The time had come. The dark-furred woman looked cool and calm on the surface but inside her stomach was the nervous flutter of butterflies. What she was planning to do was far more serious than some mere spar and, in Bellamy’s opinion, even more important than her maim fights with Ignis. What she was about to do, here on the battlefield, weighed on her far heavier than anything she’d ever done before. This fight wasn’t just going to affect her. It affected Gavroche, Saga, and her newest litter as well. Hell, if she played her cards right this could even affect Lucette and Bae-Syl. This was a chance to fight for not only her beliefs but for the hopes and dreams of her loved ones. She would be fighting to give them a home at the risk of displacing others and taking away their home. Bellamy felt a smidge of guilt about that but it would not be enough to deter her from her chosen path of challenge. She wanted to secure a future for her family with her own paws. She wanted to ensure that no alpha of theirs would go missing again… by becoming that alpha. She would be seven next season, older yes, but not too old to be counted out of leadership! The woman had dabbled with the idea once before, before she had met Gavroche, and passed it off as nothing more than delusions of grandeur. She had been younger, far more naive, and nowhere near ready for the responsibilities of a pack. She wasn’t entirely sure if she’d be a good alpha, either. But dammit if she won she was going to give it her best shot! And if she failed? Rest, recuperate, and try again. She could not, and would not, give up anymore. She might have her moments of doubt, her nagging fears, but for the sake of her loved ones, she couldn’t afford to just give up. They were counting on her not only to succeed but come back in one piece from this. It would be impossible to walk away unscathed though, and, now more than ever, Bellamy was glad her mate was a healer. The Divinities only knew how anxious the tiny winged man had been as she left, staying back in Avalon with their children. She had promised she would come back to him, win or lose. She would not be leaving again. …and today all eyes would be on her and the alpha of the pack she had chosen to fight for. She did not know the pack by name, nor did she have any bias in picking the pack other than the fact it wasn’t a part of the Empire. That likely wouldn’t matter to the challenged though. They would see a woman attempting to take their home and she would not blame them for being angry. She would not be surprised if there was retaliation if she happened to win either. That came with the territory of this business, unfortunately. Bellamy had never really had a gathering around her for a fight either. Sure she had fought Ignis at the pack challenge of Habari but most of the wolves there would have had their eyes on the fight over the pack. This… this would be different. Another flutter flared in her stomach. She could do this. Though she had stripped herself of her snow leopard cape and bone blade she did not walk deeper into the battlefield without some confidence. She had made it through things on her own merit - the cape and blade were just add-on benefits to the skills she already had. She did not walk alone either. On either side of the dark-furred woman walked a companion. Ears, the Tasmanian Devil on her left, and Whiskers, the Badger, on her right. They had been with her through thick and thin. They had been there for her before anyone else. The woman was confident that they would help cheer her on through this battle too. She didn’t exactly have a lot of “friends” here in Boreas. She had met a couple though, wolves who would either join her or at least admired her spirit. If they showed perhaps she might have a little support but she didn’t doubt she would likely be the unfavorable challenger. Let them snarl, let them scoff, she thought. She had made up her mind. Stopping in an area with the dry, cracked ground was flat and even, the woman looked first at Ears, then at Whiskers. Determination flashed in the green eyes of the dark-furred woman. Now. The time was now. Steeling her resolve Bellamy tossed her head back and called for the alpha of the West, the one who had a pack edging the territory of the Redwater Rocks. She remembered the scent well… and though the alpha would not be expecting her call she called for him now. Bellamy was sure he wouldn’t give up his home without a fight. She straightened, lifting her chin a little bit. No matter what happened today she would not falter… Someway she was going to become an alpha. It was just a matter if it was today or some other one. --------------------------------------- Bellamy vs Ardyn for Pack Challenge (for Valhalla) Round 0 / ? Height 41” Build Medium "Talk, 'Think.'

Kotori had been checking out Hell's river, the molten lava had interested him since he’d first spotted it well over a year ago.  The lava still flowed and in the future, this would be useful to Kotori.  He had been heading back towards his pack with Tove when a challenging howl was heard.  What was this?   It seemed a lot of Boreas wolves were of a mind to start new packs lately.  The horned wolf grinned as he recognized who was being challenged.

