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[ragedagainst]

IC INBOX text / voicemail / emails / pack telepathy"Yeah. It's Ren. Text me. Don't fucking call, y'weirdo."Ren Rages-Against-The-Odds O'Neill Homid Fianna Ahroun - Adren (31) Guardian of the Sept of the Relentless Beat Alpha of the Never Say Die Pack Child of Coyote art credit code credit

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[pathography]

Easy for you, perhaps.

[ With a bit of wry humor. This isn't going to kill him - frankly, he's lucky his heart didn't give out while he was making his way here - but it won't do much for his pride. ]

I'm in the house of a carpenter called Roksana. I couldn't tell you where it is.

[ragedagainst]

[ She snorts. ] Y'got me there, love. You're good. I know Roks. [ She'd bartered with her for useful things prior to their seabased attempt to escape Rubilyk. ]

I'm on my way. The front door open or do I need to find my own way in?

[pathography]

Her son is here - if it's not open, I'm sure he'll let you in.

I'll be the invalid on the sofa. Difficult to miss.

action

[ragedagainst]

No problem, be there real soon.

[ It's maybe twenty minutes or so that Roksana's son goes to the front door to let the arrival in. When she comes in, she has the boy curled under an arm and is laughing with them, despite the lack of shared language. ]

Alright, off you go. [ She drops him again and gives him a pat to dismiss him. ] Heya. One Percy pick-up service. [ True to Vex's word, Ren is a visibly strong woman. Tall enough that she has to duck her head through the doorframe, shoulders broad enough to easily fill the frame. But, she's making an attempt to be friendly and smile to offset her intimidating aura. ] Cool hair. Y'ready to go?

[pathography]

I think I've imposed here long enough.

[ It's been nearly a day, at this point. Possibly more than - he's not a good judge of time just now.

And though he feels less like a human being and more like a pale slug, he does try to sit up a bit straighter, doing his best to gather himself into some semblance of dignity. (This trip is going to cost him so much of that, he knows - he might as well pay up.) Not that there's much pride to be had: His clothes are spattered with long-dried blood, his shirt is in shreds, there's mud as well on his coat and breeches, and of course he looks exhausted. ]

My cane is over there. [ Gesturing across the room, where a well-made wooden cane rests against the wall. Dryly: ] I think they were afraid I'd try to run off if I could reach it. Unfortunately, I'm not sure I could stand long enough to manage it.

[ragedagainst]

[ Ren picks up the cane and offers it to him. It'll be easier if he carries it for them. Saves her from having to juggle it and him. ] Take it as a compliment. Clearly they think you're more capable than you look.

[ This isn't the first time that Ren's had to pick up another adult but she crouches in front of him. ] It'll likely be more comfortable if you wrap your arm around me shoulders and I'll scoop you up. Anything hurts, lemme know and we'll adjust, 'kay? [ Ren waits for his confirmation before she slides her arms under him and lifts with with nary a huff of effort. He's light and she's very strong. ] Don't think I've lifted a gent like this since my husband. [ The thought makes her laugh, but she gives Percy a moment to get comfy before she calls over her shoulder. ] Right, we're off!

[ And she heads out with Percy held in her arms in a princess hold. ]

[pathography]

[ He does as he's told, feeling every bit pathetic as he clutches his cane in one hand and wraps the other arm around her neck - but it's better than waiting for the energy to manage the walk himself.

It feels a bit awkward, being lifted up - he's six feet tall, his legs dangling comically off her arm - but he can't deny that it works. And Ren is, as promised, very strong. ]

You're married? [ He waves goodbye to the boy, who seems delighted by this entire turn of events, though his thoughts are mostly on Ren. She's the first person he's met here who's really spoken of marriage, or of the sort of commitment that leads to it. ] Does that make things complicated here?

cw: compelled reproduction

[ragedagainst]

Mated and mothered. We don't really fuck with the government having a lot t'do with our private lives back home. But I'm committed to him. [ Strangely, she's been thinking about Lev a lot recently. Father of her child, mate of her choice. A man that she holds great affection and companionship with even if they don't share a passionate obsessive love. They had done their duty by Gaia by making Alba. ] It can make things awkward for sure.

I'm lucky that me 'nd Lev have an understanding already. I had a, uh, framework to use. Nobody sleeps beside me but him. I'll never call anyone but him my mate. I won't have children by anyone else, wouldn't live under the same roof as someone else. The way I see it, he ain't here, but I can still respect him in his absence.

[pathography]

[ His brows jump at that phrase, mated and mothered - but wherever she's from, it sounds a bit less formal in terms of arrangements. A commitment, certainly, and that's nothing to brush away, but a commitment that sounds like it allows for more room for complications than a marriage in Tal'Dorei traditionally might. ]

That seems wise, to have rules of engagement here. [ Later, he'll blame the fact that he's tired beyond measure. The truth is more complicated, though - the longing to talk about this with someone who understands mixed with the (perhaps arrogant) belief that he can conceal the details enough that it won't cause problems down the line. Exhaustion makes him freer with his comments, but it doesn't explain why he wants to make them. More to the point, with a wry tone: ] It never occurred to me to ask what my love would rather I did if I were kidnapped to another plane of existence dedicated to carnal experiences. I regret that now.

Has it worked out, for the most part? Respecting him in his absence, I mean.

[ragedagainst]

Not just here. Back home too, love. [ Explaining it over and over to her pack has numbed her to the awkwardness of the conversation over the years and Ren merely smiles at him. ] Lev works away for long stretches of time. I'm a busy woman. We both got needs that can't be attended from a distance. [ It worked well. ]

Yeah. I think so. If Lev turned up tomorrow, I don't think I've done anything that would piss him off. The Matt situation is awkward, but it'll get dealt with. [ Percy has no context for that, so it's safe to mention it. ] Lev's pragmatic - like, really practical. I ain't shamed myself yet. [ And she's proud of that. ]

[pathography]

[ His brows rise, but...well. If it works for them, and all that. If they aren't so fortunate to be together all the time, perhaps that's the best that can be done.

Percy wouldn't like the idea for himself, but perhaps this is a place where he isn't so pragmatic. It does sound practical for someone whose needs are a little more...insistent. If Scanlan ever decided to settle down, perhaps. ]

The 'Matt situation'?

[ragedagainst]

[ Ren sighs. ] Yeah, the Matt situation.

There's a guy here, Matthew, I'm like ninety percent sure he has feelings feelings for me. Not just, wow Ren, you're so hot c'mere so I can get a piece feelings, right? [ Surely Percy understands the difference between wanting someone for their body and wanting them entirely. ] The Void paired us up as a married couple. Made things weird. I ain't talked to him since.

If Lev were t'show up before that gets sorted, I ain't sure how it would go, y'know?

[pathography]

Ah - that is awkward.

[ And not unfamiliar, though even in a moment of pure exhaustion, he knows he probably oughtn't say it. It's on the tip of his tongue, waiting to escape.

For the moment, he simply nods. And then he thinks fuck it, I don't have to be as specific as all that. ]

Well...I can't say how it would go for your Lev, since I don't know him, but the more time spent here, the easier it all is to understand. For me, at least. My friends came here months before me, apparently, and I'm starting to see why they've had to make some of the choices they have.

Perhaps Lev would, too, eventually. Then you simply need to keep this Matt out of his path until then.