Jade Fern Grove You assume I'm fine, but what would you do if I

mahler set his jaw against wylla's mention of elke and ciri. he had tired of hearing her talk about his daughters, for any sort of reason, and so he ignored her tack set upon their name. unsaid, now, that he would not rise to it so long as the rein held. but the first barb sliced him, scratched across a wound that had only just begun to heal at the edges.
"do not make this about us, vylla. there is no longer a point to it. make this meeting about our children."
he lifted his chin with a lofty expression he did not feel, only painted onto the stoic planes of his facade. "i vas vrong not to tell you. i did not know vhere you vere," mahler added with a rasp of irritation, but he was slowly beginning to drag it all behind a curtain of ice.
"but now you know vhere ve are. i do not intend to leave again, regardless of vhat happens now. so be assured i vill be here vhen you come calling another day, vylla."
hurt flickering behind his tone for a barren moment, then sealed away. sinking into the wretched coldness.