Kite did not need a babysitter. She was too old for this! She was three months old, crying out loud. She had tackled coyotes, and even a jaguar once! Okay, maybe that last one was more of an ‘escaped from’ but that was besides the point. It was sunny, so her bandana was securely on, which only made her grumpier.

She wasn’t going to admit that the wolf with her was a babysitter, not unless she had to. So she needed to get on top of that real quick. Luckily, the wolf seemed kind of submissive. So maybe this wouldn’t be that hard. “Do you often need someone to hold your hand while you walk around the woods? I’m blind and I can manage it” She said, a light snap to her voice. The kitten at her heels arched her tail up in agreement, not even looking at the woman with them. Really. Why did her father decide to send Adelina on her in her patrols? Just because she hadn’t done any patrols with an adult yet didn’t mean she needed this wolf with her. She hadn’t had a chance to get a good look at her yet, but she was pretty sure she wasn’t even a fighter! This sucked. Her dad sucked, too, for sticking her in this situation.

"Kite"

Trying to figure out where she fit into the Armada was going to be a long and daunting process. Until then, she had been asked to escort Princess Kyanite on a patrol of sorts. However, she was content to allow the younger girl to take the lead- disability or not, and help her along if she expressly asked for the assistance. Everything seemed to be going smoothly, except for Kite doing her due diligence to ensure that her company was not welcome or appreciated. The girl asked a question that she was pretty sure didn't require an answer. It seemed to be more of an insult than anything else from what she could tell.

As she struggled to come up with a response, the only thing to come to mind was an attempt at reassurance. "H-Having someone to hold your hand isn't so bad." She offered, timidly. She wasn't left with much instruction on how to help care for the pups. She certainly felt like a failure, but it didn't stop her from making an attempt.

Kite a soft snort at that. Independence was all she thought about. Well, that, and succeeding, and proving smart-ass Azure wrong any chance she got. When she needed someone to hold her hand, it was a private thing, and not something she was proud of. As they made their way through the woods, she often lifted her head to the air. Scenting her way. Lioness, the cat at her paws, directed her if there was any chance she would walk face first into a tree.

Even with the cat's help, it was slow going. She hated sunny days. “So, why did you join Armada, anyway?” She asked, filling in the silence in a bid to understand the woman beside her. There had to be a reason Sirius had assigned this woman to her today, right? Maybe the sooner she figured it out the sooner she could be rid of her.

"Kite"

It didn't seem that the younger girl was too receptive to what she had to reassure her with, but Adelina wouldn't press her.

When she was asked why she joined Armada in the first place, she couldn't help but balk. It was difficult to know what to say without knowing what was known, and what was meant to be secretive. "Your father was generous enough to provide the opportunity." Adelina left it intentionally vague to try and avoid going into explicit detail. She didn't want to say that initially, the decision had not been her's to make. However, given the opportunity to go back and make the choice for herself, she certainly would have- knowing now where that path led. But she also didn't want the conversation to veer towards why she had been chosen in the first place- as she was specifically told not to disclose that information.

Looking around, she quickly tried to pull from their environment to come up with something else to say. "W-What is your kitten's name?" Adelina asked suddenly, trying to make conversation but at the same time, using it as an excuse to change the subject.

“Yeah, my dads a Saint” She agreed sarcastically. Her father had stuck Adalina at the bottom, so she was surprised the other wolf considered him to be generous. If Sirius had done that, then he probably thought she wasn’t any good at anything. Which made being stuck with her as a babysitter all that more humiliating.

When Adelina picked the next topic, it was a good one. That actually earned a grin from Kite as she turned in the general direction of the pale wolf. Sticking her nose in the air as she sniffed out where to ‘look’ “This is Lioness ” She said, obvious pride in her voice as she gave her cat a gentle nudge. “She’s a Warrior Princess, too.” like me went unsaid. “So. I’m guessing you're not really good at anything, huh? She said conversationally. Tact was not one of her strong suits, and she was snooping. Adelina’s appearance in their den was a mystery.


"Kite"

The sarcasm in the girl's tone was not lost on her. However, she went on without acknowledging it. "He's a good man." Adelina echoed softly. It wasn't an effort to argue with the young princess. She just couldn't allow the negative connotation to be applied, and be left undefended- even if she did a poor job at doing so in her neurotic nature.

On the inquiry of the kitten's name, her attention didn't shift towards the companion in question- but remained on the girl as she spoke. The pride and affection Kite had for her little guide was very apparent. She was happy that the girl had the opportunity to form a bond like that. "I see," Adelina wanted to go on to compliment the pair of them together, but also feared that her words would be interpreted as patronizing. So she let the sentiment fade from her tongue, only to answer the next question she was offered.

