Tension Rising
The sharp cries of the twins had finally waned for ten minutes after a constant back and forth between the pair, and the house could resume its duties with some small peace of mind. Telion's recovery period had been harrowing in the beginning due to the fact she literally spent her time regrowing her limbs, and spent each part of her day pushing through the pain of retraining the newly grown muscle and tissue. This left a bit more of the parenting responsibility on Rickter, who had decidedly checked in on his beloved to find her resting once more.
A rest she needed. Having drank her medicinal tea to ease much of the pain she felt, the wolf had quietly moved onward down the corridor and into the main hall where he would turn once more. Rickter needed time to think given the fact things weren't going as steady as he had hoped, then again, the Eclipse had brought nothing but turmoil for the world overall. Since Frost had arrived the wolf had felt his powers in exuberance, but stifled them with a combination of his own Negation and Semblance powers. As much as he should've considered his newfound powers after his ascension to a Draegir, Rickter simply felt far too overwhelmed with the current state of things.
Nothing had been reported from the Imperium since their entourage of rescuers when down there, as the communications they did possess for a while went dark once the Eclipse had taken root in the sky overhead. Now, even with Talon returned to the city proper, Kalzasi had to fend of wave after wave of darkness, thankfully the return of the Dawn Draegir would keep their deposits of Illumite from diminishing within the mountain rage... But that didn't make the miners' job any less dangerous than what it used to be.
Kala often checked in to make sure that Telion was healing well, which she was progressively, but she also could tell the stress it invoked in Rickter at times also. Thus when the wolf marched through the main hall of the manor and out into the gardens, he took to find his own spot next to one of the ponds with several koi fish still swimming within. Even with the wards and warming devices instilled within the pond, the surface of the water had managed to ice over near the edges of the pond. Then again, it was the Frost season... Rickter's own domain no less.
Unphased by the overwhelming chill in the air the wolf took to sit upon one of the stones next to the pond. His icy blue eyes peered deeply into the still water's surface, as his mind tried to disengage from every rampant thought that wracked his consciousness. As he sat down with elbows planted on his knees, the sound of the sliding wooden door gently clicked shut within the garden. Through the snow, soft crunches suggested footsteps approached him, and given the scent and sound signatures he'd detected from the person; Rickter knew without even looking who had accompanied him out into his den of solitude.
"You look about as rough as Telion feels I imagine." A sore observation as it created a bitter sting within him, but Rickter felt no malice residing in Hannah's words. When he looked at her he immediately noticed how snuggly bundled up in her robes she was, having not mastered the ability to use Deference and stay warm that way. At the very least, magic seemed to remain functional around Rickter... which seemed an unexpected boon to have given the current times.
"I certainly feel in a similar way..." He admitted having considered how Telion really must have felt as of late. The comment garnered a curious gaze from Hannah, and she even slightly tilted her head as she bent her knees to stand at eye level with him.
"What's on your mind, Wolfman?" The tone of her inquiry remained genuine and Rickter struggled to understand why, given Hannah's candor and how she carried herself recently. Finally, he simply resolved to answer her question in a somber state of mind.
"After everything I've done... All that's happened. I can't fathom how everyone here still wants to keep me around." The wolf revealed with a sternly grim gaze still fixated on the pond. "Telion suffers now because of what I've done. Patrick's family still remains torn apart because of my inadequacy... And no news has been heard from the group on their progress either. How do we know I haven't just royally screwed everything up for us all?" Rickter then reasoned with a grind of his teeth, as he felt the stress weigh heavily within his jaw.
Hannah could only sigh before she narrowed her eyes on him as she would sometimes do. "Well, there you go certainly overthinking everything again, dumb ass." The namecalling felt deserved but even so, Rickter didn't believe himself to be 'overthinking' the issues as she stated. Perhaps... not overtly anyway. "I know you carry a lot of guilt over everything that's happened, you wear it just like you'd wear any suit of armor you've worn."
Hannah then pivoted to where she practically seated herself on his lap, positioning her head to where the wolf had no choice but to look into her brown eyes. "But understand this, Rickter Maze, none of us here hold half as much blame as you do on yourself. Quite frankly, I think we all have seen enough shit to know better." Her words of comfort came with soft caresses of his fuzzy cheeks, and for a moment the wolf felt his breath elevate with emotion in response. "What I'm trying to say is, you've made judgment calls and sure, they haven't exactly worked out in the way you expected them to. But that doesn't make you a monster or tyrant. You've simply drawn a shitty hand lately and played your cards the best way you felt how to."
"Honestly, I feel like I've grown tired of 'playing' anything after what's happened." The wolf reasoned as his head finally started to bow into her hands, the welling emotions threatening to break way from his eyelids as he pressed them to a close.
