It had been a long time coming but Fia had been helping keep things together at home. With Avacyn taking her rightful place there were many other things that needed to be done around the pack, so it prolonged her time to make it out here to Ashen. She was sure Stolas would understand. Though she was itching to see him again just as he probably was for her. She was mostly aloof about the whole thing, but she knew right under the surface the feelings that were festering. Good feelings maybe, it depended on what you thought was 'good'.

Respectful as she was raised, she came to the border of Ashen from the east, definitely avoiding the drier western lands north of them. And she called for Stolas. Venom was aware of her brief visiting, and she hoped after the night of rest here, Stolas would be ready for their journey through Auster starting tomorrow.

"Fiametta & Stolas"

Time had passed by in the blink of an eye. Stolas' life had been a whirlwind of activity over the past few months. Between his studies and the entire pack preparing for the upcoming royal wedding, things had been pretty busy. Despite how active his life had become, the young prince could never forget the trip he had spent up to Elysium and the closeness he had developed with Fiametta. That last night he spent in Elysium played on his mind constantly, never failing to bring a dreamy smile to the young brute's face. To say he was infatuated with the Mendacium princess would have been an understatement. He did miss his friend, but he understood that life was busy and the distance between their packs was great.

Only a few days prior, Stolas had received notice from Fia that she would be coming by Ashen to take him on an excursion through Auster. The starry prince was thrilled not only at the chance to explore some new lands, but at the opportunities to spend more time with this girl who had grown so close to him. So when Fia's call for him came out one day, it was far from unexpected, and it made the Klein prince's tail wag a mile a minute. She was here! Springing to his paws and stashing away his grimoire, Stolas raced for the border, spotting Fiametta's dark form easily amongst all the lush greenery of the ravine. He greeted her with beaming smile and bright eyes, hurrying up to nuzzle her cheek with his own, unable to downplay just how happy he was to see her again. "Fia! Welcome to Ashen!" he greeted her as he motioned her across the border, tail still wagging in a blur off his hind end. "How was the trek from Elysium? Are you hungry, thirsty?" Playing the gracious host came easily to the Klein lad, especially with her. Gods, he was so enthused to see her again!

"Fiametta & Stolas"

That smile while not overly exaggerated was the most thrilled anyone could pull from her. Fia was rough around the edges, but it seemed not so much with Stolas, ever in fact. She was just as he knew her, though she was most like this around all who knew her well. Much more harsh around those she didn't know. It was never really intentional of course. Maybe Stolas would get the chance to see her that other way, though she hoped they'd be quick to leave in the morning. She didn't have much of a goodbye herself with her family. What was expected at least. Maybe she preferred it that way.

She still acted like they were friends, they were. The kiss they shared back in her own home weighed heavily on her mind. She wouldn't show even an ounce of that though. Easy for her. Nuzzling affections she knew so familiarly at home seemed so different here with him. But still, she'd return the gesture with the light hug of her neck against his, and soon they'd be working their way into the lands of Ashen.

"Tiring." She responded with the turn of her lip, he should know the feeling. Did she feel bad for having him make the journey to her own home? Not a bit. At least it was rewarding in the end for him. And for this time, the reward was having the opportunity to explore far away lands. But no, doing it with Stolas was the best part of it all. She was just being to stubborn to admit. "We can find some time for a little dinner though." She offered, obviously following his own trail. She had never been inside another pack before so it did feel a bit odd. She wasn't the type to worry about pushing boundaries though. She didn't want to cause any trouble, or at least too much trouble. And with this being Stolas' home, she was being just a little more careful than she normally would.

"Fiametta & Stolas"

Fiametta returned his greeting nuzzle, bringing a flush of warmth to the young brute’s chest. Even simple affections like this that he was so used to felt exciting and new when with Fia. Whatever they decided they were from this point, friends or more, the Mendacium woman had made a lasting and irrevocable impression in his life. Walking her into his homelands, Fia expressed how tiring the journey between their packs was. A sentiment he understood all too well. Though no distance would be too far for him to travel to see her; he had long since decided that she was worth a thousand miles and more. "I know that feeling…" Stolas lamented with her with a gentle sigh. At least he knew she’d be sleeping well tonight. "C’mon, let’s get some food and get you settled in. I prepared our nicest guest den for you!"