"Not really." Adelina admitted. She certainly didn't want to make herself seem like something she wasn't. It wasn't respect she was after, simply just following orders. But as she trailed along behind the younger girl, an idea formed in the back of her mind. "But that's why your father wanted me to go with you." Adelina started, looking up for a moment to try and read the girl's body language. "So you could show me the forest patrol route." That might not have been the sole reason for her to be assigned to accompany the princess, but she was sure that it was meant to be a mutually beneficial outing. If only she could convince Kite of that.

“I mean… yeah” she said awkwardly. He was her dad, and she had already lost her mum. It was easy to get mad at him, but he was hers and she would have been mad if Adelina had talked bad about him. Contradictory as that was. It was a little annoying how easily Adelina agreed with her insults. If Kite was in her shoes, she would have gotten spitting mad. But this wolf just accepted it. Was that why Dad had stuck her at the bottom? It sounded about right.

“Oh… Oh. Yeah, I knew that” Kite said, straightening as Adelina spoke of the real reason she was tagging along with Kite. Her dad often did things without giving a straight answer. Everything was a learning opportunity. So it didn’t surprise her to realise that she was supposed to be the boss here. But she was glad that her father saw the potential in Kite. “So, we’re almost at the spot the patrol officially starts.” She said, trying to fall into the role of instructor. Lioness was really the one guiding the both of them, but she wasn’t going to admit to that. As they reached the edge of the forest, she paused, tilting her covered eyes in the direction of the battlefield. “Most of the packs and the battlefield lie in that direction, so our patrols run heaviest here.” She explained. “So, today your my slave, right?”


"Kite"

When Adelina mentioned that it was Sirius' intentions of sharing some of the responsibility with Kite, it seemed that did the job in perking the girl up. The sudden elevation in mood was enough to bring the indication of a grin to her hesitant features. It seemed purpose had made quite the difference, and Adi was all too content to play along.

When the princess announced that they were nearing the beginning of the patrol, she nodded- momentarily forgetting that Kite was unable to see her silent responses. "Okay." She quickly interjected- a couple of moments too late. With the edge of the forest, came further explanation. The younger girl described the battlefield and what it meant, she started off another inaudible response in acknowledgement, but paired it with words in a little more conversational timing. "Good to know."

It was then that the realization dawned on the younger girl that she could take charge, and it left Adelina not sure of how to answer. "I can't contradict your father's instructions ..." Adelina started. If Kyanite ordered her against her father's wishes, she would have to stand against any discourse that came her way- as much anxiety as it caused her to even think of that being a possibility. But surely this young girl didn't have it in her to be so cruel. The silver and white fae finally forced the breath that she had been holding to give a solid answer. "B-besides that ... yes." If it was a question as to who was in charge, well, it certainly wasn't herself.

As they walked, Kite was running through all the ways she could make use of a slave. Maybe this would actually be a fun outing after all? She wrinkled up her nose as Adelina mentioned her fathers instructions. She had no idea what they were, so it was hard to know how to avoid them. “Alright” she agreed, not letting on her ignorance. She needed to pretend she knew, so Adelina didn’t lead her astray.

“Well” She said as she turned from the view she couldn’t admire at the forest's edge. She started to lead them along the outskirts of it. Lioness keeping her steady on the path. “I think you should catch lunch for us today, then. Mmmm. Maybe a tasty squirrel.” She liked her lips and grinned. She knew she needed to think bigger with bossing Adelina around, but she’d never had such an opportunity before. It was hard to know what instructions to give her.

"Kite"

It seemed that Kyanite was satisfied with the proposed boundaries of their relationship moving forward. As long as whatever she wanted didn't put them in danger- or put Kite in danger, rather- she would have a near impossible time refusing anything that was demanded of her. And it certainly didn't take her long to come up with her first request.

Well. It wasn't what she said that made Adelina cringe, but how she said it. The anticipation was difficult to handle, but when she mentioned catching lunch, a sense of dread filled her gut. She wasn't the greatest huntress, only managing to keep herself fed when given the opportunity to do so was about the best she had to offer. Finding something specific ... well, she hoped that this particular forest supported an abundant population of the squirrel that she was tasked with finding. The lightly colored fae forced a swallow before asking for clarifications. "Now? Or b-before we head back?" Her tone engulfed in the uncertainty that was conditioned to be there.