Completed The Courage to Forgive

[Gale Austin McCenry]

Gale nodded, taking a sip of his tea. She was dreadfully cold. "Everytime you to- "His eyes caught a glimpse of the blurred figure rushing towards him. Gale yelped, jolting dramatically and pressing himself against the back of the chair. Her finger went through the tip of his nose, but because of his leaning, the chair started to tip back.

Scrambling in a short lived, frantic manner, he leaned forward again just as Kendhl sat back down, the chair regaining contact with the ground with all four of it's legs. Gale remained still for a few moments after the incident, starring wide eyed at the coffee table, as if that was the only stable thing in the world. His outstretched arms relaxed, but his gaze went down to his pants and the floor, which was now covered in tea. "Kenny! " he said with an underlying hint of shock. His mind quickly tried to process and comprehend what had just happened, and because of such, he startled chuckling.

He set down the tea covered cup on the table, flicking his hands from any excess of the beverage and looked around. People were starring at them again, but the murderer was focused on finding a towel of some sort. There wasn't any nearby. With a huff, he hesitantly sat back down, looking at the puddle of spilled liquid on the floor.

But the man who had previous brought him his tea had come by in a swift manner, holding out a rag. "Oh- Thanks." Gale took the cloth, not noticing the man's silence as he simply nodded and went back behind the counter.

It only took a few seconds for Gale to clean up the mess, on the floor and table, but he couldn't exactly dry his pants that well. Instead, he merely rolled his eyes and grabbed his cloak and wrapped it around himself as if it were a blanket.

"Well thanks for that. " His tone dripping with sarcasm as he gave another few chuckles.

But it was always best to not waste time on it, and Kendhl went straight to her next barrage of questions. Was he eating enough, was he cold, typical motherly questions that he, surprisingly enough, wasn't asked often. Not anymore at least.

"Yes, I'm freezing. " He elongated the f to emphasize. "But now that I have warm tea all over me, I should be good to go. " He chuckled at his own joke. His smile dimmed, but only slightly as she explained his figure which he was fully aware of.

It wasn't that he really didn't want to eat or was starving himself, it was just that eating fish was difficult now. He felt like an animal tearing into the meat. Drinking the blood like a dog. He couldn't do it. So he started eating more meat free things, but even then he hardly was hungry for three meals a day. Two was a hit and miss sometimes. Besides, it's not like he had an unlimited supply of coin to help him through it. After all, he didn't really work for the Loveless anymore. That was only while Ricky was gone so he didn't necessarily have a job anymore.

Looking down at the coffee table, the man mumbled,"Well it hasn't exactly been easy after... " He trailed off, but then Kendhl suggested he taker her money. Yeah, some extra mizas would be nice, but he'd have to get a new job eventually. Beside,"I can't swim so I wouldn't be able to get it. " Hence why the who drowning himself in the bay would have worked in the first place.

[Kendhl Pilkvist]

She hadn't expected him to react so violently to her nose boops, to be honest. Gale's tea had spilled all over his pants and onto the floor, and he'd nearly fallen backwards in the chair. She looked down guiltily, then back up in surprise. He was laughing again? After she'd made him spill the tea everywhere?

Kendhl involuntarily broke out into a bubbly giggle. "No problem, McPainty."

As Gale explained his situation, the ghost's grey eyes slid from his face down to the tea-soaked pants. She nodded slowly. "Yeah. D'you think Ricky might be able to? I mean, it's on a cliff, and he can swim. Plus the harbor's bound to freeze over this winter at some point, so maybe the ice will be thick enough to walk on. I don't know how the water will affect me, otherwise I'd get it. I mean, I'm not exactly flesh and bone. It might work better for me, it might work worse. I don't know. So since you can't swim, and I'm not willing to get in the water to figure stuff out, then Ricky's our best chance."

She absentmindedly scratched the back of her neck as she talked. When she finished, she stood again. Kendhl stepped up to the window overlooking the docks, clasping her hands behind her back. "So, do you have any other questions for me?"

Common - Fratava

[Gale Austin McCenry]

Gale's jaw started to chew at his cheeks again, quickly starting to taste more of his red iron as he did so. As good of friends he was with Ricky, it had actually been a long while since he's actually seen Ricky, let alone heard from him or talked to him. He knew they were fine and that Martin was growing up, but because of everything that had happened... Who knew why he hadn't seen him, but Gale was wary about going up to Ricky after so long and asking for a favour to get money from the bay because Kendhl was back. After so long without any contact, he wasn't even sure if Ricky would be willing to do something as crazy as plunging in the freezing water for money because he asked.

Especially after forcing him through so much. Like carrying him tot he infirmary. Making him dispose of the canine head. Making him bury Kendhl. He couldn't pull himself to ask Ricky for anything else. Not right now at least.

"Well, we could always just ask a sailor by the docks. Give him a few of the Mizas for his trouble." He tightened the cloak around him.

As Kendhl made her way to the window, Gale's gaze followed, their cold blue looking out of the frosted and fogged up window. Anymore questions? "Hmmmm. Do you need to sleep still?" He didn't really have any major concerns or questions, but he was kinda curious. It was obvious she couldn't eat or drink but he's never heard whether or not they needed rest. Did they need rest at all or did they rest in a different way or what?

