#skadichat

[rviner]

@gloriouswhispers skadi x torben - schoolhouse

-

While Skadi awaits for her official shifts to be given, simply so she can take them to Rineike and Roan to change, she finds a solace in the schoolhouse. How it's been made to resemble home, even the smell of it takes her back years and rewinds her back through distances traveled. The constant in and out of old friends makes her consider the schoolhouse as their grand longhouse, the walls filled with life at any given moment. After years of death, it's a welcome change. But nothing brings her greater comfort than feeling the steady but trudging footsteps that echo in the back of her mind like a muscle memory. Her gaze lifting as soon as Torben enters. "Did they make you go to the towers again?" she grins faintly, already aware of her husband's utter distaste for such a mundane task. Skadi would be able to tell anybody from miles away that he is the worst man to put in an idle position. "You need to speak to Tryggr. See if there are any metals he can draw from the earth so we can start forging again. My hands feel far too still." she waves them slightly, one dropping next to her cup so she can take a sip. "I have already looked at the...what is the name? Depot? To see if there are things we can use but it is stupid there. No anvils or hammers or anything. It has always confused me how these outsiders survive."

[rviner]

Skadi finds herself enveloped not by the chill of the wind but by a warmth that ignites within her. Her heart once believed to be frozen in grief but now it beats with a rapid pulse, radiating with a love she thought she no longer had a need for. She looks to Torben in amazement and surprise and steps slightly away to witness the reunion between him and his brother. "He has not been insufferable. I suppose he deserves acknowledgment for that." she chuckles softly, fond with the closer companionship she formed with Gunnar. But Torben's words cut through the laughter, replacing it with a startled gasp that derives from the depths of her soul. Her sister's name, her daughter's name carried by the howling wind. It propels Skadi forward through the snow, a desperate urgency to see them again.

And then her sister leaps at her before Skadi can even comprehend the reality of their reunion. Her heart pounds in her chest, laughter mingling with a shock as she embraces Sigrid, her fingers tracing the contours of a new scar etched upon her sister's face. "Wha-" at first her words are mournful before a slight laugh escapes. "You look even fiercer now! Did you take their heads!?" she marvels at the new testament of her sister's resilience. But over Sigrid's shoulder, she glimpses the silhouette of Astrid emerging from the snow and suddenly, the weight of grief crashes down upon her like an avalanche. That fateful night in White River, the sight of Aren and Sigurd falling convinced her that she lost each of her children. And for years, she had believed them lost to her forever. "My darling, look at you!" her voice reaches out to Astrid, her arms outstretched to envelop her daughter in an embrace and joining the newly formed huddle. "I have missed you." she whispers fiercely, her kisses upon Astrid's temple equally as fierce, hurried and desperate. "Both of you! All three of you!" she looks between Astrid, to Sigrid and then the towering presence of Torben. @dxrkenedheights

The first safe town they stumbled upon stood fortified and eerily deserted. But, with the storm already raging and threatening to worsen, they all knew they needed to find refuge and quickly. Gunnar trudged through the heavy snowfall and the piercing winds, skeptical but urgent. The group splintered through the streets, thick curtains of snow obscuring their vision and making it nearly impossible to discern any sounds from the winds. Skadi's voice pierced through eventually, reaching Gunnar's ears like a whispered shout. "Nei, jeg tror de er her alle sammen." he shouted back, the force of the wind threatening to steal his breath away.

A sudden gust enveloped him in a swirling dance of snow, carrying with it voices. Distinct but ghostly, blending seamlessly with the storm's chaos. Laughter, pure and joyful, echoed through the air, followed by his name. Startled, Gunnar abandoned his search, his heavy footsteps hastening through the deep snow. "Hva skjedde!?" he yelled in a panic but then in the white haze, he glimpsed the embrace between his brother and Skadi. Suddenly, his heart didn't shatter but it fixed itself. It swelled into a fastened beat and a laughter bubbled in his chest, swept away by the wind as he ran the remaining distance.

