Stavanger Bay i knew something would always rule me

Skellige did not keep him waiting long and for this the gangster was grateful. It gave him less time to debate, to change his mind, to cling to his hubris and let it waste him away to nothing. Which, no doubt, it would if he were to let it. Yet, pride turned out to be the most bitter and hardest pills to swallow. It stuck in his throat like a lump, for a few seconds refusing to humble himself to the cold, hard truth as the Sea Titan posed his question. Would this snag make him look weak in the Sea Titan's eyes? Arturo worked hard to appear anything but, and had hoped that he'd been making some semblance of progress with the man he'd stricken a deal with. There was no point in a deal when he could not even stake claim to the land that he wanted. And Oh, how he wanted it. Especially now that those who had stolen it from him believed it to be theirs.

Bitterness aided in snuffing out his pride. It had given a valiant fight, a brave fight but it was time to tuck it away. There was little else he could do for the many had flocked to the Hinterlands with the same dream. Funny, that. He'd seen no hide nor hair of any others except for Skellige himself. For a moment Arturo held onto his silence before his lips parted for him to speak. “I had ventured out of my Isle for longer than I should have, it seems. Upon my return I found a small family had decided to move in and when I called for them to make a deal, they spoke as if they already claimed it and only seemed interested in offering me a place as a fucking civilian. As if I were trespassing upon their home,” Arturo scoffed with tempered rage inhaling deeply and letting it out slowly.

“I was out numbered and I value my life too much to fight a desperate man's fight.” Besides, was he desperate? He didn't think so. “The Hinterlands is crawling with wolves who seek to claim it now that the famine had passed and while I searched for potential seconds I decided second best wouldn't do. If I can't have my Isle then fuck it. I can either bring war to their doorstep or I join up with another.” He hadn't exactly given up on the war option, granted, but perhaps it might not be as awful as he thought: playing the role of subjugate in someplace other than Quicksilver Hollow.

“Since I went with the second and as you're the only option I'm willing to consider, here we are," Arturo breathed with a subtle rise and fall of his shoulders. "I respect you and we did have an alliance.” The first was more important than him to the latter, admittedly, but it was better than joining up with some pack and serving under leaders that he didn't even know.