#richardwindor

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richard-windor started following you

Today, another day covered with snow. A pure dream for all children. Before going out of the apartment, the child gets dressed suitably. Gloves which recover hands, with her pink vest and her black hat. These clothes are not perfected for this wintry season, but every time she forgets to buy new clothes.

Every time. She has goldfish memory.

Hup, once ready, the door moves to let the child go out. She is in a good mood, nothing can ruin this beautiful day. This landscape is gorgeous, the children have fun together, then nothing is missing so that this day is perfect. Except maybe a defect risk to make a shade -- Her legendary clumsiness. It's better not to think about this, it could attract the misfortune.

Elle's legs continued to run in a street, the childish face didn't look at the right direction.  It was an error and it engendered a collision against somebody --

He could feel it.

Lambda's animosity, swirling inside his mind the same as it had a year ago, eating away at his consciousness. It had been a while, and it was surprising, since Lambda had seemed to have come through -

He trusted him.

What was that now, though, but defensiveness? Had Fodra's anger infected him? Had he remembered his true intent? Asbel wasn't sure, but he was getting tired. Sophie was in Strahta, visiting Hubert, his mother left behind in Lhant. He wasn't sure he could make it to Barona - this was now one battle he fought alone. And yet, he knew if he admitted defeat, Lambda would swoop in. Where would that put Ephinea? Where would that put him? The trust they'd built up had shattered. It was war, now. He couldn't lose.

This is foolishness. You cannot win.

Asbel shook his head, hand placed over his left eye as he slumped forward into the dirt, knees sending up a cloud of dust. "No, Lambda, you're wrong." He looked over the horizon, the city just a short ways off in the distance. "Hate will... get you nowhere."

This only seemed to make Lambda angrier, his silence ringing in Asbel's ears. There wasn't much time, was there? He was losing, and he knew it well. All his insecurities, his worries, his failures... Lambda was incessantly exploiting them as his weaknesses, taunting him, wearing him down. He'd been unable to sleep, and at this point, he felt like he was going to explode. The distance left to close seemed like far too much.

I know all your thoughts. You want to give up. A wise choice.

"I'm not giving up!" Asbel spat, his hands slamming down onto his knees in fists as he stood up once more. It seemed to echo around him, pushing him further and further into an ocean of doubt. Denial. That's what it was, wasn't it? He was prolonging it. He couldn't let Lambda have his way, but... it was getting harder and harder. It felt like he couldn't keep going. If only Richard knew--

No one will come to save you. Your fate is inevitable.

Tuning out the being in his mind, Asbel's feet led him further, only to fail on him a few meters ahead. He was so tired.

"It's... the end of the line, isn't it?"

He'd been close, but he could feel Lambda's power surging. He was at his breaking point, resisting, struggling, but it all seemed futile now. Lambda was right. It was inevitable.

"I trusted you."

The emotions of a fool.

He supposed that was right, too. He'd wanted to trust Lambda so much. And he'd saved them, too. Asbel still didn't understand what had happened. But... it was too late now, wasn't it? His head hung low, grip on the sword at his side faltering. A small smile, burdened with the knowledge of failure, slipped ruefully onto his face.

"Sorry... Richard."

-

Suddenly Lambda could feel his hands, the ground beneath his feet, the weight of his sword hanging at his side. He smirked, staring his hand down, feeling the man inside his head succumbing to his defeat. This was how it should have been all along.

"You brought us this far. Perhaps I should pay him a... visit."

Lambda, don't. Don't hurt him!

There were so many emotions being tossed in his head. The fool certainly felt strongly about that man; and his feeble attempts at resistance were pathetic. Sharing the same mind should have made it clear that he could not be convinced otherwise, that he did not plan on being stopped. After all,  influencing the king from the outside seemed much more effective than entering him from the inside. Yes... with this body, manipulating him into complying seemed far too easy.

The air was crisp and warm, the sun radiant and shining brilliantly beside Foselos in the blue afternoon sky. Asbel was travelling the road towards Barona, leaving all his unfinished paperwork lying neatly in a stack on his desk at home; he felt a bit guilty for doing so, but as soon as the suggestion had come from Sophie's mouth to 'take a break', he was already out the door. It was much longer of a break than he should have been taking, but he figured the paperwork could wait.

Richard was much, much more important. It had been far too long since they'd seen one another.

He was hoping the young king wasn't busy with meetings or anything important - it only occurred to Asbel now that dropping by unexpectedly was probably not a good idea for someone so busy. Nevertheless, he hoped that Richard would be able to make time for him. Just for a short while, at the very least. Taking a deep breath, he knocked quietly on Richard's bedroom door.