Who made you a family man?

Maverick hadn't initially noticed Gareth's apprehension or suspicion when he had come running up to greet his brother, blissfully unaware that Gareth was already trying to suss out why the stalwart vagabond smelled of a pack or where he had been for the past several weeks. It was his retort that got Maverick's attention, expression alert and attentive as he realized Gareth had noted the changes in him immediately. While not ashamed in the slightest, Mav did wear a sheepish grin with ears folded to his head, perhaps because he realized that this new path was a dramatic departure from his usual modus operandi. "Hey, there's no better way to keep warm in the winter than snuggling up to a pretty lady," he remarked with a roguish wink and grin, chuckling under his breath. He just left out the part that he'd been shacking up with the same lady all winter—and for the foreseeable future for as long as he could see and hope for.

Gareth deflected his question about what he'd gotten up to down on the southern continent, instead insisting that Maverick tell his story first. Since it was clear that his brother wasn't going to give him any reprieve from this line of questioning until he'd satisfied his curiosity, Mav breathed a sigh and settled in to tell the story. "Well, it actually started just before the winter at the tail end of fall," he explained, recounting the day he had met Venom at the borders of Ashen. "It was a hot day and I was setting up a swing down on the coast for some fun. I was near the pack border when this fae approached me, all huffy and uptight, demanding to know who I was and what I was doing." That roguish grin grew on his lips. "I gave her a bit of hell, y'know how it is, but she was really pretty, so I entertained her for a bit. And I mean really pretty, bro. Like, drop dead gorgeous!"

Maverick breathed a wistful sigh as he remembered his first encounter with the Ashen Empress, a dreamy smile on his lips. "Anyway, her name is Venom, and it turned out she's the alpha of this pack here. Ashen. After that first day, we kept running into one another, and after I saved her life, we both started hanging out, drinking and doping, started hooking up on a regular basis. She's incredible, Gareth! You've gotta meet her. She's... I dunno, she's just great! Really fun to be with, wicked smart, keeps me on my toes." Tries to bite my toes, he thought but didn't speak aloud, a wry smirk on his lips. "We did this sort of secret affair thing for the winter. Then she asked me to stay with her, live in Ashen and start a real relationship with her. And I... I kinda said yes." Maverick's ears flicked back again with another bashful smile. He didn't know why, but talking about Venom just made his insides twist all up in a good way. "So I've been living with her in Ashen for the last couple of weeks. It's a new sort of transition, but I think I like it." There it was, that was his story. Now all Maverick waited on was to gauge Gareth's reactions to his tale. Would his brother be happy for him, or disappointed and upset that he'd gone and given up their swashbuckling lifestyle?

"Maverick"