Personal Confinement 
Ash 2nd, 121 AoS
Mornings had gotten interesting for Rickter as of late, since the routine involved getting up to find new ways to either train or do his normal drills. After those were done and the sun gently warmed Kalzasi only a little, the wolf had gone into the Winter Palace to have his first meal for the day. Having dressed in his more comfortable attire rather than donning anything armor or uniform related, he found himself entering the common area where the House provided reception for guests. Waiting for him there was none other than his beloved Telion, with her attention buried in yet another book as she slightly slouched into the sofa. The wolf couldn't help but slightly grin at the sight, his advance quiet yet not exactly silent enough for her to notice his approach.
"Good morning." She greeted without looking up to him as he reached the sofa, and bent his knees enough to lower himself down to her level and kiss her forehead. Though she seemed to smile there was a hint of a grievance within her eyes that he couldn't shake, which led him to look sincerely upon her when he came to pull away.
"Good morning... Something wrong?" He finally checked with a hit of reluctance, unsure if he'd probably forgotten to do something for her or had said something otherwise. Yet Telion merely lifted her eyes from the book then, the folds pressed to a close as she rested it next to her lap on the sofa.
"Well, for the past few days now I've had a guard escort me from the palace, and he hasn't allowed me to commute beyond the Promenade at all. I'm lucky he allowed me past the Cloudhaven, even though I wasn't offering him much of a choice by then." She lightly explained with an unamused expression shot at him, to which the wolf looked at her, feeling contrite with a bit of his own amusement at her behalf.
"Well... About that..." His eyes diverted for a moment and Telion watched him, suspicion growing in her gaze as she tilted her head slightly to the left a bit. "I had asked Tarshenna if she could spare a guard the other day... So that might be why." Though he had a reason behind the request of course, given that Telion had reached the third point of her pregnancy. Either way, the healer's shoulders dropped and she looked disheartened, leading the wolf to generally sulk at her response in turn.
"Why? You know I don't need someone to watch me, Rickter." He puffed a low growl in response and averted his gaze completely away now, troubled by her displeasure even though he meant well by the action.
"Well, love, in case you haven't forgotten... we have enemies waiting to strike." Not to mention the fact they knew to expect them, though the wolf hadn't the slightest idea as to when. "You're with child after all, and they're bound to look for any openings they can utilize." He didn't want to intimidate her with his own reasoning, so when he looked to her once more it was with sincerity, even though Telion clearly wasn't on board with the suggestion, to begin with. "...I just want to make sure your safe, even when I'm not around at the time."
The bard's eyes lifted into a near roll before she sighed, with a heavy lean into the cushion of the sofa as looked about for a moment. "I'm not in danger, Rickter, if anything it's you I'm more worried about." He brought a hand up to her head then, his fingertips used to pull strands of her yellow hair back behind her ear. He smiled a little more then, softly, but in a way that evoked sincere appreciation toward her when their eyes met.
"I'll be fine," he promised, "I just want you safe." Telion released exasperation through her nose with a sigh, before leaning in to meet him at the forehead as he drew close. After a moment of them lingering he leaned further in to rest a gentle kiss on her lips, the bard looking up to him as he gradually rose back to his natural height. "I love you, you know."
"I do know," she remarked with a small grin, "and I love you too." The wolf's lips softened more into a smile at her words, his eyes taking in the sight of her reaching for the book once more, opening it to find the page where she'd left off. She had a bit of a belly now but surprisingly wasn't showing too strongly, indicating that they still had a bit more time left before their newest additions would arrive in the world. Even now he could hear them faintly with his own ears, the two faint heartbeats that quietly drummed within her.
Even though he was scared at what the future might hold, for once, he felt at peace knowing that Telion would at least be within it. Having a family wasn't something he'd planned right away, nevertheless, he wanted it and welcomed the change it would bring. It often made him ponder what his Bondmates felt in regards to it, but the wolf cherished the fact they were all so supportive with one another deeply. "By the way," the healer prosed toward him once she found her page, "have you ever thought about meeting "One-day" again by chance?"
