[Jokul] So You're Dating My Daughter?

[Fern & Nima]

Time and Date:: January 15th - Mid-day
Weather:: Blizzard, well below freezing, snow everywhere, fog in the area
Previous Threads?:: N/A

CURRENT IC SEASON - DEVASTATING WINTER

It had been several weeks since his daughter had started acting strangely. It had taken the older mans wife a matter of moments to detect the reason; a boy. This information she foolishly passed on to her husband Brutus, who had been watching his daughter come home swooning every night, rushing her dinner to go back out, and lacking sleep to go out yet again. It seemed every time he turned around she was headed out the door. But this time... this time the young lad was coming over to his domain.

While his young daughter ran upstairs to get ready, Brutus grabbed his sword from the shelf it sat precariously on, only to recline in a chair, pulling a rock from the floor. With one swift motion he ran it over the blade, sending sparks flying through the small hut. A flame sparked on the floor before fizzling out. Again he ran his rock over the blade, this time a bit more aggressively. He didn't look up as he heard the sound of his wife rushing to the door. She paused to look at him, but said nothing. She knew better then to interfere.

Swiftly, his wife ran to the door to see if the boy was on the other side. Brutus didn't look up as he felt the cold air come inside; instead he vigorously swiped the rock against the blade, knowing that any moment he would be face to face with the boy who had taken his daughter from him.

[Jokul & Starkad]

"Why do I have a feeling I'm not gonna like this?"

Jokul had already trekked his way half-way through the village by the time he started having second thoughts about this idea. It'd be the first time officially meeting Fern's father, and he wasn't so keen on what might happen.

Not so far away, Starkad was wondering why he was this anxious. "Do you think Red Girl will have fishies again?" She bounced to his front, keeping up with his pace by walking backwards. "Is that the only thing you care about, Stark?"

She flung her tongue up to clean her eye. "No... I like chicken too!" The teen facepalmed at the response. "I'm talking to a dragon.. what did I expect?" He grumbled. "Just... try to resist breaking things." The hobblegrunt tilted her head as if what he'd said was an impossible task.

The rest of the walk was relatively quiet, aside from the noises Starkad was making by shoving her nose into the snow. She couldn't help but play in the white power every chance she got. After all, this was the first winter she remembered.

Unlike every other day he's come to meet Fern, it felt as though the door was much more intimidating this time round. He stood just staring at it, trying to get his nerves under control. Unfortunately, his dragon wasn't as patient as he was. She ended up nosing her arms into a hole at the bottom of the door, clawing away at the ground inside. "Starkad!" She whined and took to scratching the ground she was standing on instead.

With all the commotion the hobblegrunt had made, he was sure someone inside had heard. As if to prove it, the door swung open to reveal a red head older than what he expected. This must be her mom. Jokul held his hand out in a greeting. "Hi... um... uh, s-sorry about your floor... Starkad can't really help herself."

Good going, Jokul. Make her notice the property damage first. Way to make an impression. Once Fern's mother led him inside, he tensed up at a new noise that filled his ears. Rock-on-metal... oh now that sounds promising... He felt his heart speed up when he saw a spark of light coming from the source of it.

"S-sir?" He squeaked pathetically. His nervousness seemed to rub off onto his dragon, because, before he knew it, Starkad's form curled into a tight ball around his legs. If it hadn't been for Jokul's fear, she might've had enough courage to roam around the new area to search for dragon nip. 

She did manage to start sniffing the floor boards for any hidden treasures though. "Jokul! I wants fish!" The dragon whined futilely, seeing that her rider was still frozen under the other viking's glare.

[Fern & Nima]

The woman opened the door and looked down, to see fresh chew marks on her door. Frowning, she nodded, simply shaking his hand and opening the door a bit wider for him to come inside. As he came in, she shut the door and went to wash dishes. Although she normally would be giddy and all over the new guest, she knew that first he had to pass meeting her husband. And so Maya, otherwise known as Fern's mom, fell silent as her husband sharpened his blade.

Meanwhile the man sharpened his blade, scarcely moving other then his rhythmic motions of the rock going over the blade even as the boy entered. As the door closed, his voice rose in a gruff tone, "Come in." He demanded, before taking a moment to peer at his blade. He moved it into an upright position, running a finger along the blade. "So, young man. I hear you've been spending time with my daughter."

His finger ran up the blade, "Touching her, kissing her... You know the like." He aimed the blade at him, "What exactly are your intentions with her?" He asked, rising to advance towards him. "Are you playing her for a fool? Or are you actually out to court my daughter? You know what courtship leads to, right young man?" He stopped, the tip of his blade aimed at the boy.

"I'm sure your mother educated you on the facts of life. But.. If I catch a single hair out of place on her fragile figure..." He moved the blade up to his hands in an upright position, his finger running over the blade as he peered at it, "Well, lets just say hair won't be the only thing that's missing..."

