it's my party, I'll cry if I want to

Right off the bat, Bramble was quick to chastise him for being formal. That she wasn't an idiot, despite how she might act in gatherings. He grunted softly, eyes widening for just a moment before he stuck his tongue out at her in response. Once they were both comfortably settled, she admitted that she was excited to get away from the pack lands. He hummed softly, nodding his head a little in understanding. He and his siblings had been given plenty of room to roam in the surrounding landscape, but always with a chaperone of some sort. Usually one of their father's companions. It was a strange sensation, always being watched, but he suspected being cooped up in the castle grounds for an entire year was somehow worse. At least he could venture off on his own and have new experiences, even if they were shared by unseen eyes.

A few moments of thoughtful silence, the pair working on their own little portion of the growing sand castle. The tawny fae spoke up, admitting that she missed the time they'd spent together. Lamenting the connections (or lack thereof) between herself and her siblings. Followed up, in typical fashion for their lineage, by a quick apology. He shook his head quickly, flashing her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about it," he told her, and reached out with one forepaw to bump it against her toes- a chastise of his own. Bramble asked if he was enjoying the party, and he shrugged a little. "It's nice to see everyone again, but.. I would prefer if I weren't seeing them all at once. We have a huge family, and it's kind of overwhelming. Even if I love them all, it's hard to handle them all being so, uh, crowded together." he admitted with a sheepish smile, glancing her way.

It was nice to share a quiet moment with his niece-cousin-whatever. They hadn't seen one another in a while, and their last meeting had been under.. shitty circumstances. Traumatized children weren't all that fun. Patting the dark sand under his paw, he tried to pack it in a little more tightly to the rest of the structure. "I can't make things less awkward between you and your siblings, but if you want.. I can take you exploring around the Armada? There's plenty of weird shit around here, and I'm sure our parents won't care if we wander off for a few hours tomorrow." ivory tipped tail thumped lightly against the sand, pleased with himself for extending the olive branch to the young fae he hadn't seen in so long. If he had the power to instigate a prison break of sorts once the sun came up tomorrow, why not do it?