Sunbeam Lair A husband waits outside

Hunst returned to the lair not long before sundown. Upon his disbelief, @Reverie had been there, minding her own. But Hunst, quite honestly, didn't know what to say to her.

The brute was never good with his words.

He cleared his throat in the sundowning lair, awaiting her call upon his duties.

She'd always found it difficult to be alone with her thoughts — but never more than she did now, burdened by the words of so many others always ringing in her ears, the names of leaders she'd met and brought to her cause, the empty eyes of the fallen she'd helped to bury without ever meeting them in life. The scent of home, a fading memory: her daughters and Dusty Rose curled tightly against her for the night. It felt less vivid than the rest, and that hurt.

Her eyes settled on Hunst with a weary half-smile.

River Sea-Snake had been the last of the leaders to meet her, the last to promise a warrior of his own blood to her protection, and perhaps the strangest too. Perhaps the most honest. Reverie felt she couldn't know just yet.

River told me that we're related, She murmured conversationally, though she was sure that Hunst must know it already. Through my grandmother - Nereida. Reverie hardly knew what it meant, of course — but that shared blood was what had endeared her to the Sea-Snakes, and to the Cyaneans. Funny, she thought: they were set to destroy each other if her parents didn't get there first.

Hunst felt better once she offered him a smile. It felt like an intrusion to be here— and it's not like he had much to say to her, either. Given her lineage, his, it would seem as though he were forced to be in this position. Perhaps he was.

But then she mentioned River Sea-Snake. His demeanor changed— something bristled, sensitive. It was a sore, open wound that hadn't fully healed. The politics of it all were lost on Hunst— never a man to bat an eye— but he knew she was of importance.

Family, too.

Aye. It wasn't as though Hunst and River Sea-Snake had a tight connection, but one still there nonethless. Hunst's birth was of a secret entourage on Octopus Island. He never truly knew what life was like on the mainlands.

What's 'yer big plan, anyway? After all'iss.

After. She blinked, studying the pale wolf for a moment before she answered. It wasn't a question she'd expected from any of the Casco Bay wolves — least of all him, Sea-Snake, who carried the misty shroud of his home wherever he went. That island had been a cold place. His was a cold presence.

After, Reverie said softly, carefully, is too certain a word to be used here, I think. When is after? When we go back? When Sunfil is retaken? When my father is dead?

I'd like to find my daughters, when it's safe. I'd like to see my husband again. Maybe when I do - maybe that will be after, for me.

She took a deep breath, glancing down to see that her paws still did not tremble even now that she felt like crying.

And what will yours be?

After.

The word rang in his head. Maybe he was just trying to be friendly, or break the wall of silence that he'd put up since being assigned to her.

He cleared his throat at the mention of her father. After that, I s'pose.

Reverie would go on to mention her daughters, her husband. The knowledge felt lost on him, but maybe it would be good for her to talk about her family? Hunst didn't know squat about how "small talk" went.

Me? He didn't expect the question, nor did he put much thought into it. Haven't thought about it I guess...

But now that she mentioned it... I'd like to find a wife. Don't know about any pups though— he scrunched his nose at the thought. What're your daughters like?

Hunst had a simple, soldier's way of striking at the heart of a thing; could she fault him? Of course her father's death would be the end goal, the close of their journey. He'd taken too many lives by now, ruined so many more — and perhaps hers counted among that number. Perhaps she should have felt as sure as the rest of them.

Somehow she couldn't. Easier to judge the man's equally simple wants, his clumsy probing of a potential future as if he hadn't thought before now that he would have one.

I have four, Reverie murmured, her smile more genuine now. All very different from each other - but they have good hearts. They're the reason I'm here.

Her gaze flitted away from the man, finding the gaps in Sunbeam's ceiling.

He wants them - because they're mine. Because they're Medeiros.

He won't have them. But that part, she thought, went without saying.

Hunst’s gaze narrowed, catching the faintest flicker of doubt in Reverie’s expression. She’d spoken of her children, of keeping them safe, yet he sensed her resolve wasn’t fully set. That alone was dangerous.

You’ll need to be prepared, he said, voice low and firm. He’ll use anything against you if he can.

A pause, his eyes meeting hers with a rare softness beneath the sternness. And I’m here—for your safety. Remember that.

I know, Perhaps a bit sharp, those words — but hadn't she given up so much already? Her daughters left at Kvarsheim; her husband at Witch Island; all her dreams and her wishes scattered to the winds. All because he would use it against her. All because it could be nothing but kindling until her father lay dead.

Dozens of words sharper than the first lingered at the tip of her tongue, little knives balancing by the points until she saw the softness in his gaze. All her sharp edges crumbled away then. A tiny halting sigh slipped from her, and Reverie's golden eyes filled with tears.

I know. Softer this time, filled with the gratitude and sorrow she could not put into words.

But you won't always be. I have to - I have to get close to him. When it's time. And then...

Reverie trailed off. Of course they both knew where it all might lead — but she'd always been Atlas's favored daughter. She'd just never realized how high the cost of that title truly was.

Hunst regarded Reverie with a calm demeanor, unflinching in the face of her sharp tone. He understood the weight of the topic at hand and the emotions that swirled beneath the surface. There was no need to take offense; she had sacrificed so much already. You’ve sacrificed so much already. It’s only natural to feel the way you do.

He remained close, a steadfast presence beside her. His silent support was a reminder that she wouldn’t have to face this alone. In time, he believed she would find the courage she needed.

Strength had always dwelled within her, even if it felt buried right now. This was just another battle, one that she would meet in her own time. Whatever the outcome, Hunst was there, a constant in the storm of uncertainty that surrounded her.

With a slow breath, came his final words. You’re not alone in this, no matter how much you think.