Briar gave herself a good shake as she hurried into the castle's entryway, sighing after she had gotten as much of the water out of her coat as she could. The clouds had parted briefly that morning and she had tried to use that opportunity to go out and get a patrol done, but about half way through the clouds rolled back in and resumed their usual downpour. While she certainly did not like being stuck in the rain and wasn't looking forward to washing the mud from her legs and tail, she was also no delicate flower so she stuck it out, finishing the patrol before she ran back to the castle. That did mean that she was soaked to the bone now and very much looking forward to a warm bath.

First though, she needed to put away her armor and dagger. After quickly grabbing a towel from the stack she had left near the front doors for just such occasion and giving her legs and tail a quick dry, she made her way up the stairs to the bedrooms above. On the way she spotted Bramble coming down from the floors further up the large flights of stairs. She hadn't had a chance to speak with her daughter since the yearling ball and couldn't pass up the opportunity. With as many children as they had been blessed with it was difficult at times to catch them for even a quick conversation so when she saw the chance to do so she would. "Bramble! I've been wanting to talk to you," she said with a smile as they met on the landing for the castle's second floor. "Walk with me? I'm desperate to get out of this soggy armor," she added with a chuckle before she continued on toward the room she shared with Artorias.

"I'm so impressed with all the work you did on the yearling ball," she said as she walked down the hall with Bramble, giving her daughter a proud smile. "I think it went really well! It looked like everyone was having a good time." Pushing the bedroom door open, she stepped inside and left the door open for Bramble to follow, walking over to where a few hooks were on the wall before she began to unbuckle the straps that held the pieces of molded leather together. "Did you enjoy organizing it? I know how tough putting together that sort of thing can be!" She remembered all too well how many things she had to balance and keep track of when putting together her and Artorias' wedding and even though this was a smaller affair than that had been it was still a notable event for her first ever attempt at organizing a party like that.

"Briar Carpathius"

Her morning had been spent bathing and brushing out her fur. After a late night patrol through soggy grounds, she had been too tired to get a good wash in before falling asleep. Listening to the rain patter against the walls of Hearthstone had lulled her faster to sleep than she'd been able to in a long time. Once that was done and she was pleased with her appearance, even flashing herself a smile in her ornate mirror, Bramble slipped from her room and began to make her way down the stairs toward the kitchens. Her stomach would growl quietly in protest at having not eaten since dinner. With breakfast on her mind, she almost didn't notice her mother until Briar's voice reached out to her.

Coming to a stop, her face instantly brightens and her tail wags happily. "Of course," Bramble responds, a laugh on her own tongue as her mother's comment on getting out of the soggy armor. Following Briar to her room that she shared with Artorias, she listened to what her mother had to say with rapt attention. She can feel her cheeks warm as her mother's praise. The ball really had gone well, hadn't it!

"Thank you, mama," her voice is a warm hum as they slip into her mother's room. Closing the door gently behind her, she watches as Briar hangs the armor upon the hook on the wall. Moving in farther to go get comfortable near the fire, she turns to look at Briar, her tail wagging a few times against the plush cushions. "Oh, it was a blast! Dad and Ember were so helpful!" Bramble says first. "It was tough and I was super worried that it would flop, it being my first organized ball and everything," she laughs with a shake of her head.

While she was wiggling her way out of her armor and drying off the leather, Briar glanced toward Bramble occasionally as her daughter spoke about how much fun she had while planning the ball and the help she had gotten from her father and Ember. That was certainly encouraging for her to hear as a mother. She always wanted to encourage their kids to go after things they were interested in even if it was hard or uncomfortable, but she still wanted to make sure they were having a good time and were enjoying that they were working on. "I'm so glad you enjoyed it and good job getting help from your sister and dad! Being able to delegate tasks and asking for help when you need it is probably the hardest part about leading anything or putting together an event like that. It's something I'm still reminding myself to do constantly," she replied with a chuckle, tossing Bramble a grin as she finished up drying off her armor the best she could before hanging it on a hook closest to the fire so it could continue to dry.

With that done she grabbed one of her brushes to start combing through her fur so it hopefully wouldn't dry terribly until she was able to get a proper bath. Sitting in front of the fire with Bramble, she gave her daughter a curious look and asked, "Did I spy you dancing with a boy at the ball?" She grinned happily while she combed through her tail, always eager to hear about her children's lives–even their potential love interests. Perhaps she should be more concerned about her getting close with a boy–her father most certainly had been when she started spending more and more time with Art–but she just loved love and was excited to see her children growing up and forming lives of their own. Besides, she always felt like if she kept lines of communication open and welcoming for her children they might be more willing to tell her when things happened rather than feeling the need to sneak around the way she had at one point to run off and see Art from time to time.

