Descending the stairs, Ember found her father and Bramble greeting their guests as they came in and directing them toward the Great Hall. Just as she was rounding the bend near the top, she caught a brief glimpse of familiar plum wine colored fur down the hallway and a big grin spread across her muzzle. Not that she'd ever doubted he'd come, but because knowing he was here immediately made the night all the better for her. Ember gave a quick nuzzle to her sire's foreleg and a paw-bump to Bramble in celebration of a successful evening before she left them be, heading straight for the Great Hall to track down Erik. Stepping into the hall, she's immediately greeted by the smells of food, the sound of music, the brightness of the fire in the hearth roaring to life, and all the new wolves showing up. But the only newcomer that had her attention was the viking boy she spied waving to a couple of girls across the room.

Sneaking quietly around the edges of the tables, Ember stalked up to Erik and gave his tail a playful swat when she got close enough. "Hey there, mountain man! I'm glad you could come!" she greeted her viking friend, all smiles and wagging tail as she moved up beside him. "It's no mountain, but now you get to see where I live. If we're sneaky enough, maybe I can get us up to the tower to show you our views too." Maybe she could even show him the armory too; boys liked weapons, right? Ember shot Erik a cheeky wink. She certainly wasn't above bending a few rules for her friend. Besides, if Dad never found out, was it really breaking the rules?  

"Ember Carpathius"

Erik didn't have to wait long for Ember to appear. He'd taken some time to sample the snacks laid out, all sorts of things he'd never tried before. There were all sorts of fine imported snacks, mixed with berries, fruits, all sorts of wonderful things. A growing boy and a growing appetite, but he also remembered Tate's stern warning. Something about not being an asshole-- at least he would do his best. How much trouble could Erik really be on his own? Surely no more trouble than his older brother. It was only a little pit stop, he was still looking for Ember.

She appeared, all smiles, pretty as ever. The viking boy dips his muzzle, a respectful greeting. Right, keep things respectful and above board. Do things the way he should if anyone else asked, if anyone else was looking. "'s nice," he smiled. Tail wagging, tone light. It really was nice, even if Erik wasn't used to being indoors. It makes him feel a little stifled, but it would be cool to look around. "For you," he holds out the little parcel, the one Tate had helped him wrap earlier. It's not as elaborate as what he'd made Bramble, but a protection charm of sorts was always going to be useful. Typical to the vikings in style, maybe not the most girly, but well built. He'd taken pride in his work, and maybe that showed in the way he offered a nervous smile.

At the promise of the tower, he perks up. Erik likes the idea that he gets to explore here, in somewhere so very different than home. He perks up, orange gaze shining. Why's this so exciting?
"Speech"

Erik didn't seem the least bit surprised by her sudden appearance, meaning she would have to work harder on ambushing him the next time she attempted to sneak up on him. Or maybe he was too alert, his senses too heightened, like her brothers were. If that was the case, she'd need to get creative. Either way, the happy way he regarded her brightened her whole day, and seeing his tail wag while he complimented her home brought a swell of pride to her chest. Then he hands her a parcel and says it's for her and Ember... well, she's speechless. Blue eyes blink in surprise as she gingerly took the present from him. The Carpathian princess hadn't expected any sort of gifts to be given when she'd invited him. She had just wanted him here to hang out with. Well shoot, was she supposed to give him something back in return? Probably. Dangit! She'd have to think of something so she didn't seem like a selfish jerk. "Aww, Erik, you didn't have to get me anything!" she remarked, smiling up at him all the same, her braided tail giving a gleeful wag behind her. "You're very sweet though. Thank you."

With her feline claws, she almost surgically removes the wrappings from around her gift. Inside lay a necklace, but it was unlike any kind of jewelry she'd seen before. It wasn't like the jewelry her family wore, it was rustic and Nordic and everything that reminded her of Erik. It even smelled faintly of the woods and the wilds. Ember's cool-hued eyes widened in awe as she lifted the pendant up, admiring the elk horn that hung from the end inscribed with intricate runes and symbols across its surface. Wrapped inside the loop were small pieces of carnelian, the hazy orange stones reminiscent of their crafter's eyes and the crystals that grew from his neck. Ember handled the pendant with such care like she were studying a rare artifact, her mouth hung open but her wagging tail betraying the joy she found in its simplistic beauty. Ember was never the most girly—that title belonged to Talyssa and Clove—walking a line in between the two worlds, and this was perfect to her. A little bit of the viking boy to keep with her.

