Chess, Not Checkers

Artorias couldn't resist a small chuckle at the Warlord's expense, thinking of two tiny little loaves of wolf terrorizing the giant man. He had never been around puppies save for his own siblings when they'd been born, so he had no idea what sort of trouble they could be. He made a note to go give his well wishes to Briar's sister and her new litter. Sirius described Mortis' abilities to lead as green, needing refinement and polish, then told him to expect him to lead some of his training. Artorias gave a nod with a low hum of acknowledgement. "I look forward to seeing what Mortis is capable of." He hadn't spent much time with the Warlord's son beyond their first and only conversation. It would be curious to see how the young man operated if his father considered him needing a good bit of work.

"Thank you, sir. I'm sure Ulric is well aware of his allies and resources. He doesn't strike me as incompetent, so I'm sure he's handling everything in his own way," he replied with a grateful nod to Seer. While Ulric may have made some decisions in his personal life that Artorias didn't necessarily agree with, the man was a capable leader thus far, and he had Artorias' respect. The clap of thunder overhead turned both sapphire and amber eyes up to the sky. While he didn't fear or dislike storms, Artorias certainly didn't enjoy being caught out in the rain. "Good plan." With a nod, Artorias followed alongside Sirius to where the barracks sat, taking in the sights around him as they walked.

"So who else responded to your summons? Is Briar still planning on attending the training program?" he asked while they walked, doing his best to keep his emotions repressed while he asked of the Warlord's daughter. Things between the two were not good, so he wondered if perhaps she might have backed out of the training, or if he'd need to mentally prepare to have his patience tested for the next season. It would also give him a chance to glean who he might be sharing a bunk with.

"Artorias Carpathius"