Perks to being friends with a medicinally inclined psychopath, he seemed supportive in helping maintain the injuries earned on his behalf- not to be confused with compassion or empathy. While Aresenn might not be a toy per se, he was almost certainly a tool to the Saxe brute and a useful one at that. So, when he found some herbs just inside the temporary den he had claimed, he had been all too willing to accept them. Aresenn was no healer himself, but he had seen others make salves before. It didn’t seem that hard. After a few moments spent gnashing plant matter between in his teeth, he pressed the paste into the recently cleaned hole in his shoulder. It hurt, but he was more annoyed than anything. Of course, that had been a couple of days ago, and there were already signs of improvement. It was just going to take some time, and at the moment, that was something he had plenty of.

Even still, it wasn’t all his own anymore. It seemed that he had found himself in a role of responsibility. He couldn’t help the eye roll at the thought. When he had the idea to introduce Absinth to Sephiran, he hadn’t anticipated that it would be his task to ensure that she maintained what trust she had earned. But again, there was no predicting the purple demon- maybe that was a skillset he would hone in time.

For whatever reason unknown to him, it was instructed of him to stick around the lakeside gully- Polar Sound for a while. Absinth had received the same request, so he didn’t feel that he would have too difficult of a time locating her. As he ventured out into the valley for his first opportunity to really explore- he had to admit, it was a fairly nice territory. The surrounding cliffs did quite a bit in sheltering the entire area. The sunshine was dampened through hazy clouds, though at least it wasn’t actively snowing. All in all, it seemed like a good day for a hunt, if not for prey, for his charge. Wherever she may be.

"Aresenn Praetor"

Absinth had obeyed the command to remain in the Polar Sound for the time being. The intense encounter that had ended in her claiming loyalty to Sephiran was the most favorable outcome she could have predicted. Interacting with wolves like Seph was like playing with fire, but the fire is sentient and wants to kill you and fuck your corpse.  She still needed to gain trust within the small group, that was paramount- then she would have a solid standing with them. It was rather exciting and she was very impatient, but all good things came with time. Right.

She had spent the time since wandering the Sound. Her scruff still pained her- the memory of Aresenn’s teeth a reminder that she’d probably deserved it. She had done far worse to him. Unfortunately. It tasted good though. It was the price of her life - that small pound of flesh. She hoped to pay him back one day. Absinth didn’t like owing anyone favors.

So after gathering her thoughts of her future plans she set out to see if she couldn’t find the red boy somewhere within the area. She was his charge now, but he did not babysit her which she was pleased with. She did not need a keeper- but she did want to pick his brain about Sephiran and the reason why Aresenn was following the purple boy. It hadn’t taken too long for her to locate a trail and follow it through the quiet Sound. He smelled of blood and herbs, her doing and Seph’s charity to ensure he’d still be of use. She did not know their relationship well, or if they were truly friends or just using each other for… what?

Absinth’s approach was not stealthy. She wanted Aresenn to know she was coming and when she was within talking distance she rumbled a greeting before peering curiously at the vermillion boy. “On the hunt?” The monochromatic fae drew closer, eyeing his injury with a twitching lip.

“Sorry about the shoulder. To be fair, it was life or death; but damn I didn’t realize I’d bitten off so much.” She supposed it was too little too late to be apologizing now, but it was still worth something. If he’d been an enemy she would not have cared whatsoever. Emeralds moved from his shoulder to his eyes as she came to a stop before him- wondering if he was holding a grudge.

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As he carried himself in and out of the trees, he made no effort to ensure that his location was concealed. There was nothing to be afraid of- no reason to be cautious. Taking confidence from the occasional rumbling in the back of his mind- the growl that was not his own- he felt that it didn’t get much scarier than himself. It was the audacity of a fool, but one that took himself seriously. In the end, he hadn’t exactly expected Absinth to come searching for him. Though, she seemed to be one that was going to be full of surprises- she loved them after all. As her voice reverberated off the dormant trees and bristly evergreens, he cast a casual glance over his shoulder. Upon acknowledging her, he opened up his stance as well, swiveling around to face her as if she had been the one pursuing him. “You could say that.” He answered with some amount of monotoned detachment

