That afternoon had been a relatively boring one. Well, boring might not have been the best word for it. There was certainly a lot going on with her Fatalis family over for a visit. But interacting with them right now didn't appeal to her. Instead, she found herself sitting outside the front door in the shade of the overhanging eave with her pale blue eyes fixed on the fountain in the middle of the courtyard. It had always been there, however, she had never really paid much attention to it. It was beautiful, and the trickle of water in the background provided a sense of peace to the ambiance. But it was just one of those things that just contributed to the overall beauty of the courtyard but wasn't really a centerpiece. At least, not in her eyes. Finally succumbing to the curiosity of the feature, Talyssa moved forward to cross the distance, coming to pull herself up on the edge to look into the shallow water.

There was a thin film of algae that made things a little slick, and minus a couple of leaves floating, it was remarkably clear. Getting the urge to reach out, she leaned in to swipe a paw at the surface, she felt droplets soak into her fur- spray from the cascade as it re-entered the surface. It cast a constant disturbance that muddled her reflection. But even still she was able to find those aquamarine orbs staring back at her as she soaked her outstretched paw just below the water's edge.

There was indeed a great deal of excitement in the castle. Briar's family had come to meet the newest additions and there was more life within the walls than Bowen could ever remember. Except when their mother was alive, of course. Resin had filled the halls with her presence. Bowen sorely missed her mother and had been thinking of the massive, scarred woman when movement caught her attention.

Bo watched as one of her nieces began to inspect the fountain, a grin tugging at her maw as the girl leaped up onto the edge to look down into the shallow pool of water. Rising from her resting place the copper and snow woman padded towards the fountain, hopping up onto the edge gracefully to seat herself beside the child. Leaning in, Bowen wrapped a foreleg around the girls shoulders and pulled her in to place a kiss between Talyssa's ears. "Hello sweet girl. Exploring, are we? Too much excitement inside?" That was the exact reason that Bowen was outside alone rather than inside with the rest. Social overload, in a sense.

"Speech"|| "Romanian"

Just as she heard someone come to join her on the edge of the fountain, she was scooped into an embrace, and a kiss of familial affectioned planted on her forehead. Talyssa couldn't help the giggle that bubbled up from her chest. She leaned in, nuzzling her way up to see who it was that had her, and she was simply delighted to see that familiar emerald gaze looking back at her. "Aunt Bowen!" Lys accused playfully through another bout of laughter. She squeezed back on the foreleg that encompassed her for a moment before releasing.

But as what Bowen had said sunk in, she slowly began to nod before trying to respond. "Yeah, there is a lot going on in there." She agreed glumly. And while that was part of it, there was something else that was bothering her too. She looked up at her aunt, biting her lip for a moment before relenting to the compulsion to confess her mistake to someone else. "And I made Daddy mad earlier." She said lightly, before snapping her attention back to the fountain's surface. Too embarrassed and ashamed to maintain eye contact, however, she did steal a peek at Bowen's reaction through her rippling reflection in the water.

Though, eventually, she allowed a sigh to escape, as she went on trying to sort things out in her mind. A question rolled off her tongue before she put much thought into asking it. "Is it bad that I wanted to get away? Out here, I mean." Talyssa inquired genuinely. Inside she kinda felt like she shouldn't be out here avoiding family members. But these feelings were confusing and she hoped that Aunt Bowen might have some insight.

Once Talyssa realized that it was only her aunt, the girl leaned into the affections, hugging Bo's foreleg. Ugh... Bowen loved these pups so, so much. She placed another quick kiss between her nieces ears, but let the girl go as she pulled away to look at the fountain. The child admitted that there was a lot going on inside, but something else seemed to be bothering her. A moment later, she confessed that she'd upset her father. Bo slid down to lay on her belly, dark sable paws hanging over the edge, her toes in the water. She gently nosed Talyssa's cheek comfortingly. "Love, I make your daddy mad all the time. He loves you and if he was upset, it's because he cares about you so much. Everything will be okay. Promise." Bowen knew that there was no way that Artorias could stay upset at such a darling child, especially when she realized that she'd done wrong.