Relief was as strong as the storm, crashing through Gunnar as he reached them. The promise that he made every night to fate, that he would guide Skadi back to Torben had finally been kept. "Du er eldre og styggere, Torben!" he shouted, his words a mix of relief and happiness, his arm outstretched to pull his brother into a fierce embrace, fists pounding against Torben's back. "Jeg sverget å beskytte henne med livet mitt, akkurat som du ville. Hun har savnet deg hver dag, kjære bror. Og det har jeg også." Gunnar said sternly, pulling back so he could look to his brother and laugh again. An arm moved from Torben to join Skadi into the moment. "Kan du få oss ut av denne kulden!?" @gloriouswhispers

[rviner]

@dxrkenedheights skadi x astrid - supply depot

-

She is a mother again. Something that became woven into the very fabric of Skadi's being but then was torn apart by fate, leaving behind jagged fragments of her sense of self. After witnessing Aren and Svenn's death, Skadi assumed the same of her Astrid, Sylvi and Storr. A tireless search for them among the chaos that found nothing, not even a glimpse of their survival. But here is Astrid. Alive, and they are not reunited in the great halls of Valhalla as Skadi believed would be the only chance to see one another again. Her daughter is alive and Skadi is a mother again.

Her eyes flit over the crates of clothes while she walks through the depot with Astrid, a hand running over the perculiar fabrics as they pass them. Amusement and scrutiny written all over her face. "I have no idea what we are supposed to take from here. All of it seems useless." she admits calmly to Astrid, glancing over her shoulder. The sight of her daughter bringing a pause to Skadi as it surprises her over and over to see her. She is a mother again. "And I do not want to sound like Sigrid does. Like the wind is caught in her armpits every time she moves." a grin twitches at her lips and she turns to continue. "What was it like to follow Thorin everywhere? I imagine there was no logic or reason to anything that you did." more amusement tickles at Skadi then, a chuckle following her words. "Just our luck that all Jansen brothers were found safe and sound and together, hm? No escape."

[rviner]

"You did not!" Skadi exclaims as she laughs, but not at all surprised by a similar wavelength shared. As far back as her memory allows her to travel, Torben is within every moment she can recall of her life. Entwined together is a cliche they may never utter, but it will always be exactly what they are. The years without one another seem like nothing now, simply a speck in comparison to the years they've already shared and the years that stretch out before them to continue through together. It's why Skadi finds next to no mourning in her heart now, and laughter flows easily again. "I did see that. I thought they were making a joke I did not understand." she scoffs about the outsiders. "But, I am not surprised. They fight with..." her hand waves for the word in English, and she often confuses the pronunciation with Gunnar's name. "Gûns, afterall." a curiousness flicks over her features about the bear, Skadi's nose wrinkling in thought. "How strange. And when she needs new fur?" she quizzes out loud. "I will speak with her. Something has obviously happened."

Her laughter rises again from Torben's affection, all of it has been sorely missed and Skadi's hands take residence either side of his face. Thumbs tracing through rough beard as her eyes lock to his, a smile truly there to stay across her features. "He does but that is not our problem. It is probably the air witch again." at least it's not their problem for now, when making up for lost time is clearly a thought they both focus to. Skadi lets out another laugh as she's plucked from her feet, lifted with ease and locking herself around him as Torben carries her. "I think I have missed you more." she mumbles through their kiss, chuckling while Torben stumbles through the schoolhouse. She lets out a cackle as her back meets against a wall, Skadi breaking the deepening kiss for only a moment. "Let us see who can prove it first." challenges always await between the two of them, the moment of want heightening into a burst of urgency. Her hands are scurrying to loosen Torben's clothes, but the scatter of footsteps beyond the door pull her attention for a moment. The sudden glimpse of Astrid causing Skadi to shove Torben away from her in rough force, sending her beloved husband hurtling back into the kitchen table as she drops to her feet. "Astrid, I thought you were with Esje in the castle."

