Nailed To A Broken Dream
30th of Solace, Glade, 122nd Year, AoS
Evening had rolled in with the late sun finally set below the horizon, the pack having gathered back in their hut as Telion and Patrick finished cooking dinner together. It was strange to have another cook within the pack, but the delightful smells that came out of the tiny kitchen were a good omen. As Rickter and Hannah finished dressing the twins after their wash, which took place after their feeding time prior to mother dearest's aid in cooking. It was an interesting dynamic for Rickter to see really given that they had only been here together for about twenty-five or six days.
When dinner was ready and placed on the table, the adults gathered at their chairs as the parents each held a child. Since Patrick had been the main cook for tonight's meal, the combination of cooked beef with fluffy potatoes and sliced carrots were shared; with a nice bowl of rice to add on top of it. It before they started eating, however, that Patrick started a conversation over the passing of food. "Not long 'til we're due for war, huh?" He casually brought up as he handed over the bowl of potatoes to Hannah, as Telion looked at him confused for a moment.
""Huh? What do you mean?" She inquired with her attention shared to the brown-headed child in her left arm.
"He means the coming war between Zaichaer and Kalzasi." Hannah declared plainly as though it were common knowledge. "I'm willing to bet both sides are getting their shit together, so they can start knocking on one another before season's end."
Patrick tilted his head in response to that before carrying the topic on farther, as the last of the adult's plates were settled with their meal. Rickter had obviously been the first to dig into his dish, already famished as it were from the constant practice found in his training. "Atinaw being on the Imperium's doorstep, my Pa brought home stories of war before the Five Kings Accords. What little he did really share scared us all."
Telion looked from her plate to Patrick, with sympathy in her eyes toward the Atinoran. "That sounds rough. My father and uncle were also involved in the war, neither one of them ever made it back home though." Rickter paused from biting another bit of beef from his fork, with a mindful glance to check on Kendric, the blonde twin, before eyeing his beloved alpha curiously.
"Oh... damn... I'm sorry." Patrick apologized awkwardly as he didn't realize he might've brought up a sore subject. Even so, Rickter had learned just a bit more about these two now. New things that felt much like a discovery to him,
Telion on the other hand shrugged her shoulders with a gentle smile. "It was a rough time, but I had my mother and grandmother there to walk me through it."
"Where are they now?" The wolf inquired in a soft-spoken tone, his attention now more fixed on Kendric as the child started to squirm.
"Well, my mother passed years later, and if I know Gramms she'd still be working the garden outside our house. To this day." Telion remarked with remarkable acceptance in her tone, with notable confidence on how her life prior to Kalzasi was before she left.
"Ma always did like the produce in Loras, especially the tea grown there." Patrick remarked after having taken a few bites of his own meal.
"So what, you two just happen to know each other?" Hannah posed at Patrick and Telion, with a suspicious glance shot to both. Telion couldn't help but laugh of course.
"Not quite! Clans tend to have close-knit communities no matter where you go, so it was no surprise that my grandma knew Patrick's grandmother. So my parents knew Elinora and Albert growing up as well." The healer elaborated before she finally took a moment to dig into her food.
"Now, that doesn't go without saying, that she's probably met one of my older brothers at least once. Dominik always loved going on the trips she'd make over there. Besides, what strikes me is how often I can't help a thought." Patrick's eyes moved from the general table onto Hannah specifically. "Which is that I think I know you from somewhere too, come to think of it."
Hannah's eyes grew a bit big at the implication yet she tilted her head aside, smiling shamelessly as she forked at her veggies a few times. "Oh? I've been down south several times now, over the past few years actually, that was before I met Telion though. Have you ever spent time in Tirek? At the Black Pearl?"
The sudden look of revelation filled Patrick's expression, as he dropped his fork to point at the rogue excitedly. "That's it! You were the one, really into that girl with the dragon tattoos, weren't you? What did she go by again?"
