All these damn packs, took all the good hunting spots from her. Maybe not the best ones, but definitely her favorites. A very annoyed, clearly unhappy Fiametta went out on a hunt not to bring back to her pack but instead to trade for wines outside. When she went to the stores expecting a bottle and they were all gone it hit a really bad switch in her. And now she was out here struggling to make her own pantry.

She was able to snare a few rabbits and take down one of those teeny little deer creatures... surely that was enough for a bottle or two. And then she started to make her way towards a wandering trader that was making rounds nearby. She wasn't sure if she was more annoyed that the wine in Elysium was moved or gone, or if it was that she had to come out here and work herself to get it. Before that wouldn't have been much of a problem, she probably would have enjoyed the hunt. But ever since she returned she needed something to clear her memory. Hunting wasn't it. Now all she had to do was track the guy.

"Fiametta"

Mariah had only be trailing a couple hundred yards behind her sister on the scarlet fae’s treck outside of the territory, keeping quiet as she watched her move through the tall grasses and bushes. Upon entering the thicker vegetation though, it forced her to close the distance some to ensure that she would lose Fia. While she wasn’t necessarily hiding herself from view, she made no attempt to signal her presence, instead respecting Fia’s evident desire for solitude. Yet, at the same time, Mariah did harbor a sense of concern mixed with her curiosity. She had known Fia her whole life- but didn’t really know her sister. They had both spent so long apart, she couldn’t help but contemplate the stranger she was observing. She certainly had a hard time recognizing herself at times.

She wasn’t entirely sure as to why Fia would come out this far in this particular direction. As Mariah followed her, she began to notice subtle signs of Fiametta's agitation. She moved with reckless abandon, plowing through the underbrush like a woman on a mission, and maintaining this pace was taking its toll on her gaunt younger sister. Mariah's gaze narrowed as she observed this abnormal behavior. The Fia she knew was deliberate and careful, not this whirlwind of frustration and impatience. What on earth was she doing?

"Mariah Mendacium"

If Mariah even had the opportunity to get to know Fia before, she was a completely different wolf today. Probably a stanger to Avacyn and Saracyn who knew her best. Mendaciums were dark and twisted, strong individuals. Maybe their upbringing but believed to be in their blood. But there was something deeply cold about Fia after she had returned from Auster. She barely showed it on the outside maybe just in the form of drinking. There was so much going on in mind and soul, she just wasn't willing to share the burden with anyone. It was easier for her to suffer alone. Everyone else had someone. She... it was just her.

She had caught on to her sister following her a bit after she collected her bounty and went to track the travelling trader. She had been pretty clever to be evaded by the practiced woman. She did imagine her younger sister as soft and quiet though. She moved on until she found the trader, showing him what she had in tow and in the end batting her eyelashes as she seemed to sway him into making the deal for two bottles. It was probably good to make friends with him. 'Make friends', it depended on how many times she would have to trek out for the trade.

She started to make her way back to Elysium, though specifically moving towards wherever her sister was parked nearby. "Bet you're all grown up now, huh." She commented almost slyly before tossing a bottle to her careful not to throw it with such force it would brake had her sister not caught it or it just land beside her. It was some kind of invitation. She was not too fond of her two younger siblings when they were born but that could change now. Fia could change, she already had.

"Fiametta"

Mariah had watched the exchange from a distance, huddled behind the dim silhouettes of bushes, her heart pounding in her chest. The sight of her sister's interaction with the trader filled her with a strange mix of relief and dread. Relief that she finally understood what was driving Fia, and dread at the implications of what Fia's newly found interest could mean. The moment Fia turned back towards her position, Mariah froze, her breath catching in her throat. With casual interest, she watched as her older sister approached, but her expression wasn’t one of anger or annoyance. It was more akin to amusement than anything else- an eerie calmness above all.

