Captain Azrian reporting for Duty!

"Isa!" Lucanis shouted from the hallway.

Isa and Lace paused their conversation when they heard the Talon call for his fiancee, and both stood to walk over to see what was going on. Isa glanced around before seeing Lucanis standing in the middle of the hallway a few yards down.

Isa sighed, shaking her head. Lace ran ahead, seeing that the Talon was likely calling Isa over due to her Mabari dogs. 

"Sì, amore?" Isa smiled, happy to see the two pups playing in the corridor. 

"Do you want to explain what's going on here?" Lucanis asked before Isa rolled her eyes. 

"Lace brought her new puppies over. She and Taash got dogs, and we have more than enough space at the villa to accommodate them," Isa pointed out calmly. "Besides, you like dogs."

"Amor," Lucanis exhaled. He liked animals as much as the next person, and he considered himself a dog person. He just didn't think that Mabari hounds should count. 

"It's just for the afternoon, Luca," Isa added when he paused. "Besides, Caterina is out for the day, and Maker knows where Illario is. It's not like they are going to complain your ear off about them."

"I'm about to complain your ear off," he huffed, folding his arms. 

"Luca," Isa whispered, glancing at Lace behind him.

Lucanis pinched his nose, not truly surprised by her at this point. She hadn't truly moved in yet, but Isa was already acting like she lived in the villa. It had been at his request, though, so he didn't have any room to complain about her treating the place like her home. He just wished she would run certain things by him before he happened across two animals wrestling in the hallway. 

"Where's Taash?" Lucanis asked, steering the conversation a little. Maybe if he found the dragon hunter, he could get the two women to take the pups to them instead. 

"They're on a job," Isa answered with a shrug. "Lace thought that she would swing by with some food along with Piper and Willow." 

"Right," he replied as Lace walked over to him. 

The scout had a pup in each arm. Luckily, they were still small enough where she could still hold them both. 

"You brought food?" Lucanis asked genuinely, slightly surprised to hear that. 

"She wanted to show off Ferelden cheeses among other things," Isa mentioned.

"Isa doesn't think that I can cook, so I'm showing her that I can cook. She just doesn't like Ferelden food," Lace explained as Lucanis hummed. 

"Right," he muttered. "Are you using my kitchen?"

"I'm not actually cooking. I brought different cheeses, dried meat, and similar foods. I'm not actually cooking this time. We weren't sure when Taash would be done, so I didn't want to do anything too fancy," Lace answered before Lucanis folded his arms. 

Lace started to walk back into the sitting room before the pups jumped out of her arms. She ran after them, trying to scold them for rushing towards the coffee table. Lucanis thinned his lips before he turned towards his lover.

"I have to go back to work," he informed as Isa chuckled.

"Do you want me to save you some bread and cheese?" she asked.

"If you find that one of those cheeses is better than what we can get in Antiva, then yes," Lucanis answered. Isa raised a brow at him before he sighed. 

"Is there a reason you are being short?"

"Two Crows are missing, and this contract is important."

"Alright, well, let me know if you need back up, alright?" she offered.

Lucanis nodded, reaching for her hand to kiss her knuckles. 

"It'll be fine. Enjoy your luncheon with Lace, and I'll figure this out," he reassured her before taking his leave.

Isa exhaled as she walked back in, watching Lace wrestle with her puppies. They had managed to grab a few pieces of something off the table, and Isa smirked while she sat back down on the couch. Lace sighed as the two hounds ran off with a hunk of cheese down the hall. 

Lace glanced at Isa, who shrugged. She was sure that the dogs would leave no trace of the cheese for the staff to find, and if Lace wasn't worried about them eating it, then Isa wasn't concerned. 

"So, where did you get your dogs?" Isa asked, looking over the disheveled tray. It wasn't ruined since it had only been jostled. 

"My mum got a dog before the blight mess happened, and she had these two plus about five others. The other five were adopted before I got there, and my mom had enough with having so many animals in the house," Lace answered, sitting across from the Crow. "Why? Thinking about getting one?"

