Emile felt... Hollow. His family had been slipping away for so long, ever since he'd been a child, they'd been leaving and he couldn't really blame them... He wouldn't want to be around him either. Lillith had been the most recent to go, not even really a word of goodbye he'd noticed that her scent was growing stale and her room was empty... He suspected Jane would probably be next. Serenity at least seemed to have truly set down her roots here but he didn't doubt that one way or another he'd be all alone. Realistic or not, those thoughts spiraled in his mind. Emile tried not to think about the future, the idea of doing so filled him with dread but as he realized he was well and truly adrift, the only tethers keeping him here severing before his eyes and he had to wonder. What did he even want? Emile wasn't certain he wanted to leave... The Hallows was the only home he'd ever had, it was the only tie he still had to the family that wasn't here anymore... It was the last place he'd seen Resin, not even alive but she'd done her best to comfort him even as the universe had decided to mark him physically for his sins...

But he was so aware of how alone he felt here. He was too afraid to reach out to his remaining sisters, so certain that that would only push along the speed at which he'd be abandoned. Bowen... Well Bowen wasn't here but they'd hardly been on good terms when she'd left and it was probably best for her to not see him ever again, he'd only hurt her. That was what he did, after all, he was a drain on everyone around him... But Emile also knew he couldn't survive on his own. He didn't have the skills he would need to leave. So where did that leave him? There was a part of him, the part that hadn't ever really left the cliff's edge, that said everyone would be better off if he was to leave, he'd not be a burden to anyone anymore, and his pain would be over soon enough... But there were parts of him that still rejected that. So instead he just remained in limbo, doing his best to poke his head out of his room regularly and put what little knowledge he had to work. But he kept his distance and didn't even try to be social. Better for everyone if he just kept his head down, did what he was best at, and otherwise stayed out of the way.

So Emile did what he'd done for so long, auto-pilot kicking in as he set about gathering up Marigold from around the castle, winter would soon be here and he wanted to save what herbs he could. The little garden on his windowsill might survive the cold, sheltered as it was from the wind and the snow but the flowers growing in the cracks of the stonework would not, and his garden would hardly be enough to sustain them through the coming season, might as well replenish his stores and start the process of preserving the flowers for the coming chill.

Speech

The hardest thing that Artorias had found about being a leader was how responsible you suddenly became for everyone who relied on you. There was a tremendous amount of responsibility not just in making sure everyone was safe and cared for, but that they were happy, content to be a part of the Hallows. Some days that job felt easier than others. It wasn't a difficult thing to make sure those closest to him were happy and satisfied, like Briar or his siblings. But sometimes he felt like perhaps he wasn't doing enough for the rest of his family that made up the Hallows. Bound by blood or not, every wolf in the pack was someone dear to him, someone he cherished and wanted to protect. That was what made Lillith's, Bowen's, and Audra's departures from the Hallows so painful to him. Each of them had been someone he cared about—and in the case of Bowen, his own sibling—and each one he felt like he'd failed them somehow.

It was that mentality that gave Artorias reason to pause while walking down one of the upper level corridors and caught a glimpse of Emile out in the gardens harvesting herbs by himself. The Aegis stopped in his tracks, watching the other wolf from the window for a minute. He knew Emile had struggled for practically forever since the pack had moved from Boreas, but he didn't know the extent to which that was true. Ulric had kept his family's dirty laundry well hidden during his reign and that wasn't exactly information he had imparted to the young alpha when he handed that crown over. Artorias frowned; he didn't want to think anyone in his family was hurting. If he just continued to pretend and assume Emile was okay, how could he ever say he'd done all he could for the young man? Maybe it wasn't his responsibility to save everyone—but he damn well could have the backs of his own wolves.

Heaving a sigh, Artorias mulled over how to go about this. He didn't know Emile very well; the young man was a recluse on his best of days. But maybe that would be a benefit in this case. They'd both be starting from the ground up. There were no presuppositions or expectations to be met. And there was only one way Artorias knew how to effectively break the ice. Heading down to the wine cellar, the onyx and azure wolf selected a mild, sweeter summer wine and brought it with him back to the gardens. He didn't know if Emile was a drinker or not, but if he wanted to partake or try, this would be a good starting point. Artorias grabbed a couple of bowls from the kitchen on his way out, picking a table on the garden terrace and filling both with a small helping of the wine. Then he waited until Emile made his way around near him.

