Activity

@denali-christianson

Hey, don’t worry about it. I do that too a lot of the time and I know how it feels, especially being overwhelmed and not feeling like you can get a word in edgewise.

Thank you — I’m glad you understand. (:

I can understand that. I mean, I will say that it gives me a fun challenge, because most people just love Niarok and treat him like they love him from the start, so I haven’t written a lot of posts where people hate him. If you can find the bitterness somewhere in your heart… then Niarok would have fun interactions! XD

I … I shall try! 😅
(I have a poor habit of attaching emotionally to sweet characters from the very start)

I think she’d actually have a lot of fun with that, once she gets settled in enough to be willing to get close enough to people without thinking they’re going to kill her. XD

Okay! Sounds good. (:
Would you like to initiate? Or would you rather have Rúan do an awkward, cringe-y initiation? Because I can do both with glee. 😉

__________

RÚAN

Quin’s shoulders trembled underneath Rúan’s hand, and the young man sucked in a shuddery breath.

What did I do? Rúan thought in a panic. He was absolutely clueless to how this “comforting” thing came down. Pris, Thane, and Fernya were so much better at it.

He gave Quin’s arm a gentle squeeze, saying nothing but hoping that gesture indicated that he was here for him.

“I wish I could.”

The words were barely a whisper, and Rúan had to strain to hear the rest.

“People called it an accident,” Quin continued, keeping his voice low and controlled. “It wasn’t.”

Rúan suppressed the urge to comment, going against his natural tendency to ease things up. Instead, he listened.

“It was my fault. I was driving, and … and …” Quin trembled with what seemed to Rúan was fear. Regret. Pain. “I was too…”

The word seemed stuck in his throat. Rúan waited.

Trying again, Quin stuttered, “Too s-scared to … do anything.” A swallow. “The wagon crashed. Then everything was blood and sweat and fire–”

Quin stopped there, shaking all over.

A wagon crash … Rúan realized.

He himself had narrowly missed one a year ago.

Realizing his grip on poor Quin’s shoulder was too tight, he relaxed, resting his hand on Quin’s shoulder instead of clenching it.

“She was dead.” Quin slowly moved his focus to his missing leg. “I was … like this.”

Rúan did not know who “she” was, but he supposed she was someone important to Quin.

Was.

“I should have died. They wouldn’t miss me like they miss her.”

The statement was so quiet that Rúan assumed Quin thought no one would hear.

“Hey,” Rúan said quietly, “Hey.”

Quin looked up at him, his eyes melancholy and lifeless.

Rúan gripped both of his shoulders and stared him, not unkindly, in the eye. “What has happened has happened. You can’t change it. She probably would not have wanted you to keep dwelling on this.”

Silence.

“Tell me,” Rúan said, “would she have wanted this for you?”

Quin opened his mouth, closed it, then stuttered, “I-I … guess not.”

Rúan smiled slightly. “There. Don’t dwell on it, okay? I won’t do you any good.”

At least it never did ME any good.

Slowly, Quin nodded.

He might not accept it yet, Rúan thought, but he will eventually.

_______

All right … Rúan being all blunt and stuff might not help Quin at the moment … but he doesn’t know how to do the “comforting thing” as he calls it 😅

@Emily-Waldorf, if there is anything that is uncharacteristic for Quin here, by all means change it. 😊