#you're welcome for all the feels from arnon's fave dad c: <3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[kresnikxkaden]

Kaden's lips pulled into a frown and his magic faded away with his section completed like nothing ever happened. And nothing good ever happened when Raiden's name was mentioned. He knew firsthand how that massive toddler of a tribrid worked and the fact that he targeted Arnon in the castle made him sick for the briefest of seconds until Rhys reassured him that the halfling still remained unbroken. A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth and he shook his head wondering if Arnon ever had a breaking point; for the kid's sake he hoped not. "That talkative mouth of his sure loves windin' his sorry ass in trouble, don't it?" he chuckled fondly. He really ought not to encourage that, even from afar like this. After all, running his mouth was how Arnon essentially wound up in Tiernan's possession.

While Rhys took one side of the street, Kaden crossed over to the other. He stood in the middle of the street since this side road was closed from the destruction causing blockage and his violet energy reappeared to drag debris and rubble out of the way and return another building to its former glory. "That's how the council operates," he said drily. "They're in charge and love flauntin' it. Logic, facts, and reason don't resonate well with their version of reality." It sounded like he spoke from experience and maybe it was. Living with Lucien Gaudet proved a perfect subject for that claim. He laughed, glancing back at Rhys again. "I reckon I ain't ever had a break since before I had kids," he admitted. "Now what about you? When's the last time you had one?"

Rhys was more than happy to listen as Kaden recounted the intricate details of his bond with the halfling. Outside of his trial against Tiernan, Rhys hadn’t known Arnon particularly well and the few times he’d been called upon to fix the attempted damages made to the claimed slave’s collar had been… insightful, if he was going to be polite about it. It was hardly surprising to see that someone as inherently impulsive as the boy was as drawn as he was to Kaden; the kresnik practically radiated serenity in his own special way – it was undoubtedly the perfect balm to quell such a rebellious fire. His attention flickered between Kaden and the debris of his own section intermittently, the pale golden glow of his restoration magic shimmering around him as he flicked a wrist to neatly reconstruct the foundations laid bare before him. The affection in Kaden’s voice widened Rhys’ smile almost immediately. It was rare to stumble across such genuine displays of emotion within the confines of the castle; to finally be around real sentimentality and adoration again was a breath of fresh air that Rhys hadn’t realised he’d needed. 

“Sounds like you came into his life at the right time. Kids like that usually just need a nudge in the right direction. I doubt there’s anyone better suited for that than you, even if it’s as exhausting as it sounds,” taking a small step back, Rhys cocked his head to one side as he narrowed his eyes in focus as the finishing touches were applied to restore the building back to its former glory, not a single element out of place. “And you got a crappy Father’s Day card too?” A low whistle left the witch as he glanced towards Kaden, his brow raising with a laugh shortly after. “That’s as good as an official adoption in my eyes.” Wandering a little further down to size up the next stage of rebuilding, Rhys turned to face Kaden as his concerns were voiced and did his best to school his expression to one of reassurance. “He seemed to be doing all right, all things considered. He’d had a nasty run-in with Raiden a week or so before when I saw him last, but that didn’t seem to dull his… sparkle. He was talkative. Really talkative. Didn’t seem to be suffering in any way, didn’t have any major injuries that I could pick up on. Even if he’s trapped in Halloran’s company, he could be a lot worse off. Seems like he’s figured out how to play the game.”

Turning his attention back to the remnants of the devastation, Rhys raised both hands to shift the majority of the rubble to one side, keeping a watchful eye over it as it was gently lifted into the air and placed as gently as possible to one side so that he could get a better look at exactly what he’d be working with. It also gave him a chance to reinforce his mental shielding a little more, already wary of his thought process before the words had left him. “I feel for him. I mean, it’s a lose/lose situation no matter how we look at it. I didn’t agree with his sentencing – from what I could gather, there was nothing concrete for them to go off of. Emerson had proof of Arnon’s whereabouts, right?” He knew better than to address the Council by name in a discussion like this but that didn’t stop his expression from darkening for a moment, a gentle shaking of his head translating his disapproval effortlessly. “Still, as I said, the kid’s not suffering. Hopefully that’s one less thing for you to worry about amidst all of…” Rhys gestured loosely towards the mess before them both. “…all this. When’s the last time you got a break? A real one, I mean? Seems to me that you’re long overdue one.”