, gauging the time of day. "Does Artorias expect you back by nightfall? If you don't hurry, you might have to stay the night here. We lock the ferry down at sunset." That wasn't at all true, but she didn't know that nor did she need to. He was simply trying to goad the woman into making a decision.

The leonine brute stretched again, this time lowering his head to rest his chin upon one bent paw. His dual toned gaze never left the gold and grey fae. "Just imagine the benefits of an alliance between The Hallows and Fenmyre. Solidarity in the South, supplies won't be too far away, We've several highly skilled healers, a vast herb garden, a massive supply of waterproof skins that are all ready for winter, aid whenever and wherever it's needed." Of course she would have thought about the benefits of an alliance on her journey here, but perhaps listing them aloud would help to really hammer the usefulness of the alliance home.

Chimera Klein

He continued to tease her and then asked whether Artorias wanted her home before nightfall. While he'd never given her a time to be back, and she figured he'd let her have her independence in that decision--it was the kind of leader he was--she really didn't want to spend the night here. She wanted to be home as soon as possible. Then she'd be safe. He began to list out the advantages of an alliance with Fenmyre, and her thoughts spiraled more and more the more he spoke. 'Solidarity in the South, supplies won't be too far away. We've several highly skilled healers, a vast herb garden, a massive supply of waterproof skins that are all ready for winter, aid whenever and wherever it's needed.' What if the Hallows was attacked and they needed help? What if someone died in need of the aid Chimera promised because she didn't get this alliance? Their death would weigh on her conscience for the rest of her life, she knew. Would one lay with a monster really be so bad compared to someone's life, or maybe even multiple lives? Kaata helped her a little, telling her what to say. "I doubt Art would be too happy to learn of this if I ran home and told him." The hawk hadn't wanted her to say the other thing she told her, but Avantika was not in the mood for thinking, so she said it anyway. "So you need to give me something to make it worth my time." "Speech"

Much like a child, the woman threatened to run on home to her brother and tattle, of all things. She was getting boring. Like a dried up old maid residing in the body of a young wolf, she denied him again and again. The girl was cold and proper and thoroughly offended by his offer. Well then, it seemed that neither of them would be making a deal today.

Avantika tried to turn the tables, telling Chimera that he had to make it worth her while. The massive man snorted softly, lips pulling back to flash teeth. "I've been trying to make it worth your while but I've a feeling that you'd be as cold and lifeless as a corpse, Avantika." Even if she had agreed to bed him and even if he had given in and done so, Chimera had a feeling that he wouldn't even enjoy it.

Rising from his place, the monochromatic behemoth shook out his thick pelt, ridding it of clinging debris. "Run on home, girl. A failure. A disappointment. There will be no alliance." Chimera turned away and began moving into the jungle behind him. "I'm sure you remember the way to the bridge."

Chimera Klein

Her thoughtless attempt to strike a better deal had failed. Chimera flashed his teeth at her and snorted, saying that she'd be 'as cold and lifeless as a corpse'. Avantika was surprised at the change in pace. Hadn't he just been trying to convince her to bed him? He changed his mind so quickly she got whiplash. She was already feeling a little rejected--why, she wasn't sure--when he called her a failure and a disappointment and told her that there would be no alliance. She resisted the urge to race after him as he walked away. Suddenly she felt as if she would promise anything if only he would give her the alliance. It was about more than that, though. She was hurt. She didn't know why she cared what this monstrous king's opinion of her was, but it was undeniable that she did care. She had no option but to obey, and as she walked away, a little shell-shocked and not understanding her own emotions. She was disappointed that she hadn't gotten the alliance. But it didn't make sense. She didn't really want the Hallows to ally with such a brutal pack, and she had gotten out alive and mostly unscathed without having to sleep with Chimera. One thing was for certain, she thought as she pulled the ferry ropes to get her off the island, she had to tell Art. Surely he hadn't known what Fenmyre was really about. "Speech"