Fandom The Ties That Bind Us || Private

[Cyanide Latte]

Catriona watched the emotions warring on her friend's face and wondered briefly if she'd overstepped her boundaries. It wouldn't be the first time she'd made that mistake with someone, but she hoped that wasn't the case this time. Between her own restless energy and Kevin's odd, somewhat withdrawn behavior—it was odd, she was sure of it, tired or not—her gut was telling her something about this night was off. Perhaps not a foreboding of imminent danger, but a sense of things generally being not quite right, like a picture that had been hanging on the wall for years and then had changed so fractionally it became alien, even if the error in it was difficult to place. Maybe it would be a fruitless effort but she wanted to try getting to the bottom of what was going on, to at least find some peace of mind if possible.

So when Kevin murmured his assent to her request and sidestepped, Cat beamed in relief and the air around her warmed fractionally with her improved mood as she stepped up to match his stride.

"Search me for a liar if I'm not feelin' the same!" she remarked, letting a little of her enthusiasm back into her voice. "And 'sides, it gets a mite spooky wanderin' alone in the dark at this hour. Leastaways, company keeps that feeling away." Trotting ahead, she jabbed at the elevator button, amber eyes alert and tracking the moving light indicating the elevator car's lurch into motion as it descended to their floor. Satisfied, she glanced back at Kevin, raven still perched on his shoulder and added "Plus, I guess, I can always keep off any chill in the air."

 

[Drekasal]

Poe made a happy warble at this, and Kevin could not help but to grin. “I think Poe here would appreciate that very much,” he said, giggling as the raven bobbed his head in further agreement. Seeing Catriona’s mood restored, he felt his own brightened, albeit only slightly. There was a bit more to this than just getting some air, but he figured he’d have a better time explaining once they were outside. He just hoped she would understand, but regardless, what he said still held true: he was grateful for the company.

There was a soft chime as the elevator car finally came to their level, and the doors swung open with a whoosh. Turning toward Cat, the boy took a step back and inclined his head. “After you,” he said, always one to be polite, even in the witching hour. From his shoulder, Poe gurgled and clicked his beak, extending a wing helpfully in the direction of the small space.

 

[Cyanide Latte]

With a grin and a chuckle, the dragonborn girl gave them a playful salute and made an attempt at a soldier-serious expression. "Oft! Thanks for the kindness, my good gents!" she said, holding the salute and stepping backwards into the elevator car. "Yeh do us all a service!" As her friend and his feathered companion joined her, she dropped the salute and added in a more genuinely serious tone "Gimme just a tic when we get topside, I can get a pocket of warm air going."

She noticed then, in the illumination from the overhead lights, dried tear tracks on Kevin's face. Immediately she felt a burst of worry, but bit the inside of her cheek to keep from saying anything. She had a feeling it might be better to wait and let Kevin address whatever was eating at him—if he chose to address it—than to try prying unnecessarily.

 

[Drekasal]

Whether it was the exaggerated salute or Cat’s mock-serious expression, Kevin wasn’t sure, but it was enough to send him into another fit of suppressed giggling. Admittedly, it was becoming a touch difficult to keep it as such, and it came as a relief when the doors slid shut behind him once he entered the car, effectively cutting off the noise from the rest of the hallway.

It only took him a moment to compose himself, but his sight took longer to readjust to the brightness of the overhead lights, and recollection flashed in his mind. On a whim, he happened to glance in Cat’s direction, who was likewise staring at him and the laughter died in his throat.

She could see his tear marks.

Whatever laughter he had left in him died in his throat, and his smile faded considerably as he caught the flash of worry in her eyes. With it came an unspoken question that she no doubt wished for an answer to...but even he didn’t know the answer yet. But I guess we’ll both find out soon.

Turning toward the control panel, he pressed the button for the top floor, bracing himself as the car lurched, then was moving again, continuing its path up to the roof. A gentle chime played as each level passed—they had a fair bit to go before they reached topside.

By now, the silence had grown uncomfortable, and Kevin cleared his throat scarcely a moment later. “So uh...” He fumbled, trying to think of a change of subject. “What were you doing up? You looked like you were awake before me with that glass in your hand.”

 

[Cyanide Latte]

"Oh!"

It wasn't that she'd completely forgotten why, but the question caught her by surprise. To be fair, it wasn't as if she was given to nighttime wanderings on the regular. Perhaps it was only natural for Kevin to ask the question. Either way, he seemed eager for a change of topic, and she didn't mind obliging. Perhaps it would at least be easier to tell someone.

