Termite
For a few long seconds Alex just didn't know how to reply. She wanted to argue, wanted to give him something to strive for, to give him some reason to live, but she simply couldn't think of one. And she couldn't lie. She could, but to do so would be a betrayal of her word, and she simply couldn't smudge her Honor.
But something did eventually come to mind. "I guess you know how I felt..." It was time for her to sound a little morose, and though it wasn't anywhere near as bad as Roko her head did dip and there was a hint of shame that could be heard in her voice. "It wasn't pity, but you know how my siblings treated me. When they finally took that last step and left I just wanted to curl up and die." She paused for a moment, not really knowing where exactly she was going with this, but she couldn't stop herself. "Sometimes... Sometimes I felt like that back when I first joined the Legion..."
Then she saw where she was heading, and her entire demeanor changed. Her grip tightened, firm without crushing her ex's fingers, and the steel in her eyes and in her voice said she knew exactly what she wanted now. "You saved me from that, Roko, and despite that look I gave you I still see you as that pillar of strength and compassion. I don't care about this broken body because I know there's more to you than that. So please tell me how I can help you. I want to save you just like you saved me because I can't go home thinking you'd just sit here and wait for some bandit or orc to split you open without at least some kind of fight!"
Tassadar
Roko's eyes slowly tilted back upwards as Alex's slid down, his attention focused and his moment of despair and shame broken as his grip lightly tightened on her hand. Her own soon returned it as the dragoness realized what she was going for, and as steel ringed in her voice she held her former lover frozen before her. For a few moments her passionate outburst was met by silence, and then Roko, who had straightened just slightly as she spoke, whose morose expression and teary eyes had become more like what she remembered, more like what she knew he ought to be, simply deflated. "I... Don't know," he said quietly, helplessly, "I really... Honestly don't know, Alex." Then he simply snorted, smiling mirthlessly, and added; "And... It wouldn't be without a fight. I'm not... That far gone. Not yet." He gave her hand a squeeze, fighting to maintain that reassuring smile as best he could, and this time at least he succeeded.
Termite
She didn't know how much of it was truth and how much was effort, but seeing Roko hold that smile helped Alex to relax from the near panic she felt herself falling into. A moment later she let out a somewhat heavy sigh. "That's better." After that she simply sat there and stared while trying to find some way to drag them both out of this odd funk. "I... want you to meet Aes." And all she could come up with was a shot in the dark. "Meet the entire family, I guess, but especially her."
Tassadar
And then, just like that, it was almost back to a regular conversation, free of the crushing emotional weight of what they'd just gone through. "Your... Wife?" he asked, seemingly unsure of which word to use since husband wasn't appropriate. "Just how much weirdness can I expect?" he asked lightly, his smile and tone briefly growing humorous, which contrasted oddly with the wetness remaining on his cheeks and the slight redness around his eyes.
Termite
"I'm... not really sure... She seems normal enough when people first meet her, but if she takes a liking to you... well... she is technically a succubus..."
Tassadar
"Uhhhh.... Not exactly what I meant," he replied, "but... Thanks for the warning I guess. Should it... Be here, or should I be getting my coat on and getting the fancier cane out of the cabinet?"
Termite
"Oh." And somehow Aes managed to make Alex blush without even being there. "Either is fine. If you want to walk they're over at the inn. I can tell you about the recent addition on the way." Otherwise she'd just end up showing her if Ria chose to tag along.
Tassadar
"Alright," Roko said, and then simply hauled himself to his feet, leaving his mostly ignored teacup behind. He limped over to a cabinet and opened it, retrieving a heavy wooden rod that looked to have been hand sculpted with great care, its head carved to resemble a roaring dragon's maw. The man moved a bit more quickly with that bit of assistance, and trudged over to the door and awkwardly got into one of the coats hanging on the wall. The sleeve for his lost arm was already folded, and when he was dressed and buttoned he turned back to Alex and said; "Well... Times a wasting, private!"
Termite
Alex couldn't help but chuckle at the cane. "That is fancy." A moment later she offered a salute as she was addressed, and with a "Sir, yessir!" They were on their way.
Being true to her word the dragoness started giving Roko a quick run down of her family. "I already told you about Aes, her full name's Aescila by the way, so let me tell you about my daughter. Her name is Angelle, and she's a bit... confusing..." She wasn't sure how far to go with her daughter's makeup. Considering what she was it wouldn't be all that hard to figure out where the demon component came from. Hell, Alex was actually surprised Ria hadn't asked about that. "I'll just say she's unique, and even though she's only two she's practically an adult thanks to all the magic she contains. And for fair warning her wings may start talking to you. Just roll with it."
