[CATCH-ALL] This is gonna hurt kid…

[sleepyhollowed]

Who: Kieran Duffy (sleepyhollowed) and you!
What: A catch-all for the month of February; closed prompts mostly (let me know if you want something for your character at Sheepi!)
When: /points to previous sentence
Where: anywhere you want, p. much!



For Ben [FIRST COUPLE DAYS OF FEBURARY]

[This is a thought that’s been on Kieran’s mind for a while now, the weight of what he’s planning on asking weighing heavily on him. He’d acclimated relatively well, in his opinion, to losing his sight. The help provided to him by the other people trapped in Anchor had no small part in making sure that said acclimation went as well as it could, given the circumstances. But therein lay part of his issue: the fact that he still had to rely on others. No matter how much his own confidence had grown over the months, nor how much his friends insisted that they didn’t mind (and, according to some, actually enjoyed) helping, something nagging at the back of his brain told him that no. This is unacceptable. If he’s going to take advantage of others’ benevolence, he has to do something in return.]

[The culture that he’d come from, rife with machismo and eating the weak, insisted upon it.]

[So, he’s pretty sure he’s ready to take the next step, but, like any major change, he needs to make sure that it’s the right thing to do. And what better way than to phone a friend.]

H-Hey Ben, is this a good time? I can call back later if it ain’t!

--

For Carlisle [WITHIN FIRST WEEK OF FEBRUARY]

[Although Kieran didn’t expect it, Carlisle jumped on the chance to heal his sight the moment he brought up the idea. It’s a surprise, to be sure, but a welcome one.]

[One that sends him towards the barn as quickly as he can, relying on a pre-determined path that hasn’t led him wrong yet, thankfully. It doesn’t take him long. Kieran doesn’t like to be too far away just in case there’s something or someone who needs his attention. He knows he’s in the right spot when there are two familiar whinnies and the sensation of velvety snouts against his hair and arms.]

Hey, buddies. Didja miss me?

[Kieran hadn’t been gone for long—certainly for a much shorter time than when he’d been initially moved to the dorms—but to finnicky horses, nearly anything feels like forever. He can relate to that.]

[Running a hand down Eavan’s long face while simultaneously scratching under Branwen’s chin, Kieran starts to coo at them.]

I’m waitin’ fer a friend. He’s, uh, h-he’s gonna set everythin’ right so I can see yer pretty faces. Ain’t that somethin’?

[It sure is something, because for a few moments there, Kieran has to fight through a sudden grip in his throat and choke out the words. It isn’t fear, though, as he initially expected… but a sudden, hopeful excitement. Whatever happens next is going to change everything. Hopefully for the better.]

Comments

[abheirrant]

[Carlisle doesn't leave Kieran waiting for too long; his eagerness to make amends for Kieran's state pushes Carlisle to drop what he's doing (enchanting a proper bed for his pet) and head to meet the man immediately.

Though he feels the usual trepidation when entering the Agricultural area, so sure the decay that follows him everywhere will taint the land around him, he doesn't let it slow him down. Last time he was here for any length, he felt he had something to prove, that he needed to be able to heal Kieran to justify his existence -- and that was one reason everything went so badly. This time, he's making things right for someone he wronged. He's been practicing, is more familiar with both the good and the bad of his new capabilities. He can do this, he reminds himself.

And yet, as he nears the barn and his glowing eyes land on Kieran, he feels is unbeating heart leap into his throat. Most of the withered trees disappeared with the swamp, but one remains, still scarred from the experience. What if it happens again? What if something happens to Kieran, or the horses? The horses must be important, or he wouldn't have chosen them to be the first sight he sees with his new eyes, would he?

Carlisle pulls in a breath and forces himself to move closer. He cannot let his doubts consume him; he has work to do.]

Mister Kieran. [He tries to keep his nerves out of his voice, and only marginally succeeds.] I- I hope you are ready to see again.

[nothinglikefather]

[ Jacob probably should have allowed Charles to make introductions. He doesn't know how close the two of them were, back in their world, he doesn't know what Kieran knows and what he doesn't.

But he was a member of the same gang, and Charles has spoken of him in that sad, gentle way which means that the man probably didn't make it. Jacob knows what life in a gang is like, he's lost men, but the Rooks weren't ever a family. Not like the people Charles had come to know.

It's the curiosity to know more about Charles' life before that leads him up towards the agricultural level and the stable. Kieran can be found up here often, he's told, and if he goes up there he might run into him. He's never thought of himself as much of an animal person, but horses and birds are different. Horses especially, even if he's never actually had his own.

The smell in the stable is familiar, sweet and earthy, warm with many animals. He steps over to the closest stall, gently talking to the horse within as he steps forward, and begins to gently stroke the side of it's neck. ]

You are a beautiful horse, aren't you? Yes you are. It's been a while, since I saw a horse.