Private Eastern Brisshal The cat, the song, and the wandering old man

[Chako]

Chako listened... An unwanted tenant that makes a mess and can't be kicked out... It was not an analogy she expected to hear.

And whatever it did, it wasn't her fault... "It's not like I worry too much about what I'll do... More like... I worry about what I won't do..." So far she has avoided any contact since, and learning how to echolocate has certainly helped, but... Chako still didn't know if she would be capable of fleeing if she met a pack again... She certainly couldn't when faced with Legion's prank.

When the old man brought up the word again, more shivers went down Chako's spine... She really needed how to handle it better if just hearing the word did this to her... Though it's not like she wasn't trying.

That said, "I guess I... I can understand the idea of courage meaning to face your fears... Like... Like trying to confess to someone when you're almost sure you're getting rejected." Chako blushed a bit... Not just from thinking of Aki, but also because... Well, it was such a dumb example, wasn't it? The old man would probably laugh at it, "Still... Better to face it and receive a 'no', than to regret it for the rest of my life, right?" Thinking of Aki helped her distract herself anyways, so she kept on mumbling about it, "Thinking about it can be painful... And facing that reality more so... But at least I would have that pain of hitting the ground head-on and be able to move on from there... It's something, right?"

... Well, saying it out loud put a few tears on her eyes, actually, so maybe she should have kept quiet... But, just like many other things in this conversation, way too late for that.

The tears were quickly dispersed once the old man mentioned windmills though... It made her feel like he was talking about Don Quixote, which... Well, it couldn't be it, but it still gave her a small giggle, "Careful, windmills are very mighty opponents.

"Writing about my fear though...? Uhn... Yeah, I do know how to, but..." She quite frankly didn't want to... She didn't want to even think of them, never mind write about them... "I'm... I'm not sure if mom would like me having a panic attack at home while I was writing about how terrifying wolves were." And how large their jaws were, and how close they were, and how I couldn't escape...

Not again... She was trembling before she realized it... "Hey..." She managed to mutter, "Ruffle my hair a bit...?" A meekly trembling voice... She knew it was a weird request, but she also knew it would help.

Please... Take me out of this clearing already...

@Santiago Marlin

 

[Santiago Marlin]

"It's not like I worry too much about what I'll do... More like... I worry about what I won't do..."

"Inaction itself is an decision made, is it not?" He laughed. "Don't worry too much about the exacts of it, but instead what you can learn from it."

"I guess I... I can understand the idea of courage meaning to face your fears... Like... Like trying to confess to someone when you're almost sure you're getting rejected."

"Ah, youth..." Santiago mock rolled his eyes in good humour. "Can't say that isn't true though- in fact it's quite an applicable example. This old man may not look like it now, but I was quite the looker in my youth!" He puffed his chest up in pride. "But it didn't make dating any easier, mainly because I was a real dolt! In fact, the uncertainty made it even tougher!"

That said, "I guess I... I can understand the idea of courage meaning to face your fears... Like... Like trying to confess to someone when you're almost sure you're getting rejected." Chako blushed a bit... Not just from thinking of Aki, but also because... Well, it was such a dumb example, wasn't it? The old man would probably laugh at it, "Still... Better to face it and receive a 'no', than to regret it for the rest of my life, right?" Thinking of Aki helped her distract herself anyways, so she kept on mumbling about it, "Thinking about it can be painful... And facing that reality more so... But at least I would have that pain of hitting the ground head-on and be able to move on from there... It's something, right?"

... Well, saying it out loud put a few tears on her eyes, actually, so maybe she should have kept quiet... But, just like many other things in this conversation, way too late for that.

Santiago nods sagely, seemingly content to let her form her own conclusions. Worry flashed across his brow briefly as he saw the sign of fear, but it vanished as quickly as they came as she recovered.

"Careful, windmills are very mighty opponents.

"Those 4-armed giants think they are so cunning, hiding in plain sight, but they will fall to my lance one day!" The old man shakes his hand in mock anger, as if the existence of windmills were an affront to his very morals.

"Writing about my fear though...? Uhn... Yeah, I do know how to, but..." She quite frankly didn't want to... She didn't want to even think of them, never mind write about them... "I'm... I'm not sure if mom would like me having a panic attack at home while I was writing about how terrifying wolves were." And how large their jaws were, and how close they were, and how I couldn't escape...

Not again... She was trembling before she realized it... "Hey..." She managed to mutter, "Ruffle my hair a bit...?" A meekly trembling voice... She knew it was a weird request, but she also knew it would help.

Santiago obliged wordlessly. His hand was leatherly, calloused and scarred, but they were large and packed with warmth.

That's enough for the day. A nugget of self-rebuke rose up, but he firmly squashed it. No, he had done the right thing- taking the first step is always the hardest. But if one could take a step, then they could take another. And that didn't mean one didn't have to walk alone.

"Your thoughts aren't something you need to fight alone. Why fight fairly with an enemy that will give you no quarter? Very few adventurers have succeeded without a fellowship to call their own, for good reason.

Find someone you can confide in, and trust in them to anchor and guide you while you navigate your thoughts. In fact, the more the merrier. Don't worry about the progress you are making or the time you have spent- no road was ever built in a day, afterall.

But enough about that for today. Say, how much do those cakes cost?" The old man asked casually.

 

[Chako]

Chako tilted her head, "I don't think I'm making a decision when I'm paralyzed by fear..." Like... Yeah, no, she really couldn't make a decision at all in those situations... That was what made it even scarier.

Then, she blushed more as he brought up youth... Like, yeah! Even she could know how silly she sounded right now!