Tassadar
And out the door they went, down the dirt roads of Ochre, Roko having left in the simple slippers he'd been wearing when she had arrived rather than donning his boots. The going was slow, giving Alex ample time to talk, and with everyone busy preparing the defense of the town against the upcoming attack nobody bothered them. "Confusing eh?" he replied, "I can only imagine, what with her... Pedigree." The various added warnings simply caused Roko to frown softly, but he nodded and said; "That's the kind of weirdness I was asking about earlier... I think I can handle it though. Not like I haven't dealt with strange folk before." Which was true enough. While it was hardly as common as it might be for Alex given her own race and where she chose to live, they had on occasion had to deal with less than natural clientele or opponents. One of the most harrying battles they'd ever been a part of had involved a faerie hit squad targeting a mortal nobleman for reasons they'd never actually discovered. They'd lost a third of their company, and the noble had been killed anyway. Needless to say, it hadn't been a good time, but at least that hadn't seemingly colored Roko's opinion of the supernatural entirely.
Termite
"Well, there's a little more." This would probably throw him for a loop. "I have a second daughter. With another woman."
Tassadar
Roko almost stumbled, but managed to catch himself on his cane and continue walking as if nothing had happened. "You... Wanna run that by me again?" he asked dryly, but before Alex could respond he smirked and added; "Is she as strange as the firstborn?"
Termite
Alex was blushing again, only this time in embarrassment, but she made herself stand straight with her head held high. "No. As far as I can tell, at least. She was only born yesterday. But I think the halves that made her are a little more agreeable. Half me, half oni."
Tassadar
"Oni.... Oni.... Wait.... Isn't that..." This time Roko did stop, and not because of a stumble of surprise. And he was scowling. "Alright.... I need to say this plainly.... How in the blazes did you end up in bed with a demon-blooded orc?"
Termite
Alex stopped when he did, but she didn't turn to address him directly. "When I was in Therion I ended up facing the First Knight of Winter in the Arena. Someone interfered with the safety measures, and I ended up killing him. Aes was blamed since she was a Fallen, and after investigating I learned that some faeries were behind the whole thing. They decided to kidnap my daughter, and when we went to take her back the oni threw herself into the line of fire to save my girl's life. I wanted to repay her, and..."
Tassadar
For a few seconds Roko just stared at Alex as and after she explained in short what had happened to get her into bed with Ria. And then, simple as that, he started taking steps forward again. "Well... Alright then," he replied simply. His voice was slightly wan at that point, but then he pressed onwards; "So.... Born yesterday? And you just kept on the road? Most women wouldn't be able to stand again for a week."
Termite
"I'm not most women." Pause. "And having an angel at my side didn't hurt." She wondered if Roko had heard about Dingroria. Or Akorvick for that matter. "Say, you wouldn't happen to know about the dragon that lives in the tower, would you?"
Tassadar
At that Roko simply nodded and smiled, "that you aren't." When she went on to ask her questions as they reached the turn that would take them back to Ochre's main street, however, he frowned slightly. "Yeah, of course. Everybody does. Only time I've ever seen him up close was just a few days after he'd shown up though. Name's... Akorvick. He moved in with Mirabel after the first orc raids, been chasing them off since. He actually came asking about... Well, you, though not by name, when he found out where I'd served." He glanced sideways at Alex, "why?"
Termite
"Huh." Well, that was odd. Akorvick actually inquired about her. She considered simply ignoreing Roko's question, but it felt somewhat rude to do that then ask him for more. "That..." At this she looked over toward the tower. "...is my brother." She gave him time to let that sink in, and once he calmed enough she spoke once more. "What did he ask about?"
Tassadar
And then Roko stopped dead in his tracks so fast that he wobbled forward, his face suddenly going ashen as his eyes shot wide open. "That.... What?" he said suddenly in utter incredulity, "that was... Son of a bitch!" His voice rose as Roko swore, "I... Let that piece of shit into my house!?" He seemed mortified, but when Alex asked her question he calmly responded with; "He was asking after you.... Your name to start, but then whether you were still alive, still in the area... A few things I thought were strange at the time, stuff about... How well you were getting along. I.... I let slip about us."
Termite
Alex stayed quiet for for a while, but after a while she continued. "How'd he react?"
Tassadar
"He... He didn't. Not really. Just kind of stared at me for a minute. Alex... I'm sorry! I had no idea!"
Termite
"It's fine." It would probably surprise him how easily she said that. "I met him just a few minutes ago. He didn't know who I was until I called him 'brother'." And she was going to leave it at that. There were things she noticed about him, the way he reacted to her and what he learned in that short meeting, and though she still held a large grievance things between them were going to get complicated. No reason to drag Roko into it.
Tassadar
It would take Roko a moment to get moving again, and when he did he was silent for a long time as he trailed along beside Alex. They got to the main road, with the last tavern on Ochre within sight, before he spoke again. "Is there anything else I'll need to know before I meet your... New family?"
Termite
Alex had to give that question some thought. "Angelle may look like an adult, but she's still quite young. And she's never seen anyone who's been injured like you have. And you may have seen the oni before. She's been here a few times."
Tassadar
"The tomb robber?" Roko asked skeptically, "alright." And then they were in front of the door to the inn, and Roko left it to Alex to go in first.
Termite
"That's the one." Now that they were there a bit of anxiety was trying to raise its head. Alex suppressed it as best she could, but even then it simply slunk in a dark corner, waiting for its chance to strike. But it wasn't enough to keep her from stepping in, and once she did she took a second to see what everyone was doing. "I'm back, and I've brought someone with me."
