OOC: This log is held in an NPC location, where Phylicia originally grew up, and her father still resides unless called away by the Healer Hall for duty.
SOUTHERN BOLL HOLD
It's a remarkably fair-weather day for those arriving along the outskirts of Boll Hold. The odd watchrider circles lazily in the sky around the general area while the hustle and bustle of the place carries on below, daily Hold life thriving in this place. Today will almost certainly find Tenebrous out and about, absent from the hold just as soon as his morning chores are complete, racing for the wooded areas around the establishment with ferver and leaving a still frustrated mind-healer to work with other patients and wonder about any progress being made. For his part, Jaice can be found in the medical facilities set aside for his practice, speaking quietly with a timid-looking man in hushed tones.
A new dragon in the sky - a large teal hued green - pops in from Between. There's bugling between the new comer and the watchdragon on duty. It's a rare enough occurrence where there's a small crowd about as Phylicia trots in from the outskirts of the Hold. The rider of that teal green comes at a slightly more sedate pace, solemn faced though his lips are twitching at the girl's excitement. "Just remember our agreement, candidate!" He shouts after her fleeing form. And it seems the rider here has family of his own to catch up with, and they've been notified as he gets swamped by them. Phylicia doesn't pause, offering the rider a wave as she continues towards where her father is likely to be. And she's not disappointed, though she pauses in the doorway, not quite wanting to throw herself at the man when he's having a conversation with someone else. Her face is that of both relief and happiness, though every now and again, her eyes scan the area as if trying to find someone that's obviously not here.
If Jaice knows his little girl has finally arrived, he doesn't show it. When she finally finds him there, in the medical pavillion, he's just finishing up with that man, offering calm words of support and a smile as he shuffles out. Only when he's out of sight does he sigh and look outside at the position of the sun. "Healer," he calls wearily. "My next patient is once again not here. Would you please send someone to find her playmate? If she's not here, it's because she's either hiding from the hold, or out and about with her new friend…" A quasi-weary hand is passed over his eyes before he sinks into a chair again. "It's like having teenagers, all over again," he mutters to himself.
Phylicia laughs from the doorway, coming up to her father and wrapping the man up in a hug. "Correct me if I'm wrong, dad, but don't you still HAVE a teenager?" She points out to him with a grin as she looks up at him. But she has noted his prior statement, and she's still amused, or just in a really good humor. "Gilley 'missing' again, is she?" It just goes to show that she has been receiving her father's letters. She herself looks little different than before, except for maybe slight black smudges under her eyes from sleep not as restful as it should be. But then her smile turns faintly apologetic. "I'm sorry I haven't written. They really know how to keep a candidate busy." All of her attempts at writing back? They seem to end in scribbles or odd lines.
Jaice actually jumps a little when Phylicia speaks, his head jerking up with a smile. "Phylicia!" Then she's on him and he's wrapping his arms around her with a warm hug and a quietly murmured, "Oh…Shells, but I've missed you!" When the hug ends, he parts from her, but only to elbow's length. "Does your mother know you're home? She'll breathe like a dragon if she hears you're here and she's missed you, and you know that." Then he's nodding to her statement. "I know she's happy, but…her ankle's still not completely up to speed yet, and…" His face clouds a little. "He has no concept of rules, Phylicia. None at all. Once he knows something is 'right' in his head, he moves forward with it until someone stands directly in his path. Something I've been reluctant to do, all things considered. The child is happy when they work together, but…" then he sighs. "I can't just let one patient run along with another. Not when I can't be sure what he's capable of. I'm going to have to figure out a way to deal with this, sooner rather than later."
Rules. Always rules. Phylicia's face scrunches momentarily, almost in a grimace. But then she's grinning again, her good mood at apparently finding her father still whole far outweighing anything else. "She'll know once you tell her that I'll be staying for dinner tonight." She slowly pulls herself apart from her father with a grin. "Oh come on, daddy. You've been longer without seeing me." She pauses for a moment, tapping a finger to her lips. Oh, her gears were turning as soon as it was clear Tenebrous wasn't here, but she plays it innocent. "Why don't you go tell mom that I'm here, while I go fetch your wayward patient?" She offers helpfully. "I'm used to being sent on running errands by now." Not that she hadn't been used to it in the Hall, but the frequency of errands has recently multiplied in the girl's life. "Where might she normally be?"
