…..:::::|. The Glorious Toot: Front .|:::::…..

Siin made it to the bright outside and scanned the pretty peach walkway for his mates. He sighted Kodlaa first. There weren't many women from Dorari Falls running around in Ashok's main territories as, Dorari had only been annexed to The CloseKings of Ashok thirty-six cycles ago. Kodlaa's family constantly travelled so she saw every speck of the country, making other wolvkin friends along the way. One lasting friendship was that of Halycind and by extension...Siin. But when together, he wasn’t the absolute terror he was with Halycind. The three of them played well during den hosted functions and holiday celebrations. He had a fondness for her but had long recognized it as something sisterly, like Halycind saw her.

She didn't much remind him of the troublemaker she could be now that she was suited up with her wildergear all neat and tidy and her wolaenki smoothly brushed with glinting pins. Her people loved their clashing adornments of many colours and many a-fancy-looking chain hung about her pinned hair. The Eberhavven clan were a shock different from the rest of Ashok but, so say the Close Kings, they were just the type of fresh blood the country needed.

Percival and Veygornne were speaking with her in the crowd of officials, including the Margrave, seeing them off.

“My arse is still chaffed from longsat on that log in Postman Fatty's office.” She whined to Percival, who had taken to the girl quite much. He seemed to let her speak to him so familiarly; much more than he ever let Siin speak to him; and he knew him far longer. Of course, there could have been a much more capital reason for that. Siin sighed as he was venturing into thoughts he wanted to stay away from.

“Well we had to pen the litt--”

“Yeahyeah. Royal this, highborn that.”

As the group moved more into the city's main path just outside the Glorious Toot, the Grui adjusted in their positions with a grace only found in fluid. More adjusted as Siin joined his travelling party. All of Dureyr had become so accustom to those hanging stones, they were hardly ever minded.

“Oh...Oh, I am so glad I missed that.” Siin interjected.

“And you, uul'begadhi, where were you while we rigor-mortised in there listening to highfalutin' mumbo-jumbo?” She was so offended.

“Hydrating. In the pools. And the bar. And my room.”

“Oh, wha', just because we're titled, we had to be the ones to suffer?”

“Oh, he's titled.“ Percival could near not form the words through his scoffing chuckle.

“Wha'?”

“He might have been streetshite in Cashtiel but he is still of Yng.” Percival tilted a head to her. “...and he had to write to aBn Tera for acceptance.”

“Oh, so you've done this?”

“All I enrolled to do was add aBn to my name. They started doing the research and I, having no idea the houses were so broken in Buraamira, found out I was in one of'em.”

“Occupation will do that.” Percival bit.

“I forgot Yng had even been as far-reaching an As'safar as it was, so I didn't know I had a title. I spent a full ten minutes, though, rattling off the whole thing once I found it all. Does me no good 'cept on paper.” There was a twinge of bother on his voice. Seemed those distant thoughts were cropping up anyhow.

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“Well, what is it?” Kodlaa begged.

“What is what?”

“Your title?”

He looked at her for a long time, still bothered. “It's aBn Ynggr...now.” He stiffly impressed as if she were hard of hearing.

“Mm. Where's Cash?” Kodlaa noticed.

“Getting provisions.”

…

Halycind struck a strong elbow to the girl's ribs to loose her from the strangle about the back of her neck. It cracked something but the cut one peeled her head up strong to glare down on Halycind's cheek. That having failed, Halycind settled her stance then flipped the girl into the corners of the closet door sill. That pain seemed to take seat, as the girl rolled and writhed in a heap half out of the closet door. A few patrons yelled to sound a fight and the place roared into cheers.

Halycind went to strike the cut-one and landed a heel to the middle of her chest. The girl burst into dry heaves having no wind in her lungs. She scrambled to get her breath and footing. Once huffing whole breaths, the cut girl leapt at Halycind, full power, and bashed a fist and claw straight to her eye socket and raked her across the neck. Through one eye and in a wholly sweeping toss over the hip, Halycind put the girl through one of the tavern's Ashwood tables.

“You took his eye from me...you stole his attention, you thrall!” The girl cried upside down from the mess of table remains and meal settings.

Dust motes and sunlight haloed Halycind as she pointed a stiff arm down to the girl. “Look, cull, it's taking everything in me not to rip your throat open.”

The patrons all stood cheering and the barmaids cried for them to cease but the cut one gritted and made to sweep Halycind's legs. Halycind deftly shifted weight to her back leg as she raised the knee of the leg the girl tried to sweep. The girl in her failed movement swung herself to a pinching stand. She readied herself in huffs. Halycind bore her fangs and burst a rage, landing skilled blow after skilled blow, then took a wild bloody chunk of the girl's shoulder by bite. The cut girl screamed high-murder and kicked Halycind around the ribs to send her flying into a thick post on the bar. Halycind rolled her head around and rose to a wobbly yet wolf-focused sit.

...

“So what's this about a Stainpull escort order?” Siin asked.

“There's been an....accident with some...cargo. So we've been asked to...secure it.” Percival answered with a stern look and a guard on his words.

“Ooh, right.” Siin nodded understanding this was not the time to pry for specifics with so many Grui around.

“Where's the pup?” Veygornne looked back toward the Inn.

“Those provisions are taking forever.”

...

Twice now Halycind tried to remove the angered maiden from her person but the girl was not having it. She tore at the leathers of Halycind's wildergear, snapping bits she was sure were important to its effectiveness and Halycind returned the viciousness with sharp strikes to the face and gut.

She needed to end this and so she eyeballed the girl's cut. There were many times before Halycind had to exploit weakness to win her prizes, this time would prove no different. She skirted one of the girl's strikes, dodged another then shot a clean elbow to the poorly sewn cut on the girl's face. The girl shrieked from the lightning pain of it reopening up her face. As she went to cover her wound, Halycind garroted the girl, through the torn vest, by the straps of her under garments then launched her overhead toward the entrance of The Glorious Toot.

...

Percival flinched then twisted the ring at his wrist.

In the net of glowing Grui, a deep voice said something to him in a language none of the lot knew, save Siin & Veygornne. Siin’s brow furled and Percival nodded his agreement with the man and turned the ring once more to release the Grui back to hover from whence they came.

“Seriously, when do I get that?” Siin pointed at Percival's wrist.

“When you lay your quarry at the foot of your Exemplariat.”

Siin rolled eyes just as the body of the cut girl flew over, bounced and rolled to Percival's feet, now unconscious.

Halycind stumbled out of the front doors, more from annoyance and not tripping over broken things, than any crippling pain. “...Yeah, it's time to leave this pehnhatant city.” She huffed, not even looking down, as she stepped over the girl. She walked passed the group as they all headed, dumbfounded now, toward the Stairwell.

“What the pehn was that?!” Kodlaa called.

“I don't know, she thinks I ploughed her lover or something.” Halycind was walking away from them now, stepping over rock and grass sprigs waving off the event.

“Well, remind me to make another addendum for the door.” Percival looked to Kodlaa and the rest in a sigh.