Him calling himself a dolt helped her giggle and relax a bit more though... It was working in taking her mind of things... At least for a very small while, until it came right back. Quickly enough to let any suspicions about the strange coincidence of the four-armed giants being brought up being quickly forgotten.

It was hard to keep her mind where they were anymore... She was reviving it again... She was still conscious enough to understand that she was not there in that stupid clearing, but she couldn't stop seeing the wolves coming her way anymore. Couldn't stop seeing their jaws opening wide open as they approached her...

Until she felt a hand on her head. The effect was almost instantly visible... Chako could feel herself relax, and could feel herself back in Honeyhome... She leaned against the hand and let him keep ruffling her hair for a bit.

... And then she purred, which made her jump in place and go beet red. "... I hate when that happens." She averted her eyes, "... But thanks." she meekly muttered... Purrs may be incredibly embarrassing, but... She really could appreciate the calming effect of having a hand on her head... A necessary evil in this situation, she figured.

Either way, she could focus again on what he was saying now... "I... Do have people I confide on, but... I guess I just wanted things to progress faster." Learning how to echolocate at least helped with being willing to go out of Honeyhome on her own again though, so she did make some progress... But learning a way to avoid them wasn't as good as learning of a way to stop freezing and seeing everything happen again in front of her eyes... "I wish some roads could be built in a day..."

Then, he asked her a question that made Chako blink a few times, "How much...?" How was she supposed to know? She paid no attention to the price because she was being treated last time, "Uhn... More than what a broke bard who has made her first coin in months can afford, probably?" Chako was definitely looking forward to the day when she no longer needed to subside herself solely on wild fruits. Cake every day probably wasn't ever happening, but... She really couldn't wait for the day where she could eat whatever she wanted whenever she wanted without needing to worry about how it would impact her health.

@Santiago Marlin

 

[Santiago Marlin]

... And then she purred, which made her jump in place and go beet red. "... I hate when that happens." She averted her eyes, "... But thanks." she meekly muttered... Purrs may be incredibly embarrassing, but... She really could appreciate the calming effect of having a hand on her head... A necessary evil in this situation, she figured.

Santiago paused for a brief moment at Chako's purring, imperceptibly raising an eyebrow in question.

Hmm. Now that he noticed it, wasn't that strange? Sure, they had animal ears and all, but there were things to be said about the benefits of such an arrangement- on the other hand, what use did they have for purring? What was going with their biology to have such attributes on top of what was seemingly human ones?

A recessive trait, or did it serve a purpose unknown to him? Charles Darwin would have had a field day here, surely.

...Not that he cared about that currently. Having done enough foolish pondering on the topic, he continued to ruffle her hair anyway, sweeping his calloused, sturdy hand through it and behind the ears with gentle, practiced precision.

Those ears are soft...

In response to her embarrassed words, all there needed to be offered was the trademarked old man's chuckle of amusement™, that the spirits of one's ancestor spontaneously bestowed upon them in a dream, once they were the age of 65, whose sole purpose was to deal critical damage upon the psyches of young children for their selfish enjoyment.

Either way, she could focus again on what he was saying now... "I... Do have people I confide on, but... I guess I just wanted things to progress faster." Learning how to echolocate at least helped with being willing to go out of Honeyhome on her own again though, so she did make some progress... But learning a way to avoid them wasn't as good as learning of a way to stop freezing and seeing everything happen again in front of her eyes... "I wish some roads could be built in a day..."

There...wasn't really anything he could offer to that- not when he understood intimately that such struggles were not be to made light of. He had given all the advice he could- in the end he was just an old man.

"Roads stretch far and wide, but they do come to an end. I'll be rooting for you."

All he could offer was his humble support...which included continuing his head massage with the pinnacle of grandfatherly technique.

It's surprising how much this feels like petting a cat... Santiago mused.

Actually, it should be expected, really, but it didn't mean it wasn't uncanny. He recalled that a few decades back some bigshot tech-bro billionaire declared his intent...well, looks like he was beat to the punch.

Regardless, there was an odd familiarity in the gesture. He had owned a few pets over the years, but as with all things, age always takes its toll. At least it was gentle for the most part.

Pah, that grumpy furball never looked like this, instead choosing to stare at me like an eternally dissatisfied forearm, even as an old crone. The old man shook his head to himself with some mirth.

It was nostalgic, really. He hadn't had thought about adopting a new pet ever since...

...since...

...No, it doesn't really matter.

Then, he asked her a question that made Chako blink a few times, "How much...?" How was she supposed to know? She paid no attention to the price because she was being treated last time, "Uhn... More than what a broke bard who has made her first coin in months can afford, probably?

Firmly cutting off that line of internal inquiry, he turned his freed attention back to Chako.

"Fair enough!" He laughed. It was probably too much to expect a child to have a pulse on the economics of buying expensive desserts.

"Just curious, since you did say their cheesecakes were considered fantastic. How about their strawberry cakes, hmm? I'll have to take a look for myself."

 

[Chako]

The more her hair was being ruffled, the more Chako relaxed, a blissful smile took over her face and she started rubbing her head against his hand.

"Mmmm... Thanks." She muttered. It was hard to articulate a clear sentence amidst the purring... Her head was also struggling to focus on anything other than the nice comfortable feeling overtaking her.

She forced herself to say something extra though, "Don't... Do it too much though..." Her purrs kept getting in the way of making a whole sentence, "Hard to control... Conditioned reaction..."

Even the embarrassment she felt over the purring was starting to fade over the feeling of comfort that was washing over her right now... Which wasn't Chako's intent when she asked for it, but too late now.

"I love... Strawberry... Cake. Couldn't eat often... Before. Bad for health... Controlled diet... Important." She mumbled in response to his query.

@Santiago Marlin