Hale Cress @blessedbypride - Tumblr Blog

An Unexpected Gift

Green, red, and gold decorations littering the streets. Excited children. Tired parents. Overly full taverns filled to the brim with patrons who were sharing details of their latest conquest, planning their next, lamenting their last, and just about anything in between with a bit more gusto than the average season. The plans had a bit more flair, the heartache a bit more despair, and the drinks didn’t have any extra alcohol - but they might’ve cost a silver or two more.

It was the holiday season - a time when Raxwel found plenty of reasons to make himself scarce within the walls of Stormwind.

Most of the time they were work related reasons, a job would take him away for some extended period, and there were plenty of jobs to be had around the holidays. Nobles to track, information to gather…people didn’t stop being foolish because the decorations came out of storage. But this year the task that drew him away was of a more…personal nature.

With a quiet sigh, Raxwel glanced up as he tucked the journal he’d been flipping through away into his bag, shifting his gaze to the well worn road leading through Elwynn Forest, Finn trotting along beside him.

There were people he met in the course of his work who left an impression. Those who he worked for who he had…recurring engagements with, some more physical, some more intimate, some a mixture of both. But often, when the contracts with those individuals ended, he knew why. There was an understanding, a reason, an end to the story that made sense.

He’d also been working in the field long enough to know that some contracts simply ended, and there was no reason as to why. Sometimes people simply stopped showing up, a ship stopped coming into habor, requests stopped arriving…but that didn’t keep him from wondering what happened. And if the person were important enough, that didn’t keep him from asking the questions.

Not at first, of course. At first the concern was for privacy, not wanting to intrude…but after years of quiet, of walking the docks and checking ship names, of looking into the dark corners of taverns and wondering if each new voice to pop up might be hers, he couldn’t help but wondering just where Hale Cress had gotten off to, and so he started to inquire…carefully.

And those careful inquires had led him here, turning off the main road down a far less travelled path that he would’ve missed entirely had he not been looking for it, the smell of an apple orchard hitting him almost immediately as he moved further and farther from the main path, Finn continuing along beside him, occasionally sniffing the air as the pair moved.

There hadn’t been much information, only that she was ‘settled’ - and they hadn’t expanded much on why, to say he was curious was beyond an understatement.

Curious and anxious in equal measure. The last time he’d seen her had been a hasty, though enjoyable, evening in an inn in Dalaran, five years before. He ran a hand through his hair as the pair cautiously approached the house, glancing around for any signs of the woman he was searching for.

“Haven’t seen you before.” an older voice came from above and a gentleman bored a gaze to Raxwel and his companion. It took a minute and a bit of a sigh before the man slowly made his way down from the ladder near the entrance.

“Would make sense, I’ve never been here before.”

The old man dusted off his hands and he gave his greying beard abit of a stroke, “There.” He huffed having just seemingly done some work on a fixture above. The heavy lantern above simply swaying giving indication it had been touched recently but the single light within shone brightly.

“Anything I can do for you, Lad?” the elder man turned to regard Raxwel a little closer.

A quick click of the tongue brought Finn close to his side, as Raxwel tilted his head and he rested a hand on the bag at his side. “Perhaps. I’m looking for somone, and maybe you can tell me if I’m heading in the right direction. I was told they lived out this way…an inch or two shorter than me, dark hair, striking green eyes…anyone matching that description live in the area, sir?”

His free hand was nudged gently by the end of Finn’s nose as the worg sat before the animal turned and sniffed the fair again, curiously. “Ay the Lady of the house.” The man thumbed over his shoulder to the large home, “I take care of a few things around the property, the name is Jack. I can get her if you’d like. If you’re looking to collect on taxes I’m afraid you’re a bit early; well by at least a few weeks.”

That earned the older man a chuckle and an easy grin. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Jack, but I can assure you, sir, I’m not here to collect the taxes.” Raxwel turned his gaze towards the home with a long slow exhale. “It seems the Lady of the house would be the one I’m searching for…if you wouldn’t mind getting her, that’d be much appreciated. Just a visit from an old business partner.”

