The wedding reception proceeded through the afternoon and into the evening with revelry and merriment shared by all. As more and more guests showed up to the Hallows to celebrate the union of the reigning couple, Artorias made sure to personally greet each and every wolf that graced their home with their presence. He made sure to pay special attention to his family; they were still and always would be the most important thing in the world to the young alpha. Among those was his adoptive brother. The Aegis had spotted Grimshaw in attendance during the ceremony with another man practically hanging off his arm while leering daggers at him, and assumed this must have been the Malachai he'd heard about from his lovestruck brother. The death glare told him all he needed to know about what the other wolf knew of him, but he paid it no mind. Grim's boyfriend was clearly the jealous type, and he would do nothing to exacerbate that or give the man any more ammunition to justify his disdain for the Carpathian.

Artorias made his way around the room, exchanging pleasantries and making small talk amongst receiving well wishes and congratulations, all on a subtle path towards the pair of brutes. Eventually he came to them, greeting Grimshaw with a wide smile and warm eyes. "Grim, I'm so glad you could come!" he said as he leaned in with an open arm, moving to give his brother a platonic embrace as he welcomed him home again. He drew back to glance the other dire over, noting the shifts and changes to his fur and color with a touch of surprise. "Well, that's new! You're looking well though! And doing well too, from what I hear from Sirius. Congratulations, Howler!" Seer had told him about his brother's promotion during conversation of the Armada's changes. Artorias couldn't be more proud of Grim. He had really come into his own, grown into his own person. The changes had all been for the better as well, at least from what he could tell. Gold-flecked amber eyes drifted over to the other man that had spent the wedding ceremony clinging to his brother, regarding the stranger with a small upward turn of his lips into a smile. "You must be Malachai. Grim's told me all about you. It's a pleasure to finally meet the wolf who makes my brother so emotional he's left crying in the gardens." Art shot Grim a teasing smirk; just a bit of good-natured ribbing between siblings.

The Aegis had come to the Armadan warrior with a purpose beyond simple chitchat, however. "Grim, could I talk to you for a moment out in the gardens? There's something I want to discuss with you," he asked, pausing for a beat as he glanced to Malachai once more and added, "It's a personal matter, though if your boyfriend would like to take a walk with us, he's welcome to." He didn't say it aloud, but Artorias presumed that someone of the jealous type like Malachai seemed to be wouldn't be too keen with the idea of a private conversation.

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

CODE & ART © SKELLE 2022
"Speech!"
Grim had enjoyed the wedding much like someone newly in love would. With Malachai hanging off of his arm, he hardly cared as he nearly paraded his boyfriend around introducing him. By this point he had a few drinks but was still functional, if anything a bit looser than usual. Normally his posture was rigid, but whether it was the love or the alcohol making him drunk, something had him moving with a little more freedom than usual. He'd taken a moment to sneak Malachai off to sit down and let them both have a break from socializing, unaware of Artorias subtle path towards them. He leaned over to kiss Malachai's cheek when he heard his name from behind, exclaiming their appreciation for them coming.

Recognizing the voice immediately, he made sure to finish the kiss to his cheek before turning towards his brother with a smile. Rising from his seated position, he swung a loose arm around him to match the hug, but pulled away after a normal time to return to his seated spot next to his boyfriend. "Of course! I had to see my brother get married!" He laughed as Artorias moved on to mention the change in his patchy coat and his new rank. He smiled sheepishly then, proud of himself but still a bit awkward talking about it. With the move and his new rank there was a lot of responsibility on his shoulders and coupled with his new bar and his boyfriend, his days were stretched. He wouldn't have it another way though. "Thank you," he finally said, before the blue man turned to Malachai.

Shooting a playful glare at his brother when he mentioned crying in the gardens, he smirked bu Artorias was on to other things before he could come up with a response. When he asked to speak with him, his expression changing to puzzled for a moment before Malachai was invited along. Looking to the darker man for a moment, his silver gaze found his brothers shortly. "Absolutely. You can talk freely with us both. Lead the way." Grimshaw placed a paw on Malachai's for a moment before removing it to stand, gesturing then for Artorias to lead the way to the gardens.

every second i'm without you i'm a mess

CODE & ART © SKELLE 2022
"Speech!"
Malachai was trying to be good, he really was. He'd been told he was glaring a few times already whenever Grimshaw caught him giving Artorias the stink -eye... Which was whenever the groom got anywhere close to them. Malachai sighed, he knew he probably wasn't exactly giving off the best impression right now, he didn't exactly want to look like the clingy, jealous partner but he had never really been the most in touch with his emotions so suddenly having to try and suppress them? Well, frankly it was too much for him. But the fact he was conscious of it was probably a good first step. At the very least he'd keep himself sober if only to make sure he could take care of Grim. He was paraded around the family for a while but they'd finally taken a break, moving to a slightly more private location of the reception. Malachai heaved a sigh but said nothing, he wasn't used to socializing so much and was just feeling a little drained already. The man closed his eyes, a smile tugging at his lips as Grim planted a kiss on his cheek and he was about to return the favor ten-fold when a voice broke the moment.