"I won't lie. They are really cute," Isa muttered, glancing at the door. 

"You don't have to get a Mabari, either, but they are my favorite breed," Lace told her. "They have a long history in Ferelden. You can find a lot in our art and stories."

"They had a strong presence in the Grey Wardens, didn't they?"

"In Ferelden, they did. I'm not sure if the Wardens outside the country really pushed for having dogs on their teams. Although, I think Evka would love one."

"I think Antoine would love having one more than she would have," Isa chuckled with a smile. "Well, while those two are determined to terrorize Luca, what else did you bring?"

"I brought some hearty scones, different cheeses for you to try, and a couple of other things that Taash thought you might like," the scout answered, gesturing to each area on the platter. "Taash mentioned that you like more rich and simple flavors, so I tried to keep that in mind when choosing what to bring."

"I think simple is a little rude."

"You don't like sweet, savory, and salty together."

Isa stared at Lace for a moment, not having a good comeback to that. Mostly because she didn't think that was a common thing people enjoyed. The Crow believed that most people would side with her on the subject. 

"Right," Isa sighed. 

Lace laughed under her breath, enjoying that she got under the Crow's skin a little. Isa rolled her eyes, but there was no heat behind the action. 

The scout started to put together a plate as Isa watched on, surprised when Lace even produced a bottle of wine. The Crow glanced at the doorway before turning back. 

"I didn't steal this, if you were concerned," Lace remarked.

"That was the least of my worries, sorellina," Isa answered gently with a grimace. 

Lace raised an eyebrow before sighing. Shaking her head, she poured two glasses.

"Are you going to be as pretentious as your brother about your wine?" the scout asked, feeling a little bitter.

"Of course not. I might be about coffee, but that isn't based on location," the Crow reassured before grimacing. "Illario, however, will likely go on a rant."

"Is he here?"

"He isn't, but-"

"Are you worried about being seen drinking Ferelden wine?" Lace accused, handing Isa her glass.

"Of course not. I don't care about that," the Crow continued before exhaling. "Illario tends to be rather rude to people who don't drink Antivan wine."

"He's worse than Viago?"

"In some ways. Viago will silently judge, but he at least understands that his taste is ridiculous. Illario believes that only Antiva has the best wine, with very few exceptions."

"And Ferelden isn't included on that list?" Lace guessed before Isa shrugged. "I never really liked Illario, you know."

"That's where you drew the line?" Isa laughed.

"There were a few other things that made me dislike him, but that certainly doesn't help," the scout answered firmly, shaking her head. "Anyway, it's a nice red at least. I would have brought a pale ale or a wheat beer, but I don't think you would like those."

"True," she admitted.

"But I think I did a good job finding things that a picky eater would enjoy."

"Are you done?" 

"For now," Lace teased with a wink. "I brought a few different cheeses, like the Windswept Grimsby, Woodland Colla, Smoky Ridge Dolcot, and my favorite, the Golden Stone Acwold."

"No knickers?" Isa smirked.

"I didn't think you would like the flavor of that cheese, but we can work up to that," Lace replied with a smile. "These are milder and I would say at least similar to Antivan cheeses. Still really good and gives you an idea of Ferelden."

"Alright," the Crow grinned, excited to try something new. "So, are we trying them with bread and crackers?"

"On whatever you'd like. I brought some basic crackers and brown bread. I also brought summer sausage and smoked haddock to have some protein as well."

"I don't think I've had summer sausage before," Isa mentioned, confused about the name of the food. 

"It's dried sausage that people usually eat during the summer when it gets too hot to keep fresh meat without a cold box," Lace explained with a shrug. "I think it started in Nevarra, but a lot of Fereldans make it for summer or as winter gifts."

"That's interesting," Isa grinned. "Maybe we should do something like that here."

"Does Antiva get that hot?"

"In the summer, it can. It mostly gets rather humid along the coast, but it gets really hot and dry inland. Most meat is butchered and prepared pretty immediately during the summer. The rest is dried or cured, but I have never seen sausage dried."