@dxrkenedheights

'ha! that is what i said!' torben's laughter echoes through the air, a hearty cackle that rings with the joy of a warrior who has found his match. he has never needed evidence to know that skadi was made perfectly for him, and he for her, but witnessing moments of their undeniable connection is all the sweeter after years without it. his attention is fixed on showering gentle affection upon her as she speaks, his laughter a quiet rumble beneath her words. 'they do not have archers, my love. they have nothing but mouths to feed. the wolves who do fight use cushions on their hands. have you ever even heard of such a thing?' torben chuckles, his eyes dancing with amusement. he delights in watching the feeble attempts of those who train in the castle, lingering for a moment to laugh heartily at them before seeking out real warriors to spar with. 'no, no, bear. your sister now says it is a sacred animal. must not be killed.' he says with a shrug, still undecided if he will heed the warning or not.

but his thoughts are quickly overtaken by the sound of skadi's laughter, a melody that fills his soul with warmth. leaning in, he brushes his lips along her soft skin, nuzzling into the curve of her neck. 'i always use my most charming smile. i think tryggr will be thankful for the work. he seems more brooding than i remember him being.' torben muses, his gaze fixed on skadi with adoration. her laughter brings a smile to his face, a smile reserved only for her and he doesn't need to be told twice before sweeping her into his arms, lifting her off the ground as he laughs. 'i am still the same wolf, do not ever worry about that.' torben declares, holding her tightly as he captures her lips in another kiss. with a sense of purposeful abandon, he guides them away from the entrance of the schoolhouse, blind navigation driven by a yearning and longing that had consumed him in her absence. their destination is a quieter corner of the place they now call home. 'i have missed you, my valkyrie.'

[rviner]

Skadi snorts gently, inspecting the strange garments with a subtle shake of her head. "Clearly they must enjoy it, with how many children are running all over the place." in some ways, it's no different to home but in other ways White River feels further than the miles away. "I have not learned much either, only some of their words. We kept mostly to ourselves even in the towns." she explains, and their group quickly learned why even safetowns were dangerous.

Skadi's gaze moves to her daughter, a small smile over her face for Astrid's words. She shifts slightly in order to drop a motherly kiss to her daughter's forehead. "I always thought of you, too. Perhaps we thought of one another at the same time, and it was precisely the advice we needed to think of at that moment." she likes to think if fate is a thread in all of their lives, then there are threads between one another too that even distance can't unravel.

The soft moment becomes a grin over Skadi's features as Astrid speaks about Egil. There have been many years she witnessed the close friendship between the Jansen and her daughter, and it seems Astrid is finally seeing what others do. "He has matured, is what you mean." she tilts her head in amusement. "Which is always an attractive trait for a man, no?" she pries with another grin which promptly turns into laughter. Skadi seamlessly urges the clothes to Astrid instead. "You are forgetting you have learned more things from me than simply how to fight, daughter. I know what you are doing." she combats in amusement. "Waiting for me to change into those awful things and you will not."

★・・・・・・★

Snickering at the obvious reminder, Astrid gives her mother an impish grin. "It sounds alive, is what I mean." she chuckles and the sound grows at the suggestion of the outsiders and their loud clothes. "Oh Gods, I could not think of anything more embarrassing! Imagine a dress squeaking!" she laughs, shaking her head. "It would not surprise me, I feel lucky I have not had to learn of their ways too often. Everything I do is against my will." because the small pack of wolves that traveled after Thorin remained isolated for their journey, much to Astrid's relief.

The expression of amusement shifts at her mother's words, Astrid's features brimming with a proud appreciation for the praise. She nods her head, respectful and grateful as she smiles. "I learned from the best, mother. And I had father and Sigrid continuing to teach me." she utters in complete earnest, an expression of warmth as she watches Skadi with admiration. "I always thought of you at every turn and every choice. And I would always think of what you would do." in many ways, these thoughts kept Astrid from descending into grief. Every one of her mother acted as a grounding force, a strength.

Laughing in agreement about the Jansen wolves, Astrid's spine straightens when she hears Egil's name and her head moves with a subtle nod. "He is...he is still Egil in many ways. But, I have noticed a difference too. As if he has...taken life more seriously than before." which is never a bad thing in her personal opinion, even if she quite likes the childish humor easily shared between them both. Astrid snorts, gently urging her mother to take the clothes as her eyes dart to the small room in the back of the depot. "Of course I will!" she expresses with a slight mischievous smirk. "You first, though."

