It took him three days to finish. Tinkering on the quiet project in his down time, when he wasn’t patrolling the Armada borders. He raised it now, and let the light catch the silvery metal and tinted glass. It would have been considered rough craftsmanship in his home, but with the tools he had he knew he could do no better.

He gave the windchime a gentle pat, and packed it lightly in a bag before making his way to the Gorge. It felt right to meet Wren here, in this place that she aspired to own. Making his way down the incline, he picked a spot and set out the hide, before placing a bottle of wine to the side, and a stash of food in the middle. All set, he raised his head and howled to his childhood friend. Once the sound of his call had died out, he lounged on the plush coat, and waited.


"Speech"

She didn't know why he was calling for her.

Wren had made an ass out of herself last time. She went over the apology in her mind for ages, refusing to pout and cry. Refusing to be anything but leaderly. If he wanted a business relationship, he'd get one. She'd just have to deal with anything crappy like feelings and hurt and annoyance. The Gorge had become a makeshift home for the Menagerie members until the time she could claim it, so she was surprised nobody else was around.

"Merc?" Wren appeared, confused and looking around for the others. Maybe at the Cove... But Beauregard said he'd be lingering here at least. Mercury seemed oddly prepared at the moment. He looked like he was waiting for her, obviously, but it was more than that. She just couldn't place it. Letting him explain himself, she waited in her apology. Lesson learned; she wouldn't mix business and pleasure.

"Speech"

He wasn’t left waiting long, before the tawny coat of their budding leader appeared before him. He gave her a smile, and gestured with a paw for her to sit. “I know your under a lot of pressure at the moment” he explained “So I thought I’d give you a chance to unwind” he pulled himself back up from his lounging position so he could set some food in front of her. The next part he hoped she would take in the way he meant it. With the love and consideration in his heart. But there was every chance that she, determined not to be held down by the losses of their past, might see it as an insult.

He gently unravelled the glass windchime. And held it out before her. “My people believe that things such as these, built by our own paws, speak with the voices of those we have loved and lost. This one I made for you, Wren Baines. With the hope that it will bring you comfort”

"Speech"

She hesitated, wondering if this was a good idea. He seemed keen to move on from whatever they said to each other... Wren should give this a shot. Scrunching her face with confusion, she walked closer and sat down next to him. But before she could even speak - even say what she had prepped - he was going on again. The chime presented to her. She stared at it. Is this a good idea? she thought wildly Merc, you're just making this more difficult...

"B-But... I didn't get anything for you" she said this, slightly worried as she accepted the chime. Holding it to the light, she couldn't help but smile at the craftsmanship "Merc, I..." He called her a Baines, the surname given to her by her mother by birth. Useless, like a little bird. All bones. Never amounting to anything. Too weak, weak, weak! She pushed her mother's memory away "I'm sorry." She blurted it out.

"I was just so focused on what I wanted, I didn't stop to consider what you were going through. I thought, hey Wren you could just go for it for once in your miserable life. What's the harm? But you were suffering... I should have been there for you, instead of running my mouth and insulting you. Just cause I want to forget, doesn't mean you didn't have good memories to remember." But she realized something. She hadn't said it. She really should have. Looking to the chime again, she resisted the blush.

"But thank you, Merc. It's... beautiful." So much more than she desired. Bad friend and the likes.

"Speech"

He sat back and let her process the charm. The gift and silent apology to whatever had gone wrong between the two of them. It worried him that they had not been able to see eye to eye, but his loyalty to her was unwavering. He believed in their ability to find common ground, and work towards whatever it was they mutually decided they wanted between them. Maybe it would take some time, maybe there would be misshapes along the way, but that was a part of life.

Wren's own words were beautiful, a willingness to understand and an appreciation for him. He smiled and reached out a paw to lay gently on hers. He was still afraid of commitment. He could feel that as a shadow in his heart, looming over his thoughts and decisions. “Thank you, Wren. And I’m not ready yet to let go of those I’ve lost, but I understand your desire to protect yourself from that loss. To move on and build something new instead of letting it hold you back. If you're willing to wait for me, I want to build something with you. If you're not willing to wait, I understand that, too.”


"Speech"

As long as they were being honest with each other, she could at least try to tell him how she felt. "It's not like I have anyone lined up after you..." Wren began honestly, glancing down at the massive paw touching her own "even if I did, I... like you. Just you." And yet. It would really hurt to see Mercury with someone else, when he told her this. That he wanted her to wait, while he figured everything out. It would really smack her in the face if she ever saw him with another woman. Like she wasn't good enough.