[Kendhl Pilkvist]

Just ask a sailor? That was weird. Why wouldn't Gale just agree? Kendhl glanced at her bondmate suspiciously, frowning again. There must've been some conflict between the two since she was last in Zeltiva. She'd seek Ricky out anyways. She didn't trust random sailors with the amount of gold-rimmed mizas she had. Then again, it was possible that the waves had washed a good bit of them out of her cave.

"Sleep? No. I haven't felt the need to sleep for a long time. I mean, I don't think I do. I haven't. Pushing stuff and blinking and becoming 'real' is kind of tiring, though. I need to rest for a little while after I do those for a certain amount of time. I haven't actually tried sleeping, though."

She suddenly wondered if she even could. If she could sleep, if she could dream. The ghost missed dreaming. She was dead, though, and death was an eternal sleep -- unless you came back. She'd try, at least.

Her thoughts went back to Ricky. "Is there something wrong with Ricky, Gale? Why don't you want to ask for his help?"

Common - Fratava

[Gale Austin McCenry]

Eyes skimming the outdoors with a blank expression, Gale listened yet again as she explained. He supposed he understood the difference. Usually when people got tired they slept, but sometimes rest refers to not doing anything. Maybe not doing anything was technically her sleep? Or did she try to sleep?

Bah, he could ask whens he knows more. Or maybe he'd look into it himself. But it didn't matter now.

Nodding, Gale looked back at the spirit. "Uuuuh. " Gale blinked for a few seconds at her question. While in thought, he gave a brief nervous chuckle, staring at the floor boards. "Well, ah- I haven't actually seen him for- uuuh. " Was it long enough to say a long time? "-for a long time, and with all the- um- favours I've asked him to do for me, I'm not exactly comfortable with- " He trailed of, his hand ran in a circle for a few seconds as if turning the gears in his head manually. "- with asking him for something else when he has plenty of problems of his own. " His head was lowered but he glanced at her briefly before picking under his finger nails with his thumb.

After a few seconds,however, he quickly added, shifting in his chair slightly,"Not that I'm not friends with him anymore or anything, he's still a good friend, " Well, more than a good friend actually,"But I haven't exactly -um..." been a good friend to him. He simply trailed off in thought.

Ever since he met Ricky all the man had encountered was trouble. Whether it was things Gale had no control over or Gale had forced onto him, he had to do too many things he shouldn't have and have gone through too many experiences a single person shouldn't be able to stand. And yet all he could do was help Gale. It felt like he was just a burden on the family and he didn't want to bother them anymore with his crazy drama.

[Kendhl Pilkvist]

Kendhl turned to face her bondmate. She narrowed her eyes. He didn't want to tell her something. "Gale. What favors."

Her tone was flat and cold -- as cold as the weather outside, as cold as her Soulmist. The ghost took a step towards the man in the chair, her shoulders squared. It made her small frame appear bigger. She took another step. "What did you ask him to do. Tell me."

A very faint red patch appeared on her throat, deepening steadily. Her fatal wounds were appearing, the spirit showcasing them just for Gale. The bloody splatter covered the underside of her jaw, ending just below her lips. Kendhl's eyes seemed to lose whatever glint they had, becoming flat disks.

He's hiding something. Something about me, something I need to know. What are you hiding, Gale? Why are you hiding it?

The ghost tilted her head slighly, inhaling. It made an awful, low gurgle. She seemed to be staring at her bondmate, but also through and beyond him. Her gaze was unfocused. Her voice was a whisper.

"Tell me, Gale."

Common - Fratava

[Gale Austin McCenry]

Gale's concerned gaze stayed on the floorboards for several ticks after stuttered reply was finished, but the sharp response broke it, causing the blonde to lift his head up at the ghost. Her step was subtle, but aggressive in nature as seen in his eyes, and it only appeared more so when she took another. It was almost as if he could feel himself shrinking in the Spirit's presence, the area around him feeling even colder than before. His frown was pulled down by his lips even more so than it was.

His eyes started to fix onto the changes in her neck, at first oblivious to what was happened. It grew gradually and deepened, creating large gashes in her neck, blood dried after it had been oozing out of it. It was apparent that it had dawned on Gale what she was doing as his eyes grew wide, his mouth opening with a gawking expression. As the life slowly drew away from her eyes, his own started to form heavy droplets that glazed over his eyes as if trying to conceal their sorrow and horror. The widower felt a lump form in his throat, almost catching his elongated exhale, cutting it short. He took in a sharp inhale, having to let it go in short spurts.

His frown became less concerned but more mournful as the gashes only became more and more apparent and the blood became thicker. It was almost as if the trees and dirt started to appear as well,forming behind her. He could almost hear the breeze whistling through the branches around him even, when really it was the subtle gasps of the onlookers, some having gotten up and left. With the dead before him, and her skin having run cold, the man wanted to lift his hand to embrace her like he had done so long ago. But his arms were frozen, his hands trembling. His breathing was faint, struggling to fight back a sob.

