The north was a great place to spend time this summer - even here it was much warmer than usual, but there was still a refreshing coolness to the breeze. It was early morning, and the sun was still low in the sky, Xephyris' favourite time of the day. He'd already been on the move for some time, since the sun had begun to peek over the horizon. Now he'd come to this fascinating place, where the shrubs seemed to grow in very particular pattern, causing him to wonder why. He wasn't normally very interested in the land and exploring new things, but since he wasn't chained anywhere at the moment, he was busying himself visiting unfamiliar territory and getting better acquainted with the very different places that Ardent had to offer. Coming to a peculiar raise in the ground that seemed to form into a small, volcano-shaped structure, the silver-eyed man examined it cautiously. Steam billowed up from the rocky structure. He had seen the volcano in the east, and he knew its dangers. But what were the risks involved with this tiny replica of the burning mountain? It smelled different, not like burning shrubs and ash, and he couldn't feel heat radiating from it, like the intense scorching heat waves that rose up from the volcano. He clambered up the stony edge, and then reared up to place his forepaws on the upper edge of the geyser. It was a small structure compared to the burning mountain, but it was still a fair size. Peering closer, all he could see was steam, and it seemed like there was only hot water here. Like some sort of hot spring, but it was much, much too hot to dip in to. Shrugging, he pulled away and placed his paws back down, seating himself on a stone ledge as he let his eyes scan his surroundings from a slightly higher place, wondering what he would do with the rest of his day. "Talk" "You" Think

This was not the sort of task Vincenzo was used to taking on.  He was muscle, he was brute force meant to complete physical tasks not for the arts of manipulation and scrutiny.  He wasn't stupid by any means.  He excelled in military tactics but interpersonal dynamics were not a strength.  Vincenzo sighed, eyes narrowed as he gazed out across the terra.  He was not a lone wolf.  That was part of the reason he'd joined the Fratelli Rossi.  To be part of a band of brothers, to have a family to belong to and now what?  There was just him and Basileus?  How on earth were they ever going to build themselves back up from this?

A hawk swooped from the sky, snatching a fish as the sun glittered across the water.  This was a rich land, a beautiful land that was ripe for the taking.  Vincenzo could smell the opportunity here and it filled him with excitement but still there was dread.  He'd never felt so conflicted.  It wasn't in his nature to hope… but it was in his nature to scavenge, to survive.  They could not rewrite the past so he would have to work with what was here and he trusted Basileus.  They would rise from these ashes and embed themselves in the land.

Vincenzo started moving again.  He needed the physical movement to get his mind focused on the task at hand and is if the Lady Fortuna herself were guiding him he spied a gray male not to far off resting on a ledge.  "Buon pomeriggio.  Vedere qualcosa di interessante?"  The odds of anyone speaking his native tongue were slim but he thought that he would try.

"Speech"

The sound of another wolf's voice caught his attention, and he craned his neck to find the wolf that was speaking to him. It occurred to him that he did not know the language of the other man, but it sounded different than Soleil's language - it wasn't French. Briefly he wondered how many languages there could possibly be, but he didn't have time to dwell on the thought, as he had to focus on speaking with the wolf who'd addressed him. There wouldn't be anything he could do if the man didn't speak a word of English. So, turning his body so that he could face the other, he looked down off the ledge he was seated on. "Greetings stranger," his voice came forth, silvery-blue eyes scanning over the scarred frame of the other, "I'm sorry, but I don't speak your language. Do you know any English?" He wondered what the male's response was going to be. Unlike with Soleil, Xephyris wasn't sure he'd be the least motivated to try to figure out the foreign words of another man. "Talk" "You" Think

ooc: sorry for the wait!

The man would turn to him and speak in the common tongue of Boreas. Ahh… well, Vincenzo had assumed as much. It was unlikely he would find anyone that spoke the tongue of his brothers but Vinny having been an immigrant to multiple places picked up snips here and there and he figured he could try and hold a conversation with this stranger and maybe glean some useful information. "I talk a little English…" He spoke slowly and carefully as if tasting the foreign words rolling around in his tongue. English was a language he was passingly familiar with but not one he spoke often or felt comfortable using. That would have to change if the Fratelli Rossi intended to start anew here. "I say good morning to you, sir. You see interesting things?"

"Speech"

Patiently he waited, watching the man's expression - he appeared a little disappointed when Xephyris spoke, and it reminded him of the way that Soleil looked at him when she couldn't understand his words, and vice versa when he could not understand her. Perhaps this man did not speak English. But it seemed he would be mistaken if he were to believe that, as the man then spoke slowly, carefully pronouncing his words in English. So, he did have some knowledge of the common language. Xephyris smirked as the brute greeted him, then asking if he'd found anything interesting. "Hmm, I don't think this place is very interesting," he mused, glancing around at the strange but vacant landscape, "I haven't seen any women here... it's rather boring." A glimmer of mischief entered his normally cold silver eyes. He was not entirely serious, actually, he was glad to have the company of another man for once. In his younger days he would have rued the intrusion of solitude, but today, it was welcomed. After all, he'd been overrun with women, to the point it had become rather troublesome. Moving from his perch on the stony ledge at the side of the massive geyser, Xephyris clambered his way down to meet the other man face-to-face, so that he was not looking down upon him. Like many wolves, the other man was a fair bit taller than himself, but that did not surprise him. He grinned at the brute, wondering if he would share the same sort of dull humor that he did. "I'm only joking," he rumbled with a low chuckle, speaking just a little bit slower than he normally would, to ensure his acquaintance didn't miss anything, "This place is actually quite fascinating, although I've never seen anything like it. I'm not sure what it is... or what to think of it." For a moment he glanced back up to the top of the impressive geyser, then back to the black and white coated male, hoping he hadn't said too much all at once. "Talk" "You" Think

A breeze shifted through and Vincenzo took a moment to enjoy the feel on his coat. Being as darkly colored as he was the sun had a tendency to heat him far more quickly than he would have liked, except in winter of course. Vincenzo chuckled at the other man's words at the mention of the lack of women. Ahh…. that was something he was missing. It had been so long since he'd enjoyed the company of a good woman but he was a man dedicated to his work and there was never any time to enjoy the dances of courting.

Vincenzo would listen quietly as the gray male stated that the place was indeed fascinating and Vinny would nod. Suddenly the geiser erupted causing Vincenzo to spin and growl as he fell into a fighting stance at being so rapidly startled. Bah! Wonderful, he'd just made a fool of himself in front of this man. He sighed for a moment before giving a defiant snort to hole the geiser had emerged from and retreated into. "Bah! Interesting yes. Surprising! I do not see up waters before." He eyed the hole for a moment as if water would suddenly burst up from it again the second he tried to speak. "My name is Vincenzo Bernini. What is yours? Where are you from?" The practiced phrases came more easily to him and he was almost grateful to speak them.

"Speech"