ooc: liquid timing a bit to when Ava would have talked to Deimos about taking over

As he walked away from the island lake and followed the mountain pass to his and Ikigai's den he couldn't quite untangle his thoughts. The possibility of leadership, of power, had never once crossed his mind in all of his eight years of life. For as long as their family history could remember the Matriarch had always held the final word and all of the power. Perhaps other women could share in that responsibility at times, especially the chosen heiress, but a male? Never could he had dreamed of that option so he had never let himself even day dream about that possibility. Perhaps in his younger years the stray thought might have come to him from time to time–especially when their mother became the problem that she was–but now? With all of these years on his body and a young family that he was content to settle down with?

He was still musing and pondering as he walked into the den, but he knew that he couldn't make a decision one way or another without Ikigai's input. He had told Avacyn as much and had requested some time to talk it over with his wife before he made a final decision. It would be a big change not only for him, but for his whole family. They already knew that Avacyn had been planning on choosing one of their pups as her heir, but if he was made the alpha that would bring more eyes and responsibility on all of them. With a pensive hum he settled into one of the cushions in the main chamber of the den to wait for his mate to return from her daily rounds. Their pups were out having their own adventures and he hoped that would remain the case long enough for him to have this conversation with Ikigai alone.

"Deimos & Ikigai"

As always, Ikigai had been hard at work. She was an industrious woman and time sitting idle was time wasted. The pale fae had been in the infirmary, preparing fresh bandages and processing dried herbs. She'd brought down the last batch from their hanging line and put up another batch of fresh. As such, Iki smelled of mint when she finally made her way back into her own den.

The children were old enough to go off and do their own thing from time to time and this was one of those occasions. When she entered the den, she and Deimos were alone. The big brute was resting on a pile of cushions in the main area of the den. Sauntering forward, Iki placed a soft kiss upon his chin and leaned into him, forcing him to hold her weight, not that it was much. "Have you been waiting long?"

"Deimos & Ikigai"

As if the thoughts of his mate could summon her, only a few moments after he had gotten settled and comfortable in their den he glanced up to see Ikigai coming inside and moving toward him. A lopsided grin tugged at his lips as he watched her with appreciation, a low, approving rumble sounding in his chest as she kissed his chin. For a moment he was distracted from the whole reason he had been waiting on her in the first place as she leaned into him and he brought up a foreleg to wrap around her waist and pull her smaller frame down into his own. He hadn't thought that he could possibly be more attracted to Ikigai than he already was, but every day she found a way to outdo herself just by existing. "Not terribly long, no," he assured her as he pulled her back into his chest and he nuzzled affectionately into her scruff with a little teasing nip at the side of her neck. It wasn't all that often that he got any time alone with her these days because of the pups so it was highly tempting to forego these more important conversations for now, but he made himself focus. At least for now.

Chuckling softly, he leaned away from her neck and pressed a tender kiss to her cheek. "I do have something I need to speak with you about." He easily rolled her over to face him, slipping his large paws around her lower back to pull her into him belly to belly instead as they nestled into the plush cushions together, his aqua gaze finding the uniquely striking silver of hers. "I spoke with Avacyn today. She wishes to take the pack in a new direction. She wants to separate the leadership of the pack and the Matriarchal duties specific to the family. And she has asked me to be its first King." His large claws traced lightly along her back in thoughtful circles, thinking through his own conflicted thoughts as he spoke them aloud to Ikigai.

"I think this could be a good change for Elysium and this would be the first time any Mendacium man would have this kind of power, but at the same time it will mean I won't be able to spend all of my time with you and the pups any more. Our family is more important to me than a title, but if one of our pups is destined to take over Elysium regardless would it not be better for them to grow into it with me?" He sighed at the rambling trail of thoughts and frowned at the conflict he had with himself. This was exactly why he relied so much on Ikigai for her opinions and her insights. She could see the bigger picture that he usually missed and point him in the right direction.

"Deimos & Ikigai"

The pair curled up together, finding comfort in one another's embrace instantly. Deimos rubbed her back, gently dragging his claws through her pale coat and Iki replied in kind, running her nimble digits through the thicker fur of her mates chest. They didn't often get time like this anymore. Not with the pups running amok. In and out of the den a million times a day. Perhaps she would see if Ava could babysit while she and her husband had a much needed date night.

Deimos needed to speak to her, and Iki gave him her complete attention, marbled eyes searching his face as she waited for him to begin. The giant man launched into speech, telling of a conversation between himself and Avacyn. Iki's eyes widened as he mentioned being king of Elysium. Well... she hadn't been expecting that.

Dark ears continued to shift, catching every syllable that left her husbands mouth. It seemed to her that he was eager to take up such a role, but was worried about the repercussions that it could have on their family. It made Iki warm inside to see that he cared so much about them all and she reached up to place a gentle kiss upon his lips, quieting him. "You should accept," the pallid fae spoke simply. "It will set a good example for our children. They can watch their father take on the role of responsibility and grow knowing that such responsibility both expected and such a position attainable." Iki gave a soft shake of her head, smiling up at the brute. "You have my blessing and my congratulations, my love."

"Deimos & Ikigai"

While he wasn't an overly emotional man most of the time and kept a fairly stoic appearance he did find himself adrift over all of this. When it had been just himself alone he wouldn't have had so many things to balance and consider, but without Ikigai and their children he never would have been able to have this fulfilling life she gave him. He was pulled back and forth, weighing pros and cons, until his soul mate placed a gentle kiss on his lips and pulled his mind back to the present. His aqua gaze refocused on hers and he listened quietly as she insisted that he accept the offer that had been given to him. He couldn't say that he was all that surprised by her decision, but it did reassure him greatly as she pointed out all of the benefits that this change could make for their family rather than focusing on the difficulties it might bring.

She gave him her blessing and congratulations and as surreal as it felt to think that he would soon be King it felt so much more real and correct now that he had Ikigai's input. She really was his compass and his voice of reason when he couldn't be sure of his own voice. With a grin pulling at his lips he kept one of his forelegs around her waist as he rolled on the plush cushions with her till his body was laying lightly on top of hers, keeping himself propped up on one elbow as he looked down at her with nothing but absolute devotion. "Thank you, my mate. I wouldn't be able to do it without you." He tried to keep in mind that their children could, in theory, return at any moment so indulging in what he really wanted to do with her right now was probably out of the question, but that didn't stop him from wanting her any less. He caught her lips in a deeper, longer kiss, but eventually pulled away with a little chuckle as he nuzzled his cheek into hers. "We should really see about a babysitter soon so we can properly celebrate..."

"Deimos & Ikigai"