Vasiliy is by me!

Vasiliy had spent much of his time as of late on the ship. Since the voyage north, the dark-furred Russian had spent much of each day aboard the great boat. He either crawled its holds, inspecting and getting to know each and every plank and board. The fact that the ship was both sail and oar powered was a blessing, but it also meant added maintenance, too. Oars were easier to maintain than sails, to be sure, but the dusky-furred wolf had found two oars in need of replacement. One was wood-rotten, and the other had a crack in its pole. It was only a small crack, to be sure, but Vasiliy would rather not lose an oar whilst at sea.

The sun was almost at its midpoint by the time he'd gotten back to shore. The dusky-hued wolf grabbed the two long oars and tossed them to the dock. They fell and landed with a clatter; the rotten one lost a few more chunks of its blade. Vasi climbed down from the ship, grabbed the oars, and trotted toward the shore. Despite his quickness to depart the boat, once on dry ground, the hybrid sat down abruptly, letting the oars fall to either side of him.

They were big implements, and once he was free of their weight, the dark wolf shook out his arms. He breathed outward slowly and smiled to himself as he eyed the boat, floating serenely beside the dock. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a cigarette and lit it. After crawling over the oars all morning, he needed a moment to relax.

Vasiliy is by me!

As Vasi smoked, he considered the oars. The rotten one was good for nothing but kindling, but perhaps the other oar might be salvaged and re-purposed. The cracked blade was just the blade -- the pole might still be made useful for something. He picked at the crack with his finger as he lifted the cigarette to his lips, prodding a claw into the small crack. His ears twitched as he heard the sounds of an approach, the hooves of a horse and what sounded like the feet of a rider -- or would-be rider, since they weren't actually on the horse, as far as he could tell.

The pair rounded a bend and came into view. It took a moment for Vasi to recognize Eclipse and her horse. The woman was leaning on the animal in a way that concerned the granite-hued wolf, but he hesitated to get up even as she made her way toward him. The last time they'd met hadn't been entirely pleasant at the end, and while it was a far cry from an open argument, it had been awkward, to say the least. Eclipse did not seem of the mind to continue their quarrel from the last time, however, and spoke kindly toward him. His tail twitched a few times in happiness, and he grinned.

Aye, miss, aye, he agreed. You okay? You lean on horse -- not ride?

Vasiliy is by me!

Vasiliy was not one to hold a grudge. Though the woman's behavior was strange to him, he was willing to bypass whatever had happened. It was more than likely his fault, anyway -- Vasiliy was not so good with his fellow Luperci, it seemed, and he felt he often accidentally offended someone. He knew he was hard to understand, too -- his English wasn't great, not nearly so fluent as his Russian. At least I can make my point known, I guess, he thought, wishing sorely his spoken words were as coherent and fluent as the Russian in his mind.

Ah, it is okay, he said, shrugging. He did not mind much if she'd missed their return -- he was much more concerned with her ill feelings, and he ruminated on them a moment before even getting to the question she'd asked. Tea! This was declared vehemently, and he grinned broadly. Drink tea, you feel good to dance. He was trying very hard to speak clearly and slowly, and properly enunciate. He'd surely caused their kerfuffle with his poor wording -- maybe even his bad manners.

For what Vasiliy do -- fix oars, not much. He shrugged and smiled. Then, he took one final pull of his cigarette, and flicked it a long, long way down to the water. It fell in the sand, but a wave came and gobbled it into the ocean, leaving not even a brown smear behind. I take back to Thornbury -- you want come? Make tea for you, he suggested.

Vasiliy is by me!

Vasiliy had been at the ball, but he'd been mighty uncomfortable. The Russian's face darkened and he looked again discomforted now -- his ears folded back and he grinned at her sheepishly. Is okay, he said. I still dance with you. Should have at ball, anyway. But I did not know anyone, and it was... well. He shrugged, smiling. You know. He wasn't sure if she did, but he didn't want to talk about how he'd felt at the ball with so many canines around. Together, we make terrible dance, he said. Vasiliy was not a good dancer, either -- meat-paws made for poor dance moves.

With her offer, the dark-furred wolf regarded her for a moment. He was hesitant to allow her to offer help if she wasn't feeling well, but she seemed adamant about it, and perhaps it would be just as mannerless if he refused? There had to be some right thing to say. Aye, if you want... you feel okay to do this? He figured that would do about as well as anything -- there wasn't a much better way the dark-furred hybrid could think to put it. He shifted his weight and stood up slowly, stretching out his calf muscles as he rose up further on his toes. A moment later, he picked up one of the oars, testing its weight. It wasn't so heavy -- Eclipse could probably carry it on her own. But he'd feel better if they did it together. Why not -- you take one end, I take other? Carry together? Carry Sobirat'sya, he added, grinning.