"Briar Carpathius"

Bramble lets out a playful and dramatic sigh. "I'm not sure how you and dad do it every day," she replies, a brow raised. When was Bramble not hungry for information? Her mother was always and had always been a fountain of knowledge whenever she needed it. As reliable as she was beautiful, Bramble sees that now as she watches her mom join her before the fire. Even unbathed and dirty from a rainy patrol, she can see why her father had fallen in love with her.

Speaking of love, Briar's next question left Bramble's cheek spreading flush with warmth. A little giggle as she meets her mother's gaze. "Ah, that would be right," how could she lie to her mother? It was obvious that she had danced more than once dance with the slightly older boy. The boy she often snuck off to go meet during her patrols. The boy who had carried her across the rolling hills and through God's Garden to bring her back bleeding to Artorias after a terrifying bear attack. There was no hiding that she did indeed feel fondly of him. "His name is Tate. The day that I was attacked by that bear was when dad met him," her smile is awkward and nervous as she glances away from Briar toward the fire for a moment.

"I do like him, but I-I'm not sure," there's hesitation there. "He's the first boy I've really met outside of the Hallows. He's charming, caring, seems genuine, but would it be wrong not to see what my options are?" Bramble's nose scrunches as she looks back at Bramble. "I mean, not that falling for the first guy I meet is a bad thing, but I just... want to be sure," her voice grows quiet as she looks down at her paws, her toes flexing and cat claws extending slightly as she fights the waging war of feelings in her brain.

"Speech"

Briar had already known the answer to her question before she even asked it, but the way that Bramble giggled confirmed her suspicions as her daughter confirmed what she had noticed at the ball. Her little babies were growing up and it was only a matter of time before they started to find partners–or at least crushes–of their own. Bramble explained that the boy, named Tate, had been the one to bring her home after she was attacked by a bear and recognition lit up her face. Ah, so that's who they had to thank for helping their Bramble! Artorias had, of course, filled her in on what had happened that day even though she hadn't been able to be there in the moment. She couldn't help the little smile that tugged at her lips at the shy awkwardness she could see radiating from her daughter as she spoke about Tate which was truly adorable to witness.

Briar listened quietly and intently while Bramble shared her concerns about not being sure about falling for the first boy she met outside of the Hallows, wondering if it was a bad thing to not explore her options. Even though she herself had done that exact thing with Artorias, she could completely understand her daughter's concerns. It was a wide, wide world out there and there could always be a 'what if' no matter what option she went with. She chuckled softly and replied, "You are still so young, my love. You have so much time to explore whatever it is you want to. If you want to explore your options there is nothing wrong with that, but there's also nothing wrong with knowing what your heart wants. If Tate makes you happy and has all of the qualities you're looking for then maybe you don't need to look elsewhere. But if he's not fulfilling everything you want from a partner then it's okay to look elsewhere."

She wasn't sure if she had ever really told Bramble the story of how she and her father met so as a wistful smirk crossed her features she went on, saying, "I met your father when we were both pups. He was the first boy I met outside of the Armada too. Your grandmothers brought him and his siblings to visit for a play date back when the Armada and the Hallows were still neighbors. I was a lot less... tactful than I am today so I immediately questioned him on why he had blue fur and even asked your grandfather why he was blue. Your father and I got into a little fight after that because I called him Blue Boy and he called me Deer Girl. And we've been together ever since." She grinned at the memory, shaking her head a bit at her past self. "It wasn't always an easy thing and I questioned and doubted myself plenty until we were old enough to truly know what we wanted for our lives, but deep down I always knew I wanted to end up with your father."

"Briar Carpathius"

Bramble listened intently and genuinely to her mother as she always had. Her parents were her everything and she took every word they said to heart. They hadn't led her astray before, why would they now? Her mother did have a point. Tate really was a whole package, but something at the back of her mind was doubtful. As much as her heart beat quickly for the boy, she still wasn't sure. What if someone better was really out there? Tate was great, he truly was, but his own life led him in different directions and Bramble wasn't sure she was okay with that.

Before Bramble could comment, she notices her mother's wistful smirk and settles in to listen to the story. Blue Boy and Deer Girl. The nicknames made Bramble chuckle, bringing up a paw to cover her lips. The story of how they met is cute, charming, and absolutely perfect. Which was not much to say about how she met Tate. Thinking harder on it, Bramble's smile hesitates, wavering for a moment. "Thank you mama," she says softly before leaning in to rest her cheek against Briar's shoulder. "I do think I have some soul searching to do first. The Hallows is everything to me and I don't think I could... ask Tate or anyone to settle down here if their own life path is calling them somewhere else," she looks into the fire, a sigh leaving her lips. Did that mean she was okay being alone forever?

"Speech"