[Training] [SE] Fake it till You Make it

Sah

Although his talk with Hotaru had helped, Sah was still struggling to come to terms with everything that had transpired at the Tournament. He'd come to King's End to visit Safrin's shrine. He needed the comfort of being near his Goddess and had no desire to stay in Torchline longer than he had to.

The quiet was welcome, and he found comfort in the crunch of snow beneath his feet. Lilly and Pad walked beside him until Lilly paused and sniffed the air. Wagging slowly, she glanced at Sah, letting him know that Boreal and, thus, Tal were nearby. The Wild Thunder 'tsked' not in the mood for company but not wanting to deny his wolf her best friend. Letting out a heavy sigh, he waved his hand, and Lilly eagerly sprinted over a hill to find and greet Boreal.

Sharing a look with Pad, Sah trailed after the silver she-wolf.

I think therefore I am,
But what if all I do is bleed?

Tal had his own offerings to make to the gods in this season of gratitude, and he was trekking up to the altar at the top of the Barrows with his arms full of a bouquet of paper flowers that were bright and cheerful in spite of the chilly snow all around them. Boreal was bounding through the snow ahead of him - and then behind him - and then ahead of him again - as she chased hapless small rodents beneath the blanket of white and pounced through snowdrifts for the sheer joy of it.

Tal was giving her a rueful look when her head came up sharply, a pile of snow atop it like a hat until she shook it sharply. Her nostrils flared twice and then the bass rumble that was her happy greeting noise rolled out of her chest and she plowed through the snow towards the crest of the barrow, greeting Lily with a joyful awoooorrooarghhnnn.

Hail. Where Lily was, Sah was bound to be... and Tal had meant to hunt the Wild Thunder down after the tournament, but by the time he'd finished getting trounced by the King of Torchline his best frenemy was nowhere to be seen.

So maybe this was fate or just really good luck on his part because Sah probably needed a hug and a good punch to the face in... some order. They'd figure it out as they went.

"Hey, been lookin' for you," he called out as the man himself came into view. "You're at least comin' over for dinner, aren't you?" Alys would be surprised, but between the two of them they'd manage enough for a third stomach at the table. And feeding the wolves was even easier since at least their food didn't need to be cooked!

Sah

Sah grimaced, "I see." Gods, there would be a lot of that in the near future, wouldn't there? Even if Melita was alive now, the consequences of murdering a Demi-god had to be dire, even in the case of an accident. He wasn't sure which side of it all the courier fell. Even if they weren't always on fantastic terms and drove each other near mad with annoyance, Sah didn't' want to lose him.

Lilly let out a harrumph and spun from where she was happily returning Boreal's greeting to shoulder check he bonded. The Wild Thunder sighed, "But...if you want me to stay for dinner, I'd like that. Thank you." Socializing sounded like hell, but a bit of normalcy was probably good for him.

Satisfied with her work, the silver she-wolf engaged her dragon bestie in a game of tag, dropping down into a play bow before taking off into the snow, sending up a white spray as she went. Pad watched her antics with a level of exasperation clear on his face that was honestly impressive for a wolf.

I think therefore I am,
But what if all I do is bleed?

Sah was grimacing? That was stealing Tal's iconic look, and the courier gave a small huff of exasperation. As if Sah had to worry about what the courier thought about the events of the tournament! At least, not since they'd managed to avoid fighting each other somehow. Getting knocked out by the same person - a King and a Demigod, at that - was more pertinent than what had happened in the previous matches and been fixed practically before the body had hit the ground.

"Good," he said decisively to the acceptance of his very gracious invitation. Boreal snorted her disbelief at the direction of his thoughts, but quickly put him out of her mind as Lily invited her to play. The dragon took off after her wolf friend, gallumphing merrily in her wake as Tal rolled his eyes fondly at the antics and headed to the altar to deposit his offering.

He bowed his head, saying a silent prayer to Safrin and Vi. He was grateful for Vi's gift of life, and even more for Safrin's willingness to help him out with items and quests. He owed them both a great deal, and today had seemed like a good time to show his thanks.

But he didn't linger overlong as he stood to brush the snow off his knees and headed back towards the Wild Thunder, aiming a light punch at his shoulder. "Stop it," he growled, but there wasn't much heat behind the words. "Beatin' you up's my job. An' I bet you're tryin' t'put me outta work, aren't you?" Knowing Sah as well as he did, it wasn't hard to guess that the other man blamed himself for the accident in the tournament.

Sah

Sah's eyes narrowed as Tal approached, half convinced that the coming punch was going to be solid. He was about to shift and dodge when he recognized it for the light-hearted tap that it was and let the courier's fist connect. The accompanying words helped knock him out of his melancholy, and the Wild Thunder blinked a few times before a timid smile stretched across his face, "Maybe." He still felt out of his depth, restless in his own skin. Should he explain himself? Tal didn't seem to want an explanation.

The guilt was resurfacing, and the Wild should have known that Lilly was up to something when he felt a sudden surge of glee through the bond.

I think therefore I am,
But what if all I do is bleed?

The smile was an improvement, but Tal didn't feel good about how timid it was. The Wild Thunder was getting stuck in his own head; something the courier knew the signs of all too well. He had a bad habit of losing himself in his own regrets and self-recriminations at the best of times, and he'd never killed anyone on accident before.

His punch slipped his arm around strong shoulders to give the hunter a rough half-hug. "Might as well stay th'night if you're comin' for dinner," he decided gruffly. "Alys won't mind. An' I've got some whiskey that hasn't been drinkin' itself. Could do with some help with it, if y'want t'lend a hand." Least he could do was offer an ear, he figured.

Which was about the time that he felt Boreal's smoky chortle in his thoughts.

It was pure instinct to dive sideways, abandoning Sah just before the first part of the assault began. The load of snow that had been awkwardly packed and carried in Boreal's front talons fell from above as she swooped by overhead to divebomb the boys, while Lily handled the one who'd gotten away on the ground...