"Erik, it's amazing!" said the awestruck Ember, her shocked expression morphing into a beaming grin of delight. Blue jewels lifted to meet his fiery gaze once more, noticing the nervous smile, but only seeing the sweet boy that had made it with his own two paws. "I love it! What do these symbols on it mean?" She knew talking was something that seemed a bit of a challenge for him, so she tried not to make him speak too much. With nimble paws, Ember slid the pendant over her head and around her neck, tightening the band until the pendant rested against her chest. The girl proudly puffed up her chest to show it off to him, giggling as she admired it and traced the edges of the elk antler with her toes.

Pleased as punch with her gift, Ember motioned with a tip of her head for Erik to follow her. She led the way over to the buffet tables, hopping up to find some of the goblets filled with the spiced apple cider her mother had made. This was apparently one meant for pups, and there was another kind for adults hidden somewhere in the castle. Ember wanted to find that special cider someday. Lifting one goblet with her teeth, she set the cup down next to Erik and nicked another for herself, eagerly lapping at the sweet drink within. All the crispness of apples mulled with cinnamon and nutmeg, slightly warmed; a perfect autumn drink. "We can try to go up the tower once my dad isn't by the stairs," she told Erik in a hushed whisper, as if sharing some clandestine secrets with her friend. "Until then... did you wanna have something to eat? I dunno, do you dance?" Another suggestion crossed her mind then as her expression lit up with mischief. "Do you wanna go see my family's armory?"

"Ember Carpathius"

It had been on Tate's insistence that he'd brought anything at all, but it seemed like his older brother knew what he was doing. Hell, Bramble was awfully pretty, and she seemed to really like his brother. Erik didn't know what anyone saw in him but... to each their own? Is that what he was supposed to think or say or... whatever else? Hm. He could still think whoever found his brother, his brother who was named Potato to be attractive, had questionable taste. Erik waves off Ember's little protest, at once deciding he likes how it makes him feel.

She puts the pendant around her neck with reverence, and Erik instinctively moves to help. It's gentle, firm. Making sure the bead in the back is fastened in place, so it doesn't slip around too much. He traces the shape of the bindrune against the stone floor of the castle, from memory. A look in his eye that's... well, it's far older than Erik. Something beyond his years. "For protection." He steps back, out of her personal space. Erik realizes he may have overstepped, but he'd play it off. It wouldn't be a big deal unless he made it one... right?

Food is the way to a boy's heart, and the corners of his lips twitch. Though the cider lacked the bite Erik was accustomed to, it was sweet and crisp. It's tasty, like the maple candies he'd grown fond of in the north. The sweetness is jarring, but Erik can't say he dislikes it. The food is lovely too, more variety than he's maybe ever seen. Glimmering orange eyes going wide, he helps himself to a variety of snacks with his... perhaps nominal table manners. Even cute boys have their downfall, and he has a hard time preventing his viking from showing.

At the promise of the tower, he lights up. Erik isn't used to being indoors, much less being able to look out from a tower. He thinks it's perhaps something like looking out from the mountain, but less cold. It was all so new and exciting. The idea that they had to wait for Artorias to move... they'd need to be sneaky. A glimmer of mischief in his eyes. Erik is shining. She wanted him... to dance? "I would dance, with you." Not that he knows how, but he can follow a lead, right? He tries to remember what he learned from Tenshi about faking it until they make it. Still, the armory catches his attention even more. Excitement now. "Show me." The words were beginning to burn his throat, causing the boy to grimace. Sandpaper, though he recovers easily enough. Right, the weapons and sneaking off with a pretty girl? Sounded like an evening well spent.

"Speech"

Erik, looking dead chuffed with himself, explained that the runes carved into her necklace were for protection. He helps her slip the bead in tight to secure it around her neck, the Carpathian girl totally unfazed with him being in her space, and as she examines it more, the smile on her face grows bigger. "Well then I guess I'm never taking it off," she remarked with a playful giggle. Couldn't be without protection now, right? Plus this was her absolute new favorite thing in the whole entire world. Ember was never going to part from his gift. They made their stop at the buffet tables so they could eat and drink their fill, Ember not at all put off by Erik's hunger. Having grown up with several dire-sized brothers, she was used to the gluttony that came with growing boys. She ate at her own pace, not afraid to reach for an extra helping of the smoked salmon, but definitely not going to be winning any eating competitions against the mighty viking boy. Ember actually takes his lack of table manners as a compliment; after all, she helped prepare and cook a good portion of the food he was enjoying. It proud a swell of pride to her chest knowing he enjoyed it.