"Well, at first I just thought it was on account of my throat burning up," she said, slowing her voice to enunciate. "Needed to get something to cool off. I told m'self that, anyway. But... I wonder." Absently, she reached up and fiddled with a stud in one of her earlobes as her gaze went slightly unfocused in consideration. She paused a moment, propping up her elbow with her other hand as she continued fidgeting with the stud. Finally, she remarked, "Y'know about the idea of people havin' a sixth sense, I'm sure. For some it's a big deal and all, and for others it ain't something you fuss over."

Her hand stilled and her eyes flicked up to track the numbers as the elevator climbed, the amber color more pronounced and her pupils far thinner under the light. "I don't have much of one. Nothing really impressive. It's just sometimes... It's hard to say." She frowned, lower lip jutting out a little, then looked at her friend seriously. "You ever walk into a room you've seen before, and you immediately know somethin' is off? Maybe the wall's been repainted just a shade different, or a painting on the wall's been moved by about two inches. Something like that, something that seems so small it takes ages to register what it is, but it doesn't matter, because you know something about that room isn't right the second you walk into it?" she prompted. "That's the feeling I've got. N-not about the Tower, everything's fine here. It's something else entirely...it's somewhere else. Actually, on glad ye're lettin' me come with," she added. "Maybe I'll figure it out once I'm outside."

 

[Drekasal]

“Yeah, me too,” said Kevin softly. A moment passed, then he seemed to realize how vague that must have sounded to her, and he quickly amended, “I-I mean, I hope that I’ll figure it out, too. I’ve been...having a weird feeling myself ever since I woke up, so I understand what you’re saying, you know? The feeling that something...”

He stopped, hesitating on his next words, and he turned away, suddenly finding a hidden spot on the door extremely interesting. His eyes clouded over as he struggled to remember what he had felt, in those fleeting moments before he’d woken. He had to search hard, but eventually, there came flashes. Brief, darting, but they echoed, their emotions cutting into his soul.

Suffering.

Guilt.

Sorrow.

The last one echoed in his mind, and he reflexively touched his dried tears. “...that someone has changed,” he continued, speaking almost too quietly for the dragonborn to hear. “And you don’t know how to fix it.” Looking back at her, he frowned, searching for his next words. “Did you...did you dream at all? Not in the way that you could see, but rather you...felt? You can’t remember what you saw, but the echoes...the marks...they still stay with you when you wake up?” He was beginning to piece things together, but if something—a sixth sense—had woken Cat up for a similar reason...he wanted to be sure he wasn’t the only one.

 

[Cyanide Latte]

She listened as he spoke, at first drifting somewhere no one could follow as his gaze went as unfocused as hers had, and then slowly pulling back to reality, brushing a hand over the tear tracks on his face as something seemed to occur to him. He added to the thought then, just low enough she had trouble making out the words, and his question to her afterwards left her pondering.

If she had dreams, she certainly didn't recall what they were about. But the overwhelming feelings behind a dream—yes, there had been something there. She shut her eyes, gripping her chin with her fist, and thought back to the moment she woke, trying to recapture the feelings behind it and discern them all from the tangled mess they wove together as.

Doubt, running forwards and back.

It was tinged with suspicion, just the barest hint of it, but enough to drive another feeling to the fore.

Desperation and...resolution.

And among it all, there was a sharp sensation, something akin to terrible cold mixed with an electric charge. Odd... She could have sworn she felt that sensation before, a long time ago.

She opened her eyes slowly, a deep frown cutting her features into something grim that ill-suited her vibrant personality, and slowly she nodded.

"Yes, now that you mention it..." she said. "Just barely, but I got some sort of emotional impression and a ghost sensation of something . Not my own, but it felt...familiar somehow, you know? Can't say it felt good." The end of her words trailed off as she glanced up and the elevator gave a chime.

 

[Drekasal]

The boy’s expression darkened in thought as the dragonborn gave her answer, his mind already racing to make the connections. So she had dreamed, too, yet the feelings were not her own, just as what he felt did not belong to him. No, they were someone else’s feelings, someone else’s dreams. Dreams that were being projected, and he and Cat had caught them. That much was becoming clear...he just needed to understand why.

And he had a feeling the answer was right outside.

The doors swung open, and he braced himself against the crisp breeze that greeted them. It brought along a chill that pierced him through his light clothing, making him shiver. Maybe I should have changed, after all. Poe, on the other hand, seemed unbothered, however, and he flew right from the boy’s shoulder with a caw the moment he saw the sky. Kevin followed close behind, the breeze picking up around him as he walked out onto the roof of the Tower. He stood still after a few paces, allowing Cat a chance to catch up beside him while he peered into the night around them. “Do you see him, Cat?” he asked, when he didn’t immediately find what he was looking for. “Do you see T?”