Jaice rolls his eyes. "If everyone was so transparant, my job would be easier," he offers in a droll tone. "They're usually outside of the Hold wall, either by the planting fields, or over by the edge of the wooded area. If they're there, good luck finding them. That's one of the things that makes me nervous, Phylicia." He stands slowly. "If he doesn't want to be found, it's very difficult to find him, once he's out there. That would be frustrating enough, given that he's in my care, but he's got a little girl with him now. She's never been hurt, but…that's rapidly becoming unacceptable." Then he shakes his head, waving a hand at her. "But I imagine these are all things you know. Go see if you can bring my patients back to me, and I'll let your mother know that there'll be one more mouth to feed tonight." Then he smiles warmly. "It's good to have you back home again, Phy. Even if I've gone longer without seeing you, 'too long' comes quickly for fathers when their daughters are concerned. I'm glad you're here."
"Keep in mind it's only for a day, Daddy." Phylicia reminds him with a laugh, though she does favor her father with a slightly longer look as he speaks, her lips pressing together for a moment until she puts a grin back on her face. "I'll… see what I can do." She says without actually promising as she starts to retrace her steps back out of the Hold and the medical pavilion. She has little worries about being able to find him, even if the type of greeting she'll get still nags at her a little bit. Now and again one of her trio has stopped by to visit, but without any messages attached to them. The possible reception she might receive for having left him in the care of the mind healers - even if it is her father - is not exactly a promising prospect. And so it's with quick footsteps tinged with apprehension that goes to check the places her father told her to.
Boll isn't a particularly secretive place, and a girl with a walking cane isn't exactly hard to miss. Phylicia's search will certainly lead her outside of the hold itself, and then to the edge of the forest. Compared to the prime-evil forests of Xanadu, the greenery here is far lighter, it being a more pleasant area to walk in, and less the dangerous clutch of green. Depending on how Phylicia chooses to accord herself, she could easily move here without being heard, and if she's dressed properly, could probably move without being seen as well. Gilley isn't terribly hard to find. She's not deep into the woods at all, and the sounds of her giggling can be heard from far off. The reason? A bronze fire-lizard that rolls around on the ground before her, playing in the leaves she's gathered. And Tenebrous is nowhere to be found.
Phylicia is in her hiking outfit, it being far more comfortable to navigate a dragon's side and back in. But instead of her coat that the's copy of Tenebrous', she's in a fur-lined riding coat that's just a touch big for her small frame. Her steps are light to begin with so she doesn't make much noise, but she does make some. Blending in is not so much a worry for her, but as she closes in on the giggling and the bronze, she stops just a little ways away, watching the girl for a moment as she's almost hesitant to interrupt the girl's play. But she does step forward after a few minutes of standing to the side, long enough for her sounds to possibly have been forgotten. "Gilley?" She's never seen the girl before, so the question is a bit more tentative, her voice already soft, not wanting to scare the girl.
The tiny girl's eyes are dark and luminous as she watches the bronze cavort in front of her, and she's all but oblivious to Phylicia's approach until it's too late. When her name is called, her head snaps up, eyes widening a little, and a little gasp escapes her lips. Then she simply freezes, a small animal caught by something much larger. Quence, for his part, is merely irritated. He no longer has an audience to justify his ferocious actions, and so he lols over onto his four feet, rattling a hiss at Phylicia from the scarred base of his throat.
Phylicia gives Consequence a cautious look, not approaching Gilley any further, but instead sinking into a sitting position. Estevan - ever the cheerful 'lizard - dive-bombs the pile of leaves. "Is that how the man you look to feels about me as well?" She asks of the bronze. Every now and then her eyes slide to Gilley, waiting for the smaller girl to realize she's not here to hurt her. "Is he around the immediate area?" Again, the question is asked to the bronze, though after the question, her eyes slide to Gilley again. Either one could answer, she's not picky.
It's hard to look tough when you're bombed by a brown flit, and Consequence has to give it up when Estevan joins in on the fun. He all but falls back into the leaves again, chortling and rolling around with the brown. Still young, is he. Gilley, for her part, is half-drawn to the show in front of her, and half-drawn to the woman that's just arrived. She still doesn't move an inch, and Quence is clearly to occupied to answer. Ultimately, it's the flapping of much larger wings that does it. Reconciliation is a pale, golden spectre in the woods, gliding down out of the trees and quietly landing on the ground next to the frightened child. Little steps send her waddling over to the girl's side and she crawls into her lap, cooing quietly and nuzzling at her chest to calm her. Little arms wrap around her for security, and only when some tension has eased from her body does the gold turn its head, nodding gravely to Phylicia and offering a quiet trill of greeting. Then she stills and those eyes begin to shift colors, away from swirling greens and into deeper blues, flecks of gray within.