“It’s quite the property, she seems to have done quite well for herself.” He paused for a moment, tongue running across one of his canines. “Is there a Lord of the house, Jack?”

“I’m not quite certain. She never speaks of one and I have yet to see one.” he huffed out a laugh, hands hardworking past their prime wrung and then wiped into his slacks a few times before reaching for the doorknob, “A moment then, Lad.”

Jack had been gone for a beat of a few minutes. The rustle and sound of distant voices carried and even the chipper chuckle of the man Jack inside. The door crept open and a pair of deep-colored eyes bore past the door toward the stranger. A child, no older than maybe 5 or 6 curiously stared – for a moment almost daring to jolt out the door to pet the big dog that was with the man but it was his mother’s voice that broke him from that possibility.

“Ren –” The voice called and Hale placed a hand to the door, “-- careful now you have no idea who you’re opening the door for.” Her brow knit and the door opened further to welcome and see to whatever guest and ‘old business partner’ had found her here – of all places.

“Raxwel.” she spoke upon setting eyes upon the familiar man. Well, as familiar as it had been for well over several years since she had last seen him.

Whatever he’d been expecting, a child wasn’t it.

Raxwel heard Finn’s curious ‘yip’ and felt the worg stand and circle around him quickly before sniffing in the direction of the open door, but he didn’t spare the animal a glance. He couldn’t, his gaze was too focused on the boy in the door way…until the familiar voice reached his ears and he managed to blink himself out of his momentary stupor.

“Hello, Hale.” He took a small step forward, tapping on the top of Finn’s head - the worg quickly sitting down next to him, but not without a sad little huff. “It’s been quite some time, and it’s seems you’ve done quite well for yourself since the last time I saw you. And it seems you’ve a new companion as well…who is this young man?” His gaze moved to the boy for a moment, noting the color of the boy’s eyes before shifting his focus and meeting Hale’s gaze once again.

The door opened a little more and not by Hale’s doing, if anything the child had his way in bumping it a little more open each time before he squeezed out and hopped down the stairs towards the dog, “5 years and some change.” she confirmed, watching Renault make his way to the worg. A big ‘puppy’ in the child’s eyes. Had it of been any other wolf, dog or otherwise Hale would have had more concern and even stopped the child but she had been around enough just enough to know of the temperament Finn kept.

“This is Renault.” Hale tore her gaze from the child to Raxwel, “My son.” she finally followed up with as if though it might not have been obvious. In truth the kiddo could have been anyone else’s considering Hale wasn’t someone most would consider to have redeeming qualities, let alone being someone to have a child. Certainly more than her sister.

Raxwel’s curious gaze followed the boy as he approached before shifting back over to the boy’s mother for a moment. “I suppose he would explain why the requests stopped coming. Priorities changed. An understandable shift.”

“He looks just like Finn!” Renault exclaimed and Hale’s mouth hung open, the child taking no pause in smothering the worg with uninvited pets and fur ruffles as though he hadn’t just been introduced to the stranger with the big ‘doggie’.

To his credit, Finn took the boy’s affections in stride, tongue hanging out to one side as he gave a happy little huff and leaned into the pets, barely even acknowledging Raxwel as he knelt down giving the worg’s chest a quick rub as he reached eye-level with Renault.

“He looks like who…?” he shifted enough to glance back at Hale curiously, her response causing the wheels in his head to turn a touch faster.

“His stuffed animal. It was a suggested name many years ago when he acquired the thing.” Hale quickly replied and crossed her arms.

“I wonder by whom…” With a low hum and a quick shake of his head he turned back to the boy in front of him, offering a small smile as he reached up to scratch behind one of Finn’s ears. “Hello, Renault. It’s nice to meet you. My name is Raxwel and it’s funny that you say that this fellow here looks just like ‘Finn’ because his name actually is Finn. He’s been with me for a long long time. Has your Finn been with you for a long time?”

