Lia was spending even more time in the kitchen than usual of late. It meant, between caring for Briar, and tending her garden, her days were busy. She found she liked that. Slothfulness wasn’t natural to her, and as she rushed through preparations, she found herself humming. Enjoying the warmth of the morning, and the pleasant scent of cooking.

The strips of meat were starting to crisp when Artorias made his way into the kitchen area that Lia had partly taken over. She paused her humming, clearing her throat in surprise at having been caught. “Morning Artorias” she said, pulling off a strip of meat and flapping it a couple times to cool it.

Then, because she had become so accustomed to pulling off the first piece of food and tossing it at Zeph, she tossed it lightly in the air towards the Hallows Alpha. She paused in shock, watching the meat fly through the air towards him, and realised her mistake.


"Speech"

Preparations for the wedding were almost complete. By this time, the Hallows had collected so much food that their larders were practically full to bursting. The wine cellar had been fully restocked with several casks of wine and mead still fermenting to be ready in time for the reception. The gardens and greenhouse were overflowing with flowers and foliage to decorate with, and the final decisions had been made on the guest list to the ceremony. Currently, Briar was getting fitted by Plague for some final alterations on their wedding attire, and his own fitting would be sometime in the coming days. But for the first time in a while, Artorias could breathe a sigh of relief and relax.

Heading down to the kitchens to find himself some breakfast, Artorias followed the pleasant aroma of cooking meats into the kitchen where he spotted a very familiar autumnal woman at the ranges and hearths, cooking her heart out. For a brief moment, Artorias just watched Lia go about her work, humming to herself as she went. She had become the Hallows' de facto chef simply out of her passion for cooking and her tenacious work in the kitchens, which had essentially become her own personal workshop. When he entered, Lia paused to greet him with a smile, which he easily returned and tipped his head to her in greeting. "Good morning, Lia." It did his heart good to see the once-slave happy and thriving in the Hallows. It reminded him of what Sirius had taught him: a slave was whatever you made of them. Artorias had freed her and given her the means to build a life all her own, and that was exactly what she had done.

Amidst his mental musings, Artorias hadn't noticed Lia pick up a strip of frying meat, then huck it backwards—straight toward his face. Amber eyes blinked, and thanks to his augmented perception, Artorias' reflexes responded with a rapid snatch of his jaws towards the airborne meat. He caught the flying bacon in his jaws, blinking in surprise as he tried to process what was happening only to find himself holding a piece of food hanging out the side of his mouth, the salty flavor of the meat hitting his tongue and making him hum in delight. Artorias flipped the food up and caught it more gracefully this time, able to get it all in his mouth and swallow it down in a couple of bites. "That's really damn good!" he said with an impressed chuckle, coming around the counters to stand beside the smaller woman and see what Lia was up to. "Is all this just for breakfast? You're cooking up a storm in here!"

"Artorias"

It almost seemed like the meat was falling in slow motion towards the Aegis of the Hallows. Her protector and champion. Like a disaster slowly forming before her. Instead, however, of smacking him in the eye with a still-hot piece of bacon, it landed awkwardly in his mouth. There was a moment of surprise for both the wolves - Artorias, of the bacon's presence, and Lia that he had caught it - before he flipped the food up and caught it gracefully. Eating it in a few bites.

“Whoops. I’ve gotten to used to Zeph begging for a bite” She explained, fighting not to look too embarrassed as the Aegis stepped around to see what she was cooking. “I’m just trying out a few different things. I want a good variety for the wedding. I want it to be perfect” she explained, a hint of passion creeping into her voice.


"Speech"

The amazed look that Lia gave him when he managed to (mostly) smoothly catch the meat from midair made the young alpha chuckle to himself. Sometimes he got so used to just how he was and the changes his body had gone through that he forgot there was anything unique about him, like his thicker coat or his sharper eyes. When his fiancée's handmaiden explained why she had done what she'd done, Artorias gave a deep laugh and grinned. "That boy could devour a whole horse, I swear," he remarked with a bit of pride in his voice. There was little doubt that Zephyrus would grow to be a bird of tremendous stature with the way he grew and consumed meat. Every day he saw his pudgy little ward totter about the castle, he was reminded over and over how glad he was that he'd chosen to clean the tower room that one particular day.

While Lia explained what she was up to, Artorias quietly observed her from the side, watching the way her dainty paws moved deftly about the cooktops and amongst the pots and pans, each cooking something different. He was dead chuffed to see how far Lia had taken her passion for the culinary arts, even hearing it in her voice. And to think before she was just being used for her looks and body... If only those other wolves had known what she was capable of. "If anyone can make it so, it will be you, Idalia," he said with his signature warm smile. "Is there anything I can do to lend you a paw? Gather some ingredients, keep an eye on something, be your taste tester? I'm particularly good at that last one." The dire wolf shot an innocent, cheeky grin to the chef de cuisine. Lia had spent so much time and effort on this feast prep, he wanted to make sure she had all the support she needed, or if she needed to get out for a break that he could help keep her from burning herself out.

