Paradise Falls so many angles, so many lines

@Chan - a direct continuation from Riven’s joining thread ^^

If you feel you belong here, then you do.

Riven hardly ever thought of things so simply, but there was comfort in it. How he felt was rarely what he let guide him, but maybe that wasn’t as correct as he once thought. Chan’s words were soothing, easing the anxiety that had built up in Riv’s chest and drawing a soft sigh from the healer.

“That’s good to hear. That I’m welcome, and that I haven’t been taking advantage,” he responded, eyes fixed on the ground they were traversing, before he glanced back over at the other man and said, genuinely, “Thank you.” It was like a weight dropped from his shoulders, knowing that he had somewhere permanent to stay. He wasn’t sure exactly how much he could offer, but Chan hadn’t asked. Not that it would be an issue - Riv would do what he could, where he could, but he was in no way fully physically capable anymore. It was likely that Chan could tell, which made the immediate offer even more heartwarming.

The blond took a deep breath and offered the older wolf a small smile, tail swishing a little. “Would you mind some company on your walk?” he asked, tilting his head to the side and studying the tawny man.

That was that, it seemed. Chan hummed a low note of agreement, acknowledging the proffered gratitude with a nod while his eyes briefly closed. Still at seven years old, he struggled with accepting both praise and thanks even in the most routine and expected of circumstances. The habit of moving past these instances as swiftly as possible remained.

"Not at all," he sunnied at the query, and motioned for Riven to tag along as his paws began to move again. All he had been doing was a routine patrol, something company could only make better.

"Can I take this as a sign that you're doing well?"

It would seem to be, but Chan knew better than to assume, especially as leader. If Riven was joining the fold, he had the right to feel comfortable and cared-for within it, as they all did.

Well... all but one, maybe.

Chan accepted his thanks graciously and invited him along, and Riven was quick to fall into step with him. His back had been feeling much better with the rest he’d been able to take, and it showed in his gait, measured and even steps instead of the stilted limp he’d sported before.

A smile formed on his maw at the question. Doing well might be an understatement - he was happier now than he’d been in years. While he certainly didn’t have all of @Adelard’s attention - and wasn’t sure he wanted it all to himself, in fact - the other man wasn’t shy with affection and had made Riven feel safe and secure in a way he wasn’t sure he’d ever feel again. He spent much of his time with Isla, Riven knew, protecting her and the pups the healer assumed belonged to Ad, but that was only natural. It would be far stranger if the pups weren’t his and he was following the young woman around for no reason.

“I am. Very well,” he confirmed, tail swaying. It was likely he carried Adelard’s scent on him now, another layer of security - though he was completely in the dark on the tension between him and Chan. “And you? It must be stressful to lead a pack with two litters on the way.” Hudson had wandered off not long after Rhaegara and Saga had given birth back in the Chasm, and the shift in leadership had been difficult. It must be a lot of responsibility.

Riven spoke affirmatively, and Chan's own tail wagged in calm, wide arcs. He was genuinely happy to hear it. The question was returned then, with a specific nod toward what the Spring had wrought. There was so much more that he grappled with on a daily basis, but Riven was not at all off the mark. Any pregnancy brought risk for both the mother and her litter, and that alone was enough to plague him, especially now that he'd been saddled with leadership. He would certainly feel much better once both @Isla and @Hazelnut were out of the proverbial woods.

His smile remained and his shoulders rolled subtly in a shrug, mismatched eyes watching the trail ahead. As obvious as the reality of it was, all Riven would get in this instance was another quirk.

"I'm well," reflexive and utterly untrue, "as much as we have going on, the wolves here never shy from helping one another. I couldn't ask for an easier pack to lead."

The praise for others was far more genuine upon his tongue. Truly, the only issue rooted in their membership was @Adelard and the insipid game he seemed to be playing by himself. The rest of it, well, it couldn't be helped.

"Was the Chasm all you're familiar with here in Relic Lore?"

Volleying the subject back onto the other was more than etiquette. Chan would much rather talk about Riven than himself.

(This post was last modified: May 27, 2024, 09:35 PM by Chan.)

It was likely a fib, Chan's automatic I'm well, but Riven wasn't about to call him out on it. They were both old enough to know that the role of leader wasn't without stress, and Paradise Falls was a large pack with a lot of moving parts. The two young mothers were just quite high on the list of concerns in Riven's eyes, and he was willing to bet in Chan's as well.

He did believe the next part. A pack with many members willing to help one another. It sounded almost too good to be true.

"However I can help, I will," he said simply. "I was a healer in the Chasm, and before it. But I understand it isn't a role that can just be handed to someone. I'm willing to work to prove myself."

It would be good to get back into the groove of things, as well, rather than be granted full healer status right away. Riven had been away so long, and while he didn't doubt his knowledge, he doubted his confidence. His paws might not be as steady as they used to be, after all.

Was the Chasm all you're familiar with here in Relic Lore?

Riven laughed a little. "Yes, for the most part. When I settle in a place, I don't tend to wander very far. Even less now that... well, I'm sure you can tell I'm not quite in the best shape." Even now, his back throbbed a little, protesting at the movement. Exercise was good for it, he knew, but it didn't mean it didn't hurt.

"And you?" he prompted, looking over at the man. "Is this where you've always lived?"

