[private] Aten;

[Ruan]

the taigan

”I’ve been good. The time in Nerine was pleasant enough, and I brought with me a respectable amount of knowledge of how to improve my own skills in battle.”

He smiled warmly back, enjoying the pride in Aten’s eyes. He hadn’t had the time to train the golden stallion himself, even with Jinju and Aten’s help with looking after things, so he was extremely pleased that Aten’s endeavours had been successful for him. Maybe he would always feel the guilt though, as if he’d failed him in some way by not being the one to train him. Aten hadn’t seemed too disappointed then, and certainly was pleased now. Until his brown gaze drifted to the side and further into home.

Ruan’s head tilted as he watched him, his heart still thundering and chest tight from where he’d just come. The uneasiness shot from Aten and into him, and he turned to peer into home, too. He’d thought it had just been the tragedy he’d walked away from. It was, wasn’t it? There was no reason to fear for Taiga. He had only taken a day or so for himself, something he’s never done before. Not exactly willingly, either, but it ended well enough to make up for the disturbance in the pattern of his life.

”The winds of Beqanna have changed Ruan; it seems there are more members here, new ones. Has there been some recent recruiting from the Field, like how Loey returned with me one day?”

Loey. He’d meant to see her in private, but the mage had taken him away before he could. Maybe today, though. If she would see him.

His eyes came back to Aten, considering his words silently for a long moment. He and Jinju had been too preoccupied recently to search the homeless for possible Taigans; tending the forest, protecting the outskirts, and all while she was pregnant (putting out her sudden hormonal fires). Young Ander would be joining him soon when he does, though, once he’s old enough to leave his mother’s side for the day. At some point in all that, he was raising Polaris, though how he managed it was beyond him. He could only hope he was doing a decent enough job.

”No,” he responded evenly, ”Jinju and I haven’t had a chance to. I am just returning, too,” he shrugged. ”Perhaps Circinae has been busy?” Though, that seemed a tricky feat as well with young twins at her side, but women would always be better at multitasking than any man. He never took time to himself. He couldn’t imagine the one time that he did would end in disaster the moment he stepped out of Taiga for once in so many years.

Although... It might be strange that Jinju had not come to greet him yet, to relieve herself of Ander and Polaris now that he was home after being gone for far longer than any of them were used to. He frowned, tried to test the air but those goddamn scents were still clinging desperately in his nose. Something did seem a little different though. Maybe. Like their trees were straining, holding themselves deathly still when they should wave freely and whisper a soft breeze to skitter across the bed of pine needles.

"Find Circinae," he said quietly. "I'll find Jinju." The two women were the seniors of their Taiga when Ruan and Aten weren't available. They should know if something was amiss, or be busy putting a stop to it. He forced a careful smile to his lips. "It's really good to have you home. Did you meet Nayl while you were there?" he asked before Aten could split off, curious for the answer for his own reasons, but there was a weight to his question so Aten would know it was important.