When Ember had mentioned the idea of dancing, she had fully expected Erik to scoff and laugh, but instead what she got was... agreement? His willingness to dance with her caught the princess off guard, and Ember turned shocked, wide eyes up at the taller boy. Warmth flushed her cheeks. Oh no, had she just committed to a dance with him? She didn't even know how to dance! Well, not properly, at least—not like the Tojo boy making moves on the Heiðinn girl, or her own big sister. Shoot shoot shoot! Think, Ember, think! Thankfully, Erik seemed far more interested in the idea of checking out the armory and tower first, sparing her the panic of having to pretend she knew how to dance on the fly. Phew, crisis averted. "That's very sweet of you, Erik. I might have to take you up on that later." A subtle little smirk, a quick bat of her long lashes, just enough girly behavior to maybe catch him off guard. She quite liked the way he wore surprise on his face.

Erik wanted to be shown the armory, and his excitement was written all over his visage. Who was Ember to deny her friend and her guest? With a mischievous grin, she glanced back around the hall to make sure none of the chaperones were watching them, then downed the rest of the cider in her goblet and set the cup back on the table. "Follow me," she whispered to her friend and began heading to the opposite end of the room, where the doors to the kitchen were—and more importantly, the corridor to the armory. Ember glided effortlessly around the crowd of wolves, weaving a path to the door on the south end of the room. She stood beside it, acting casually while she scoped out the guards and her own father. Nope, everyone was too distracted with something else. Perfect. With a single paw, she pushed open the door to the hall and motioned Erik to follow, silently slipping into the quiet hallway and closing the door behind them, sealing away the music and sounds of revelry.

Shooting Erik another roguish grin, Ember led the way down the short hall to the solid oak door at the other end, grabbing the door latch with a paw and pulling it down to release the lock. She pushed the door open a crack—and then paused for dramatic effect, looking to Erik once more with her eyes agleam with mirth. "Try to contain yourself, all right?" Another airy giggle, and Ember pushed open the door. The light from the smoldering forge lit up the room and kept it rather toasty despite the cool autumn night. All along the walls were racks of various weapons, their steel blades gleaming in the firelight. Swords of all sizes and shapes, daggers to match, axes galore, spears and polearms propped up in racks of their own. Several wolf-shaped mannequins dressed in leather cuirasses stood against the far wall, each in various stages of maintenance and repair. Though Artorias often kept a meticulously maintained workspace, a few tools had been left out on one of the workbenches, along with the dagger he had apparently been working on before being pulled away for some reason.

Ember stepped into the armory, the glow of the forge making her midnight fur almost shine in the warm orange light. Her claws clicked on the stone floor, the sound loud amidst the crackling of the cinders in the otherwise silent room. "Ta-da!" she exclaimed, sitting on her haunches to wave her forearms dramatically around the room as if showing off everything to him at once. "Welcome to the Hearthstone armory! You're actually really lucky; non-pack members don't usually get to come in here, so you're getting the VIP treatment tonight." Ember chuckled, then sat back to watch as Erik explored the room, ready to follow him and answer any questions he might have. Really though, she just wanted to enjoy his fascination and see what he liked. He had been so hospitable to her when she had visited his home, she wanted to do the same for him now.

"Ember Carpathius"

It was all Erik could do to hide his relief that his companion was content to not dance for now. He'd do it because he liked her, and he'd do it because Tate said to just follow her lead. Really, he's going mostly with his gut and the advice granted by his older brother. How good that advice was? While Erik couldn't be sure, Bramble did look really happy to see him. Then again, there was Ember's reaction too. There was something strange in his chest, fuck why was she looking at him like that? Why did he like it?

Though they weren't really sneaking, they were... yeah they were sorta sneaking. Erik knows the game they play, and he knows how to play along. It helps that he doesn't say much, so it's hard to give away the plan. The real scale of the castle from the inside catches him off guard. Being indoors was strange, new to him. Something about it feels strange, different. A cryptid wearing his only nice dress shirt and some of his older brother's cologne.

As they step into the armory, the boy is openly enchanted. His gaze bright, burning as it sweeps over the weapons. Some of it was finery the likes of which he'd never seen, and then the armor too. Thoughts swirling in his head as he pads slowly among them, a kid in a candy shop. Deadly sharp, a material the likes of which he's unfamiliar. It wasn't like anything they made in the forges, or shaped from obsidian they found on the volcano beside the maw. Curious, though he knows better than to touch any of it.

