Yo, seen your brother around?

The admission that Grimshaw had been behaving strangely for some time only increased Artorias' concern. He knew his brother to be a brooding, moody individual who had always marched a bit off beat, but if he was acting even more out of the norm from that, then something must truly be wrong. In the dual-hued eyes of his brother's lover, he could see the lingering concern and guilt. It was easy enough for the Carpathian man to translate: Malachai blamed himself. Art's lips drew into a fine line. He wanted to reassure Malachai that what he was thinking likely wasn't the truth, but he didn't think the Klein wolf would put much stock into his words. Besides, he didn't know the intricacies of the two brutes' relationship, and to assume the best might have been perceived as arrogantly ignorant.

Artorias almost breathed a sigh of relief when Malachai eventually agreed to his offer of respite after a few moments of consideration. Despite the animosity in his brother's partner, Art would have felt abhorrent if he hadn't offered and something had happened to Malachai. Maybe he was just too soft or empathetic, but it was part of who the Aegis was, and his drive to help and protect others never knew a day off. "Of course. Take all the time you need. My wolves will give you no trouble crossing the borders," he replied when Chai mentioned needing a bit of time to himself. "I'll have a room and meal readied for you when you get back. If you need anything, you can call for me." Artorias began to turn to leave the dark-furred wolf to his own devices, but paused mid-step and looked back to Malachai once more. "And Malachai—I don't know you well, but I know that anyone who makes my brother happy is a good wolf. I don't believe any of this is your fault." He tipped his head to Chai, then turned to make his way back towards Hearthstone, leaving the other male to his own devices.

- exit Artorias unless stopped -

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