It was probably for the best that Tarn hadn't come across another cat. She knew Primal Instinct's reputation as rather...eager for bloodlust, and while Verne had no qualms about challenging others to fights and all, she wasn't particularly hungry for violence. It was, for that reason, she had chosen Foreign Affairs after all. While she wasn't much of a manipulator, it had been an easy choice. She'd blend in here well enough. Stepping out into the overrun gardens, she could taste the scent of another cat, and immediately, her curiosity was piqued. Not many cats stayed in these areas other than the other members of the league; someone new was always interesting.

"Hello?" she called out lightly, naivete still shining in her eyes. She knew the dangers of meeting a stranger–cats around here weren't all too pleasant after all–but she didn't care. She could figure out plan B later if the cat turned out to be a little less than friendly.

Verne blinked in surprise at the eager she-cat. Of everything she had expected, someone being so quick to introduce herself wasn't one of them. A friendly lash of her tail and her relaxed expression showed she wasn't an enemy...at least, not at this point. It was strange to see someone who wasn't hostile, but it was a welcome kind of strange. "Tarn," she spoke, testing the word on her tongue. It had a familiar sound to it; she had never met this cat but the name just sounded...familiar, like a language she hadn't heard in a while, thought she couldn't quite pinpoint why.

"You're in Primal Instinct territory," Verne spoke with a cheeky grin, "you're lucky I'm not crazy like everyone else here, or you'd be in pieces right now. I'm Verne by the way; are you new around these parts or just passing through?"

Clan? Hm, so this cat was familiar with the other groups out there? Her lips twitched into a small smirk at that. Honestly, there wasn't really a word she'd use to describe Primal Instinct, it was just...a lot of things. It wasn't like a clan really; while united, they were still so divided, and frankly, Verne wasn't all too sure how to describe it. It was...complicated. A complicated place for complicated cats, and didn't she fit right in?

A traveler? Well, that, Verne could relate. "Are you?" she spoke with surprise hidden in her voice, "where did you hail from? I used to be a traveller too, but it's been a while since I've moved around I suppose." She gave a quiet chuckle, one that sounded almost humourless. "Let's just say...Primal Instinct isn't for the fainthearted, I guess," she spoke once again, "it's complicated. Cats around these parts aren't nice; I guess you wouldn't be if you had to survive around here."

Verne didn't have a good explanation for that. It wasn't the horrors and violence that drew her in like it did most cats, it was the mystery, and partially, the freedom. The other groups were strictly ruled by customs and cultures and a set structure, but Primal Instinct wasn't like that. There were opportunities to rise up, there were choices, there were challenges...it just felt more like living than it did in the other groups, not to mention, Niamh had found a talent within this space. It was fun, and well, Verne never thought this to be forever, and still, she was here. Just for now. It was a step forward, and that's all that mattered.

"Let's just say we found this place interesting," she replied ominously, before smiling at the other cat's words. Huh, far away? Surely Verne would've heard of it, at least if it was from the North. Her family had stopped in many small covens and strange gatherings after all. "Sure," she replied, though clearly in disagreement with the other cat, "seen a lot of things out there I'm guessing? Wonder why you haven't joined one of those groups out there instead of...you know, sticking it out on your own."

Verne's tail flicked as the other cat asked her question. "My sister," she smiled, "Niamh. She's...how do I say this, but more adjusted to the league than I am." She could understand where the other cat was coming from. They used to be travelers too, and frankly, she understood the sentiment. "I guess if I didn't choose this place, I'd be in the same place as you are too," she replied thoughtfully, "I mean, I used to want to see everything too, but I guess I just never ended up doing it. The League's pretty exciting, but I'm sure there are places elsewhere that are just as exciting."

She hummed, glancing to the mountains in the distance with a wistful look. "I always wondered what it'd be like up north, you know. My parents came from up North, but I was born not too far from the clans I think."

She smiled at that, a light laugh leaving her mouth. "I guess you're right," she mused. Niamh wasn't unfriendly, but then again, they were sisters. They were as friendly to each other as they'd be to others, at least most of the time. She was just...more manipulative, more ambitious too. She looked up in surprise, intrigued by the other cat's words. "Which group were you from?" she asked. She hadn't been living in Primal Instinct for long, and there was still a lot to learn about the other clans. Perhaps this cat could help her out with that...

Verne blinked in surprise. Wasn't that...where her parents were from? "No way," she breathed, taking a step back, bright eyes turned to Tarn. How unlikely it was, to meet someone from the exact same village, and yet here they were! Perhaps it was really the Green One's intention, to bring them together? Okay, she was probably being a little dramatic, but she couldn't help but feel as if this was fated, that she was meant to meet Tarn. It wasn't that her current life was unsatisfying, she just felt that there was always a pull elsewhere, that she was meant for greater adventures in life and not knowing anything about her parents had made that just a little difficult.

"That's where my parents are from!" she almost screeched in excitement, "I've...never been myself but I used to hear stories, of Herne and the Green One, but they were just...you know, kids stories. I didn't know other cats would travel this far from the north either."

"My mother's name was Aisling, but our dad died when we were young. I mean, I've never lived there but we were traveling around when we were young." Her parents never really told her anything about where their home was, only that it was there and the few bedtime stories they managed to beg out of their mother. She looked over the other cat; she didn't seem too much older than she was. Perhaps they would've known each other as kits if they had stayed...

"So what's it like there? I mean, I've never been, only heard one or two stories about it."

Verne watched wide-eyed as Tarn described the loch. Lush greens and a giant loch, a lake in the mountains...they all sounded like a dream. She had never quite seen a lake, only rivers really. Long flowing ones and slow-moving, wide ones where she could barely see to the other side–there wasn't a lot of wildlife in the city. It sounded...magical. A lake in a mountain, it sounded near impossible.

"I bet it is," she breathed, full of wonder, "I can't even imagine all of that. It must've been amazing to live there." She sounded wistful, as if wondering why her parents had left, "They kind of just told us stories, you know? Legends, about how there were monsters in the lake and spirits and nymphs that roamed the forest, and that everything there was...magical. Like there were heroes and monsters and dragons to slay...it sounded a lot more fun than wherever we were back then." They had spoken of it with a sort of wistfulness too, but there was always something they wouldn't speak of. Whenever she had asked more, they told her there were stories not for kits, and that one day, she'd understand.

Still, it had been years and she still couldn't quite understand why they had left.