Ardbert and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Month of April

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♥ Who: Ardbert and Friends
♥ Where: His house with Era, Various Places
♥ When: The Month of April
♥ What: Ardbert dealing with the sudden disappearance of Emet-Selch; various wildcards
♥ Rating: PG-13 because Ardbert sometimes says bad words.

After the loss of Emet-Selch, Era Ra emotionally shuts down, and Ardbert doesn't know what to do. He's gone from having the support of two incredible people as he relearned how to live to having no one. Realizing he doesn't have the life skills to take care of himself and Era, not to mention their Amaro chick, Hythlodaeus, Ardbert will have to learn it's all right to ask for help from people he's barely had a chance to know or doesn't know at all.

While he's clean, and so are his clothes (for now), his otherwise looks like shit. He hasn't shaved since Emet-Selch disappeared and has a terrible five o'clock shadow that perfectly compliments the lines of exhaustion around his eyes. All of his happiness, all of his hope for the future, has for now been utterly sucked out of him. It almost feels like being alive again was a mistake.

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[kingkingcxiii]

Regis is also glad that he brought the dessert in before they got farther into this because at the moment, he really doesn't want to be standing. It's obvious by his expression as he listens that he doesn't like what he is hearing. He has just barely started to come to know Ardbert and already that seems far too cruel of a fate after being alone for so many years.

Eventually, he turns his gaze down at the ring on his finger, twisting it back and forth as he thinks, toning down the initial emotional outburst that he wants to make with logic. Who is he to condemn the roles the souls of their world play in things when the souls of 112 of his ancestors rest in the very ring he is wearing instead of in the afterlife?

"I don't really know what to say other than I am sorry," he almost flinches as he says it knowing well the words mean nothing when one is facing a fate so heavy. "You have all already done so much to help your own world and yet she has offered her services to aiding my own as well if there is a way her power can do so. She is such a pure and beautiful light. You are so very lucky to have her."

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"There's not much else that can be said to that; it's more that people know... in case." He doesn't know what the 'in case' may be, but it's better safe than sorry.

"But I'm alive, and I won't be taking that for granted." Ardbert smiles tiredly. "Era's the beacon that keeps me moving forward. ... and you'll have me, too, if we can figure out how to keep me alive."

Most certainly shards of the same soul. Certainly in how they switch quickly from themselves to others as they speak. Others are always more important.

[kingkingcxiii]

"I am grateful for your honesty. I've tried not to ask her too much because even what little I have learned so far makes it clear that there is as much pain as joy in her journey. I would hate to upset her, but at the same time I know that limiting my knowledge means there is less I can do if there is ever an 'in case' moment which I dislike as much as I dislike the idea of upsetting her accidentally."

It's the very definition of being caught between a rock and a hard place.

"If there is anything I can do to help stabilize your existence, I hope you will ask. I'm not sure what I can do, but I am willing to assist in whatever way I can."

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Ardbert nods; he prefers to know and be prepared. Regis has the same mindset. It's good to know he read the man right from what little he's been told and seeing how he conducts himself now.

"Know your enemy, even if the enemy is in our own hearts," Ardbert leans back and crosses his arms contemplatively. "... The best thing you can do is not to spare us from adversity but to make us feel useful. Even if we're limited now by our grief and me by my readjustment, we're still better off by helping others. We're both Warriors of Light. It's just what we do."

He smiles a bit sadly. "Mind you, we mostly help others as weapons, couriers, or pack animals. That's not so useful here."

[kingkingcxiii]

Regis nods in complete understanding. One of the things he appreciates the most about being brought here, in retrospect, is the time he's had to learn more about himself. Not himself as king; that part he knows well. It's the other parts he's come to know. The man. The father. Parts of him that too easily get pushed to the side when matters of war and country pop up.

"I wouldn't underestimate those skills. The need to fight doesn't happen here that often, but there are always those in need of people to help them move things, rebuild from storms and the like. If nothing else, there are also new arrivals who need help settling in and learning how things work."

That happens every couple of months like clockwork, interestingly enough.

[firstbump]

Ardbert has a hundred years to learn all about himself. Everything he learns now is relearning about the man he used to be before... everything. Especially joy, although not at the moment.

His smile goes a bit more sideways at Regis's astute observations. "Aye, they're a rare but sorely needed." Being able to fight made a difference when it was necessary. "And you're right. I suppose a friendly face will always be needed even if it's unfamiliar."

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"Considering some of the odd things that happen around the times that new people arrive? I think those friendly faces are needed even more then. When I first met my friend Peter, we literally got stuck together for a while. Can you imagine how disconcerting that was for him? Fortunately, I had been here long enough I was used to such things and was able to handle it with a smile. Not everyone can or wants to deal with that kind of thing to make sure someone they don't know gets a good start in the city."

But people like them? They don't mind and that makes a lot of difference.

[firstbump]

It takes Ardbert a long moment to realize that Regis literally means stuck together. He goes from confused to just plainly flummoxed. Gods.

"I suppose being stuck to you, he'd have no choice but to take it with the same stride as you." He feels a bit better, his smile almost reaching his eyes. "I keep on forgetting not everyone's seen the same horrors that make this weirdness seem downright trivial by comparison. There is a place for people like me here, I suppose."