It was still early on in the evening, twilight just starting to fall over the land, but it was the equivalent of morning for the nocturnal Klein prince. He knew his family was quite unorthodox when it came to their active hours, so Fia would likely be ready to head to bed sooner rather than later. That didn’t bother him, of course. Stolas was just happy she was here! Leading her down through the lush ravine, they first stopped at one of Ashen’s larders for the scarlet and ebony brute to collect two legs of venison for them, then led her out to one of the few spots in the ravine where the canopy was clear enough to see the twilight sky above. They could watch night fall and eat their meal. "So how’s your family? Anything new happen since I’ve been gone?" he asked her while settling in on the soft grass to eat, smiling over at his best friend.

"Fiametta & Stolas"

Really, deeply unbeknown to Fia was Stolas’ dedication to her. He had more experience than she knew in his history and her own walks of life. Mendacium blood and culture had her longing for more, Stolas could give her. The more time they spent together, the more they did for each other, it was making her push the urge in her gut and soul to the surface. She was just not experienced enough herself to show him.

A small and silent punch of disappointment rushed over her as he had mentioned getting her the best guest den ready, no doubt some of his own personal touches in there to make it extra cozy and comforting. Royal, fit for her of course. Without a shine of that downward attitude she teased at him, "Am I expected to share that den?" An invitation on her end, but if he would read it that way would be the question. She couldn’t image he was still sharing his family’s den though they probably had something similar to the one she had shared with her parents. Probably much larger than a couple rooms attached to a common area.

They would come to settle as Stolas had grabbed their dinner and as would be a common topic in conversation it wasn’t a highlight of her life. She loved her parents and siblings, her pack sure. But she always felt like the… backup. A step down. Less important would probably be taking it too far but she wanted more than just a princess behind her sister. She hoped she could find that with their trip to Auster. Just something more out of life than duties and expectations. Much less than what was expected of Avacyn however. "Avacyn’s taken over Elysium in her time. My younger siblings are a little more independent and less annoying." A small cheeky grin. Eyes flashed to him, "Anything notable for you?"

"Fiametta & Stolas"

Without missing a beat, Fiametta spoke up as he was mentioning her accommodations for her stay and asked if she would be sharing the den. Stolas' immediate reaction was to begin reassuring her that she would have total privacy to herself—until he caught himself before the words could leave his naive mouth. Was she... inviting him to share a bed with her? Of course he had his own separate bedding den in the Klein palace, private and secluded away from the rest of his family so he could focus on his studies in peace. It would be easy for the two of them to slip off to spend their nights in his room, just the two of them... Stolas' realization dawned on him, but he couldn't be sure if his eager mind was jumping to conclusions that weren't actually there. Gods, that would be horrifically embarrassing! He'd already lost one friend by misinterpreting her wishes and desires when he'd been with Widow, the last thing he wanted to do was misread Fia's intentions and do anything to hurt her or chase her away. Gods dammit, why was it so hard understanding women?!

"Oh! No no, of course not! Uh, I mean, only if you wanted to. I mean, I'd never force you to share or do anything you don't want to do," Stolas blathered on a bit, trying to save some face in front of his maybe-more-than-friend, a shy smile on his face and ears flipped back to his head trying to mask his awkwardness behind his manners. Fuck, did he give Fia the wrong intentions that he was some sort of perverted lecher who was trying to get her alone? Had he already screwed up royally? "That is to say, we usually have our guests have their own spaces... but if you wanted, I could show you my rooms in my family's palace. There's plenty of space, we could do like a sleepover sort of thing instead." He smiled at the thought, but it was also an attempt to mask his worry over the thought of something happening to jeopardize his friendship with Fia. That, and the idea of a raging Manea and Alastor coming for his ass for defiling their princess daughter had the Klein prince more than a little concerned for his safety and wellbeing. Ashen and Elysium were allies, but he didn't know how strong those bonds would be if it came out that he was fucking their daughter. What if they had plans or intentions to wed her off to someone else in a marriage pact like Ikigai had done?

Once they had settled in with their food and began to tuck in, Fiametta began to tell him of the goings on in Elysium. Her older sister had taken over the pack from Manea and her younger siblings had become less ornery. The last bit almost made Stolas choke on his food with laughter. Swallowing down his mouthful of meat, the starry-coated brute looked back to her as he began to rifle through his memory on what had transpired since he'd last seen her. "Well, let's see... My aunt and her mate had their litter of pups, so now there's three more princes and a princess running about. My dads and mom are talking about retiring and going off on some trips together, so I suppose that means my siblings and I are all grown up now. I don't know if I should be wistfully reminiscing on my childhood yet or not." He shot Fia a cheeky grin back as he chuckled. "Otherwise, not much has really changed. I've been focusing a lot on my studies. I'm thinking of going to search some of the old ruins for more books to add to my library as well."

