"Speech"

After the warlord had left her to explore the multipurpose pack area, the Little Slave took her first bath in days. She dipped her small frame into one of the hottest pools and relished in the heat scrubbing all the dirt grime and blood out of her white, gold, and rusted fur.

Ignita finally felt like she could process the last few days, oblivious to the recent leadership changes rippling through the pack, all she knew was that Basilisk was a Warlord and she was a Slave of Armada. The muscles finally relaxed after Basilisk had slapped her across the face, leaving a mark. Once he had cowed her enough to make her obey, he stuck her in a small, dead-end cave for a few days. She assumed it was a test. Then after sewing him back up from being slashed at, he led her here. Other than being smacked and scared for her foolish life, so far things weren't too bad! She would have a job to do and probably people to talk to! Right?

She didn't take long to scrub herself clean and knew somewhat that if she missed his summons she'd get a smack or something, so loathe as she was to leave the hot waters, she did and shook herself dry.

She returned to the storage areas, drinking in every nook and cranny as she went. She slowly walked through the food prepping area, wondering if this would be a hub of activity at different times of the day. She hadn't seen hide nor hair of any other slaves yet, do they prepare the food for everyone or does everyone prepare their own food? She continued to wander the little caves of the baths and storage and the large room, not quite sure if she was allowed to wander the rest of the packland or if this was it for now. Maybe she'll run into one of his eyes and ears that have been keeping an eye on her now that she was actually here in Armada proper.

in the chaos of Sirius leaving and Bas’ ascension, Spider hadn’t noticed the strange scent lingering on Bas’ pelt until very recently. it’s relatively new, and distinctly wolfish - so nothing alarming. he might simply have been visiting another pack alpha, or a friend. and he can do what he likes, obviously. except it wafts past then now, that same scent carrying to them on a light breeze. huh. intrigue prickles their pelt as they follow it through the Col, surprise mounting when it takes them into a system of storage caves. stepping lightly, they slip around corners in pursuit of that scent - and almost run smack into a small pale girl with blonde markings licking up and down her body. not quite as small as Spider, though, they note to themselves wryly. “oh. hello!”

yup, this is the source. pink eyes rake shamelessly over the stranger, openly taking her in. “and who might you be?” they prod, voice bright and curious.

"Speech"

Spider has a male raven companion named Doomsday and a female snake companion named Lady Snakeskin. Assume they are present unless stated otherwise.

"Speech"

"Suns Breath!" She exclaimed as she nearly ran into a smaller very dark-pelted wolf. Talk about eyes! She had been wondering when one of Basilisks guards showed up, she didn't realize they literally would have multiple eyes!

"Oh! I'm Ignita!" She replied cheerfully, completely oblivious to whom she was talking to. Her tail wagged eagerly to finally meet someone other than Basilisk.

"Are you a slave too? Basilisk just brought me in. Can you see through all four of your eyes?" She was completely enamored by the vestigial orbs below the other's normal eyes, she completely missed the way they were sizing her up.

the woman is surprised, which makes sense, Spider supposes. they did kind of sneak up her on, however unintentionally. anyway, they’re quickly distracted by the stranger - Ignita’s - question, head cocking as they take her in with new understanding. ah, so this would explain why she smells so much like Bas - she belongs to him. “ah…no. i can’t, um, see. through them.” their voice is an awkward stammer as they fumble for words. what does one say to a slave? they briefly remember Lefty, who’d also been a slave…but they’d willingly stepped into the role, hadn’t they? “oh, and I’m not a slave. i guess i’m kind of like…a prince?”  wow, that feels weird to say; they’re not getting used to that anytime soon. “Bas is my Dad.”

the moment the words leave their mouth, they want to take it back. Ignita…probably doesn’t want to make nice with the kid of their captor - if that is what going on here. “are you…um…did you want to be a slave?” they wince, shuffling uncomfortably. bit of a dumb question, isn’t it? Spider frowns; they don’t like feel so wrong-footed, so uncertain. ordinarily they barrel into conversations and just kind of hope they don’t put their foot in their mouth.

"Speech"

Spider has a male raven companion named Doomsday and a female snake companion named Lady Snakeskin. Assume they are present unless stated otherwise.

"Speech"

Ignita is visibly disappointed that the stranger can't actually see through their extra eyes, but it's fascinating nonetheless! She then perks her ears and her golden eyes get wide as the ...Prince introduces their rank and relation to "Bas"... The Little Slave freezes and tries to run a few processes through her calculating brain but it's stuck on the phrase Basilisk is their dad. She doesn't know how to process the incoming information or how to react.

Ignita blinks back to life when The Prince asks her if she wants to be a slave... She became acutely aware of the itching on her cheek and across the bridge of her nose from a particular cat claw slash still healing. It was only a few days old. Was this prince a child? They were certainly smaller than herself and if they were Basilisks kid... They must be quite young at this juncture.

