What's the worst that could happen?

Artorias was glad to hear that Anthea was not in any need of emergency medical assistance again, thankfully. Small blessings, he supposed. The way Anthea and Mercury were basically leaning into one another had not escaped the Aegis' attention, and he was beginning to piece together the change in their relationship dynamic the more the two of them spoke and explained her intentions. Anthea wanted to join the Hallows again, claiming she could not find a way back to her old home and that Mercury made it difficult for her to stay away. Mercury spoke up and vouched his support for her, earning him a raised brow from the Aegis. He appreciated what Mercury was trying to do, but in this case it probably wasn't as helpful as his Commander probably thought it was. Artorias had some concerns of his own he needed clarified before he could give his blessing for Anthea to rejoin the Hallows.

Turning his carefully measured gaze from Mercury back to Anthea, Artorias took pause while he considered his next words. "We welcomed you into the Hallows previously based on Mercury's vouching for you, Anthea, and you chose to leave to return to your previous home," he reminded her gently, not denying her outright but not giving her the immediate acceptance they were both probably looking for. "I'm gladdened to hear that you've done some soul-searching in your time on your own, but I'm not entirely convinced you see the Hallows as a home and not just a second best choice since you cannot return to your homelands. The Hallows is open to all, but the wolves I allow into our home as our family, I need to know they're committed to our cause and our way of life, not just accepting it as the next best alternative."

Looking back and forth between Mercury and Anthea again, he carefully read each of their reactions. He wanted to see how they would take his response and see if they understood where he was coming from. Hallowed wolves were different because they strove to leave the world better, because they committed themselves to the pack's creed and to one another. Was Anthea ready to make that commitment that she had been so ambivalent on before? "If I permit you to rejoin the Hallows, how can I be sure you won't want to leave again in a season or two, and try to take my Commander with you?" It was a fair question given Anthea's past relationship with the pack. And while Artorias did not doubt Mercury's commitment to the Hallows, he would not wish to put his friend in an awkward situation of having to choose between his duty and his love.

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