"That's what happens when you fuss about every little thing beyond your control. You wear yourself down and then beat yourself senseless with these thoughts you brood with." The brunette tactfully remarked as her fingers brushed over his cheeks affectionately.
"I'm not brooding..." He then proceeded to croak in a state of deniability, only to find that such an act remained useless in front of her. Hannah was one of few who literally knew Rickter so well, so much so, that he could almost hide nothing from her even if he tried. "...alright fine, I guess I am brooding."
"It's what you do best." The rogue teasingly padded his jawline when she expressed this, a near-light chuckle scoffed from his lips as she drew closer to rest her head on his shoulder. "But seriously, stop fixating on the stuff beyond your control. Nobody could've anticipated you'd come back a Draegir from the Warrens. Nor that the sky would go black and this Eclipse would plague all of us with new worldly issues." It was undeniable how close she was to him now, he could feel the warmth of her breath on his neck, and yet felt nothing flirtatious in her advances as he would've expected. "Just keep doing your best. Your family, both near and far, will always do what we can to support you."
No doubt she was chilled by the cold, but there was more to it than that. What Hannah was doing was a means of comforting Rickter, to keep him from withdrawing any further into this metaphorical shell he was creating for himself. "How is it you're so calm when usually you're angry over something?" He finally inquired having not forgotten the fact she'd been rather bitter over the past few months, at first he'd thought it had just been his behavior and how much it had driven his actions lately. Granted, he did receive punishment from her where it seemed warranted, but this was far different from the rogue he was used to seeing in recent weeks.
"I keep it bottled up so that I take it out on those that deserve it later." The brunette admitted with a playful smirk, but then leaned away from Rickter's shoulder with a more considerate gaze. "My anger is one of the things that always keep me grounded and focused, but rest assured, you aren't always the source or cause of that anger, Wolfman." She expressed affirmingly with another gentle brush of her hand through his beard. "We'll figure things out, and keep those responsible for these circumstances accountable."
"Yeah..." He slowly came to agree given he still played a role in the aforementioned circumstances, though, Rickter also hadn't forgotten those who also helped create them within their own roles. Such as that mysterious jester. "Yeah, I guess we will." He confirmed a sudden boost in confidence, garnering a smile from Hannah as she ruffled the tufts of hair on his head. Before too long they would return inside where it remained warmer, but for the small bit of time they had left in the garden, both Rickter and Hannah appreciated the unexpected quiet they found within.
Frost 50th, 122nd Year, A.o.S.
A rest she needed. Having drank her medicinal tea to ease much of the pain she felt, the wolf had quietly moved onward down the corridor and into the main hall where he would turn once more. Rickter needed time to think given the fact things weren't going as steady as he had hoped, then again, the Eclipse had brought nothing but turmoil for the world overall. Since Frost had arrived the wolf had felt his powers in exuberance, but stifled them with a combination of his own Negation and Semblance powers. As much as he should've considered his newfound powers after his ascension to a Draegir, Rickter simply felt far too overwhelmed with the current state of things.
Nothing had been reported from the Imperium since their entourage of rescuers when down there, as the communications they did possess for a while went dark once the Eclipse had taken root in the sky overhead. Now, even with Talon returned to the city proper, Kalzasi had to fend of wave after wave of darkness, thankfully the return of the Dawn Draegir would keep their deposits of Illumite from diminishing within the mountain rage... But that didn't make the miners' job any less dangerous than what it used to be.
Kala often checked in to make sure that Telion was healing well, which she was progressively, but she also could tell the stress it invoked in Rickter at times also. Thus when the wolf marched through the main hall of the manor and out into the gardens, he took to find his own spot next to one of the ponds with several koi fish still swimming within. Even with the wards and warming devices instilled within the pond, the surface of the water had managed to ice over near the edges of the pond. Then again, it was the Frost season... Rickter's own domain no less.
Unphased by the overwhelming chill in the air the wolf took to sit upon one of the stones next to the pond. His icy blue eyes peered deeply into the still water's surface, as his mind tried to disengage from every rampant thought that wracked his consciousness. As he sat down with elbows planted on his knees, the sound of the sliding wooden door gently clicked shut within the garden. Through the snow, soft crunches suggested footsteps approached him, and given the scent and sound signatures he'd detected from the person; Rickter knew without even looking who had accompanied him out into his den of solitude.
"You look about as rough as Telion feels I imagine." A sore observation as it created a bitter sting within him, but Rickter felt no malice residing in Hannah's words. When he looked at her he immediately noticed how snuggly bundled up in her robes she was, having not mastered the ability to use Deference and stay warm that way. At the very least, magic seemed to remain functional around Rickter... which seemed an unexpected boon to have given the current times.
