@lockawayknight
Somehow, that’s exactly what Creighton needed to hear to calm his panicked heart.
It’s rare that the wandering folks of Irithyll target the two’s snowy little home. Rare enough that Creighton wasn’t at all expecting it — had panicked, totally and unprofessionally, when the two men and their hunting hounds began to bray and bark and fire their arrows at their windows — and had ran out into the snow barefoot to hack the accusing party to pieces.
Scavengers, probably. Bandits. Criminals of a different ilk. Bastards looking for an easy target — a quiet, comfy home to loot — not knowing who the place belonged to.
Anxiety and stress courses his veins and pulses in his ears louder than his own blood, but Pate’s hand upon his shoulder and his cooed words in his ear help calm the knight’s breathing, like the snout of a therapy dog placed gently upon his lap. Something that says, it’s okay. Something that says, we’re alright.
And Pate is right, honestly. Pate is always right.
… And Creighton’s feet are cold.
It takes a few more moments for the knight to fully gather himself after the rush of the fight before he is able to untense his arms and straighten his spine, letting the head of his axe smack the snow with a soft plop. He breathes deep… and exhales long. “Always sorta liked the snow for tha’ reason,” he says, which is true. “Like a canvass, it is.”
He examines his bloody work. The coming blizzard will take these bodies away like all the others. For now, it’s just paint for the landscape. For now, they should probably head back inside.
Deep breath. “Like somebody went an’ spilled a fine wine.”
As much as Pate’s face felt as if he’d walked into a frozen wasteland, he suffered through it to calm Creighton in the aftermath of the skirmish. It wasn’t all that different, honestly, than back in Brightstone all those years - centuries? ago now.
Just snow instead of sand.
Either way, it was a pretty picture. The retired thief firmly squeezed the old knight’s shoulder with affirmation before he let his hand slide down to his arm. “Come then, I’d rather nose freeze my nose off out here more than necessary. We’ll treat ourselves to some actual wine, hm?”