Finn, refusing to be left out of the conversation, punctuated the question by giving the side of the boy’s face a good lick. Through the lick and barrage of chuckles, Renault nodded, “Mmhm! Had him for a long time!” he made sure the answer the man back but seemed far too enthralled with the massive dog.

“Forgive him, it’s the first time he’s ever gotten to pet one.” she paused and ticked a gaze over to Raxwel, “A canine.” she followed up with.

Another shake of his head as Raxwel stood, keeping a watchful eye as Finn enjoyed Renault’s attention. “Nothing to apologize for. It’s reasonable that he’d be excited, Finn certainly is.” He gave another quick click of his tongue, drawing the worg’s attention for a moment, “Careful.”

Satisfied that the order was heard he stepped away from the pair and towards the boy’s mother, his head tilted to the side ever so slightly.

“We keep to ourselves mostly. Ottavia visits and will sit with him, my mother comes mostly but we rarely get visitors and much of our time is either spent here, in Stormwind or Boralus when I’m tending to my company.”

“If one weren’t looking for this place it’s quite easy to miss. I can see how visitors would be few and far between, but can also see the appeal in that.” He trailed off for a moment, his attention drawn back to the boy and the worg - whose tail was wagging happily behind him. “I wondered, for quite some time after the missives stopped coming, what happened, things had seemed to be going smoothly enough, but I knew better than to pry. It was better to allow you your space and wait.”

Slowly his gaze shifted back, dark eyes meeting green. “But I didn’t expect it to be five years before I’d see you again, or for you to have a five year old son, with a stuffed canine who happens to share a name with my worg.” He glanced back at the pair for a moment, Finn now up bouncing around Renault playfully as the little boy chased him, giggling. “He’s a beautiful child, Hale…you’ve done a wonderful job with him.”

“You’ve been busy chasing the dead and I was busy chasing a legacy.” She spoke and watched Renault who was completely oblivious to the adult conversation happening. For all Raxwel knew, she could have been a terrible mother and things seemed well enough on surface level, “I never considered our business affair to be something that lasted longer than it was needed.” Dipping back into the house a moment she pulled a coat from the rack inside and wandered down to where her son had been playing with the lifesized Finn. With some resistance, she managed to get him bundled which allowed him and the Worg to play for some time. She paused next to Raxwel as Renault found a hefty stick on the ground to hold out for Finn as they went back to their game of chase.

“Ren has his moments but I suspect all children do. Full of questions and constantly curious, he’s gifted in many ways and is a good kid. He’s getting older now and starting to become his own little person but he is my heart.” The moment of whimsy passed and Hale gave Raxwel a skeptical glance, “Why are you here Rax?”

“That they do…have their moments…steal our hearts. But such is the way of things.” He exhaled slowly, slipping one hand into a pocket, the other resting on the bag at his side as he watched the boy and the worg play, a scene from another time momentarily flashing before his eyes before gave his head a quick shake. “I wasn’t being misleading earlier. I was looking for you.”

“There were…and still are few business relationships I considered worth maintaining. You’ve known me long enough to know connections are, they can be, dangerous. I move from city to city, town to town. It’s easier that way. Safer. For every one. I got back from the Shadowlands a few years ago, from ‘chasing the dead’ as you put it, and spent some time in Westfall and saw…” He trailed off and shrugged one shoulder, his gaze drifting off to the pair chasing after one another once again, “...I don’t know what it was, who it was and thought it was better that way because connections only hurt people.”

Another slow exhale as he brushed his tongue across one of his canines. “But the thought that I needed to check on the people I considered important, wouldn’t leave me alone.” He turned to look at her. “And so here am I am.”