When she apologized for the bite to his shoulder, his half-sided grin cracked his expression. He hadn’t expected one from her, nor was he interested in it now. “It was necessary.” Aresenn echoed. “Had either of us held back, he wouldn’t have been satisfied.” But she already knew that. To use her words as she had said them: it was life or death. Casting a sideways glance as he collected his thoughts, he cleared his throat before speaking. “If you haven’t already figured it out, Sephiran is pretty intense.” Obviously. It felt ridiculous to say, but it was something that he also felt shouldn’t go without saying. The same went for her aptitude for survival. Returning his attention to her, he continued. “Though you’ve made it sound like that’s not something that’s completely foreign to you- you did a fine job acting like you knew what you were doing, even if you didn’t.” It was meant as a compliment, but he was terrible at giving them.

Ideally, this would have been a conversation they would have had before meeting Sephiran. But it wasn’t too late. If she wanted to disappear or throw herself off a cliff. Now would be the opportune time to do so. Better now, before his friend had the chance to get attached. “If you plan on sticking around for the main event, you need to be on your toes.” He finished casually, but there was a certain implication behind his amber stare. Not a threat, but a suggestion. As to their perceived destination, if she needed more of an explanation, he’d be happy to answer what he knew.

"Aresenn Praetor"

The red brute grinned at her apology, like it was amusing or unexpected. Well, she didn’t do it often so it was going to be a rare occurrence- he’d do well to appreciate them more. She mirrored his grin back at him, a mirthful glint in her eyes. “You know it’s actually more comforting to be around dark souls like yourselves, than the freaks that claim goodwill for all. ” The notion that her encounter with Talyssa introduced to her, that those alien ways of thinking were plentiful enough to create an entire pack? Yuck. She could work with the folks that remained neutral but there was something about altruism that made her much more disturbed than any vile act. “But yes, Sephiran is the definition of the word ’intense’. I’ve had to use some tactics I learned growing up to manage.” Absinth sighed almost playfully, almost. “You helped. Credit where credit is due.” Of course his help was like a breeze on the wind, but it had been of use. She would not have narrowed down how she should have behaved so quickly, and may have triggered Sephiran’s anger testing the waters in the process.

She listened closely to his foreshadowing sentence- main event? So there was indeed more thought being given to the savagery they were to carry out. Perfect. Her expression devolved into an excited grimace if that was possible; mischievous facial muscles causing the downturn of her lips instead of what she actually wanted. “I’m fully aware. I’m sure I’ll be graced with the knowledge in time, or will you teach your ward the basics?” She rolled her eyes at the word, ears flicking in annoyance. Absinth had no thoughts of running off into the night or doing away with herself. She had committed to this venture and there was no way in hell she was going to cross another fucking ocean. She wanted to be here. She needed it. That much should have been obvious.
wormwood

As she went on to express her affinity for running with a crowd of those with darker intent, he offered a shallow nod of acknowledgement. He couldn’t help but think of Andromeda at that moment. He had tried to warn her off. If she had heard him or not, she didn’t listen. And now he was stuck trying to figure out how to control himself in her presence while living in morale anarchy just outside the boundaries of her society. “I understand that.” Aresenn agreed genuinely. Possibly more than she could ever realize. But of course, Andromeda was a very secret part of his life- a part of him that he would keep secret until he could no longer. Though of course, Absinth had no idea what he was referring to, and the exact same could be said for the pack that he had left. Clearing his throat, he decided to offer her a breadcrumb of his past, since he already knew a little of hers. “I came from a group that was more self-serving than anything but in a very haphazard way. Nobody took themselves seriously, and I needed more than that- my departure from them is when you found me on the beach.” That morning was hazy- but he did remember their first introduction.

It was no surprise to him that she agreed she had some experience handling crazy. Though, she put a bit of a show on about acknowledging assistance. Looking away for a moment, the half-smirk returned before finding her emerald gaze once more. “Good. It wasn’t really my intention to set you up for slaughter. Helping is a generous way to put it, but if I can steer you away from certain death, I’ll do my best to intervene.” Aresenn assured her. He didn’t want to call what they were forging an alliance, but that was almost certainly what it was. Sephiran asked him to take responsibility for this girl- but perhaps he didn’t need to ask. Though if their definition of responsibility matched, he wasn’t entirely sure.

