Skill

BACKDATED to the Nottin/Dal Wedding in DB.
For Valeska, Amaris, and softly for Aelia as well!
VALESKA FIRST!!

Her breath was hot with the fermented aroma of the berries that she'd partaken in. A soft, lazy smile sprawled across her dark lips, narrow features, lifting upward as she twisted her gaze toward the cloudless sky. There was a quiet that erupted, as soft as it was loud. And it brought peace to the golden wraith.

A pleasant sigh escaped her lips.

Мой лось* (My 'love'*), she would begin, gaze drifting lazily toward her silver counterpart. There was fondness in her gaze, lingering in a river of fermented fruit that only accentuated the bullet points of her love. I am reminded of our own wedding, she would start, taking a step closer and swiping a gentle nose across Valeska's cheek. Warmpth flooded her.

Do you think? Her sentence was half-formed, and yet it lingered in the sensitive hair of Valeska's ear ... hesitating ... hovering. And Amaranth's toes would tingle, as if ready to sprint elsewhere at any moment. But she would ground herself, perking her ears as she leveled her head to glance into Valeska's bright eyes.

Do you think it is time?

Silence.

Hesitation.

'Do you want it to be time?'

---

*Amaranth believes 'my moose' means 'my love'

[AMARIS!]

She loved parties.

She loved them so much, it was all over her face. Literally. Messy pinks and purples stained her pale maw as she burbled happily to herself, thoroughly lost in the haze of fermented produce while muttering about lovely couples and little children and the impossible beauty of holy matrimony.

It was only Amaranth's touch that stirred her from her stupor, swaying gently as an even broader smile stretched at her lips. Yeth, she slurred in response. I mean - yes.

Valeska leaned forward to give her mate an affectionate lick on the cheek, and leaned just a little bit too far to one side as her tongue lolled and she missed her target entirely. She kissed the air next to Amaranth's shoulder instead.

It was time. It was more than time. The fantasy of living out blissful retirement, being able to travel the world without constantly fretting about home and the state of it - well, she'd still do that too - but the freedom to come and go as she pleased, the weight of responsibility firmly upon another's shoulders!

Standing up on shaky legs, Valeska grabbed another mouthful of fermented berries.

Let'ssss go.

---

It didn't take long to find them.

AMARIS! she bellowed. AELIA!

Valeska wobbled closer to their silver and gold silhouettes, a dangerous look in her eyes. She looked positively ferocious when she was instead trying to look serious and determined, already setting the stage in a way the twins might perceive... less than favorably.

WE MUST SPEAK.

---

Skill: brewmaster

---

The scent of fermented berries clung to the silver of his fur. A sharp, inebriated smell that twisted and warped the usual fresh, woodsy aroma he typically gave off. No longer was it crisp and sharp, but rather warm and tacky in a way he couldn’t quite describe. He could smell the tang of difference, even as he sought solace in his Twin’s fur, comforted by the familiar petrichor smell that reminded him of home.

After his chat with Glitch, Amaris had found himself in need of another pawful…or two…of the warmth-inducing berries. The conversation had done wonders for his own need for distraction, but alas, the topic had become far too somber for his airy high to continue in the weightless fashion he wanted.

In fact, as soon as their voices had been silenced, Amaris had been bombarded with the concerning thoughts he held about both Lylith and Elli—watching with a pained gaze as their silhouettes passed through the throng of wolves who had come to celebrate a wedding.

Would they talk to each other?

Did they know each other?

Why in the Five hells were they both here?

If anything, it had been a single stroke of good luck that Elli had not seen him, and if she had, she had forgotten all about him. He certainly did not need Lylith to see Elli speak with him…or for the girls to interact at all.

However, this time the berry’s effect had not given him the heady high it had when he first tried them with Glitch. Instead, it left him anxious—tweaked—and on edge as his gaze, panicked and intoxicatingly alarmed, swung between the mass of passing faces within the crowd.

Suddenly, he no longer wished to be drunk—and he regretted, almost instantaneously, the double-fisted gulps he had taken.

And so, like any good Twin who found comfort in their sibling’s presence, he sought out Aelia with his tail tucked between his legs and his ears glued to either side of his skull. Surely, she would know what to do, he thought. He had not wished for anyone to see him…like this. Especially not his mothers.

Amaris did not know how much time had passed between finding Aelia and hearing their names cry out in the wind. He hoped, at the very least, for a few hours, for his world to grow less twisty and his head to ultimately clear. But while he was no longer seeing in doubles, he knew for certain that he was far from the soberness he needed to speak with his parents.

By the way his silver mother came stomping through the crowd, her eyes glassy in a way that communicated to him (drunkenly) her anger. Amaris quickly shuddered.

—Did she know?

Could Valeska smell him from here?

He had never been drunk before, and of course, somehow, his mother would figure it out—what would she say to him? Would she yell at him? Scream? Send him home?

Amaris blinked through his panicked thoughts.

He couldn’t let them know.

Not Valeska. Not Amaranth.

And so, embarrassingly, and with as much alarm as he could muster, in a red, glassy, inebriated stare, he flashed Aelia a look of ‘don’t let them know I’m drunk’ — a plea in his eyes.

And then he got into position.

Because surely when his parents said they needed to talk—something huge must be wrong—and if it was about him, he would make it crystal clear that he was, in fact, NOT drunk.

Amaris settled beside his sister, head lowered to his paws, and toes scratching at the uneven dirt beneath them—as if he were lost in thought —until he found a rather indistinguishable, boring old rock. LOOK, AELIA, he spoke out loudly. As if the simple act of having a louder voice would somehow convince his parents that he was totally, 100% sober.