Passed over again.

She forced herself to look at him. "It didn't excuse what I said to you" Wren admitted "even when I was rejected" But it hurt, to be here with him like this. He had gone out of his way to make her relax and feel special. Like he was giving her something precious and... Did friends do this? Basilisk hadn't done something like that, even if he gave her Euryale. She tried to push the hurt to the side. Maybe he'd never see her as anything else. "it's just confusing... Being here. Around you. No guy has ever given me the time of day."

She sucked in a sharp breath. "And maybe that's where I went wrong. I confused myself, trying to grasp something... that just wasn't there" Her eyes downcast "but you want to try, in time. I appreciate it, but I don't want to force you. I don't want you to feel like you should because I said something. I shouldn't have said anything. I fucked everything up between us, and I don't know how to fix it, Merc." She felt tears sting her eyes. Ashamed at herself, not at him. Annoyed and pissed at herself. Not at him.

"Speech"

Mercury kept his paw over hers. Seeing the confusion in her eyes hurt him. Her confidence in herself seemed low. Did she not realise what a truly amazing person she was? He let out a soft breath, trying to organise his jumbled thoughts. He hadn’t really had any expectations for this day. He had wanted to do something nice to her. To find a way to apologise, and offer her a small gift of home.

“Shhh. No, you didn’t break anything between us” he told her gently. He felt a desire to reach over and brush a paw over her eyes. Seeing the tears simmering there. He restrained himself however, struggling to find a line between them, though he had no idea where it should lie. “If I was to pick anyone it would be you, Wren. It’s not that I don’t want you, it’s that… that I’m afraid. Afraid what it would do to me, if I loved you and lost you. I just need… need a little time to see that things are stable. That the earth beneath my feet isn’t lurching.” He said, wondering if she would understand that gut-wrenching pain inside of him that said nothing could ever last forever. Everything his parents had built, gone. If their empire could be reduced to ash so easily what hope did the fleeting things like their lives have?


"Speech"

"Merc..."

Wren frowned, understanding he was scared to lose more people. She didn't know what to say to that, knowing she had been able to survive so far but... would that change? "I can't promise you won't lose people who you care about, even in Boreas" their home behind them, she tried to focus on the present. What she could change and grow into "it's easy for me to say 'that's life!' It's easy for anyone to say that to you." She shook her head, scowling at her previous insensitivity.

"I know... you just want to know I'll be safe. I can't promise I won't get hurt along the way, especially as an alpha" He had to accept he couldn't always protect her, and she had to accept she had to wait for him "but I won't abandon you, Merc" She cared about her upcoming pack, its members, but she also cared about Mercury "I guess I just have to prove it to you." An admission. She would wait if he didn't do anything stupid. If she didn't do anything stupid.

More stupid than she had already, that is.

"Speech"

He knew that, which was why the only thing he was asking for was time. Time to recover from the great loss, and the harrowing journey here. It seemed that Wren was willing to give it to him. He nodded his head, and offered her a smile, pulling that hurt back into him, burying it down. “Then I look forward to seeing you do just that” He teased lightly. He knew that if was willing to give any wolf a go, it would be Wren. He would get over his fear, it would settle with time. He had to believe that.

“A toast then. To our survival, to our future. To Menagerie” He said, lifting up the bottle of wine he had brought, and offering it to the blue eyed beauty across from him. After all, he had invited her here so that she could unwind. He was glad they had aired the troubles between them. But now all he wanted was to see her laugh.


"Speech"

Wren hadn't partaken in wine in... actually, never. When she lived in Asteria, she had been too young to think about it. Too busy to break the universal rule of yearlings not doing such a thing. She hadn't had the time to relax and unwind, nor do anything untoward. She eyed the wine Mercury held, thinking yet again it was a bad idea. But she had to have faith in herself, and him. "To us."

She slipped it in there, a gentle reminder she'd be waiting for him before allowing the bitter-sweet liquid into her body. She took a small sip but it still felt gross to her. Wren's reflex was to gag, but instead, she took her lips off the bottle and coughed. "Strong" she commented to Mercury, raising a paw to her lips and continuing to cough gently "where'd you get it?" Did Mortis gift one of his stock?

It wasn't doubtful, but Mercury could have traded for it.

