Frost 25th, Year 74, Age of Steel
The first day Alyssum spent in the Crow household, she hit the entire time. She didn't leave her room, and barely found her way out from under the covers of the bed she'd been provided. Rúnar didn't worry, though. He simply and very calmly checked on her every hour. He brought her three meals and actually found the second half-eaten after an untouched breakfast and the third fully devoured. Whenever he heard the quiet sound reminiscent of sobbing, he sat by her bed until the noise stopped, gently resting his hand on the mount of blankets where her head was supposed to be.
That was how Alyssum and Rúnar both handled their first day of living together. And that was okay because only a mad man would think to assume that Alyssum wasn't still in shock. Sure, Rúnar might have coaxed her into some form of security the day that Isra left, but it would be completely insane to figure that Alyssum would be fine after the closest thing she'd had to family in the last fourteen years left her with a stranger. At least Rúnar wasn't a dangerous stranger as far as Alyssum or Rúnar himself could tell, but it didn't cushion the blow for Alyssum who still struggled to understand why. Why her family had to leave her for the second time in her life and why she had to be old enough and self-aware enough for it to hurt. Why she couldn't just stay with Isra and be a wild child, the only thing Isra knew how to raise.
The second day was better. While still hesitant, Alyssum at least got out of bed on her own without any need to be prompted, hesitantly standing outside the door of the room which had been given to her. Rúnar's ears perked up as he took notice of the younger Rathari very meekly standing around like she was over at a neighbor's house and trying to be a good house guest. Though that was probably more her nerves than any sense of grace or tact instilled into her by Isra. "Good morning, pup. I'm glad you're up, I want you to try these on," Rúnar said, handing a pile of cloth of Alyssum. The clothes had been something of a rush job, but they were still good enough quality that they would serve Alyssum while they were both waiting for the tailor to finish.
Alyssum nodded, her ears flattening slightly in a fearful expression as she ducked back into the room. She kept her back pressed to the door while she changed, trying to move as quickly as possible. The moment she was done she remerged from the room only to find Rúnar gone. She tilted her head to the side and instead of calling out decided to very slowly and carefully prowl a little farther away from the room and the door that had become her safe spot. She didn't like leaving her bubble and immediately regretted it when her delicate ears caught the sound of feet returning. Just as Alyssum finished backing herself up against the door to her room, Rúnar came back with a bowl.
He hummed quietly, appraising eyes practically burning into Alyssum as she turned her gaze downwards. trying to do anything except meet his. "Seems your still a bit nervous, hm? No matter. Why don't you eat a bit?" He offered her the bowl.
Despite her nerves, food was a strong motivator. She chewed on her lip for a moment while she was trying to decide before Rúnar's expression turned into a pout. "Chew on the beef in the stew and not your lip, please. Don't you know that's a bad habit? Not to mention you're hurting yourself. See how chapped your lips are, it's probably because you chew on them. Not to mention traveling probably doesn't do them much good. I have so herbs that should probably help." Alyssum paused from chewing on her lip as Rúnar spoke, slowly making sense of the words. Isra never said anything about the habit. Isra also left Alyssum with a stranger, so maybe Isra just didn't care.
Alyssum was finally won over by the growling of her own stomach and took the bowl of stew. Hunger was truly something persuasive.
As she scarfed down the meal, she didn't notice Rúnar suddenly leaving and reappearing with a small mini jar of something. Only when the bowl was emptied and quiet ferociously licked clean did her attention actually turn back to her new guardian. "Here," he said, kneeling down to eye level and holding out the jar to Alyssum. A little more amicable with a full stomach, she took the offered jar and appraised the concoction. "It's just an aloe vera poultice. Something simple Isra has probably made but never named. It helps to soothe, especially minor scratches and burns. It'll probably help your lips heal a little faster. The gel from aloe vera leaves is also super helpful for sunburns. Isra has probably used it and just never explained. Sounds like something she'd do." The last line was a muttered huff as Alyssum opened the jar and spread some of the good gel over her lips. It wasn't pleasant but Rúnar was at least right about it helping to stop the dull ache she usually just ignored.
"Are you ready to finally see the house?" Rúnar asked, holding out his hand to Alyssum.
"Yes please," she said, taking the offered hand. Her voice still barely audible and sounding even a little rougher as though her sobbing had continued all throughout the night. Rúnar, unfortunately, knew that it had, since even after it was long past time to sleep he'd continued to come in and check on his new charge now and again. Eventually, she'd run out of tears to shed. He'd wait until then. Slowly but thoroughly Rúnar led her around the entire house that honestly seemed more like a mansion to Alyssum. In fact, it might have to quite a few people.
"The Crow kinship was extremely prestigious at one time. As you can see, now there's only me. It's a little bit too much room for just one person. And it gets dirty often," Rúnar said with a laugh as he led the bewildered Alyssum down another set of halls and completely unoccupied rooms that used to be full of Crow craftsmen back in the heyday of the Kinship. They weren't that powerful anymore now. Rúnar didn't even have the funds to pay the maids and years of Crow secrets were lost on him since he couldn't make sense of any of the miscellaneous tools and books that weren't related to his own craft.
Speaking of which, the last place he ended up showing Alyssum was the forge. "I specialize in smithing, alchemy, and all that wonderful stuff. These are the skills that I'm going to be passing on to you when you're old enough. When you're a true master smith I'll even teach you how to make Atvalthal Steel," he said, laughing as her eyes lit up with wonder at the unfamiliar word. The steel in question was powerful and something passed down by master smiths to master smiths. Alyssum would have to work hard if she actually wanted to learn it. For the time being she was blissfully obvious to that though and simply gazed in wonder at the tools of Rúnar's craft.
"Why do you have a second forge? It looks weird," she pointed towards the forge she'd noticed early on when she and Isra first arrived. It seemed excessive at first and just strange, but up close she could tell something about the forge was special. Special enough to sing a curious siren song that drew her farther and farther out of the stupor she'd crashed into when Isra left her. Wonder and a sense of safety finally blending into curiosity and the ability to move on. What Rúnar had been waiting to see in those glittering eyes.
"It's a runeforge. Unfortunately, I don't know the craft," Alyssum sagged slightly, "but, if you want to look around the house you'll find all manner of useful information. Old laboratories I had to close off after their owners passed, and books left written up to the final page. You'll find all manners of secrets our family used to keep ourselves powerful. They're all yours now. You are a Crow." There was a strength to his words which made Alyssum shiver, but not in a bad way. It was a resolve that shook her down to her core.
"Do... do you promise you're not going to leave me?" She asked hesitantly. The old Rathari's eyes widened for a moment as his jaw went slack. Isra leaving was probably the most traumatic event in Alyssum's life so far, ignoring all the cumulative trauma left by the fact Isra (read as: worst mother in the mortal real and beyond) was the one raising her for the first fourteen years. Isra who threw her in the woods sometimes and left her to find her own way to a meeting spot or Isra who took her out into the woods and told her a monster was going to eat her if she didn't sneak back to their campsite. All of that, and the worst thing Alyssum had ever experienced was being left behind.
"I promise," Rúnar swore. "I will never abandon you, Alyssum."