A NORTHERN ROCK. IS. IT. NOT. BEAUTIFUL? He announced, almost performatively, as his eyes flashed to Aelia. Was it working? He tried to ask her through his glassy-eyed stare. Did their parents believe it?

Amaris would not dare look behind him.

Instead, he pushed the boring, black stone toward his Twin.

Perhaps he needed to try harder.

MAYBE, he hollered, WE SHOULD GIVE IT TO SOMEONE SPECIAL.

Surely, his mothers would leave them alone now—especially when it was clear that he and Aelia had other plans to attend to.

Skill

—

The warmth was pleasant, especially in the bitter cold of the North. It pulsed through her veins with each toilsome stroke of her heart, pressing warmth from her throat and chest all the way down to her toes and towards the tip of her tail. By the spirits, she swore that even her ankles and chest were healed, as she no longer felt the chronic ache that plagued her aging bones.

A fat, uncharacteristic smile was plastered across her dark lips. Even as Valeska's fermented kiss swished at the empty air, Amaranth swore she could feel it.

And with another swig of berries, the two drunken old women made their way to deliver the very important news to their children. This was the most perfect condition to deliver it in, Amaranth decided internally, for her underlying agitation with Amaris seemed to be rather dull at this time. (Her annoyance really just seemed equivalent to the amount of pain she felt on a day to day basis in the ankles he'd shredded.)

Amaranth followed Valeska, her gait only partially hitching as the rugged screech of her mate ceremoniously summoned their children. The wraith would glance toward Valeska, rolling her tongue lazily over sticky lips and nodding to her with encouragement.

Amaris and Aelia were up ahead, glancing at the ground with rather intent eyes. Amaris, much like Valeska, was shouting. The two silver wolves would combat one another in volume, which was only characteristic of one of them. Amaranth's gaze would narrow, eyes blinking slightly off-center as she observed Amaris's abnormal behavior.

I think, she started, waving on her paws as she slowed. Despite being drunk and hollowed-out in her older age, there was still something terrifying about the way Amaranth was able to stare through someone. And her gaze was unwavering upon her son. I think we save the rock for later. Even if this was not a good time to chat, Amaranth was about to make it one.

There is something important to talk to you both about, she would continue, gently steadying herself as her gaze finally shifted toward Aelia. There was a softness there — one she'd always held for her golden daughter. And somewhere, deep in the pit of her chest, Amaranth felt something. And it held her tongue-tied for a moment as she shifted between the two of them restlessly. Perhaps this would be worrying for the two of them, but Amaranth was simply ... lost in a sensation.

Amaris and Aelia were young. Reckless. Inexperienced.

But they were loyal. Bold. Persisting. Smart.

They did what they believed in. They used their hearts.

They were learning. They were wild. And they trusted one another more than anyone else in this world. That gave them the strength they needed to do this. Elysium had been built on a dream. A dream that only held on because Valeska (and Amaranth) had willed it to be so. They had created this place with a vision in mind, and that vision now sat in front of them ... that vision now sat here, talking to rocks.

Silver and Gold. Yin and Yang. Moon and Sun.

They were ready.

Your Matb and I are ... not getting any younger. Amaranth's breath was hot, sweet with the scent of berries, and yet somehow her sincerity rang true. We have thought about this for some time. Uh ... retirement. It felt strange to say it. But Elysium ... needs guidance. Her head would swivel toward Amaris. A moon. Now Aelia. A sun. Were they getting it? Was it sinking in? Amaranth would cast her glance toward Valeska for a moment, a silent plea for her to help with more simple words.

Amaranth, still, was not used to asking for help.

---

Ah, he was drunk.

Valeska clocked it immediately despite his best (weak) efforts, and she smiled pleasantly as she swayed beneath the influence of delicious fermentation. Amaris zeroed in on a nearby chunk of stone and behaved as if it were the most wondrous thing on earth, shouting indiscriminately into the atmosphere as the smell of his own intoxication filled the air around them with each breath.

It is alright, she said, waiting until he was finished. Enjoy yourself! Why, next we shall get you to try a proper dose of ayahuasca root.

She clapped him on the back reassuringly with a feathered paw.

Amaranth spoke next, redirecting their son's feverish attention away from the very standard-issue rock and toward the matter at hand. Valeska, for one, was curious if the rock actually did have some unusual properties, one ear cocked as she listened to her mate while bending down to inspect it.

Her tongue snaked out and she gave it a lick.

Huh.

Just a rock.

Your mother is right, she said, sitting back up with a disheveled look. We have led Elysium for many moons, and it is now time to pass the burden - ah - joy - of responsibility on to the next generation.

There was no mention of Alder or Sreda; Narcissa had vanished, along with Dimitri, and Violet was perhaps about as qualified as Amaya to run any sort of operation (which was to say, not at all).

Yes. You, Amaris; you, Aelia, she said with grave ceremony, her voice dropping an octave for effect. She hiccuped and rallied again. High Priest and High Augur. Or, Priestess and Augur. However you want to do it. But we are on the cusp of our golden years, my children.

It'd also be nice to get away for a bit and not worry about the Respite.

It is about kinship - love - working together as one unit beneath a banner of truth.

She would still worry about the Respite.

Tell me your feelings.

And I shall dismiss them and you will lead Elysium anyway because your mother and I are tired and it's time you got real jobs.

But she didn't say any of that out loud.