 

[Cyanide Latte]

She exhaled as she went, a long, slow breath drawn out, full of a comforting heat that she willed into a woven pattern. Steam rose in the air as the net settled around them, and mist curled upward as she processed the question. She had the sense this was tied to what had upset him earlier, and wondered if she was imagining the greater sense of concern for Teighenth coming from Kevin ever since the spell binding boy and dragon had started unraveling. She immediately glanced around, not entirely sure she trusted her eyes as they were. Shapes in the dark only told her so much, and it was difficult to say what she was seeing for sure. Still, there was another option.

"Just a tic," she said, reaching up for one of the piercings going through her brow, gently unhooking the clasp and sliding the bar free as she pulled it out. The warmth in the air kicked up a notch with the removal of the cold iron, and the skin around her eyes suddenly felt dry and solid. Scales formed around them, just tiny red things that framed the shape of her eyes like an ornamental mask, but it was nothing compared to the way her vision changed. Suddenly even the dark was thrown into sharp relief, nothing more than a mere wash of deep gray over other colors, and Catriona let out a low exhale, relieved to have her full sight returned even if only for moments. Again she looked and scanned, turning her eyes skyward and over the near-invisible horizon, before turning to the opposite side and spotting something in the distance, flying in the direction of the Tower.

"Ach, there's the old scorch~," she remarked in a fond tone. "Looks like we weren't the only ones struggling with sleep, I think."

And still there was the faintest, nagging sensation she wasn't looking in the right direction, a sensation tied to those echoes of desperation, suspicion, and cold electric sparks.

 

[Drekasal]

He glanced at the dragonborn to get his bearings, before turning toward where she was facing. He peered into the night, but unfortunately he didn’t have the gift of dragon sight like Cat did—everything was still dark for him.

Yet he could hear something: wingbeats. Heavy, powerful, and drawing closer with each passing moment. Eventually, as the boy continued to stare ahead, he saw a black shape that wasn’t part of the sky, blotting out some of the distant stars with its size, and swallowing even more as it came nearer to the Tower. It fanned its wings out in preparation to land, and now Kevin could see the eyes—glowing beacons of fire that seemed to burn into your very soul. The very sight alone would have filled the heart of a mortal with dread.

Of course, Kevin was not like any other mortal, and his relief was immeasurable when Teighenth finally touched down onto the roof. The tremor that followed nearly toppled the boy, but he managed to catch himself before he fell. “Teighenth!” He called. “I’m right here!”

“Kevin?” It was too dark to read the dragon’s expression, but the surprise in his voice was unmistakable. Carefully, he moved forward, lowering his head down toward the teenager, who threw his arms around his muzzle the moment it was in reach. For a fleeting moment, Teighenth stiffened at the contact, but soon relaxed into it, his eyes lidding slightly as he helped the boy to his feet. “What are you doing up here?” He asked, and when he noticed Cat standing not far off, “Both of you? It will not be dawn for some time.”

 

[Cyanide Latte]

Catriona watched him land, heard him speak, waited as he exchanged perhaps the closest most dragons could ever come to an affectionate embrace with a human...and smiled with no small amount of affection herself. It was a little odd, having spent time with him, befriending him alongside Kevin, to think back and mull over the fact Teighenth had once been the stuff of tales of morality and of warning. If anything, he was far more approachable than she had expected any dragon to be—barring the fact she'd initially got off on the wrong foot with both him and Kevin—and more amicable in his nature than she thought he was given credit for. If nothing else, this display of tenderness between T. and Kevin was proof he had a softer side.

At his question, she played absently with the loose piercing in her fingers and rolled her shoulders in a shrug, not for lack of an answer, but moreso in a show of general helplessness.

"Couldn't sleep," she replied. "Seems we're both havin' some kind of odd dreams and the sense something's kind of off. Came up here to get some air, make sense of things..." she trailed off, glancing in the direction he'd flown in from before looking back at the dragon. "Were you out patrolling or something? Did you pick up on anything strange?"

 

[Drekasal]

Catriona's question caused the dragon to shift uneasily on his talons, and through their contact, Kevin sensed in him a reluctance to answer...but also, more keenly, an overwhelming feeling of sorrow. Not at all unlike what he had felt waking up. Immediately, his joy was swallowed by concern, but Teighenth was already pulling away, leaving the boy standing with hands half-reached out toward him.

