Emile could not have told you how he got up to the third floor of the living quarters of the castle, it was a place he largely avoided, more so than the other largely trafficked areas of the pack lands. He didn't go up here because her room was up here. Emile still did everything in his power to avoid running into her and so he would go out of his way to avoid being in a wing she was likely to return to. And yet somehow in the fugue of his mind, he'd managed to wander his way up to the hallways. Emile's heart hammered in his chest and he swallowed hard, spinning on his toes to turn around to try and power-walk his way back to a lower floor when he heard a door creak, whether by the wind or a wolf leaving their room he could not have said, but panic surged through his body. Emile pushed his way through the closest door, it didn't smell of Bowen and so he simply pushed his way inside, heart hammering in his chest. He spun around to face the door and listen for paw steps passing by the door.

And it was only a moment later, panting and his body ridgid, that he realized the room he'd shoved his way into in a panic was occupied. Slowly the young man turned, to set green gaze, his right eye ringed in his still fresh scars, on whoever he'd just intruded upon.

"Emile"

Before Emile’s rather abrupt arrival, Laeta’s room was quiet and the ambience was solemn. Though the sun had arisen again, much to Laeta’s relief and Mel’s overwhelming joy ("Oh my lady, it’s a miracle! The sun shines upon us yet again!") that relief was short lived. Many of the Hallows wolves, according to Mel’s reports, had regained their strength. Whatever growths they had from their illness, or the ooze that ravaged their facial features as much as they had affected the woman’s, had disappeared as the golden rays of light shone upon the earth. Laeta was no exception, with the ooze at least — since the sun had come back, her breathing had eased tremendously, her fever broke, and she no longer was choking up on the gunk. It just disappeared like magic, but neither her nor her badger companion cared why. All they cared about was that Lae was no longer in danger of succumbing to that ailment. Yet, she still couldn’t move her legs. Not even an inch. Whatever the firefly entity had done to her was beyond what could be cured by the rising sun. Perhaps Syanna’s grim diagnosis was right, after all; her neck was broken and because of that, she was doomed to a life of being unable to care for herself. It was the worst possible outcome, and although the woman was determined not to let it get to her, it did. Mel had been busy tidying up the room, something he almost felt compelled to do every hour or so. Laeta’s mood lifted temporarily thanks to the luscious rays of sun that warmed her bones, but she was still in pain. Her joints ached like a fire licking at her hips and knees from being locked for so long. She groaned softly as the badger made a ruckus sweeping the floor with a handmade, short-handled broom he held in his maw. "Mel, please," She pleaded from her position in her bed, laid to face the window. "Don’t worry about the room. It’s not like my packmates care if it’s immaculate." The badger paused, adjusting his monocole and casting her a concerned look. "I know, my lady, but it’s for your own health that I do this. Nothing helps the body more than fresh air and a spotless environ-" He was interrupted as a blonde wolf shuffled into the room, almost in a panic. Immediately, the badger jumped, startled. "Oh dear!" He squeaked out, watching the commotion. Lae used the propped pillow beneath her head to help raise it towards the male that had entered the room..quite unnanounced. He seemed frantic, as if running from something. After the long night, why would anyone be so frightened? It was peaceful once more, nothing else could’ve been so threatening. It was then she noticed the ringed scar around one of his eyes. Hmm..maybe best she not ask about it. It could be a sensitive topic, much like her injury. The paralyzed woman cocked an eyebrow, her ruby eyes now clear and glinting with curiosity. Both her and her companion stared at the arrival, and to break the awkward silence, Laeta cleared her throat and said, "What’s got you so frightened? Did something scare you?"" With a pause, she added, "I’m Laeta, by the way. This is my friend and caretaker, Mel," She nodded her muzzle towards the badger, who bowed towards Emile politely. They didn’t know the whole story about his surprise intrusion, but they weren’t upset in the least. It meant more visitors! "Speech"

Not for the first time in his life, Emile silently wished the ground would open up and swallow him then and there. His face flushed with color and Emile stumbled back slightly, his rump brushing the door, but he froze. He did not know who was out there and for all his embarrassment and this was still preferable to him than running into Bowen. It took a moment for the words the woman spoke to really sink in and Emile's still pounding heart did little to still his already hard to control tongue.

"Nnnnnno I-I-I-I-I-" He tried and failed to start speaking, he took a moment to reign in his breathing, it seemed the woman wasn't too upset by his sudden appearance so he could take a second to try and quell his panic. "Th...ere's just a wwwwwolf I'd rather nnnnnot run in-in-in-into." He admitted sheepishly. He remained where he was but his rigidity did losen slightly, though he kept his head titled slightly so he could hear anyone getting close to the door.

"I'mmmm Emmmmile Ad-ad-adravendi." He said, he didn't recognize the woman, which wasn't saying much as Emile had basically secluded himself for the last few months. Still he'd give the woman and her badger friend a polite if a little stiff dip of his head in greeting.