At the mention of the name Rickter remembered the last couple times he'd only glimpsed him, the first being the Ash Festival Ball really, and then a couple of other sparse moments where they hadn't the time to interact really. He'd been so busy trying to keep up with everything else, that he'd been caught up in what mattered most to him, and disregarded anything else that just fell into that 'extra' category; and became unnecessary to him. "To be honest no..." He admitted with a careful transition onto the sofa, determined not to plop down next to her so that he could sit on this particular conversation. "I don't think I need to really. Whoever he is to me doesn't matter, not when I have you and the others that I want to look after." He then narrowed his eyes somewhat in vivid curiosity, looking upon her as Telion softly smiled toward him. "What brought this on?"
He was genuinely curious as to where it came from, and why Telion of all people was concerned about someone she'd never even met. "I only wondered is all," she clarified as she settled back into the cushion behind her, "there was a time where I thought you wanted to meet them."
"Maybe I did once..." He gathered with a reasonable tone. "Doesn't matter to me anymore though. What matters now is you, Talon, and Aoren.... with the addition of Hannah as well." The bard gently chuckled in response to that. "I don't need to know where i came from, not when I have my own family to look after now." Rickter rested a hand on her knee then, the sincerity in his eyes awarded with another warm grin from the woman next to him. As she looked a little more chipper than before, Telion's eyes lowered back down to the book then, her lips curved into a darling of a smile as she responded to him.
"I see, well, Hannah and Trevor are already out in the gardens waiting on you." She then added with another glance his way, winking to him when she added the statement in turn. "Better go see what they want."
"Probably more training, but knowing them, also more favors to pull." He mused with a humble grin before pushing himself off the sofa, the frame beneath the cushion lightly squeaking from the stress of his weight upon rising. "I'll be back in a little bit love, once I've figured out what they want." He expressed with a fond look down to her, hopeful that she might still be here or at least nearby once he returned.
"Okay, I'll be here, planning my next project." She remarked softly as the wolf drew to walk past her, only to bend once more and place an earnest kiss atop her crown. As he started to head toward the door he watched her glance toward him, before her eyes fell back down into the book she carefully studied in her lap. When he returned he would have to do something that she might like, or perhaps take her out himself since he wouldn't mind escorting her further into the city. While she didn't need to be out and about for too long, he reasoned that a bit of time out on the town wouldn't harm her either.
Thus the wolf parted from the room with thoughts of his beloved and the rest of his family in mind.
"Good morning." She greeted without looking up to him as he reached the sofa, and bent his knees enough to lower himself down to her level and kiss her forehead. Though she seemed to smile there was a hint of a grievance within her eyes that he couldn't shake, which led him to look sincerely upon her when he came to pull away.
"Good morning... Something wrong?" He finally checked with a hit of reluctance, unsure if he'd probably forgotten to do something for her or had said something otherwise. Yet Telion merely lifted her eyes from the book then, the folds pressed to a close as she rested it next to her lap on the sofa.
"Well, for the past few days now I've had a guard escort me from the palace, and he hasn't allowed me to commute beyond the Promenade at all. I'm lucky he allowed me past the Cloudhaven, even though I wasn't offering him much of a choice by then." She lightly explained with an unamused expression shot at him, to which the wolf looked at her, feeling contrite with a bit of his own amusement at her behalf.
"Well... About that..." His eyes diverted for a moment and Telion watched him, suspicion growing in her gaze as she tilted her head slightly to the left a bit. "I had asked Tarshenna if she could spare a guard the other day... So that might be why." Though he had a reason behind the request of course, given that Telion had reached the third point of her pregnancy. Either way, the healer's shoulders dropped and she looked disheartened, leading the wolf to generally sulk at her response in turn.
"Why? You know I don't need someone to watch me, Rickter." He puffed a low growl in response and averted his gaze completely away now, troubled by her displeasure even though he meant well by the action.
"Well, love, in case you haven't forgotten... we have enemies waiting to strike." Not to mention the fact they knew to expect them, though the wolf hadn't the slightest idea as to when. "You're with child after all, and they're bound to look for any openings they can utilize." He didn't want to intimidate her with his own reasoning, so when he looked to her once more it was with sincerity, even though Telion clearly wasn't on board with the suggestion, to begin with. "...I just want to make sure your safe, even when I'm not around at the time."