Tassadar
Stepping into the tavern, Alex found things much as she'd left them, though her company had moved from the bar to a table set up like a booth. Angelle was holding Anowyn now, while Ria had her back to the door and she and Aes were both leaned together, seemingly in the throes of a quiet conversation. That ended as soon as the door opened and Alex made her announcement, with Ria straightening and turning around while Aes peaked out from around her, being on the inside of the bench facing the door. Roko limped in after her, his ornate cane clunking audibly against the floor, and his gaze swept over the otherwise empty room before settling on the only occupied table.
The reactions of her companions were mixed. Ria's was the simplest, save of course for the sleeping bundle of Anowyn, in that she only looked surprised. Angelle looked interested at first, but upon actually getting a look at Roko her visage slowly twisted into horror over the course of a few moments before she successfully managed to mask it with a slight frown. Aescila, however, had a variety of reactions, and the first of which was buried so quickly that it might not have existed at all; fear. Then surprise, and then finally she adopted a welcoming smile.
There was a flicker of minor magic from her Mate before the demon-turned-angel simply stood up and walked through the table (and a slightly disturbed Ria) to stand out in front of the booth. “Ahhh, hello there!” she said, slightly shifting her wings as her form re solidified. Roko looked marginally disturbed by this, but managed to hide it. “You must be Roko!” Aes continued as she strolled forward in her usual sultry strut, the appeal of which few beings alive could hope to ignore entirely but that the presently somewhat disgruntled man seemed to manage to well enough. “I am,” he said, holding tightly to his cane. “I'd offer to shake your hand, but... I'd need to be sitting first,” he said, meaning for it to come off as a joke but sounding far too gruff for it.
“That's quite alright,” she replied lightly, and then directed a searching gaze in Alex's direction for a moment, seemingly looking for something before deciding without any need for input on the half-dragon's part. “Come! Sit! We've room enough for you, though I think we might need to shift around a bit. Some of us do take up quite a bit of space!” she continued as she gestured towards the table, causing Ria to let out a grunt of mock reproach for the jab at her size. “Alright then,” he said, and unless Alex prompted him to stop he approached the table. When he arrived, however, he seemed unsure of where to actually sit down, and a moment later simply said; “I'll have Dan pull up a chair. Need to have a word with him about my address anyway.” He started limping towards the bar, but Alex could stop him if she so desired.
Termite
Well... Well. Angelle's reaction was something. Alex had to wonder how Roko would take that. But it was nothing compared to that one moment of fear she saw from Aes. It brought up all those times when Aes said she would be fine if Alex left her for someone else, and it let Alex realize one thing. Aes was scared of Roko. She feared she would never live up to him, and that she would be left behind the moment he and Alex reconnected. It left the dragoness raising her eye at her Mate. If Aes still couldn't figure out that Alex wasn't going to simply give her up then that woman was a damned fool.
Thankfully her family hid their expressions in their own way, but when Aes chose to simply walk though everything to greet the man she disturbed everyone in the process. That was a new little trick she was pulling out, and why she chose to show off now was beyond the dragon's comprehension. But she was welcoming, and unlike everyone else she hadn't reacted with that same mix of surprise and pity that he must have seen a thousand times by now.
A few moments later he was welcomed to their table, and a few after that he decided he would need a chair. It made sense, and once he was settled in Alex would sit on the end of the booth so she could be close. When he mentioned Dan and his address Alex couldn't hold back a smile. "May as well warn him that he'll get an earful from your neighbor. She said she's tired of playing middleman. She also warned me that you were quite the scandalous man."
Tassadar
“I expected you to take longer,” Aes would whisper lightly while Roko was away, a slight upturn of her lip hinting at what might have kept Alex longer. As he limped further away, however, her expression became more serious, and she quietly demanded; “How bad was he?”
"Yeah well.... Cora does that, and for once Dan deserves it," was Roko's simple reply, and after a quiet conversation with the nearby bartender he came back in said man's company, who had a chair for him. Once Roko had slowly settled onto the bare wood, he leaned forward with his hand on his cane and said; "So... I think I've heard of all of you." Aes had taken a seat next to Ria, leaving Alex to make Angelle scoot over so that she could sit next to Roko as he sat next to the table.
“How many of you know who I am?” he asked, to which Ria shrugged without speaking while Angelle and Aescila nodded. Anowyn burped in her sleep. “Well, for you then.... I'm Roko. Formerly commander Roko.” He leaned back, let his cane settle against his chest, and reached out his remaining hand to Ria. The oni glanced at the hand, then at Roko's scarred face, before taking it awkwardly and replying; “I'm Dingroria. Ria for short.”
That introduction made, he shifted slightly to turn to Aescila. “And you are.... Aescila?” he said, to which she simply half nodded and half bowed. “And you're.... Angelle, right? The first daughter? And that's... Actually, I don't think you told me the little one's name.” Then he glanced at Alex, Angelle having offered the barest of nods to confirm her name, and gave her a questioning look.