Allies with benefits

Briar couldn't help but grin shyly as her cheeks flushed at Alastor's compliments over the wine she had been working on and the market she had made around it. "Well, thank you. I'm just glad that others enjoy it. Making all this wine wouldn't mean anything if no one was interested in drinking it." They both continued to drink from their respective cups, Briar being a bit more conservative in her drinking than Alastor. Even still, she could feel the warmth and the buzz of it fairly easily. She was significantly smaller and lighter in build than her drinking partner of the moment so she already knew he would be able to handle much more of the wine than she could. She had built up a fairly good tolerance for it though with all of her testing and enjoyment of her own product. Alastor went on to talk about Elysium's forms of trade and how Manea hoped to strike a deal with Artorias over it in their talks today, listing off a few of the things their pack had to offer. Some of them were expected like gems from the mountain and plants that typically only grew in this kind of climate. When he brought up the concoction that was apparently was made by Manea's consort, Briar gave him a curious look with a lifted brow while she took another sip of her wine.

She didn't have to ask him what he meant, however, since he then got up and walked over to one of the offshoots of the main cave they were laying in and came back out holding a small glass vial that was filled with a gold-hued liquid. Her antlered head tipped with intrigue as he explained what it was—an aphrodisiac that the creator called Ambrosia. Briar's face flushed pink at the thought and description of it, but she honestly couldn't think of a more fitting product to come from the lecherous couple and it made her chuckle softly, amused by the fact that the couple that had managed to get her and Artorias into bed on their first real meeting together would be marketing such a thing. She was surprised to hear that he had never tried it himself, but then again he certainly didn't seem to have any issues getting 'into the mood' for those sorts of things either. She glanced up at him as he pushed the vial closer and she took it in one of her paws, shifting it a bit and watching the liquid swirl within as he gifted it to her and mentioned how it could be available to get more once Manea and Artorias' talks were finished—though those might take a while considering how Manea liked to stay on top. Briar chuckled and grinned bashfully, putting the Ambrosia just off to the side. "That's very generous of you, thank you. I'm sure Artorias and I will enjoy it."

Then Alastor surprised her again by offering her a back rub. At first she was a little taken aback, but as he began to explain how he fancied himself a masseuse and wanted her feedback just as she had wanted for her wines she couldn't help but smile. For such a massive, intimidating individual, he did have some surprising interests and softness about him. It amused her to picture this undoubtedly deadly brute giving his wife a massage at the end of a long day, but it just endeared him to her even more. "Sure, why not?" she agreed with a little chuckle as she shifted a bit to lay on her belly, stretching out on the furs they were resting on and laying her head down between her paws, letting him show her these skills he had been developing.

"Briar Carpathius"