Red Gypsy
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Nathaniel Hobbs
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It was harder than he thought to let her go and yet, as Ilea moved away, Nate slipped his hands into his pockets quietly in respect of her personal space even as that uneasy edge of his soul smoothed down in relief. It was a start... and he was going to do his best to make sure she didn't regret trusting him. To be honest the lad was about to ask Nalyne something to distract them all with humor and yet, before the thoughts could even really form in his mind, a hulking form of bone and magic had slid from the room in question and the youth flinched internally at the wealth of grave magic that radiated from the creature. It took a moment longer for him to realize 'what' it was and what the creature was doing, a slow blink of his vibrant red eyes answering as he processed the dialogue between Ilea and the 'cat'. He'd had a passing truce with the beast in his work around the castle, books in the study had taught him a bit but he hadn't really dug into the creature given the load of other subjects pressing upon him at the time... But a wry sliver of his humor eeked past his befuddlement as a simple observation came to him. It was massive but.. cute. Lottie's choice in form for the creature was both odd and fitting. A mount, was it..? Next he'd need a scythe and a black cloak from the sound of it.. Shaking his head the lad knelt carefully and stroked his fingers along the creature's skull in a comforting gesture, offering Lottie a side-long glance as he chided the little beast softly. " I don't mind, but don't bully him if you want him to stick around. As for you.." Turning his attention to the buckling beast of bones in front of him Nate clarified the choice made on his behalf. " .. If you want to stay I'll take care of you, but you'll have to work with me." Fear and intimidate certain had their places in relationships but for Nate, at least when it came to those near and dear to him, he preferred bonds of affection and loyalty. The Throne was no different in his mind, he wanted to let it have a choice.
Nate was still kneeling, petting the giant canine skeleton, when Ilea dropped her next little bombshell on him and his hand froze mid-stroke along the beast's snout.. his pale fingers flexing slowly as his gaze widened ever so slightly. What..? Even as Ilea excused herself and talks of cooking came and went, a subject Nate enjoyed, the boy couldn't seem to shake the shock from his limbs as her explanation for his evolution chased itself through his mind. Lich.. Divine Lich? The hell did that mean...?Surely that was a over step, sure he'd changed a lot but-- At the sheepish voice of his uncle Nate's attention snapped up sharply with a deadpan stare; The youth's expression somewhere between temperamental and reservation. " .... And a new species card, it seems." It would be a lie to say he wasn't upset. He'd spent so long trying to stay human, trying to maintain some semblance of who he'd been before all of this.. But his anger wasn't directed at Nalyne. The man clearly expected it to be, the expression on his face was one Nate had started to recognize pretty easily by now, but given everything else they had to deal with? A low, deep sigh escaped Nate's mouth and the boy lifted his hands, his fingers sinking into his own pale hair as he dropped his head forward before he ruffled the silken strands in rapid frustrated movements. It was... pointless. Ilea was right, what was done was done and making his uncle pay for the boy's own choices would be petty at best. Ignoring the way his rustling had fluffed his hair the lad stood up, his hands falling into a comfortable crossed gesture over his chest as he half turned towards the direction of their kitchen. Cooking. If nothing else, that would be something to help work off his feelings while he processed how to handle this new information. As for Nalyne.. " .. We both made choices that led to this, same boat remember?" It didn't make the emotions go away but... acknowledging his own fault in the issue did give him some degree of relief. Hopefully it helped Nal ease some of his own guilt too. Turning on his heel, not quite able to meet his uncle's gaze yet, he kept his tone light as he prioritized the idea of caring for the family and he started walking towards the kitchen. " Go do your job Uncle, wash up before you come to the dinner table and let Ilea know I'm making us some Chicken and Dumplings. Lottie, Throne, come with me." Comfort food, maybe not the best first meal as far as grandeur went but it was a recipe Nate was fond of and it was meant to sooth those that ate it. Given the day they'd all had so far... it seemed the best option. Of course he'd save the fact that desert would be Tiramisu for after they reconvened.