Hannah could only chuckle with a grin before she shared the name. "Veronica The Destroyer, hella fun she was."
"Ha! That's right. Then you were there, the night that I-" Hannah narrowed her eyes at him quickly when he flashed his fingers upward toward her, as though a rather inappropriate memory came to mind when she saw it.
"Oh! No shit!? Were you the guy who could do that electricity thing? That was actually quite nice." Rickter's eyebrows rose as he awkwardly clenched his jaw, while Telion released her fork onto the plate to keep from outbursting at the pair. Hannah and Patrick both beheld varying levels of humored shock, no pun intended, as the rogue clearly bluffed over having no personal attachment.
"...Can we change the conversation now?" The wolf lightly suggested in favor of his poor pups, and how inappropriate this conversation was as a dinner topic.
Telion managed to control her laughs into giggles at least, with a few shakes of her head as she looked at the pair terribly amused. "I don't think I needed to know this about either of you." After taking a moment to breathe and relax once more, the mother continued to resume eating as they talked over dinner. "Oh well! Here's a thought... Where do you see yourself in a year? After the war is settled."
"Mmm, good one!" The Barnell mumbled through his next bite, as he focused on eating that before beginning with his story.
"I'll be getting a nice ass boat with my nobility restored," Hannah volunteered with a warm grin toward the group, "maybe even go into business like my parents did. If we're ever back in Kalzasi."
"I'll probably be working on whatever novel tickles my fancy at the time, if I haven't already finished the one I've been pondering about lately."Patrick shared after a hefty gulp, with a budding grin as he seemed thoughtful about it. "Realistically? I'll probably be groomed by my parents to take over the business, with my brothers, but, I wouldn't mind seeing what shenanigans you all get caught up in either." He admitted with a humble nod as he looked among the lot, a little proud to be sharing a table with the people in front of him.
Even the rogue giggled with an admirable look toward the pair, appreciative of the parents and the two growing babies in their arms. "Never a dull moment with these two, I'll agree with you on that front." She followed the statement with a sip from her mug.
"Hey, whoever said I never loved the adventure in my life?" Telion remarked with a light grin to Rickter, as he could at least form a half-smile if that. Yet it was was what she said next, though, that drew his attention to her. "Be it in Kalzasi or not, I just want us all to feel at home again. A place where everyone that comes has a place to hang their hood, and a hot meal waiting for them after a long day. Preferably within the city limits, but I wouldn't mind the countryside once more."
What she described spoke to him so deeply, probably because he had wanted something similar as of late. "... Solitude. A home where we look out for one another, and a haven from all the troubles in the world. Ideally, that would be where I am in the future, after we've finished this war and saved our comrades." Come to think of it there was a time when he would've done anything for those who were now gone, where the precious few he still had could no longer be afforded that luxury. Not with this war. He knew if they were going to be out there, fighting, just like he intended to do... then they were at risk of getting hurt as well.
"Sounds like paradise, big guy." Hannah quipped almost with an impressed tone, surprised to hear the wolf's own potential dreams for their future. Not that he actually believed it would happen of course, yet he had to at least consider trying something to preserve his options.
"You'd really build such a place for everyone?" Patrick inquired curiously before he thought about it, reflecting a situation that the wolf would likely face. "What if they can't all get along?"
"Well... There'd be some ground rules to follow, but if it's to preserve that peace between us, then everyone under our protection... And all of you. Everyone gets their share of long and fulfilling lives, which is what I want for us all." Rickter admitted as he looked down at the child in his arm, more affixed on him now than on what was left of his meal.
"One day," Telion shared gently as she watched him affectionately, "we'll get there together." Though he could only feign a smile, Rickter did his best to fully believe in those words. However, even now the wolf struggled to fully embrace that idea. Not because he didn't want to, nor there was any fear of commitment to them either. He just... feared for their safety. To a point where he felt it better if he weren't there at all. Rather...
He'd left them all alone.