A guttural noise rose from the back of the dragon’s throat, and he looked away, suddenly not wanting to meet the eyes of his peers. “That is...one way of putting it,” he answered finally, scraping the concrete beneath him with his claws. “I needed...a distraction.” He sounded...weary. Guilty, even, and his eyes...they didn’t flare with their normal strength. They were dim, flickering, like the dying embers of a fire. That thought sent a stab of fear into Kevin’s heart, despite him knowing it was irrational—Teighenth wasn’t dying. He couldn’t be.

But it was clear that he was breaking.

Taking a breath, the boy stepped forward until he was right by the dragon’s foreleg. His hand reached out again, hesitating a moment before resting upon his scales. Teighenth flinched slightly, but thankfully did not push the boy away, and Kevin looked up at him with worry. “You were dreaming, too,” he said quietly, trying to catch the dragon’s eye. “Weren’t you?”

Teighenth’s gaze flickered back to the boy, yet he didn’t give an immediate answer. The anguished look in his eyes, however, told Kevin everything he need to know, and it tore at his soul, because he knew too well what was on his mind...and try as he might, there was nothing he could do or say to alleviate it. Not that he had the chance to say anything, really, as the dragon shook his head and frowned. “It’s nothing,” he said briskly. “I’ll survive. I always do.”

Kevin found himself have to suppress a spark of frustration those words created—it’d been happening more often lately, he was loathe to admit—yet he couldn’t stop the frown that marred his own expression. “Doesn’t mean I don’t worry about you all the same,” he said quietly, withdrawing his hand. Remembering Cat was still with them, he attempted to get back to the original subject. “So I guess that means you were projecting to us both,” he continued, speaking both to the dragonborn and to his guardian.

 

[Cyanide Latte]

Cat watched the exchange, concern growing heavier and heavier. She still wasn't entirely sure she could read Teighenth's moods with a great level of accuracy, but she knew what it looked like when someone you loved was shouldering a burden they didn't feel they could talk about. And based on the worry she read in Kevin's face, his voice, his body language, she knew that much, she had read accurately. It was only made all the more concerning with the dragon's dismissal. She furrowed her brow in a small frown as she watched them, knowing Kevin was even more bothered than she.

Teighenth absolutely felt burdened by some weight, but he seemed bound and determined not to speak about it. She was just mulling over what could be done about it when her friend's words registered. Blinking, she glanced up at Teighenth, feeling slightly confused.

"Wait, can you project to me like that?" she asked, uncertain. "I know it's one thing to have spoken psychically when you both shared a body... But unless you intended to, I don't know if we have the same kind of connection or bond needed for something like that," she finished, voice trailing off as she looked between the two of them, mind racing to understand just what was going on.

On a whim, she glanced over the dark sound again, supressing a shiver at the sight of the waves gone black and forbidding in the early hour, and a suspicion started digging its way into her. "T," she asked carefully, "you didn't spot anything...odd while you were out flyin', didja?"

 

[Drekasal]

Both boy and dragon turned to look at her curiously, the latter frowning slightly as he thought back to his patrol around the Tower. “Nothing strange stood out to me,” he admitted after some time. “Neither sight or scent caught my attention, though there is also the chance that I missed something.” He tilted his head at the dragonborn. “Why do you ask?”

“Catriona said that she had dreams, too,” Kevin explained, glancing back at Teighenth. “At least, the semblance of dreams, but they didn’t feel like her own. I thought perhaps that you were projecting your dreams unconsciously onto us—you could speak to any of us psychically even when we were in the same body, so it didn’t sound so far-fetched. But if it’s just me who got them...” He pursed his lips, attempting to rationalize it all in his mind, but now he was more lost than before. The boy turned toward Catriona again, confusion in his eyes. “Then where were your dreams coming from, if not from Teighenth?”

 

[Cyanide Latte]

Cat met his gaze, scratching her chin and feeling her suspicion gain greater clarity. "I've got an idea..." she explained. "Jesse said some time ago, sympathetic magic like that between humans and dragons requires one of two circumstances t' be in play. Either there has to be a bond built from enough time over years spend together and building trust..." She inclined her head towards the two of them, knowing full well the large scope of their story, if not the fine details. "Or," she went on, drawing in a steadying breath as she marched closer to the edge of the rooftop, "there's got to be a blood tie of some kind. I've got only two kin I can claim that for, and my brother likes shielding his mind, the damn show-off."

She stopped at the siding and peered further out across the sound, straining her vision in hopes of catching what she wanted to see. "I know y'said you didn't see or smell anything, T.," she remarked, "but not everyone always knows what to be alert for. She always said she was a storm first and foremost, just stuck in skin." After a second, the dragonborn frowned. "But what I don't get is why she'd be coming here. Or, why she seems so unsettled."

