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M- maimi—

[ There is a part of her that wants to know about this, on some level. However, that part is not very big, so she smothers it easily.

If and when... Riley quietly nods. Some of the fear abates, from Eridanus' warm touch. But she keeps picturing the way Aunamee looked at her, when he remembered. ]

...Thank you. I'm not...really...not about to try and...do that on my own again.

[Eridanus smooths his hands over the feathers that crest the slope of her shoulders, patting down the ones that have ruffled in a way that's reminiscent of a parent wiping dirt off of their child's face. Riley is worried, and rightly so, but his one hope is that she believes him when he says that she isn't alone.]

You won't have to, you have me, my sweet girl.

[He casts a smile down upon her, warm and fond.]

If Aunamee dares to harm a single feather on your head, death will be too merciful for the likes of him.

[ This shouldn't be so reassuring. She's not entirely ignorant, she can put two and two together. Especially when thinking back on what she'd already been suspecting, with Eridanus and Lucius. The man she's willingly making her father, he has some...intimate knowledge with hurting others. Perhaps he enjoys it.

Perhaps, but. He affectionately straightens out her feathers. He kindly smiles at her. She's hungered for this, for so long that that's what matters most to her, that this is sincere. Riley drinks the moment in, despite it all, and manages to shakily return his smile. ]

You'll...take care of me.

[ It's enough to chase away the budding worries about her own character.

That, and a small bunch of fur brushing up against her leg; Maple's come to check out the commotion, it seems. ]

[Eridanus' smile doesn't dim with her words and, affectionately, he lifts a finger to tip her chin up to him. He basks in the nervous glow of her smile, taking it for now, considering she's still likely shaken up with everything that's happened. He had days to mend those shattered thoughts, his mind broken, where as she has had mere hours.]

I will take care of you, Sunshine. [He pulls his talon from her chin, instead cupping her cheek in the gentle palm of his opaline hand,] from the moment you were born, until the very last star in the galaxy burns out, I will watch over and protect you — that, I promise.

[In that moment, his attention is wholly on Riley, until he feels the gentle brush of Maple at his ankle. Eridanus lowers himself from his tip-toed height, then crouches down to his haunches to run gentle claws along the kitten's spine.]

He's much bigger than when I last saw him.

[At Hestia's. Not... in that other world.]

[ His hand is so warm. Memories from the other world spin around her, slotting in over time after time of broken promises, halfhearted reassurances, or just plain old disinterest. Forever. He's going to protect her forever. For a moment, Riley's lost in bliss, grinning like a child through tears.

And then Maple pulls Eridanus' attention away, leaving her to collect herself. When she runs her knuckle over her eye to keep herself from crying again, for once it's not rough and punishing. ]

Y- yeah. Yeah, he's. He's become...a real troublemaker.

[ Even though she says this, Maple just seems happy to rub against Eridanus, purring joyfully. ]

I suppose that's simply another thing shared between those worlds.

[He's slowly, slowly becoming less bitter about it. Some aspects still bubble up through him like an insidious black mire—thoughts of his own naivety, of how easily he had fallen victim to Aunamee, of being separated from Lucius and his children—but here, like this, it's starting to feel... okay. He's not separated from his family, he tells himself, as his gaze turns from Maple and up towards Riley instead.

Eridanus rises again, scooping Maple up with him when he straightens. His claws continue to curl gently against his little furred chin, and though he wouldn't admit it aloud, he's become quite the cat-patting expert.]

You know, I still have Mr. Bigglesworth, [he smiles down at her,] you should come visit him sometime. I'm sure he'd love you just the same as he did before.

[ Maple loves his owner, but he's quickly finding he's growing big enough that it's hard to snuggle into her completely without his tail or legs hanging out of her grasp. Big and burly Eridanus, however, is very easy to cuddle into. He can stretch out his full length and still be happily contained.

He approves, essentially, and he makes that very well known with how loud he's purring. The whole thing has Riley extra giddy. ]

Really? You do? Oh, I'd... I'd love that, if— [ A bit of a sheepish look. ] I...don't suppose you live anywhere near the...the house, the...other one, so...I definitely don't know...where to go, exactly.

[Unfortunately for Riley, Eridanus does not live in a nice, cookie-cutter home with a groomed lawn and beautiful rose bushes in the front yard. While the house isn't dilapidated, it certainly isn't as cared for as it would be if its homeowners knew how to manage a house. Once more, it's unfortunate that the homeowners are both men who are much more used to having servants that do everything for them.

But Eridanus tells Riley none of this, as those are all irrelevant details that won't be seen until she actually visits. So instead, he lets a smile spread across his face again.]

No, my dear, I live in Djavulenstad. It's a bit of a travel, but not impossible, especially since you have wings. So long as the city's watch knows you are visiting me, you should be able to get in and out fairly easy.

[He idly continues to pet Maple as he speaks.]

I must warn you, though — the home is shared with Lucius.

