She found the ocean beautiful when it rained. Not that it wasn’t beautiful in its placid, everyday state. There was just something powerful in the emotion it conveyed on a stormy day. The dreary sky casted a dull- more dramatic lighting, so when the crashing waves hit the shoreline with an added volatile ferocity, it was certainly a sight to behold .. at least from the comfort of a window seat. Separated by the glass of the picturesque view from the great hall, it was a stark contrast. The warmth that enveloped the space brought on by the hearth’s eternal flame did a wonderful job of fending off the weather from outside- even the patter of rain becoming partially absorbed in the crackle of the roaring fire. It wasn’t quite as good as getting to explore outside, but given her options, she could certainly manage for a while at least.

Though, with the racket of the collapsing firewood, her attention momentarily shifted just long enough for her to acknowledge the stiffening in her shoulders. It reminded her of just how long she had been like that- propped up against the windowsill. So without much thought, Talyssa heaved herself to her paws. After a moment of rising up on her toes, she stretched her reach forward with her jaws parting in an audible yawn.

There was nothing quite like a lazy day stuck in the castle.

Tamsyn walked through the familiar halls of the castle, listening to the rain patter outside. It was such a familiar sound that it was somehow comforting and sad at the same time. The castle had been such a center point of her life and her family for so long and now that she had mostly moved out to live her life with Kane and their children it made being here a bit bittersweet at times—especially on quiet, rainy days like this one. Still, with so many new pups running around the castle it had brought a new energy into the old stone walls and it reminded her of the early days of The Hallows when she and Resin were raising their litter together alongside Ulric and his children. A significant number of the pack's members back then had been pups and thanks to Artorias and Rudyard's new families it was turning out to be that way again. She loved being around pups more than almost anything else so now that her own children were now old enough to be going out on their own adventures and experiencing the world on their own she found herself visiting here more and more.

Tamsyn made her way across the castle to the great hall, the crackle and burning of the fireplace a well known sound to her by now. As she walked in she noticed a bit of movement on the opposite side of the room where the large windows dominated the wall, and spotted one of her granddaughters stretching and yawning—clearly tired from a very hard day of relaxing. She grinned a bit and made her way over to join Talyssa at the rain-splattered window, giving the small cream and tan girl a warm smile. "Have any interesting day dreams while looking out the window?" she asked, settling on her hunches and glancing out the window as well at the castle courtyard on the other side of the old, foggy panes.

Tamsyn Carpathius of the Valley

Just as she was finishing up her full body stretch, she was somewhat surprised to be caught in her lazy state. But with the recognition of her grandmother, a sleepy grin spread across her features. Just as she was straightening up to greet her relative, Tamsyn had already made her own inquiry. As the older woman settled next to her at the windowsill, Talyssa eased herself back down to her own haunches. "Not really. But looking out the window makes me feel that much better about being stuck in the castle." The younger girl responded cheerily. It certainly beat being outside in the rain.

Her attention lingered outside for a few moments longer before turning to look the obsidian fae over. She looked well, but it seemed to be the thing to ask. "How are you Grandma?" Talyssa admired the occasional missing patch of fur from scar tissue no doubt, but she thought it added to her grandmother's beauty. But as her attention drifted, a sudden idea came forward. "Do you have any stories to tell?" Talyssa inquired enthusiastically. She loved hearing accounts of events and memories of times that came before her. Her mother and father were always sharing stories of themselves when they were younger. But hearing the tales from someone who was there to witness them instead of a first-hand recollection was intriguing to her.

Tamsyn chuckled and nodded with understanding as Talyssa told her of how looking out the window made being stuck inside more bearable. She had always thought about how Artorias had inherited her adventurous spirit and it seemed many of his children had inherited that as well. It certainly made for an exciting and interesting time as a parent, but she certainly attributed more than a few of her graying hairs to it as well–as she was sure Artorias and Briar would come to agree with her on soon enough. Still, she had always enjoyed being outside as well so she could sympathize with her granddaughter's view of things. "Well, I hope you don't mind having some company with you at your windowsill," she joked with a little grin, settling in and getting comfortable next to Talyssa while the rain continued on outside.

When asked how she was, Tamsyn smiled and replied, "I'm doing just fine, darling. Thank you for asking." As she got older she sometimes noticed how she sometimes grew tired more easily or how much more often her joints ached, but all in all she had nothing to complain about and after the long and storied life she had led so far that was about all she could hope for. She still had more than enough spring in her step to play with her grandchildren and to see the world with her own children and to spend her time between those moments with her loving mate. After all of the things that life and fate threw at her, this felt like a wonderful way to spend the later part of her life.

Talyssa's request for stories made Tamsyn hmm with thought, chuckling softly mostly to herself. "Oh I certainly have no shortage of stories," she assured her granddaughter, giving her a little grin. "It feels like I've lived several lifetimes already. When you get to be as old as me you'll know what I mean. So really the question is what kind of stories do you want to hear?" She gave Talyssa a curious look with a raised brow on the unscarred side of her face, the other side lacking a bit of the mobility it once had due to the scar tissue there. "I could tell you about places I've been, adventures I've had, or..." she paused with a bit of a mischievous grin, wondering just how much trouble she would be in with her son if she brought up stories of his past. "I'm sure I could think up a couple of embarrassing stories about your dad."

Tamsyn Carpathius of the Valley

While her grandmother may have meant to convey humor in her tone, Talyssa would be having have none of it. "Of course not! I love your company, Grandma." She quickly reassured. They had such a large family, it felt like there was never enough time to spend with each other spread out across so many individuals. Regrettably, she would never get to truly know her grandmother, Zeitgeist. So given the opportunity, she would take every spare moment she could with Tamsyn. So, when the older woman confirmed that she was doing well, Lys nodded with a happy acknowledgment. "That's good to hear."  

With the prompt of a story, it didn't take long for Tamsyn to affirm that she had plenty of stories to share. Talyssa answered her confirmation with a broad grin. "Yayy!" While she was flooded with quite a bit of excitement, she did her best to contain it in a soft tone. As far as when she was asked about just what kind of story she was looking to hear, the younger girl didn't have an answer right away. She retreated within herself to give it careful contemplation before Grandma Tamsyn started throwing out options. At the mention of adventures, the girl's ears perked up. She did like hearing about a good adventure. But she couldn't help the giggles that ensued at the idea of hearing about embarrassing recounts involving her father. "That sounds fun! What has he done to be embarrassed of?" She asked, full of playful curiosity as she tried to imagine for herself just what her grandmother meant. But before they could get started, another idea popped into the back of her mind. "I'd also like to hear about the Hallows history as well if anything comes to mind." Talyssa added with a slightly more serious voice to her inquiry. Really, she wanted to know everything.