It's not breaking the rules if I live here

Erik, looking dead chuffed with himself, explained that the runes carved into her necklace were for protection. He helps her slip the bead in tight to secure it around her neck, the Carpathian girl totally unfazed with him being in her space, and as she examines it more, the smile on her face grows bigger. "Well then I guess I'm never taking it off," she remarked with a playful giggle. Couldn't be without protection now, right? Plus this was her absolute new favorite thing in the whole entire world. Ember was never going to part from his gift. They made their stop at the buffet tables so they could eat and drink their fill, Ember not at all put off by Erik's hunger. Having grown up with several dire-sized brothers, she was used to the gluttony that came with growing boys. She ate at her own pace, not afraid to reach for an extra helping of the smoked salmon, but definitely not going to be winning any eating competitions against the mighty viking boy. Ember actually takes his lack of table manners as a compliment; after all, she helped prepare and cook a good portion of the food he was enjoying. It proud a swell of pride to her chest knowing he enjoyed it.

When Ember had mentioned the idea of dancing, she had fully expected Erik to scoff and laugh, but instead what she got was... agreement? His willingness to dance with her caught the princess off guard, and Ember turned shocked, wide eyes up at the taller boy. Warmth flushed her cheeks. Oh no, had she just committed to a dance with him? She didn't even know how to dance! Well, not properly, at least—not like the Tojo boy making moves on the Heiðinn girl, or her own big sister. Shoot shoot shoot! Think, Ember, think! Thankfully, Erik seemed far more interested in the idea of checking out the armory and tower first, sparing her the panic of having to pretend she knew how to dance on the fly. Phew, crisis averted. "That's very sweet of you, Erik. I might have to take you up on that later." A subtle little smirk, a quick bat of her long lashes, just enough girly behavior to maybe catch him off guard. She quite liked the way he wore surprise on his face.

Erik wanted to be shown the armory, and his excitement was written all over his visage. Who was Ember to deny her friend and her guest? With a mischievous grin, she glanced back around the hall to make sure none of the chaperones were watching them, then downed the rest of the cider in her goblet and set the cup back on the table. "Follow me," she whispered to her friend and began heading to the opposite end of the room, where the doors to the kitchen were—and more importantly, the corridor to the armory. Ember glided effortlessly around the crowd of wolves, weaving a path to the door on the south end of the room. She stood beside it, acting casually while she scoped out the guards and her own father. Nope, everyone was too distracted with something else. Perfect. With a single paw, she pushed open the door to the hall and motioned Erik to follow, silently slipping into the quiet hallway and closing the door behind them, sealing away the music and sounds of revelry.

Shooting Erik another roguish grin, Ember led the way down the short hall to the solid oak door at the other end, grabbing the door latch with a paw and pulling it down to release the lock. She pushed the door open a crack—and then paused for dramatic effect, looking to Erik once more with her eyes agleam with mirth. "Try to contain yourself, all right?" Another airy giggle, and Ember pushed open the door. The light from the smoldering forge lit up the room and kept it rather toasty despite the cool autumn night. All along the walls were racks of various weapons, their steel blades gleaming in the firelight. Swords of all sizes and shapes, daggers to match, axes galore, spears and polearms propped up in racks of their own. Several wolf-shaped mannequins dressed in leather cuirasses stood against the far wall, each in various stages of maintenance and repair. Though Artorias often kept a meticulously maintained workspace, a few tools had been left out on one of the workbenches, along with the dagger he had apparently been working on before being pulled away for some reason.

Ember stepped into the armory, the glow of the forge making her midnight fur almost shine in the warm orange light. Her claws clicked on the stone floor, the sound loud amidst the crackling of the cinders in the otherwise silent room. "Ta-da!" she exclaimed, sitting on her haunches to wave her forearms dramatically around the room as if showing off everything to him at once. "Welcome to the Hearthstone armory! You're actually really lucky; non-pack members don't usually get to come in here, so you're getting the VIP treatment tonight." Ember chuckled, then sat back to watch as Erik explored the room, ready to follow him and answer any questions he might have. Really though, she just wanted to enjoy his fascination and see what he liked. He had been so hospitable to her when she had visited his home, she wanted to do the same for him now.

"Ember Carpathius"