Adjustment was a small word compared to the task the young man had in front of him as he stared down the challenge of making Elysium his home. What he tried hardest with was forgetting the fact that he was trying to decide if he wanted to uphold the commitment to becoming Avacyn’s partner. He was reluctant to use the word husband, he still wasn’t so sure he would be much more than a glorified stud for her future children. The one she actually loved was unable to provide that aspect for her. Albion wasn’t fully convinced, but he had vowed to explore the prospect.

For now the hulking ivory boy shoved the thought from his mind, even though it seemed to be ever present. Instead he explored the lands that were going to be his home. He had family here to lean on, and he had a potential future. Yet he was still so hesitant. He tried to hold his head high, and pretend that the weight of it all didn’t have him kneeling as his pale form slipped through the trees and he found himself at the lake that evening.

The summer sun was falling over a glittering scene of fireflies and fiery skies. It reminded him of watching the sunset over the sea at his home. His once home. Could he call Fenmyre his home anymore when it was gone and he had the prospects he did before him? These thoughts weighed on him as glassy blue eyes watched the sunset sire roll over the lake.

"Albion Baskara Klien"

With the weight that had been lingering on her shoulders with the riff in her parent's relationship finally lifted she could finally turn her attention from the heavy amount of work she had been tending to and instead return her focus to her own life. The unexpected development in her relationship with Saracyn had felt like the tipping point that had sent her personal life into a spiral that was hard for her to control and for someone like her that very much valued and desired well planned, well thought out things it had very much put her off balance. She was more grateful than she could possibly describe that Albion had agreed to try seeing their prior agreement through regardless of the fact that she couldn't uphold the entirety of her end of the bargain, but now she owed it to the Klien male to give her everything she could. She couldn't give him her whole heart, but there was much more that she still could give him and she needed to show him that she intended to keep her promise of that.

She walked down the mountain paths from the caves and dens where the majority of the pack resided as the sun slowly sank down toward the horizon and evening started to settle around them. As she passed by the pack's meeting area and neared the edge of the lake, she spotted Albion's pale form at the edge of it, his handsome features silhouetted in the oranges, reds, and purples of the sunset. She paused for a moment while she was still out of sight of the male that she had hopes of making her partner and a bit of guilt twisted in her stomach. Part of her wished things were more simple, she wished she had been able to fully prioritize her duty over her heart's whims, but she hadn't. She had let herself be swayed by her heart's desire and now she couldn't be the Matriarch her mother had always hoped she would be. Now she had to compromise in order to get everything she wanted and she felt guilty for putting Albion in the middle of her mess.

Avacyn stepped forward, slipping in beside Albion and settling on her haunches at his side, glancing up at him with a small smile before she looked out over the water with him, admiring the beautiful landscape of the island they called home. "I still think about us sending that drunk brute out onto the water on that raft a lot," she mentioned with a little grin. "The look on his face when he woke up out there was priceless." Chuckling softly, she turned her dark gaze up toward Albion again, finding and searching his face. She enjoyed how different they were. She was like a nighttime galaxy and he a clouded, early morning. After a moment she lifted a white-tipped paw enough to rest it over his forepaw that was closest to her. "I'm glad you're here," she told him quietly with a gentle smile.

"Avacyn Medacium"

The young Klein spent far too much of him time questioning his life and choices. Not for the first time even that day, he wondered if he was in the right place here in Elysium. Was keeping his oath so important that he go through with the agreement even when he wasn’t sure he fully understood the implications ahead of him. Avacyn had seemed so desperate though, like she well and truly did need him. Did that correlate at all with how he wanted his life ot go though? What was it that he truly wanted? Albion had known the answer once, when he was much younger, things were simpler, and he was so much more naive.

His thoughts were jumbled as such when he heard the disturbance behind him, the sound of Ava’s pawsteps preluded to her arrival, and Albi’s attention shifted to the dark eyed woman. Whenever she kept him company his thoughts seemed to settle, at least a little bit. He did enjoy being beside her as much as her attention. She sat close beside him, mentioning how much she thought about their night during the festival. He’d helped her wrangle that drunkard and they watched him wake up stranded in the water. The thought made him smile softly.

