"She's been punished enough."

Maja's voice is soft, judgmental, cold. Her glance at Asgeir shows nothing, even as Astrid tries to ignore them both. And Cupid now, on his way, here to be the father of the year. Maja doesn't hate him; he's fine to do as he pleases, and it's not her business. Instead, she gives Asgeir the same disaffected glance she gave Astrid earlier. Big man, kicking little girls while they're down.

And then she remembers the sting on her neck and glances away, sighing.

"But that's not my business." She focuses on Cupid instead. "She's unharmed." I could have. Easily. Still surprising how much of her wanted to do so, too.

She ignores Astrid's sobs as Astrid curls in on herself, trying to shut the world out.

---

The twins were a calamity of their own - and like any plague, they multiplied and spread, easily found in the murky edges of tragedy. It was an unfair depiction. It was a cruel label to pin to two children, hardly older than his own.

Cupid's ears twitched as Asgeir gloated, his mouth pressed into a thin and disapproving line. Maja announced that his daughter was unharmed - merely distraught, it seemed, which was only a slight improvement upon the fucking disaster his day had been so far.

If tears are of such intrigue to you, Asgeir, you ought to go find your brother. He left us quite distressed, earlier. A lie, but Cupid was a very good liar when it counted. He didn't think Asgeir was all that fascinated by anyone's tears unless it gave him ammunition against them, but Cupid was no fool - he knew that the two troublemaker boys of Freya's litter were scarcely seen apart. He expected the thread of Sverke being upset enough to show it to Cupid of all wolves might be enough to lure the other boy back to his brother's side. And, more importantly, away from Astrid.

The worried father then closed the distance to his daughter's prone form, nosing at her scruff in comfort and to assure himself of her safety.

「 Skill Point ― n/a 」

Asgeir did not stop his taunting for the girl who warned of too much punishment, for instead he leaned into the crying girl's ear and uttered two single words.

I win.

It was then that he danced back with a cackle, fixing a look to the pale man's face, the dove's words falling on deaf ears. It did, however, cause his mood to sour significantly. Sverke, distressed? Asgeir laughed at the thought, his maw turning into a lip curling sneer. It was then that something inside of him shifted, a darkness that clawed from within the deepest recesses of his mind.

Skoll does not cry. he snipped, his voice sterner than before. It was then that his chin jutted and he looked down at the male with disgust. Such lies spewed from such a lowly beast's mouth, so much so that it ruined his appetite for fun. The boy tutted and turned away, casting a last look of hate back at the pair of wolves before he made his exit.