As Fia tossed her a bottle of wine, the comment that followed jolted Mariah out of her stupor. She hadn't anticipated the sudden flying projectile, but it was sent arcing it through the cold winter air between them. She barely managed to catch the bottle in surprise, fumbling with it for a moment before finally securing a tight grip. Wine. Her sister’s request started to make sense in her mind. She eyed the bottle studiously, her silver eyes flicking back up to meet Fia's inquisitive gaze. She didn’t respond right away, instead, she chose to take a moment and collect her thoughts before she spoke.

Looking at the bottle, then back at Fia, she took a deep breath and tightened her grip around it. "Fia..." Mariah began casually, "You know this is not...ideal." It was then that she noticed her words were laced with more concern than anything- but they still maintained a casual tone. It wasn’t exactly her place to chastise the older fae- a woman more grown than herself. Mariah sighed, her warm breath creating a small cloud in the crisp air. She felt the icy chill creep into her bones, yet she made no move to retreat. Her gaze remained locked on Fia, her eyes searching for answers that were not there. The silence that stretched between them gave Mariah a brief moment time to review what she had observed before being taken over by impulse.

It took very little effort to open the bottle that was passed to her. Tipping the bottle back, she took a small sip. Holding the liquid in her mouth for a moment, letting the flavor settle on her tongue. The robust and earthy taste of it made her grimace slightly but she swallowed it down.

"Mariah Mendacium"

She could have laughed at the way her sister stumbled with the bottle, but she expected it. Instead she threw a little scoff as Mariah had suggested this wasn’t her best course of actions. She could have her opinions, Fia wasn’t really bothered by that. But still, "Good luck policing me." She spoke in a bit of a sarcastic tone, but still in some kind of harsh way. It was weird that she may have considered this an effort to get to know her sister, hang around her. Even though Mariah was the one who was tagging along really. It was an odd way of showing affection to her family.

She wasn’t intent on staring her sister down as she took the wine, she actually thought she may have had some before despite the weakness that plagued her at birth. She huffed a small laugh as she briefly saw her sister taste the wine, with a bit of a face Fia remembered clearly herself the first time she ever tried. "Come on," she offered before walking off a little further, "We can settle somewhere for a bit before we head home." How much trouble would she be in if she brought her younger ailed sister home drunk? She wouldn’t see it as her problem. Just a little fun.

Nothing fancy but she’d make herself comfortable somewhere just outside of Elysium borders, welcoming her sister with the flash of her eyes beside her. "Anything new? Boy trouble? Saracyn trouble?" she joked while the last time she was home her and Saracyn had shared an equal annoyance about their new younger siblings. Fia wasn’t unreasonable, but she seemed right between both of her older siblings when it came to the not so new additions to their family. Fia wasn’t much of a pup girl herself and maybe that’s why she was trying to steer clear of the actual new additions to their family. She was also hurting deeply that she kept shoving down inside.

"Fiametta"

Mariah hesitated, taking another small sip from the bottle. The harsh taste of the wine coated her tongue, matching the bitter sensation in her heart. She stared at Fia, trying to decipher the unreadable expression on her sister's face. "I'm not trying to police you," she replied softly, her gaze steady, "only to understand, that’s all."

Mariah released a heavy exhale, her steps following in the wake of Fia's. The sharp tang of alcohol lingered on her tongue, sending a warm buzz throughout her body. She was a lightweight, always had been. As they walked, a thread of excitement wound its way through her nerves, held at bay only by the gentle dizziness from the wine. Her eyes stayed fixed on her sister, who seemed effortlessly at ease in their conversation. "You know," Mariah began, attempting to match Fia's attempt at humor, “It seems like I remember you recommending I not bother Saracyn- and I took that personally, so I just upped and left.” She answered dryly, obviously joking, but it bought her time. Long enough to look away as she thought about what she could say about boy troubles.

Mariah cast her gaze up to the faded azure sky, her silver eyes reflecting the few wisps of clouds that drifted lazily above them. “I have someone, but it seems as if the uhh …. political standings are not in our favor. He’s my soulmate, but his family demands loyalty of him just as ours does of us …” The words lingered in the cold air between them as Mariah took another sip of the wine, her eyes flickering over to Fia. She could see her sister's silhouette outlined by the dimly lit light. “So that sucks.” She finished in an effort to break any lingering tension. “You?”

