#earthrunes

Again the crushing sense of loss. The tearing, bloody claws of guilt. The agony of a broken heart. Adam withdraws to silent pain.

And so time, aided at points by well-meant magic, passes.

Hours that seem like days pass

That sense of the long passage of time would be the same regardless of magics.

..............
After a week and a half of Adam-time, roughly, the next visitor to circumvent his locked door finds him, not sitting up, but with his face uncovered and his eyes open, staring at the wall next to his bed.

Thanks to Chronos, it's been more like 3 days but no one is telling him that. Oh a few memory lapses helped him stay fed

And this time, it's his dad. "Hey, son."

Adam's eyes flicker; he heard his father. His energy is not angry or obstinate, but near despair.

"Son, I'm sorry" His father says "I'm supposed to have words"

"You know, fancy ad man and all" He says . He moves to his son and sits by his side.

After a long moment, Adam's eyes shift to look up at Kyle.

"I can't believe I'm condoning a death, but I'm glad that mage bitch is dead. Nabuni was ... in her way, an innocent."

His eyes glisten at Nab's name, and he swallows.

"And I'm sorry your mother and I didn't accept her more fully sooner"

A shrug. doesn't matter now

A grunt nod . he supposes it doesn't

The young Sidhe exhales.

Adam does feel different. It's not just the grief and loss, or the ears. He's not quite human anymore, and it's...different from being a kinian, or even a sleeping kithain. Kenning which came slow with effort before is almost as natural as scent or noticing the color green.

Which is.... nice. Feels Natural.

His father looks at him taking him in "Pretty sure it doesn't help for me to say this, but it looks good on you"

Adam gives a very small nod of acknowledgment.

A nod back andhis father goes back to looking at the wall.

After a moment so does Adam.

Time passes

Adam breathes, and blinks but.....

His dad is still there

He shifts a little, freeing his arms and hands from the sheets and exposing them.

His right hand unclenches..... red silk.

He lays it out carefully, reverently. Wrinkled and tear stained.

Adam carefully folds it on the diagonal, creating the longest strip of the fabric possible.

He rests his right wrist on it, and clumsily, one-sided, knots the silk around his wrist.

A thick bracelet type band.

His father looks over , and nods

Adam snuggles back into his blankets.

And his father stays watch

**************

For August, he's occupied as Imbolc is approaching. While his job is ruling a bannerhouse, he is ALSO scribe. And he has been sending out letters

BrandBearers, the links of Fealty involved, invitations to the people of EarthRunes.......

He's never been more grateful to have TWO Squires. Tylar and Velvet have fetched, copied, and delivered when need be

Without complaint, though it does seem they work faster apart. It's like Valentine's day is working into January around here. Lots of 'goo goo eyes' and such all around. The library collapsing to the influence of Le Amour means all other places are really into it. A lot more hand holding. A lot more eyes lost in other eyes.

August has put his squires through their paces, no question. And he misses Coradel, who has been attending on the County seat these last few weeks.

And to the hold's advantage, the Count has already made more than a few concessions to the benefit of Earth Runes. His wife could charm a wolf into loaning out its fur.

Coradel could charm a wolf into giving away its teeth.

Velvet hums happily as she sets tea down for him and whispers her report "Messagge to the Keyclub delivered, my lord."

The commoner hold tries to be autonomous within reason ,but both Sparrow and Coradel have impressed those crazy modernists/reformists

And so August nods. "Thank you."

Tylar comes in dropping more paper supplies nearby, then says "Baron, did you hear about Adam?"

"Rumors. Do you have more direct information?" without judgement.

"He's a sidhe, lord. Dame Bondraste, Sir Magnus, and Sir Bachdion worry over him"

Velvet says "he has lost Nabuni... and seems to want to die"