gift of a friend

M

onths had passed, and Obsidian had done everything he had promised - not only to Leoric, but to Badari and himself. He was a good friend to her, which he would always be. He would always watch over her. He would always help her. Today, they had trained. He had helped her to build back her confidence, to trust in her own form. He would go slow with her, not wanting to harm her, and with time and patience, she could be back to where she once was. He trusted her, believed in her. He knew she could do it. As they approached the steps to the manse, Obsidian was the perfect gentleman, he opened the door for her to walk inside. They exchanged a hug, and a few jokes with each other before Badari walked inside. As she closed the door, Obsidian turned to the courtyard. He walked down the steps and looked out over the land the Tiamats owned.

In his mind, he knew that this is what Leoric would be doing, what he should have been doing. He should have been the one to help her, protect her. In fact, every time he came to the manse, he thought of him. The thoughts would never pass, he would only continue to live an honorable life, like his cousin would have continued to do.

@Sif

code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

everywhere i go i drag this coffin just in case

Quietly the woman walked along the corridors with two adorable pups weaving around her as she let them explore with a watchful eye, perhaps a little too calm with them than she had been her past children. It was likely due to gaining the graces of trust within the manse after over a year of living here. The maids no longer held her suspicions and those less known within the Tiamat family, her family, no longer carried the mantle of merely comrade. A small smile was worn on her lips as the little boys tried to get into rooms they had no business going into but without them using a little bit of teamwork, she didn’t have many worries they would succeed. Rune was already getting rather big, both of them were growing so much faster than she was used to but they were still small enough to have vertical handicaps.

“Why don’t we go play in the courtyard, hmmm?” she offered, getting a bit of excitement from them as they shifted direction immediately toward the outside world. At least it was mostly enclosed, allowing her plenty of a watchful eye on them without a worry of them running away and getting harmed like Haskell had been. Within no time, they had ran into the tall grasses, though not exploring horribly far away as she quietly observed them with a mother’s warmth and a former army captain’s critical eye still hope one of them would grow to carry the pride of the Tiamat and Asgaut clans of serving within the army but it was hard to determine much of anything when they were only a couple months old. Their legs weren’t exactly graceful.

A sigh escaped her, about to lay down and take in the warmth of the sun until she noticed a man not of her home moving along within the same confines. A warning growl vibrated in her throat, hoping Nasirye and Rune would understand to get closer to her or hide so they weren’t vulnerable. The aggression would start to flee as fast as it came as the pelt of the stranger would start to gain familiarity to her lone orb.

At Leoric's funeral, he was the host. He also had gotten one of the Tiamat ilk back here safely after the war, one some had thought dead.

Eyeing him a few moments longer, her tail would thrash a couple times before moving toward him while glancing around for her kids to keep track of them as it seemed they hadn’t stopped their little play session even with her growl. “You’re Leoric’s cousin, right? What brings you here?” a cold blade still lingered on her tongue even with recognition, not so sure she trusted him so close to her children. She had missed Badari’s return seconds prior to coming out here, making it seem like he was just here loitering on their land without purpose.

code by claerie ▬ art by areot

L

ost in thought, Obsidian was only pulled from it when he heard the sounds of children laughing and playing. He snapped out of it, and found a soft smile upon his features. It was rare for him to show emotion, as it was viewed as a weakness all of his life. But to children, they did not need to see doom and gloom upon the face of the officer. A voice speaking to him pulled his attention and he turned to face her. "That, I am." He gave a bow of his head. "I am Obsidian Corrus, ma'am. I was just returning Badari home, making sure she was alright today." He didn't know how much Badari had told her family and it was not his place to give up her private affairs. Instead, he would be reminded of what he was doing just moments before the little family had appeared. "Sorry about lingering. I guess I just allow myself to get lost in my own thoughts." He looked over to the children and then back to her. "You have a beautiful family, you are very lucky." He said softly. He hoped that one day he would have something like that. Leoric could have had a life like this one.

"I am afraid I don't know much of your family - aside from members that are enlisted in the army. How are you related to Badari?" If he was going to just be standing on their property, it made sense to speak to her, to see if he could make them feel more comfortable with how much he was planning to be coming around the manse in the future. He did not want Badari to fall back in training. More training she got, the better she would be inside out. He wasn't a doctor, but when things got tough for him, he worked harder, pushed himself more - and sometimes he could forget all about the things that deeply troubled him.

@Sif

code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

everywhere i go i drag this coffin just in case

The smile that lined his face while he watched her kids hardly seemed vile. Truly it felt warm and welcoming in a way that didn’t cause her fur to want to bristle along her spine though she still felt some instinct in wanting to protect her children from him all the same. Even after all this time, her trust was hard to come by even when she wanted to give it willingly.

An ear twitched at his introduction, not so used to a man bowing their head in such a gentleman like manner, her mind didn’t seem to want to compute it happened at all. The fact he carried respect at all with a high station within the army spoke volumes about his character and she could appreciate that. She had met enough cruel high ranks in her life to know not all of them worked on the lines of good and only hunted the wings of power. It made her all the more calm around him as she got a grip on this meeting.