“Let’s go, Tove.  This will be fun and I’m very curious who wins.”  With that, Kotori turned north and made his way to the battlefield with a smug smile.  There was Bellamy, waiting for the alpha of Valhalla.  “Fight well.  Stay proud.” Two simple words are offered to the wolf.  He didn’t know Bellamy well but they had met under good terms prior.  On the other hand, Ardyn had ticked Kotori off on the first meeting.  Of course, Kotori had been stewing over a hurt heart and bruised ego when he ran into the Valhalla’s alpha so it wasn’t hard to upset him at that point.

Kotori took a seat, not overly far from Bellamy.  He glanced at Tove, “Valhalla alpha is named Ardyn.  I don’t like him.” It was a flat statement without bothering to explain more.  Did the ‘why ‘really matter?  

"Kotori Fatalis"

The scarred wolf has been exploring with Kotori when a call rings out across the land. It signals a new challenge for yet another pack and, while Tove does not know the challenger or who they are fighting, it seems that Ko does. He calls for her and the older wolf easily falls in behind her alpha as they make their way to the battlefield. A rather large woman stands proudly amidst the blood-stained area, seeming at home in this land.

As they approach, Kotori offers the contender some simple words and Tove offers a small but respectful bow of her head. She settles in close to Ko, both of them firmly behind the challenger and watches the woman with curiosity coloring her duel-toned eyes. When her leader looks to her, offering some information on this battle, the scarred woman dips her head in understanding but does not offer any words. If Kotori does not like this Ardyn then she, as Kotori’s wolf, also dislikes him.

It is as simple as that. The older wolf sits tall as she waits for the battle to begin.


"Tove Baade"

[OOC-at-large: Ardyn's quick speech to Valhalla is set before he leaves for the actual battlefield. No non-Valhallans observing the challenge at the battlefield will have heard him]