"Mariah Mendacium"

They'd get moderately settled, Fia wouldn't plan on camping out here long. At least they could be more comfortable here by the border rather than stuck between two packs at the lines. "Ha!" She had bursted out not terribly loudly but she couldn't help the hint at humor Mariah seemed to throw back at her, "You took that rather drastically." She shrugged her shoulders a bit as she took a sip of wine herself, clearly not as phased by the liquor as her young sister was at this point.

Gross, what a boring thing to consider when thinking of a relationship. When Fia was growing up there certainly wasn't a lot going on. Things seemed pretty neutral or good at best, so when she came home with all these "invading" packs surrounding them it was off putting for her. Of course not everyone could be friends and she was annoyed how encroaching they seemed at neighboring lines but man, thinking of who is where and what that meant for their packs and families... She didn't have time for all that. A paw pad rang around the lip of the bottle as Mariah had finished mentioning about this boy, soulmate, and her eyes would look back up as she asked her in return. "Well you probably shouldn't ask me about any boy advice." She kind of rolled her eyes at herself, maybe thinking about how terrible she had been to Stolas when they both returned home. Home not being home for him. She briefly considered what a shitty hand he had been dealt lately. She was a part of that. "If it makes you feel any better though I wont push you one way or another." Genuine, maybe the nicest thing she would say to her sister ever. No, she had room for growth. But she would make an effort to mend relationships with her family now, sober or not.

"Fiametta"

"Drastic times call for drastic measures," Mariah retorted lightly, a faint smile playing on her lips. She took another sip of the wine, feeling the warmth it produced radiating outwards from her core to the tips of her fingers. The more she drank, the easier it became to navigate the maze of strange sentiment she felt towards her sister. The boundaries blurred, and with each sip, she felt a floodgate holding back years of pent-up feelings slowly start to give.

Mariah found herself chuckling at Fia’s self-deprecating comment. "Your advice can't be any worse than mine," she quipped, her words slightly slurred from the wine. A sense of camaraderie was beginning to seep into the space between them, forged in the dregs of a shared bottle and littered with fragments of a fractured past- and Fia’s candid admission of no interference was surprisingly...comforting. The pause stretched on for a moment longer before Mariah finally broke it, a newfound determination glowing in her silver eyes. "Then …. I'll handle this my way … I'd rather make mistakes than have regrets ya’know?" Words were becoming a little difficult to articulate, but she managed to get the sentiment across, her voice ringing with a sense of resolution that had been absent just moments earlier.

But as the moments passed by, she couldn’t help but continue. “I just can’t call him that. Not to mom or dad. I don’t think I can call him that to Ava … I don’t want them pressuring him into this … this,“ She waved her paw- in an attempt to conjure the correct word. “Lifestyle. I guess.” It still didn’t sound quite right. But it was the best thing she could come up with. “I want him to be here because he wants to be. If I make him pick, he might not pick me. And … even if he did. Then I’m the bad guy who made him leave his family.” Where was all this emotion coming from?

"Mariah Mendacium"

Regardless if she was under the influence or sober, Fia really was here for her sister to vent her feelings. She may not have seemed welcoming at least up to this point, but her sister was really grown now. Had her issues of course, but more issues that came with age. She wasn’t a dumb little pup anymore. As Mariah had mentioned wanting to do things her way, make mistakes, not have regrets, Fia hummed humorously again, "The advice I can give you is that dad is very forgiving for his little girls." Or… maybe that was just for her. Maybe not but she could have been different. Or even more so Mariah was a whole different realm due to her illness. "I’d be worried about your little friend though." She tipped her bottle forward as if gesturing to someone that wasn’t there before taking another swig. She was feeling warm and fuzzy at this point, looking down at the bottle to see it about two thirds gone. Dang, maybe she shouldn’t have offered Mariah the other bottle. She’d be willing to accept the sacrifice as a good gift to her sister though.

