Long live us

More wandering. With winter finally thawed, Arbiter pondered what lay ahead. Spring lead into the future.. Or something like that. But sitting idly around wasn't going to exactly point her in the direction of where she should be. To be idle was in a sense to give up on making the most of it. Terance had never returned, neither had her sister. So Arbiter would have to find some new minions.

Despite at least respecting Hydra's leadership, that didn't mean Arbiter would remain happy to stay ranked as her underling forever -- she was not the type who would always be willing to bow. She left her birth pack due to lack of opportunity, and should it turn out that there wasn't one in Empyrean, then she would continue on and find her own future. Perhaps it was just spring that made her impatient. Freedom of movement, plenty of prey, and Arbiter was two now.

The lake that she'd wandered to was fairly secluded. Perhaps defensible. Yet at the same time she could imagine it being a trap in the worst weather. Right now, though, it was no worry. The plants that she wandered over (and stepped on) had no special meaning to her, not being trained in anything particularly medically oriented other than to how to maybe keep someone from dying for a few minutes for a real medic to arrive. A few she perhaps noticed were unusual due to one thing or another, but other than that, it was a goddamn plant. More to her interests was if there was anything actually edible here. She could always extend her trip if she was well-fed.
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With heavy-heart (not really), she ventured back to the Bluewater Lake. Orlaith didn't truly get to enjoy it last time, only catching a view of its relatively icy waters and quite blue-ways before being tackled down the mountain. Even as she traveled up, she could recognize the crunched spots of bushes and herbs that herself and @Daighre had done within the midst of their fighting. Crazy bastard, attacking her out of no where — she wonders how many times he going to keep coming into her life like so. She be damned to continue to let it be without pummeling into pure submission ; but he wasn't the type to go down without fighting.

At the very least, she wanted to revisit the place she could not properly. The mountain steep was easy to crawl to, it wasn't an extreme slope where she was difficulty. It was lushed in flora, multitude of grass laying about covered in various of flowers, blooming in a beauty. Even the soil itself felt soft on her paws while travelling upwards, smelling the water itself. Nothing was more tasteful.. Well almost, she had a love for rum — but mountainous water was a luxury to enjoy.

As she came up to, Orlaith noticed another was within the area, "Oh hey, you came for a drink too?" she asked.

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As she walked, she couldn't help but continue to think that this place had the potential to be a trap. But look, water and trees and life! But mountains, passes, and potential avalanches. She kind of wished she'd wandered through here earlier in the year, if only to see how it might have been at its worst. Too late now. The central feature, the lake, wasn't super appealing to her -- it wasn't like she could dive its depths, nor was she particularly fond of fish -- but it at least promised there was likely non-scaled prey around too if she wanted a snack. Right now she wasn't too hungry.

Running all that through her mind, she'd caught hint of another wolf's scent on the breeze before actually being called to. The other woman was about the same size and stature as her, which she could respect, but a bit nagged at her for other reasons. She'd let none of it come to her usual non-expressive face. At the question, she shook her head. “Just investigating places I didn't stop before, and who might be around.” And she'd found a person -- or been found by one. Even from where she was, Arbiter was fairly certain the other wolf was alone, or close enough to it. “You're not from a pack near here?” Perhaps had she been in a better mindset, she would have attempted to recruit the woman (should she turn out to be a reasonable person) but that was certainly not Arbiter's goal out here today. She was being a little flighty -- for her, at least.
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As she approached closer, Orlaith took note they were relatively the same age. Though unlike her hues, the other was the mixture of pure black and white. Held a somewhat menacing gaze that would irk anyone, like she was judging despite the first time meeting — something that the warrior definitely doesn't do, and already gave her a somewhat bad start. First impressions were everything after all, and though they didn't reak of hostility.. Their face enough said everything.

At the very least they seemed somewhat smaller then herself, but overall a still brawny one. She lifted her head with an arrogance, as a confident stride came if it really had to come down to it, Orlaith felt she could take the other down. Though it did seem she wasn't really here to pick fights, maybe just had one of those faces really, as the other mentioned just investigating. For her pack, maybe? It smelled heavily on the other that it didn't seem like they were taking a trip away, and assumed that where they belonged to, was relatively near.

"I don't belong with anyone, just a wanderer for the meanwhile," the woman said, as she approached the lake, "met a bastard here where we brawled, didn't get a clear view of the place." 

Fuck that guy. She scowled lightly on thinking about him.

