can't look in on one way eyes

Erik smiled at her, a sheepish little grin that begged her not to shoot the messenger. Ember was not happy with this development, especially not when Erik framed it in the reality that it was. His father was leaning on his son to keep the ship sailing when he couldn't, but he was not being made heir, not named the alpha of Heidinn. That made her mad. It was an injustice to her friend that just because Vidarr had decided to dick down a fae that he wasn't mated to Erik was prohibited from being made heir of his own family's pack. Erik gave a sardonic laugh that was swiftly punctuated with a guttural coughing fit. It sounded painful, and though Em was used to Erik's condition, it still hurt her heart to see her friend suffer so. Oceanic blue eyes dipped from his ruggedly handsome face down to the flame-toned crystals jutting from his throat, almost scowling at them for hurting him so. She was going to find a cure for him.

"C'mon, you. We're drinking that whole bottle tonight," Ember directed Erik across the border, not caring if this was technically trespassing or not. She was going to drink that sake with him and enjoy the evening with her friend while he was still here. And then tomorrow... well, she'd figure things out one step at a time. But she refused to let Erik just walk out of her life like that. As the Carpathian fae led her viking around the plains, she covertly diverted their path away from the castle and the prying eyes within, guiding him down to where the soft grasses of the plains met the shimmering sands of the coast. It was private down here, secluded and down a bit of a gulley where they could be alone to talk and drink and just be themselves.

As they walked, Erik asked about her, and Ember released a dramatic sigh. "Well, my family got mixed up in some shit with some nasty wolves from the north. My dad did fuck all to stop them, so some guardian of those in need he is..." Ember didn't go into detail, but it was clear from her tone that her and Artorias were not on good terms at the moment. Fathers... Directing him down the dipping turf to a little alcove at the beach head set into a slope, Ember glanced over her shoulder at Erik with a playful smirk and smacked his chest with her braided tail, stepping across the soft sands into the grassy alcove. She settled down on the grass and sand, her toes splaying in the soft earth while she looked up expectantly at Erik to come join her with his bottle of sake. She was dying to try the special drink he'd nicked for her.

"I've been getting better with my sword," she said, casually picking up their conversation while they got settled in. "Maybe I'll show you some of my moves firsthand at the rematch—assuming I actually get to go paws-on with you this time." Em shot Erik a playful grin. She knew he'd been watching the raid. Had he seen her in action taking down that bigger viking chick? What kind of opponent would Erik be? She couldn't wait to get a chance to spar with him. "So you're going to go help rule Heiðinn, hmm? Finally get to be the prince I always told you you were?" Another playful grin, teasing him. She'd called him the mountain prince before when they were pups. Turned out she had been more right than she knew.

"Ember Carpathius" | "Carpathian"