The bard's eyes lifted into a near roll before she sighed, with a heavy lean into the cushion of the sofa as looked about for a moment. "I'm not in danger, Rickter, if anything it's you I'm more worried about." He brought a hand up to her head then, his fingertips used to pull strands of her yellow hair back behind her ear. He smiled a little more then, softly, but in a way that evoked sincere appreciation toward her when their eyes met.
"I'll be fine," he promised, "I just want you safe." Telion released exasperation through her nose with a sigh, before leaning in to meet him at the forehead as he drew close. After a moment of them lingering he leaned further in to rest a gentle kiss on her lips, the bard looking up to him as he gradually rose back to his natural height. "I love you, you know."
"I do know," she remarked with a small grin, "and I love you too." The wolf's lips softened more into a smile at her words, his eyes taking in the sight of her reaching for the book once more, opening it to find the page where she'd left off. She had a bit of a belly now but surprisingly wasn't showing too strongly, indicating that they still had a bit more time left before their newest additions would arrive in the world. Even now he could hear them faintly with his own ears, the two faint heartbeats that quietly drummed within her.
Even though he was scared at what the future might hold, for once, he felt at peace knowing that Telion would at least be within it. Having a family wasn't something he'd planned right away, nevertheless, he wanted it and welcomed the change it would bring. It often made him ponder what his Bondmates felt in regards to it, but the wolf cherished the fact they were all so supportive with one another deeply. "By the way," the healer prosed toward him once she found her page, "have you ever thought about meeting "One-day" again by chance?"
At the mention of the name Rickter remembered the last couple times he'd only glimpsed him, the first being the Ash Festival Ball really, and then a couple of other sparse moments where they hadn't the time to interact really. He'd been so busy trying to keep up with everything else, that he'd been caught up in what mattered most to him, and disregarded anything else that just fell into that 'extra' category; and became unnecessary to him. "To be honest no..." He admitted with a careful transition onto the sofa, determined not to plop down next to her so that he could sit on this particular conversation. "I don't think I need to really. Whoever he is to me doesn't matter, not when I have you and the others that I want to look after." He then narrowed his eyes somewhat in vivid curiosity, looking upon her as Telion softly smiled toward him. "What brought this on?"
He was genuinely curious as to where it came from, and why Telion of all people was concerned about someone she'd never even met. "I only wondered is all," she clarified as she settled back into the cushion behind her, "there was a time where I thought you wanted to meet them."
"Maybe I did once..." He gathered with a reasonable tone. "Doesn't matter to me anymore though. What matters now is you, Talon, and Aoren.... with the addition of Hannah as well." The bard gently chuckled in response to that. "I don't need to know where i came from, not when I have my own family to look after now." Rickter rested a hand on her knee then, the sincerity in his eyes awarded with another warm grin from the woman next to him. As she looked a little more chipper than before, Telion's eyes lowered back down to the book then, her lips curved into a darling of a smile as she responded to him.
"I see, well, Hannah and Trevor are already out in the gardens waiting on you." She then added with another glance his way, winking to him when she added the statement in turn. "Better go see what they want."
"Probably more training, but knowing them, also more favors to pull." He mused with a humble grin before pushing himself off the sofa, the frame beneath the cushion lightly squeaking from the stress of his weight upon rising. "I'll be back in a little bit love, once I've figured out what they want." He expressed with a fond look down to her, hopeful that she might still be here or at least nearby once he returned.
"Okay, I'll be here, planning my next project." She remarked softly as the wolf drew to walk past her, only to bend once more and place an earnest kiss atop her crown. As he started to head toward the door he watched her glance toward him, before her eyes fell back down into the book she carefully studied in her lap. When he returned he would have to do something that she might like, or perhaps take her out himself since he wouldn't mind escorting her further into the city. While she didn't need to be out and about for too long, he reasoned that a bit of time out on the town wouldn't harm her either.
Thus the wolf parted from the room with thoughts of his beloved and the rest of his family in mind.
"Common" "Synskrit" "Norvaegan"
"Rickter" "Telion" "Hannah"
"Rickter" "Telion" "Hannah"
"Every side attacks you when you don't pick sides."
