Truly, madly, deeply

The wide-eyed surprise that crossed Venom's flawless features when he led her to the ravine had been exactly the reaction he had hoped for. Even now, Maverick still reveled in the chances he got to catch his lover off guard, keeping her on her toes and surprising her with sweet gestures. The day he no longer brought her surprised joy would be the day he had let her down as her partner. As he explained his knowledge of the importance of the forested ravine, he turned a cheeky grin back to Venom's characteristic sly smirk, a little proud puff in his chest. Yeah, he was proud of the investigative work he'd put into this trip. Venom admitted that she hadn't been here in a long time, but agreed to give him a tour of her childhood home regardless. "Oh, I desire much more than just a tour with you, but we'll see where the evening takes us," he remarked, teasing his lover with a subtle brush of his tail against her thigh while they walked together through the foliage, walking at her side while she explained the history and layout of the land to him. The dire wolf paused to take a quick sniff, sampling the air for scents of other wolves. "Hmm, looks like whoever was here is long gone now." All the better for them.

The two wolves moved nimbly up the natural staircase in the earth past where Venom pointed out the communal dens the pack used to reside in. Being the size that he was, Maverick wasn't as graceful as Venom was in his movements, but he was still surefooted and swift as he kept pace with her over the unfamiliar terrain. He stepped over a few large roots running across the stairs, following her lead to where she explained the palace was. "I'm detecting a theme with your family and palaces." A deep chuckle rumbled in the man's chest while he turned shimmering teal eyes down to his coal and snow fae, his usual roguish smirk sitting lopsided on his lips. He glanced briefly up to the tree branches overhead, spotting his sparrowhawk sitting and watching them. Around its neck, a short strand of ribbon was tied. Mav's smirk grew; good, everything was set. "Let's go see this palace, Ven," he said, gesturing with a paw for her to continue on her lead. After a brief pause of looking around the twilight valley, Mav asked, "What made your family leave this place for the Archipelago?"

"Maverick & Venom"