 

[Drekasal]

“She?” With how much his mind was racing, the significance of that word briefly eluded him, but then understanding hit him. His eyes grew wide as saucers as he stared at the dragonborn. “You mean...your mother is coming? Here?” His voice came out a whisper-shout, shocked and amazed all at once. He only knew of Cat’s mother from what the dragonborn had told him of her, which, to be honest, was fairly little. She didn’t tell her family history to just anyone, however, and he was one of the few who she had deemed worthy of it, so he was content with what he got. Still, he had hoped that, one day, he and the rest of their little troop would get to meet her mother in person.

But for her to be coming now...Kevin found himself sharing some of Catriona’s tension. The timing of it felt rather strange, almost unsettling, and how Catriona described her dreams didn’t make it any better. “Do you think...” He paused, wondering briefly if it was better to remain silent, but the question was burning in his mind. “Do you think she’s running from something?”

“A question,” Teighenth broke in, causing the boy to look up at him in surprise, “that I’m afraid must wait for when the day comes.” The dragon spoke calmly, though Kevin thought he heard the suppressed tenor of...suspicion? Anger? He wasn’t sure, but he didn’t get a chance to ask. “It’s too early, and you need your sleep. Both of you do.”

“But—“

“Whatever reasons there are for Catriona’s mother to come, she can tell us herself when she arrives. Until then, all we can do is wait.” His voice became authoritative, and he stared down at the two sternly. “Agreed?”

 

[Cyanide Latte]

Cat finally looked away from the view over the dark water, both resigned to and frustrated with the fact she couldn't see any signs of her mother. But it wasn't too surprising, after all. Taranau could still be some distance away. She looked back up at Teighenth and nodded as she set about sliding the ring back through her eyebrow. "Aye, won't do any good to sit around and get wound up if she's some distance away yet," she murmured. As she locked the ring back into place, the air cooled a fraction and the scales around her eyes vanished into nothing, as though their existence hadn't been anything but a trick of the imagination.

"Same goes for you too though," she added to the dragon, folding her arms and tilting her head. "You'll wear yourself out if we don't look after yeh, no?"

She didn't miss the undercurrent in his voice, and she had a feeling she knew exactly what caused it. Even if it turned out to be something else entirely, it seemed she still had some damage control on her hands to deal with. One thing was for certain, Teighenth was not like the stories her mother had told her as a child, and she owed it to the dragon and the acceptance he'd shown her to try rectifying that image with her mother.

 

[Drekasal]

"I look after myself well enough," Teighenth snorted, speaking with his customary gruffness now. When he noticed Kevin's look of hurt, however, his expression softened, and he sighed. "But I appreciate your concern, nonetheless," he amended. "It helps. It truly does." Leaning in, he gently nuzzled the boy, beseeching his forgiveness with sincere apology in his eyes. Eventually, Kevin gave in to the gesture and embraced him, his head resting upon the dragon's nose and arms wound tight around his muzzle.

For a time—almost an eternity in their minds—they stayed together like this, until, slowly and reluctantly, they withdrew from each other. "Go, little one," Teighenth said softly, nudging the boy. "You'll see me when the sun rises. I swear it."

The boy sniffled, but he dared not to cry, forcing himself to nod instead. "I know," was all he said, yet it rang with so many unspoken words that he knew only Teighenth would be able to hear. With that said, he inclined his head once again, this time in final parting, and he turned and began walking toward the elevator. Behind him, he could hear the dragon lumbering away as well, followed by several short caws as Poe finally returned from wherever-he-had-been and flew to Kevin's shoulder. I guess Teighenth wasn't the only one who needed to stretch his wings.

Pressing the button to bring up the car, he waited for Catriona to join him by the doors. For some moments, silence fell between them, until it became too much for Kevin to bear. "I'm worried, Cat," he told her quietly, his features darkened by a soft frown. "About Teighenth, about your mother...about everything. Nothing feels right to me." He hesitated, biting his lower lip anxiously before continuing. "You think...maybe we should tell the others? Sigrid? Haru?"

 

[Cyanide Latte]

The trepidation in Kevin's voice startled Catriona. It is one thing to express worry, and quite another to voice doubt. Almost instantly, she jumped into the role she'd always been the most comfortable using for those she cares about.

"Of course we should," she said, perhaps a bit brighter than she felt moments ago. "Just because nothing feels right, doesn't mean we shouldn't tell 'em what's happening. For one thing, if they get caught up in the middle of it all—and let's be real, I'd be staggered if they somehow didn't—I think they'd rather know than get blindsided. Sure, it's a lot to take in right now, but it's better to all be on the same page, if you ask me! For another, I trust them both, and I know you do. Not just with the information, but to be able to roll with it as we'll need to."

