If this was another acquaintance of Delight's, Alarian was pretty much ready to quit as Governor. Nonetheless he was prompt in answering the border call, though exhaustion and his limp slowed him somewhat. He was met with a more welcome sight than the last two— a guy. A hot guy.
He approached with a warm smile, trying and failing to not allow his gaze to linger too long. Pretty eyes, too— ah, hell. Of all the things, that should have been the last on his mind. Hello,
Alarian called to him, tail swishing as he prepared his standard Pretend-I'm-A-Normal-Leader speech. Welcome to the Bracken Sanctuary. I'm the Governor, Alarian. Is there anything I can do for you?
this time he doesn't already know the stranger at their borders, but as he draws close after alarian he does recognize the scent clinging to his fur. there's also something.. strangely familiar about him (and his eyebrows) that delight can't quite place, but for now he chooses to put that aside.
the chancellor draws up just as alarian finishes introducing himself and chuffs to alert his co-leader to his presence. "you're from the sunspire, right?" he asks, voice colored by hopefulness -- he'd been thinking of seabreeze lately, wondering how her litter is doing, and maybe this is his chance to find out.
exit ali unless someone wants him for something!
Honestly, it wasn't fair. Delight got to have kids and a million visitors— Alarian got to lose loved ones and be someone's questionable rebound fuck. He was more than a little bitter about it. More than a little insecure, too.
He had already gone quiet at his friend's recognition of the pack scent on the stranger; hearing his name fall from Pyro's lips only further soured his mood. It wouldn't have been professional, though, to spill his hurt feelings all over the place. Alarian carefully tucked it away, gaze averting for a few beats to collect himself. Whatever message the guy had for Delight, it wasn't any of his business; it never was.
You're looking at him,
He pointed out in a light tone, gesturing to Delight with a slight smile. I'll— let you handle that, then.
Time to go, time to go, time to go. Further into the territory, if no one stopped him, then around and past the borders on another side of Broken Boulder— then all the way out to the Bypass to find someone he thought might actually pay attention to him because what are timelines.
another rochester? he's intrigued even before pyro mentions seabreeze, making his face light up. and then alarian's leaving and -- his expression creases, concerned as he watches his friend's retreating form. ah... he should talk to him... he's been busy with the babies, but now that he isn't feeling like a useless sack of shit so much (or at least, he's back to feeling like the normal amount of a useless sack of shit) he can make more of an effort.
right now, though: seabreeze news. "oh!" delight says, "what is it?" the thought that it might not be good news occurs to him suddenly -- thanks brain -- making him tense as he waits for pyro to deliver.
Sorry for the short reply! Just quickly trying to go through all my threads D:
Pyro's eyes jump back to the darker wolf when Alarian explain he is, in fact, Delight himself. Oh, hey!
he greets as his tail waves for him. Then Alarian dismisses himself and Pyro nods with a thankful smile before moving back to the topic at hand.
Nice to meet you, delight,
he starts, always finding the time to be polite, then says: They sent me to let you know her pups are born and healthy,
to tackle the first point in his to-do list, knowing that the second point was a more sensitive announcement. There were some... Complications during the whelping and Seabreeze has had a rough few weeks, but she's recovering now.
he said, hoping he'd handled it the best way as not to raise worries.
once pyro starts to speak and it becomes clear there's no shocking twist about to come, delight relaxes. truthfully he's quite taken by pyro's charm, which is so different from every other rochester he's gotten to meet. he wants to know where on the family tree the woodspun boy falls, but -- more pressing matters, first, like seabreeze's message for him.
his expression falls slightly at mention of 'complications', even if she's better -- poor thing deserved an easy and uncomplicated life, birth, all of it. "how many are there?" he asks, his voice soft, "and -- do you happen to know their names?" he doesn't know how close pyro and seabreeze are -- if at all -- but he hopes he can answer that. he doesn't ask after the complications -- not unless pyro's willing to part with more details without being pressed. he doesn't really have the right anymore to sit and fret. or at least that's how he feels, maybe selfishly. instead he murmurs "thank you," and adds, "you can tell her -- mine were born, too, all healthy. two girls and a boy, brilliance, solomon, and mali."
ibis and okeanos; he commits this to memory immediately, trying to imagine what they might look like, be like. he doesn't know of their paternity and so what comes to mind are two tiny visions of seabreeze with hints of mato here and there. it makes his chest ache with longing, and he wishes he could go to her now and see them for himself. but he thinks of his own babes, their spotted bodies held close to queenie, and it soothes him a little, especially with pyro's congratulations.
smiling he nods, glad seabreeze will at least know about his too -- and hey, he and queenie are both scouts, maybe when they're older they could take them to go visit. there's little else for them to exchange information wise -- beyond delight's fascination with rochesters -- so he's not surprised when pyro starts to excuse himself.
he is surprised when he blurts "you can stay here," feeling warmth rush to his cheeks. it's -- he's a leader, that's allowed, and that's the point of the sanctuary -- oh surely alarian won't mind, right? for a cute rochester? (not like he can back out now ha ha delight you have made this cute bed and now you are going to watch it longingly from afar).
oh god he's so cute. pyro! if only this were an entirely different point in delight's life, that you could be pursuable. oh he hates himself. still blushing fiercely he nods, wrangling himself in check to say, "of course -- i know how far you've traveled." there all good. pyro's second question makes him pause -- he doesn't mind because he's a weak motherfucker, but... "their mom is pretty defensive," delight says apologetically, imagining already queenie's fury at delight bringing a stranger near their den. "i think she'd kill both of us if we tried, honestly. sorry," he adds, sheepishly shrugging as he steps back in his old habit from tindómë. "you're probably tired though, right? i can show you where the dens are," he offers, wondering what the heck he has gotten himself into (haha alarian don't interact.)