(I’ll let Ash reply first before I comment too much with Avery!)
Avery:
Her hearts hammered loudly in her chests when Cole pulled Lakha towards the door. The tavern had gotten quiet as centaurs disregarded their meals and conversations to watch the sudden tension unfold.
Avery swallowed and followed after Cole. She anxiously glanced between the two stallions, their anger so rich and intense she could practically feel it. Without warning, Lakha reared and struck out his sharp hooves, aiming right at Cole’s legs. Her eyes widened -immediately scared for Cole- and all she could do was cry out.
Kavani:
She finished wiping off the counter as she heard the door open softly. Bhearit appeared in the doorway, looking miserable and exhausted. She left the clean counter behind and came to stand closer to him, then slowed to a halt once Bhearit’s brother came inside.
The air was thick with awkwardness and unspoken words. Kavani shifted her weight -and unsure what else to do- offered a small wave at Ashtohn.
Her gaze found Bhearit’s again and her expression softened as she searched his eyes. Kavani hated to see him so upset and hurt.
Both brothers had lost someone dear to them, and her absence was obviously on the forefront of their minds. Kavani knew that pain all too well. Her mind thought back to her father. The weak smile he had summoned specifically for her as she sat next to his bed, clutching his hand like a lifeline and trying to hold back her tears. She remembered laying old, drab flowers over the mound of fresh dirt at the base of the tombstone. After a simple funeral in the rain, her mother had locked herself in her room for days. Maybe weeks. And locked her two young children out. Kavani was utterly alone before she had time to register and grieve her own father’s death. She remembered Kollin’s small, round face peering up at her, and trailing her around the kitchen as she tried to make some sort of dinner. Back then, there was no one to comfort her, no one to guide her or tell her what to do. How to raise her 5 year old brother when she was just a 13 year old girl. How to reason with her mother whenever she had episodes of confusion and instability. The world and all its problems has been riding on her shoulders ever since.
Since she knew Bhearit and Ashtohn’s grief, she wanted to help. To help ease the heart-wrenching pain in some way. In any way she could.
As Bhearit headed for the door, muttering something about getting more firewood, Kavani walked after him and took his wrist gently. When she spoke, her voice was steadfast with a light-hearted tenderness she only seemed to use when it came to Bhearit.
“I can go with you? Another set of hands to carry firewood?” It was a question, an offer, and he could refuse if he wanted.
Even if the task was as simple as collecting firewood, she secretly hoped Bhearit would accept her help. She didn’t want to be alone, and she hoped Bhearit didn’t either.
(Tehehehehehehe)
Fawnroot:
As soon as she entered the den, she heard Rimecrest’s voice. Her heart swelled with hope and relief. She hurried over to him and laid a comforting wing against his back. “Easy; you’re alright. I’m here.” She muzzled his forelock out of his eyes.
“How do you feel?” Fawnroot had heard the way he groaned a moment ago as he sank deeper into the moss and feather-covered ground. “Are you in pain?”
The medicine mare kept her voice calm and thoughtful as she inspected his body and checked for a fever.
During the questioning with Callum and Rayfire, Hassan did not give them any useful information. Fawnroot doubted the younger sibling’s were involved, but she was confident that Hassan was hiding something. His strange tin of “sleeping medication” was the only lead she had, so his relation to Rimecrest’s condition was concerning. Plus, his reluctance to speak honestly and his clear disdain for Pegasi didn’t exactly work in his favor. And yet, the last thing Fawnroot wanted to do was jump to conclusions and falsely blame him for something they didn’t have real evidence for.
She forced those thoughts out of her mind -they wouldn’t do her any good right now- and focused back on Rimecrest. In this moment, she was just relieved he was awake.
(I’ll let Ash reply first before I comment too much with Avery!)
Avery:
Her hearts hammered loudly in her chests when Cole pulled Lakha towards the door. The tavern had gotten quiet as centaurs disregarded their meals and conversations to watch the sudden tension unfold.
Avery swallowed and followed after Cole. She anxiously glanced between the two stallions, their anger so rich and intense she could practically feel it. Without warning, Lakha reared and struck out his sharp hooves, aiming right at Cole’s legs. Her eyes widened -immediately scared for Cole- and all she could do was cry out.
Kavani:
She finished wiping off the counter as she heard the door open softly. Bhearit appeared in the doorway, looking miserable and exhausted. She left the clean counter behind and came to stand closer to him, then slowed to a halt once Bhearit’s brother came inside.
The air was thick with awkwardness and unspoken words. Kavani shifted her weight -and unsure what else to do- offered a small wave at Ashtohn.
Her gaze found Bhearit’s again and her expression softened as she searched his eyes. Kavani hated to see him so upset and hurt.
Both brothers had lost someone dear to them, and her absence was obviously on the forefront of their minds. Kavani knew that pain all too well. Her mind thought back to her father. The weak smile he had summoned specifically for her as she sat next to his bed, clutching his hand like a lifeline and trying to hold back her tears. She remembered laying old, drab flowers over the mound of fresh dirt at the base of the tombstone. After a simple funeral in the rain, her mother had locked herself in her room for days. Maybe weeks. And locked her two young children out. Kavani was utterly alone before she had time to register and grieve her own father’s death. She remembered Kollin’s small, round face peering up at her, and trailing her around the kitchen as she tried to make some sort of dinner. Back then, there was no one to comfort her, no one to guide her or tell her what to do. How to raise her 5 year old brother when she was just a 13 year old girl. How to reason with her mother whenever she had episodes of confusion and instability. The world and all its problems has been riding on her shoulders ever since.
Since she knew Bhearit and Ashtohn’s grief, she wanted to help. To help ease the heart-wrenching pain in some way. In any way she could.
As Bhearit headed for the door, muttering something about getting more firewood, Kavani walked after him and took his wrist gently. When she spoke, her voice was steadfast with a light-hearted tenderness she only seemed to use when it came to Bhearit.
“I can go with you? Another set of hands to carry firewood?” It was a question, an offer, and he could refuse if he wanted.
Even if the task was as simple as collecting firewood, she secretly hoped Bhearit would accept her help. She didn’t want to be alone, and she hoped Bhearit didn’t either.
(Tehehehehehehe)
Fawnroot:
As soon as she entered the den, she heard Rimecrest’s voice. Her heart swelled with hope and relief. She hurried over to him and laid a comforting wing against his back. “Easy; you’re alright. I’m here.” She muzzled his forelock out of his eyes.
“How do you feel?” Fawnroot had heard the way he groaned a moment ago as he sank deeper into the moss and feather-covered ground. “Are you in pain?”
The medicine mare kept her voice calm and thoughtful as she inspected his body and checked for a fever.
During the questioning with Callum and Rayfire, Hassan did not give them any useful information. Fawnroot doubted the younger sibling’s were involved, but she was confident that Hassan was hiding something. His strange tin of “sleeping medication” was the only lead she had, so his relation to Rimecrest’s condition was concerning. Plus, his reluctance to speak honestly and his clear disdain for Pegasi didn’t exactly work in his favor. And yet, the last thing Fawnroot wanted to do was jump to conclusions and falsely blame him for something they didn’t have real evidence for.
She forced those thoughts out of her mind -they wouldn’t do her any good right now- and focused back on Rimecrest. In this moment, she was just relieved he was awake.