"It's pretty good. I think you'll like it," the scout told her. "Some can be a little spicy, but I went for the milder ones this time."

"What? Why?" Isa asked before groaning. "Don't tell me you didn't think I could handle the spice."

"I know you can handle spicy food, Isa," she laughed. "I thought that the milder one would go better with the cheeses I picked out. Next time, I'll bring the spicier sausages for you. You know, there's a spicier cheese as well, but maybe I'll bring that when everyone is expecting me."

"You mean when Lucanis isn't being a downer?" 

"I wasn't going to say it."

"He's having a rough day. I'm sure a bit of cheese later will brighten it up," Isa replied with a shrug. "If there is any left, at least. I'm not sure I'm keen on sharing."

"I did tell Taash that we would save some for them, so as long as there is some left," Lace warned.

"I will make sure that there is enough left for our dragon hunter, I promise," the Crow reassured her. "Alright, so which was your favorite again?"

About an hour passed as Lace went through the best combinations and her favorite flavor profiles with the options available. Isa found that she liked most of them, and she sometimes agreed with the suggestions of adding fruit or sweets to the board next time. 

Eventually, Taash returned from their job, walking into the sitting room as Isa instructed them to. They sat and finished off the cheese and meats, relieved that the two had left something for them. 

"So, where did the pups end up?" Taash asked after a moment, popping a piece of Grisby in their mouth. 

"They..." Lace started as she realized that the two Mabari dogs went out into the hallway and never returned. 

The scout turned to Isa, but she was already standing, holding her hands up placatingly. Lace furrowed her brow in concern.

"I will see if I can track them down, don't worry. I promise I will find them," Isa reassured before leaving the room.

Lace thought about following the Crow before Taash put a hand on her knee. Lace glanced at them before sighing and relaxing against the back of the couch she sat on. She was worried about the two pups, but Isa did know the villa better than the scout did.

"Why are you worried about the dogs? They're inside here somewhere, or in the garden at least," Taash reminded her, unbothered.

"Lucanis seemed annoyed that they were here earlier, and I had meant to get them back in here. Isa and I got distracted, I guess," Lace explained with a grimace. 

"Lucanis? Annoyed? That doesn't sound right," Taash remarked, scrunching their face in confusion. "I thought Lucanis loved dogs."

"When did he say that?"

"Dunno. A feeling, I guess."

"Lucanis might be upset if he finds them before Isa does," Lace pointed out, folding her arms.

"And what is Lucanis going to do?" Taash scoffed. "Tell you sternly that your dogs were in the hallway?"

"He's the leader of the Crows, Taash. He could do anything."

"He's also our friend, Lace. He's not going to do anything to you, or me, or to Willow and Piper."

Lace exhaled, knowing that Taash was right. The scout was just worried about bringing two dogs into such an elegant home without Lucanis knowing. Isa assured her it was fine only to find that he was indeed irritated by it. It made her anxious, and now that the dogs were wandering the place unsupervised, she didn't know what to expect. 

Taash reached over and grabbed her hand before squeezing it. Lace looked up at them, giving a weak smile. 

"Everything's fine, love. Even if Lucanis finds the dogs, he's going to sigh. Then he's either going to keep walking, or he's going to help bring them back to you," Taash explained, seeing Lace's mind running a million miles an hour. "You aren't some stranger with two wild dogs in his house. Besides, didn't Isa already talk to him?"

"Sort of?"

"Then we're good. If Isa talked to him, then he'll listen to whatever she had to say on the matter. Isa seems to at least like them enough to go find them, right?"

"You're right," Lace admitted, squeezing their hand back.

"What made them run off, anyway?" Taash wondered.

"They grabbed a slice of cheese and a bit of meat before running out the door. I'm sure they took their prize under the stairwell or something."

"That sounds about right. Luckily they aren't very messy eaters. Most of the time."

"At least we aren't at the de Riva estate," Lace hummed with a small smile. Taash laughed at that.

