Talking with Bramble had only served to confuse her more, so Dusk decided to bite the bullet and talk to her mother instead. Briar knew all about relationships. She had to, right? Perhaps her mother would be able to give her some insight as to whether or not she liked Sitri or simply appreciated his good looks, which he had in spades.

The dark lady roamed the castle halls, looking for her mother. She was fully healed from her previous injuries, but the marks remained visible and would continue to be visible until her fur grew back into its normal length. Not that she was vain or anything, but Dusk had felt a little silly with a naked neck and shoulder, so she'd been a little scarce while healing. It was too warm within the castle for her cloak, so she could only hope that no one would pop out of the stonework to chat.

Dusk was two years old. This was considered an adult but she didn't feel like an adult. There was so much that Dusk didn't know simply because she hadn't been interested in girly things. Now that she needed to know these things... well it was bound to be awkward. With a sigh, Dusk stepped into the spacious kitchen where she imagined her mother would be. The sight of her mother bustling about brought a smile to Dusks lips and she stepped forward. "Uhhh.... mom? Can I... talk to you for a bit?" Though she smiled, her expression was still one of bashful uneasiness. It wasn't something that she could fight, unfortunately.

"Dusk Carpathius"

Briar moved from one side of the kitchen to the other, preparing both dinner for this evening and getting ahead on some prep work for future meals. Skinning and breaking down various prey animals that the hunters brought in, cooking some of the harrier root vegetables from the garden, curing foods that they could store for long periods... It all took a lot of time and today was one of those days that she had dedicated to just getting as much of it done as she could to free her up in the days to come. Regardless of how long it took or how much effort she put into their meals, it was still one of her favorite things. She loved to provide for their family while still staying close to home in cause any of them needed her and this allowed her to do both of those things very easily.

She was just turning away from the large stone fireplace where a large pot of simmering carrots were just starting to soften when a dark figure moving through the doorway caught her attention, her turquoise gaze landing on Dusk. A smile immediately pulled across her lips as she looked to Dusk with interest, wondering what had brought her daughter into the kitchen. When she asked if she could talk to her Briar of course nodded eagerly and motioned for her to come in, saying, "Of course, my love! What a lovely surprise." She could hardly wrap her head around the fact that the beautiful young woman in front of her was the same little soot ball that had gotten herself into so much trouble and been such an angsty teen. "What's on your mind?" she asked curiously while she busied herself with her work, occasionally glancing up at Dusk to show she was listening.

"Briar Carpathius"

Ears tucked against her skull a little bashfully as she moved into the room. Against her will, Dusk's stomach rumbled loudly. Gods, how she loved carrots... That could wait until later though. The dark lady focused on her mother as she flitted about the kitchen, sitting off to one side so she wasn't in the way.

Briar asked what was on her mind and Dusk wrinkled her nose for a moment, flashing teeth. This was embarrassing... "Mom, you remember Sitri..." How could anyone forget him? He hadn't left her side much while she was healing and he'd brought Whisper back for her. Dusk had been over the moon about that and let everyone know just how much his action meant to her.

One paw raised and Dusk rubbed at her face for a moment before taking a deep inhale which she then let out slowly. "I think I like him, Mom. I don't know how to know for sure, but I think I do." What was she even here to ask? Her mom couldn't tell her whether or not she liked a guy. Maybe she was just hoping that her mother could set her straight. Or something?

"Dusk Carpathius"

She of course was eager to hear anything any of her children came to talk to her about, but as soon as Dusk brought up the Ashen boy that had brought her to safety after she was attacked outside of pack lands and had been so kind as to go retrieve Dusk's priceless weapon her attention was immediately captured. Her ears perked with interest and she looked up to Dusk curiously, a little, knowing smile pulling at her lips even though she tried not to jump to conclusions. "Of course I remember Sitri," she assured her as she went to put a lid on the carrots and move the pot away from the hottest part of the oven so they wouldn't overcook since she was sure she was about to be very distracted.

As she had kind of suspected, Dusk went on to say how she thought that she liked the red-coated boy even though she wasn't sure she knew how she should know if she did or not. Briar chuckled softly and turned to face Dusk as she sat back on her haunches and picked up a rag from the counter to wipe off her paws. "What makes you think that you like him?" she asked. "He's obviously very sweet and thoughtful, but how do you feel when he's around?" Briar loved love and she wanted nothing more than for all of her children to find the love that she had found in Artorias, but of course she wanted to make sure they were making smart choices too. Sitri seemed like a good boy from what she had seen, but what mattered most was how Dusk felt about him.

"Briar Carpathius"

Briar seemed eager to talk about Sitri and questioned Dusk about him. Why did she think she liked him? How did he make her feel? Right out the gate with the loaded questions. Thanks mom! Dusk considered for a moment, her long tail thumping once on the stone floor before curling around her hip. How did he make her feel?

Dusk reflected for a moment. She imagined Sitri walking into the room and the beginnings of a smile tugged at the corners of her maw. "Well, he makes me smile," she began softly, giving her head a tilt as she imagined even more. The man's easy nature soothed her awkwardness. He wasn't one of those guys that pretended to be all cool and collected. He was simply himself. "He makes me feel comfortable."

While she had been healing from her injuries, Sitri had spent quite a lot of time with her. She definitely considered him a friend. When the fever nightmares happened upon her, she would often wake to see him sitting there or sleeping in the cot beside her. "He... makes me feel safe." That one was a little harder to admit. Dusk was a strong, independent lady, but it was nice to trust someone else to protect her.

Another sigh pulled from the lady and she shook her head at her mother. "I feel good when I'm around him, like I don't have to put on airs or pretend to be something that I'm not. He doesn't care that I get dirty and that I fight and beat things up. And he's so handsome, mom." Just imagining the cute way that Sitri smiled or smirked brought heat to the fae's cheeks. Dusk groaned and dropped her head backwards, nose pointed to the ceiling. How did one process such thoughts?

"Dusk Carpathius"

Briar sat and listened patiently while Dusk considered her questions and slowly listed off a few of the ways that Sitri made her feel. He made her smile, made her comfortable, made her feel safe. The last one especially made Briar smile. She knew how strong and independent many of her children were, Dusk especially, but after the ordeal that she had gone through she knew it had been good for her to have a friend there with her. Really, what was important to Briar was that Dusk saw something in him besides his looks–though apparently that was part of it too. She was glad to hear that Dusk felt like she could be herself around the Klein man, grinning and chuckling with a bit of amusement from the fact that Sitri didn't care about her more tom-boy like traits. Whoever Dusk fell for Briar wanted to make sure it was someone that loved her for her and never wanted her to change and from this it sounded like Sitri certainly fit the bill.

She giggled as Dusk groaned and looked at the ceiling. It always amused her with how dramatic her daughters tended to be over these things–mostly because it reminded her a lot of herself when she was their age. She got up and walked around the kitchen island to where Dusk was sitting and sat down in front of her, lifting her paws to rest them on Dusk's shoulders. "Sitri sounds like a wonderful man and it sounds like you like him for him and he likes you for you. That's what matters most. I know it's easier said than done, but follow your heart. Don't force things to happen, but if they're meant to be they will be." She leaned down to kiss the top of Dusk's head, giving her a loving smile. "If you think you have feelings for him then you probably do. Don't overthink it."

"Briar Carpathius"