we built this city on broken glass

The satisfied crunch of Abigail's carrot momentarily echoed within that kitchen space. The WerePanda seated across from him seemed nothing short of delighted with the collection of vegetables he'd presented her with. Frost having included several of his own favorites within that mix in an effort to show the young woman just how much choice she might have if she dared to brave a grocery store. Abigail, for now at least, seemed largely won over by the purple carrot. Its taste was nothing short of unique as its colour. Frost's lips tugged uward ever so slightly in the vaguest of smiles, that simper nothing short of fleeting and yet the stallion was rarely inclined to emotive displays of any kind. His features so shifting back to that near stoic look as his violet gaze returned to the man at his side as Oliver offered his thoughts on the stock market and the impact the covid pandemic had made upon the business world at large. Investing, in this climate, was more a gamble then it had ever been. Frost had suspected as much. His own interest in the market, at this stage, was little more than curiosity and yet Oliver excelled at such things. The other man's insights into that business world were intriguing. This crypto currency however was another manner entirely. It was, to Frosts understanding, a currency that both did and did not exist all at once. A schrodinger's cat of money and one the world seemed veritably obsessed with all at once. The notion of a 'meme' however, had been lost upon the equine alpha entirely. Frost's use of the internet was limited at best, the notion of a picture with words that was supposed to be funny was all but lost upon the Alpha even after he had been shown several of them. Oliver, however, was certain that this crypto-currency was a gamble worth taking- if only to capitalize upon the hype.

"No, I don't. I'm not familiar enough with it to make investments at this stage. I do not make a habit of putting my money into something I do not understand entirely. Have you invested in it yourself yet?"

The pack had already been doing well before Oliver had joined them. The hunter Council paid well for the services Frost himself provided them and yet the other man had brought with him considerably more money- and experience in expanding it. Frost was hardly foolish enough not to attempt to indulge in the knowledge Oliver brought. The sudden sound of the front door momentarily prompted the stallion's gaze upward. Malia. She had returned- and without being arrested this time. How pleasing. Frost had become used to his Beta's desire to return to the forest for a time each month. Her transition to civilisation had hardly been easy, the young woman seeming to find a solace of sorts within the wilds. One Frost himself was inclined to understand The city, at times, was nothing short of prresive and a far cry from the open plains of Iceland he so often missed. Malia, in turn, seemed to return from those trips entirely recharged. Frost, by that notion, had been content to permit them- provided she swore not to attract unwanted attention from law enforcement or otherwise. The young wolf had, so far, managed to retain that very promise. Frost's gaze shafted back to Oliver then as his companion continued with that plan for inventing their own sort of currency. Perhaps it was worth considering that very thing. Whatever else Oliver had been about to say however was abruptly cut short by Malia's scream. The sound entwined with his own name.

Oliver seemed to tense all at once, the man shifting instinctively to protect Abigail, the WerePanda suggesting that Malia seemed to want Frost's attention. How perceptive. Frost merely allowed one eye to raise, the stallion, for now, remaining within his seat as if unconcerned by that screaming. Abigail, however, was quick to suggest that such screaming might be due to her and Oliver having overtaken a closet. A notion Oliver seemed equally as dubious about and yet Abigail, as always, was quick to dance from one topic to the next. The WerePanda seemed to realise that Oliver had not yet met Malia and that now was by far the most perfect time. A soft and yet no less audible sigh left the often quiet stallion's nose as Abigail rushed from the kitchen only to begin shouting up the stairs with equal fervor. Oliver alone was left to hear that sound as the Bear inquired whether or not Frost's women were frequently prone to this sort of....loudness. Frost's gaze shifted toward Oliver once more.

"The screaming is commonplace, the source behind it though is not. They usually only scream when they are excited."

Those very words were as cool as always. Frost himself, so rarely prone to any kind of excitement, was content to rise slowly from that chair and begin to follow Oliver towards the staircase as the other man attempted to assure Abigail that perhaps now was not the best time to meet Malia. How very right he was. Malia had been bound to discover the loss of Nadya sooner or later and yet Frost had hoped he might be given the chance to speak to his Beta first. He had hardly anticipated she might seek Nadya's room immediately. Perhaps he should have. The pair had been close and Malia was sure to notice the absence of the Panther and her children. Frost's efforts to reach the staircase however were hampered by the sudden presence of another. A scent he knew well. A loose thread within those pack ties that tugges potently at him in near the same moment. Eddie. It had been....months, years even since the WereFox had last set foot within his home. Her leaving, those years ago, having been near strikingly similar to Nadya's now and yet how little Frost found he cared for those specifics. He knew why Edith had left. Kato had always been a...lure for her and yet Frost himself had found the an nothing short of disagreeable. Eddie's near quiet query as to whether or not this was a bad time was met with a momentary silence. Frost, for now, content to merely eye the woman. His features as expressionless as always.

"Yes. It is."

Those single, cool words, it seemed, were all the equine was inclined to offer his former Beta as he moved to step past her and into the hall before mounting those stairs.

"Edith."

Frost paused upon that fifth stair, his villet gaze shifting to meet her own beneath that near mop off snowy white hair that entirely seemed to threaten to cover his eyes entirely. The stallion only waited so long as it took the woman to acknowledge him.

"I have pack to attend to but I will have time for you afterward. Abigail might share a carrot with you while you wait- if you are lucky."

Whether or not those very words were designed to be humours so remained to be seen. Frost's voice was distinctly emotionless as always as the stallion moved to finish climbing those stairs. Feeding Edie, in the least, might provide a distraction for Abigail. One that would prevent Oliver from having to further explain why now was perhaps not the ideal time for him to meet Malia. There was much to be said to Edith in turn and yet- pack came first. It always had. Malia, in that moment, so surely needing him more. The stallion was quick to finish climbing those stairs before crossing the landing to reach Malia, the young woman all but clinging to the door frame of what had been the children's room. Nadya had been gone for...some time now. Frost having built those metaphorical walls within himself over the loss so very high they were all but impossible to climb and yet that near stoic nature was nothing short of needed. Malia did not need a distressed Alpha. She needed one inclined to put back those broken pieces. One inclined to do his job. No matter the hurt within himself. Frost's hand lifted to rest agianst her shoulder a moment, assuring her of his presence before returning his arm to himself as she turned to face him.

"I am sorry, Malia- but Nadya and the children have gone. There was no fight between us, no falling out or argument. Nadya simply decided to leave. I wish I knew why lítill úlfur, but she told me nothing. She simply left us."

Those words were straightforward, direct, honest as so many of the stallion's phrases were inclined to be and yet, this time, the equine's voice was inclined to hold a note of softness. One offered to Malia alone.

FrosT