With Hazel gone, the wolves closest to power in the Armada were himself, Spider, Wylan and Andromeda. It was well past time he checked in on her, and he had been sitting on information he had gained from the Hallows. He was reluctant to meddle in her love life, but he needed to ensure his wolves had the best information before they made choices.

With these factors in mind, he raised his head and called out to his Gladiator, stepping closer to the fireplace behind the Obelisk as he did so. The chill of winter whistled through the Col around him. The familiar heat of the firepit kept him from feeling the worst of it.


"Speech"

With the restriction that Basilisk had placed on Andy’s meetings with a certain pair of Syndicate wolves, the lavender woman has decided that is best to keep a low profile and play by the rules. After everything that had happened when he took over as Warlord, as his Gladiator, she had decided that she didn’t need to add any more stress to his plate. When the times is right, she will approach him and seek his permission to escort them up to her observatory but until then, they would linger in the Marketplace.

A summoning howl for her breaks Andy’s mind out of the introspective spiral that that it been lulled into while she had been patrolling the Marketplace. Swiftly, the lavender woman moves to answer Basilisk’s call. Snow clings the Col and the surrounding territory, shrouding the northern tundra in a wintery blanket as the cold months drag on. For her, the chill is welcome since she seems to have inherited her father’s double coat and her mind briefly turns to Sirius and Ida as she wonders how they are.

The tall form of Basilisk standing near the bonfire that lays behind the Obelisk pulls her from her wandering thoughts and she quickly moves up to him. Stopping a respectful distance away, Andy bows her head in respect and says, “Warlord.” There is no need to add further words since she is confident that he will soon share the reasoning behind his summons so she lightly settles herself on the ground and smiles warmly up at the much taller man.


"Andromeda Fatalis"

It wasn’t long before the purple form of Andromeda appeared by the bonfire, her nodded head and respectful tone reminded him that the two hadn’t spent a great deal of time together. His Grandfather had set her up into a higher rank so that she could support him, and he knew he had not made much use of that support. Why? Was he weary of her after her siblings' betrayal? Perhaps that, and he simply did not know where her loyalties lay. With Sirius? Kyanite? Her Syndicate lover?

He nodded his head in return to Andromeda, and offered her a slight smile. “Andromeda, thank you for coming.” He said, starting with pleasantries. “There's a few things I wish to go over with you. This talk is going to be a heavy one.” He warned her.

“Let’s get the one I’m least comfortable discussing out of the way first.” he offered her a wry smile, inviting her to be amused at him. “The first is about your love life--” He raised a paw, as if to cut her off though he didn’t know if she would react to the mention. “--which I have no interest, as your nephew, in interfering with. But as your Alpha, there are some things we need to get out in the open. When I was visiting with the Hallows I heard some disturbing things about The Syndicate and its leader that I thought you should know. There are allegations that their leader is interested in rapping little girls, kidnapping kids, and the like. Artorias is pretty confident that these are facts, but personally I have no proof to offer you. Getting into bed with one of his wolves, I want you to have the proper information to arm and prepare yourself. The decisions you make are still your own.” He'd start with her love life, move on kids, and for a finale talk about her loyalty and place here. He would rather be anywhere else.

"Basilisk"

The warm smile Andy wears as she gazes up at Bas isn’t forced as she fondly remembers a time long past when he had helped her kill an animal to honor the statues that had appeared in the lands. While they may not have interacted a lot over the years, he is still her nephew and the lavender woman would do her best to move the heavens and earth if he asked her to. A small dip of her head is given at his polite greeting and, before he can get going, she offers, “Of course. But please, call me Andy. We are still family Basilisk, no matter the ranks we hold.”

Truthfully, she has grown to love the nickname and, at times, almost prefers it to her full first name. Almost. To her, they are two separate wolves; Andy is a woman who loves her family, would fight tooth and nail to protect them and give every last thing she owned to help them while Andromeda is a stargazer, lost in the endless galaxies of space as she seeks to unlock the secrets that hide within. All these thoughts move through her mind in mere seconds and suddenly, Basilisk is saying they some heavy things to discuss.