Vasiliy is by me!

Vasiliy shook his head at the idea of a king. Skye was not a queen and did not seem to present herself as a monarch at all. Instead, she was a Luperci -- simple, complicated, logical, emotional, and entirely (as far as Vasiliy could tell) normal. There seemed to be no needless elevation of the leadership, and though he could not say for certain this was how Casa di Cavalieri operated, he was suspicious of such places all the same.

Aye, and you will feel much better after tea, I think. You know what is? He had met a few canines on the ship who had never had tea before in their lives -- perhaps owing to the lack of dangerous fire aboard mostly wooden ships. It seemed a rather easy way to sink a ship, in any case. Vasiliy's thoughts, however, returned to Casa di Cavalieri. If they were neighbors and close with Cercatori d'Arte, he ought to learn more about them. But... why king? he asked, turning his head occasionally to glance back at Eclipse. It seemed rude to keep his back to her at all times, even if their present task and predicament made it necessary. What you know about Casa place?

Vasiliy is by me!

The storm-cloud colored wolf nodded his understanding, smiling fond himself of the memories he had. Zinoviya had been the one to brew the best tea, though it had always been a younger cousin or aunt to bring it to the sick. Zinoviya, in her old age, could not afford to expose herself to all manner of illnesses, as she put it. The old woman was always there to give Vasiliy comfort as soon as he was well enough again, though, and then she'd bring the tea herself.

Vasiliy listened, ears twisted back to catch her words better, even as he walked forward. The path he picked was a relatively easy one, leading almost straight into the village. He still was not absolutely certain how they might fix the oars, but that would come when they arrived. For the meantime, it was more important to get the oars to the village first. I understand, Vasiliy said, nodding. I know little of other places, miss Eclipse, so maybe both should learn more. The wolf gave a laugh, though.

Why learn other places, though? Cercatori d'Arte is good. Know little bit about Casa -- fight, protect, train, you say? Is good enough know for me. The rest, can leave behind. Vasiliy did not desire to know all there was to know about the different packs -- just bits and pieces were quite enough for him. He must know who to approach and who to avoid, but beyond that, he cared little for the intricacies of pack politics.

Vasiliy is by me!

The granite-furred Russian listened with a cocked head and ears pricked upward in interest as Eclipse spoke, though he kept his eyes forward now. They were in the trees and it was more difficult to navigate -- he wouldn't want to go walking straight into a treetrunk, after all. There was a good lot of sense in what she was saying. Vasiliy was supposed to be a trader of Cercatori d'Arte -- he'd picked this rank tier precisely because he was a friendly personality and he enjoyed interacting with other canines.

The moment was so large and resonating within him, Vasiliy almost wanted to stop, turn around, and look Eclipse in the face. He'd wear a grave sort of look, something that told her he understood what she was saying and found it poignant, and he'd speak long and lovely words about what it meant to him to have this thing explained to him in so simple a way. But -- Vasiliy was certain he'd muck the long words up, and he wouldn't be able to get the expression right and she'd end up thinking he was mad at her, and above all -- he was still carrying the damned oars. If he stopped to turn around and look at her, he'd wind up letting her bear the entirety of their weight.

I understand, he said. It would hurt me, he agreed. I did not think of it like this. Thank you, Eclipse, he said, trying to convey the solemnity and weight he felt of her words. They were most certainly right, he knew -- it was a truth had never heard put to words so succinctly before. Their path soon took them into the village, and Vasiliy made for his own house. When they were just outside, he turned his head to Eclipse. Set your ends down, I will put up, he said.

Vasiliy is by me!

Vasiliy might have better understood observation; he was quick to attribute any mistake or accident to himself, often blaming himself and therefore minimizing the real problems of another. If he had only better understood how to observe others and emulate their behavior and reactions, perhaps he would not be so hopeless. He was glad when the subject was changed for him by the tawny she-wolf and smiled his gratefulness.

Aye, he said, and lifted an arm to flex, grinning to emphasize his joking gesture. Give good muscle, though. There was always the need for an oar-puller, and though he'd been the head of their foray northward, Vasiliy had pulled and toiled alongside the rest. Not so bad. He shrugged, and glanced over the oars, and then toward his door. Then, his gaze returned to Eclipse, with a smile on his muzzle.

I make tea, he started, tossing his nose toward his house. If want? At least make thanks for help carrying. He did not want to insist, but he also wanted to provide tangible thanks for her efforts in assisting him. Tea to soothe her stomach was just such a thing.