[rviner]

Skadi chuckles, able to picture how swift a punch it was to the shift-manager and her laughter trills like a content note. "A watch tower. Like a captured virgin." she tsks under her breath at the outsiders and their ways. "If everybody is trained to fight then why does it matter seeing the enemies so far away? Archers should be in the towers." she adds with a shake of her head at the foolishness. "Next they will say they have no archers." Skadi's ramblings come to an end when Torben closes the space between them, and her chuckle becomes a simple hum as she relishes it. "Did you find the bear for Sigrid?" the question is distracted when her hand falls over his, recounting the years spent where she longed to feel this closeness. And now it's here, as ordinary and as natural as it always was and as if it was never lost at all. "Make our own tools? Torben, that is a lot of work for Tryggr to find the metal for. You best use your most charming smile when you speak to him." Skadi laughs as she's spun around, abandoning her work with the fabric as her arms instinctively raise around his shoulders. Purposefully, she only catches onto the kiss for a moment and peels away with a chuckle. "Are you asking me or telling? Because I remember the wolf I married being much better at the latter."

to the untrained ear, the differences between torben's displeased, content and neutral marches are impossible to find. only those closest to him can see the difference now skadi and his brother are in his lives once more. he thought the readjustment would feel strange but all he can feel is happiness. true happiness. and the smile on his face is unmistakable. instantly a chuckle brought from him as he enters the schoolhouse and is met by the vision of his beautiful wife. 'no, i punched one of the shift-managers and he never put me on the watch towers ever again.' torben explains, moving to skadi and he swears he listens to her intently while arms ravel around her from behind. ducking to bury his face to her neck. 'i was walking in the strange circles they make us do because it makes them feel safe.' he's distracted as he talks but torben still manages a dutiful nod. 'okay, i will talk to the earth witch.' he agrees with ease, a dry laugh escaping. 'we do not need anything from these outsiders, we can make our own tools.' between them, determination has never been left at the wayside and even getting accustomed to a new world would never be considered a hurdle. 'in the mean time, i can think of plenty of things to keep your hands busy. and mine.' torben says this while his grip moves to her hips and he turns skadi to face him, catching her mouth with a kiss before she can retaliate with the predicted quick wit.

[rviner]

"It would be impossible to be alive after being skinned, Astrid." Skadi contemplates, a slight frown on her face as she thinks about the swish-swish that now she associates entirely with her sister. "Maybe it is something that the outsiders find desirable? If their possible lover has loud clothes. Makes it more exciting to remove?" is one option she considers, shrugging with an expression that's as clueless as it is disinterested in the ways of the outsiders.

Of course Torben has told Skadi how they journeyed and survived, and she automatically claimed she would have done the same. But she also understands why it should not be mentioned specifically, and she gives her daughter a knowing nod. "I am proud of you." she whispers, simple and precise as her hand reaches out for a fleeting touch of her palm to Astrid's cheek. "You are even stronger than I knew you would be, but it does not surprise me." all of her children are strong, and even if Aren and Svenn fell it was never because of weakness. The thought of Sylvi and Storr still surviving is a hope, Skadi aware there is no evidence that speaks of them escaping. But some hope is better than none.

She laughs about the Jansens, a quick roll of her eyes following as she returns to scanning through the strange clothes and garments. "I do not think anybody has doubted their usefulness. I used to always say, they are a pleasure to fight alongside but not so enjoyable to drink with." a grin touches the corner of her lips. "You must be proud of Egil, hm?" Skadi's brow arches when she looks to her daughter. "He has always wanted to show everybody he is just as Jansen as his brothers. And he has." but her eyes flick to the clothes Astrid collects and Skadi's curiosity slowly begins to win. "Maybe..." she has to consider for a moment longer, her hand moving to touch over the fabrics with a laugh. "Only if you do it too."

★・・・・・・★

Astrid had been certain her mother was still alive, the hope and certainty dwelling together in a constant determination through the previous years. Inspired and kept alive, burning on and on by Sigrid and Torben. But, she was unable to prepare for the emotions swirling constantly as follows behind her mother. Now united again. A vision that would be perfect if her brothers and sister were here. She's certain Skadi feels their absence just as much, if not more. "This is where they gave Sigrid the strange animal coat." Astrid muses in agreement, lost for a moment savoring the steady rhythm of her mother's voice. Skadi speaks with determination and a level fairness, a soft lilt that is both warm but strong. She's missed it terribly. "We still can not see how it is still alive to be breathing like that when she moves her arms." Astrid adds in a chuckle, feeling tortured by the swish-swish that indicates Sigrid's whereabouts at all times.

