writhing under your riding hood // joining

the stranger is right in assuming that someone is always nearby. such is the way of the clans; people patrolling day-in and day-out. and imperia is one of them. she rises early every morning, hours before the golden rays of sunlight begin painting the inky black sky with warm hues. today is no different. she happens to pass by just as the lone female arrives at the border, her monotone voice slicing through the quiet of the forest. it annoys her when people just walk right in an announce that they're joining as if there's nothing anyone can do about it. but imperia is a stickler for rules. she loves them. they give her life structure and meaning. then again, she will not moan and groan about someone not doing what she expects of them. she is not so immature as to get upset that people do not behave in the manner which she believes to be appropriate. she cannot control anyone but herself. she knows that. but it's still annoying.

"welcome to the renegades," chimes the lovely huntress as she approaches with predatory grace. chiseled muscles ripple beneath a pelt spun from stars as her lithe frame slows to a halt before naoise. "my name is imperia arceneau. what is your name?" a warm smile dances upon the female's lovely visage, argent eyes observing the newcomer curiously. luckily, imperia is not a sanctimonious brute. in fact, she is quite the opposite. she is a moral creature with a firm belief in her values, but peri avoids coming off as patronizing if she can. the poor girl just wants to be nice to everyone. is that too much to ask?

it is understandable that most people expect kindness to be mask corrupt people wear. in a world like theirs, who could possibly be so pure of heart to actually mean it when they say "nice to meet you"? perhaps imperia is just strange. as with most others, her past should cause her to behave bitterly, the fear in her heart encouraging her to lash out at others who try to get too close. but for some reason peri refused to let the darkness corrupt her. it lurks at the edge of her heart, polluting her soul with insecurities and invasive thoughts which she cannot control, but the lovely direwolf refuses to act on it. call her idealistic, but she she is who she is.

argent eyes observe the clouded leopard curiously. naoise? interesting name. it reminds her of her sister, aoife. not in pronunciation of the name, but the fact that they are both gaelic in origin. imperia's heart aches. her sister is just another person who seems to have flickered from existence. peri hopes aoife is safe, wherever she is. "'tis a pleasure to make your acquaintance," hums the female in response, words delicate and flowery. she punctuates her reply with another friendly smile. imperia notices the other creature's lack of interest in conversation, but this does not seem to perturb her. she'd rather be ignored than be snarked at. as naoise begins to sink her claws into the tree mark--presumably to lay down her scent or whatever it is that felines do--imperia watches in silence until a couple moments pass. "i can show you around the prison, if you like. if not, i can point you in the direction of the camp and you are free to look around yourself." best just to offer even if you expect to be turned down. it is the polite thing to do.

a brow is raised in response to naoise's sarcasm. she supposes she could feel miffed by the comment, but in reality she finds it rather amusing. the clouded leopard insinuates a fair point: naoise really is not pleasant to meet at all. but imperia finds the behavior a little refreshing. she finds a silver lining in everything--in this case, peri is lucky that the mockery is limited to subtle irony. people have treated her much worse in the past simply for speaking politely. aleksei, blizzardclan's new leader, is the first to come to mind. she only ever tried being kind to that boy and he treated her miserably merely because he thought her weak. and when she was strong enough to give him a piece of her mind? he whined that people always unfairly made him out to be a monster. peri still likes to think that one day he will mature and see that his idea of "strength" is not universal, but she knows, deep down, that he'll always be an insufferable brat. imperia's tolerance for bullies is quite low at this point in her life, but she can handle harmless teasing.

sterling steel eyes meet those of copper pennies, the metal clashing as imperia holds the other's gaze for several seconds before continuing on with the conversation. "it is no trouble at all," assures the soft-spoken huntress with a faint smile. she pivots on her heel and gestures for the smaller feline to follow with a flick of her tail. "allons-y." let's go. she sets an easy pace, accommodating for her companion's significantly smaller strides. it is still strange adjusting to such a new and large body as compared to her birth form, but it is has its perks. it's also nice that several others in the clan also look like her. esu/perry, koday, assassin. there are others, but those are the ones she can think of off the top of her head. "this is the ravine," she begins, gesturing to the rocky landscape which surrounds them. "if you go north from this point, you will eventually reach the prison. we have all the amenities, including electricity," miraculously enough. peri loves being able to use hot water. "currently the warden, or leader, is koday. he is wonderful." it is clear that imperia admires the leader; she does nothing to disguise it. what she does not say is that koday has been overwhelmed recently with his new leadership duties and she can tell he is struggling. that is why she gets up at the crack of dawn every single day: to do what she can to make his job easier. but she is merely a low-ranking officer, and therefore has very little power to do anything significant. "do you have any questions?"