"Emile"

Laeta watched patiently as the blonde wolf stuttered out his words nervously, reminding her of hiw to was when she first arrived to the pack - though her anxiety was not so apparent. She lived in fear for such a long time before she traveled to Auster, and the northern lands of Boreas that she called home only conjured bad memories to mind. Thus, she swore she’d never step foot there again in her natural life. It also eased her nervousness considerably. Furthermore, her run-in with the cloaked entity who’d paralyzed her, and her mental and physical spiral with the ooze unleashed a calmer, more level-headed woman who’d been submerged for so long under the struggle to survive. It was a bit of a release, and it would’ve been a pivotal turn in her life..had she been able to move around. After the wolf had mentioned not wanting to run into a certain wolf, the woman couldn’t help but tilt her head slightly, about as subtle as could be given her neck injury afforded little flexibility. Who was so terrifying within their ranks that the poor male had to rush into the first room he could find? "I don’t mean to pry, but who are you avoiding? If it’s not my place to know, then you don’t need to tell me. I’m just curious," She said, her tone calm and smooth as if trying to soothe her immense fear. She didn’t really have much to do, obviously, so as bad as it sounded, this seemed like an interesting plot she could follow. But only if the boy permitted it. If it wasn’t her business, that’s all she needed to know. After introducing himself, she offered a soft smile. Mel did as well, beaming at Emile as he fixed his monocle. "Adravendi, hm?" She inquired. Normally, Lae wouldn’t ask so many questions, but she had her reasons — her paralysis left her little else to do but stare out the sunny window, not a bad view but quite dull after a while, and also to try and distract Emile from his apparent anxiety and panic. "There’s quite a few of you here, right?" She’d heard the surname uttered a few times, and many of the wolves belonged to families, so if she didn’t have anything else to do, why not learn a bit about her packmates’ history? "Speech"

Emile wasn't really sure he wanted to share, and yet some part of him was desperate to offload, to get all the weight he carried off his chest. He was silent for a moment considering. Finally when he spoke it was hesitant and he avoided either of the pair's gazes. "Jjjjjust a former friend I-i-i-i-i-i h...urt." And while that was true, Emile was too far gone to really understand the complexity of the situation. He had hurt Bowen but if that had been all he might not have felt so scared of her if her words hadn't also wounded him, deeply, cutting right into his worst fear and validating it, validating the downward spiral of his mental state.

He would latch further onto the next part of the conversation, nodding and finally lifting his gaze. "Mmmmmy f-f-f-f-father was one of the ffffffounding mem-mem...bers. He ran the pack befffffore Artorias took ov...er."


"Emile"

Laeta hummed in acknowledgement of Emile’s anxious reasoning for who he was escaping from. A friend he had hurt? Her eyes softened, as if they weren’t already gazing upon him with sympathy, and she offered a look of comfort towards him. She wouldn’t pry about who in the pack bothered him so, but this sheer amount of panic from him was making her worried as well. Clearly something had happened between him and this mystery person and it was weighing on his mind heavily. Still, she placed her idea of getting him to open up about his fears to the side for now, instead curiously engaging in the dialogue of his family. It wasn’t purely distraction, either - Lae had heard of the families of this pack but only knew what little history she’d picked up here and there. "Ah, I see. Say, I think I met your sister not long after I joined - Jane, I believe? She’s very sweet," Laeta paused before adding, "Though I don’t believe I’ve met your father myself." She’d recalled seeing the older male - Ulric, she’d heard him called - by their Aegis during the Festival of Unity, the one where the title of leader was passed down the the younger blue male.  Seeing the blonde male still tense by the door, the paralyzed woman asked, "Perhaps you’d like to take a seat? I don’t think your former friend would find you here. It might help to ease your anxiety a little if you’d just like to chat - about anything you’d like." If Emile accepted, she’d ask her badger friend to find a big, soft cushion for him to sit not far from her bed, so that she could face him for a conversation. Though, if he preferred to stand by the door, she’d respect that as well - she didn’t believe it’d do him much good, though, to be constantly on edge for this bad friend. Not that it was her place, but something horrible must have occurred between the two of them. She knitted her brow softly, as if quietly encouraging him to come over and relax. Besides, she’d enjoy having a visitor here, even if his presence was unexpected. "Speech"

Emile did not say anything in response to the woman's comments on his sister but a soft small smile did manage to tug at his lips, maybe the first time he'd smiled in a long time.  Jane was sweet, and the sibling he maybe had the least complicated relationship with her... Such as it was, could he even really say he had much a relationship with any of his siblings?

Emile was tried. He was always on edge and yet also weighed down by the pure pressure of his spiralling mental health. The inner conflict of his desire to quiet, for peace, for absolution and the part of him that clawed greedily at life, that yelled at him to survive. Emile needed a break, he needed a rest... He needed a friend. Not that he trusted anyone to ever fill that role and not abandon him too. Still when the woman suggested he come over and sit some part of him was relieved. He hesitated for a moment before stepping forward and graciously nodding towards the badger and accepting the cushion.

"Nnnnnnnot much of a talker, for ob-ob-ob-obvious reasons." He said softly, trying not to flinch as he heard his own words, tripped over by his inconsistent tongue.

"Emile"

Laeta’s ruby eyes glimmered with a sort of encouragement as she noticed the slightest tug of a smile on the blonde wolf’s lips. That was the first time she’d seen him show a positive emotion, not that his fear was invalid in the least, but a smile could do wonders for someone. Even the mere act of it, no matter how small, could trigger a response of happiness, or perhaps, something less daunting than his anxiety. As he sat on the cushion near her, Laeta smiled, offering an expression of both happiness and relief for herself as well. It felt like she was locked up some days, locked not only in this room but within her own body. Being unable to control what was around her ahe could deal with, but being unsble to control her own legs, and being able to control her basic bodily needs was anither story entirely. It didn’t help her own mental health either, but alas, she hoped her own experiences could inspire others. If she was unable to move about, she’d try and make use of herself to the pack regardless. She offered a slight chin tilt in a nod of understanding as Emile mentioned he wasn’t much of a talker. He meant his stutter, most likely, but if he was worried she’d point it out, he need not worry. Laeta felt her patience had evolved to a higher level along with the rest of her personality that had shifted over the past season. She’d wait however long it took if it meant Emile could express whatever he wished. She would make no judgements. "That’s alright. I’m not either," She said. With a pause, she added, "Is there anything on your mind you’d like to talk about?" After all, whatever he said in this room, stayed. She couldn’t move, and could barely even nod her head. Anyome who spoke here would find their words confidential. "Speech"