[html] Ruri <3 Snow, snow, and more snow. Winter marked the land with its white signature. Everywhere the lime-colored eyes swept over the land, there was snow. But at least that was better than the rain that had been crashing down over her head a few hours before. The gray colored woman had awakened with the sun and had decided to traverse outside of the Valley pack's borders. She had plainly heard the raindrops on the roof of her home, but she had decided to venture out anyway, after a cursory sweep of her borders. She had a lot on her mind today. She was dwelling on the past. It had been nearly a year since she had joined Phoenix Valley, and she was definitely happy. There was no question about that. Still, her heart returned to the factors that had influenced her decision. She was at peace with that, for the most part. There were still some things that had gone unresolved - not things she wanted to lay to rest, but things she wanted to to rekindle, to make right on some level. However, when she finally passed through Halifax, her legs took her in a new direction. She had heard tell of a new pack that had arisen in the last calendar year, but she had yet to see it. The sub-leader was of the curious sort, and thought that perhaps she would go beyond Ethereal Eclipse, and beyond her old home of Crimson Dreams and see if those rumors were true. It never hurt to see or to ask. She tread toward what she believed to be the borders, lime green eyes scanning for any signs.
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Oh how she wished for spring. The silver and ivory woman had been fairly tolerant of the winter thus far, but today she felt colder than normal, even with her clothes on. Today she had even gone so far as to wear a pair of sweatpants that Firefly had found for her. She had only ever worn them three times before as the weather outside had always been just barely bearable enough for her to leave her lower half uncovered. However, this was not the case today and for the first time in a month Ruri was actually reluctant to go outdoors. There was simply one problem. She had ignored those thoughts and she was now outdoors, trudging through the snow. She had been wandering around the lands, simply enjoying some exercise when the temperature had dropped even lower. Now the cold penetrated her cashmere tunic and her sweatpants leaving her shivering and slowly wandering home from the northern half of Cour des Miracles. However, just as she was about to leave the Northern borders a strange scent reached her. In an instant she turned and started heading towards the unfamiliar scent. If this person was coming to investigate the pack she would be more than happy to answer any questions that they had. She knew that Jac would not be out in this cold, and though she did not know Vigilante very well she doubted that he would be out in it either. So, the responsibility fell to her and she would perform her duties with a smile. She could drown out the cold for now.
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[html] Geneva did not have to wait long to find something or someone. Her surroundings indicated that many others had at least passed through her frequently. However, since she did not have a working sense of smell, she had to make educated guesses based on other things, and that could be dangerous when she lurked unsolicited around other pack borders. So she made certain that she moved in a semi-weaving line, steering clear of what she perceived to be the actual border line and hoping that she had not committed a faux pas in her exploration. Geneva soon encountered a woman wearing loose pants and a tunic style shirt. Her lime colored eyes dropped for a moment. Although her mate, Jefferson, often donned clothing while in his Optime form - he had to, it seemed, because he wore a sling to keep his arm from becoming further injured - Geneva herself did not often do so. Today she was wearing one of Jefferson's cast-offs, a shirt that buttoned down the front, but she had left it open. Where she had been raised, there hadn't been much of an emphasis put on clothing. And she had been glad, since she often found it too constricting and almost unnatural. She felt some slight embarrassment at her state of dress, but she had always been self-conscious. However, she had grown in confidence and was no longer tongue-tied when she felt embarrassed. "It certainly is cold out," she said, her foot twitching in the snow. Lime green eyes narrowed slightly as she focused on the face of the woman before her. Her eyes were eerily light, and strangely beautiful. Is she blind? Geneva wondered, but did not vocalize. She did not know this stranger, and had no business addressing those thoughts. "Hello, my name is Geneva Stockholm of Phoenix Valley. I came to see Cor des Miracles, to learn a little," she said, getting straight to the point. That was usually the best way to deal with things at borders, she had found.
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The unfamiliar scent quickly turned into an unfamiliar voice as the delicate Border collie trudged towards the borders. Much to Ruri's delight, the person was female and she too seemed to recognize how cold it was outside. The Dauphine did not mind meeting men at the borders, but when she had in the past she had always had someone with her. That was, of course, except for that time when she had run into Haku Soul. Women were less intimidating to the blind woman. As a female herself, Ruri found that it was easier to find common ground with members of her own gender. Milky blue eyes quickly danced around, as if trying to make contact with the source of the voice. Eye-contact was only ever a brief occurrence. Delicate, white-furred footpaws stamped out a place for herself in the snow as she stood and replied, "Yeah, I think this is the coldest it has been all winter. I'm Ruri, Ruri Aceline the Dauphine and Lautari of Cour des Miracles," she paused briefly before adding, "What I mean is that I'm the second-in-command and the head musician. Well, I don't know if you'd call me a musician, I just sing a lot. I can't play human instruments like some people. It's very nice to meet you, Geneva." The silver and ivory woman had found it necessary to clarify the terms of her pack. After all, each pack had different names for their ranks, as she had come to learn, so if she had not explained Geneva would likely have been confused. Having issued her greeting, the fragile collie woman folded her arms to keep her exposed hands warm. "I'd be happy to answer any questions that you might have. I might not know everything about the pack, but I'll hopefully be able to give you the information you seek," she stated, agreeing to assist the Stockholm woman in her goal. Perhaps in the process she would learn about this Phoenix Valley pack that Geneva called home.