"You’d think he would have known by now that you shouldn’t get that drunk at parties.” Albion answered, kind of relieved they were talking about such frivolous memories instead of the deeper conundrum between them. The girl placed her paw over his then, and Albion’s blue glass gaze shifted to her ivory tipped paws over his own fair toes. "Yeah?” He asked her softly as she said how glad she was that he was here. He didn’t want to lie to her and return the sentiment when he wasn’t so sure how he felt yet. His gaze lifted to her features, the uncertainty visible despite his best efforts to cover it with the gentle grin she put there.

"Albion Baskara Klien"

She could tell in the way his gaze turned toward hers and the question in his tone that he was still very uncertain about his choice to be here. She hadn't expected him to be sure after just arriving to Elysium and without spending time with her and maybe the rest of her family, but that didn't stop her from feeling a bit of uncertainty and regret herself. Was it really worth following her heart and putting her position in their family at such risk and opening herself up to such doubt and criticism? Was it worth trying to pull Albion into all of this? Could she ever feel like she was giving him a fair deal in all of this? She didn't know the answers to any of it, but for now she just had to trust that things were going to work out one way or another. There was still just enough youthful optimism left to think that they could find a way to be happy in all of this despite the circumstances. She gave his paw a gentle squeeze and replied with a more sure, "Yeah," of her own, her smile widening a bit. Even if she couldn't give him all of herself like he deserved as her potential future husband, she did enjoy the time she spent with him and she did value his role in her life highly.

She shifted a bit closer so she could gently lean her side into his, resting lightly against him as they enjoyed the sunset and the easy quiet that fell between them. After a few moments she leaned her head into his shoulder as well, a smile easily lingering on her lips. There was always such a calm and steady air about him that she enjoyed. It was one of the reasons why she believed so strongly that he would make for a wonderful partner in the business of running this pack when the time came for her to take over her mother's position. Saracyn more than off set Albion's quiet, contemplative nature with his tendencies toward loud chaos. She needed both. She needed Saracyn's excitement and wild nature at times, but she also needed Albion's critical eye and thoughtful silence at times. She knew this wasn't what either of the males in this situation truly wanted and she was asking a lot of both of them to allow her this, but she knew that in the long run she would be grateful to have both perspectives around her as she came into her own as Elysium's Matriarch.

As the sun started to disappear behind the horizon and the starts started to poke through the darkening sky, Avacyn tipped her muzzle up, leaning up to press a kiss to Albion's cheek. She was always fairly comfortable with physical affections, but there was also a part of her that wanted to start making this feel like a bit more of a real relationship for them. It was still very much in that stage of fledgling romance with soft affections and little glances, but it was just another example of the difference between Albion and Saracyn. Her relationship with Saracyn had caught like a wild fire while she was enjoying this slow, steady build of whatever they would become with Albion. "I need to go do some work on the guard post by Firefly Lake tomorrow," she mentioned, turning her gaze toward his again. "Would you like to accompany me? Maybe we can share a meal while we're out there when I'm done." There was a bit of a bashful smile that tugged at her lips as she made the offer, making a not so subtle attempt at arranging a date of sorts for them. Her work never stopped, but she liked incorporating small moments of more enjoyable things into her day when she could.

"Avacyn Medacium"

He didn’t expect for Ava’s dark gaze to bring him as much comfort as it did when her eyes found his. Her paw squeezed his pale toes as she smiled at him, reassuring him that she was certain of how glad she was to have him presence. A smile did lift the corners of his lips in return. Quiet fell over them, but it was a pleasant one, even more so as Avacyn leaned into his shoulder. The warmth of her was nice, being so close to her so alone, and easy like this brought a tingling feeling to his belly. This was his betrothed after all, he was supposed to be the future father of her children. Feeling affection for the beautiful young woman was far from difficult.

Avacyn surprised him when she leaned her head onto his shoulder and they sat, watching the sun set together. Albion realized briefly he was having a romantic moment with her, and he liked it. However complicated a scenario she was bringing him into, she did make him feel special. Albion wasn’t sure, not when she had first told him the snag in the plan. But now, as she leaned against him and whispered to him, he felt wanted. He finally relented, opening the door for her as he leaned back into her and rested his head over hers.

But the sun would fall behind the horizon, just as it did every night, and as it would rise every day. She lifted her features just enough to kiss his cheek as she spoke quietly about getting together. His cheeks flushed, but at the back of his mind he couldn't forget what she had said. Each night she would be devoted to Saracyn. Albion shoved the thought away, he had this opportunity now. She was here with him now and wanted more. She wanted this to be a real relationship, even if it would be far from a traditional marriage.

