hands around my throat

The confirmation was welcome, but unnecessary. Despite his more reclusive habits, he knew his own cohorts well enough. She introduced herself with a name as unique as she appeared to be, from a pack he was only vaguely aware of. He knew they were important to Manea, and that was about all he really needed to know about their allies. When she asked his name in kind, he dipped his muzzle quickly in a brusque nod "Poe Mendacium, of Elysium." he replied, matching her word for word and title for title. Perhaps he was being an ass, returning the formality with a deadpan aloofness that didn't match with the polite reservation of her own speech. Regardless, the young fae moved on to admit that she hadn't been expecting to run into anyone in the early hours of the morning. A brief quirk of a dark brow, and the flash of pale teeth against dark gums as he fought to subdue amusement. "I'm finishing my patrol, so I'm just about the only one you might have run into out here." he assured her with an unshakeable bemusement, flicking the tip of his ash and ruby cloaked tail. "Lucky you," he added with dry wit, flashing a quick glance to her features as he shot a lopsided smirk her way.

No sooner had he been prepared to write off the encounter and continue with his journey along the borders than the pallid fae spoke up again, with the kind of dagger-sharp intrigue in her eyes that he recognized from many of the powerful women in his family. With a few short words, Ikigai of Ashen marked herself as a member of the royal family, and brought to light the nature of her visit to the island. An alliance? Well, those were usually hard won for the Mendacium clan, given their rather loose morals and propensity for conquest. A few hard hitting questions, seeking to dig deep into the nature of the pack itself and the state of their ties. Once more, a dark brow lifted curiously. Well, at least she was upfront.

"Why wouldn't I be?" he returned wryly, dropping heavily onto burly haunches with a notable thud. "Manea has proven herself a capable matriarch. She went to all of the trouble to secure this territory for us, and she upholds our traditions. Our children thrive, and our ranks are strong. I don't know what else we could honestly need- unless you have some ideas of your own, Ikigai of Ashen." he trailed off with a pointed look and a grin that spoke to a kind of vicious delight that Poe was well known for. Would she be so bold as to voice her observations to one of the members of the family she sought alliance with? Or would she shrink away, beg pardons like so many courtiers often did, and abandon the line of questioning? The beast wanted to see if the dainty fae would prove herself worthy of his time and approval when faced with uncertainty, or earn his disdain. It was the little things in life that one ought to find joy in, right?