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Arbiter was her name and her self, that was the whole Dokuga shtick. She was analytical, reserved about her inner thoughts, wearing little on her face as the gears turned inside. The other woman was far more expressive in comparison -- Arbiter's hawkish gaze caught that shift in posture (curious), and that final scowl. An emotional sort then. Her loss. Emotions made things complicated and messy and easy to be manipulated. Those two shifts made her think that the woman was probably too much of a powder keg to actually be useful for her plans. She could go be someone else's trouble.

“Ah,” was her oh-so-wordy response to the wandering statement. Then, a broader look at the place, however brief, “And does it seem like it's a place worth testing your luck against running into them again now that you have?” It didn't seem particularly logical to her, unless she wanted to get some revenge. But then again, for all of Arbiter's spite, her iron grip on her emotions and actions generally meant whatever trouble she got herself into wasn't particularly serious -- for her at least -- so perhaps someone more moody dealt with that regularly. Arbiter looked from her, to the water, and back then, starting to take a few slow steps towards the shore to indicate her intention to go that way. Standing around like a couple of buffoons while nattering away wasn't high on her list. She was far too used to patrolling.
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Orlaith turned to the water ; to be met with a faint image of herself though bathed in blue. A blurr really, but the lake was nice enough where even she could see herself through. Though she disrupted that image from lapping up some water before raising her head — facing an endless lake. Quite large, take a whole day to simply walk around she so imagined. The sounds of waterfalls was within the distance and the rummaging of a moving river ; indicating that the lake continued downwards. It'd be a nice place to camp, and she'd be damned to let anyone stop her.

"I can beat that fucker. Ain't letting some punk stop me from entering neutral land." She gazed at the other who started to move away, though didn't really seem like inviting her near. Kinda a jackass moment to move away mid-conversation, but Orlaith wasn't about to go running after them when she was not wanted. Thus, stayed standing near the shore.

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And this woman seemed to be one of the goofy stand around like a couple of rocks type. How irritating. Now the conversation itself was preventing her from being able to investigate things the way she wanted. For now she paused, but she did feel like she wasn't going to linger around and force this talk to happen when she wanted to do other stuff. If she didn't get more entertainment, then Arbiter would excuse herself soon enough.

However, the response the woman gave gave did earn her a bit of a chuckle. Uh huh. Yeah. This woman was more of a boulder sitting at the edge of a cliff than someone stable. Ego. And considering that she hadn't stated that the brawl had gone her way, Arbiter had her doubts. The expression it left on her face was faintly bemused, but it would fade in not too long. For now, she spoke, slightly teasing but subdued, “You sound more like you liked the guy. I wanted to know about the land.” Because she couldn't give a hoot about whatever random she'd tried to take a chunk out of previously. Really though, it was just an easy jab, she had no skin in that game either.
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Her face contorted to a clear displeased expression, "Disgusting." Her voice crept with a sheer dislike toward this comment, and even an edge to it with the slightest growl, not at Arbiter, but at the sheer thought of herself being paired with him, "he's smaller then either of us, not even to be considered anywhere near an ideal mate." She wasn't particularly keen with the idea of tying herself down either, and even cared less for children. But if she had to, it wouldn't be anywhere near that guy.

Fuck him. Didn't even know his name!

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Arbiter's tailtip had started flicking in an almost catlike manner -- mostly because she found this absolutely hilarious but was trying to keep it subdued.. But every time this woman just made it more funny! Did she hear herself? Arbiter was almost smiling, which was a lot of expression for the usually stony-faced woman. It might actually have looked good on her, but it seemed unlikely that either of them would notice or give a damn. 

She had to utter a little bit of a guffaw, “I hope you don't have siblings like mine, they'd be singing songs about your supposed true love, regardless. You're giving him far too much weight on your mind if he's nothing.” Arbiter tried to give her a way out, it was about all she'd offer when it came to a helping paw. At least she wasn't directly teasing.
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"No, i'm an only child." She was the only one within her litter, and the last one as well. They never did have any other children, and she never knew why. Although her father was someone to adore and respect, he was the pinnacle of a true warrior in the midst of the northern woods, the flame of the land ; someone Orlaith looked up to while her mother.. Was someone to be scorned and mocked at. She was weak. Not in the terms of body, but she would watch her own child get kicked out and not say a thing, in fear she too would be turned away.

Her father had long been dead by a border mishap.

He was her own family, while she would spit thinking about the rest, "Yeah, I guess." Orlaith shrugged her shoulders and sighed lightly, turning toward the other, "you got siblings then?"

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