The Lothar sighed as he closed his eyes and shook his head, calming himself from the unexpected rush of rage. kayleigh forgave him, of course, but she didn't know what he'd done? "Don't you remember?" Fridgar asked witha confused expression before realising that he hadn't told Kayleigh. "Oh, it's because I never told you... You're not familiar with magic, are you?" How did he sum this up in a way that would be easy for her to understand? "By using too much magic, I landed myself a permanent curse. If I make eye contact with someone for too long, I'm overcome with the urge to beat them bloody... I hate it." Fridgar cast his corrupted eyes to the floor, disappointed. "Please don't look me in the eyes if ever I look at you, it's hard to look away when I fuck up..."
Learning about Fridgar's mutation had probably distanced their relationship even more, but better that than maiming or crippling a person he'd come to appreciate. That's why he gave her the dagger and the task, he appreciated her and wanted her to succeed, to overcome her barriers. Maybe he shouldn't have just left her to it? maybe she needed the distance? How was he to know? He was a physician, not a psychologist. He'd have hurried in the Caravan or even left the gold if he'd known just how much the poor girl was struggling, but alas, there he stood with the chest of gold, offering his care.
When the girl threw herself to him, Fridgar panicked, dropping the chest and spilling the nel. On the bright side, he caught her. She was hysterical, balling and whimpering, begging to stop. Fridgar froze as he held her, feet dangling off the ground a foot or so. His mouth was open, but something blocked his throat as he panicked, not sure of what to say. "A- uh... Fu-" he stumbled on his words, not having expected her to be so emotionally distraught by what he perceived to be a simple task. "Okay! You don't have to, it's fine! Please stop crying!" Fridgar pleaded, incredibly uncomfortable with the situation.
Unsure of what else he could do, the Lothar wrapped his arms around the small of her back and held onto the back of her head with the other. it was almost as though he was holding a child as he rocked her left to right, trying everything in the book to calm her. "Come on, you're okay. It's not going to hurt you, Kayleigh..." Fridgar reminded as he cast his eyes to the decapitated creature's wrist... She got through the flesh, just about. "No, you did fine, don't worry. I think that's enough training for totrial. We'll try again whenever you're ready, okay?"
He couldn't do it. He couldn't watch the poor girl break, not after she put her faith in him. "...If it makes you feel any better, the Feron's wrist isn't too much different to some beef or pork that you probably ate recently," Fridgar explained as he lowered the girl, if she'd calmed a bit. Then it struck him; he'd fucked up. "SHIT!" He barked, scared. "I'm sorry! I should have known you were vegan!" The Lothar ruined the moment with his own cluelessness.
Fridgar grimaced at the thought. If she knew he was carnivorous, then there was no way their friendship would ever be whole again. "Okay, your mom still needs these Feron claws, so I'll finish the job, okay? Look away if you have to," he warned before turning and approaching the tree that his axe had lodged into. Almost too easily, he ripped the handle and broke apart the wood. As he walked away, the remainder of the tree snapped and collapsed behind him with a massive thud that forced a startled yelp from the Lothar. He looked over his shoulder at the destruction before turning forward and clearing his throat.
As he reached the body, he put the axe aside before straightening the Feron's arms above the shoulders side-by-side. he then yanked his knife free before tucking it away in his back pack. His eyes fell to the spilled gold on the floor before looking past Kayleigh's eyes and speaking "If you're up to it, can you refill that chest a bit? I'll even give you a share of the haul if you like," he asked. If she accepted, he'd swing his axe quickly overhead and slam the blade into the wrists, severing the appendage completely, all while Kayleigh's back was turned.
When the two were done, the Lothar tied his bag to his back before collecting the claws and slinking the axe polearm onto his usual shoulder. A thought struck then. If she'd had enough emotionally, maybe she could try building some of her physical strength? "Also, I need you to carry the chest, okay? Lift it carefully, gold is heavy and my hands are full," Fridgar then looked about before placing the axe and the claws on the floor, then stepped up to the chest. "Like this," He spoke before crouching into a deep squat, fully bending his knees with his feet shoulder-width apart. His back was straight as he gripped either side of the chest and pulled, pressing into his heels.
Sure enough, he stood with ease, holding the chest with fully-extended arms. He then bent his knees again and squatted as he put it down. "Now you try, lift with your legs and press into your heels. It's going to be heavy so try your best. Your shoulders are also going to burn, so let me know if you can't hold it anymore and we'll rest for a bit. okay?" She might have argued, asking why she had to carry the heavier object when in truth, Fridgar's axe was far heavier than the chest. This was purely for her benefit, but he wouldn't tell her that.