There's all sorts of chortling coming from that pile of leaves as the older brown and younger bronze frolic in it. Phylicia seems to be enjoying that show as well, a grin on her face as she shakes her head. Trust Estevan to be good with children by being himself. "Doing well, Cila?" Even Cila might be able to pick up on the waves of thankfulness Phy emits as the large gold gets the girl calmed down. Though the thankfulness is not long lived as she bites her lip. She can see where her father was having a hard time putting his foot down, seeing as how she's reluctant to herself. Several times she opens her mouth as if to speak before she closes it again, pondering it for a few more moments. Hinae must be sleeping somewhere, dozing off another growth spurt, as only Ciaran answers this vague distress. The midnight blue her watchful small guardian. "Did you lose track of the time?" It comes from no where, but the gentle question can only be aimed at the girl as she sighs.
"You can't lose track of something that you weren't paying attention to in the first place," comes a quiet, muffled voice. And then the huge pile of leaves begins to move, displacing the fire lizards that frolic through it. It's like something out of a story book, some kind of arboreal golem coming to life out of the ground itself. First the hood and then the shoulders, covered in leaves and their twigs, dry earth and bits of wood. Only when he's fully standing between Phylicia and Gilley does his body shiver, just enough to send all manner of forest detritis cascading from his form, to the floor below. His face is barely visible in the golden green light of the place as he regards her for a moment. Then he makes a gesture with one gloved hand and murmurs a word in that strange language. Even if Phylicia doesn't understand the word itself, its intent is clear enough, as she's seen it a hundred times. A flash of green overhead sees little Truth ghosting off to retrace Phylicia's steps, and a moment later, Consequence leaps into the air as well, working a slow spiral outwards from their position.
Phylicia starts, her body jerking stiff as the pile of leaves starts to move. Estevan merely trills happily, playing with the leaves that cascade off of Tenebrous' form, leaping to snatch them out of the air. Phy starts to resemble that small animal Gilley was mimicking a moment ago now, tilting back her head to look at him. She licks her lips, her mouth suddenly dry. "Master Jaice is worried about you, Gilley." She says, looking to where Gilley should be behind Tenebrous, before her eyes go back to his as she stays seated. And her eyes beg for forgiveness as she stays rooted to her spot, a muscle along her arm or leg occasionally twitching as if she's going to stand, but doesn't. "Ten…"
"The mind-healer isn't worried about her," Tenebrous corrects quietly. "He's worried about the same thing that he's always been. The strange man in the woods that he cannot control and can even less comprehend." Then he's gesturing with his hand down by his side, and a moment later, a Gilley's little fingers creep into his. "It's time to go back to the Hold now, young miss," he murmurs to her, though his eyes never leave Phylicia's. "Take Reconciliation with you, and remember what I taught you. This woman is no danger." That last part is said with equal parts assurance…and promise. The girl's head pokes out from around Tenebrous' body, a mournful expression on her face, and Tenebrous finally looks away from Phylicia's face and into hers. With her free hand, she brings Tenebrous' wooden flute to her lips, blowing two sad notes. "I'll be fine," Tenebrous assures her quietly. "Home, young miss. Your keepers will be after you soon for your supper." For a moment, Gilley thrusts her lower lip out, but then she's tucking the flute away and bending down to pick up a sturdy walking stick. Then off she goes, cradling Cila to her body with one arm and using the other to keep a bit of weight off of her ankle. Only when she's gone and Truth has offered a shrill, silvery cry of 'All Clear' does Tenebrous turn to regard Phylicia again.
"Be fair." Phylicia says softly, though the doesn't expand on that subject any further, brave enough still to not drop her eyes from his, until he diverts his attention to Gilley. That bit of display is watched with curiosity and even a tinge of surprise as the girl produces his flute. She continues watching where Gilley went a few moments after Cila's cry rings out. But eventually she looks back to Tenebrous and swallows, forcing herself to stand now. "You gave her your flute." It's not a question, but more a gentle confirmation of fact as she takes a few hesitant steps forward. Like with her father, there's a great urge to simply throw herself at him, but again she somehow controls herself, simply contenting herself with extending an open hand, palm up, towards him.