"I certainly feel in a similar way..." He admitted having considered how Telion really must have felt as of late. The comment garnered a curious gaze from Hannah, and she even slightly tilted her head as she bent her knees to stand at eye level with him.
"What's on your mind, Wolfman?" The tone of her inquiry remained genuine and Rickter struggled to understand why, given Hannah's candor and how she carried herself recently. Finally, he simply resolved to answer her question in a somber state of mind.
"After everything I've done... All that's happened. I can't fathom how everyone here still wants to keep me around." The wolf revealed with a sternly grim gaze still fixated on the pond. "Telion suffers now because of what I've done. Patrick's family still remains torn apart because of my inadequacy... And no news has been heard from the group on their progress either. How do we know I haven't just royally screwed everything up for us all?" Rickter then reasoned with a grind of his teeth, as he felt the stress weigh heavily within his jaw.
Hannah could only sigh before she narrowed her eyes on him as she would sometimes do. "Well, there you go certainly overthinking everything again, dumb ass." The namecalling felt deserved but even so, Rickter didn't believe himself to be 'overthinking' the issues as she stated. Perhaps... not overtly anyway. "I know you carry a lot of guilt over everything that's happened, you wear it just like you'd wear any suit of armor you've worn."
Hannah then pivoted to where she practically seated herself on his lap, positioning her head to where the wolf had no choice but to look into her brown eyes. "But understand this, Rickter Maze, none of us here hold half as much blame as you do on yourself. Quite frankly, I think we all have seen enough shit to know better." Her words of comfort came with soft caresses of his fuzzy cheeks, and for a moment the wolf felt his breath elevate with emotion in response. "What I'm trying to say is, you've made judgment calls and sure, they haven't exactly worked out in the way you expected them to. But that doesn't make you a monster or tyrant. You've simply drawn a shitty hand lately and played your cards the best way you felt how to."
"Honestly, I feel like I've grown tired of 'playing' anything after what's happened." The wolf reasoned as his head finally started to bow into her hands, the welling emotions threatening to break way from his eyelids as he pressed them to a close.
"That's what happens when you fuss about every little thing beyond your control. You wear yourself down and then beat yourself senseless with these thoughts you brood with." The brunette tactfully remarked as her fingers brushed over his cheeks affectionately.
"I'm not brooding..." He then proceeded to croak in a state of deniability, only to find that such an act remained useless in front of her. Hannah was one of few who literally knew Rickter so well, so much so, that he could almost hide nothing from her even if he tried. "...alright fine, I guess I am brooding."
"It's what you do best." The rogue teasingly padded his jawline when she expressed this, a near-light chuckle scoffed from his lips as she drew closer to rest her head on his shoulder. "But seriously, stop fixating on the stuff beyond your control. Nobody could've anticipated you'd come back a Draegir from the Warrens. Nor that the sky would go black and this Eclipse would plague all of us with new worldly issues." It was undeniable how close she was to him now, he could feel the warmth of her breath on his neck, and yet felt nothing flirtatious in her advances as he would've expected. "Just keep doing your best. Your family, both near and far, will always do what we can to support you."
No doubt she was chilled by the cold, but there was more to it than that. What Hannah was doing was a means of comforting Rickter, to keep him from withdrawing any further into this metaphorical shell he was creating for himself. "How is it you're so calm when usually you're angry over something?" He finally inquired having not forgotten the fact she'd been rather bitter over the past few months, at first he'd thought it had just been his behavior and how much it had driven his actions lately. Granted, he did receive punishment from her where it seemed warranted, but this was far different from the rogue he was used to seeing in recent weeks.
"I keep it bottled up so that I take it out on those that deserve it later." The brunette admitted with a playful smirk, but then leaned away from Rickter's shoulder with a more considerate gaze. "My anger is one of the things that always keep me grounded and focused, but rest assured, you aren't always the source or cause of that anger, Wolfman." She expressed affirmingly with another gentle brush of her hand through his beard. "We'll figure things out, and keep those responsible for these circumstances accountable."
"Yeah..." He slowly came to agree given he still played a role in the aforementioned circumstances, though, Rickter also hadn't forgotten those who also helped create them within their own roles. Such as that mysterious jester. "Yeah, I guess we will." He confirmed a sudden boost in confidence, garnering a smile from Hannah as she ruffled the tufts of hair on his head. Before too long they would return inside where it remained warmer, but for the small bit of time they had left in the garden, both Rickter and Hannah appreciated the unexpected quiet they found within.
"Every side attacks you when you don't pick sides."
