𝕋𝕙𝕖 ℍ𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕥 𝕆𝕗 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕃𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕖𝕤𝕤 ¦ 𝔽𝕖𝕟𝕣𝕪𝕤 𝕄𝕠𝕠𝕟𝕓𝕖𝕒𝕞

Day for the Dead

It wasn't just the one captain that moved, half of the table sat straighter, eyeing the female before them passing wary glances to one another. Brielle maintained the stagnant attention to Zakurio.

Connall shuffled forward half a step to softly brush a hand along Brielle's arm. Tried to conceal the expression of worry creasing his brow, Understood the important of hiding such weakness from these people.

Brielle had already told her mates brother everything, from the fights in the marshes all the way to the coast where the blood oaths were ripped from their souls. An aching that despite her distain for the bond left her feeling astoundingly empty.

She felt the featherlight touch of Connall's knuckles, he soothed it down the skin above her elbow. She tethered herself to the sensation, the touch, a lifeline of rope wrapped tightly around her torso to ground her in this meeting.

As Connall swirled a finger against the skin, Brielle's breath hitched. It was a comfort that Fenrys had adapted to using for years, subtly letting her become aware of his presence, Rolling both shoulders back with a sigh, Brielle pushed away Connall's touch.

She heard him shuffled back away from her and couldn't pass a look to him, but from the corner of her eyes she saw him bow his head in silence, standing behind her still

Pulling out a chair she slid her body into the empty space at the table. Glancing around and could only hope the vacated seats were once warmed by the captains she had successfully managed to convert that night. Hope filled her chest, perhaps it wasn't all for nothing.

And by the expression now souring Zakurio's face, Brielle knew she was right. Some of those captains had followed through with her words, whether out of blackmail or perhaps they too hoped and wished for a better world; she couldn't bring herself to ponder it.

Connall stayed stationary behind the chair she had occupied, the ever silent watcher.

Once relaxed into her position at the meeting, Brielle fed into the resting silence, casting an expecting look across the table to the Captains that warily sat.  They should ignore her presence, should convene as they normally would. It was clear that whatever unease her presence had brought had made them hesitate, her delighted smile made many of them unfocused and fumbling to regrasp the point of this gathering.

She sat listening, playing into the act of a bored female, picking at the jagged edge of her nail. Making sure to look as though she wasn't paying that much attention, her appointed disinterest seemed to ease them enough to start talking about solider numbers, positioning and training strategies.

Despite her uninvolved demeanor she took everything in, despite the captains subtly censoring each answer then provided, some being met with silence entirely. Perhaps Brielle should be giving them more credit then they were worth, the intelligence to not mention key fact unknowingly to the leader of the Pride.

The meeting was quieting down with many of the Captains relaxing in Brielle's presence, silent across the table; A fools mistake.

For the near three hours that they worked through information Captain Zakurio had sat glowering at Brielle. Some demented part of her wanted to blow a kiss in his direction, her amused smile at the image it ignited in her mind seemed to do the trick well enough.

Even now some thirty minutes on from then, the Captain did once  not let up on his staring.

"Is there something you wish to say to me Captain. Beyond complimenting my good looks?" Her words pierced through the conversation that had already began to blanket the group. "You haven't stopped staring at me since my arrival." She spoke the facts as plain and simple as they were.