{ Title: 'Roses' }
Skill: ---

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Set during Solvi's visit to Elysium in late Nov./early Dec.
Valeska

She had settled into something of a temporary routine.

Solvi had always been early to rise, if for no other reason than Bjarki would not allow her to sleep in. He did not understand the importance of beauty sleep unless it applied to him and, as token food-giver, she was forced to rearrange her schedule to suit his needs.

By the time the first light bled into the horizon, Solvi had already been awake for a handful of hours. She used the meager light of dimming night to hunt by - an endeavor that usually took longer than she would like to admit with her lackluster ability - before she made her way back to the relatively central portion of the territory.

Waking so early was not such a bad habit to have, she thought idly as she paused in her steps to admire the sky. Underfoot, a wide expanse of fresh snow spread to complement the pastel tones of morning shining down on the new day.

If she didn't wake so early, she wouldn't get to see the hues of the world awakening, and that would be a shame.

She had just lowered her head to its normal station when she caught a silver shape further along her path. At first, she thought it to be Amaris, but it was not the moonsilver boy - it was his mother, who Solvi hadn't gotten to acquaint herself with just yet.

The honeybee strode forward, ears cupped toward the priestess.

It is a beautiful morning, she greeted her, drawing to a stop from a respectful distance. Her muzzle held a polite smile, the tip of her tail flickering in the offering of a restrained wag.

Yes.

Yes.

There she was.

The golden fairy-child Alder had arrived with, gleaming like warm honey against the sun's bright morning rays; from a distance, she might even have been mistaken for Amaranth, although no shade of gold could ever compare to her mate's incomparable beauty.

But she was quite cute nevertheless.

Valeska was also an early riser, having already wandered the western border of the Respite to refresh their markers and take in the beautiful day ahead. She smiled. Fate's Respite was, she thought with some degree of pride, one of the most scenic territories this far north of the Wakes - not that she'd ever ventured south save for their once-journey to the World Tree, which had borne them their triplets - and the sky was alight with a swath of soft pink and pale orange as the denizens of their home gradually yawned themselves awake.

Solvi approached and offered a pleasant greeting.

Is it not just? she said by way of response, pausing mid-stride to take a refreshing breath of cold air. It is much like our old Respite from the Land Before, but I have come to appreciate its differences.

The silver matron stood maybe an inch or two taller than the little golden female at most but a great deal stouter, her thick torso and muscle-dense limbs painting a stark contrast against the slender girl close by. Valeska was a mountain wolf, built stocky and thick for hard winter months, and her long seasonal coat made her appear almost spherical as a result.

A very sturdy cotton ball.

It appears you know my son, Alder, she began innocently.

Grandchildren.

The Priestess' gaze wandered toward Solvi's hips.

They were slim - but they could still bear children, she thought.

He is no longer the wolf who left this place a year ago, Valeska continued. He has changed.

Skill: --- (1/5)

Although she had not doubted that Valeska would be pleasant, she was all the same heartened when the Priestess regarded her warmly.

Curiosity rose within her when she mentioned a "Land Before" and toasted ears perked. You were from somewhere else before you came here? she inquired, making great effort not to be so excited to learn someone else had also been flung into this realm from elsewhere. It was nice not to feel so alone in being foreign.

I came from a different world, too, Solvi supplied. I do not think my homeland is here, but your Respite is lovely. She wondered how it would look flush with wildflowers in the thick of spring.

The honeybee was blissfully unaware of the chaos - specifically for herself - she would be inviting by approaching Valeska. She perceived nothing from the High Priestess's silent appraisal, sensing nothing out of the ordinary. Even her question that followed lured no suspicion from her.

Yes, we met back in the summer between our territories, Solvi explained easily, a tinge of warmth finding itself within her visage. It was impossible to forget the day they met; The Mother had painted the sky in the most beguiling of ways, hints of the Vintersol sewn into a shimmering, prismatic wonder. We crossed paths while I was collecting lemon balm.

That had been one of the few times in her life that she was certain The Mother's presence was truly felt, almost tangibly. She had never seen such a thing before or since, so there had been some sense of significance she had yet to really make sense of.

So much had happened since then.

Has he? she inquired as Valeska suggested he was different than he once was, her ears cupped forward with interest. Solvi knew of why he had stayed within Northfall, honing himself into a weapon to be used for Cypress' doom. While she normally did not condone violence, she understood.

Sometimes, it was necessary to excise the bad parts of something before it allowed disease to fester and spread. Better to lose a toe than the leg, or a leg before a life. Even The Mother recognized the need for retribution when harm, let alone murder, was typically forbidden. She turned a blind eye when blood was spilt to right a wrong.

What was he like before?