the rooftop garden {silva}

[alehue]

Arya had been pondering this place for the longest of times. It was beautiful, in her opinion – the hill she was standing on soared high above the others, and beneath it was a flat plain, covered in thorns. The ideas that pounder through her head were unbearably creative, yet hardly possible. The canine wanted to start a garden in this area, accent its naturally beautiful ruggedness with what many canines and felines defined today as “beauty” - flowers and lush foliage. Arya herself found flowers and foliage rather pretty, but the brown-gold sand that was spread before her had a much different type of beauty. Its beauty was strong and sure, not a gaudy mask like the fragile flowers’ was; what you saw was what you got, and that was truly beautiful.

The longing she had to tear up those thorns and replace them with flowers was nearly inhuman; she had just explained to herself why it was so beautiful, and yet her brain urged her to show others what she saw by contrast. But others did not see as she did; they would see the steppes as ugly after seeing a lush garden oasis. The puzzlement that befell her was beyond something that she could figure out in her own head. She needed another opinion, someone that could stop the endless cycle that was clawing its way through her head once again. Never in her life would she ever be so glad to see someone.

[Meesh]

Exploring was fun.

Silva didn't even know where she was anymore. She had been bounding east, as far as she could run and farther, and finally the familiar scents and sites had all but abandoned her, replaced by beautiful new scenes. She didn't know what had given her the urge to run, but something told her when she woke up this morning to run, to keep on going until she discovered something beautiful. She knew she could teleport home whenever she wanted, but her teleportation was limited by the lands she knew, and the more she explored, the more places she new of.

And this- this was certainly something new. Silva had never seen such a place, with its rough brambles and irregular hills. Had anyone even been here before? Silva scented the air. nothing but the wind and trees. What if she was the first canine to ever set paw here?

A scent caught her nose, one she hadn't scented in nearly a year. Silva froze. Was that...Arya? Silva had wondered what had happened to the canine ever since the cult disbanded. Perhaps this is where she went?

Well, if this was still the same canine she had last seen during their fight over Hershey, she better approach carefully. Lifting her head, Silva gave voice to a long, drawn out, howl.

[alehue]

...Maybe she wouldn't be so glad to see that someone. When Arya's eyes narrowed and she focused on where the howl had come from, Silva was distinct against the light dirt plains of the steppes. Arya reluctantly came down from her perch high above, and as she barreled down the hill, she gained momentum, moving faster than she ever could have on her own. Unconsciously, Arya’s tongue stuck out, and her floppy ears flew out behind her like wings. As Silva grew from a dot in the distance to something with shape, and then to an actual canine, Arya attempted to slow down her running. It didn’t exactly work.

Arya ended up flying about a hundred yards pass Silva before she was able to swing her rump around and swing back towards the canine. When she was still about twenty yards away, Arya slowed to a lope, and then was able to stop walking when there was a respectful distance of about a yard between Silva and herself. She nodded at the other female, not wanting to come off as cold, but not wanting Silva to think she had run so fast because she was excited to see the dark fae. Arya wasn’t sure at all how to start the conversation, considering there was quite a bit of bad blood between the two canines. Silva was impressively taller than Arya, so the chances of it becoming physical were small, but still, fights could be fought with things other than claws.

[Meesh]

Silva blinked, momentarily confused as the canine - occult now- sprinted towards her. Her eyes widened as she realized the canine wasn't about to stop and zoomed past her for a few yards before slowing and trotting back. She shifted from paw to paw, no entirely sure what to make of this display. Was Arya showing of her speed, or was it just a simple miscalculation in speed. She forced herself to relax, knowing she didn't want to appear aggressive. Being the second biggest canine (right behind Nerah) had its advantages, but Silva was still extremely reluctant to fight against anything other than prey. she would defend herself if attacked, but Silva hoped that the year between their last meeting had cooled Arya's hatred. It certainly cooled hers, though Silva still harbored a dislike for the former Cult leader.

"Arya" the greeting was much shorter than her usual one, but the black furred canine gave a nod of respect. "It has been quite some time. How have you been?" There. Polite words, neutral ones. No sign of aggression, but no overly large display of warmth either.

[alehue]

Processing the words that Silva said to her was hard for Arya. Instead, she heard the insults, the shouted words that dug into her like knives into her heart. Still, Arya forced her ears to filter out what her mind was adding, listening only to what was truly being said. How was she? Did Silva want the truth, or the answer that one gave in a polite conversation? Arya’s brow furrowed slightly as she contemplated which answer to give, as the two were extreme opposites. Finally deciding that it would be better to go for the lie, make it seem like her life had gotten better since it had fallen apart, her jaws parted, and she said, confidently, but not cockily, “I’ve been fine, thank you. And yourself?”

