you left me living with a lingering soul ✺ introduction, open

[MARI C.]

The smell of ink and cinnamon hung on the air as Mari approached, the scent combination as odd as ever. The serval had been out for a walk around the territory, rich brown eyes taking in everything as she walked along. The head of the Caddo family had not been within the Houses of Halcyone for very long, at this point. A couple of weeks, perhaps? She couldn't remember exactly, but it was difficult to forget that she was an outsider. Considering she hadn't been assigned to a house yet, most looked at her with scorn from afar, as if she was somehow a threat, or lesser than them. She never paid them any mind, however, perfectly content with being herself. She would choose a house when she felt ready, and no sooner. Perhaps that made her stubborn, or foolish... but she'd rather be both of those things, than trapped in a house that she didn't truly care for. It was an interesting predicament to be in, and something that had been occupying her thoughts quite often the last few days.

While pondering this, Mari didn't even seem to notice she had arrived on someone's land, before an unfamiliar voice reached her. Looking up, the serval paused as she tried to figure out who exactly the hound was. A lot of names had been tossed at her when she first arrived, many of them long and confusing. She remembered his first name, at the very least. Jasper... it was a nice one. He was the lord of House... well, that she couldn't remember. All she remembered was that he was a lord, which intrigued her. Perhaps learning more about him would put her one step closer to deciding her own house.

With this in mind, the wanderer drew closer, sitting down nearby and simply looking over the garden that the other had cultivated. The various herbs and flowers cultivated within it certainly brought back memories, but she decided not to dwell on that for now. No point in living when you were always reminiscing about the past, after all. Instead, she turned her attention to Jasper, clearing her throat before offering him a calm and casual smile. She spoke in a friendly manner, her fluffy tail flicking behind her, "Hello there. You're... Jasper, right? I remember hearing your name a couple of weeks ago, when I first arrived. I'm not sure if I heard it from you, though. Quite a lot of names were being thrown at me then..." Everyone had seemed to want her to know every single house head as soon as possible, even though she had been exhausted and now struggled to remember any of them. Shaking her head briefly from side to side, the feline continued, "Anyways... I was just wandering when I stumbled across your home. Your garden is very lovely... Mari Caddo, by the way." Her speech was a bit disjointed, but that was mainly because she was trying to get everything out at once. To explain her presence on his lands, hopefully without upsetting him.