Ardyn Adravendi

He’d been finishing off a new hut when the distant voice came, and his paws halted, long digits resting on the stone he’d just laid over the heating channel as he processed the meaning of the voice’s summons. A wolf who knew nothing of his pack, not even the name. If Aerie had been a full pack and their neighbors still, he’d have been wondering if they meant Eligos. He snorted softly, head shaking as he slipped from his armor and made his way to one of the streams, washing mud and dirt from his coat and shaking dry while Sädir and Lunira stretched, limbering themselves up. Still, there was one thing to do before he responded to the call. He called Valhalla together, first. To those who answered in time, he stated quickly, but firmly, “If you come to observe this fight, do not start any fights on the side-lines. If you are attacked, you may defend yourselves, naturally. Valhalla doesn’t start crass shit-talking and side brawls when their leader is in the fight to keep our home. “Remain poised, remain calm. Remain united. Do not hurl insults, and ignore any who verbally insult you, myself, or Valhalla. They’re small creatures not worth your notice if they feel the need to insult us. If you react, you give them the attention they wanted. “If anyone who isn’t standing in front of me right now joins you on the way, relay this message to them. This is an order. Those who do not wish to attend, keep the pups safe here at home. If they insist on observing and you can't keep them corralled... they may come, but ensure they remain on their best behavior and keep them between yourselves and the rest of the spectators. If anyone tries to harm or take them, maim the offender.” He waited long enough to ensure the message had struck home before he turned and broke into a brisk, businesslike trot, conserving energy and letting the travel warm his limbs and stretch his muscles as he retreated into a sort of moving meditation, centering himself and not responding to any who came with him. Lyr drifted above in the air, unusually quiet and solemn, and even Sädir, trailing along Ardyn’s left hip, was as stern as Lunira, who shadowed Ardyn’s right hip, metallic coat glittering coldly. It would be their first serious fight as a team, at least against another wolf. He left his armor behind, neatly folded next to the hut he’d been called away from. Even his bracers were crossed neatly on the pile. His beads, bells, and feathers had been removed and arrayed tidily with the armor, and he paused long enough to rake his claws over a tree, sharpening and cleansing them of any loose nail shreds. His long mane and tail flowed free and loose, flickering with fiery light, blazing gold where the friction was strongest. His void-black coat rippled with flame over a powerful, trim-waisted figure, and his angular, light-motif-painted features were cold, nearly blank. The mismatched, fire and ice gradated eyes were frigid, especially as they found his challenger as he sought to come to a halt about ten feet away from her, face to face, tail flowing level with his spine, paws having fallen into a natural, balanced stance. He took no notice of any other observers, though he was aware of them in his surroundings. They weren’t important. This wolf was. A coal-black woman, painted in white stripes, her underbelly, toes under-tail, and rump the most dipped. Green eyes glittered from around a fringe of white mane sprouting from her forehead, and he made mental note of the feature. His eyes took a quick, shrewdly clinical sweep of her frame, noting that she was scarred, and a mother. The scarring on one shoulder was recent, at least from a season or so ago. Healed, but visible. He took note of the companions that joined her, before locking eyes and remarking coldly, but softly enough for only her to hear him, “As a mother, I’d think you’d seek a more peaceful way to found your new home that won’t pose future threats to your family. Your children will see you come home battered and bloodied, and you will be tearing down the home of other innocent children should you win here. Bear that in mind, Lady.” ___________________The Fight Begins _____________________ He flowed forward with a powerful bound, pushing off from his hind paws, hind claws flexing out of their sheaths and digging into the soil for traction as Ardyn sought to close the distance between himself and Bellamy swiftly as the last words left his lips, not bothering to hear if she responded with any words of her own. Lunira sought to angle around Bellamy’s right side, not attacking yet but seeking a moment and an opening in which to do so and keeping an eye on the woman’s companions. Sädir scampered to copy the snow leopard, seeking to circle around Bellamy’s left side, though taking note and holding back, though he taunted the companions with a low growl, thick mountain lion tail swishing, almost with excitement. If anyone asked later, it was definitely not nerves. Lyr, however, sought to circle in the air a few feet above the two wolves, waiting and watching. For all three companions, timing would be of the utmost importance. Whether it was to attack the wolf or her two companions, they needed to be ready. Ardyn’s head lowered level with his shoulders, chin tucking to guard his throat from the slightly shorter opponent’s reach as his lips pulled back slightly in a silent snarl, wrinkling his features as his eyes narrowed into slits and his ears flicked back to flatten along his wavy scruff, hackles rising into a fluffy barrier anywhere where his mane wasn’t long enough to impede the rise of fur. He sought to come at Bellamy face to face, angled slightly to Bellamy’s left – his own right – and scrunching the left side of his neck and shoulder together to guard his vitals with wrinkled hide and fur as he sought to jut his right shoulder forward and down slightly and plant the hard, bony point of his left shoulder into Bellamy’s left shoulder and left pectoral muscle, right at the groove where shoulder and pectoral joined. He hoped to knock the wind from her lungs and stagger her off balance with the impact at the least or dislocate Bellamy's left scapula from its socket in her left humerus, and perhaps end this unnecessary altercation early. Simultaneously, Ardyn tipped his head sharply to his own right, muzzle aiming to his left, and sought to lash out at the left side of Bellamy's face with his parted jaws, hoping to sink the sharp tip of his left saber into Bellamy’s left eye, aiming to blind her left eye with a savage puncture wound. His weight shifted swiftly to his other three limbs, tail flicking out for added balance as Ardyn snapped up his right foreleg up and sought to slam his left front paw down on Bellamy’s left front paw, seeking to hold nothing back and crush the small bones of her toes into fractured pieces and possibly to pin her left front paw to the ground beneath his own left forepaw. He kept his senses alert to the fact that she had her companions, but his primary focus was the wolf he needed to crush in order to protect his family and pack. He would never be so brutal to an opponent in other circumstances, but this woman threatened more than just himself, and so far as he knew, Valhalla had done nothing to deserve being shaken to the very foundation. _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ Ardyn Adravendi vs Bellamy for Pack Challenge [Defending] Round: One of Six Height: 45" Build: Medium OOC Notes: 10 feet apart starting distance agreed to by Beau. I'm rusty, so we'll see how this goes. _____________________________________________________________________ Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ----  "Hear" ---- Think

