Larksong Grotto With apple blossom in her hair

Skipping @Laika to keep this moving

This, was quickly becoming even more of a mess (if that was even possible) than it was before, and the conversation soon descended into angry chaos. Accusations flew every which way as emotions boiled over in all parties involved. The Cardinal felt fear prickle in his heart, a shiver shot down his spine like a quick burst of energy, yet he did not let it consume him fully. For all intents and purposes, the chaos of the situation was his friend. Hiram was, and always had been, a man who worked best when no one knew what the hell was going on.

So for a while, he observed. Laurel was quick to seize her opportunity to gain control of the situation. It was brilliant, daring, and perhaps a little stupid -- but Hiram was impressed all the same. Perhaps she had more of her father in her than he had initially thought. In a way, that was a scary thing... but it sure made her daddy proud. In fact, Hiram could hardly hide the smug smile that spread across his face as soon as his daughter opened her mouth. His smile, however, was wiped away when Jhala shared her feelings on Laurel. Nevertheless, Hiram just figured they would need more time together, and Laurel would need more maturity.

And while Jhala felt it was Reek who was hurting his family, he firmly believed that their heartache was at the fault of silver creek.

Indra then piped up, begging for compromise. Hiram nodded, silently agreeing. It had never been his intent to completely separate his girls from their mother, but by the time Hiram had arrived to the creek, she was long gone. What was he to do when Spring had forced his hand?

Saena then made it clear that she would not play into Laurel's game and vie for her affection. Though, surprisingly, she seemed open to the idea of compromise. However, Hiram had no reason to trust her, as she had lied to him before about visiting the children in the Maplewood. His misplaced trust had lost him half of his ear to that blue-nosed fuck who Reek would hate for his entire lifetime.

The biggest accusation of all, however, came from the mouth of Casmir -- and the Cardinal found himself unable to be silent any longer. "Why the hell would I want to hurt Saena?" The Cardinal incredulously shot back. "Haven't I done that enough? She was the last wolf I wanted to hurt, but I did -- and that's done, and I can't do anything about it." He felt like he had explained this over and over again to so many folks. His actions were not out of spite. He was not perfect, but he was not the monster Casmir tried to make him out to be. 

He huffed with frustration, but soon regained his composure with a deep breath. Turning to Laurel, Hiram spoke. "She won't make you any promises -- but I will." He would fight for both of his daughters in the way he could. "Here, in the Grotto, I promise you always have a choice. You are free to do -- and be whoever you are, and I won't force you otherwise." He wouldn't even force Raas on them, nor had he -- and that went for both of his daughters.