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Ruri's voice was kind and her words were also friendly, an open invitation to continue this discourse. Geneva was grateful that she had been lucky enough to encounter such a creature at the borders. It appeared as though this new pack was of a friendly sort, if Ruri's demeanor was anything to go by. Then again, she could be completely wrong. If a stranger had approached the Valley pack's borders, they would either encounter Geneva or Jefferson usually. Geneva was usually much more open and friendly, whereas Jefferson, although not usually hostile, was surly at best. The gray femme appreciated when Ruri went on to explain her pack's terminology. At first, Geneva had not known what to say or how to respond to her. Geneva dipped her head in acknowledgement of Ruri's rank before returning to her previous state. Geneva interjected, "I have a similar position in Phoenix Valley. I am a sub-leader there, the Pundit." Geneva continued with a wry grin. "However, I have never in my life been musically inclined." Geneva had attempted to sing once, and had stopped her screeching when her father - alive at the time, for she had been a child then - had pleaded with her to stop. Geneva thought about her offer before asking the most pertinent question she could think of. "I do not know if you are aware that Dahlia de Mai and Inferni are currently at war. I do not know their reasons for fighting. Have you heard anything, and have any of your members been compromised by their fighting?" This was a topic that generally worried the woman. There was concern for Ruri's pack in her tone. However, she was also working off the assumption that this pack was not involved in the dispute. She could be erroneous in her assumptions.
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Alabaster hands hid beneath her folded arms as the Dauphine pressed them to her body trying to banish the numbness from her fingers. Her ears perked to listen as Geneva explained her rank in Phoenix Valley and Ruri mimicked the gray woman's action of dipping her head in respect, though she had no known that Geneva had done the same to her. Then the subject turned to more serious matters. Her visage slowly changed, replacing the friendly smile on her lips with a look of concerned seriousness. Ruri and Geneva were both alike as the Border collie too did not know the reasons behind the war. She only knew that she did not want any of her friends, or herself for that matter, to get hurt because of it. Unfortunately, she had heard through the grapevine that Firefly had been hurt by two members of Dahlia de Mai. She knew nothing more than that, but at least she would have some answer to give to the Phoenix Valley woman. "When last I heard, one of my pack mates, a woman by the name of Firefly Sadira, had been injured by two members of Dahlia de Mai. Other than that, I don't know anything else about the war. In all honesty, I haven't investigated into it very much at all. The way I figure it, I'm of no use should the war turn and engulf Cour des Miracles somehow so I just do my best to keep all of my friends from getting involved. I don't want anybody else from our pack getting hurt," she replied with a sternness she rarely exhibited. If there was one thing in life Ruri would ever get upset about, it was when some stranger hurt one of Ruri's friends for no apparent reason. The naive, innocent, blind woman had scarcely an ounce of aggression in her, but if her friends ever needed her she'd defend them as best she could. After all, her pack mates were always defending her, protecting her from harm, so it was her job to look out for them as well.
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The name that Ruri mentioned was somewhat familiar - or at leas the surname was. Geneva knew that the former Matriarch of her own pack had been Iskata Sadira, and she had met some sort of tragic end. Also, one of her friends from her former pack bore that same surname. It was not much of a stretch to assume that the friend Ruri spoke of was related to one of those two that she knew or knew of. For a moment, Geneva was startled by how small the world could be. Creatures and places could be tied so closely together. She only hoped that the world wasn't so small that the battles and strife of Dahlia de Mai and Inferni would spill over and entangle those were not involved in the initial violence. "I'm sorry to hear about the woman who sustained damage," Geneva said, and she truly was. She did not like to imagine anyone in pain or under attack, even her own enemies. She would defend herself and her own, certainly, but she could not be inspired to violence unless she was answering to it. Ruri had confirmed that this pack was uninvolved in the war, and so the fact that one of its members had been injured anyway was completely disheartening. Geneva knew next to nothing of war, and she knew that the world didn't work in such a way that innocents were kept away from conflict. Still, she had hoped that the war would be better contained, at least. "If I hear anything, even the slightest thing about the war, I will let you know or send someone to tell you," Geneva said. She could see that Ruri was peace-loving as herself. Geneva would not want something negative to happen to this woman, and keeping open lines of communication was probably the best way to keep everyone safe.
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End here??? Ruri's about to freeze her tail off
Geneva seemed genuinely distressed by Ruri's news that Firefly had been hurt. That spoke tremendously of the Valley woman's character to be concerned for those she didn't even know. The blue merle woman smiled and nodded in the direction of the other woman in an expression of thanks. "I hope no one in your pack gets caught in the cross-fire. Inferni and Dahlia de Mai can fight to their hearts content, but they should keep that conflict to themselves," Ruri replied, a concerned tone clinging to her words. When Geneva offered to give Ruri any information about the war that she came across, the collie's ears perked in interest. "I'll do the same, thank you. It's probably the best way to stay out of the war, now that I think about it. The better informed we all are, the better we can avoid it," she stated, milky blue eyes squinting as a gust of cold wind blew past her. Her hands and feet had gone numb minutes ago and she knew she would have to head back to her house soon or face frostbite. She hated to leave her new found friend and ally but mother nature was not being cooperative today. "I...I'm sorry Geneva, but I think...I think I'm going to have to go. I'm not too used to being out in the cold this long and my clothes just aren't cutting it with all of this wind and snow," she apologized, not wanting to seem rude, but needing to make as quick an exit as she could. The lithe collie woman, despite being bundled up in her cashmere tunic, woolen poncho and snow pants was freezing and though she hated to bid farewell so soon, she did not know if she would be able to make it back to her house if she stayed any longer.
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