"Speech"

“To us” He agreed, wondering what their future would bring. They would have time to figure it out. That was all he wanted in life. Time. Time to let her pack grow, time to adjust, time to let friendships build and roots to be planted. Time to fall in love. He smiled as she took a sip of the wine, and couldn’t help but laugh as she choked on the flavour. ‘Now a fan?” He asked as she choked out a description of its taste. Strong.

He took a sip himself, and let it burn down his throat. Sailors liked to drink, and he was no stranger to the taste. There was a sweetness to this one that was missing in the harder stuff his crew had preferred. “Perhaps I’ll find something weaker for you next time” he offered, filing away this little tidbit of her. He offered her some of the dried meat from the picnic to soak up the flavour in her mouth. “I traded for it at the market.” He explained, not sure on its original origins.

"Speech"

"I don't know" Wren admitted, stifling her coughs "never had wine before" It wasn't as strong as she made it out to be, but to her inexperienced mind she was already feeling the effects of it. The land around them felt stifling and humid, or was it just her? "when I joined Asteria, they seemed to get the memo to stop behaving like pirates." Instead, they turned into a regular pack. She had a wonder what sort of pirates Boreas and Auster had...

According to Sirius, they were rambunctious and wild. Targeting everyone. She accepted the meat, chewing it and relishing the smoky aspect. Wren was so used to fishing all the time, that she almost forgot what a good slice of meat tasted like. "Ah, maybe Mortis gave it to you" she mulled this "you can't forget him; he actually has wings. Or maybe someone else gave it to you that wasn't him, but it came from him." Sources told her the man did make wine. She didn't know if this was one of his bottles.

"Gods, I had like one sip and I'm boiling." she added, leaning backward with a huff. What a lightweight!

"Speech"

The midnight wolf grinned at her, and picked up the little cloth covering he had used to drape over the food before she had arrived. Spreading it out in his paws, he used it to swish towards her face, as if that would help the heat she claimed had come from the bottle. “It wasn’t a winged wolf I brought it from, but if he was making any batches it certainly could have come from him” he agreed. He’d heard of the winged wolf, but he hadn’t run into him yet. He had spent most of his time on the Armada Cove, or exploring. He didn’t want to step on the packs toes.

Shifting his home made fan to one hand, he picked up the bottle and took another sip. Enjoying the way the light bit of heat that fuzzed in his stomach. It would take more than a couple sips to get him drunk, but he wasn’t drinking it for that. Seating it down again, he took a few mouthfuls of food. “Are you going to introduce me to your wolf-prospects?” He asked her. Knowing she had a few wolves flock to her banner so far.


"Speech"

"Pfft" she spluttered, waving a paw to get the cloth out of her face "I'm not a dainty lady. Just feel a bit hot that's all!" Wren rolled her eyes dramatically, rolling onto her back completely so she could feel the tickle of grass on her paw pads and her back soothed by the blanket. Mercury asked to be acquainted with the wolves in Menagerie. She craned her neck to look at him.

"No, I'm going to keep you in a chest and lock you in" she joked, snickering "of course I will" she had introduced a few to each other after all "right now there's a few. Tanelan, Beauregard, Sybil, Audra, Voodoo... Audra and Voodoo are healers. Beau and Tane are warriors-in-training. Sybil fancies herself a diplomat." She really should check on Voodoo especially, since Abaven fell. The two warriors-to-be would be under Mercury's watch.

"I think I'll call a pseudo sort of meet-and-greet soon..." Maybe give others a chance to join them too. Wren didn't know since Fireside and Abaven fell that there could be more out there, looking for a home.

"Speech"

“You want to keep me all to yourself?” he asked, crooking a brow at the upside-down wolf as she lay on the coat, and let her paws brush grass. Despite his teasing, she went on to list the wolves that she had recruited so far. He memorised the names, knowing they would become his pack wolves. “it would be especially good to see where Beauregard and Tanelan stand in their training” he said, taking his position as lead warrior rather seriously.

When she spoke of diplomacy, he looked at her through the corner of his eye. “I suppose I should come clean on some of what I’ve been up to these past few weeks” he admitted, letting her stew on that for only a breath movement before speaking again. “As well as getting a lay of the territories, I’ve been meeting and greeting as many wolves as I can find. Including heading down to Auster and getting to know the Alpha in the Hallows. I figured it would be good for us not to be complete strangers when you get the pack” He explained. He had been working rapidly to expand his knowledge of not just the land, but the wolves in it. And he had done so for her. He wanted to be a warrior to give her strength, but diplomacy was something he had grown up with. He would use whatever he had to help her. “a meet and greet would be good” he agreed.