"Well he gave me an important job, I'll show you!" Let's not answer that one directly... She led them cheerfully to the storage shelves she was just about to peruse and navigate, "He said my job will be as an organizer, to keep track of the food stores, and other things." A few fox furs were laid out under a shelf, next to an old two-leg helmet filled to the brim with bits and bobs from the Veterans Plateau, and a few stones she found in the cave from earlier. She once had a pair of goggles as well, but those were currently held hostage in Oso's antlers. Basilisk's companion.

"What shall I call you?" She asked politely in a bright tone. The first time she asked that question to this one's father it was heavy and venomous, this time it was lighter and more eager.  

the slave seems a little confused to learn about Spider’s heritage, and they watch in vague amusement as Ignita’s mind sifts through the implications. after a few moments, they take pity on her. “he adopted me when i was little. well…little-er.” they flash a small grin, some of their previous discomfort melting away. this girl is friendly, despite her situation - after all, she has a rather valid reason to loathe Spider. in fact, she even takes Spider to see what Bas has assigned her to do.

as Ignita presents the shelves, relief sweeps through them like cool water on a hot day. she’s not being tortured. nothing deeply unpleasant, nothing violent or cruel. deep down they know it’s naive, but if she’s just sorting shelves and things…it can’t be too bad, right? “this is really neat,” they tell the girl, admiring the shelves. “i’m sure you’ll do a great job.” when Ignita inquires after their name, Spider lifts their chin and adopts a teasing expression. “it’s bug-themed, but you’ll have to guess.” hey, what good is being royal if you can’t make people play guessing games with you?

"Speech"

Spider has a male raven companion named Doomsday and a female snake companion named Lady Snakeskin. Assume they are present unless stated otherwise.

"Speech"

Ignita let out a soft "Ooh" When the Prince offered the information that they were adopted and perhaps older than their size revealed.

The little slave swished her white and blazon marked tail back and forth as the Prince commented that her job was neat and she would do a good job! She could almost feel the praise in her little blonde toes.

When they lifted their head and decided to pose their name as a riddle Ignita grew eager to guess! Her tail thrashed against her legs in excitement.

"Oh! Uhm... Oh! uhh... Oh migosh is it Wasp? No, you don't have any yellow on you... you do have stripes though! Oooo Scorpion? Tarantula?" She offered up her guesses with glee. Coming from the desert she's experienced quite a few large and imposing bugs!

Spider purses their lips to keep from smiling as Ignita begins to guess, not wanting to give away the answer through their expression. but when the slave guesses ‘tarantula,’ they’re simply incapable of resisting a little grin. “ooo, so close! it’s Spider!” they give a mock bow, sweeping low as though presenting themselves. hmmm, maybe they should work on something a bit more…regal. “Scorpion was a really cool guess, though! maybe i should change it to that.”  they waggle their brows teasingly - then pause, examining Ignita thoughtfully. “speaking of names…can i call you Iggy?” slave or not, the girl is part of the pack now - and surely that calls for a nickname.

"Speech"

Spider has a male raven companion named Doomsday and a female snake companion named Lady Snakeskin. Assume they are present unless stated otherwise.

Ignita was delighted at them and giggled genuinely at their waggled eyebrows when they mentioned maybe changing their name to Scorpion. Her tail wiggled back and forth liking their sense of humor.

She sighed as she caught her breath, a warmth spreading into her cheeks she had never felt before. She liked looking at Spider, something in her chest wanted her to keep looking at Spider.

She smiled as they asked to call her Iggy! "Yes! I like that! My friends can call me Iggy! I'd rather Mr.Warlord not call me that though, but you can!" She feigned a serious and scowly face to emphasize her nickname for Basilisk but beamed as she relayed that they could call her that.

"Spiders are so interesting and I love watching them build their webs! I like how you're named Spider! Have you seen a jumping spider? They're so cute! And look! I have a spider friend up there in the corner!" As she babbled away she pointed out a small black "Meta menardi" an orb weaving cave spider she just spotted as they were talking. Her whole body felt warm and her tail wouldn't stop wagging back and forth.  

"Ignita"

Basilisk may enter her threads without warning.

“Mr. Warlord?” Spider giggles, lifting a paw to their mouth. “i’m so telling him you called him that.” their tone is obviously teasing, however; they wouldn’t want to get their new friend in trouble. it’s strange to them, actually, how someone can have such a different perception of Bas. to them, Bas is one of their favourite people in the whole world! they trust him wholeheartedly. but of course, not everyone is granted opportunity to get to know him like they were. especially not the…slaves. Spider’s smile dims, guilt twisting their stomach, but thankfully Iggy provides a welcome distraction. “Spiders are pretty cool! but they creep me out sometimes.” they give an exaggerated shudder, eyes shifting to the arachnid in the corner. “well, i guess now you have two spider friends!”

"Speech"

Spider has a male raven companion named Doomsday and a female snake companion named Lady Snakeskin. Assume they are present unless stated otherwise.