Badari’s name did surprise her a little bit, barely knowing anything about the girl beyond being a diligent soldier, having only really crossed paths without talking much. That said, it was still a blessing she was alive and safe after the losses that had already been endured. “A kind gesture. I take it you are one of the ones that returned her to us?” she allowed a minimal smile to form. She could only hope the girl was a little more accepting of help unlike the rest of those that lived in the home, admittedly headstrong herself and refuses care often from others. Though the direction of their conversation would shift swiftly to apologies and family as she saw his attention turn from her once more. “I am and those two are only a fraction of it. All thanks to two men refusing to let me be alone in my solitude. One became my husband and the other was Leoric,” she mused, knowing no matter how many times she pushed them both away they kept coming back for one reason or another and she was glad now that they did.

Her brow creased as he brought up only knowing those within the army and she let out scoff of sorts, though it was hard to tell if she was genuinely offended with how subtle her expression shifted. “I was unaware I had retired,” she said with a side glance in his direction. She didn’t care if he didn’t know her name or much about her, she preferred it that way, but she would like to think he had at least seen her within the barracks over the past five years of serving. She felt like she had a coat that wasn’t exactly common with her distracting golds that burned her own retinas.

“I’m Badari’s Aunt, Sif Asgaut. Former Captain during the initial rebellion and have since served as an Executioner of the army,” she said in wait to see what he will do with that information. She didn’t feel like it needed to be said why she stepped down from Captain when one of her eyes is missing from the first war. She saw herself as a liability instead of an asset on the front lines.

code by claerie ▬ art by areot

H

e gave a simple nod of his head. She had assumed correctly. "Badari has become a very close friend of mine. I saw her on the battlefield, right before Leoric was murdered, and then I did not see her again." Thinking back to that time, he could feel the pain swelling in his heart. He had just walked her home though, so he knew she was fine now. No matter how much time had passed, the pain was still there. The regret still growing. There was nothing else he could have done, and yet, he was beating himself up about it. "I am only sorry I was not able to do it sooner." In this interaction, Obsidian realized he needed to get out more and speak with more wolves in the higher up positions. He was close to the Verlice family, knew them well. Asgaut was one he was not too familiar with. That would change with her. Sif. "Leoric was my cousin, one of my best friends.." he didn't want to sour the mood or talk of things that would make either of them sad. She had also been close to Leoric.

"My apologies," he said as he hung his head in shame. He did not know she was an officer, or had been one. He supposed that he was far too busy investing himself in his work, and the war - then Badari. "I meant nothing against you.. I guess I need to learn more about our ranks. I am greatly sorry to have even slightly disrespected you." He couldn't tell if she were mad at him or upset, he just wanted to cover his bases and make sure that he could build around that. He was not about to ask what had transpired with her eye. That would be for another time, perhaps. It reminded him of Xandria, and all that she had gone through with the bastard Odysseus. How Obsidian wished he could put his head upon a pike and show it off to the world what happens when you cross members of the army. "What are your children's names?" he asked as he tried to change the subject.

@Sif

code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

everywhere i go i drag this coffin just in case

She would remain silent as he spoke, taking in each word fully without interruption so she might get the clearest picture possible, though a cruel reality would be revealed. Had Badari and this man witnessed Leoric’s death? It would cause her to shiver a little, not even wanting to think of how it all happened and yet, gazing at those mismatched eyes with a silent question. “Khepri gave me a description of who did it but if you did witness it, what happened? How did he die? Did... she see it?” It seemed like such a simple question and yet it was so hard to ask, knowing it could stir up horrible images within this man’s head. Still, it would give her a better understanding of what all went down. Maybe even give her some confirmation of whom she thought it might have been. The same girl she had jailed during the protests would be a crippling truth she didn’t wish would come true.

“And you have nothing to apologize for, the same would be repeated by anyone that cares for her. What matters is that Badari is safe now and has a chance to live on because of what you have done,” that was one truth that was easier to come by. The one that saved her successfully was far more than the time it took to do it. He beat many odds and was one of the only ones that hadn’t failed in that endeavor. It probably meant little coming from her, though. Badari needed to say so herself if she hadn’t already.

Her features softened at the mention of his own cousin being his best friend and quickly any fire that was alight in her belly at his insinuation would calm with his apology. “Where it is impossible to know everyone within the ranks, it is best to know at least those in commanding stations. That said, I’m not much of a social butterfly myself and never really put myself out there for others to know either. So perhaps I owe you an apology of sorts as well,” she chuckled a little at the thought. Perhaps she was being a little too hard on him in the end the more she thought about it. She had gotten so soft though, never having been someone to so carelessly laugh in front of others. She wasn’t the stern, stoic soldier she once was, and the mention of her kids gave her plenty of reason why. Nuzzling baby bellies and telling fairytales, though not the nicest ones, would make many stop having a stick up their butt.

Glancing over to her youngest sons, she smiled a touch. “The golden boy is Nasirye and the one that looks more like me is Rune. Then I have Haskell, Sheik and Aurora… and a stepdaughter, Ismailia. Addressing them all out loud for the first time, I have a full circus it seems.” It was strange. She never had to name them all in one go. Six kids. That was way more than she ever thought she’d have. Aurora had been the only one she had for years and now within a little over a year she had gained five more.

code by claerie ▬ art by areot