As the elevator doors finally chimed and slid open, she reached out and gave Kev's Poe-less shoulder a squeeze, pouring a little of her warmth into the gesture as she gave the best reassuring smile she could. "Hey, remember, we're a team, and friends besides," she said. "I don't know what's going on, or what it's going to look like, but as long as we all have each other, we'll pull through it. Come hell or high water, as they say. That's the reason we have friends, isn't it? Even a strong cornerstone's gotta have other stones to help support the weight of the house."

 

[Drekasal]

He looked at her gravely, in that way of his which made him seem older than he was. He wanted to believe her words, and honestly, he did. There was no question about it—he trusted Catriona with his life, just as he trusted their friends with the same. He knew they would look out for one another, for they were, as the dragonborn had said, a team.

More than that, a family. A word he'd been so afraid to use in the past, and still made his chest tighten to this day. Even after eight years...after he had lost her...the pain still lingered. It didn't hurt as much as it used to—he had a family again to take away some of that pain—but it would never fully go away. It was why even on the happiest of days, it would come cruelly rushing back, reminding him that she wasn't there. Reminding of the days when he had been alone—days that, were it not for Teighenth being in his mind, would have destroyed his soul.

Reminding him every single day, he could lose it all again. He would be alone again.

Sternly, he broke himself out of these dark thoughts. I'm not alone now, he told himself. I have the Titans. I have Catriona, Sigrid and Haru. And I have Teighenth. They'll always be there for me, and by the divines, I'll always be there for them, no matter what happens.

Because I can't lose them, too......I just can't.

—ᛏ—​

​

 

[Cyanide Latte]

The morning dawned, the sky outside marbled in veins of deepening gray. Cat had a feeling if she stepped outside, she would feel the pressure in the air steadily dropping and would be able to smell the rain in the distance. It was difficult to keep her attention focused on the conversation at hand, but she had to try. Her fingers tightened around the mug of coffee in her hands as she glanced between her friends. They'd been lucky to wake as early as they did, and luckier still that when asking a senior teammate for their assistance, they'd been able to secure the dining room to have this talk uninterrupted. Flame knew they needed it!

Sigrid had been awake already, and while she didn't seem entirely keen on her training routine being interrupted, she'd softened when Kevin had insisted it was necessary, that this was vitally important. Similarly, Haru still appeared to be fighting off the last grips of sleep, but his gaze was alert and serious and he'd snapped awake the moment he was told the relevance of the situation. Cat looked from one to the other, trying to gauge what they were thinking about what Kevin had started sharing, but if they were anything other than focused on the discussion, she was unable to tell. Then again, perhaps she couldn't tell; her own thoughts were an unending cyclone of the events of early this morning, of several worries, and of a sense of dread for something she had no name for.

Kevin stopped again. She glanced to him, feeling a strong, wrenching sympathy. He'd been speaking slowly and quieter than normal this whole time, like it was a struggle just to get words out.

It probably was.

And however worried she felt, she knew it wasn't going to completely show in her face. Kevin's worry was written in the arch of his brows and the way the corners of his mouth pulled down, and it was in the way he struggled to speak, and in the way he leaned forward, almost hunching over.

She couldn't pretend to know what all was weighing on his mind; he'd been evasive even with what he had said early that morning, and aside from the more obvious concern for Teighenth in the way she'd watched them interact, the best she had were wild guesses. It had to really be personal, for him to be this clamped up about it.

He halted yet again in his discussion, and this time it registered he was throwing her a furtive glance. A segue for her to springboard off of, then. That was fair enough; she figured she'd probably be able to better pick up the stream of conversation, and perhaps it'd take the edge off of him. Whatever was eating at her friend was absolutely just a bit too personal.

Of course, she was going to have to get personal too, and that chafed. She'd gone a while without opening up to anyone about past family issues, and she disliked stares of pity or accusations of attention-seeking. But, she had to remember the exact same thing she'd said to Kevin held true for her too. Sigrid and Haru where her friends—wild as it still felt to consider, being friends with both a former slayer and the reincarnation of a Leviathan, of all things!—and if she couldn't trust them, then who could she ever trust?

Still, that meant backtracking and covering a bit more ground with them that she hadn't before. Hopefully she could keep this short and to the point. Maybe...it would even be a relief to tell a couple more people.

Inhaling deeply, she glanced from Kevin to her two remaining friends, drumming her fingers absently against the warm ceramic in her hands.