Ignita gasped and laughed, "You wouldn't!!" She exclaimed giggling about her nickname for Basilisk. She had a feeling they were teasing, but suddenly she didn't know if they were... It wouldn't go very well for Iggy if Basilisk heard of any sort of disrespect coming from her. The Little Slave's golden eyes dart over Spiders as it seems the situation becomes clear to them both at the same time. It would be best if Basilisk probably didn't know she was making friends with the Crown Prince of Armada. They wouldn't get into any trouble, but she certainly might get a matching scar on the other side of her face for it, or worse.

The talk of spiders was a welcome distraction, "How fascinating! I didn't think you being named after them and all that you'd be creeped out by them! I thought it would bring a kind of kinship with them or something! How funny! The desert had so many big ones where I'm from..." The heaviness in the opposition to their titles had knocked the ease out of Ignita.

"I'm glad I have a friend, now..." She said heavily trying to smile and not let the sudden worry show through. She was bad at it. "I-I hope we can... Please please don't tell Basilisk I said that..." She asked quietly looking away, just in case it actually needed to be said.  

"Ignita"

Basilisk may enter her threads without warning.

as easy as the playfulness had come, a sudden anxiety sweeps in and chases it away, melting the smile right off Spider's face. clearly, their joke had been in poor taste. "oh no no no," they say hurriedly, stepping closer and flapping their paws about in a placating gesture. they half want to hug the little slave; she looks so worried. "i wouldn't do that! i don't wanna get you in trouble."  they try for a reassuring smile, stomach twisting with guilt. "i'm your friend, now, okay? i'm not tryna, like...trick you."  gods, they're really butchering this, aren't they? there's an obvious power imbalance between them, and Spider doesn't know how to navigate it.

"Speech"

Spider has a male raven companion named Doomsday and a female snake companion named Lady Snakeskin. Assume they are present unless stated otherwise.

Ignita tilts her round head at Spider and looks somewhat dubious until they press in and say they aren't trying to trick her. The tension relaxes in her white and golden shoulders.
"I just... Thank you. I think I can believe you." She smiles shyly. "I'm so used to being teased, it's hard to know when it's genuine... and Basilisk wasn't... the kindest when he... recruited me." She admitted, rubbing the healing scar under her cheek that crosses halfway across her nose.

She clamps her lips tight and decides to busy her paws, absently shuffling some store items into a new place on the shelves, flicking her tail. She didn't know if admitting that to Spider was the best call but her mouth got away from her. No one likes to know those kinds of things about people they look up to. She was sure Spider probably didn't want to hear it about their father.

"Ignita"

Basilisk may enter her threads without warning.

Spider bites their lip, uncomfortable. on the one hand, guilt stabs their belly at the sight of Ignita’s scar. on the other hand, Bas is…Bas. their dad. he’s given them everything. and even when faced with something like this, they can’t bring themselves to speak ill of him. “he’s…under a lot of pressure right now,” they say, wincing. it’s a paltry excuse, but they’d make a million more for the father they adored so much. “and hey, you’re okay now,” they continue, voice forcibly bright in an attempt to sweep past the topic. “which allowed us to meet! so no harm done, really.” probably an insensitive thing to say, but Spider isn’t exactly known for their tact.

"Speech"

Spider has a male raven companion named Doomsday and a female snake companion named Lady Snakeskin. Assume they are present unless stated otherwise.

Ignita shrugs her shoulders and shifts something else on the shelves, "Yup, lots of pressure." She ruefully agreed. Warlords are under a lot of pressure, someone tried to kill him on his first day, and she was the one who stitched his belly up. But he specifically told her to keep -that- to herself.

"I am okay now." She accepted that and wagged her tail at them, she was actually grateful to be here and given such an important job as keeping an eye on the storeroom and stocks of food.

"I am very grateful to have met you Spider!" Iggy came back to sit next to them, she decided to ignore their last comment. It stung but she also brushed it off. She'd rather have a friend than be offended.

"And I like my job, It'll be okay. We'll be okay, yeah?" She asked rhetorically, giving them a gentle shoulder check and even dared a wink. They should probably part though before anyone decided to take offense at how she was spending her time.

"Ignita"

Basilisk may enter her threads without warning.

Ignita seems placated - for now, at least. and though Spider knows, in a distant, subconscious way, that she's probably suppressing a lot of her pain, they can't bring themselves to poke the proverbial bear. they've reached an understanding for now, and Spider's gained a new friend. for now, it's enough. "that's good. i'm glad."  they offer a smaller smile, this one more genuine, and begin backing out of the den. it's probably be best to let Iggy get back to her tasks before she gets in trouble. "i'll stop by again soon, okay? keep an eye on ya and make sure you're not getting up to any mischief."   they return her wink, voice jesting, then turn on their heel and disappear into the hall beyond.

"Speech"

Spider has a male raven companion named Doomsday and a female snake companion named Lady Snakeskin. Assume they are present unless stated otherwise.