"Neque porro quisquam est qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit..."
"There is no one who loves pain itself, who seeks after it and wants to have it, simply because it is pain..."

At least Arkane was able to laugh at himself. When she called him pretty, he took it all in stride, even tossing his head as good as any runway model. She laughed, a genuine laugh. How long had it been since she'd been able to do that? He didn't seem self conscious at all about his lack of a "manly" build, but then, it wasn't like Avery was known for her graceful feminine form, either. She was always built with more strength than finesse and she was okay with that. She didn't want to be just a pretty face. She wanted to be so much more. But she was getting off track. Her kids were more important. She still didn't like the idea that Arkane had left them too but at least he had more information on their whereabouts than she did and he seemed eager to find them. That would have to do, for now at least. When he brought up the state of Iromar though, it was like an arrow to the chest. That would always be her home and she hated the idea of anyone tainting it. It must have shown on her face cause next thing she knew, Arkane was accusing her of wanting to go beat up the alpha. Her lips twitched in a smirk, her eyes darkening with promise.

"Maybe that's just what he needs." She growled the words. Maybe he wasn't discipline enough as a pup. Or maybe he was disciplined too much and now he think ruling by fear is the right thing to do. Who knows? She wasn't about to go sit down and have a therapist session with the alpha. She'd rather let her teeth do all the talking. He brought up the Monster and how she had some dark wolves in her following but she did keep up politics with the other packs as well. Avery nodded in agreement. "It's funny. No one will ever know her name but they'll remember how she ruled." She chuckled at the concept. But was it truly an honest way to rule if you kept yourself in secrecy? Who wanted to rule like that? Where not even your pack wolves knew you by name? That seemed like a lonely existence to her. Maybe it worked for them but she couldn't see how. She couldn't help but snicker at him when he called himself perfect and she saw the hurt on his face when he tried to emphasize it even more. She lifted a brow and gave him a wry smirk. "Perfect for some things, maybe, like a hair spray commercial. Maybe that's your calling." She chuckled again, eyes twinkling with humor. He was just too easy to pick on.

She couldn't help but be curious when he mentioned Aithne's grandkids. She liked the idea of that bloodline continuing on. It was one of the few she respected other than Andras' own bloodlines, though she wasn't sure if she'd ever see anymore of them again. When Arkane brought up how the alpha of Iromar kidnapped two of the grandkids though, she swore she was seeing red. How dare he? And even kidnapped one of the former alpha's kids too? How low could you get? She growled low in her throat at the thought, but then he said that Taviora had gotten involved and got most of the kids back. That brought a little light back into her heart. She could breathe a little easier knowing the kids were no longer prisoners, at least most of them, though her heart still stung for the lone boy. She shook her head. "It doesn't matter. They were doing the right thing. Sometimes you have to be a little radical to get things done and time can be a precious thing in a kidnapping situation." She was behind Taviora's actions one hundred percent. He said they could find the grandkids and she smiled, her eyes lighting up with the emotion.

She nodded. "I'd like that." She said in a softer voice. She wanted to make sure they were okay. She knew they probably wouldn't know her but that's okay. She felt like she was doing something toward forgiving herself for Aithne's death if she could make sure her future was intact.