"You both know I'm dragonborn, but I don't think I've ever told you more than that, have I?" she asked. "Unfortunately now, I don't have much of a choice. There's..." she grimaced and lowered her gaze, tilting the coffee cup in slow rotations. "I have to share some of it... What's important to this talk, anyway."

 

[Drekasal]

The slayer and Leviathan exchanged glances with one another, and they both opened their mouths to speak. Sigrid seemed to think better of it at the last minute, however, and she gestured for Haru to go instead. “You’re better at words than I am,” she muttered.

“Arigatou,” Haru murmured, inclining his head toward her as she sat back in her chair, then glanced to Catriona. “If there is anything you feel you are not ready to share with us, you are not forced to tell it. Your past belongs to you. But if there is anything you need of us, we will be there for you always, no matter the struggle.” He gave her a gentle smile, hoping to reassure her; beside him, Kevin had a look of relief, and he nodded his agreement.

When it was clear Haru was done speaking, Sigrid picked up the conversation. “It does help to know what is going, on though,” she said, brow and lips creased in a frown. Catching Catriona’s eye, her cheeks flushed a faint pink as she hesitated, before she sighed. “Gods, this is awkward...” she leaned forward, wringing her hands on the table and staring at nothing in particular for a moment, before giving the dragonborn a serious expression. “You know that I have nothing against you or your family for having dragon blood. I hope that you know that. It’s just...”

She stopped, choosing her next words carefully. “Well, you know how I feel about your brother. I know he’s never been here for very long, but my opinion’s been made of him despite that. Little of it being very good. Now—“ She emphasized that word with a sternness that got everyone’s attention. “—I don’t know your mother. And I don’t know why she’s coming here. What I do know is that it’s unannounced, it’s odd timing, and as Kev has made clear, it doesn’t feel like she’s coming here for a visit. That doesn’t exactly make me comfortable.”

 

[Cyanide Latte]

Cat nodded slowly, breathing deeply again. She was grateful for Haru's gentle reassurances, and for Sigrid's honesty, whether or not her friend felt comfortable voicing what she had to say. It was reassuring in its own way...though there was also an old, almost reflexive need to be defensive of her family.

The concerning part was, she felt more defensive of her brother than of their mother.

What in the name of all things sacred did that even say about her?

"When I was little," she began slowly, "I don't remember Jesse being at home long. His gifts kind of surfaced and Mum made it a point to get him to a teacher as soon as possible. So I mostly just remember my family being my parents, my sisters and me." She paused, frowning as memories struggled to surface, and continued tilting her mug gently. "I can't really tell you what I remember about Mum from before. I'm sure I have good memories, but they feel very faded, more like just warm, vague feelings than anything. Plus they're all tied up with what I remember about Dad and my big sisters."

The rotating motion came to a halt as she went still. There was one memory that always hit her when called upon, without fail, and it was the only one she wished she could forget a little. The metallic smell of blood and the reek of burning flesh and hair would never completely fade from recollection, and even now it made her stomach roil, unsettled.

"I was about 8 years old when we were attacked at home, and we still don't know why. We figure the men that did it were just hirelings, that they were working for someone who didn't wanna seem involved," she said tightly. "Dunno if the mind 'n' money behind it all was humans or dragons... Dad came from highlander blood. He wasn't gonna go down without a fight, and he didn't."

Her throat grew tighter and tighter as she blinked furiously, refusing to dwell on the memory of the outcome of her father's decision to protect the rest of them.

"After that it was just slaughter, one by one. I think they wanted Mum to watch, because I don't remember her being able to fight back for some reason. Dad first, then Diah, then Siobhan, then Sunset... All I know is by the time it was supposed to be my turn" she said, spitting out the words with a venom she rarely felt or showed, "I was just scared and angry and that's when, well..." She lifted both palms, and concentrated on one of them, building her power in it and pulling it out until a very tiny, controlled flame hissed into existence. She juggled it between both hands absently. "I don't remember what happened then. I just remember the fire, and screaming, and the smell." She winced and this time, squeezed her eyes shut as she closed her fingers around the little flame. "Gods, the smell."

It was getting rough to keep going. The tiny flame gave a desperate little sputter, seeking oxygen, and she breathed in and out, deep lungfuls of air to steady herself. Finally, she felt well enough to keep talking, and opened her eyes, keeping her eyes cast down.

