Moms make everything better

Briar grunted softly as she shoved the stopper into the front of the cask she had just finished cleaning out, a fresh row of corked bottles lining the shelf behind her. "There," she said softly to herself with a finality, reaching for a rag to wipe off her paws. Bottling day was always a lot of work, but it meant that they would continue to have plenty of wine both for their own enjoyment and for trade with other packs. This particular batch had been aging for quite a while so she was very interested to see how it turned out. Perhaps she'd have to take a bottle back up with her to share with Artorias later... Just as she was turning to start prepping a new batch of fruit to refill the cask with, she heard her daughter's voice calling for her from the direction of the stairs.

Her ears perked at the sound and she stepped out from behind the keg she had been working at just in time to see Ember peeking around the racks and barrels for her. "Over here, sweetheart," she called from the other side of the room, waving her over with her paw as she gave Ember a smile. Artorias had, of course, lamented to her endlessly about the cold shoulder he was getting from their daughter and she knew how much it was eating at her husband, but she hadn't tried to approach Ember about it yet in the hopes that when Ember was ready to talk she would come to her instead. "Is everything alright?" she asked curiously with a little tilt of her head, wondering if the rift between her and her father was what she was seeking her out about or if it was something else entirely.

"Briar Carpathius"