A small sigh escaped her and Hale refrained from rolling her eyes, “Are you meaning me specifically or do you really mean people in general? I disappeared because of those very same dangers and having Renault I wasn’t going to subject him to those possibilities.” She watched the child now, sure he was out of earshot from the pair but close enough she knew where he was at all times even if it was just outside the house and near the orchard.

“You, Hale. I meant you, specifically.”

“I haven’t any business for you Raxwel nor am I sure that I’ll be reverting to old partnerships in the past. I have a different view on things now. I keep my business going between Stormwind and Boralus and that’s been enough for me for the time being.”

His gaze didn’t leave her, even as hers moved back to Renault. “I didn’t expect that you would…not after five years, and I can understand why, now. Children have a way of making our priorities change.” His gaze then followed hers to the little boy, “I’m not here, and it’s not my intention to make your life, or his life difficult, Hale.”

Again Finn hopped up and licked the boy’s face with a happy yip before running a small circle around the child as the wheels in Raxwel’s head continued to turn. “...Forgive me if this is too personal a question, but is his father involved in his life? Does he know?” “He isn’t and not because he chose not to be. It’s simply a matter of what was for the best. What I thought was for the best given his line of work.” There was a momentary pause and she took in the sight of both boy and dog, something so picture perfect on a chilly afternoon. For Renault, all he wanted was a friend and for much of his life his family were his friends along with the worn little old-teddy he carted around with him everywhere. A second Finn, as it were and now he had a real-life Finn right there with him even if it was fleeting, “No, he doesn’t know.” Hale finally looked back to Raxwel.

“I know secrets are kept for a reason, Hale…better than most.” He swallowed roughly as Finn laid down, taking a momentary break from the game, and Renault settled down next to him, laying his head against the worg’s fur. It was easy to find contentment in the scene and almost lose himself in it, to forget that at any moment the women beside him could ask him to leave, and he would be expected to do just that…that he was a visitor here, and it wasn’t his home.

“…but would you tell him, his father, if given the opportunity, and if you knew Renault would be safe?” Another quick shake his head and he forced himself to look away from the content pair on the ground, resting before the next round of play and back to the woman beside him.

There was no way around it and certainly there were no fun and games to be had with current conversation, "He's yours, Rax." Was what she left him with. There was a prolonged stare for a moment from the woman before making her way over to pluck up the boy from the dog and ground.

Surely the games were fun and being outside was nice but the climate wasn't favorable. As the pair made their way back she paused before Raxwel, "You're welcome to come in. Stay a while – no expectations. Have something to drink or eat, leave when you wish. I offer you our hospitality since you came all this way."

Finn hopped up, trailing after the woman and glancing up quickly before circling around Raxwel and nudging the side of his leg in an attempt to draw the man back to his senses. When that didn’t work, the worg nudged a bit harder, and when Raxwel’s gaze remained fixated on the boy in Hale’s arms, Finn huffed before walking around behind the man giving his rear a sharp nip.

That was enough to get his attention.

He glanced over his shoulder, his eyes narrowing at Finn for a moment before turning his attention back to Hale, “I would like that very much…I take it Finn would need to stay outside, yes?” “No?” Hale paused in the stride and glanced over her shoulder to her company, “It's a home not a china shop. Besides, I wouldn’t hear the end of it. Its warmer inside, best not have everyone freezing out here.”

She led them all inside, right away the cozy warmth hit Hale’s nipped cheeks, Renault warm within her grasp and quickly fading to exhaustion since Finn tuckered him out. His eyes would open here and there trying to sneak a glimpse of his company and to make sure Finn was still with them, blinking in and out of sleep; a fighter against the sleepies it seemed. Hale led the trio into the lounging room and set Renault along one of the cozy chairs, adjusting his jacket off of him and bundling him in the blanket that hung from the back. The fireplace within the room was lit, crackling away and filled with wood which would keep the room warm for hours to come. The house itself was big and a few unfamiliar faces flitted between the rooms, housemaids seeing to their evening tasks. It was likely that Hale and her son wanted for nothing. As it had always been, while coming from a wealthy family, Hale still seemed to hold quite a bit of her independance and served the Cress name in her own way and paving her own way by her own funds.As was the way of it for her. An entrepreneur through and through.

