Still the man insisted on offering assistance and still, the Champion refused it. If there was a hangover cure in coconuts, he'd go drink a damn coconut, he guessed. And if it wasn't nearby and convenient, he'd fucking go get it. Nobody held the hand of a Fatalis, and no Fatalis laid down groaning and nursed their wounds while younger, healthier wolves ran around fetching them food or medicine. Merc had said something about the prairie being close but it had gone entirely past Azure's notice, it wasn't until he was halfway across it did he spy a glance at the river that bisected the territory and realize with a start that this was not the rio grande. Well, he had come too far to turn back now, and the tropics of the south-east were just as nice a place to rest. Where there were coconuts, there would be palm trees. Shady and cool and quiet.

The walk, however, was fucking long. Azure did his best to take the pain in stride and not complain to the younger man but damn, were they fucking there yet? He peeled open his eyes more fully to take note of where they were, and to his surprise saw not a lazy flowing river but a fucking ocean cutting clear across the fjord. Sidestepping quickly away from the giant split in the earth, Az gave Merc a look that could only be read as betrayal. "Hoped I'd stumble and die and you could pass it off as the hangover, hmm?" He accused, eyeing the man and the fjord wearily. "I guess Wren must really hate me."

"Speech"

Mercury laughed softly as the man turned his bitterness to him. Voice seething and cold, an accusation and a threat. “If I wished you dead, Champion, I would need only give you a light push” He said. Voice too even to tell if he was serious, or joking. Heading to the fjord had been the safer way to bring them close to the small island. He could only imagine taking Azure through the Briar would result in much greater scarring to that handsome, angry face.

“Solar, see if you can break a coconut and bring it here, please?” He directed to the bird and watched as the cormorant sailed over the ocean towards the little island. Pushing a coconut out of a tree should result in it splitting, and the pieces would be easier for his companion to fetch.


"Speech"

Azure was in no state to determine the truth of the man's words as he was, so he merely found a spot away from the crack in the earth and the ocean that pierced it, and watched carefully for the movement that might foreshadow that 'slight push'. The bird was sent away then, flying off to the east toward a distant island. Azure huffed in amusement, watching it fly and knowing exactly to where it was headed.

"Those coconuts belong to my ex." He stated simply. It was actually a little hilarious the more that he thought of it, but perhaps that was the dehydration stemming from the hangover. "Pretty sure that's technically thievery, and I'm supposed to smite you where you stand, or something along those lines. At least I would have, a very long time ago." Reminiscing was exactly the worst thing to do in a situation where Azure was trying to be responsible and not go for round two of the drink. He shook his head - feeling the pain in his severed ear as he did so - to dislodge the train of thought.

"Speech"

“Do they?” Mercury asked, how could coconuts belong… ah. They must belong to a pack. Hmm. He would have to send Azure’s ex an apology after this. He would make plans to meet him or her and offer something in return. He had seen the coconuts, but hadn’t gotten close enough himself to scent the border, and Solar didn’t have the nose for it.

He looked back at Azure as he spoke of Smiting and it being an action of his younger days. “A shame” He said. “I’ll give you a free hit later if it makes you feel better.” there was a slight tug to his lips, and then Solar was returning with his stolen goods. He dropped the quarter piece of coconut in front of Mercury - carefully, to avoid spilling the liquid inside, who scooped it up and offered it up to Azure. “Drink the water, eat the coconut flesh” He instructed


"Speech"

The man's wry smile brought Az's brow to raise, his own lip tugging upward. "Don't tempt me, the last few men I hit felt their wounds for many many days." Besides, Venom was no longer his empress nor a love interest. Azure was happily mated to a woman who infuriated him as much as he adored her - one who might have, potentially, slept with someone else 'recently'. A woman, in fact. On and on the train of thought chugged and Azure realized with a sigh that he was very likely to go for that second drink after all.

The coconut appeared before him and Azure tipped it toward his muzzle like it would chase away all his problems. Drinking the liquid within and raking the flesh from the shell with his upper teeth, he followed the man's instructions to the letter. Still, his hangover raged on. "I'm going to guess this isn't one of those instant cures?" He ventured, sarcasm thick in his tone. Now he had to walk back? Still hungover?

"Speech"

“I don’t doubt you, Azure Fatalis” he agreed as the man spoke of the violence the done to others recently. In defence of his mate, from what he had heard at the challenge. He watched as the Alpha drank the coconut water and ate the flesh. “It will hydrate you almost instantly, you should start to feel the effects soon” he promised as Azure turned his sarcasm Merc’s way. As everything the other wolf had said thus far, the anger rolled right over the Seneschal without touching him.

“Did you have any more exploring or avoiding to do before you headed back to Armada, Champion?” He asked, voice polite for the words he spoke. He supposed he shouldn’t leave the moody, hungover wolf to stumble around on his own if he could help it.

"Speech"