After Sirius delivered the news about his relationship with Isa, Gossamer figured there was no better time than the present so as soon as he was finished and her siblings had taken the news she moved aside to wait for her father to speak with her privately. She fidgeted with her paws, the snow white fur sticking up in odd places as she tried to pat it back down. Clearly Sirius had some idea what love was. He said he was in love with Isa and she needed to know how he'd made that determination. How did he know it was romantic love and not the love of a close friend? Gossy had heard poems and stories and she couldn't quite figure out what useful information was really there. What did love feel like? How did she know she was in love besides just really, really, caring about someone and wanting them to be safe? Was there even a difference?

The Warlord would do all he could to ease any concerns his children might have. He knew this news would not be easy for them, and wanted to support them as best he could. So when he saw that Gossy was waiting for him, he made his way over to the dark pelted woman. “Hello, Gossy. Did you want to talk about it?” He asked his Lieutenant.

As he spoke, his eyes flickered over her, wondering how she was handling everything. He knew that the pirate woman that had plagued her was gone, but he worried there were scars left behind. Now the flood, and rebuilding… they had taken a lot of blows.


"Speech"

Gossamer nodded as her father moved to join her. "Yea, I just… have a couple of questions. I assume you're in love with Isa?" She couldn't quite imagine her father just picking out some random woman to hang out with for his remaining years unless he really cared about her. And to take her as a queen of sorts. Surely that meant he loved her. "How do you know when you're in love with someone? That it's like… romantic love. You know, like different from a really good friend you'd lay your life on the line for?" That was where her dilemma lay. She cared greatly for Dagrún and wanted to be around the other woman but how did she know what she was really feeling? Sure, she'd had a few maybe inappropriate thoughts about the other woman but she didn't think that was enough of a relevant factor. She needed to figure out if Dag was a best friend or maybe, just maybe a potential lover.

Well that… wasn't the direction he expected this conversation to go. He paused, and then settled down beside Gossy. He wasn't sure he was qualified to have this conversation. He'd made enough of a mess of his relationships as it was. But she had asked, and he would do his best to answer her honestly. He wondered what had prompted the thought. Was there someone she was interested in? "Honestly? I didn't want to love Isa. In fact, I hated her at first. I thought she was smug, arrogant, and foolish. Turns out she was brave, tenacious, and honourable instead." He gave a wry chuckle. 


"I knew I loved her when I realised she was in danger. I was so afraid I was going to lose her, and with that came the realisation of what she had come to mean to me. It was the same with your mother." He swallowed a lump and pushed on. He knew he needed to be able to talk about her to them. "It was in the middle of a thunderstorm. She was huddled in the bushes, having tried to make her way to me before the fear won out. Seeing her like that… I was a different wolf back then, less protective. She woke something inside of me. I made the Armada for her." He blinked, focusing back on Gossy again. "But that's not the only kind of love. There are others, too. Slower ones. Sometimes they start with a friendship, and build into something more. Is there someone you have your eyes on, Goss?

Sirius moved to sit beside her and she listened, quirking a brow up at him as he explained how he first started out disliking Isa. She felt an immediate comparison in some ways, remembering her first encounter with Dag when they were pups. She'd thought the other girl was bratty and full of herself. They'd almost immediately started a rivalry that was cut short by distance until their unexpected meeting over a year later.

Her father went on to explain that he realized he was in love with Isa when he realized he was going to lose her. Gossy's brow furrowed for a moment as she looked at her paws. It was sort of how upset Dag had been upon learning of the flood but did Gossy feel the same way? She thought back to the bear attack but was only met with confusion. There was pain. It would hurt to lose Dagrún but at the same time Gossamer felt confident she could live without the other. If everything fell apart she'd carry on. It would hurt, it would probably scar, but she could make it on her own. Was that normal? In love stories it always seemed like the characters 'couldn't live without. each other'. But… well that couldn't be right.

As she listened to Sirius speak she knew her father had been in love with her mother. Her mother was gone now but that didn't mean he hadn't loved her or that he didn't still love her.

Gossy bit her lip. "Well… yes, actually." Her toes dug into the earth, stirring and breaking it up as she tried to channel her nerves out through them. "I've been spending a fair amount of time with Dagrún Finnvi of Ethne. I like her a lot, I consider us really good friends and I might… I don't know… I might be in love with her?" She looked up at her father, seeking further guidance to this puzzle.

He was paying attention to GOssamer, and noted the way her posture changed. She seemed almost chagrined, digging her toes into the earth and biting her lip. The Warlord was tempted to tease her, but he was sad as well. Gossy had been an adult in her own right for a few years now, of course she was going to find someone. That it was someone outside the pack… well, his rules had been set before the majority of its members had been his immediate family. The way things were going, if any of his kids wanted to find love, they did have to look outside of the pack. As much as he disliked it, and worried about their futures and loyalties, he was beginning to realise the rule may not last much longer.

“Ethne?” He said thoughtfully as Gossy looked at him. He hid the sadness in his heart with a smile. “We need to send some things to Ethne as part of our trade. How would you feel about delivering them for me? And perhaps you could stay a few days, and work on relations between our packs?” his voice was light and teasing, though the offer was genuine.


"Speech"

Ethne?

Gossamer nodded, all to aware of how that complicated things. Why couldn't Dagrún be some loner? Gossamer wasn't keen on leaving the Armada but she wasn't sure she could tempt Dag away, especially not with all the trouble the other pack had been dealing with. Her ears perked up as Sirius mentioned that he had some supplies to deliver. "Yes! Oh um- I mean yes, I would certainly be up to the task." Gossamer had certainly hoped to that relations between Armada and Ethne would remain neutral if not friendly. It was unreasonable to make every pack an ally, she knew that, she just didn't want them to be enemies. Perhaps between her and Dag's efforts they could keep relations warm and prevent any threats to the Armada arising from within Ethne. As far as she knew there was nothing of concern but it never hurt to be prepared. "What would you like me to deliver?"