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 Posted: Wed May 27, 2020 7:03 pm
The way Grashni walked to his seat spoke volumes to Sylvirah. He sank down with exhaustion heavy on him and immediately lowered his head into his hands. "I had hoped to spare you the truth, Ergon. I never thought..." Grashni took a shallow, unsteady breath, "After Kaygon passed, your mother's condition was so bad and you still needed care. Everything just just became so hard and I....I didn't know where else to turn and I made a mistake."
"So that was it then?" Sylvirah quipped. "Your wife was home grieving the loss of your son and instead of staying to take care of his twin you stayed with my mother." She'd imagined a thousand different scenarios in which this would play out but learning this kind of information wasn't one of them. All of her life Sylvirah had imagined a cruel, malicious man who had preyed on her mother in a moment of lecherous greed, but this...this was so much more than she'd imagined.
"You don't understand. Lakiza saw my pain and offered me a night to forget it all. She didn't know about Snowelle or Kaygon; the fault lies with me." He pulled his hand away, though his position didn't really change. If anything it just gave him an opportunity to better take in his children. "The next morning she was gone. I never imagined one mistake would result in...you."
His mistake. Grashni made enough mention of it to make Sylvirah sick. The way he said it made her think he wasn't referring to her, but rather the act itself though that meant little. Her mother had died as a direct result of it, and now she found out he had more of a toxic touch then she'd realized.
She sat back in her chair, silently watching her 'father' and 'brother'. In all honesty, she felt bad for Ergon. All of this information made her feel guilty for coming here, but the damage had already been done, whether Grashni realized it or not. For Ergon though...he could have lived his entire life without knowing of his father's sins and now...now he had to face them head on.
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Posted: Thu May 28, 2020 1:02 pm
The sitting room was beginning to feel far too warm. Why were they keeping the fire up so hot? Ergon pulled at his sweater a little, still staring at his father. He just kept waiting for the denial, for the sense to return. Instead, the old man just sat there looking so.. defeated. The truth oozing like an over-boiled coffee overflowing the pot from the man's mouth accented by the bitter flecks of grit coming from Sylvirah in turn seemed to be making him suffocate.
The man before him had always been respectable and proud. His father had always touted family values and self-respect. Every lecture about stability and loyalty and pride... Ergon's world was crumbling. Again.
Years of practice keeping himself poised and controlled started to instinctively work. It took every fiber of his being to not scream... His whole body was on lockdown as he turned his gaze to Sylvirah. Anything was better than looking at his father at that moment. "Why are you here," he asked, his voice ratcheting out mechanically.
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Posted: Fri May 29, 2020 9:04 am
[9/10]
"My tribe is dying." She sat back with the now empty mug resting on her lap. "The herds have left, many of our tribesmen fled south, and the rest of us are either starving or being picked off in the hunt." It was a frank world view, but Ergon deserved the truth, more so now than ever before. Their sire may have kept secrets from him, but she didn't see any need to.
"I didn't have a choice. Gold does little good in the mountains. What we need are resources; men, connections, timber, mounts, food." She placed her hand atop the bag of gold, "I've never needed gold, or anything from you, Grashni, but this I need. If you can help me then I'll leave, and you'll never hear from me again."
...I think it best that for tonight we get some rest and reconvene in the morning." He looked to his son then, as if the whole idea had been to give Ergon some time on his own to process things. Or maybe it was for himself; after all, his greatest secret had just come barging into his home. "We can go over the the terms of your request then."
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Posted: Fri May 29, 2020 2:53 pm
Ergon's eyes just narrowed. "Most of that can be bought," he insisted gruffly, eyes flicking briefly to the bag of coins before shooting over to the stairs. If his mother overheard any of this... There was no point to any of this!
Morning? Ergon's eyes snapped over to his father, but the eye contact made him feel ill. "Rest! You expect me to rest now? You-!" He bit his tongue hard, forcing in a deep breath. He couldn't do this. "You are not staying here tonight, fa-.." He nearly choked on the title. Father... "Not here. Not with mother. Get out." Ordering his father in such a way had never crossed his mind, but neither had such a circumstance. He headed for the stairs, wondering if his legs would actually make it to the top. Gritting his teeth, he paused to brace himself against the wall. "Both of you. Out."
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Posted: Fri May 29, 2020 3:03 pm
Sylvirah didn't need to be told twice. She sat the mug off to the side the moment Ergon's ire spiked and was already on her feet by the time he made it to the stairs. She was smart enough not to yell at him, especially with his mother asleep somewhere in this house, but she wanted to scream. You know what can't be bought? Living bodies!
She snatched up her furs and outerwear, put them on as fast as she could and was on her way out the door when she thought better of it. Instead, she turned on her heel and made her way to the base of the stairs where she stared her 'brother' down. "I'm not leaving this city without help. Remember that."
She was vaguely aware of Grashni saying something to his son as she passed, of him grabbing his own outerwear, but she didn't care. Sylvirah had had enough 'home life' for the evening to make her sick.
What she needed as a good fly with Ada and a tall, stick draught.
[10/10]
[FIN]
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