He walked back to the chair, grabbing a pint and pouring a glass. "Sit, boy." He said quietly, setting the brew on the table. "Drink." He said sternly, sitting down as he placed the blade in his lap, looking at the boy expectantly.

[Jokul & Starkad]

Everything about this whole thing wasn't what Jokul would call relaxing. First, his dumb dragon just had to go and make a bad impression, and then there was the ever so intimidating man in front of him. The teen would've have been scared just saying 'hi' to him, since he was a least twice his size, but add a newly-sharpened sword into the mix, and he was terrified.

"Y-yes..." The younger viking answered hesitantly. As Brutus continued further, Jokul felt his heart race faster. Well... Fern usually initiated any touching... and we've only really kissed a handful of times. He kept his mouth shut and stayed quiet to avoid angering the one with the weapon.

"Intentions...?" He barely got it out before the man got to his feet and moved closer, making Jokul feel smaller than usual. The boy failed to see that he'd turned his sword to point at him, so he didn't back away like most others probably would have. "Of course I know what that means... but to be honest..." He paused to think of how to address Brutus. "S-sir, I guess I don't really know that myself. I'm kind of... new, when it comes to c-courting."

Meanwhile, at the teen's feet, Starkad instinctively hissed at the blade as it neared her rider. Once Brutus said something about hurting Jokul, her frill popped open in a defensive display. "No touch BIg Brother! Bad human!"

Jokul, on the other hand, bit his lip to keep from letting out a whimper at the thought of 'missing' parts. "I-I hear you loud and clear, Sir." He swallowed fearfully.

"Sit, boy."

Barely a heartbeat passed before he did as told. In his hurry though, he managed to trip on both his dragon, and the leg of a chair after trying to to correct his footing. The only reason he didn't fall on his face was because Starkad took a mouthful of his his vest and pulled back.

"U-uh Sir... I don't think I'm very good at holding my alcohol." The only thing he had to base that off on was his mother... who got wasted with only a few drinks. For all Jokul knew though, Brutus might even know his mother for being the funny drunk at a party.

Starkad, who thought she was being sneaky, started inching closer to the cup of mead, trying to see what was inside.

[Fern & Nima]

At the boys confirmation, the man ran his rock over the blade, "You kiss her yet?" He asked, his tones as sharp as the sword he sharpened. He waited no more to test the boy. For just then the man stood, advancing towards him. He heard the boys futile attempts to speak, and saw his dragon coil into a defensive posture. He paid no mind to the beast, his sword aimed at the boy. As the boy acknowledged his threat, he lifted his blade, returning to pour a pint for him.

When the boy refused, he stiffened, "You know, for a moment I thought you wiser then that." He said, his voice rising, "For a moment I thought you might actually be worth my time. But its clear to me you cannot stand up for yourself, let alone stand up for my daughter." His voice was calmer, yet stern. It held a sharp edge to it as he looked to him to continue.

"Tell me, boy; how will you defend her when you cannot even look me in the eyes?" He jeered, unaware that the boy was blind. "How will you ward off those who pursue her? With kind words and stutters? Surely that will scare them off." He laughed, slamming down his beer. He got up, grabbing the beer with one grizzly hand.

Advancing towards the boy, he shoved the beer forward, "There is one way to become a man. To become fearless, and conquer all who question you." He held the beer out to him, "Tell me, boy... what would you give to have that kind of respect? To be known as that guy no one questions, to know that no one dares say a harsh word to you or about you without fear of the consequences?"

He held out his hand with the beer in it, "That can all be yours... And the answer is right here, in this mug. All you have to do is down it, and manhood will be yours. After that, you can have the girl and all the pleasures in the world. All you have to do.. is drink."

[Jokul & Starkad]

"You kiss her yet?"

Oh Gods. He's either extremely blunt, or just plain sadistic. The blush was up to his cheeks in no time. And I have a feeling he's the latter. Jokul awkwardly cleared his throat. He didn't know how else to answer besides just telling the truth. "Yes... Sir."

Apparently turning down the drink wasn't the right choice here. The teen chastened himself as Brutus started getting louder. While his pride was getting wounded, he didn't speak up, and instead let the man dish out his insults. It's probably better not to interrupt him anyway.

Jokul's fists clenched against his knees when his was pressured to make eye contact. Even through the blobs in his vision, he guessed as to where the man's eyes were. He resisted squinting only because he assumed that probably wouldn't look like a friendly gesture.

The young viking stayed quiet up until Brutus brought up the idea of other suitors. He might've only been dating the girl for a few weeks, but imagining some other guy cozying up to her nearly got his blood boiling. Oh yeah... that's definitely jealousy. It was an emotion he wasn't very familiar with at all.