The topic shifted a bit and Talyssa questioned her. Bowen's soft laughter filled the air and she shook her head with a smile, emerald eyes lifting at the corners. "Darling, what do you think I'm doing out here?" With a pull of her head, she motioned for the pup to lay beside her on the wide stones of the fountain. They were both small enough to rest there comfortably, though Talyssa wouldn't be small forever.

"It's perfectly fine to need a moment to yourself. Sometimes having so many wolves around can feel a bit overwhelming." Bowen knew about that all too well. She lacked a lot of social skills that she should have acquired at a young age, but having been kidnapped and sold... she missed out on that and had to take a crash course in the social arts. "Never feel bad about stepping away to breathe, okay? If you ever feel uncomfortable or overwhelmed, you come find me and we'll go breathe together, alright?" She wanted her nieces and nephews to be able to count on her. They were so very, very important to her.

"Speech"|| "Romanian"

As Bowen lowered herself to her belly, Talyssa gave her a sideways glance. Shuffling over ever so slightly to give her aunt plenty of room to join her comfortably, before her attention settled on their muddled reflections in the water. Though, that didn't last long. When she felt the touch on her cheek, she turned into it. "You do?!" Lyssie asked in surprise and delight. Something about the thought of her father being mad at his sister was funny to her. She imagined it to be quite similar when she got mad at Thorn or Dusk ... but grown-ups. "He doesn't send you to your room too, does he?" She asked seriously, but couldn't help the outpouring of giggles and broad smiles that ensued. The thought ran rapid through her vivid imagination. In her head, it was certainly a ridiculous sight to behold. But as the lull between them grew, the hilarity faded. Until the cheshire grin of hers disappeared altogether. "He forgave me, but I still didn't like it." Talyssa said pointedly. Those first few moments of genuine annoyance and disappointment were ever apparent in her memory.

Bowen's laughter brought a flush to her cheeks. A sheepish grin took over her features as she was a question as if the answer should be obvious. Maybe it was. She shrugged a little before Bowen indicated for her to settle in closer. Talyssa lowered herself to her elbows, settling in a parallel position to her aunt as she listed to the older fae explain. "Oh, okay. Good." The Carpathius girl said softly. Partially in response, but mostly to reassure herself. Though any leftover doubt was quickly swept away with her aunt's next statement. "Okay!" She responded a little more enthusiastically. Ears perking up a bit as the offer resonated with her.

She leaned in a little more tightly to her Aunt's side for a moment before righting herself once more. "I love you, Aunt Bowen."

It seemed to shock the girl that Artorias was sometimes upset with her as well. When Tal asked if she was sent to her room too, Bowen grinned wide and they both ended up laughing aloud. It was easier to laugh now than it had been before. With the weight lifted off of her, joy was easy to find, especially with her adorable nieces and nephew now in the world. Things couldn't get much better than this, she was sure.

As the laughter faded, Talyssa again focused on the wrongdoing that had caused Artorias to be upset with her. "Mmm, no one enjoys being in trouble. You learned a lesson from it though, right? You should know what to avoid to have it happen again." Bowen nuzzled into the girl's soft crown with affection and reassurance. "Besides, I know your father very well. If he was angry, it was only because he loves you so much and he was worried. So it's not all bad, is it? Turn a negative into a positive." One viridian eye winked and the copper and snow fae smiled once more.

The explanation and offer seemed to make Talyssa happy, the girls demeanor perking up at the prospect of having an out if she felt overwhelmed. As Tal leaned into her aunts side and gently proclaimed her love, Bowen's heart swelled. She felt the sudden sting of tears in her eyes as she leaned back against the child. The woman didn't cry, but she felt such emotion... "I love you as well, sweet girl. Never forget it."

"Speech"|| "Romanian"