Recounting her time with the Jansen is easy for Astrid, and her stark views on outsiders beyond their pack made the decisions fairly easy for her. "It seems different to a lot of journeys I have heard about." she's certain her father has already explained everything. "Not easier and not more difficult though." she adds diplomatically as her hands trail over some clothes and she lets out a snort about the Jansens. "I think it is...a good lesson to others that they are unharmed and all together. It proves that they are far more useful than annoying." she understood the skeptical gazes often given to the Jansen brothers, a few cautionary glances to remain out of their way. But as warriors, they could never be questioned. "We should try some of the outsider clothes. It would be funny." she decides, lifting a pile of piled together outfits and laughs as she offers it to her mother. "Should we?"

[rviner]

This town seems empty. Quiet of life despite the bellows of wind that scream through the streets. As the blizzard rages, snow whirls with fury and veils the streets with a ghostly haze. The group presses on with an unsettling anticipation urging them forward, enough glimpses of a bustling town that keep them moving and on edge. The white sheet casts a glare over her vision but Skadi swears she witnesses bones and horns adorn a building they pass. Quickly through blurry eyes she decides that she has conjured a memory of home that simply seeps into reality. "Kanskje dro de før stormen ble verre." she calls to the others, tightening her grip around the fur over her shoulders. But through the biting wind, a ghostly voice carries. An echo that has haunted her for years. It freezes her steps, the sound of her name slicing through the winds and snow. She turns and through the white, Torben materializes and he's hurtling towards her. Skadi can only blink as time itself slows and then speeds in a rush to catch up to itself. He crashes into her with a collision that punches a noise of surprise from her lungs before stealing it altogether.

There's a torrent of emotions each one more overwhelming than the last. She grips onto him, the embrace so familiar but so missed. The reality of his presence blurs with the storm and their reuniting feels like a haunting apparition. As their silhouettes meld in the swirling white, Skadi is overcome by a surreal sense of both loss and restoration and she now exists within a delicate boundary of reality and a dream. Torben's voice breaks through the edge of it, something like a sob leaving her as she's back to her feet and clutching his face. "Du er dum, men du trenger ikke å våkne." her laugh echoes, hands searching against his features as frozen tears cling from her eyes. "Det er deg!?" Skadi gasps out in disbelief, grabbing him closer to kiss him in a flurry of affection that mirrors the snow heaving around them. But then she tears from the moment, yelling out harshly into the storm. "Gunnar!" she calls for Torben's brother, turning back to him in a hurry. "Han er her sammen med meg!" @manybcdthings

torben & skadi outside the schoolhouse jan 30

he thinks his eyes deceive him. the town has become drowsy under the storm, hunkering down to endure the weather. yet, a gaze from one of the schoolhouse windows has torben pressing his face to the glass. a fur coat cradles shoulders and etches a path through the snow, a host of footprints left behind. an aura he recognizes intimately, capable of penetrating even the glass he's peering through. 'det ser ut som…' torben's voice starts as a befuddled murmur but fades, half addressing the other wolves gathered in the room with him. and then, he vanishes, as the moment suddenly aligns like fate before his very eyes. he barrels through other wolves, knocking them apart in a rush as he crashes down the schoolhouse stairs and through the main doors. the wind hurls snow into his face, swirling around him like the panic he senses. and he recognizes her, even as she's a vision turned away from him. 'skadi!' torben shouts roughly, an arm flinging to shield against the flurry of snow attacking him as his steps rush into a charge.

because when she turns to him, there's no slowing the force with which he crashes into her. his arms ravel her as if he's about to carry her away with him, the momentum almost toppling them both in the snow as he grabs her. the disbelief engulfs him, torben's laughter suddenly echoing of sorrow and relief. it's resonant and reverberating, and even in the gray-white sky of the storm, it feels as if the sun is on the brink of piercing through the clouds. his entire body recognizes her, grounding her back to her feet so his hands can cradle her face. there might be a watering of his eyes as he gazes into skadi's, still ice-cold blue and as piercing as the weather. the moment is blurred by the flurry of snow, leaving torben convinced that this is a misty dream that feels all too real. 'fortell meg at jeg er dum og at jeg må våkne.' his voice falters, hands tenderly but urgently exploring her expression. @rviner