No Shame in This Walk

Artorias cast another gentle smile Lia's way, shining amber eyes finding the ever-burning embers of her own. He didn't ever want Lia to feel awkward or uncomfortable in his presence, and he never wanted her to regret being honest with him. He'd rather know a painful truth than live in the ignorant bliss of a lie. He appreciated that openness she had with him and hoped it never went away. "I know you are, Lia, and I hope I continue to give you reasons to be happy with us." Perhaps he shouldn't be trying to change Lia. Some wolves just weren't fighters, and that was okay. He knew Briar, coming from the line of Fatalises, would probably disagree with him, but he couldn't force Lia to be something she wasn't. And besides, he could be her savior as often as he could, even if it wasn't always.

Lia asked if she could do anything else for him. Artorias mulled it over for a moment, grimacing as the stiffness in his back from having to nearly carry Briar all the way back home coupled with his hangover headache. "Actually, I would love some water." He hesitated for a moment before adding, "And maybe a massage? I really liked the last one you gave me, and it's been a while since I had one." He gave Lia a sheepish smile, ears folding to his head as he tried not to think about how that massage had almost ended up. The last thing he needed was to start getting all flustered when she was about to be paws-on with him.

"Artorias Carpathius"