Embric had met Taz before, the one who so willingly offered herself up to the red-headed monster, and seen for himself the obscene number of marks climbing up her arm. The sight of her now had planted a suspicion, one he was steadfastly refusing to acknowledge, because-- She was being escorted away alongside Xan, toward the building. Xan. The thought of Xan trapped in an enclosed area with the other woman had his insides twisting with revulsion. The thought of Xan trapped in an enclosed area with her and Hiram Eldouir had him wanting to scream.

Vaguely, he was aware of Ermir stepping forward, but it wasn't until the entire crowd around him recoiled in horror that he pulled his thoughts back from where they'd trailed after Xan. With barely a moment to try to comprehend what lurched toward the altar, he stared at the husk of a woman as Ermir unfurled his whip and a blaze of fire rained down from above. There was an inhuman scream, and the stench of burnt flesh filled the air. The silence that followed was absolute. As Adeline Eldouir delivered her warning to all who dared rebel and Ermir, thankfully, was rewarded instead of punished, a single question dominated all others: What was that?

Then, at long last, the moment he'd been dreading all season had arrived.

With the leather lead clenched right in his hand, Embric stepped forward, and with a blind trust that had the man wanting to vomit, Echo followed happily. As if doing so would reveal to him her location and well-being inside the estate, he couldn't help but quickly glance in the direction that Xan had gone - gleaning, predictably, no useful information - before Aine's voice cut sharply through the myriad thoughts that bounced around his head.

"Focus."

The gyrfalcon still circled above the crowd, safely out of reach and hopefully out of mind. Heeding her word, Embric forced himself to shove aside his worries for Xan and stunned confusion about what had happened with Ermir's tribute to focus on the here and now. Something of a calm settled over him. Take one step at a time: Tribute, then Xan, then Ermir, then whatever comes next. Tribute. At his feet, the hound drew his attention. They had neared the scorched remains, and ever curious, Echo wanted to investigate. A quiet tsst and gentle tug on the leash redirected him, and Embric placed himself between the dog and putrid mass of charred bone and congealing flesh.

Taking a moment to try to think past the sound of blood rushing through his veins, he glanced over each of the red-headed monsters before steeling himself and offering a polite smile and properly deferential bow. The man gestured to the dark-furred hound sitting beside him, who was young and about as healthy as one could expect of an animal trying to survive in Elderkeep. Embric looked down at him for a moment, and the canine in question panted up at him, tail thumping slowly against the ground. Silently apologizing for what he was about to do, Embric tore his gaze away from the dog and turned to the queens, glancing between Adeline and Elena before settling on the one who was standing. She seemed like more of a threat, with the way she towered over them.

"I have brought a hound that I have trained for you." His name is Echo. "He knows the basic commands, and he listens well." He'll lay for hours beside my daughter, Kasni, with his head resting on her chest, as she tells him stories of another dog, a dyr, from before, who looked just like him. "He is a young dog, obedient, and eager to work. I offer him to you with the hope that you will find a good use for him."

Please don't harm him.

As of late, food had been worrisome as an already thin diet was stretched thinner between Embric, Kasni, and a now full-grown Echo. Though she was a growing girl who needed as much sustenance as she could get, the teenager had started giving up some of her rations to help feed him. Embric had told her he'd give up some of his own instead and thought that at least with the monsters, Echo might be better fed. Aine, unimpressed, had pointed out many times that he was trying to justify placing a family member in the gaping maw of a monster and politely asking the beast to not bite down. If they accepted his tribute, then at best, Echo would have a better - Aine's skepticism was palpable - place to live, and Embric would return home with another brand on his arm. If not, then, well, perhaps, he dared to hope, Echo could at least stay with him.

Haram watched with lazy eyes as the woman with the father approached and then was quelled. The shore might have been impressive to him if she were using magic and they were simpletons, but such was not the case. It was a dagger, and the ones she approached were Eldouir. Adeline might have been impressed but there wasn’t an ounce of gratitude on Hiram’s face. In fact, if he didn’t know any better, he might have thought it contrived…

Without a word of excuse or farewell, the Eldouir slowly turned and headed for his room. He had something delicious waiting there for him…

[ Exit Hiram, Siren may NPC Elena ]

Adeline focused in on Embric as he approached, studying him intently before her gaze raised to search the crowd behind him, staying alert for anymore funny business. Her eyes snapped back to Embric when he started speaking about the dog at his feet. She looked down, one eyebrow raised. "This is not your dyr?" she asked, knowing only the youngest among the Dresmondi were without an animal.

Still, her interest was piqued. She tilted her head as she studied the dog. "Come," she said, expecting the dog to approach. If it did, she would have it sit before tentatively reaching out to pet it between its ears. "Does it know how to attack?" It sounded like an innocent question, coming from Adeline.

Next to her, Elena scoffed. "Eldouirs do not need attack dogs." She waved a hand dismissively, already having decided the animal was not worth her time. Adeline made a noise of agreeance, and yet her eyes still held a hint of interest. Slowly, she looked back to Embric.

"I will take the dog and you may have a brand." She motioned for a servant to take the dog's leash and lead it back into the estate, watching it walk off for a moment before she turned her attention back to the crowd, her gaze skipping over Embric, already having dismissed him.

“No, he is not,” Embric said carefully, hand tightening somewhat around the leather at the implication that he would have leashed his dyr like she was some untamed animal. From the air, Aine also expressed her offense at the suggestion, though she knew well the wisdom of refraining from shitting on Adeline’s head when her human was currently at the Eldouir’s mercy. Hesitating for a moment, Embric added, “If you would like to see her, I can show you.” If, and only if, either of the queens expressed such an interest, he would raise his arm, and Aine would swoop down in a flash of white, dark eyes fixed on the red heads before them. Otherwise, she would stay circling high above, out of reach if not quite out of mind.

Echo, having known primarily the kindness of his humans, had little reason to be wary of the woman summoning him. The remaining pieces of Embric’s heart shattered further while he forced his fingers to loosen around the leather lead. After a final glance up at him, as if asking for permission, the dog stood and trotted happily over to the redhead, sitting at her feet and tail thumping as he accepted the pat to his head.

Adeline’s question drew his gaze from the canine back to her, and he had to swallow before finding his voice again. “He does not,” He answered, mouth dry, simultaneously wanting to know why she would ask such a thing while dreading the answer all the same. When Elena spoke, dismissive, his eyes flicked to her, and something like hope fluttered in his chest - if they weren’t interested, perhaps he could keep Echo - only to be crushed moments later with Adeline’s acceptance. In contrast to the fortification built by the worry of potentially not earning a brand, the relief that came with receiving another offered as much protection as a piece of fabric against the flood of horror and guilt at the future he had just subjected Echo to. Unable to talk, he bowed again, cast a final look at Echo’s departing form, and stepped to the side. If Aine was there, she took to the sky before he bowed, eyes fixed on the Eldouir for a moment before she turned with a flap of her wings to watch the canine disappear into the monster’s lair.