After Stolas had come to visit in Elysium, Fia had changed. Maybe not so noticeably in her everyday life even to her family who knew her best, but she knew she felt different. Though she had been going outside Elysium more than she had since her childhood which was pretty out of character for her. She had always been quite the homebody.

Today was one of those days, making her way out to the Steppe and finding a comfortable place to take a seat amongst the odd stone structures here. Ironically where she had met Stolas to begin with and maybe it was intentional. Somewhere in the back of her mind at least. But she had honestly had a lot on her mind recently. And as she usually was when it came to family matters, family matters? An odd way to put it. But she stayed quiet. She didn't like to ask for much, her parents had given her a life that anyone would want she supposed. She always did what she wanted. She was always fed, had a safe place to live, but in age came more. Maybe expected.

"Fiametta"

The wheels were officially in motion for her to pass the torch, so to speak, to Avacyn and it felt a bit like she was doing her final rounds through the pack and checking off boxes to make sure everything was lined up for a smooth transition. There was a still a couple of months until everything was official and she was finally in her retirement, but she never liked to leave things to the last minute. For the most part Avacyn had been working along side her as it was so it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to simply hand over the last of the power to her eldest daughter, but she couldn't help herself from wanting to make it as easy on Ava as she could.

At the same time, she knew she needed to make sure the rest of her children were just as prepared for the change. Malico and Mariah would be nearing their first birthdays and would need to decide what area of the pack they would be focusing their efforts and Fiametta would be stepping into full adulthood which was where the bulk of the Mendacium laws really began to come into play. As much responsibility as Avacyn would be taking on, her other children would be taking on a good amount of their own. That's what brought her out to the Steppe in search of her middle child, spotting Fia's fire-marked form sitting among the old stone monuments. Manea walked over to join her, giving her a soft smile as she settled onto her haunches beside her. "Thinking of anything interesting out here?" she questioned curiously.

"Manea Mendacium"

Her mother's presence wasn't really alarming but unexpected. Fia didn't stand but turned to face Manea with a gentle smile and wag of her tail. She would always be welcome to her.

She didn't jump to answers though. Instead her dark eyes looked away and scanned over the misshapen ruined rocks of the steppe, clearly in thought. It wasn't an ask she was about to bestow on her mother, but a real moment of vulnerability for her. She wasn't quite sure the feelings that grew and festered after her kiss shared with Stolas. It was all new for her and somehow some sort of instinct. Something she was born with, not much what came in age. Though a bit of both of course.

She took another long few seconds before saying anything, Manea had always been patient and understanding with her at least. She didn't think she had much expectations compared to her sister. Or that's what she thought. "I wish Stolas didn't have to leave so soon." Her tone was more neutral than anything. Not full of longing to be with him again, and also not sparked by the idea of him. Though maybe that was some sort of wall she was putting up. For reasons completely unknown even to her. Almost like she didn't have much emotion for him even when stating so.

"Fiametta"

As she settled next to her daughter, she waited curiously to hear what was on her mind. A bit of silence fell between them, but Manea didn’t question her again or press to see what was going on, knowing that Fia would tell her eventually. Sure enough, after a bit of contemplation Fia shared her wish that Stolas didn’t have to leave so soon. Manea gave a soft hum of understanding with a little smile.

“I’m glad you enjoyed his visit,” she replied genuinely. Of course as a Mendacium she was always hopeful that her children would find their partners and continue on the legacy of their family, but even more than that she was just glad to see Fia with a friend. Fia was always more independent than her other children and while she had never viewed this as a problem, she of course enjoyed seeing Fia connecting with someone.

“He’s always welcome to come back whenever you would like for him too,” she assured her daughter. “And I’m sure Venom wouldn’t mind you visiting Ashen either if you wanted. We are allies after all.”

"Manea Mendacium"