Teenagers scare the living shit out of me

For a while Briar just loved on her husband and listened while he listed off all of his mounting worries which were truly shared worries for both of them, though she knew Artorias carried his worries more heavily than she did. She tended to be the more optimistic of the two of them, but he also kept her from becoming overly hopeful and delusional about some things so they balanced one another well. She gave a little hum of agreement as he mentioned Vendrick and the work that his sister and Syanna were doing to help him get better. All they could really do right now was hope that the medicines the two brilliant women gave him would help this sickness run its course, but the waiting and the hoping was the worst part. She sighed with a little nod and a gentle squeeze around his neck at the mention of Talyssa and Zephyrus. She was less worried about Zephyrus than she was Talyssa given the fact that when they had last seen their bird son he had grown unbelievably large and she doubted there was much out in the world that could harm a predatory bird his size, but she also knew Zeph could be a bit gullible at times. Talyssa had the opposite problem. She had never been a fighter, but she was incredibly bright and all Briar could do was hope that they were both being smart and keeping themselves safe.

Those were all problems that were constant, lingering worries in the back of both of their minds, but then he got to the more present and pressing issue of them all. Their strong willed, fiery daughter that couldn't be swayed from her opinion on this whole Syndicate matter. Briar listened quietly while Art spoke about Ember's refusal to back down from her stance on how things should have been handled and her unshakable morals and she couldn't help the little smile that tugged at her lips. Oh how familiar this all sounded... She chuckled softly as Art shook his head and she scratched lightly across his chest as she kissed his cheek. "I'm afraid that she is very much your daughter, my dear," she told him with a light, teasing tone to her voice. "You were very much the same way once upon a time. If all of this had happened when you were her age are you telling me that you wouldn't have been the same way?" Age and parenthood had tempered Artorias quite a bit whether he wanted to admit it or not, but she had been with him since the beginning and had witnessed his evolution herself. "Try to meet her where she's at. You're probably not going to convince her that you were right this time and that's okay. You said it yourself... She's strong willed and passionate–just like her father. Add young adult hormones to that mix and you have one hell of a combination." She chuckled and gave his cheek another kiss before she slid off of his back and returned to her paws, stepping around to his side to join him in front of the fire. She sat back on her haunches and leaned into his side, her long tail curling around him and entwining with his own. "I can talk to her if you want. I was trying to stay out of it to see if you two could work it out yourselves, but I don't mind being a mediator if you think it'll help."

"Artorias & Briar Carpathius"