"Artorias"

Lia could hear the pride in his voice as he spoke of his adopted son. “That would be something to see.” She remarked, chasing out the picture of a giant Zeph swallowing an entire horse. Shaking her head she lifted a few lids, sniffing the contents. Stirring them, and adding a few more sprinkles or herbs to some.

She grabbed a spoonful of one and lifted it towards Artorias. “You can try my stew:” She said, looking up at the taller wolf. “And see if you can help me decide what it needs. I feel like it's missing something… something to round it out.” She raised an eyebrow at him, almost challengingly. Let's see how good of a taste tester he was. With eph, it's more just a chance to feed him. So far his opinion seemed to be Food is good, give me more of it. to everything he sampled.

"Speech"

As soon as he offered to give her some assistance, Lia immediately began to spoon up some stew from a simmering pot, lifting the rich-smelling brown liquid up to his lips to test. Artorias swallowed the spoonful she offered up to him with gratitude, doing his best to sample all the flavors instead of just swallowing it down. The stew was thick, rich, delicious, tasting of red meat and earthy vegetables. He furrowed his brow and smacked his lips a few times while he rolled his tongue about his palate, trying to discern what he was tasting specifically. Now, he was no foodie, but he did know how to cook some simple recipes. He was no Lia by any means, but the Aegis could pick out elements like salt, pepper, and rosemary. But Lia was right: it needed... something.

"Hmm, that's a tough one..." Artorias murmured while he pondered the dilemma, not missing the challenging look the autumnal fae gave him. He glanced up over the variety of spices and herbs Lia had gathered to work with, sampling each with a brief sniff. The earthen scent of thyme called to him for some reason, and he pointed it out with a paw. "Maybe some more thyme? Help balance the rich flavors of the meat and broth." He had absolutely no idea if anything he was saying made sense, but damn did it sound good at the time. "Honestly, you'd know better than I would." Art chuckled at his own ineptitude in the kitchen. After watching Lia work for a few moments more, Artorias asked a question he'd been wondering for a little while now, one he had to be sure of to be content. "Are you happy here in the Hallows, Lia?"

"Artorias"

She watched him take the offered sample, and considered it with great importance. The Aegis of the Hallows, considering the taste of her stew with great care as if it was of great importance. Perhaps it was, because her feelings mattered to him. She didn't delve much deeper into that thought, finding it baffling and wonderful enough to begin with.

Instead, she watched as he sniffed her herbs she had lying out. He pointed his head at a herb, surprising her a little by knowing its name. “let’s give it a go” she agreed, sprinkling some in and stirring the pot again. She breathed in the aroma, and considered it some more, before grabbing a sprinkle of pepper and tossing that in as well. She took another sip, it was bolder now, with a slight kick. Perfect. At least to her taste buds. She offered Artorias another sip.

She leaned back, giving him space to sample this next spoonful, and considered his question. “I would never leave the Hallows willingly.” she said with sudden feeling. A hint of passion in her voice. “This is home. You, and Briar, are home.” She said, the truth apparent in her voice.


"Speech"

Lia’s assumptions about his motives were not far from the truth. Artorias took an interest in Lia’s passions because they mattered to her. Cooking was important to her, and thus it meant it was something worth putting some effort and consideration into. He would have done the same for any of his wolves—even if he wasn’t very good or knowledgeable about their hobbies himself. Lia considered his suggestion, seeming surprised that he had some knowledge of herbs and cooking. He chuckled to himself, finding her shock at his rudimentary knowledge of cooking quite amusing. She added the thyme as he suggested along with some peppercorns, then sampled the stew again. Seemingly pleased, she offered him some more, which he graciously slurped up. The flavor had indeed improved with both of their suggestions. "Mmm delicious," he commented, swiping his tongue over his lips.

Artorias smiled when Lia offered him another spoonful, eating it with gusto and savoring the rich sumptuous broth and tender meat. His question seemed to give Lia pause to consider it, but her response had been exactly what he'd been hoping for. He wanted his wolves to be happy living in the Hallows, and while he'd never force someone to stay who didn't want to be here, he would do his damnedest to resolve any grievances or problems anyone had. Lia went on to praise him and Briar, describing them as home for her. It warmed the Aegis' heart, and he tipped his head in thanks to the littler lady. "Thank you, Lia. I want to make this a home for everyone—especially for the wolves I care about." He strongly positioned Lia within that category; the fire-furred woman held a special place in his heart. Artorias understood now why Sirius was always rescuing broken wolves and wolves down on their luck. The pride he got watching them grow and thrive was a reward in and of itself. "How much more cooking do you have to do? You've whipped up one hell of a banquet already!" he remarked, gazing around at all the dishes Lia was working on and ones she had already completed.

"Artorias"