"You make these?" A question, coming with the rough voice. His gaze settling on the tools, curious. Brilliantly curious, as he takes a step closer, taking in the set up with interest. Right, looking but not touching, though the fascination was clear in the way he took them in.
"Speech"

The wonder that overtook Erik's face as she led him into the armory brought a puff of pride to Ember's chest. Yeeeeah, she liked showing off how cool her family could be sometimes. After all, how many other families just had a whole room filled with weapons and armor like this? She watched him peruse around the room for a moment with a proud smirk on her face, oceanic eyes shimmering with delight as she followed his movements with her gaze. When he stopped to inspect some of the blades on a workbench, Ember left the doorframe to come join him at the table. He asked if she made this and Ember gave a short, airy laugh. "No, that'd be my dad. He's really good when it comes to metalwork. He fixed up everything you see in this room or made it from scratch, but I'm hoping he'll teach me so I can make swords and daggers and things too."

Ember could see the look of lust in Erik's eyes to touch the items on the workbench, but he was trying to be on his best behavior. He was so damn cute when he was trying so hard. With a lopsided smirk on her muzzle, Ember picked up the dagger and slid it across the workbench towards Erik so he could see it and handle it. A silent message to her friend—she trusted him not to do anything dumb. "If you think this stuff is cool, you should see the things my dad keeps in there." Ember gestured to the locked steel door at the back of the armory. "That's where all the really cool weapons are, the things like my dad's sword and my siblings' weapons. They're all beautiful and always razor sharp." Ember wished she could show Erik how awesome the Carpathian steel weapons were, but only her father and Mercury had access to the vault. She'd have to remember to show him the fancy blades some other time.

Looking back to Erik again, she gave the taller boy a sweet smile. "Whenever I learn how to make weapons like my dad does, I could make you something special," she offered, raising a paw to the necklace resting at her collarbone. "You made me this, so I'd like to make you something too." That was only fair, right? Plus her sire had said that giving these weapons to wolves was a deep sign of trust from their family. He had given her something for protection, and someday she would give him something for protection back.

As they sat close to one another, Ember couldn't help but let her gaze drift down to the orange crystals protruding from Erik's neck. She watched the way the dim light from the smoldering forge danced off the crystalline surfaces, beautiful and hypnotic at the same time. Lifting a dainty paw, Ember slowly reached forward towards them, but hesitated just shy from actually touching them. Her eyes lifted back up to meet his orange gaze, silently asking his permission before she would actually touch them. Her curiosity had always been there, but up close to him, she couldn't help herself. "Was this from the Long Night?" she asked, recalling the lessons from her parents and what Laeta had told her about the crystal afflictions. Ember followed up her question with another, one that had lingered in her mind since she'd met the viking boy, "Do they hurt you...?"

"Ember Carpathius"

The viking armament stockpile was certainly something, but it's different. Different styles for different folks, and they haven't been a pack for quite as long. Erik can see the potential, see the future, here before his eyes. Though he's a bastard, his father has hinted that he viewed the child as a prince all the same. Caught between two worlds, pulled in two different directions... something like that. The wonder plays on his face, plain as day. More boy than monster in these moments. It was humanity that had forsaken him, not the other way around.

Being on his best behavior came with rewards. As Ember gently handed him the dagger, there's a reverence in the way he handles the weapon. Handling a weapon is a religious action. It ties him to his ancestors, brings him closer to them. They fought so he can walk. He learns how to fight, how to forge, how to maintain his weapons to honor their legacy. Something ancient and reverent in the young man as he handles the weapon. The balance, the craftsmanship-- it's a well built weapon.

"D'you have one?" A gentle question, curious. Setting the dagger down gently, gratefully, as he refocuses on the girl by his side. Closer than he remembered her being, but maybe he was a bit forward. As she touches the pendant, he can't help but feel the pride warming his chest. Feelings he was trying not to let get to his head. "'d like that." More of a smile than he'd usually allow to escape, Erik wouldn't stop himself from enjoying her company.

For the first time in a long time, Erik doesn't tense when someone comes for his neck. Usually it's ma, or Fuji, or Kiriko, or any one of a dozen other healers trying to look at him and fix him. He knows they're trying to help, but feeling like a freak of nature, a science experiment all the time, it feels bad. Ember, though... it's different. For once, Erik still feels like himself. As she reaches out, he gives a gentle nod, a little rumble. Approval.