The concept of a garden on the steppes was forgotten as Arya went through the motions, followed the steps in this deadly dance. One misstep could mean this conversation escalated, escalated as it had on the subject of Hershey. Arya shuddered. She would do anything to not relive that again.

[Meesh]

The other seemed to hesitate with her words before answering just as tactfully, the formal response that she was fine. She then inquired how SIlva herself was doing. The black furred canine considered a moment on these words. Was she alright? After a brief overview, Silva decided that yes, she was happy as she had always been. There was the spreading disease, that worried her, and she still longed for motherhood, but these were only minor discomforts of an otherwise happy life. Deciding that the true would do no harm, Silva nodded her head. "There's been some sickness going around that worries me, but otherwise, life is good and enjoyable. I'm happy" She paused, realizing that perhaps she said more than was intended.

Oh well. You couldn't unsay what had already been said. Eager to change the subject, Silva added. "The pack has been prospering well too"

What came out of her mouth next was as much of a surprise to Silva as it probably would be to Arya. "You should come visit, sometimes"

[alehue]

Arya's brow furrowed whens he heard about the sickness; whereas before she might've been what some might've called fine, now she most definitely was not. What about Hershey? Was he safe - had he gotten sick? The need to get back to her pup was nearly ripping the canine in half, but she hoped that it did not show. Though Silva was not one she would particularly like to be in company with, she didn't want to appear rude. They were having their first civil conversation since the longest of times ago. It was after these briefest of ponderings that the conversation took an unexpected turn for the better. Silva had taken a step up from being civil and exchanging pleasantries, inviting Arya to come visit her and her pack. Deciding to go along with this new relationship of almost-friends with Silva, Arya replied (trying to be tactful, though ending up being more bashful), "I would rather like to see Nerah again. Maybe we can go there together sometime? Meanwhile, I've had the greatest idea - do you want to hear it?"

[Meesh]

Silva nodded, ears flicking, still surprised at her offer. "A visit would be most welcome" she replied politely, nodding her head. "And I'm sure Nerah wouldn't mind the visit" Secretly, she wasn't so sure about this- Nerah had declared Arya her enemy many times since the last separation- but a lot of time had passed since then. Silva had cooled her feelings towards Arya somewhat, and she hadn't known the canine that well to begin with- surely Nerah would too?
Arya mentioned an idea- a great idea, and Silva flicked an ear, surprised. "What kind of idea?" she asked, curious

[alehue]

Arya still wasn't sure where her footing was in this conversation - she was trying to be civil, but at the same time, wanted her and Silva's relationship to get beyond the awkward half-conversation they were maintaining. Though they had gone beyond discussing the weather, this still wasn't the way Arya would converse with a friend, not that she had many since Elena had left and the Cult had disbanded. Still, she stayed politely silent while Silva talked, and turned her excitement down a notch or two in her response. She was no longer as enthusiastic, but still a bit more excited than she would be if she was talking about, say, the weather. "I want to start a garden up here. It feels like we're at the top of the world, and I figure we should have something to enjoy it with."

[Meesh]

"A garden?" Silva's ears perked with actual interest, the absonding immediately turning to survey the surrounding area. "That could work" she said slowly, mind slowly turning over the new idea. "But what plants would grow up here, with less air to sustain them?" The idea sounded pretty interesting, actually, though the canine wasn't quite sure why Arya was telling her this. Perhaps she, too, was hoping to rekindle a friendship? Perhaps only time would tell.

"then again" Silva muttered, half to herself, as she considered the possibilities. "It could be very possible. Did you have any kinds of plants in mind?"

[alehue]

Arya nodded at Silva's first exclamation, though she wasn't sure whether it was meant to be skeptical or curious. She let her pride swell a bit when Silva admitted that the idea - her idea! - could actually work. As the other canine continued, though, Arya's shoulders began to slump slightly. She hadn't considered the biological factors - if a flower could grow one place, who was to say it couldn't grow everyplace else? That was her rationale, at least. When Silva finally ended her roundabout thinking, Arya was glad that she had come to the conclusion that it could work. The canine contemplated for a moment whether or not to share with Silva the deep philosophical reasoning behind the garden, but then shook her head internally and answered the other canine's question. "No particular plants in mind, but I'd like something pretty, like flowers or something."