"I would like to accompany you.” How did he know he wouldn’t find his place if he never tried? Albion would take whatever time he could, considering how little of it would be his with her other responsibilities, and promises. "I’ll steal as many moments as I can.” He added with a smirk, native to his blood, as he returned her affection with a nuzzle against her soft ears. He was really beginning to enjoy the way she felt against him, the sweet feminine scent of her, and her attention.

"Albion Baskara Klien"

There was a certain kind of relief when she felt Albion relax a bit and lean his head down over hers as they sat together at the edge of the lake. She understood that the problem they had was of her own design and she was the one that would have to put in the work if she wanted to have both of these wolves in her life, but she did fear that it would be an uphill battle to do it. Little moments like this did feel like a reassurance that it wasn't impossible and reaffirmed that she did genuinely enjoy Albion's company. It brought a smile to her lips while she enjoyed the warmth of him in the cool evening air and this slightly romantic moment between the two of them. She knew it would have been a far easier and expected route for her to have taken to simply be with Albion, accept the marriage that had been prepared for her, and follow the path that would lead her to be the exemplary Matriarch her mother wished for her to be, but that simply wasn't what her heart desired. She had to be true to herself and take the complications that came with it.

As she shared a bit of affection with her betrothed and offered for him to accompany her to the nearby lake the next day, she brought her gaze up to his expectantly and was pleased to find the mutual interest in his gaze. She returned his smirk with a grin of her own as he agreed to her offer and made a comment about stealing as many moments as he could with her. As he leaned down to gently nuzzle her ears, her grin widened and she leaned into his side a bit more, soaking in the affection he returned to her. It was just a little thing, but she liked these moments where they could enjoy being a couple together. Even if this arrangement had mostly been made to strengthen the ties between their families and give her someone who would bring all of the traits that she should desire to pass on to her children, she did want this to be a real relationship for them both. She did care about him regardless of this strange situation she had pulled him into. "Then it's a date," she agreed with a soft chuckle, her tail wagging gently and brushing against his thigh. She brought her gaze back to his and added with a smirk, "And you don't have to steal moments with me. I'll give them to you freely."

She started to get to her paws then, feeling almost regretful that she had to leave just as they were beginning to settle in together a bit more. At least they would have their time tomorrow to look forward to. "I'll meet you here tomorrow morning then," she told him before she tipped her muzzle up to his, leaving a gentle peck of a kiss on his lips with another little grin before she turned to start heading toward the mountain that led up toward the caves and dens. She couldn't help giving him another little glance back over her shoulder as she left before she went to go get some rest and get ready for tomorrow.

"Avacyn Medacium"

He didn’t know why, but even as he relaxed here beside the beautiful Princess there was a clenching in his heart. The feeling was completely foreign, and felt like a far cry from what a love struck heart should feel. He knew this wasn’t about love though, not when it came to him. He was here out of duty, no matter how pleasant it felt having her leaned against him so close. The way she looked up at him though, and leaned against him so willingly. Avacyn made him believe that they could maybe share something real. His father, his mother, they had hearts big enough to love more than just each other. Surely he could figure out how to do the same with Ava. For his honor and hers.

It was a date. He was surprised how pleasing the thought of it was, they were betrothed; it shouldn't have been particularly exciting, but the innocent concept truly was. Ava tried to reassure him that he would have no need to steal any moments, that they were freely given. He wasn’t so sure that was the case, Albi wasn’t stealing moments from her, they’d be taken from Saracyn. "I’ll remember that,” he said without losing the smirk that played on his features.

Just as she was about to convince him otherwise, Ava lifted herself to her paws. He had gotten too comfortable beside her made evident by how cold he felt when she pulled away. Not before mentioning the reunion they would have in the morning, punctuated by a sweet kiss on his lips. She stunned the negative thoughts from him, easing much of the tension in his muscles. "Until tomorrow.” He rumbled back as he watched her turn and head back towards her den. He grinned as she glanced back at him, but as she disappeared from view his features fell and the brooding feeling returned. Albion fought it with the memory of her kiss, and the promise of tomorrow.
"Albion Baskara Klien"