#bastardfae

He'd liked to think Arnon had gotten out safe and sound with some kind of happy ending. Now he knew that wouldn't be the case any more as he stood in the presence of that perpetual pain in the ass he'd informally adopted long before Arnon wound up in the Undercroft the first time.

His frown deepened, gaze softened, brow furrowed. Kaden couldn't decide if he was more angry or sad by this. Both, but more likely the former given everything happening in Krovs. This place sucked. He hated seeing the friends he'd made constantly get screwed over –– Ransom, Merek, Arnon again. And now his own son Wyatt was here risking his life and freedom attempting to get him out...

"Not that I'm upset to see you alive and well, but I was hopin' never to see you here again, Ceanai," Kaden said. "How the hell did this happen?"

He needed a drink so he separated and wandered to the bar feeling, well, pretty fucking euphoric. The place was packed and inebriated as the shifter was all the bodies jammed together like a can of sardines created quite the obstacles to wade through. He'd just about made it to his destination, a clearing in sight from all the people that he pushed through... and collided right into someone oncoming.

"Oh, shit. Shit, I'm so sorry," he spoke loudly over the blaring music, hands out defensively as he tried to recollect his own balance. "Fuck, are you... okay..." Manny trailed off, recognizing the other guy as Arnon whom he hadn't properly seen since heat week after the halfling wound up claimed shortly after. His eyes narrowed a little as he smirked wryly. "Surprised to see you out here tonight, Ceanai."

Raising a brow as he saw the halfling wandering about; Raiden, being the apex predator he was, easily came behind the unsuspecting creature who surely thought he was clever. Dark gravelly sound resonated against the newly minted slave's ear. "Where do you think you're off to, pretty little fae?"

Raiden made no attempt to restrain the younger interested to see just how stupid he was as he shifted to his full 6'6 height and glowered down at the little gnat of a thing in his shadow. "Sure hope you weren't thinking of leaving. Not even introduced yourself, yet."

The last few months he'd been stuck in the castle he'd not seen much of Arnon. Maybe they were both released from their literal or metaphorical cages at perfectly inopportune times to catch each other and it certainly didn't help this castle was absolutely massive in size. He hoped that his unofficially adopted third child was still alive and well in Tiernan's grasp, especially after his stint at Halloween. He'd sadly not seen much of Arnon since then... until now.

It had to be luck or fate or some sort of divine intervention that the kresnik's walk around the grounds to enjoy the blossoming spring weather coincided with seeing a familiar halfling out and about. A grin spread across the older man's features as he walked over to Arnon. "Howdy, kiddo, long time no see," he greeted him cheerfully. "How've you been doin'?"