Alder leaned up against the fence between them, studying the girl. A bit older than he was, probably, with amber eyes and coppery-red hair. She reminded him a bit of his mother; they didn't look much the same outwardly - Birch had olive skin, dark hair, and bright green eyes - but their builds were similar, and the look in their eye... That was the look Birch had used to get when she was running from something, in her head at least - Birch had never ran from a fight if she could help it, unless it was to live and try again another day. Just the faintest bruising in her eyes, a weariness that went deeper than just a need for sleep. Alder shook the thought away after a moment, trying to ignore the lingering sting of his mother's loss. He was looking for Birch everywhere, in everything, and it appeared people were no different. But she was gone, gone months before they'd been brought through to Shaman. He didn't know this girl, or what she was about, and trying to analyze her from afar wouldn't do any of them any good. But he could extend a hand in potential friendship; after all, what harm came of meeting new people?
He smiled at her when she agreed and approached, genuine friendliness lighting up his face. Had Saffron met his niece, Effie, she might've noticed the similarity in the two, but it was unlikely they'd bumped into each other, Effie being so small still. Alder shook his head at Saffron's question, nearly knocking an antler on an overhead branch.
"Nah, we haven't met before, I'm just obnoxiously friendly as my twin would put it," he gestured back the way he'd come, where Cypress was putting the royal hounds through their paces and occasionally glowering at him. He beamed dotingly and waved back at her as if he didn't notice her annoyance. Had they been alone, she probably would have been gesturing rudely back.
"I'm Alder. She's Cypress, and I swear she's not as prickly as she looks. It's nice to meet you, Saffron," he said, extending his hand for a shake before passing over the hot chocolate. He paused at her question, clearly thinking about it. He started to shake his head and then paused again. Then, at last, he held up his hand and sort of wiggled it back and forth as if to say "sorta?".
"Let's play it safe and just say my sister and I meet all sorts, living at the Stone Dragon as we do," he said with a wink. "Our older sister Olive's the proprietor. Mum had a thing for trees, if you couldn't tell. Have you visited yet, Saffron? We've got a fine chef and everything, even if he is a bit of an arse. You'll be sure to let her know I've been doing my due diligence in advertising if you do, eh? Maybe leave out the arse part though, if you don't mind, she just doesn't appreciate my eloquence for some reason."
"Work, here at the kennels? She'd kill me," Alder added, nodding back towards Cypress again. "Apparently she has to put up with enough at home and I'm troublesome and obnoxious and worse than a pack of puppies. Ahhh, sisterly love.
"So mostly I just help our kinda-sorta step-dad, Jacopo, in the gardens, do odd jobs around the Inn, and get into trouble in the forest. You know, the usual," he cocked his head to the side, studying her. "How about you? Been a guard long? Our mother used to be a captain here, back before... things changed, so we recognize the sort."
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