At the tease of information, he was pleased to hear her express interest. “Pay attention, and I’m sure you’ll pick up on quite a bit.” The Praetor boy answered, almost teasingly. Though, in the back of his mind, he was sorting out what he thought she should know, and what could be discovered on her own. Well, they were alone. He didn’t see any harm in divulging some of what he knew just from the length of his proximity. “However, the obvious one is: Sephiran’s a power-hungry brute if I’ve ever met one. He has ambition and purpose- If you get the opportunity to engage him about his family, you should. He’ll be the first to tell you about the place he came from, and the place he wants to build …. He can describe it better than I can.” It was his dream after all.

In conversing with the Saxe prodigy on the topic, anyone would quickly see that his family was a priority. He felt like that could go without saying, but he was quietly apprehensive of what that would do in changing the scope of things. “He seems to think that he has true relatives who intend on joining him in his rising empire.” Aresenn continued, taking a moment to mull the idea over. “Though, I’ve known him for a year now, and haven’t seen hide or tail from any of them- which may be a good thing. Seph is intense. I don’t know that this world- myself included- can handle more like him.” He and Sephiran got along fairly well. Honestly, he was closer to Seph than his own brothers- granted one of them was dead. But what was Diablo’s excuse? But what was his role in this going to look like if Sephiran’s own siblings came into the picture? He had no idea. “The only thing that makes me feel better, is you’d think the most intense one would be the leader. And he is certainly that.”  Hopefully whatever relatives showed up wouldn’t contest his authority in the matter. It was just hard to imagine one sibling being that much more different than the rest.

Returning back to the surface from the depths of his thoughts, he blinked a couple of times, before refocusing. “But I understand that’s a lot to take in.” Still. All good things she should know if she truly wanted to stick around.

"Aresenn Praetor"

At his agreement Absinth found herself wondering just what exactly the boy meant- there was a tone she thought went deeper than the surface level abhorrence she had for benevolence. But that wasn’t her problem. He began talking about his old pack and she listened intently as Aresenn shared the day they met as his departure from it. So that was why his brain was rotten! “Shame. Chaos without motive is potential unrealized.” A pause, green eyes flickering with resonance of his feelings. “So… you wanted something more purposeful. Makes sense.” And he’d found that in Sephiran. Interesting. So now she knew what his motives were, and how far he was willing to go to fulfill that desire. They were eerily similar.

Absinth let out an airy chuckle of amusement as he explained his lackluster assistance with Sephiran, a half-smirk playing on his lips. Sure, she could work with their fledgling collusion- it was a step in the right direction, and she had to admit they could play off of each other well. “Your intervention is enough. If I ever get the chance to steer you from certain death- I’ll do the same.” Though probably not against Sephiran. She needed to know them both better first.

Absinth’s attention was focused solely on Aresenn as he spoke. She noted the main trait of Sephiran’s - his qualities as a leader. Or at least that was how it came off to her. But she was rather interested in the mention of the purple boys family; a lesson of lore she had to carefully draw out of Seph later for sure. “Maybe he and I will bond over a similar upbringing. I have plenty more stories to tell.” She grinned mischievously, a line up of tales quickly forming in her mind. Aresenn continued on divulging information to her as well as his own thoughts. So there were more of the violet crazies to be had? Unless Sephiran was truly insane…- but his description of his father and the pets he kept could not have been fabrications. She could tell it was the truth. It had been her truth. “We can hope so. The best thing to do with types like that is to stay close, and bend to their will when it’s favorable if you want to survive at their side. The benefits will come after that.” Absinth agreed that more volatile creatures would be difficult to manage- Aresenn’s year with Sephiran was all the proof needed. He said so himself.

She shook her head at his notion that she would have any trouble taking in the information he’d imparted. If anything Absinth was like a parasite for knowledge, and she could retain quite the treasure trove. “If I ever ran out of things to learn, there would be nothing left to live for.” The monochromatic fae muttered loudly, attempting to recapture eye contact she would speak with finality. “I want to be here. Working for it is part of the reward. My raison d'être- 'Reason for being.'” Again she mimicked his half grin, taunting him that he would not be rid of her anytime soon.

[EXIT ABSINTH]
wormwood