"Whenever you're ready, we'll get going," Fridgar declared, collecting his axe and the Feron's paws, looking to see if she was ready to go.
Learning about Fridgar's mutation had probably distanced their relationship even more, but better that than maiming or crippling a person he'd come to appreciate. That's why he gave her the dagger and the task, he appreciated her and wanted her to succeed, to overcome her barriers. Maybe he shouldn't have just left her to it? maybe she needed the distance? How was he to know? He was a physician, not a psychologist. He'd have hurried in the Caravan or even left the gold if he'd known just how much the poor girl was struggling, but alas, there he stood with the chest of gold, offering his care.
When the girl threw herself to him, Fridgar panicked, dropping the chest and spilling the nel. On the bright side, he caught her. She was hysterical, balling and whimpering, begging to stop. Fridgar froze as he held her, feet dangling off the ground a foot or so. His mouth was open, but something blocked his throat as he panicked, not sure of what to say. "A- uh... Fu-" he stumbled on his words, not having expected her to be so emotionally distraught by what he perceived to be a simple task. "Okay! You don't have to, it's fine! Please stop crying!" Fridgar pleaded, incredibly uncomfortable with the situation.
Unsure of what else he could do, the Lothar wrapped his arms around the small of her back and held onto the back of her head with the other. it was almost as though he was holding a child as he rocked her left to right, trying everything in the book to calm her. "Come on, you're okay. It's not going to hurt you, Kayleigh..." Fridgar reminded as he cast his eyes to the decapitated creature's wrist... She got through the flesh, just about. "No, you did fine, don't worry. I think that's enough training for totrial. We'll try again whenever you're ready, okay?"
He couldn't do it. He couldn't watch the poor girl break, not after she put her faith in him. "...If it makes you feel any better, the Feron's wrist isn't too much different to some beef or pork that you probably ate recently," Fridgar explained as he lowered the girl, if she'd calmed a bit. Then it struck him; he'd fucked up. "SHIT!" He barked, scared. "I'm sorry! I should have known you were vegan!" The Lothar ruined the moment with his own cluelessness.
Fridgar grimaced at the thought. If she knew he was carnivorous, then there was no way their friendship would ever be whole again. "Okay, your mom still needs these Feron claws, so I'll finish the job, okay? Look away if you have to," he warned before turning and approaching the tree that his axe had lodged into. Almost too easily, he ripped the handle and broke apart the wood. As he walked away, the remainder of the tree snapped and collapsed behind him with a massive thud that forced a startled yelp from the Lothar. He looked over his shoulder at the destruction before turning forward and clearing his throat.
As he reached the body, he put the axe aside before straightening the Feron's arms above the shoulders side-by-side. he then yanked his knife free before tucking it away in his back pack. His eyes fell to the spilled gold on the floor before looking past Kayleigh's eyes and speaking "If you're up to it, can you refill that chest a bit? I'll even give you a share of the haul if you like," he asked. If she accepted, he'd swing his axe quickly overhead and slam the blade into the wrists, severing the appendage completely, all while Kayleigh's back was turned.
When the two were done, the Lothar tied his bag to his back before collecting the claws and slinking the axe polearm onto his usual shoulder. A thought struck then. If she'd had enough emotionally, maybe she could try building some of her physical strength? "Also, I need you to carry the chest, okay? Lift it carefully, gold is heavy and my hands are full," Fridgar then looked about before placing the axe and the claws on the floor, then stepped up to the chest. "Like this," He spoke before crouching into a deep squat, fully bending his knees with his feet shoulder-width apart. His back was straight as he gripped either side of the chest and pulled, pressing into his heels.
Sure enough, he stood with ease, holding the chest with fully-extended arms. He then bent his knees again and squatted as he put it down. "Now you try, lift with your legs and press into your heels. It's going to be heavy so try your best. Your shoulders are also going to burn, so let me know if you can't hold it anymore and we'll rest for a bit. okay?" She might have argued, asking why she had to carry the heavier object when in truth, Fridgar's axe was far heavier than the chest. This was purely for her benefit, but he wouldn't tell her that.
"Whenever you're ready, we'll get going," Fridgar declared, collecting his axe and the Feron's paws, looking to see if she was ready to go.
