Aside from the night that he admitted his love to Ike this was probably the conversation he was most nervous and excited for. It was something he knew he wanted to do as soon as he found out that Ike felt the same as he did, but he waited for a bit, letting the more solidified relationship he had made with Ike settle in a bit just to make sure he wasn't dreaming and there was no second guessing on Ike's part. He loved every day he got to spend with the Ashen Princess and he only wanted more. It was such a change from how he used to think—focusing only on how pretty a girl was or how much fun he could have with them. Ike covered both of those things without a doubt, but there was so much more than that, more than he could really put into words.

Now he was going to have to try and put it into some kind of words though as he went in search of Ike's mother, the Empress of Ashen. He hadn't had the chance to speak one on one with the powerful woman yet, only seeing her in passing when he came to their home to pick up Ike for their various adventures. This time he sought Venom out specifically, happening to find her near the shrine that sat as a counterpoint of the Alabastrine forest. "Empress," he said as he greeted her, and a bit formally, with a bow of his head. He felt as if that was how he should address someone of her station. Even though Ike was the Princess and heir and would be in Venom's place one day he never felt like he had to be careful or formal with how he spoke to her, but that was probably just a result of the way they had met and the relationship they had built. "Do you have a moment to talk?"

"Remus Armada"

Venom was quietly contemplating there at the shrine, her sunset eyes on the glowing waters before her as the moon rose over the Ashen Empire. So much had happened in the last year, it was hard to tally all of it within her mind. She sent two of her offspring out to conquer the world, or at least strengthen Ashen’s blood ties. Venom couldn’t deny how much she missed both Iki and Oki. She had worried what it would do to Iki, sending her two siblings out, but she wasn’t so blind not to notice the young Remus there to back her up in her sibling’s place.

The Empress found it oddly coincidental that Remus would find her here as her mind strayed to him. The tall young man approached her quietly, the moonlight shining off of his curving horns and silvery fur. "Remus,” she greeted in return. "Of course, you have my full attention.” She knew he had stepped up as Ike’s best friend, but she wasn’t so sure that was where the conversation ended.

"Venom"

As Venom turned her attention toward him and agreed to speak with him, Remus gave her a grateful nod and smiled softly before settling onto his haunches across from her next to the glowing pool of the shrine. His already anxious and excited nerves only stirred up even more fervently as he tried to get the words he had prepared passed his lips, but he did his very best to keep himself looking calm on the outside at the very least. Even though his stomach was doing summersaults and his heart felt like it might beat right out of his chest, he at least forced himself not to fidget with the grass beneath his feet and kept his expression calm and pleasant. Would she have taken his request more seriously if she could really see how nervous this had made him? He wasn't sure, but he didn't want to look like a fool in front of the Empress either. He was here trying to sell himself as a strong, steady partner for her daughter who was someone that played a very large roll in the make up of this pack... Shifting around nervously and being unable to hold the Empress' gaze didn't really seem like the right things to be doing in this moment.

Drawing a breath to steady himself, Remus told her, "Empress, Ik- um... The princess has become an extremely important wolf to me. I care for her very much and I can't think of a greater honor than to be able to be at her side." Gods, it was getting increasingly difficult to keep this dignified composure, but he did his very best, hoping he was playing the role of the respectable suitor well enough. There was more sappy words he could say about how much he loved her, how happy she made him and how happy he hoped he made her, but in the end he knew he just had to get his question out before he completely fell to pieces. "If you will allow it and give me your blessing... I would like to ask the princess to marry me. I don't know if I am even half the man she deserves, but I can promise you I will forever be striving to be that man and be a better version of myself for her every day." He felt himself holding his breath as he waited for her response, his nerves pushing through just a bit as his tail twitched with anxious energy, silently preying that Venom would give him this chance.

"Remus Armada"

Venom could see the hint of nervousness in his demeanor and how difficult it was for his dual toned eyes to meet her own. He took a deep breath and began to speak, but Venom couldn’t, or didn’t want to, predict the words that he said. He spoke about the princess, the princess that he had been glued to since his arrival here in Ashen. This should have been the logical progression of events. That the boy would fall in love with the girl. Venom felt immediately the uncertainty of letting her sweet girl go. Was Remus genuine or was he only seeking out the power that would come to the one who took her daughter’s heart?

Her own features remained impassive as he went on, undecided herself as he spoke. She had given two children away already, could she handle a third in such quick succession? The Empress had the power to banish him here and now, to make him leave Ashen and Kiyohime behind without a second glance. The selfish part of her seriously debated that course of action, but she knew she couldn’t. She had seen how much happier and confident Ike was with the young man at her side. She had grown considerably in that time, and he was the one to thank. There was no better happy ending than for Remus to be at her side so the both of them could continue to grow together.

He was asking her permission to marry the crown princess. Her youngest child, her baby. She had already come to accept that her children were growing up and making their own way. They were full adults and she couldn’t hold them back even if her heart wanted so badly to do so. Venom knew what she had to do. "Remus,” she started, struggling internally. "I’ve seen how much you care about my daughter, but more importantly I’ve seen who she has become with you beside her.” Despite how hard this was to say she felt how proud she was of both of them. "You have my permission, and my blessing. Whatever Shuriken’s desire is, I will support her. And you.”