Malachai took a deep breath to keep himself from openly growling, his paw gently resting on Grim's nearest paw and using that sensation to try and ground himself. It didn't stop him from glaring though, not that he would have really noticed he was doing it anyway. He remained seated when Grim stood to hug his brother, not replacing the paw. He turned his mismatched gaze towards the blue man, grunting in response and casting a curious glance towards Grim at the mention of him crying, he knew things had happened when Grimshaw had last been here but he still didn't have the whole picture. The conversation moved on and Malachai had to bite down the desire to pull Grimshaw closer, he knew he was being clingy right now, after all standing right in front of them was the only other man Grimshaw had... Well, it was at least partially reasonable for him to be a little warry. Still when Artorias asked to talk with his brother Grimshaw looked to his boyfriend, he didn't want to let Grimshaw go without him but he wasn't going to try and force himself into a private family matter if he wasn't wanted. Still, Grimshaw responded and indicated that Malachai would come with him. A little smile tugging at the young Klein man's lips, he rose to his paws and tried to control his glowering, with little effect.

every second i'm without you i'm a mess

Much to Artorias' delight, Grimshaw was equal parts bashful and irked by his praising and teasing. The glower he got made the young alpha snicker, and the venomous leers his brother's date had him fixed with were wholly ignored. There would be no reason to address them and cause a scene at the party. After all, he knew exactly where they were coming from. Grimshaw must have told Malachai about what they had gotten into the last time he had visited the Hallows. While Artorias didn't regret a single moment of it, for it had opened him up to his own sexuality and helped Grimshaw embrace his own, he did feel sorry that his presence seemed to put Malachai on edge. He really did want his brother to be happy, truly, and if this clingy man did that for him, then Artorias wanted to find it in himself to like the other male, no matter how difficult the blue-striped wolf seemed to want to make it.

Still, Grimshaw agreed, and when Malachai was invited he also seemed to soften up if just a touch to be included. Artorias grinned brightly and motioned for the two wolves to follow him, leading the way across the banquet hall and down the corridor to the main entrance that let out into the gardens. The warm summer evening was clear and bright, with a sea of stars shining in the heavens overhead. A cool coastal breeze rustled the branches of the trees subtly, and only a few other wolves milled about the gardens, deep in conversation. They would have all the privacy they needed. Artorias led the way down the terrace steps and along one of the garden's many cobblestone paths, taking a leisurely stroll through the evening courtyard with his brother and his brother's partner.

"I wanted to take a moment to have a heart to heart with you, Grim. With you living so far away now, it feels like every chance we get together is time I need to make the most of," explained Artorias, getting right to the matter and not dancing around what he wanted to talk about. He turned bright eyes and a warm smile to his adoptive brother, leaning in to nudge his shoulder gently with his own. "I really am proud of you, Grim. I know we haven't always seen eye to eye, we've had our fights, but I respect the hell out of you. I saw you struggle when we were growing up, but it seems like you've finally found who you are, who you were meant to be. A warrior, a role model, a partner... a brother."

Artorias stopped his stroll and sat down on the cobblestone path, shifting to turn and face Grimshaw directly then. What he wanted to say was far too important to treat as small talk while enjoying a brisk walk. "You're my brother, Grim, and you always will be. I love you as much as my flesh and blood siblings, and to me, you're one too. Which is why I want to give you what you should always have had from the start." Artorias would raise his paw then and lean in, aiming to place his paw on his brother's shoulder while he spoke. "Before you struck out on your own, Resin gave us all the chance to be a family. She gave us all a name. Carpathius. It means 'with the strength of the mountains' in our mother's tongue. Back then, you didn't want to take it. But I can't think of any wolf more deserving to carry it than my brother who fought and climbed his way from the dredges of depression and struggle into the man he is today."

Artorias' smile softened while he gazed with pride and fraternal love at his brother. "If you'll accept it, I'd like you to take the name Carpathius with you. Grimshaw Carpathius. A reminder of where you came from, what you survived to get to where you are, and that you're never ever alone." His amber-gold eyes flickered over to Malachai for a second with a little knowing grin twitching at the corners of his lips. "And if you ever choose to share it with anyone, I trust the decisions you'll make." He rolled his shoulders in a shrug. "Or you could replace it with their family name if you choose. Take it as a middle name, like Briar did. This is the greatest and most personal gift I can give to you, Grim, and I can think of no one more worthy to receive it than you." Artorias let the silence fill in the space between them as he finished speaking. The decision was entirely up to Grimshaw now. Artorias would have loved for his brother to take what was rightfully his as a part of their family. But if he refused, he would understand. Disappointing—but he'd understand. The least he could do was offer and try.

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