Only somewhat of an apology

Grimshaw wasn't sure what to think about Azure wanting to take him out on a trip down south. His own body had barely healed enough for the trip, but with enough promising he had won over Malachai's approval. It wasn't every day he was requested by someone, let alone an Alpha, to join them for any kind of trip or mission. Whatever was on Azure's mind beyond this 'trip' was a mystery to him and left him wondering for nearly the whole trip. It was probably a good thing neither of the men were very talkative.

Grim wasn't completely unaware of the mans recent actions, though to say he bothered himself with the details was a stretch. All he knew was that the man had helped himself to more of his alcohol than he'd like to admit. Although calling it his wasn't really the case either; it did belong to the pack in a sense. Grim wasn't upset over it anyway; the bar still had a long way until it would be completed, so as long as the man had an idea of how to help replace or make up for the loss, he wouldn't hold it against the man. Besides, giving a man a free pass in the light of recent events seemed more than fair.

A free pass hardly seemed like enough though. In the pack he carried with various supplies for his trip, and of course the medicines Malachai made him bring, was a bottle of alcohol. He didn't know if Azure felt any guilt or shame in taking or borrowing or whatever he told himself he had done, but Grim wasn't going to hold it against him. He wasn't in the business of holding grudges anymore and certainly not ones against his alpha. As far as he knew, the man was completely justified in his actions against the pirates. He doubted he would've acted any different if Malachai had been kidnapped.

Where Azure led him to was apparently some place once held by the Empire. It was far before his time and even before Azure's it seemed by the way they had to look for the hidden path that led them to a place he wasn't even sure he could've imagined if someone explained it to him. He'd seen these smaller cats before, though he picked a paw up awkwardly as he stepped as if the animals were weird and gross in a way. Like their larger cousins, Grimshaw didn't doubt their sharp claws and teeth and despite their size, Grimshaw didn't want to find out what tangling with a mad one or twenty felt like. He was careful not to step on the cats as they moved quickly around them, eyeing them with uncertainty. Was there a reason Azure had brought him here, or was this just a convienent place to end the journey south and now they'd turn around and make the trip back? This place was pretty hidden and he was back to an initial, fleeting fear he had at the beginning of this trip would end perhaps in a similar, however more final, way that his tumble down the mountain had. Azure seemed like the kind to go well out of his way to prove a point and Grimshaw was beginning to worry that perhaps he should be a bit more cautious around him.

He wasn't afraid of Azure though, perhaps just smart enough to avoid conflict? Maybe he was smarter than he thought bringing the bottle of alcohol with him. A peace offering perhaps could be what saves his life. Though, he couldn't imagine why the man would bother himself with Grimshaw's mistake when he seemed to have so much other shit going on, but Grimshaw also wasn't a stranger to taking out ones stress on another. Perhaps his mistake was small, but to Azure it could be massive. His rank should be enough to promise that he wouldn't go falling off mountains making stupid decisions in an attempt to show off to his boyfriend.

Azure's subtle recognition of the land they found had fallen on deaf ears, however the question brought his attention back quickly. He thought about his answer for a moment and sighed, unfortunately uncertain as the man spent far too much of his time worrying about him instead of anything else. Grimshaw couldn't say that he didn't adore the attention, but he certainly wished Malachai would take more time to integrate himself into the pack and make a friend or something. He didn't have much room to talk about making friends, but he certainly didn't want Malachai wasting time with him while he could be doing something else. Maybe it was the responsible side in him wanting Malachai to work more instead of worry, but he wasn't going to be the one to tell him.

"I think he likes it, but he was too busy worrying to do much else or really enjoy it if he had," he said with a light frown, really only predicting the other mans thoughts. In the way he didn't see himself acting much differently from Azure in his situation, he really didn't see himself acting any differently had Malachai been injured either though perhaps it was his rank that allowed him to think rationally, even if he didn't want to.

"Speech!"

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