Reflecting on the past year, what is the most memorable moment that's happened for Kelz'thalas, or what has been the wildest?
The most memorable moment would be connecting with her father, Adonis. For many years he's become reclusive and closed off to outsiders and family. And with Kelz'thalas' return to her family, she's been steadily chipping away at that wall he put up. But it was when she had that breakthrough - that was an incredible scene to write with @grumpyoldfker.
Here's a snippet of the exchange:
The question she first posed rumbled in the back of his mind, as did many other things. He furrowed his brow slightly at it. Had he not explained it before? Had he not made it clear? Clearly not. Then, he realized, he had never explained it clearly at all.
When she said his name and recalled her accomplishments, he turned his head towards her and arched a brow. "I am well aware of what you have done and what you continue to do. You are a Warrior. A Commander. It is expected..." he then turned to face her entirely, his broad shoulders leaning forward. A lesson was to be taught here.
"You expect recognition? Praise?" he shook his head, "this is the level that is -expected- of you" he raised a finger as if silently commanding to halt whatever reaction she might have to his words. "You are a force, child. I have raised you to be as such... a leader. One that I had hoped your brothers would follow in..."
He lowered his gaze and sighed, "You still have much to learn" Clearly, he also knew of her blunders "and when you do learn you'll not receive praise for it. You will be expected to do more. That is the trait of all creatures that go beyond their limitations..." he lifted his eyes once more, "but do not think that this old soul's heart is so cold that he does not have a measure of pride for his only daughter."
----
What had formerly been a matter of nerves and uncertainty now shifted to frustration and disappointment. Her eyes narrowed as she heard his response to her accomplishments. Despite being aware of these matters, he did not live them. He wasn't there for her, so what did it matter if he knew? She wasn't wanting acknowledgement of the deeds in the sense of doing them. She wanted him there.
"Father with all due respect... I know this is a thankless job. No matter how much you put yourself out there and do a world of good for everyone, it's taken advantage of. But you and I have a different relationship, or rather... we should."
Her voice was strained with growing emotion as she hadn't noticed the hand that now braced on the table's edge while she spoke. She didn't realize that it had dug so deeply into her soul that her body was cowed into reacting. Though his follow-up comments stung just badly and she kept her gaze on him.
"Yeah, because the person who could give it to either of us is dead! The one person who knew how to show love and compassion to us is gone! I never got to mourn her, and you aren't the only one who feels her loss, father! You think I go on doing my job because it's an expectation?! I do it because I want to give people hope and know there will be a better tomorrow! You can't lead with discipline and adherence to policy or traditions alone. We can harden our resolve to be a force in itself, but without compassion, we are no better than those that would take it away!"
She had at this point rose and sought an elevation above his eyes as he often put her in the same tier of those, he saw beneath him. She did know her place as a leader, and she had often navigated the path of caution when it came to him because of her admiration and respect for him as the Patriarch. But their house couldn't move forward if she let that be the only presiding factor.
"We need people to like us too. I know I need to learn more. But you have taken the route of least resistance so that my experiences would be shaped in the worst of fashions. To say you have pride in me after a lecture does not amount for what I know I deserve from you."
Her body had visibly trembled, and her lips formed a tight line as tears raced down the length of her cheeks.
"I want you to teach me, Dad. I'm not your enemy. But I shouldn't be something that you should hone to lose too. You need to trust me too. Or we're going to lose everything again!"
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Adonis' face went tight. His eyes looked at his daughter in warning... she was crossing into a dangerous path. It was that moment when she mentioned the fallen Matriarch that his eyes went wide and his nostrils flared. Old, buried wounds were reopened. Old pains were reapplied. He felt a torment twist within him that he had thought he had long since hidden and it was at that moment that he understood that burying something and ignoring it did not make it go away... in fact, it would grow and fester and rear its ugly head much like it did now.
Then... rage. He would fight this. He -had- to. He could not take such words from his own daughter... she was meant to listen to -him-. Her words, the emotion behind them, fuelled his anger. But he hung onto that anger in desperation as it other emotions clawed at him. No it is a weakness. They are all weaknesses.
He shot to his feet and curled his lips back into a roar. The Light answered his call and drove its strength into his fist as he drove it into the table. The table effectively shattered at the impact point, buckling from his blow and sending the cutlery and utensils flying to the ground. He lifted his eyes at his daughter with a paternal fury.
She is perfect.
The voice. That voice echoed in the back of his mind.
I shouldn't be something that you should hone to lose too.
His daughter's words reverberated back and echoed for what felt like an eternity. Whatever rage, whatever anger he felt was suddenly sapped from him. He looked at her and didn't see the woman before him. He saw the small baby within her crib reaching out to clasp his outstretched finger, he saw the small girl playing with her brothers in the courtyard, and he saw the young warrior swing a sword for the first time. He saw her. He saw his kin.
His breathing was ragged as he pushed past the debris and fell to one knee as he levelled himself to her seated height....
He ignored the hushed whispers, the scowls from the staff, the rumors that would swell from this moment. He focused on her... and his arms reached out to clasp his arms around her, pulling her into his large frame. He blinked back the tears that threatened to flood his cheeks as he whispered: "I can't lose you too...."
As for the most wildest? That was definitely the narrative I wrote labeled "Fruits of Loop." Again, for context here. I attended the Succulent Tart show on Kelz'thalas "All I want for Winter Veil" alongside Madame Naralinthe Emberdawn. While there, Greatfather Winterveil was handing out gifts. My understanding is that the pets and things could be associated as plushies and what not. But I took a spin on it to say, Kelz received a pet toucan. So, after getting shitfaced, she brought it into her family's estate and left it in her father's study - demanding that it had a place to live there since it was given to her by 'Greatfather Winterveil.'
If you haven't read the story - you can check it out here.
But yeah, I'd say that was pretty wild how she got home and went through the motions of 'convincing' her father to keep the damn bird. Though he had a response to that as well in his excerpt titled "De-Looped." You can read it here.
As always, it's a pleasure to get an ask from you @safrona-shadowsun - Hope this sates your curiosity for the ask!
Tagging @grumpyoldfker & @themadamelioness for the mentions and to thank them for this roleplay journey we have been embarking on with growing characters in a more story-driven and compelling fashion. It's been revitalizing to write like this again <3