"Speech"

She couldn't help but snicker darkly, rubbing her front paws together. "If I knew you wouldn't fight me on it, yeah" Wren joked "I don't think you'd be pleased about being shoved into a chest though. You're too fucking big!" She reached over to prod his growing muscles. Oof yeah, not a good idea. Now she had butterflies in her half-drunk stomach. She tried to eat more meat to counteract it.

She listened to Mercury as he confessed to meeting the king of the Hallows. Sirius' words about diplomacy and gifts caused her to hum somewhat. "If I knew you were going all that way, I would have given you my gifts to them" she wasn't annoyed with the fact he had gone out on his own, even if she hadn't been properly introduced to them " but it'd be better to do that in person" she added, admitting defeat "I'll set up a den digging and clear out some lingering predators with the others."

Back to Menagerie. "I don't want anyone to be caught by a bear or cougar..."

"Speech"

“You could try folding me in half first?” He suggested, expression serious as he raised a brow her way. Holding the stance for a couple seconds before letting a smirk creep in. She reached over and prodded his muscles, and he obligingly flexed them.

“Ah, I didn’t realise you had plans to visit them, I’m sorry” He said. He had spent most of his time since finding out Wren was alive, scrambling to get the layout of this land and its people. Intel would be vital to them, and he sought it all out and soaked it in.

His expression turned into a frown as she mentioned a bear. “No.” he agreed dryly That would be most unfortunate” he took another sip of the alcohol, and speared a little morsel of food onto a claw, plopping it into his mouth.


"Speech"

She chuckled. "You'd still be too big to fit into a chest" she was amazed how that scrawny kid from his parents' pack who used to follow her around was so tall "do you have no concept of how much you've grown, Merc?" She smirked at him from the corner of her eye, taking another sip of the gross (in her humble opinion) wine. She was quite sure it was fine for anyone who was used to it though. She wasn't.

"Visit is a strong word" Wren pointed out grimly "I had gifts made for them, to secure some sort of alliance and friendship. If anything, I feel like I was buying them" She frowned, placing the wine to the side now "still not used to this diplomacy thing. Asteria kept to itself and had no real allies except trade partners." She doubted if Asteria had been in deep shit, that anyone would show up to help. Maybe Merc's pack though.

It felt weird to 'buy' someone's alliance with gifts. She felt it was a cheap shot. "But at least I have you to help me." She eyed him, grateful.

"Speech"

She took another sip of the wine, so perhaps it was growing on her. He smiled fondly at the woman across from him as he watched her tip the bottle. Thinking… thoughts he shouldn’t be allowing himself. Not when he had already given such a grand speech about how he wasn’t ready. Seeing her lick the wine from her lips was giving him second thoughts.

He struggled to bring his thoughts back around to practical matters when she spoke of alliances and gifts. He raised a surprised brow. “Opening with a gift is almost a traditional approach. For trade alliances, it’s like a taste of what your people are capable of, and a show of good intention. I often began trade meetings with a gift” He explained, thinking of the short time he had spent as captain of his trade ship. The beginning of what had intended to be long years.

“Always, Wren.” He said, his voice catching a little on it as he moved a paw forward, touching it to the top of her own. “We’re in this together, right?”


"Speech"

The wine, however brief she touched it, was getting to her. Lightweight she'd say later, but at the moment she was feeling giddy and foolish. "Are you suuuure you don't want to be a trader?" she teases him, batting her eyelashes at the man "because I think a few of our wolves will fight you for Seneschal." She laughed, recalling the warriors she had recruited. Tanelan and Beauregard... Both fine wolves. She had a feeling Tanelan had a soft crush on her but she only saw him as a brother-figure.

When he lay his paw on her, saying they were in this together, she stared up at him. Her mouth opened somewhat, feeling like laughing at this moment would ruin something. "Well, yes" she balked, wondering what had gotten into Mercury. If we can move past my embarrassing display of confessing, and apologies and other shit! But she didn't tell him this. She... didn't really know what to say. Maybe it was the wine talking. Gods, she shouldn't have drank two sips. It was getting to her "who else would I want?"

Oh shit.

"N-Not that way!" He made it quite clear he wanted to wait, to see what happened and... maybe he had other prospective females "I shouldn't say it like that. I meant... as friends. I mean, I trust you. More than most wolves here" Goodness, she was blabbing again "I'm making you uncomfortable again, aren't I?" She trailed off.

"Speech"