30th of Solace, Glade, 122nd Year, AoS
Evening had rolled in with the late sun finally set below the horizon, the pack having gathered back in their hut as Telion and Patrick finished cooking dinner together. It was strange to have another cook within the pack, but the delightful smells that came out of the tiny kitchen were a good omen. As Rickter and Hannah finished dressing the twins after their wash, which took place after their feeding time prior to mother dearest's aid in cooking. It was an interesting dynamic for Rickter to see really given that they had only been here together for about twenty-five or six days.
When dinner was ready and placed on the table, the adults gathered at their chairs as the parents each held a child. Since Patrick had been the main cook for tonight's meal, the combination of cooked beef with fluffy potatoes and sliced carrots were shared; with a nice bowl of rice to add on top of it. It before they started eating, however, that Patrick started a conversation over the passing of food. "Not long 'til we're due for war, huh?" He casually brought up as he handed over the bowl of potatoes to Hannah, as Telion looked at him confused for a moment.
""Huh? What do you mean?" She inquired with her attention shared to the brown-headed child in her left arm.
"He means the coming war between Zaichaer and Kalzasi." Hannah declared plainly as though it were common knowledge. "I'm willing to bet both sides are getting their shit together, so they can start knocking on one another before season's end."
Patrick tilted his head in response to that before carrying the topic on farther, as the last of the adult's plates were settled with their meal. Rickter had obviously been the first to dig into his dish, already famished as it were from the constant practice found in his training. "Atinaw being on the Imperium's doorstep, my Pa brought home stories of war before the Five Kings Accords. What little he did really share scared us all."
Telion looked from her plate to Patrick, with sympathy in her eyes toward the Atinoran. "That sounds rough. My father and uncle were also involved in the war, neither one of them ever made it back home though." Rickter paused from biting another bit of beef from his fork, with a mindful glance to check on Kendric, the blonde twin, before eyeing his beloved alpha curiously.
"Oh... damn... I'm sorry." Patrick apologized awkwardly as he didn't realize he might've brought up a sore subject. Even so, Rickter had learned just a bit more about these two now. New things that felt much like a discovery to him,
Telion on the other hand shrugged her shoulders with a gentle smile. "It was a rough time, but I had my mother and grandmother there to walk me through it."
"Where are they now?" The wolf inquired in a soft-spoken tone, his attention now more fixed on Kendric as the child started to squirm.
"Well, my mother passed years later, and if I know Gramms she'd still be working the garden outside our house. To this day." Telion remarked with remarkable acceptance in her tone, with notable confidence on how her life prior to Kalzasi was before she left.
"Ma always did like the produce in Loras, especially the tea grown there." Patrick remarked after having taken a few bites of his own meal.
"So what, you two just happen to know each other?" Hannah posed at Patrick and Telion, with a suspicious glance shot to both. Telion couldn't help but laugh of course.
"Not quite! Clans tend to have close-knit communities no matter where you go, so it was no surprise that my grandma knew Patrick's grandmother. So my parents knew Elinora and Albert growing up as well." The healer elaborated before she finally took a moment to dig into her food.
"Now, that doesn't go without saying, that she's probably met one of my older brothers at least once. Dominik always loved going on the trips she'd make over there. Besides, what strikes me is how often I can't help a thought." Patrick's eyes moved from the general table onto Hannah specifically. "Which is that I think I know you from somewhere too, come to think of it."
Hannah's eyes grew a bit big at the implication yet she tilted her head aside, smiling shamelessly as she forked at her veggies a few times. "Oh? I've been down south several times now, over the past few years actually, that was before I met Telion though. Have you ever spent time in Tirek? At the Black Pearl?"
The sudden look of revelation filled Patrick's expression, as he dropped his fork to point at the rogue excitedly. "That's it! You were the one, really into that girl with the dragon tattoos, weren't you? What did she go by again?"
Hannah could only chuckle with a grin before she shared the name. "Veronica The Destroyer, hella fun she was."