[ Djavulenstad... She's heard of it. And, more recently, she's had quite a few new memories about it shoved into her head. The little crime city. It's more than a little disorienting to think of it from the perspective of the girl who grew up in that other Ryslig, thinking about her rule-following father living there.

However... There's quite a few things that don't line up with that lifetime. Particularly— ]

Lucius... [ Her smile falters for a moment. ] Luc. He was Luc, right? That...explains a few things.

[Eridanus nods along, confirming her train of thought.]

I would advise that you do not call him Luc to his face, he is very particular about maintaining that the person within that other realm is not him.

[For reasons not explicitly told to him of course; but Eridanus is observant, and at times the thin veil between them would lift, offering kernels of truth. That Lucius has lapses in his identity, that he's angered when reality warps around him. Perhaps there's something deeper there, some dark truth to his power that makes him feel as if he treads on unsteady ground.

But that's neither confirmed, nor something Eridanus would tell Riley.]

The relationship between he and I was different there than in reality. I am simply his vassal and he is my lord, so do not worry overmuch about it.

Edited 2021-04-22 21:12 (UTC)

[ ...Yes, Riley thinks, it makes sense that someone so old wouldn't want to be...that, if she remembers their conversation correctly— but Eridanus' assertion confuses her, and her feathered ears perk up just slightly. ]

Just... But... He's the one you were talking about before, right? At...um, at the...museum? The person...you want to leave with?

[ From that, Riley had gotten the impression their relationship was romantic in nature. Between that and her conversation with Luc in the other world, well... ]

Yes, and I still plan to leave with him one day, [Eridanus says, matter-of-factly,] after all, a vassal without his lord is nothing, Riley.

[He lofts a brow at her, like this should be easy to understand.]

You are free to come with us, my dear, though I must admit... you have a fighting spirit, but I do not think you would fare well in a warzone.

[ She knows little about them, lords and vassals, so she's not about to presume about someone else's relationship, even though it strikes her as...off. What she can presume, though... ]

I... [ Slowly, almost a little pained, she shakes her head. ] It...doesn't sound like...something I'd take to, from what he said about it.

[ Just minutes ago, he'd promised forever...but even that's a fantasy. Until the stars burned out... Riley never expects anyone to choose her first, and that's... She knows that. Especially in a place like this, where all of them have their separate lives to return to. Still, she'd let herself get a bit caught up in it; eighteen or not, she's still in many ways a child, after all.

So, it stings. Just a little. ]

I figured as much.

[Eridanus returns, sounding so much more apathetic to it—but in his mind, the moment he figures the way out of this world, he will be able to return to it.]

That is why I was already planning to come visit you, my dear. We may be trapped like this now, but I am an incredibly powerful Archmage. Once it is returned to me, I will have the ability to create portals and travel freely.

[He smiles at her as he steps closer. Eridanus is not ignorant to the pain that comes with her jumps to conclusions, and so he won't chastise her for thinking he would be like all the others. In his mind, he can have room for his duties to Lucius and Riley, both.]

[ Visit her?

This comes so out of left field for her that Riley can't hold back her surprise. Never once has she been the priority, so she assumed... And yet— ]

You... [ Her lower lip quivers. ] You'll really be able t- to come and go?

[ That big empty house. It doesn't have to be so empty. ]

Truly if she had not stolen what is mine, the Fog would be dead by my hand already.

[Eridanus' lips peel back from his teeth, his smile turned into a rictus of disgust as he thinks upon that loathsome entity.]

Before, ripping holes through space was simple. The only thing that would keep me from visiting you, my dear, is if doing so put my lord's safety on the battlefield at risk.

[Which, really, Lucius is an eleven thousand year old god-blessed, undying super soldier. So he can probably manage without his archmage for a bit.

He does step forward however, and smooths his claws over her ruffling feathers.]

Did you think I make my vows lightly, sweet girl?

[ This shouldn't be a surprise to Riley. Many people have strange, unpredictable powers, things beyond her wildest dreams.

But she never imagined they would be used to her advantage. Something to...work out, for her. With a watery smile, she shakes her head quickly. ]

O-oh, n-no, I didn't, I just... [ She can't articulate it. She just forces her smile wider. ] No. Never.

I could never forget you, my dear.

[The hand that had smoothed over her feathers like a doting parent, instead pulls Riley's face to plant firmly in his chest.

He continues to pet over her feathered hair soothingly.]

No need to worry your pretty little head, okay?

[ Riley doesn't fight it, not one bit. The amount of trust she's placed in Eridanus is frankly unreal, unlike any trust she's felt before.

Like this, she's safe. She's secure.

She just nods against him. ]

Okay, dad.

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WELCOME TO YOUR PRIVATE CHANNEL, CHEERYCHERRY. FOR SECURE COMMUNICATION, USE 019.46.820.17 * CHEERYCHERRY has joined 019.46.820.17 <CHEERYCHERRY> It's Riley! <CHEERYCHERRY> Please leave a message! <CHEERYCHERRY>** Please be someone with their priorities sorted out properly!