"Fiametta & Stolas"

Fia hid her emotions relatively well though most the time through a mildly irritated unwelcoming look. When she was with Stolas she had a lot more of a gentle grin. She was interested in him, in the way he thought and acted. More attention than she gave anyone else. It was funny to see the kind of squirmish way he reacted to her asking if she'd be spending the night alone. Not in a bad way. "I guess you can give me a tour of both and then I can decide." A bit of a joke, growing feelings and intentions, maybe she could see Stolas felt the same way. She was acting more modest than what was nearly born inside of her. Fear of losing Stolas was there though maybe... maybe she felt like she was too good for him to deny her. Not something easy for her to admit right now. She could only believe that she was right on reading his own emotions. There was much she didn't know, reasons he was cautious and held back, didn't want to assume maybe. Scared of his own actions. Fia was a lot more confident now that she was here and the night went on.

It seemed Stolas had the same kind of changes in his life, Fia could imagine her parents retiring soon themselves. Maybe after her younger siblings had their own travels around Boreas. It was kind of sad to think about but she had outgrown most of her childish needs. Maybe after her younger brother and sister were born. "Well I hope we can find what you're looking for." She commented on Stolas wanting to find some new books to bring home. As she finished eating her paw rested up against her cheek as she looked over at him, and waited until he was done too. She was a creature of night as he would have already known, but she was honestly feeling a bit tired from the journey as she told him earlier. She was in no hurry to be tucked away though. Even staying here was enough for her.

"Fiametta & Stolas"

Stolas almost choked on the last of his meal in his mouth when Fiametta actually agreed and suggested he give her a tour of both options for sleeping arrangements. He had mostly been being hospitable when he mentioned bringing her to his room, but Fia had called him on it and now it looked like that was actually going to be happening. He was going to have a girl in his room—a girl he liked and had kissed nonetheless! Stolas' heart was racing in his chest at the implications. Yes, neither he nor Fia were yearlings anymore and the concept of two adults bedding together shouldn't have been surprising, but to the socially awkward and introverted Stolas, this felt like committing a scandalous taboo. It was thrilling and exciting and nerve-racking all at the same time! "Oh! Right, right of course! That makes so much sense," he agreed, hoping that he wasn't coming across as too outwardly nervous. Gods above, help him.

She remarked on hoping he found what he was looking for and Stolas was able to smile more easily at that. "Thank you! To be honest, I was hoping that maybe while you were here, we could go exploring in some of those ruins together. I'd stand a far better chance at finding my books with your help." Was this a date? Was he asking her out on a date? Maybe, he supposed, depending on how you looked at it. He finished eating not long after she did, and when he glanced up to her, he realized she was staring at him, his argent silver eyes meeting Fia's obsidian black pair with a bashful little Klein smirk. He could see the fatigue in her body language and knew she would want to rest after the long journey down to Ashen. "Well, shall I show you my room?" he said, rising to his paws and waiting for her to join him. He figured she would likely want to stay in his chambers once she had seen them, so starting their tour there just made sense.

Once Fia had gotten up, Stolas motioned for her to follow him and began to lead her through the silver-veiled night toward the Klein family palace. The Kleins were all a nocturnal bunch, so everyone was out and about by the time they walked up the old moss-coated stone stairs and entered the palace. The rooms and halls were quiet; they were the only ones home right now. Stolas led Fia down familiar corridors until they had arrived at the door to his chambers at the far corner of the palace, a thick fabric dyed navy with speckles of white like constellations hanging over the entryway acting as a door for privacy. He held open the curtain and waved a paw for her to go on in, smiling all the while as the two wolves stepped into his observatory room. Stolas' bedchambers were a pair of trio of rooms like a suite: a central room littered with cushions and pillows like a lounge, an observatory where he had shelves full of his books, star charts and maps lining the walls, and a hole in the top of the domed ceiling that gazed up into the celestial heavens, and then his bedroom with an expansive king-sized bed of plush luxurious furs and a terrace off the back side that overlooked the nearby lake. "I'm sorry it's not very tidy right now. I get lost in my studies and I wasn't really expecting anyone to be in here besides me." He chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck as a blush touched his cheeks. "Please, make yourself at home!"

