These Peaceful Interludes

Artorias knew that Briar would have been appreciative for anything that he did for her, but he really did hope that this meal turned out okay. It was more a point of pride, that he could say he cooked his girlfriend a meal. He'd promised Sirius and Zee when he'd taken her away that he would do everything he could to take care of her the way she deserved to be cared for, and this was him keeping to that promise. When he found the secret gift and Briar glanced up with a knowing smirk, Artorias knew she had been planning this from the start. Raising a curious brow to her instructions to open the gift and find out what was inside, Art slowly unbound the ribbon while giving Briar a cautious gaze from how shy she'd suddenly gotten. "It's not gonna blow up or anything, is it?" he teased with a crooked smile—and then that smile fell away into an awestruck stare as he pulled the leather-wrapped bangle from within the soft cloth pouch.

For a long while, Artorias could just hold the fine accessory, turning it over and over again in large paws while he inspected every part of it. The black leather was pristine and finely cured and dyed. The stitchwork around the edges was flawless, a telltale sign of how much time and effort Briar had put into her gift. But most stunning of all were the fire opals set into the bangle, peeking out through the leather like fiery studs. Artorias gawked at the splendor of the gift, searching for the words to say and coming up empty several times over. "Briar, I... This is... This is incredible!" Eyes that matched those fire opals turned to gaze at her in wonder and love. "You made this?" While he let her answer his question, Artorias slipped the armlet on for size. It fit perfectly just below his elbow, blending almost seamlessly into his obsidian black fur with the fire opals gleaming in the afternoon sun. It was stunning, and a perfect match for the bangle he had given her a year ago.

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Carpathian"