G A R E T H
The winter months had gone by much too quickly for the stallion’s liking, though for his elk companion, they could not pass fast enough. It was bad enough that the earthen brute had invited the predator woman to follow them home so that he could heal her wounds, but it had become painfully obvious that the two of them were dancing around feelings of romance. Did it matter that she had nearly eaten him upon crashing into their lives? Apparently not. When the trio had separated in the Arma at the turn of the Winter season, the elk became concerned when it had taken an entire week for them to be reunited. And when they had? She had been wearing one of his furs that stank of their combined scents and carrying one of his satchels full of the preserves that Gareth had made for Salome.
Noor had made it abundantly clear he disapproved of his friend’s choices. If the elk had been forced to pick between the vampire lady who had already broken the stallion’s heart twice (which was already twice too many for his liking anyways) and the strange carnivore woman who had tried to turn him into a Chinese Take-out box, he would have rather thrown himself from a cliff. But it had not been his choice- it had been Gareth’s, and Gareth had thought that pretending not to fall in love with the dangerous predator was the better option.
He denied it of course, in true mountain man fashion. It was no surprise to Noor that his friend would bury his true feelings. The stallion had a bad habit of doing that with just about everything. Sad about your childhood sweetheart getting married off right under your nose? Congratulate her on finding a successful husband, and then entrench yourself in shady dealings and peddle your skills as both healer and poisoner. Torn apart when she returns years later to stand you up without any explanation? Hole up in the mountain in a desperate and pathetic bid to see if she’s just really really late. When she comes up a year after that, do we get upset or just immediately forgive her? Apparently we forgive her, profess our long held love as she confesses to being a bloodsucking undead creature and then watch her disappear once more into that dark night.
Gareth could have taught a masterclass in denial, and Noor made a point to remind the stallion of that fact often. Running from the obvious only made one look and act like a fool, and it did not become the gentle giant to look like a buffoon.
The entire winter, the medic had tended to Pangaea, careful to manage her pain, to learn more about her muscle structure and her culture. Only a child could have written off his interest as mere bedside manner. A blind, deaf and dumb child. They had been sharing a bed for Caligo’s sake!
To say that the elk was looking forward to the woman’s departure would have been an understatement. He didn’t trust her as far as he could throw her, which wouldn’t have been very far to begin with, anyways. She had insisted on putting in her fair share of work once she was able to get around more smoothly, and it was that very insistence that put the trio at the lakeside that warm spring afternoon.
“These cattail are fantastic for helping prevent infection,” the stallion said, turning to speak to Pangaea as Noor trailed behind her. “In fact, it was part of the salve I first used on your wounds during the blizzard. The sap is particularly useful, but you can dry out the leaves and use the ashes in the same way, though it’s not as potent.”
He began harvesting the useful parts of the plant, storing them in one of his hip satchels. The medic had been teaching the saurian mare some of the basics of healing, though only that which applied to her own treatment. Gareth enjoyed sharing his knowledge with her, and she seemed to appreciate the explanations as to what he was doing to her. The laceration to her ankle was almost a faded memory, the wound having healed almost completely. That would mean that their time together would be coming to a close, and the brute was going to use every opportunity he had to spend more with her, regardless of his companion’s protests.
Noor had made it abundantly clear he disapproved of his friend’s choices. If the elk had been forced to pick between the vampire lady who had already broken the stallion’s heart twice (which was already twice too many for his liking anyways) and the strange carnivore woman who had tried to turn him into a Chinese Take-out box, he would have rather thrown himself from a cliff. But it had not been his choice- it had been Gareth’s, and Gareth had thought that pretending not to fall in love with the dangerous predator was the better option.
He denied it of course, in true mountain man fashion. It was no surprise to Noor that his friend would bury his true feelings. The stallion had a bad habit of doing that with just about everything. Sad about your childhood sweetheart getting married off right under your nose? Congratulate her on finding a successful husband, and then entrench yourself in shady dealings and peddle your skills as both healer and poisoner. Torn apart when she returns years later to stand you up without any explanation? Hole up in the mountain in a desperate and pathetic bid to see if she’s just really really late. When she comes up a year after that, do we get upset or just immediately forgive her? Apparently we forgive her, profess our long held love as she confesses to being a bloodsucking undead creature and then watch her disappear once more into that dark night.
Gareth could have taught a masterclass in denial, and Noor made a point to remind the stallion of that fact often. Running from the obvious only made one look and act like a fool, and it did not become the gentle giant to look like a buffoon.
The entire winter, the medic had tended to Pangaea, careful to manage her pain, to learn more about her muscle structure and her culture. Only a child could have written off his interest as mere bedside manner. A blind, deaf and dumb child. They had been sharing a bed for Caligo’s sake!
To say that the elk was looking forward to the woman’s departure would have been an understatement. He didn’t trust her as far as he could throw her, which wouldn’t have been very far to begin with, anyways. She had insisted on putting in her fair share of work once she was able to get around more smoothly, and it was that very insistence that put the trio at the lakeside that warm spring afternoon.
“These cattail are fantastic for helping prevent infection,” the stallion said, turning to speak to Pangaea as Noor trailed behind her. “In fact, it was part of the salve I first used on your wounds during the blizzard. The sap is particularly useful, but you can dry out the leaves and use the ashes in the same way, though it’s not as potent.”
He began harvesting the useful parts of the plant, storing them in one of his hip satchels. The medic had been teaching the saurian mare some of the basics of healing, though only that which applied to her own treatment. Gareth enjoyed sharing his knowledge with her, and she seemed to appreciate the explanations as to what he was doing to her. The laceration to her ankle was almost a faded memory, the wound having healed almost completely. That would mean that their time together would be coming to a close, and the brute was going to use every opportunity he had to spend more with her, regardless of his companion’s protests.
"Speech" | Noor | @Pangaea | Since this is supposed to be a thread focused on Noor and Pan, I'm going to provide things more from his perspective over Gareth's <3