Tenebrous murmurs, "I loaned it to her. For the purposes of our trips, at least while she's injured, it was a prudent thing to do. I don't always go back to the Hold when she does. When the time comes, that will change." Eyes flicker down to that hand for a moment before they look back up to her. "I had…such a strange dream," he murmurs, moving towards her, but not taking that hand. "That…you and Galina pretty much stormed the mind-healers' section of the Hall and all but staged a coup to try and save me from…something." His head tilts. "Then I woke up to find that I'd been taken in hand by one of my captors and slated for treatment far from anything I've ever known in my life…and you weren't there." He swallows. "You had gone to stand with the dragons. With -that- dragon…" Jaice wanted emotion from him, wanted humanity…now, in the presence of his child, there it is, dripping from his voice in tones of hurt, of anger, and confusion…deep sadness and deeper weariness. "And now you're here…" Then he turns his head away, his voice thick. "I thought I was hearing things, when you first spoke to the child…that it couldn't possibly be you, so far away from…those eggs…"
The fingers on Phylicia's open and extended hand slowly start to curl up. "That wasn't exactly a dream." She chokes out after he finishes. The pain in her tone is echoed by her eyes as she starts to reach out again, this time lightly hooking fingers into the sleeve of his jacket. "D-Jaice wasn't one of the Healers originally working on you." She supplies, before admitting to her part of all this. "The others, they dosed you maybe a little too well. He won't. Not unless you go berserk…" Her words are both choppy and rushed at the same time, and finally she drops her head slightly, likewise looking elsewhere since his - at least momentary - denial hurts. "I.. I don't suppose he told you how sorry I am?" Sorry that she couldn't get him away from the grasps of the mind healers. "It's my one day off this sevenday. I struck a bargain with a rider who has family here." That is admitted, just about as guiltily as everything else that just tumbled out of her mouth, while apparently a tree has become very interesting to stare at.
Tenebrous's eyes drift down to the fingers in his sleeve, but he makes no move to pull them away, torn between touching her, and wanting to hold up the wall in front of him. "Dare I ask what the bargain was?" he asks quietly. Then his free hand waves the question away as though he's almost frightened of what the answer might be. "The mind-healer hasn't told me anything about you. I see him, for the most part, when I'm required to. He asks foolish questions and expects honest answers. He has no grasp of my world, no concept." And judging by the tone of his voice, Tenebrous is perfectly happy with that. But then his voice softens. "No…he didn't tell me how sorry you were. He just…said that you would have been there, but more important matters had cropped up…" He can't even finish that thought, swallowing it down. "And now you're here, like … another kind of strange dream, one that'll be over in less than 24 hours, and I have no idea what I'm supposed to do … "
"It's nothing sinister." Phylicia supplies. "On top of the other chores they have me doing, I just need to report to him after breakfast, to see if he needs any errands done for the day…" Just more chores, to exhaust her further. Her fingers tighten a little bit as he doesn't pull away from her. "He didn't pass /anything/ along to you?" She sounds a little disappointed with her father for that one and she lets out a heavy sigh. Though she does note his tone, which brings about a soft, twitchy smile. "You're giving him no small amount of headaches, you know."
Tenebrous closes his eyes for a moment. "No, Phylicia, he didn't pass anything along to me. I asked about you once, and he said simply that you were well, and living your life, and that I should concentrate on living mine." Then his eyes open and they're hard again. "And he can have his headaches. All of them. He's so concerned with what's out there, and not in here…" He gestures to the forest around them with his free hand. "And I don't just…mean the trees. Everyone's so concerned about … " He sighs. "The Master has a book of old truisms, or at least she used to, and one of them stuck with me as I grew up."
There are so many different worlds,
So many different suns.
But we have just one world,
Yet we live in different ones…
"Your father suffers from the same thing that every mind-healer does…their definition of 'healed' is living in their world."
"/Daddy/." Phylicia grumbles the word, her tone bordering that of a curse as her lips momentarily curl into small snarl. But the annoyance doesn't last long, as she's pulled back to the present conversation as he continues to speak. "I… I don't know what he's trying to do with you… for you." Her fingers tighten a little further, and she scoots forward towards him a half step, her other hand slowly raising, towards his cheek to cup it. She's looking back at him now, and there's both pain and longing in her eyes. No, even touching dragon eggs and being apart for so long hasn't changed much as she falls into silence for the moment, letting her presence speak for her.
Tenebrous's cheek is warm under her hand, and his clenched jaw is easily felt beneath her fingertips, the trembling of muscle. "I…" Then he shudders a little and his reserve around her breaks. His arms sweep forward and he closes the gap between them, wrapping them around her tightly and pulling her to him. His shoulders hunch a little when he brings his head down next to hers, almost clinging. "I miss you so much," he breaths, his body quivering.
