Internally, the shade berated himself and cursed himself, he searched high and low for d'Artagnan the Nightshade, for he would never let such idiotic things trouble him. The heartless, the murderer, the swine and hell's proud son, was playing hard to catch. He would've been all right if it wasn't for this, this blue eyed wench who had dragged up memories he wanted to leave forgotten and move on. Reminded him of the beating heart inside his chest that caused him so much pain these days. Life had never prepared him for this, instead it had played with him and tossed him aside when it had finished. As eyes closed to the world briefly, teeth slid together in a harsh grind, he should know these feelings do nothing but hinder and disarm. It made him look weak and vulnerable. His father had been an ignorant, callous bastard, but if there was one lesson d'Artagnan respected and never forgot, was that the heart did nothing but break you. A ticking time bomb that would eventually kill you. So why now could he not cast it aside, or had he never cast it aside, but ignored it instead. He swallowed and focussed on his breathing, remembering everything he hated and why he was here, why he was not 'home' where he was born. Why he wasn't still Doctor of the Worlds Edge. Yet this mare-

Will you be defeated here?

Aramis' comment forced a short snort of harsh humour from the stud's nostrils, but his mind began to click in slow realization. I will never be defeated he replied to the hell dog with an offended tone, like anyone would dare ask such a question. Yet, the hound perservered and risked over stepping the mark, a soldier shouldn't talk to his Commander in such a manner, but Aramis did all the same.

This mare has you by the throat in a single glance. You might as well admit defeat. d'Artagnan felt his anger boiling, the sound of Mauja bluntly announcing his name passing over his head in a sea of red as ears slid back at the absurdity of Aramis' proclomation of what d'Artagnan truly feared. No. He would not prove his bonded right, it was time he addressed this beating heart that put doubt in his mind and dryness in his mouth. Eyes shifted from Mauja, drifted along her grey body until finally his eyes went to find her painful blue pools, if he could master this, maybe he could master everything else. Though in his mastering, d'Artagnan forgot about the expression on his face that had turned into one of loathing and hate that now stared down at Nyx like she was the last thing on earth he ever wanted to see.

Aramis returned Irma's almost eye rolling look with a canine laugh that almost sounded like a cough, a feeling he certianly could relate to. She started to preen herself and his mind drifted, picking up the strands of anger from d'Artagnan with a satisfied nod. If the brute was annoyed, he was probably happier than he was before.

Aramis, don't ask stupid questions.

The hound had to smile, there was still a long way to go yet, but today was progress and perhaps he'd finally broken through to the idiot who needed to remember exactly who he was.

Yes sir!