A Boy Named Martin 
Ash 36th, 120th Year, A.o.S.
Lunch had already passed as the streets of the Kalzasi Commons were busy, people roaming up and down the avenues kept a steady flow of activity, while laborers continued their work throughout the area and children had gone home after a day of lectures and tutoring. A group of four boys was situated among one of the lots of the residences, all huddled together in a circle as they seemed to be playing something together.
Within that circle they made were sets of figurines based on popular heroes within Kalzasi, as well as other figurines that resembled some of the leaders of the Great Noble Houses. The boys altogether were playing a strategic warfare game, imagining epic battles between their figurines as they coordinated a scenario together, the lot of them bellowing out aloud amongst one another as they played. In turn, the conversations they shared revolved around the latest additions, in regards to a particular new set of toys that a certain toymaker was planning on selling eventually. Yet those figurines would not be ready until the Frost season actually arrived.
Still, among that group, there was one boy, with shaggy dark brown hair, that quite loved his toy very much. So naturally, when the fighting between their characters turned chaotic, that toy just so happened to be the very object that accidentally broke from the carelessness of his peers. The poor boy started a fit with tears, threatening the toys of his friends in turn, only to be teased at the fact he'd fallen into such a state of mind. And then, much like the epic fight scene they were enjoying so well together, the real fight between them escalated within a moment's notice. But boys will be boys now, won't they?
So what happens when the passersby that got to witness this fight unfold... just so happened to be none other than an actual fighter, one who could very easily remember a time when he dealt with similar situations. "Hey!!" A very firm voice stoutly called out to the group, as the sight of a very large man and his short companion seemed to distract the boys, long enough for them to stop their noisy bickering with one another. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Run!!" One of the boys declared as the three present scooped up their toys, breaking away into a swift retreat with brief glances over their shoulders. The brown-haired child sobbed and clenched his jaw, as he watched the trio in their fast exit, before looking back down at the broken toy left on the ground.
"You kids really fighting over toys?" Telion had inquired aloud as the child then knelt down, piecing the broken pieces together when he grasped them, only to be disappointed as they failed to reconnect and repair their broken state.
"They... they broke it..." The boy whined lowly as his hands dropped to his lap, the broken toy still clutched in them as he stared ahead with tears. "They always break my toys!" Suddenly the wolf that watched felt a sense of Deja Vu struck him, as though that particular moment resonated with another he'd experienced before. In fact, it did...
"Aaawe, don't worry little one. We can try to fix it for you." Telion then offered as she knelt down to be level with the child, the poor kid looking at her with a sense of hope found in his distraught expression.
"Sure! Never hurts to try right?" The bard reasoned with a light smile cast down to him, the tears lesser now as they still streamed down the boy's cheeks. That was when Rickter himself knelt down to level with the boy, his firm expression softer now that he looked eye level with the child.
"Do your friends do this often?" Telion glanced at Rickter then a little surprised, her eyes narrowing on him curiously before she accepted the broken toy from the boy. The child lowered his head timidly towards Rickter, before slowly nodding to him as a confirmation of the question. Rickter then emitted a low groan in turn, comparative to that of a sigh in truth, as he looked over at the figurine Telion inspected carefully. It was a figure of a rather tall and rigidly structured man, with his paint carefully saturated to emphasize tone and color in various places. Dark long hair with charcoal eyes fixed in a firm stare, with brown eagle wings which appeared to be the broken part of the toy. The body of the figure had been carefully carved to don the Skyrider's armor, with the sigil crest of House Novalys carefully carved and painted between his plated boots at the figure's base.
Considering how the figure was painted it looked to be one of the members of the nobility, something that intrigued the wolf as he'd seen figurines such as these before. Oliver made these. If this was a figurine he made, then chances were, he could've very easily made another... if given time and compensation. "Well darn." Telion admittedly sighed as she started to look a little defeated, giving the child reason to start tearing up again as he watched her pleadingly.
"What's your name boy?" The wolf finally asked with his eyes set on the child once more, a slight look of interest given to him as Rickter listened.
"M-Martin... Sir." The poor kid spoke all quakey as though he were nervous, giving Rickter cause to avert his gaze lower so that he didn't intimidate him any further.