Tilting his head to allow her the space to look, in parting the fur there's irritation around some of the crystals, particularly the ones that grow around the same level as his vocal cords. To the side, a scar angrier than it should be for its age. A maim from Strai, over two seasons ago, never healed quiet right with constant interruption from the crystals. Nothing but the best care from day one and still, he's a mess. The iron-rich scent of blood on his breath begins to color his words as he speaks.

"Ma said something 'bout residual effects." Erik put the phrase in lazy air quotes. As far as the pain, well. A bit of a nod, though the desire to elaborate outweighs the feeling of sandpaper rising within his throat. "When 's too damp, or I talk too much." A little smile, a twitch of his tail. The light of the forge catching in his crystals and refracting on the walls of the armory, catching in the light on the steel. Erik tilted his head, allowing her space to look, space to examine. Closer than he meant to be, but he's not complaining.

"Speech"

Erik didn’t show any resistance to her as she leaned closer to examine the crystals protruding from his throat and Ember took that opportunity to explore in a heartbeat. Her paw ever so gingerly rested on one of the larger crystals of the cluster, soft paw pads caressing over the smooth crystalline surface. She wasn’t sure what she had been expecting, but it felt pretty much just like touching any other rock or crystal. Maybe a little bit warmer from his residual body warmth, but otherwise nothing magical or extraordinary. Ember silently studied his crystal growths, observing them with the same fascination a child with a new toy might. She didn't see them as a disability or a flaw. They were just a part of Erik to her—same as his eyes or his ears or his paws. She could see how they pulled and tore at the flesh around his neck, leaving it raw and unhealed in some parts. Were they actively cutting into him on a daily basis?

As she studied his mutation, Erik did his best to elucidate on her curiosities. His mother had called them residual effects of the Long Night. Ah, so his parents had probably been afflicted by the plague then. At least, that was how she understood it from the adults in her family. Once infected, it was always possible for the side effects and symptoms to be passed down to younger generations. Ember was no healer like her aunt or brother, but the whole deal with the Long Night was fascinating to her young mind. He did nod when she asked if they hurt him and that was all she needed to hear. If the crystals were hurting her friend, then they needed to go. Looking up directly into his eyes with a firm glance of her own, Ember told him, "Then stop talking." She liked hearing his voice, but if it was painful for him to speak then she'd rather he save his voice. At least that explained his rough hewn voice and short sentences.

While she checked out his crystals, bringing herself closer into his personal space to get a closer look at the bizarre mutations, she decided to keep their conversation going, at least one side of it. "I don't have a special weapon yet, but I want one. Dad says when I'm a yearling maybe I can have one." She really wanted a sword like her father's, but she'd be happy with just about any of her family's special heirlooms. Once satisfied with her investigating, Ember slowly withdrew her paws from his crystals, feeling this strange overwhelming urge to protect and help fix her friend. Maybe she could talk to her Aunt Gwyn and see if she had any ideas that might work... "No more talking, okay?" she instructed the headstrong viking with a resolute stare. "I'm flattered you've pushed yourself for me tonight, but I don't want you hurting yourself over me." There was no leeway in Ember's words. She wasn't letting him hurt himself doing dumb shit for her, and gods help the viking boy if he dared defy the will of the Carpathian princess.

Breathing a gentle sigh, Ember lifted her gaze from his neck up to his handsome face, pools of mixing blue hues holding onto the blazing orange of his eyes for a few long moments. There was a certainty in those oceanic eyes as they looked up at him, an adamant determination that came from the youthful impression that anything was possible. "If the crystals hurt you, then we're going to find a way to get rid of them," she told Erik. No ifs, ands, or buts. She wasn't going to allow her friend to suffer just because he had committed the awful sin of being born. Everything had a solution. They just had to figure it out.

"Ember Carpathius"

The crystals were warm to the touch, as they rested so close to his skin. A space heater in the shape of a boy-- weren't girls supposed to enjoy that? He remains still, near holding his breath as she touches each. The closest he's let someone be for recreational reasons, though he doesn't feel quite so self conscious when it's Ember doing it. Disarming, though he wouldn't admit that. There's danger to admitting that. Instead, he allows himself to bask in the attention.