Another healer? Chan's ears tweaked subtly at the information, happy to hear it but not yet too excited. While he was tempted to give Riven more credence than he normally would a stranger for the fact of having served in Fool's Gold Chasm, he had to acknowledge that he did not actually know that it was a fact. He only remembered a Leviticus, and Adelard's verification would mean far too little given the leader's suspicions. It wasn't just any time of year, either. He had to be sure, and he had to be fair, setting the same guidelines for Riven as he had their other aspiring healer.

"Thank you for understanding," he spoke warmly, following Riven's claim of being willing to prove himself.

"Adrestia is working toward the same, if you don't already know. It would be wonderful to have you both available in that role. Given the nature of the work, I would like to feel confident in your skill before you tend to the others. It's a standard precaution of mine."

He listened to the answer to his own question, sympathy tinging his smile a touch as Riven mentioned his injuries. It felt the right opening to offer, "I have medical training and experience as well. If there's anything I can do for you in that capacity, just say the word."

Then, of course, the query was returned to him. Chan smiled widely and shook his head 'no.'

"Far from it. I was born up in the mountains to the west, but I have lived many places in and out of this region."

It was good to take care when choosing your healers, Riven knew. He had other wolves' lives in his paws, after all, and he couldn't take it lightly. Besides, he'd been out of the game for a while now, and it would be nice to practice a little before being given an official title - the last thing he wanted to do was hurt someone by accident or negligence. It was good to hone his skills.

"Of course," he said, dipping his head. He'd met Adrestia as well - she seemed a nice enough wolf, and it would be nice to have another healer to work with. And to his next statement, "It's a good thing to be careful. Especially this time of year, but just in general. I don't mind waiting and working for it." He was confident that he would be, eventually, barring any random issues that might crop up. He'd been a healer both in his birth pack and the Chasm, so there should be no problem becoming one now. It just might take some time, and that was okay.

Blue eyes softened and he offered Chan a smile. "Thank you," he said. "I'm assuming it'll be less sore as the season warms up, but age and old injuries are tricky sometimes. If you have anything for joint pain and no one else needs it, I might take you up on that."

Born on the mountain and a traveler, it seemed. Riven was, if given the opportunity, a major homebody, but he knew that many others had itchy paws and had a hard time staying in one place for long. "Do you like to travel?" he asked, tipping his head to the side.

'If no one else needs it,' 'might,'; Chan let the tentative words pass without further comment, but he was confident that there was no reason for Riven to go without. They were lucky enough not to currently have another member with similar needs, but even if they had, Chan would do his best to make it possible that resources be shared. As it was, he'd be sure to deposit some helpful medicine wherever the other man chose to most frequently rest. If he didn't want to take them, that would be fine, but at least the opportunity would be there.

Then another question, and while his smile remained in place, its width was slowly ebbing. He had loved travel.

"I did," Chan answered, and while the tone was friendly he felt the simplicity was too curt and so he added on, "but the best things in my life have come from staying in place."

There was space after he spoke, but he didn't allow it to hang for long, in hopes that a follow-up question would not fit its way in.

"Where did you learn your medicinal skills? Did you serve anywhere other than the Chasm?"

Riven could agree with him there - at least partially. It was travel that had brought him to the Chasm in the first place, so in that way, it was a gift. But some of the happiest times of his life had been just existing there with his friends, fostering the tentative feelings between himself and Ad, learning about himself and settling in to really become a part of something bigger than himself.

He wished he'd been able to stay. He wished he'd been able to see Woya and Adelard fall in love, and to be around to witness Enera grow up, to meet the newer generations and be there when they needed him most. There was a missing piece of himself that he'd never be able to get back - a whole slice of his life, of what could have been, just gone.

"I'm looking forward to staying in place again," he said, a soft smile on his own face. "That's where the best things grow, I think."

His ear swiveled toward the man at the next question, and he nodded his head. "I was trained in my birth pack. It was assigned to me," he explained, tail swishing. "I didn't like having it chosen for me, at first, but it became the thing I love doing the most." Nothing gave him more satisfaction than taking care of others, than fixing things. Comforting, healing, teaching. Nothing even came close.

"And you?" he prompted. "How did you learn?"

Riven was kind and friendly. Once upon a time, that would have been all Chan needed to settle in and relax around another wolf, even a relative stranger. It wasn't so anymore. Every time he was asked a question, his skin nearly crawled. He wanted the pack to grow, especially with wolves like the one this man seemed to be. He didn't want to know more wolves, though, and he certainly didn't want to by known by them in return.

Chan hated being this way, but the heat of that was also starting to fade as he became familiar with these developing traits within himself. Consciously, he moved away from internal beratement and instead pointedly wondered what @Flair and the children were currently up to instead. The conversation was officially put on autopilot. It was nice that Riven had found so much peace in something he'd initially resented, and being raised in the role could mean his education had been particularly thorough.

"I can understand that I think, it's wonderful it's ultimately been so positive for you. I learned from a variety of different sources; always important to know how to help you know? No matter where you find yourself."

Again, he sought not to leave too much space for queries, even if the vagueness of his answer was likely to propagate them.

"I've idea," his gaze bounced between the foliage at either side of them, as though the greenery inspired him, "how about you give me a little plant lecture? Show off what you know?"

That'd certainly get him closer to earning Chan's endorsement.