Hello, Artorias Here

The grin that Chimera gave him upon discovery of the incestuous relationship he'd begun under the King's urging once would have unsettled a much more uptight and inexperienced Artorias. Time, however, had matured and evolved the young Carpathian brute, and he found it easy to grin back with his host and friend. At the split-toned brute's request, Artorias followed Chimera inland, but not to the gazebo where they'd met at the last time. Instead, Art was surprised to find himself being led right up to the expansive estate that was the Klein home. He recognized the scents of Chimera and Aliana, as well as over a dozen others he didn't. Servants greeted them as they entered with food and drink, and once they were seated comfortably in the botanical atrium, Artorias was reminded of the last time he'd been in here—when Chimera had shown him how to embrace the love that burned for his sister in his heart and soul. How fitting, the young brute thought to himself with a smirk.

Chimera made a quip about something always being pressing, but it would still be waiting for him, and a much less naive Aegis picked up on the innuendo immediately. He snickered and grinned, allowing himself a few sips of drink while Chimera relayed the state of Fenmyre following the Long Night, then expressed his disdain and vitriol towards Hattori in the south. "I'm sorry for your loss," he spoke earnestly and with empathy to the mention of having lost a wolf. He didn't press, and he could see Chimera didn't want to revisit it. "Hattori is a wolf I've never found myself able to trust. He shows no emotion, holds no loyalties, and serves only his own interests from what I've seen. In my mind, that makes him dangerous—very dangerous." Unfortunately for Hattori, both Artorias and Chimera were leaders loved by their wolves, with family and friends at their backs willing to die for them if need be. That made them equally as dangerous to the koi wolf. A wicked smirk touched Artorias' lips while he turned a roguish glance to Chimera. "Venom paid me a visit after she came to see you. I offered to burn the bamboo down around the fucker once the summer comes. She didn't take to the idea." Sure, he might have been half joking at the time to bring a smile to Venom, but it was also a sorely tempting idea, and certainly an effective way to make sure none of Hattori's new pack could be a threat to anyone else.

A moment later, the sound of approaching paws was heard, and Artorias glanced up to greet Aliana with a warm smile. The queen was surprised, but greeted him warmly all the same. "Hello again, Queen Aliana," he replied to her in turn. "I'm sorry for turning up so late, I wanted to see how you and your family and pack were doing after the Long Night. Plus I hadn't gotten a chance to catch up with Chimera in some time, and I thought with all the goings on, it would be a good time to discuss aligning our packs." With the general lay of the land out for Aliana, Artorias kept his attention on the two Fenmyrian royalty, looking at Chimera and Aliana and finding himself unable to not wonder if he and Bowen looked like this with their size difference too. The thought made his heart skip beats and brought a crooked smile to his face. "Is Aliana to be our treaty broker then?"

"Artorias" | "Carpathian" | "Corbin" | "Argent"