"I guess this means you didn’t fuck your brother like Avacyn then." caught herself slightly off guard as she caught up with what she just said out loud. Liquor seemed to let out the harsh truths of reality, and that’s just what gripped Fia. She would seemingly brush off, just a stupid almost judgmental comment off her tongue. But really it hurt her. Avacyn has Saracyn, Mariah had Malico, Fia was just Fia. Maybe it’s why she ran off to Auster with Stolas. Chasing something she never had. Stolas was easy to hold on to. It’s why she had to move on. Or maybe she just wanted to hold on to the suffering. That was a stronger feeling to remind her she was still alive.

"Fiametta"

Mariah gave her sister a sidelong glance, the solemnity of the moment causing her to set the bottle down with a thud. Her mind teetered on the edge of sober thought and drunken merriment; tipsy yet clear-headed enough to understand Fia's point. "That sounds about right," she admitted, her gaze falling to the earth. She was silent for a moment, lost in thought as she considered her sister's advice. It just so happened that their father had been the one to invite Caedes into Elysium- without even having to be prompted to do so. “Dad was the one who said it was okay for Caedes to be here, and they’ve had some bonding time.” She added, echoing her thought process. Hopefully, she didn’t have to be too worried about the Syndicate brute’s well-being.

Mariah blinked, her brain sluggish as it tried to process Fia's comment. She couldn’t help the random bout of laughter that escaped her lips. Her laughter echoed through their secluded location, bouncing off the rocks and reverberating back to them. “No, I can’t say that I have ever been compelled to fuck Malico.” she stifled another chuckle, shaking her head as she looked back over at her sister. A few beats passed before she sobered, her smile fading as the weight of their conversation crept back onto her shoulders. “Malico is my brother. I love him. I love him like I love you my sister. But the love I have for Caedes is very different.” Her voice trailed off, uncertainty etching lines into her face. But of course, she couldn’t help but wonder if everyone experienced different kinds of affection the same way. Would Fia have any idea as to what she was talking about? Or was it a sore subject regarding the state of things?

"Mariah Mendacium"

She scoffed at Mariah's response that she was never driven to fuck Malico, maybe offensive. It was really the wine talking at this point, and she was just finding reasons to be bitter. She didn't say much else about it, just took another swig of her bottle and let her mind swirl the drain about how alone she felt. It didn't matter if she had Stolas, Mariah here next to her, a stranger in her bed. She was trying to fill the void that was severely messed up after her situation outside of Auster. Nothing was feeling enough.

Mariah went on to say that she loved her and Malico the same, gross. But she loved Caedes differently. She understood surely, but she was a bearer of bad news. "Well it doesn't last long. You'll be moving on to the next best thing before you know it." Her voice was like nails, spitting. Maybe Mariah could tell or maybe the words felt another way with her being under the influence. Fia could chalk it up to be just a trait in their family. The desire for sexual interactions. To be attracted to. But really, it was just her. Mariah had all the opportunity to make this boy her soul mate. Have kids with him, whatever their family ideals were. Fia was just here to complicate everything. Thanks to the drink that was.

"Now come on, we're going home. I don't feel like carrying you back."

"Fiametta"

Mariah blinked at Fia's words, taken aback. It was one thing to hear about the rawness of life from their father; it was something else entirely to hear it from Fia. She looked at her sister, her silver eyes wide and vulnerable in the flickering light. "It doesn't have to be that way," Mariah said softly. Her words hung in the air for a moment, a delicate counterpoint to Fia's harsh cynicism. However, it was clear that Fia was done, with whatever this was. As her sister straightened back up to return home, Mariah did the same. Wiping her mouth on the back of her paw, she rose to her feet, swaying slightly.

Fia's words had stung more than Mariah was prepared to admit, she watched her sister's retreating back, her mind churning with thoughts and emotions too complicated to dissect right now. She knew Fia was hurting, but hearing her express those feelings so bluntly... it was a lot to process. So instead of trying to carry on conversation, she offered a stiff nod. Moving to follow her in silence.
-end thread-
"Mariah Mendacium"