"Viago would be losing his mind if he saw a couple of dogs running amok in his estate," the dragon hunter nodded, thinking about the pretentious Talon.

Lace had originally thought to spend the day at the de Riva estate, but when she had shown up with the Mabari dogs, Isa immediately suggested that they should go to the villa instead. Lace hadn't even thought about Viago being there, not that she thought that he was more of a threat to her dogs than Lucanis was. She just believed that she would be in for a long lecture about responsibility or something along those lines. 

Fereldans let their Mabari dogs run wherever they liked since they were more or less a part of the family. They could go where they pleased and be where the people were. In Antiva, the rules were different. There were certain rooms where dogs weren't supposed to be, and many Antivans saw dogs as large rats since many invested the streets. That had been quite the culture shock. Lace was grateful that Isa wasn't among that population.

"Do you think Lucanis is more of a cat person?" Taash wondered, breaking Lace's train of thought.

"What?" 

"Just thinking out loud. It doesn't sound like you think he's much of a dog person. A lot of people who aren't dog people are cat people."

"I mean, maybe? I think you would have to ask him," Lace answered with a light laugh. It wasn't the kind of conversation she expected to have. 

"Isa is clearly just an animal person," Taash mentioned thoughtfully, ignoring their love's laughter. "I'm definitely just an animal person. You're a dog person."

"I like cats."

"But you prefer dogs."

"I mean, I guess," Lace admitted, tilting her head side to side as she lifted her shoulders. 

"I wonder what our other friends are. Davrin is a cat person. Well, cat-bird person. Bird-cat person?" Taash continued.

"I think we can just say griffon person," Lace suggested with a grin.

"Yeah, that makes sense. Wait, does that make me more of a dragon person? If we're getting that specific?"

"Hun, you can be as specific as you want to be."

"I'll think about it and decide later," Taash shrugged, making Lace chuckle. 

"Found them!" Isa announced, bringing in an arm full of two pups into the room. "Willow and Piper were in the garden. I think one of the staff let them out in the area that was gated off."

"Oh, that was nice of them," Lace smiled, standing to reach out for them.

The two puppies yipped and barked, excited to see Lace again. Isa let them down as they bounded over to Lace and Taash. The Crow smiled, adoring the sight before her. 

"I know that look," Taash teased as Isa turned to them.

"What look?" the Crow asked.

"The I think I want one now look. Lace had that look when we went to visit her Mum. It's why we have two Mabari hounds now," the dragon hunter explained, gesturing towards the scout with the two dogs. "Not that I'm complaining. I'm just calling it like I see it."

"I can't say that you're wrong, amicǝ," Isa sighed, shaking her head. "We'll just have to see what Luca has to say about it."

"Who says that he gets a say in it?" the dragon hunter scoffed. Isa gave them a withering look. "I'm just saying that he isn't going to say no to you, that's all."

"We'll see," the Crow sighed, looking back to Lace and the pups. 

"No," Lucanis replied, staring at the beast in front of him next to his fiancée.  

Isa pouted. She actually, genuinely pouted as she wrapped her arms around the creature's neck while it panted happily. He was momentarily at a loss for words at the strange display. 

"No," he repeated, almost like he was trying to convince himself more than trying to convince her. 

"But look at her, Luca," Isa pleaded, leaning her head into the beast. "She is so sweet and gentle!" 

"She is bigger than you, amor," Lucanis reminded her, staring at likely the largest hound he had ever seen. 

Isa had been gone for less than a day. He hadn't known where she was going, but he hadn't expected her to go get a large creature to bring back home. 

"Which makes her perfect," she replied before kissing the dog's head. 

It shouldn't even be considered a dog, in all honesty. This dog was the size of a miniature horse, but even he could see that she had taken a liking to Isa. Spite just stared, not really having a strong opinion on the matter, which Lucanis found less than helpful.

"We're keeping her," Isa added with a smitten smile. "We have more than enough room at the villa."

"Fine," he sighed, rolling his eyes. "But she's not sleeping in the bed with us."