"Fiametta & Stolas"

Playing with him was amusing of course, Fia loved to see his reactions as she nearly subtly led him on. Did she know what she was doing? Not entirely. But she knew she was getting the reactions out of him that she expected. She loved the way he almost shied away.

He was… maybe not quick to jump forward. Maybe Fia made him that way or maybe she liked to believe she did. She was quiet as she joined him on the trail to his own den, the soft grin that was familiar to him on her maw as they started forward. The Klein quarters were different than her own home though that may have just been the whole atmosphere. She was too tired to pay too close attention and her mind was only settled on one thing. Sleep surely.

When they arrived Stolas pulled the drape back and offered her to walk in, just the flick of her lashes when her feline paws silently stepped forward. She did take a moment to look around the room, all driven into the Starboy she had grown to know. Her gaze pulled back to him as he told her to make herself comfortable, a subtly devious smirk, gladly. No, not out loud. But certainly a little bit of a messy room, a very very nice bedroom in fact, wouldn't make her turn an eye away from him.

Easily she made steps towards his bed, luckily not to him first because the thought did cross her mind, and with a gentle flop she went down shoulder first in a slight roll to sprawl out on his bed. The pelts gently scratching along her back, she let out a soft hum as her dark eyes looked back towards him, "Cozy." would he be too modest to fall into her bait? She was ready to push buttons. Push herself just a little farther than she had before. A learning experience, and hopefully not a devastating one. She didn’t have the loss Stolas had before, she couldn’t know those feelings. He was the only one close to her outside of her family, but she couldn’t even imagine him deciding to step out of her life entirely. But she was determined to get his agenda matched up with her own. Something he seemed not to plan on at all. She’d allow him some time to work on himself as any good friend would. But in the long run there was only so much the Mendacium could take. That wouldn’t be tonight.

"Fia & Stolas"

Stolas was doing his damnedest to try and maintain his composure and not look like some nervous, awkward bumbling yearling as he invited Fiametta into his personal chambers. The look in her ebony gaze and that devious smirk on her lips when she stepped past him inside didn't escape the vigilant Klein's notice, and it immediately made his face flush hot, though he did his best to mask it behind a wide, toothy smile. Gods above, why did he feel so nervous around her like this?! It wasn't like he was a virgin or anything; but maybe that was why he felt this way. His first experiences into romance had gone so sour, so poorly, that he didn't want to repeat the same things again with Fia. He cared so much for the beautiful fire-marked fae. She was his closest friend and made him feel ways no one else had. He couldn't lose it all over being stupid again like he had been with Widow.

As she maneuvered her way through his room taking in the space, Stolas followed behind her, pausing near the doorway between the lounge and his bedroom to watch her. His gray eyes unable to keep from following the svelte form of her body as she moved gracefully, the way her hips would shift subtly to and fro with every step she took. A little pleased smirk touched the Klein brute's lips as he surreptitiously appreciated her beauty. And then she was flopping down to his bed, sprawling her form out across the plush furs like she had always belonged there. The hum she purred out and the way she looked back at him... gods, she set his blood on fire! Stolas' smirk immediately melted from his face, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape in a silent gasp as he was suddenly facing a very sensual, very erotically displayed Fiametta in his bed.

She only spoke one word, to compliment the comfort of his bed. Then it was just their eyes and body language speaking for them. Fia was inviting him in, asking him with her body to join her. Stolas swallowed thickly, a look of stunned surprise on his face as he drank in the sight of the gorgeous fae in his bed. In HIS bed! The look in Fia’s eyes left little question what she expected him to do, and Stolas so badly wanted to give in to her demands, and he would. Giant paws carrying him almost subconsciously towards her, unable to take his eyes away from her for a second. His heart was pounding in his chest, getting louder the closer he got to her. Okay, Stolas. You’ve got this. Just because sex fucked up your whole life once doesn’t mean it’s going to happen again.

"Oh, it's very cozy," said the prince with a lopsided grin on his lips. Coming up beside Fia, Stolas sank down to join her on his bed, the furs shifting under his weight as he lay beside her with their sides pressing together, the softness of her fur mingling with his own coat in their combined warmth. His pulse spiked, that heat growing in his chest and belly. Leaning his head in, Stolas tested the waters with Fia, moving to nuzzle along the side of her cheek and neck with his muzzle. "And how about now? Even cozier?" he remarked, hoping he was maybe coming off as suave and not like some anxiety-riddled mess.

"Fiametta & Stolas"