"Venom"

Remus could see in Venom's face as she listened to his request and while he stated his case to win her daughter's paw in marriage that she had her reservations, but whether that was how she would react to anyone asking to marry one of her children or how she felt about him specifically he couldn't be sure. He had walked in to this knowing that it really only go one of two ways—either he would get what he desired in being allowed to ask Ike to marry him or he was going to get kicked out of the pack and barred from seeing Ike again. He didn't think that Venom was the kind of woman to go as extreme as the latter option, but he also couldn't rule out the possibility either. The worry and anxiousness that had gnawed at him as he built up the courage to do this made him assume the worst.

However, it seemed his worrying was all for nothing since after a few moments of silent consideration, Venom finally gave him her answer and caught him so far off guard that he almost didn't believe his ears. A grin slowly spread across his lips as she went on, speaking about the effect his time with Ike had on her daughter and eventually gave her his blessing and her support to them both. He couldn't contain the ecstatic grin that made his cheeks hurt and how his tail wagged like crazy behind him. He had tried to keep himself looking composed and responsible through this whole thing, but deep down he was still the love struck young man that was simply head over heels for the Crown Princess. He still had to actually ask Ike to marry him, but knowing he had Venom's blessing helped him feel like he was making the right move.

He wanted to just throw his forelegs around her and give her a hug, but he restrained himself and simply gave her a grateful dip of his head instead. "Thank you, Empress. This means more to me than you can possibly know. I'm not sure when I'll ask her just yet, but... I know I'm not just asking her to marry me, I'm asking to be a part of your family as well so I wanted to make sure I did this right." He got to his paws, still grinning from ear to ear while his mind already started to run away with ideas of how he was going to ask Ike one of the most important questions he'd ever ask her. "Thank you for letting me be a part of your pack and welcoming me in," he added with a slightly more bashful smile. "I've been missing my family a lot lately and being here and being a part of Ashen with Ike has made me feel like I have a real home here, so... Thank you."

"Remus Armada"

Venom was old enough that she had learned to watch body language first and foremost, and the change as she spoke to Remus was palpable. He had been nervous and austere, but as she gave him her permission and blessing he changed to excited and joyful. An emotion that she treasured to see on the faces of her packmates, and more than that, her future son-in-law. It was enough the Empress found herself grinning in mutual joy. With so much bad news all the time, having some good like this filled her heart. There was a difference in this scenario, and the one that Ikigai chose. What should have been a happy moment would always be clouded knowing Iki was being joined by duty and not by this love she saw radiating from Remus. What had she denied her eldest daughter, had it been the right decision?

The Empress hid the doubts that had nothing to do with Remus and his happy moment. His grin widened as the energy within grew to the point he couldn’t sit still any longer. Venom was a bit more reserved, but she smiled with him as he spoke again. Remus thanked her deeply, from the bottom of his heart he was grateful for her blessing, for welcoming him into Ashen to begin with, and most importantly he thanked her for being allowed to join her family.

"I’ll be honored to have you join our family, officially.” She returned with a little wink. She would be giving Ike away as much as she gave Iki, but it stung less knowing her youngest daughter’s future would be to remain in Ashen. "I’ll be trusting you to help take care of her,” Venom warned him gently, this was a huge responsibility to undertake. "It’s a hard world out there, she’s going to need a strong partner. You’ll have to be a rock. Not only for her, but everyone who will be counting on her.”

"Venom"

Remus admittedly hadn't spent a ton of time around the Empress since he joined Ashen, his time mostly spent either with Ike or with doing other tasks around the pack that didn't happen to cross paths with hers, but as his excitement peeked through and he thanked her for everything he saw her smile and that made him feel like she truly did support his desire to marry Ike. He had worried slightly that she would only agree because she might feel like that's what her daughter wanted or maybe because she wanted to make sure there was someone to support Ike as she prepared to be Empress one day, and maybe those things played a factor as well, but she still made him feel as though she was genuinely happy for the turn of events as well. As he expressed how much this meant to him and thanked her for welcoming him into their family, he found himself wishing that his family was here as well so that he could share this news with them, or at the very least his brother who had been his partner for much of their early lives, but since that option wasn't one he had right now he was glad he at least had Venom here to fill in for the parents he was missing.

As the Empress spoke of the trust she was putting in him to help take care of Ike and how the Princess would need a strong partner and a rock, Remus' expression grew a bit more serious and he gave her a knowing nod in response with a soft smile. "And I will do my very best to be all of those things for her." He knew in the back of his mind that as soon as he decided to seriously pursue a relationship with the Crown Princess that he was signing up for much more than simply finding a mate, but Ike made that extra pressure feel worth it. She made him want to take his life more seriously and actually try at more than just being a good fighter or seeing the world. She made him revaluate his priorities and put her before himself. Of course he would never take things too seriously, but he had a feeling that Ike needed that from him too. He gave her another dip of his head and added, "Thank you again, Empress. I hope Ike will react as favorably to my proposal." He grinned and chuckled and as long as there wasn't anything else to discuss or say he would turn to leave, already plotting and trying to decide how he could come up with a proposal that fit the girl he loved perfectly.

"Remus Armada"