Dix-neuf

Into the unmarked void in the middle of the region

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Vidocq had slept in the evening in an especially concealed stump then bolted out of town late at night. He had been feeling far too claustrophobic to tolerate staying any longer than he had to. With the sun rising, he could faintly see the mountains rising in the distance. Perhaps those would be a better refuge than elsewhere. Scents thinned a little the farther west he went, but he was still in a place that was fairly populated. He wondered if his luck would actually hold -- because of one woman, he assumed everyone within spitting range was probably some kind of freak. Not gonna take chances unless he had to.

He was pretty singularly focused on his travels and evading anyone who approached him with a negative attitude. Vidocq traveled at a comfortable trot, ears, nose, and eyes all on alert. It just took one idiot to mess with his ability to live a nice life. Though that was kind of a laugh, it wasn't like he was a peaceful happy sort. He was a ball of snark and bad manners.
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With her basket in her mouth, the woman moved through the land, a land that she was quickly learning. She knew where most of the herbs were around her pack and would go on a small herbal expedition almost daily. Her tail swished behind her as she wandered, setting down her basket every now and then to pick up some herbs. Since she had her own garden, she didn't need to take the roots up as well unless she found an herb that she didn't have. For now though, all of the ones she found now were the same as the ones she had growing. That just meant they would be dried and used that way for back ups. 

As she moved through the area, she saw a creature in the distance, curiosity getting the better of her. Walking closer, she would stay far enough away that they hopefully didn't see her as a threat as she had no ill intentions towards them. "Hello there, are you alright, sir?" She was very sweet and kind, though the scars that littered her body seemed to tell another story.

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Couldn't have a clean getaway. That'd be too easy. On the bright side it wasn't miss owns-the-world or the minions (not that he'd probably recognize the minions at all, even the chick in question was kind of vague in his memory). On the other, this new chick had plants and had called out to him for some unknown reason. He'd stopped in his tracks, head whipping around to stare at her -- at least she didn't seem particularly physically impressive.

But she was super ratty looking, scars up the wazoo. Vidocq looked positively pristine in comparison, despite being a kind of ratty yearling. Who the hell chewed that chick up? Of course, he was his normal absolutely-useless-socially-self, replying with a kind of flat, “Huh? What?” He was pretty sure he was fine. Why did she even stop to interrupt him? Was she gonna try to scam him and suddenly start trying to sell shampoo and leggings or something? Maybe some scented wax melts? Always riding high on the suspicion train, he kept her pointedly within his suspicious gaze and was postured with just that tiny bit of tension that came from just plain not liking people much.
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The woman was only trying to be nice, something that it seemed a lot of wolves in these lands struggled with. She would nonetheless offer him a soft smile, trying to be kind still. "My apologies, I just saw that you were rushing through the land, I wanted to make sure you were alright. I didn't mean to interrupt your travels." She didn't make any moves to walk towards him or offer him anything. She had simply been gathering herbs when she saw him. Turning to her basket, she would continue to pick a few herbs and place them in her pack, though still watching out for the man. She just hoped that he wouldn't snap at her because her patience for asshole creatures was already thin.

She paid most of her attention to her herbs, gathering a few more to be dried. Her ears swiveled around her, catching all the sounds while listening out for him to leave or come closer to her. As far as she knew, he could attack her straight out.

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He scoffed at that pretty quickly, “You all better get your ducks in a row because last time I came through somewhere here I got some chick bent out of shape because she thought she owned all the land ever down here. Not planning on dealing with that psycho or her goons again.” What this woman said sounded more like she was trying to trap him into getting into trouble again. As much as he'd love to somehow mess up that pack, he wasn't quite sure they were stupid enough to forget him. To a certain point he was even questioning why he was here rather than heading into the mountains -- not that the mountains had been kind to him either.

Maybe she was just another of the older wolves that had lost their sense of reason. He wouldn't be surprised. If that was the case, then his pause here would be brief. The more wolves he met the more clear it seemed to him that he fit with none of them. They all just seemed so damn weird and unhinged.
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His rambling made her cock her head to the side, unsure of what he was talking about. Maybe he actually did need some medical help, just maybe more so mentally instead of physically. Cocking her head to the side, she would watch him for a moment with confusion before speaking. "I.. I have no idea what you're talking about. No one owns these lands as far as I know, and personally as long as you're not in the way of the herbs I need, I could care less who passes through here." She shook her head slightly with a chuckle. "Not sure what crazy people you found, but I don't believe I'm one of them."

With a soft shrug, she would move to stand up, going back to gathering her herbs and carefully placing them in her basket that she took everywhere with her. "If you dislike the company, you may leave, no one is stopping you. I'm not trying to coerce you into anything. I'm simply a healer gathering my herbs for my pack."  Her voice was light as she spoke, not looking up at him as she continued her work.

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This chick talked way too much. But then again, Vidocq was probably pretty notorious for having pretty short replies, so perhaps it was just a perspective thing. Talking that much seemed more likely to get him into trouble. He shifted uneasily where he stood a moment, pointed shoulders trading which was higher along his spine as he did so. “Nobody owned the other place either. Didn't stop them from being absolute idiots. Maybe you got lucky. But don't be surprised if you find the loony eventually too.”

There wasn't so much of a pause between thoughts this time, “S'why I'm not staying here. There's too many of you people. You keep doing your weird flower junk, try not to get eaten by the freaks that run you down for no reason, or try to abduct you or whatever the hell. If you're unlucky enough they'll think you're a good replacement for me, 'cause I've sure as hell had enough of it.” He was starting to shift forward into a step again. Another. Not quite into a cadence yet but he was starting to go that way. He was weirded out by damn near everyone at this point -- which perhaps would seem more reasonable if he was small, but then again Vidocq never really was a cute bumbling pup. He'd grown out of it, now being a young adult and now here he was, gunshy of the world for very good reasons and past experience.
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Okay... she was entirely sure now that he wasn't mentally all there. Perhaps he was dropped or stepped on as a child? Well either way, it was certainly not something that she was qualified to help with. Well actually, she probably was the only one here qualified to do so, but did she want to? Not really. It wasn't her fault though as he clearly didn't want her help so she wasn't necessarily refusing service to anyone. 

Nodding her head, she would move to pick up her basket, offing the odd man a small smile. She kind of just wanted to get her basket and leave before this conversation got any stranger. "Right, well I'm sure I'll be fine, thank you for the warning though. I should be getting back soon. I hope you have a good day." With a simple nod of her head, the woman would pick up her basket, turning to begin leaving.

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Vidocq was no polite wolf. He was already starting to shift and contemplate leaving as she was talking but as soon as she started to dismiss him, his eyes no longer focused on her but instead the path ahead. An ear was kept locked on her, just in case, still very very untrusting of anyone. Time to get the hell out of here, as he'd promised. This chick, he figured, was some addle-brained weirdo just like a lot of the others. Probably got chewed on too much, she looked like it at least.

Either way, Vidocq made like a tree to leave. He had nothing further to say to her if she wasn't going to listen to his warnings. He wasn't about to force conversation with someone who would probably do him more harm than good.
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