five AM on the bathroom floor from the night before

At first, Artorias' words had him chuckling in mock offense. He definitely could see how he might think that, though the reasoning behind it was a bit off. Without any battles, there wouldn't be any stories to tell. Not real ones anyway, and Grimshaw wasn't so sure he was good at fairytales. Would leaving the kids in Grim's watch alone for an amount of time be a good idea, however? Maybe. Would he die protecting them if something were to happen though? Absolutely.

He flashed a rare toothy smile to his brother, flashing his new sharpened teeth that often slipped his mind since the many events of The Long Night. "I am absolutely going to sneak them treats, and toys, and maybe even a few pets!" He started with a laugh, his mood changing only briefly for a bit. "But for the stories to be true, they'd have to happen first." His words ended in a smirk, his frustration with the Armada digging away at him silently since The Long Night. He'd spent a lot of his time picking up extra patrolling shifts and making sure the stores stayed full while others lacked from infection, yet even since the darkness and infections ended, the leaders remained silent. His work and effort hadn't been acknowledged or even noticed he figured, and so with everything else he had been feeling lately, frustrated was added to the list though often ignored in favor of his other, more damaging emotions.

Though Artorias was quick to respond to his attempt at dismissing the subject, Grimshaw released a heavy sigh as he realized he wouldn't be able to get past this. If it hadn't been for the wine, he wouldn't be here now. Reaching for the bottle again, he took a few swigs and set it back down between them while he listened. When he was asked their name however, Grimshaw almost coughed. Had he intentionally avoided assuming them to be female? He wasn't sure if it was coincidence or not, but as Artorias finished talking he would find his eyes searching for some kind of feeling when he studied his body. Bowen had told him he was gay, which meant being attracted to other men... not just one other man. Artorias wasn't his actual brother, so it hardly bothered him in his drunken state.  He'd never felt the feelings he'd felt before when he was around a woman, though he'd never felt them at all before either. Though, he'd be lying if he'd said he didn't find men attractive. Especially ones that rivaled his own size.

He had to peel his eyes away, becoming lost in thought at the realization that he was, in fact, gay. It wasn't just Malachai, if that was some kind of sexuality he wasn't aware of. "I don't know about a wedding invite, but... his name's Malachai." He started, leaving a slight pause as he tried to stop himself from allowing his eyes to search Artorias body again, the alcohol allowing him to be more comfortable and relaxed than he'd ever been. "I don't even know that he feels the same way." He swallowed, peeling his eyes away from Artorias again as he reached for the bottle.

"Speech."