#day142020

Day 14 - Silence @daily-writing-challenge​

Most of the funeral and reception had been spent in a fog. The sympathetic looks and words were met with a slow nod to show that he was listening, but he wasn’t.  Their words all sounded like mumbled nonsense, but it was better for him to dissociate from reality rather than try to pretend that he cared that all these people were ‘so sorry for his losses’ and ‘had him in their thoughts and prayers’. 

He remained only as long as was appropriate.  He couldn’t even recall how he got from there to his home...their home.  He hadn’t set foot in this place since it happened, he couldn’t stand to be around all the constant reminders of a time when he was happy.  At this point, he didn’t feel that he would ever be happy again.

Pushing the front door open, he stared into the darkness. A perfect metaphor, he thought to himself. A place once so full of light, love, and laughter now nothing but a black hole of absolute silence.  He wasn’t sure how long he stood on the front stoop, his entire body felt heavy and unable to move from this spot.  Maybe it was all just a horrible nightmare and then the moment he stepped inside he would wake up and everything would be right in the world once more.

This was his new reality. 

He shut the door behind him and flipped on the light.  It all suddenly looked and felt so foreign, like walking  in on somebody else’s life.  It was his smiling face in the photographs, but he couldn’t seem to recall how that man had felt.  He picked up the most recently taken picture from the bookshelf; a photo of him and his wife with their hands resting atop her swollen belly.  She was about a month out from giving birth to their first child, a son.  Just in the other room was the crib that Dicenne had built himself, along with all the gifts from their baby shower still in boxes.

He hugged the frame to his chest and rambled towards the kitchen, pulling a bottle of whiskey out of the liquor cabinet.  He didn’t even bother to get a glass and instead took a large swig straight from the bottle itself, uncaring that some escaped and dribbled down his chin onto his black suit. Helping himself to a gulp every now and then, he made his way into their bedroom and set the nearly empty bottle atop the dresser before climbing onto her side of the bed.  

He could still smell her perfume and distinct scent lingering on her pillow. Hugging it and the photograph against his chest, he laid down and shut his eyes, inhaling deeply.  Maybe he could pretend just for the night that she was still here with him; head pressed against his chest as she had done for so many years when they fell asleep tangled together.  But all of the maybe’s and the what if’s wouldn’t bring them back.  

Daily Writing Challenge Day 14 - Advice

Time heals all wounds. Time is precious, make sure you spend it with the right people.

Don’t watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going.

He reread the little strip of paper again and instead of balling it up and tossing it like he did with the past two fortunes, he kept this one. They weren’t really fortunes, but ‘fortune cookie’ sounded more fun than ‘advice cookie’.  He mulled over the saying while wandering home from the Bazaar noodle cart.  

It was funny how certain sayings hit you hard at certain times. Maybe it was just the fact that Pollux had said something similar to him during one of their many conversations. The man was not only brilliant, but he was wise and Aerden always took what he said to heart.

Pollux and this oddly timed fortune cookie were right though; he had to keep going no matter what. Look forward and never back. It was a difficult task, but he felt that he was doing the best he could all things considered.  He wasn’t perfect, he made mistakes as one would expect from someone his age. Instead of falling back into the same habits, he tried to learn from his blunders and improve himself to avoid it from happening again. Life and love were full of nuances and nothing was ever black and white, all he could do was to trust his gut and follow his heart.

‘Make the pain productive’ as Dajjalen had told him, and Aerden had done just that. Being surrounded by wise, old men had its merits (not that he would call them old to their faces).  Despite his current state, he was in the best shape he had ever been in, he had friends, old and new, that he could count on, and he was becoming more and more confident in every aspect of his life (despite his best attempts). At one point he may have pitied himself, but now it was all fuel to the fire and the only direction to go was up.

No more being used or abused,  no more being gaslighted,  no more allowing anyone to make him feel small and unworthy. He deserved better.

Day 14 - Silence

Walking with his armful of new found books from the nearby case, the magi was sure that the base of his organization would not mind him borrowing some materials to sate his need for knowledge on history here! Talthorn hums a delightful tune thinking about his upcoming projects in the making until he crosses paths with a familiar figure. 

A larger Kaldorei man that always seemed to tower over him at full height. He always had a rather disgruntled look on his face, as if he were disapproving at someone or something but today? Something was different. Something was very off putting.

"Relvoris...?" Talthorn approaches the hunter carefully. 

The man does not acknowledge him. He does not acknowledge anything. He just stared. Into....nothing. 

Talthorn felt a throb of sympathy, as if he had been where he was sometime ago.

"Hey! Big guy. Are you alright?" The magi waves his materials away to the side so he can kneel by the other, looking him over with concern. 

Relvoris stare to the ground seems unblinking. He looked as if he had not slept in weeks! The hunter did not seem physically injured? His armor looked intact. The magi places a hand on the man's arm and tries to stir him with a shake. 

Talthorn is only greeted with silence. 

After thinking about this a bit longer, instead of his antics the silver haired man decides to sit up right next to him. "You're not alone." he speaks warmly and remains in place. "I'll be here, if and when you ever want to talk."

Relvoris finally blinks in response but does not even turn his look to the man beside him. 

Hours would pass, and the two men sat in silence together. One might never suspect that Talthorn could actually be quiet! However, he was capable. Sometimes, it was good to just be next to someone that was going through something bad in their life. 

Finally the hunter's words cut over the nothing. 

"Go away, Talthorn." 

The magi turns his attention to his friend with a large smile. ‘Yes! Finally! I was able to break through!’ were his only thoughts.

"Nope!" he tells the other firmly and begins to make tea. 

@daily-writing-challenge​