"Mum took me and hunted down Jesse, and took us somewhere—I'm not sure where, donna ken if was Between, or if it was somewhere in Faerie, or what—and we laid low for a few days. That's when she did this—" she reached up with her free hand and brushed back some of her hair, still short, always short, never anything but, "—and all of this." Absently, she waved her hand in a fluid motion to indicate her face and all of the cold iron in it. "I remember she seemed agitated, like she hated having to slow down or t' do anything slow for our sake. The way she talked the whole time, that stuck with me too. Maybe it was just her way of grieving, but she was very set on something about encouraging me to vengeance."

After a moment, she offered up a shrug. "I think it was also a way of trying to ground me, to get through the pain of the piercing process. Piercings aren't supposed to hurt much, everyone says, but cold iron's a bitch. It can leave permanent scarring if you're not careful. In this case, that worked out fine. All this keeps me about as human as I can get." But her frown only deepened. "But the way Mum was, I remember that more than anything. She was tense the whole time. Finally, she brought us out of wherever she had us, told Jesse he had to look after me, take us to find an uncle we'd never met and never heard of. Said she'd spend time searching for answers about what happened."

She slumped back in her seat, feeling some of the tension ease, just a tiny bit. "After that, we were on our own," she went on. "I've not seen Mum since that day. I know Jesse's spoken and met with her a few times, but it's never been for anything good or normal family stuff, if I had t' make a guess." After a second, she looked Sigrid in the eye and gave a slow nod. "I don't want to think Mum's trouble herself, but I barely remember anything about her except what happened those few days after, um... after..." She swallowed hard, feeling her throat constricting again. "Anyway, I do think it's possible she's bringing trouble with her. Or she's in trouble. Everything I picked up from my dreams last night just gives me the thought she's really on edge. I don't know why she'd seek me out otherwise, let alone seek me out in the first place. She's not the kind of person, er...dragon who does things without a reason."

Finally she allowed herself to look out at the sky beyond the windows, and took in the sight of the dark clouds not too far off.

"I've got no idea what we're about to get into it, but I have a feeling it's not gonna be good any way ya cut it."

 

[Drekasal]

The others followed her gaze, and they stared out together at the looming clouds on the horizon. A sense of foreboding hung in the air, crackling with suppressed tension. To Kevin, the signs were all too clear—a storm was coming, and it wouldn't be long before it arrived.

But will we be ready for when it does?

It was Sigrid who finally broke the silence, her eyes narrowing as she gave herself a shake. "Well, I'm not going to sit here and cower about it. If trouble is coming, fine. We'll be ready for it—we always are." She glared around, daring someone to contradict her. When no one answered, she settled back in her chair, satisfied.

"Besides," and her expression turned smug, "even if something or other does have it out for us, they won't get very far. They'll have to deal with Kev and his papa dragon—" She indicated said boy, whose cheeks immediately reddened. "—a former slayer and shield-maiden, a half-dragon with a damn good punch, and a god dragon from the east. Don't know about you three, but I quite like our chances. And speaking of god dragons..." Without warning, Sigrid gave Haru a friendly sock in the arm. "I'm still betting on you slamming the old scorch today!"

Both Haru and Kevin exchanged a look, and they winced—with everything going on, they had nearly forgotten about that. Somehow, it only seemed to make Kevin's anxiety worse. "Do you really think today is the best day for a duel?" he asked, glancing at the storm clouds outside.

"I don't see why not," Sigrid retorted, waving a hand dismissively. "Haru's a storm dragon, isn't he? This should be perfect weather for him; gives him an advantage, doesn’t it?”

“But I don’t want to ‘slam’ anyone,” Haru murmured, rubbing his arm mournfully.

“Don’t think T. is going to give you a choice in the matter—he seems intent on getting you back in touch with your dragon side.”

 

[Cyanide Latte]

"No worries there, Haru, least not today," Cat said, setting down her coffee and standing from her chair, giving a nod at the storm clouds. "Likely that's Mum's stormwall, if my gut's to be trusted. Not sure how this meet-up will go if you and T. end up duking it out while she's on the move."

She couldn't bring herself to speculate in front of them, despite wanting to. It was true, what she'd said before: she barely remembered what Taranau was like outside of those worst memories. She had no idea what her mother would make of her friends, period, and that worry gave rise to two very different feelings. Part of her was desperate and hungry for her mother to approve of them, and to set aside any misgivings about Teighenth, and about Sigrid for that matter. The rest of her burned with defiance, ready to bare her teeth and snap at even the smallest slight against this little unit she'd found herself in.

But T. was right; they wouldn't know anything for certain until her mother arrived.

And without waiting for an immediate response from her friends, she stepped away from the table. "And speakin' of, we probably best get topside to greet her. Besides, her storms are better viewed up close. Least that's what Dad always said."