The frame of the girl then started to gurgle, his stomach almost sloshing around itself. The murderer flinched, pressing himself against the back of his chair. His sorrow almost vanished entirely as his mind contorted the image around him to see the wolf with it's malicious fangs plunging into her through, the ghost gurgling, the wolf growling. Gale's breath significantly quickened, now more of a wheeze then a choked back cry. His hands continued to shake, watching in utter terror at the being before him... which somehow was starting to fade.

Gale started to see darkness creep along the edges of his vision, the forest and the wolf vanishing as his attention was no longer on Kendhl. His head snapped around almost frantically as he continued to wheeze. His lungs stung before they collapsed into a flurry of coughing. The man lurched forward, he placing his hands on the coffee table to support himself. His coughing stopped but he continued to wheeze, starring directly at the table.

[Kendhl Pilkvist]

Kendhl's eyes flickered for a moment, then something broke over her. She blinked twice. As she turned her head to look at Gale her brow furrowed. her hand went to her throat just before the hideous wound disappeared. Her eyes widened in realization.

"Oh my gods, Gale. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." The ghost fell to her knees, materializing and placing her palms on her bondmate's cheeks. She tried to look in his eyes, craning her neck. His breathing was erratic. He looked pale. She'd scared him, and badly.

She turned his head and rested her forehead against his, even though she was still flickering and her edges were blurred. She was cold, and she knew this, but she needed to touch him. He felt warm. "I'm so, so sorry, Gale. I love you. I'm sorry."

Kendhl took her hands away and sat back, losing her solid form. She couldn't hold the form for very long, though she wanted to hold Gale for the rest of his life. Her Soulmist spun in complicated whorls, her face showing clear and genuine fear and regret. She'd done something unforgivable. She'd forced him to remember her death in a violent, terrible way.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Common - Fratava

[Gale Austin McCenry]

Huffing heavily on the table, the man could feel his chest tighten, the air almost bitterly cold in his lungs. Kendhl started apologizing at that point, Gale turning his head toward her with eye still wide. As nice as an apology was, but he was more concerned with what exactly was happening to him at the moment.

The burning cold replicated that of the salty ocean's water, rushing in and out of his lungs. His body forced him to start cough again in which he tried to cover with his mouth but to no avail. Mainly because once he was about to do so, the frigid touch of the familiar ghost pulled his head towards hers. She continued to apologize, saying sorry over and over as her touch felt like tingling and prickling on his skin.

"Kenny." He managed to say between a heavy breath. "Just give... me a... a tick" His speech was forced and sounded arid and hollow. Gale was unaware of the entire rest of the Quill's Rest now openly staring.

As restricting as his chest felt, and as out of breath he was, Gale did his best to take deep breaths. Everything seemed to be helped by deep breaths. And apparently it did help, because after a few chimes, his breathing became less sporadic and started to level out. As it did, Gale sat down back in his chair, placing his hands on his knees as he finished the last few moments of wheezing breath.

The whole event lasted for only a few chimes, the widower able to breath normally after then, but once he was done with the spasm, if he could call it that, he simply put his face in his hands. It would take less than a chime for an observant one to see he fighting back tears again.

"Kenny... I can't do this..."

[Kendhl Pilkvist]

Kendhl's hands covered her mouth. She watched, helpless, as Gale's breaths became short and his words forced. If only they hadn't gone out into the Wildlands that day, if only she hadn't been so petching stupid, this wouldn't be happening. She'd be in the Wave Guard. She'd still be able to touch him without being cold and tiring out. She'd still be alive. And everything would be okay.

After what seemed like forever Gale finally recovered from the attack. The girl rubbed her eyes, wiping away her ghostly tears. Unfortunately they came back when Gale put his head in his hands. Once he spoke it was clear he was trying to resist crying again.

"No. No. Gale, you can do this. We can both do this. I- I'll help you. We can get through this. We can learn from it and adapt. Maybe there's a way to bring me back to life. Listen to me, Gale. We can do this, okay? We. Not you. I'm going to be with you every step of the way, every struggle. After all, how bad can it be? I can help take care of, um, of Martin. And Ricky's cat. He's got a cat, right?

"I can take care of them both while you're at work if Ricky and Telion aren't there. I mean, how hard can it be? They're just little babies. I'll probably have to wrap my hands in cloth or something to keep them from freezing. I'll find a way to get the mizas. I'll help you take care of yourself, too. I don't have anything better to do. We can do this, Gale. I love you, okay? I love you, and I won't leave you. Not again."

Ethereal tears were making their way down her face now. She ground the heels of her hands into her eyes, then dragged her knuckles across both of her cheeks and on her thighs. It was her fault. It was all her fault. She'd wanted to go out into the Wildlands that day. She'd gotten killed. She was the one who came back and gave him the two worst times of his life after a year of not seeing him. It was her fault that he'd gotten his fingers ripped off, too, and tried to kill himself.

Kendhl sniffed loudly. It was her fault. All of it. And she'd never be able to redeem herself, because she died.

Common - Fratava