"Emile!" Artorias called out to the other male with a wave of his paw. "You've been busy harvesting those plants all day. Why don't you take a break for a few minutes? Come sit, have a drink. Let's chat." He motioned to the other cup of wine while he lapped at his own, sampling the sweet, fruity taste of the fermented grapes as he awaited Emile's response, hoping that he'd be able to have even a moment of the wolf's attention so he could make sure he was doing all right.

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

One big happy family

Artorias has two ravens named Corbin and Eira and a fox named Argent. Assume they are within calling distance at all times.
As his mate, Briar may enter Artorias' threads unless marked Private.
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At this point Emile mostly expected most wolves to accept that with his head down and his eyes focused on whatever task he was doing that he'd be mostly ignored, it was easier for them all that way. So he wasn't really expecting Artorias to call out to him when he got close. He was aware of the aegis of course, hyper-aware but he had expected that he probably wouldn't be called on. The young man lifted his gaze from the ground that he'd been searching, forest green gaze growing wide and he swallowed the lump forming in his throat. He nodded shakily, adjusting the bag slung over his back and making sure none of his precious cargo would spill out before he meandered over to Artorias.

He eyed the wine for a moment. Emile had never really tried drinking. He had a hard enough time maintaining control over his tongue as it was and he assumed it he got drunk he'd simply devolve into an incoherent ramble, he didn't know but...  Well, he thought it was probably rude not to try it at least a little. He lapped at it gingerly, forcing down the instinctual grimace of the strange aftertaste, before he tentatively raised his gaze towards Artorias again, he wasn't exactly big on talking and wasn't sure what he could even say anyways. Emile just silently prayed that whatever it was the Aegis wanted with him he could keep himself together long enough to not ruin his reputation with this man too. He figured if he did he'd probably find out pretty quickly if he'd been right about how unequipped for life on his own he'd be.


Speech

The way Emile's head snapped up and he just stared wordlessly at him for a beat told Artorias that he had caught his pack mate by surprise. Emile's wide-eyed look of panic took Artorias off guard and it took the young Carpathian wolf a moment to realize that his kinsman thought he was in trouble for something. As the sandy blonde wolf approached him, Art would regard Emile with a gentle smile, hoping to reassure the other young man that there was nothing wrong and nothing to be nervous about. He simply wished to have a conversation; he hadn't spent much time with the Adravendi lad, and for that, he felt as if he'd let him down as his leader. As Aegis, he was responsible for the wellbeing and happiness of all his wolves. He knew Emile preferred solitude to the social gatherings of the pack, and while he didn't blame him for his introverted preferences, it did make him worry for how happy he was and if he felt content with his place in the Hallows.

The offered wine was politely and tentatively sipped by Emile, who instantly did his best to hide the reflexive grimace of the bitter alcoholic aftertaste. Artorias gave a soft chuckle and nodded in understanding. "Yeah, it's an acquired taste. It took me a few drinks before I could drink it without cringing." Artorias took a slightly longer lap from his own drink, hoping that the alcohol would've made it easier for Emile to open up to him. Looks like that plan wasn't going to pan out if the other wolf didn't care for the wine. Oh well. "I wanted to apologize to you, Emile," said Artorias after a moment, breathing a slow sigh. "I've always done my best to get to know all of the wolves in the Hallows so I could feel like we were a family. I didn't do that for you, and I don't think your father or my mother did that either when they were leading. So, for that, I'm sorry."

Art looked back to Emile with a glance, trying to read some of the expression on the quiet man's face to parse out what he might have been thinking and feeling. "Every wolf in the Hallows is important to me, including you," the Aegis continued, taking a longer drink from his wine before looking back to Emile with a consideration and concern in his fire-toned eyes. "So I have to ask... is everything all right, Emile? Are you happy being with us?" Emile's concerns of the alpha kicking him out of the pack weren't even a thought that registered in Artorias' mind. Instead, Art was focusing on making sure the wolves that remained in the Hallows were still happy being here. He'd watched so many go recently that it made him wonder... was he a bad leader?

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

One big happy family

Artorias has two ravens named Corbin and Eira and a fox named Argent. Assume they are within calling distance at all times.
As his mate, Briar may enter Artorias' threads unless marked Private.
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