Phylicia's response as his reserve breaks is one of happiness, though the noise produced is a squeak as he squeezes her tightly, her lungs protesting though she gives herself over gladly. Her own hand unhooking from his sleeve so she can return the hug, her own body quaking in response even as she squeezes back. Her breathing is quick and a little unsteady as she buries herself against him. "I've missed you too…" With her forehead resting against him, she shakes her head, her arms constricting further, as if they're not already plastered to each other. "I'm sorry!" Are the next words out of her mouth. "I didn't want to leave you. I didn't want to leave you with the other mindhealers. I called in Daddy…" The words are tumbling from her mouth in a rush, like something would be better once she told him. "I only have my knot still - if you want to call being suspended having a knot - because he bargained with Her for it. I don't think she's happy with me. I don't know what happened to Galina…" She pauses there to take a deeper breath, regaining a bit of her control. She tilts her head back, wanting to get a better look at his face, which also allows him a better look at hers. The lack of decent sleep, and the torment in her eyes for her part in this. "Forgive me?" Comes her whispered request.
Tenebrous shudders even more as she talks, and it's only the tactile feeling of her pulling away that has him doing the same, eyes meeting hers. Beneath the hood, his face is dry, but his eyes are bright and suggest moisture that is forbidden to manifest. For a moment, his jaw works like he's trying to get something sour past his tongue, but he finally whispers, "You chose necessary evils over unavailable good." He takes a shuddering breath. "Saying that I'm…sorry about how things have turned out is a staggering understatement, but…this isn't your fault. Or perhaps it is, and your lack thereof involvement would have been something worse, I just…" Then he shakes his head. "If my forgiveness will make you feel better, you have it. But when the dust settles, if we can ever look at this clearly, I suspect that we'll both see you've done nothing that would necessitate being forgiven…"
The smile he gets from Phylicia is bright, though still a little shaky, even as she loosens her arms from around him. With a slow carefulness, her hand move upwards, one to cup each cheek. She doesn't pull herself to him, nor him to her, instead letting her thumbs work gently over his cheekbones, taking in that unshed moisture. "Thank you…" She murmurs, indeed feeling at least a little bit better, some of her tension easing from her. Her thumbs do roam a little however, going over the curve of his lips, much like she's a blind person trying to figure out a face.
Tenebrous looks down at her for several more moments before swallowing again and murmuring, "You…mentioned Galina. I thought you should know, she's fine. She'e still got her knot and was confined for a bit, but she's out and about now with her mentor." He grimaces a moment. "She probably won't walk the tables for a very, very long time now though, by way of punishment, and I hear they're combing through all of her paperwork in records now, trying to find…something. I honestly don't know why though…" He swallows again and glances up as Truth finally comes ghosting back to one of the tree branches. "Thank you, little one," he calls up to her. She trills once in reply before taking off again to assist Quence with his slow, methodical search.
Phylicia gives a short, breathy laugh at his observation. "That's good… but I don't think any of us will be walking the tables within the next few turns, if ever." Her actions only pause briefly as Truth comes to report, but as the green flits off to help her brother, Phy is gently both pulling him to her and her to him now. She doesn't answer as to why they're looking through all of Galina's paperwork now, even if she knows full well why. Right now she's just intent on the man holding her, wanting to just feel him again. Her kiss is soft and needy, though not necessarily the sexual sort of need.
There's something almost weak about Tenebrous kiss. It's no less there, but it's tired, as though much of the passion that he's been denied has dried up within him. It's been well over a month now since Jaice took him away from the Hall, and the time has not been kind to him. There's almost a desperation there in passion's absence, something trying to remember what it was like, and what it is now, so that once Phylicia is gone, he'll remember. One hand circles to her waist while the other moves up to her face, mirroring her own gesture, and for a moment, he begins tuning out his present circumstances.
Now might be a bad time for anyone to come upon the pair. Phylicia's eyes open momentarily to look at him, her eyes once again pained at the initial tone to the kiss, but she slides her eyes shut a moment later, simply giving into the kiss. She doesn't meet his desperation with some of her own, but rather she unshackles that hunger he likes to tease her for completely, letting that speak for her as one of her hands slips into his hood, to hold the back of his head, while her other hand moves to rest on his shoulder and hold him tight. Letting go is going to be awhile in coming, unless someone comes along.