"Call me Rickter, Martin." He told the boy in a gentler tone then, still appearing firm though less tense than before. Telion looked to the wolf with innate awe in her eyes, stricken with surprise at how quickly he'd taken to the boy. "Let me be honest here, Martin. Chances are something small like that isn't gonna be fixed very easily, at least not without some form of magic at work. However," Rickter threw that last word in right as Martin started to look somber, hopeful that another alternative may actually exist, "I do know the person responsible for making those. If you think you can do something for me, then perhaps I can do something for you?"
Martin looked at him with his eyes brimming in curiosity, as Telion admittedly watched him still in pure fascination. "Find some better friends who'll appreciate you and your stuff better. Don't let other kids, like the ones who ran, get under your skin either. Instead, walk away if they continue to pester you." Martin's jaw dropped while his eyebrows rose, his wide eyes locked with Rickter's calm yet focused stare. Telion herself straightened from where she sat, taken aback by his offer as much as the kid was. "And in return..." The wolf averted his gaze then but he did so with the beginnings of a smile, looking back to the boy a little warmer than before. "I'll replace that toy myself."
"Really?!" Martin jumped up to where he was about ready to crawl, the somberness in his expression quickly withering away as he looked hopeful to Rickter once more. The wolf groaned a chuckle of amusement at first, and then followed up with a slow nod at the boy. "You mean it?!!" Telion couldn't help but laugh now, realizing exactly where this was going in turn. Thankfully, however, the kid would not have to wait as long as she did for her replacement.
"Trust me when I say, Rickter here is a man of his word." The lady remarked in turn as Martin's face was now alight with joy.
"Thank you, sir- I mean Rickter!" The eager boy corrected as he rose onto his feet, running up to wrap his arms around Rickter. It was then a brunette came out from the house on the lot to approach them, her eyes on the pair curiously as she wondered what had occurred. It was then Rickter and Telion explained the situation, and requested that they be allowed to commit to what he'd promised. The gesture struck the woman rather oddly, as one could tell she'd never anticipated a stranger to replace her son's toy, but in turn allowed it once she was convinced of their generosity. Later when the toy had been replaced, Telion then teased Rickter over keeping the broken toy, to which Martin agreed unaware of the jib.
Needless to say, the wolf humbly accepted that toy, deciding he would think it amusing to see what Talon and Aoren might say about it later.
Within that circle they made were sets of figurines based on popular heroes within Kalzasi, as well as other figurines that resembled some of the leaders of the Great Noble Houses. The boys altogether were playing a strategic warfare game, imagining epic battles between their figurines as they coordinated a scenario together, the lot of them bellowing out aloud amongst one another as they played. In turn, the conversations they shared revolved around the latest additions, in regards to a particular new set of toys that a certain toymaker was planning on selling eventually. Yet those figurines would not be ready until the Frost season actually arrived.
Still, among that group, there was one boy, with shaggy dark brown hair, that quite loved his toy very much. So naturally, when the fighting between their characters turned chaotic, that toy just so happened to be the very object that accidentally broke from the carelessness of his peers. The poor boy started a fit with tears, threatening the toys of his friends in turn, only to be teased at the fact he'd fallen into such a state of mind. And then, much like the epic fight scene they were enjoying so well together, the real fight between them escalated within a moment's notice. But boys will be boys now, won't they?
So what happens when the passersby that got to witness this fight unfold... just so happened to be none other than an actual fighter, one who could very easily remember a time when he dealt with similar situations. "Hey!!" A very firm voice stoutly called out to the group, as the sight of a very large man and his short companion seemed to distract the boys, long enough for them to stop their noisy bickering with one another. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Run!!" One of the boys declared as the three present scooped up their toys, breaking away into a swift retreat with brief glances over their shoulders. The brown-haired child sobbed and clenched his jaw, as he watched the trio in their fast exit, before looking back down at the broken toy left on the ground.
"You kids really fighting over toys?" Telion had inquired aloud as the child then knelt down, piecing the broken pieces together when he grasped them, only to be disappointed as they failed to reconnect and repair their broken state.
"They... they broke it..." The boy whined lowly as his hands dropped to his lap, the broken toy still clutched in them as he stared ahead with tears. "They always break my toys!" Suddenly the wolf that watched felt a sense of Deja Vu struck him, as though that particular moment resonated with another he'd experienced before. In fact, it did...