A brow arches in surprise but she remains quiet her lips pressing together hard to keep the laughter inside as he brings up her love life and her smile grows into an amused grin. Head cocks to the side as Andy listens, knowing that, as Warlord, Bas is well within his rights to question her. But it is amusing to see the uncomfortableness that her nephew struggles with as he speaks of the Syndicate and, more indirectly, Aresenn’s connection to her.

As he falls quiet, the lavender woman dips her head and says, “Thank you for the information Basilisk. I have known Aresenn since I was a pup and feel confident that he does not partake in those things.” Straightening up, she adds, “As for the rest of The Syndicate, I cannot say the same thing and I will be careful when interacting with them from now on.” In her mind, Andy also excludes Absinth from the information that has been shared as well. Hoping that puts his mind at ease, she waits to hear what else he wishes to discuss.


"Andromeda Fatalis"

It was clear from her reaction that she was not upset by his reluctant prying. That was good, they had plenty more ground to cover. He eased his posture slightly, forcing himself to relax. He didn't know exactly where he stood with Andromeda, but he wanted to value her support, and lean on her as his Grandfather had intended. They would need more time before that trust developed. After everything that had happened to Basilisk, he found he did not trust easily. He inclined his head to her. “I am not going to tell you who you can and can't see.” He had said it before, and he would stand by that. But there were other aspects as well.

With what he had said to the Syndicate diplomat, and his plans with Ignita, children were on his mind. He did not know if she intended to have any, or who with. But he would ensure she was armed with all the information she needed. “The next thing to discuss is children. I don't know what your intentions are there, but there are some things you may wish to know ahead of time so you can make a decision based on all the facts.” He continued formally. “The Armada does not do split parents, it never has and never will. If you intend to have children with a wolf outside of this pack, you will need to consider first if you intend to convince them to join, or if you will join them. If it's with Aresenn and the Syndicate, you would do well to do your research and determine if your children would be safe in that pack. As your Nephew, I'll support your decision however I can. As your alpha, I hope you can understand why.” He concluded. That covered kids, and they still weren't done. He gave her a chance to digest and respond to that.

Andy listens intently to what Basilisk has to say and calmly takes in all that he offers. A slight bow of her head is offered to his explanation that he would not tell who she could or could not see and the lavender woman got the sneaking suspicion that he would rather that she not see Aresenn. But she did not broach the topic, choosing to take Basilisk at his word and allow her the time and space to develope her relationships on her own terms. Then, the conversation turned to the subject of children and she quietly watches the Warlord, noting the way he his features subtly shift as he talked.

Lavender face softens, a small but warm smile tugging at her lips as he finishes and she cocks her head to the side slightly. For a moment, Andromeda just gazes up at her much bigger nephew, silently weighing the words she wished to share with him and the proper way to go about saying them. Finally, she sucks in a deep breath and softly says, “Well. Aresenn and I have not discussed anything about children and I have been taking the herbs that are appropriate for when we do meet up. Right now, I don’t feel the need to broach that subject with him.”

Slowly, Andy exhales the remaining air that she had been holding onto and gently adds, “If the time comes for me to make such a decision, I promise to carefully weigh everything and speak to you about what I feel my options are. But, for now, I wish to continue seeing Aresenn and my friend Absinth and, with your permission, take them to my observatory from time to time.” It is an olive branch, a promise to carefully consider those decisions when the time comes and the lavender woman means to keep that promise.

A gently, warm smile never leaves her lips as they speak.


"Andromeda Fatalis"

Basilisk blinked back a look of disappointment at her request. As a high ranking wolf of the Armada, he had expected her to consider the consequences of her request a little more carefully. He shook his head at her. “You're asking me to allow a pack I'm attempting to keep neutral to us - but is an enemy of our oldest allies - access to the heart of our pack. Into the Col, where our weakest reside. Up the mountain, where they can see the whole of the pack. I do not wish to cause issues with the Syndicate, but there may be a day where that's impossible. I'm surprised you would ask it, Andromeda.” He said softly. Was she truly thinking of getting laid over the safety of the pack?


“When your Father allowed Aresenn to enter the pack, I believe it was with the understanding that he was an unaffiliated loner that Sirius wished to sway to The Armada for your sake. He has picked his side.” He had the option to join Andromeda, and declined it. His loss of freedom in the Armada wasn't Basilisk's fault. The Warlord would always put the safety of his wolves first.