Though Ember's words were firm, a light danced in his eyes. Something brilliant, maybe a bit more playful than Erik would usually allow. Head tilting down to speak to the girl, tone confidential. Taking command of the small space between them. "If something's hard to say and I'm still doing it, then's worth saying." A smile tugging at the corner of his lips. Brassy. The pushback comes with a glimmer in Erik's gaze, an intensity to him. Warm, especially where he maintains contact with Ember.

He'll stay quiet for the moment, listening as she speaks. Was he even a bit disappointed when she withdrew? Not that he'd admit out loud. He doesn't lean away, preferring to stay only a breath away from the girl. Leaning in. Some sort of gravity that she has to be at the center of. Not yet armed, but it would come in time. Though the future was uncertain in far more ways than Erik could even dream of, he knows that there's big things ahead of the both of them. Right. Yearlings, and then what? What could children know of destiny?

"Used to getting your way, princess?" Erik murmurs the words, speaking them close to her ear. Neck arched with a surprising amount of elegance for the bulky viking bastard. Only a breath away, a playful smirk playing on his lips and dancing as it lights up his eyes. He's alive with it, warmth washing over him. Dizzying. All of it is fucking dizzying.

Words spoken like a promise, carrying weight where they settled between them. Erik took a deep breath, her wish that he not speak... coming true, if for a moment. Though he knows where she's coming from, the boy doesn't think it possible. Healers, incredible healers, had tried and been unable to come up with a treatment. The boy knows he lives as a curse, a scourge. He's already learning to embrace that. To see her desire to try warms him in a way that he doesn't expect, but really, he doesn't know that it's possible. Unable to sort out quite the right words, Erik does something that even he doesn't quite expect. Leaning in, he presses a kiss to her lips.

"Speech"

She should have expected some sort of defiance from her big burly viking boy, but even Erik's feisty rebellion to her command took Ember by surprise. Blue eyes flitted back up to his in their close proximity, sparking with a liveliness of a stubborn soul rising to meet a challenge. The half smirk that rested on her lips betrayed that amusement at his boldness, but daring as he was, he did not yet know the full depths of the Hallowed princess' headstrong disposition. Erik would do as Erik did, which was doing things his own way even if they were harmful to himself—and Ember would do as she did and keep him from destroying his voice just because he wanted to say a few words to her. A battle of the wills between the two, a fire smoldering like the forge just behind them. But what could children know of the force at work between them? All Ember knew was that she liked the way Erik challenged her. It was refreshing and kept her wits sharp and mind sharper.

Despite having dropped her paws from his crystal mutations, Erik did not withdraw away from her. Instead he leaned in, closing more of the space between them in the quiet armory. So close. So close she could feel his breath with every word he graveled close to her ear. He asked if she was used to getting her way, spending more words to tease her. Ember just scoffed and shot him a wry grin. Idiot... Still doing exactly what was bad for him, but still doing it just for her. It was flattering knowing he was putting his own throat to the fire just to talk to her. He was sweet. Stupid, but sweet. "Used to being right, mountain man," she quipped back, tilting her slender muzzle upwards so she could whisper dulcet words back across his ear in turn. "If you lose your voice, I'm going to say I told you so." A playful threat. Ember really didn't want Erik to get hurt over her, but she also didn't think he'd let it get that far. She teased him, but he really wasn't dumb.

In their closeness, Ember couldn't resist letting her gaze drift down to the crystals studding his neck once more, watching them shine in the firelight, almost like they were alive. With gentle slowness, the midnight-coated girl lifted a dainty paw to reach for the crystals once more. She didn't expect any resistance from him now, and if none was shown then her paw would rest on the largest of the crystals, stroking over the smooth surface until her paw had reached the soft fur of his throat, still taking in the strangeness of them, the warmth they exuded, like they were actually a part of his body. "I hate that they hurt you. They're so lovely otherwise." So uniquely Erik. Another thought came to her mind as she slid her paw across the crystal. "Can you feel this?" The crystals were warm like his body, but were they able to feel like the rest of him could too?

With her paw still resting atop his crystal, Ember's swirling blue eyes lifted up to Erik's face, holding his gaze while she leaned in closer, practically touching him. Her eyes lit up as she smiled up at his smirking face, just taking in everything that Erik was in this moment. Those same eyes flashed playfully, urging him on with wordless anticipation for things she didn't even yet know she wanted. There was warmth all over, warmth inside of her, warmth under her cheeks. Gods, was it the forge making the room this stifling? Whatever it was, all Ember knew for sure was that she didn't want this moment to end.

"Ember Carpathius"