"Aaawe, don't worry little one. We can try to fix it for you." Telion then offered as she knelt down to be level with the child, the poor kid looking at her with a sense of hope found in his distraught expression.
"Sure! Never hurts to try right?" The bard reasoned with a light smile cast down to him, the tears lesser now as they still streamed down the boy's cheeks. That was when Rickter himself knelt down to level with the boy, his firm expression softer now that he looked eye level with the child.
"Do your friends do this often?" Telion glanced at Rickter then a little surprised, her eyes narrowing on him curiously before she accepted the broken toy from the boy. The child lowered his head timidly towards Rickter, before slowly nodding to him as a confirmation of the question. Rickter then emitted a low groan in turn, comparative to that of a sigh in truth, as he looked over at the figurine Telion inspected carefully. It was a figure of a rather tall and rigidly structured man, with his paint carefully saturated to emphasize tone and color in various places. Dark long hair with charcoal eyes fixed in a firm stare, with brown eagle wings which appeared to be the broken part of the toy. The body of the figure had been carefully carved to don the Skyrider's armor, with the sigil crest of House Novalys carefully carved and painted between his plated boots at the figure's base.
Considering how the figure was painted it looked to be one of the members of the nobility, something that intrigued the wolf as he'd seen figurines such as these before. Oliver made these. If this was a figurine he made, then chances were, he could've very easily made another... if given time and compensation. "Well darn." Telion admittedly sighed as she started to look a little defeated, giving the child reason to start tearing up again as he watched her pleadingly.
"What's your name boy?" The wolf finally asked with his eyes set on the child once more, a slight look of interest given to him as Rickter listened.
"M-Martin... Sir." The poor kid spoke all quakey as though he were nervous, giving Rickter cause to avert his gaze lower so that he didn't intimidate him any further.
"Call me Rickter, Martin." He told the boy in a gentler tone then, still appearing firm though less tense than before. Telion looked to the wolf with innate awe in her eyes, stricken with surprise at how quickly he'd taken to the boy. "Let me be honest here, Martin. Chances are something small like that isn't gonna be fixed very easily, at least not without some form of magic at work. However," Rickter threw that last word in right as Martin started to look somber, hopeful that another alternative may actually exist, "I do know the person responsible for making those. If you think you can do something for me, then perhaps I can do something for you?"
Martin looked at him with his eyes brimming in curiosity, as Telion admittedly watched him still in pure fascination. "Find some better friends who'll appreciate you and your stuff better. Don't let other kids, like the ones who ran, get under your skin either. Instead, walk away if they continue to pester you." Martin's jaw dropped while his eyebrows rose, his wide eyes locked with Rickter's calm yet focused stare. Telion herself straightened from where she sat, taken aback by his offer as much as the kid was. "And in return..." The wolf averted his gaze then but he did so with the beginnings of a smile, looking back to the boy a little warmer than before. "I'll replace that toy myself."
"Really?!" Martin jumped up to where he was about ready to crawl, the somberness in his expression quickly withering away as he looked hopeful to Rickter once more. The wolf groaned a chuckle of amusement at first, and then followed up with a slow nod at the boy. "You mean it?!!" Telion couldn't help but laugh now, realizing exactly where this was going in turn. Thankfully, however, the kid would not have to wait as long as she did for her replacement.
"Trust me when I say, Rickter here is a man of his word." The lady remarked in turn as Martin's face was now alight with joy.
"Thank you, sir- I mean Rickter!" The eager boy corrected as he rose onto his feet, running up to wrap his arms around Rickter. It was then a brunette came out from the house on the lot to approach them, her eyes on the pair curiously as she wondered what had occurred. It was then Rickter and Telion explained the situation, and requested that they be allowed to commit to what he'd promised. The gesture struck the woman rather oddly, as one could tell she'd never anticipated a stranger to replace her son's toy, but in turn allowed it once she was convinced of their generosity. Later when the toy had been replaced, Telion then teased Rickter over keeping the broken toy, to which Martin agreed unaware of the jib.
Needless to say, the wolf humbly accepted that toy, deciding he would think it amusing to see what Talon and Aoren might say about it later.
"Every side attacks you when you don't pick sides."