Aurielle Adravendi

She’d just come from a good, thorough bath in a stream when a distant howl sent ice coiling through her veins. Not fear, but that feral, cold, cold rage. Her coat stood out along her back in damp spikes, before her son’s voice called for the pack. She tempered the chill in her veins, teeth grinding softly as she trotted to her son’s voice, eyes glazed with that strange ice. Her son’s features were almost serene, but she recognized that chill in his eyes. He was primed, ready, and she listened, along with any others that made it in time to hear him directly, nodding and turning to send Loshir off to spread the message to any of the pack who hadn’t heard directly before setting off on her son’s trail. The black mountain lion wasn’t pleased to have his aging charge going to the battlefield without him, even as an observer, but the cat did as he was told. The former Queen settled into place in the Valhallan supporters’ side, eyes piercing the wolf that had no true regard for the lives she was threatening to disrupt. Her features were a bland, serene mask, however— a pillar of calm moonlight to stand strong with Valhalla and for her son and King. Those outside her own people she ignored, merely watching as the battle unfolded before them. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ---- "Hear" ---- Think

The Warlord grew older, and the world changed around him. He was content to leave Azure in charge of the pack for a time yet. Who knows, perhaps retirement would agree with him. For now, he enjoyed chasing after puppies, and teaching them the basics of fighting and crafting. It was a content sort of life, if a little mundane and boring. The Armada had grown and become something. It didn’t need much from him anymore to keep on spinning.

The challenge for Valhalla shook things up rather unexpectedly. The Warlord went along to see what was up. Before he’d even left the pack, he’d picked up something of an entourage. Flanked on either side by equally towering wolves. His son and Armadas official Warlord on one side, and the Hallow Aegis and his son in law on the other.

He arrived to see that the fight was just beginning. He spared a glance to see the Valhalla firepit-alpha doing the macarena with a wolf he vaguely recognised from the Abaven challenge. As he arrived, a familiar wolf he hadn’t seen in some time appeared on Valhalla’s side. A wolf his son had once fondly described as a lamppost. Perhaps it was boredom, or perhaps it was the freedom of no longer being the main source of responsibility within the Armada. For the first time in a long time, the chains of responsibility slipped free, and he had beef to settle with Aurielle. Who had decided her pride came before the disappearance of a wolf he loved, and she had called a friend.

“Hey, lamppost!” He said, knowing Azure would get a kick out of this, and wondering if Art would think he’d had a sudden lapse of sanity. “This challenge is rather illuminating, hmm?” He said, grinning as he walked towards the glowing white wolf and did something a part of him had wanted to do for rather a long time. He moved in an attempt to push her with his right shoulder, to see if she would topple.

Sirius vs  Aurielle for airing past grievances/Dominance
Round 1/?
Age: Over one
Size: Dire wolf
Build: Medium
Offensive Battle Accessory: Front leg bracers with knife
Defensive Battle Accessory: Back leg bracers
Companion 1: Black Vulture, Male - Battle - Boosted
Companion 2: Snow Leopard, Female - Battle - Boosted
*Companion 3: Spectacled bear, Female - Battle
Mutation 1: Cat claws - Offensive
Mutation 2: Fangs - Offensive
Mutation 3: Thicker fur - Defensive
Skills: Master Fighter & Master Hunter
Specialty: Bloodletter

"Sirius"

In the wake of that sudden call, a chilling sense of ‘the calm before the storm’ instilled. A certain stoicism radiated from all of those around her that she recognized as a preparation for sudden war. However, as she came to quickly understand, this was just going to be Ardyn’s fight and Ardyn’s fight alone. A challenge for the western plains. Her stomach wrenched in itself as the premonition of what would happen if Valhalla was to be displaced crossed her mind. How dreadful. She had been a guest here for nearly a whole season, had been immersed in their culture, and offered a seat at their table, and a bed under their roof. She recalled the stories of Ardyn’s ancestors who had a very colorful renaissance here. All the work that had been spent developing the territory over years and years of effort. The thought of its loss made her sick, even though, it was never really hers to lose in the first place.

Then something more intimate crossed her mind. What about Ardyn himself? She had come to know his kind nature and gentle heart as a friend. But at the same time, was unaware of the customs of this still so strange to her land. Surely this would be an honorable fight? Surely this was just a battle for claim and not for blood. Not knowing for sure left her sick with worry. Her emerald gaze easily picked Aurielle’s moonlit glow out of the crowd beginning to gather. However, before she could get to the Queen Mother, a large monochromatic brute -seemingly her age- approached her in a taunting manner. Cassi didn’t recognize him but was familiar with the scent. Azure. The gentleman that had helped her home out of the sudden desert flood. How this brute was associated with him she did not know.