"Ha! That's right. Then you were there, the night that I-" Hannah narrowed her eyes at him quickly when he flashed his fingers upward toward her, as though a rather inappropriate memory came to mind when she saw it.
"Oh! No shit!? Were you the guy who could do that electricity thing? That was actually quite nice." Rickter's eyebrows rose as he awkwardly clenched his jaw, while Telion released her fork onto the plate to keep from outbursting at the pair. Hannah and Patrick both beheld varying levels of humored shock, no pun intended, as the rogue clearly bluffed over having no personal attachment.
"...Can we change the conversation now?" The wolf lightly suggested in favor of his poor pups, and how inappropriate this conversation was as a dinner topic.
Telion managed to control her laughs into giggles at least, with a few shakes of her head as she looked at the pair terribly amused. "I don't think I needed to know this about either of you." After taking a moment to breathe and relax once more, the mother continued to resume eating as they talked over dinner. "Oh well! Here's a thought... Where do you see yourself in a year? After the war is settled."
"Mmm, good one!" The Barnell mumbled through his next bite, as he focused on eating that before beginning with his story.
"I'll be getting a nice ass boat with my nobility restored," Hannah volunteered with a warm grin toward the group, "maybe even go into business like my parents did. If we're ever back in Kalzasi."
"I'll probably be working on whatever novel tickles my fancy at the time, if I haven't already finished the one I've been pondering about lately."Patrick shared after a hefty gulp, with a budding grin as he seemed thoughtful about it. "Realistically? I'll probably be groomed by my parents to take over the business, with my brothers, but, I wouldn't mind seeing what shenanigans you all get caught up in either." He admitted with a humble nod as he looked among the lot, a little proud to be sharing a table with the people in front of him.
Even the rogue giggled with an admirable look toward the pair, appreciative of the parents and the two growing babies in their arms. "Never a dull moment with these two, I'll agree with you on that front." She followed the statement with a sip from her mug.
"Hey, whoever said I never loved the adventure in my life?" Telion remarked with a light grin to Rickter, as he could at least form a half-smile if that. Yet it was was what she said next, though, that drew his attention to her. "Be it in Kalzasi or not, I just want us all to feel at home again. A place where everyone that comes has a place to hang their hood, and a hot meal waiting for them after a long day. Preferably within the city limits, but I wouldn't mind the countryside once more."
What she described spoke to him so deeply, probably because he had wanted something similar as of late. "... Solitude. A home where we look out for one another, and a haven from all the troubles in the world. Ideally, that would be where I am in the future, after we've finished this war and saved our comrades." Come to think of it there was a time when he would've done anything for those who were now gone, where the precious few he still had could no longer be afforded that luxury. Not with this war. He knew if they were going to be out there, fighting, just like he intended to do... then they were at risk of getting hurt as well.
"Sounds like paradise, big guy." Hannah quipped almost with an impressed tone, surprised to hear the wolf's own potential dreams for their future. Not that he actually believed it would happen of course, yet he had to at least consider trying something to preserve his options.
"You'd really build such a place for everyone?" Patrick inquired curiously before he thought about it, reflecting a situation that the wolf would likely face. "What if they can't all get along?"
"Well... There'd be some ground rules to follow, but if it's to preserve that peace between us, then everyone under our protection... And all of you. Everyone gets their share of long and fulfilling lives, which is what I want for us all." Rickter admitted as he looked down at the child in his arm, more affixed on him now than on what was left of his meal.
"One day," Telion shared gently as she watched him affectionately, "we'll get there together." Though he could only feign a smile, Rickter did his best to fully believe in those words. However, even now the wolf struggled to fully embrace that idea. Not because he didn't want to, nor there was any fear of commitment to them either. He just... feared for their safety. To a point where he felt it better if he weren't there at all. Rather...
He'd left them all alone.
"Common" "Synskrit" "Norvaegan"
"Rickter" "Telion" "Hannah" "Patrick"
"Rickter" "Telion" "Hannah" "Patrick"