“Maria, some coffee and tea if you would?” Hale asked, stopping one of the women on their path who nodded in response and swiftly went about her way to see to her tasks.

Ever mindful of his surroundings, Raxwel took the initial moments after following Hale into her home to glancing around, taking in the new faces and the space itself for a moment. Their meetings had always been on the fly, in taverns, or inns, perhaps under the Stormwind cathedral a time or two, but rare were the opportunities to see each other in a space that was truly their own.

His attention was drawn back to the sleeping boy as he eased into one of the nearby chairs, Finn moving to lay by his feet, and he leaned forward, clasping his hands between his knees. His thoughts were nothing short of a maelstrom as he looked at the small sleeping form.

The very fact that he existed was nothing short of a miracle - there were thousands of questions he felt like he should be asking, things he thought he should be feeling, and all he could manage was to sit and watch the boy sleep in nothing short of awe.

He licked his lips as he managed to pull his gaze away from the small sleeping form and look towards Hale, “When…when did you find out?”

Folding the jacket she let it rest along her arm, attention cutting to Raxwel,” Several weeks after one of our last encounters. We’ve had many so I can’t exactly pinpoint one specifically.”

Not far off the tall decorated tree in the corner twinkled, Maria’s reflection moving along the many glass ornaments when she entered with a tray. Coffee, tea – cups as the Lady of the house requested. Hale held her words and comments until the housemaid had made her way out, “Worry not, I’m not expecting anything from you Raxwel. He’s comfortable and well cared for with a wonderful education. Several factors are at play as to why you haven’t even been afforded a letter with a simple hello or knew of him; I’m sure you can put that all together yourself without me telling you but for the sake of brevity – safety, your past, the spring of unplanned responsibility, lifestyle change and many others.”

A small breathless chuckle escaped him. “I never…the thought that you would want or expect something never crossed my mind, Hale. If you had, if there had been a need for me to know, I would’ve heard much sooner. I do understand the reasoning, just as I would understand and be grateful if this is the only time I get. But to know that he exists is…it’s more than enough.”

The surreal nature of the scene, the tree in the corner, the crackling fire, the woman across from him, their son sleeping in the chair just out of arms reach, was enough to make his mind spin.

“Though, it’s human nature to want more.” He reached down to pet Finn lightly, his gaze never leaving the dark haired woman. “I would understand why that would be a possibility. And if today is all I can have…then I’ll find a way to be content.”

With a heavy sigh, Hale plucked a small stuffy from the confines of the long sofa on which Raxwel sat, by the leg hung a well-used toy. ‘Finn’ to be exact, though it wasn’t an exact replica of the worg it certainly came close with its faux lupine features. Years of wear were evident, probably hundreds of washes, an unfathomable about of cuddles, and years of seeing plenty of outdoor adventures was not something a mother could wash from its plush. Time had taken a grip on the toy with no signs of leaving, “We don’t ask the hard questions here about you when he is too young to understand the gravity of why things are the way they are. I’ve lived a very dangerous and frivolous life as do you and neither of those things I know is safe grounds for a child so I merely adapted. I understand that you still have a job to do and all of this is a lot to take in. If today is all you want or need and feel you can be content with, then we can too. We’ve been fine here without you and we’ll continue on the same if need be.” A tinge of a smile was expressed and Hale handed the floppy toy out to Raxwel, “He’s safe either way. He’s a happy boy who loves to be outdoors and is extremely curious, sometimes too curious for his own good. There are days I see a lot of you in him and those are the days that I know you’re not truly far off.” A low chuckle left her and her brows rose at the pitiful sight of the overused plush, “His Finn. He’s had it with him since he was born. So in fact, I’ve kept parts of you close without anyone being the wiser.”

