Can't meet the future's eyes

The way Emile's head snapped up and he just stared wordlessly at him for a beat told Artorias that he had caught his pack mate by surprise. Emile's wide-eyed look of panic took Artorias off guard and it took the young Carpathian wolf a moment to realize that his kinsman thought he was in trouble for something. As the sandy blonde wolf approached him, Art would regard Emile with a gentle smile, hoping to reassure the other young man that there was nothing wrong and nothing to be nervous about. He simply wished to have a conversation; he hadn't spent much time with the Adravendi lad, and for that, he felt as if he'd let him down as his leader. As Aegis, he was responsible for the wellbeing and happiness of all his wolves. He knew Emile preferred solitude to the social gatherings of the pack, and while he didn't blame him for his introverted preferences, it did make him worry for how happy he was and if he felt content with his place in the Hallows.

The offered wine was politely and tentatively sipped by Emile, who instantly did his best to hide the reflexive grimace of the bitter alcoholic aftertaste. Artorias gave a soft chuckle and nodded in understanding. "Yeah, it's an acquired taste. It took me a few drinks before I could drink it without cringing." Artorias took a slightly longer lap from his own drink, hoping that the alcohol would've made it easier for Emile to open up to him. Looks like that plan wasn't going to pan out if the other wolf didn't care for the wine. Oh well. "I wanted to apologize to you, Emile," said Artorias after a moment, breathing a slow sigh. "I've always done my best to get to know all of the wolves in the Hallows so I could feel like we were a family. I didn't do that for you, and I don't think your father or my mother did that either when they were leading. So, for that, I'm sorry."

Art looked back to Emile with a glance, trying to read some of the expression on the quiet man's face to parse out what he might have been thinking and feeling. "Every wolf in the Hallows is important to me, including you," the Aegis continued, taking a longer drink from his wine before looking back to Emile with a consideration and concern in his fire-toned eyes. "So I have to ask... is everything all right, Emile? Are you happy being with us?" Emile's concerns of the alpha kicking him out of the pack weren't even a thought that registered in Artorias' mind. Instead, Art was focusing on making sure the wolves that remained in the Hallows were still happy being here. He'd watched so many go recently that it made him wonder... was he a bad leader?

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Carpathian" | "Corbin" | "Eira" | "Argent"