Feeling helpless and guilty about not being able to do anything, Cassiela tightly tuckered her limbs into her core in an effort to quell the volatile feelings in her chest. Just as everyone else who had gathered, her primary focus settled on the two combatants as things began to heat up. Only to frequently check on Aurielle as a secondary situation unfolded on the sidelines. A silent prayer to the First fell to her lips in order to try and convince her deity to invoke influence in a situation caused by wolves that did not belong to him. However, she was desperate and felt it was the only thing she could do.

ooc: Just a note we're sorting out some things challenge wise so the challenge default clock is paused for the time being.

Dagrún had settled into the life of a loner though she still longed to find a place where she belonged. After several strike outs she had contemplated just becoming a loner permanently or else trying to find one of her siblings or relatives. Surely someone had settled down somewhere and she wouldn't be a total stranger. Her ears perked up at the sound of a challenging echoing through the air. Oh? Perhaps this would offer her some hints.

Dag shifted her course and arrived to find two fights. Each between a strange glowing wolf and a more normal looking one. Well, as normal as normal was in Boreas. She recognized the scents as being that of Valhalla and the Armada. Oh joy… Fireside hadn't gotten along with either pack very well, especially the bloated ego of the Armada alpha. She settled down to watch, keeping a close eye on her peripheral vision should someone decide to attack her. She no longer had the scent of Fireside on her coat but one couldn't afford to let their guard down.

And the winner is...

------

BELLAMY vs ARDYN has been voided by technicality. Neither side has won or lost, and no immunities or penalty timers have been accrued.

Panic. It was the only thing in Gavroche’s mind as he raced across the lands to alert his mate of what he’d seen. With every step his body trembled, his stomach having leaped to his throat long ago. Thank the Divinities Lucette had come by to see them and could sit with her younger siblings. He had to find Bells, hopefully, stop her before this fight got too far underway, and figure out what they could do. He knew she wasn’t going to be happy… and she needed her strength for the fight that was undoubtedly to come. He’d seen Ignis, and one of his children, luring Saga off. His polar bear daughter had been too far to hear him… and Divinities above would he harm a child? Kill her? Why couldn’t this feud between his mate and the scarred red wolf be over? Why did it have to continue? Were they going to keep harassing each other until one of the other was dead? Would Ignis attempt to kill Bellamy? Was Saga bait? His stomach churned, his anxiety bubbling to new extremes. He didn’t bother looking at the other wolves gathered at the challenge. The alpha of the pack Bellamy was challenging was speaking to her. Gavroche didn’t wait for him to be finished as he called to her as loud as he could manage. “Bells!” The tiny-winged man cried. “Ignis has Saga! I need your help!” "Speech" 'Thought.'

Bellamy waited, though she was not left waiting long before others started to show. The first creature to grace the battlefield was not her opponent but rather the familiar face of Valta's Alpha; Kotori. Bellamy's gaze flickered to him, Kotori's words offered in kind. Bells dipped her head to Ko, the slightest smirk on her lips. "Faltering is not an option." Bellamy told him. It was all that needed to be said. It did not matter what the alpha she was fighting thought of her; Bells expected aggression when they arrived. Bellamy was not here to make friends; she was here to secure a home for her family no matter the cost. A woman, one Bellamy did not recognize, came with Kotori. Bells could only assume she was a member of Valta. Bellamy did not dwell on her identity. Bells didn't exactly have time to as a dark-furred man, the alpha of the pack she called to challenge for arrived on the scene; Ardyn. Bellamy did not speak, nor did she flinch under his angry gaze. The members of Valhalla could call her a monster all they liked, say that what Bells was doing was a mistake, that she was taking from the lives of others. Bellamy did not care; that was the way of the wolf and how packs worked. No pack would stand unchallenged forever. Even if Bells did not emerge victorious did they truly believe another would not someday rise to challenge the pack as well? Such unrealistic thinking. It was not in a wolf's nature to be a pacifist. Ardyn spoke and yet, despite the underlying threats in his words Bellamy did not cower. Was the Valhallan alpha expecting her to turn away because she was a mother? No, Bellamy's mind countered. Her children would learn that you fought for what you wanted, what you needed, and you did not turn away because someone else thought their actions were more just than your own. Bellamy was aware others would be displaced should she win this fight; but in a choice of her family over strangers, especially given how she had grown up, she would choose her family every time. Just as she would expect this man, Ardyn, to do the same. In Bell's eyes, this was not about what was right or wrong and she would do whatever was necessary to walk away from here proudly - win - or lose. At Bellamy's age, she could have done without Ardyn's scolding, not that he seemed keen on giving her time to verbally respond. In Bell's mind, she didn't need to justify herself to Ardyn. It wasn't like he was going to listen to her anyway. She merely snorted and focused her attention on preparing herself. Yet it seemed the fight was not meant to be. Before Ardyn had even finished his scolding she heard Gavroche call her name in a panic. Thank goodness for the distance between the two fighters. Bellamy’s main focus was dodging, ears swiveling to hear what Gavroche was calling for. The news, however, was not what she’d expected to hear. As she lunged to her right, leaving Ardyn’s attack to land on nothing but air. It made her blood run cold as she tossed her head back, voice clear as it cut the air. “Enough! My child is in danger, and that takes priority over any fight. You will all need to see a show some other day!” She raced to Gavroche, attempting to be strong, but her body quivered with rage as her maw parted. “What direction? Show me!” Then, to her companions, she barked another set of orders. “To the den. Protect the rest of them with your lives, if necessary.” This was bad. This was very bad… …and Ignis would pay for this. Divinities help him if he shifted one hair on that polar bear cub’s head. "Speech" 'Thought.'