“Here even without knowing that I was…” Carefully he took the offered plush, running his fingers across the worn fur. The worg at his feet lifted it’s head to give the item a tentative sniff and then, with a satisfied huff, lowered his head once more but Raxwel paid him no mind as he turned the plush over in his hands, taking in every little detail.

“And what if all I want, or feel that I need or can be content with, is sitting right here in this room with me?” He brushed a hand over the plush once more, physical proof of a childhood well lived and of untold adventures between the sleeping boy and his furry friend, before glancing across at Hale. “There…jobs are jobs. There will always be another, if I choose to take it, but I could walk away and none would be the wiser. I can see that you two have been fine without me, and I have no reason to doubt that you’d continue to do just fine without me…but I don’t know that I could forgive myself if I were given the opportunity to get to spend time with him, to get to know him and if I did not take that opportunity. And I do want to get to know him, Hale…to see that curiosity and to see the type of boy he is.”

“I don’t want today to be the only afternoon he gets to play with Finn in the yard, or today’s conversation to be the only one I get to have with him…and maybe that makes me selfish…”

After a few moments of letting her company speak, Hale decided to take a seat with a bit of a long sigh. She didn’t look at him nor seem eager to convince him of anything in particular, instead, she casually went about pouring herself some tea – lemon wedge included. Only after a few stirs of her drink did she finally begin to speak; thoughts being sat with and all, “If that is what you choose then I will not deny that of you. But I wasn’t keen before on getting in the way of your life then and I’m not about to now. Safety aside, I didn’t know if you had something else going on. Other people, other plans and ideas or what the future looked like for you or what life you wanted to chase. You had your demons and….well, we both know I had mine. Still do. We both do I think but that is neither here nor there; we’re not looking to block you from pursuing anything you have planned for yourself.” A genuine smile did form and she looked to her left at Raxwel beside her, her hands coming together between her knees as she sat, “If you want to see him and be in his life, I won’t deny that of you. Not anymore.”

The plush version of Finn was given one final brush before Raxwel reached out and gently sat him beside his sleeping owner. He took a moment, gathering his thoughts before turning towards Hale and reaching a hand out to hers.

“The future, for me, has always been in flux. I’ve always been chasing something, never knowing what. There is nothing I could or would want to find, more important than this. You’re not wrong, I will always have my demons, but they’re something I’ll happily fight off for an opportunity to get to know Renault. You…he…this…is not blocking me from anything.” “Be it far from me to stand in the way of that then.” She had waited some time before taking the offered hand but did so anyways in good faith despite how long it had been.

“If you haven’t any plans, you’re welcome to stay with us for Winter Veil. I’m sure Ren would enjoy that and if there probably isn’t a better way to break the ice than with a holiday, gifts and a worg at your side.”

He pressed a light kiss to the back of her hand, bringing it to his forehead for a moment before releasing the hand back to her, fingertips lingering but only for a moment. “I would like nothing more.”

“...Thank you, Hale.”

Raxwel’s gaze shifted once more to the sleeping boy as Finn wandered over and planted himself down closer to the child, seemingly understanding that they’d be staying for a while. A small smile formed as his shoulders gradually relaxed, before cautiously reaching forward and brushing the bangs away from Renalut’s face softly, mindful not to wake the sleeping boy - still not entirely convinced that he wouldn’t disappear the moment he touched him, and there was a sigh of relief when the boy remained as he was.

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d truly celebrated any holiday, but especially a Winter’s Veil…he couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a reason to, fraught as they were with difficult memories that he’d done his best to avoid. But for the first time in years, there was a reason to look forward to Winter’s Veil.

For the first time in years, he didn’t feel the ache that tended to settle in the center of his chest as the holiday inched closer.

He had a son. A living son.

A gift he never expected - a miracle in every sense of the word.

Collab with @blessedbypride