Thank goodness his mate had dodged the attacks of the Valhallan alpha. She called off the fight, naturally prioritizing her family over some leadership claim. As expected she was displeased and immediately on edge, ordering Ears and Whiskers back to the den to protect the rest of their children; the newborns. “He seemed to go somewhere else in the south… but I can’t be sure if he saw me or if he was trying to throw us off. There was pup with him too - monochrome and red-streaked. I can only assume that she was his own flesh and blood. I’ll take you to where I last saw them.” The winged male spoke quickly and then turned away. He already knew they were wasting valuable time as he raced back to the Rio Grande, where he’d watched his mate’s worst enemy walk off with their daughter. -Exit- "Speech" 'Thought.'

The femme was shaking, her breath caught in her throat. Ignis was out there somewhere with Saga doing who knew what. Was she safe? Was she even still alive? Worry gnawed at her. “Damn him…” Bells muttered under her breath. “When I find him he’ll be lucky if all I do is remove his other ear as a trophy… If any harm comes to that cub I will shred his body and leave him for the vultures. Ignis and I have fought before, yes, but that score was settled, over, done with… but no, that asshole wants to continue to fuck around!!” Rage filled her and spit flew from her maw. “I’ll be DAMNED if he brings all of our children into this. I’ll hunt him to the ends of the earth if I have to!” Bellamy snarled, mostly ranting to herself at this point as she chased after her tiny, winged mate. -Exit- "Speech" 'Thought.'

It was difficult to follow the proceeding events.  Just as Ardyn and the monochromatic woman tensed to engage, the tones of a masculine voice called out over the chaos. She squinted as she searched those gathered for the source. Much to her surprise, her attention landed on a multi-colored brute with wings- if he didn't have four legs, she would of thought him as a bird in her peripheral. As he called for Bells- probably a nickname for Bella or perhaps Isabelle she imagined- the monochromatic woman's ears perked to attention. Ignis has Saga. Obviously a bad thing to Bells and the smaller winged lupine. Immediately the monochromatic woman with an impressive volume to her voice called off the challenge- proclaiming that her child was in danger. Saga. Who was Ignis, she wondered.

As they interesting pair left the scene, her attention followed them. Rightly so, the woman was obviously livid. The smaller male mentioned that perhaps this Ignis had taken their daughter south. South Boreas? Or South of Boreas in Auster? She thought to herself, though it didn't particularly matter.

She glanced to Ardyn, and then back Aurielle and her situation as she deliberated internally. As she came to the conclusion that everything was under control for the most part,  her attention returned to the retreating challengers as they left the gathering, Cassi circled the outside edge of the small crowd until there was no one in between herself and the monochromatic female's party. With careful consideration, the ashen fae deeply inhaled. Catching as much scent as she could and committing it to memory. When she got what she was looking for, she returned to Ardyn's side of the dispersing conflict, offering a gentle nod as she tried to absorb what all had just happened.