The same could be said for Starkad as well. Jokul's sudden negative aura hit her like a wave, and made her abandon the cup she'd been investigating. The poor dragon could only whine as the emotions were starting to get worse the further the conversation went.

"Stuttering isn't exactly a habit of mine. And trust me, there are ways to scare people without even talking at all." Where the sudden bravery came from, he'll never know, but he was glad he finally defended himself.

The beginning of Brutus' speech about becoming a man had, at first, sucked all the teen's courage away, but by the time he'd finished, it had grown ten-fold. "With all due respect, Sir." He emphasized the last word like he was accusing him. "I know I'm not anywhere near being what you call a man, but I assure you..." He got to his feet, shortening the height difference between them. "I've faced more these past two years than you'll ever know."

The hobblegrunt cooed and rubbed against his leg to try and soothe his growing anger, but it only reminded him he wasn't the only one who'd been affected that fateful day. "And I'd rather keep it like that." He paused and flexed his fingers, partially just to keep his nails from digging into his skin.

"So I'm sorry if I offend you by saying this, but I don't want to add alcohol into my already screwed-up life; something I'm sure Fern would side with me on."

[Fern & Nima]

"Well, well. The boy can speak." He said after a long moment. As the boy admited to kissing his daughter, the man laughed, "First kiss, I'm sure." He muttered, laughing a bit under his breath. He looked over at the boy, noting his clenched fists. "Oh, I'm sorry young man. Was it something I said.. Let's see.. Was it the part about the alcohol... or the part about my daughter dropping you for the next guy that looks her way?"

Now, normally Brutus wasn't quite so cruel, normally he knew better then to ignite a spark into an explosion. But there were methods to his madness, and he knew he would get all the answers he needed soon; very soon. And it seemed something had snapped in the boy. For moments later he was rising out of his chair to stand in his face, clenched fists and all.

Glaring eyes met his as he clenched his jaw, listening to the boys retort. One thing he said stood out to him, though; when he denied the alcoholic beverage. Now, most vikings drank beer like it was water. Most tried it at a young age, and were happy to throw their lives away just to have that last drink with their pals.

So it was no surprise that when the boy had finished, the man felt he had all the answers he needed. For a moment there was silence. Then he simply dropped his shoulders and cracked a smirk, reaching out to roughly pat the boys shoulder.

"Alright. You pass." He said gruffly, and even he couldn't deny the smile, and slight laughter he tried to hide. "You honestly think I'd let my daughter date a man who drank his life away like most smucks?" Taking the cup, he poured the beer down the drain, and instead pulled out another jar.

"Here. This'll cool your nerves. And not get ya drunk in the process." He paused a moment, "Warm yak milk, if you're wondering." He reclined in his chair, giving a gruff sigh, "Sorry we got off on the wrong foot. Oh and I'm not that drunk monster you're probably thinking I am. That was my father. Let's just say he taught me a few tricks on how to act like a drunk without being one. Now tell me..." He looked at him, "Did you really kiss her? Cause I've got the impression she's a bit mad over you, so be honest." He patted the chair, "Don't be scared boy, the tests over. Time to celebrate. Now, don't be shy. Tell me all about this mad love you two share."

[Jokul & Starkad]

Is this man trying to push all my buttons? Because he's doing a much better job than Starkad's ever done.

Jokul's outburst left him feeling like he got a weight off his chest at the same time he felt like he just dug himself into a deeper hole. Where in the Gods' names is Fern? I think her dad's about to try and kill me.

It was times like this he wished he could see properly. If the older viking wanted him dead, he wouldn't even stand a chance, which is one of the reasons he flinched when Brutus' hand grew closer. "Alright. You pass."

Wait... what? Where's the pain he was expecting? After the man's explaination, Jokul found himself spewing nonsense. "I, but... y-you-, you were about to-! What the... I don't..." His arms gestured wildly to the man he was blubbering to. No doubt he looked like a fish-out-of-water, what with his opening and closing mouth and flailing limbs.

If his mother ever caught wind of this, he was in for a whole day's worth of teasing.

And just like that, the boy was handed another drink, but this time, he grabbed hold of it. Luckily he didn't even have to ask what it was since Brutus had told him right of the bat. He gave it a quick sniff before actually taking a sip, just in case.

"So... let me get this straight..." The teen reached down and rested a hand on Starkad's shoulder. Let's just say the dragon eagerly accepted the contact and purred like an oversized cat. "You're not out to hurt me... but you're a mad man who thought'd be best to piss me off and see how I reacted? For some reason, that seems a bit cruel." The teen let out a long sigh and lowered himself back into his seat, already feeling his nerves coming back.

Trying to calm down, he took another sip of milk. "Did you really kiss her? Cause I've got the impression she's a bit mad over you, so be honest." He coughed up a bit of his drink, surprised by the sudden topic change. "I didn't lie about what I said before, if that's what you mean. But if I'm gonna be telling you the truth, I'm not the one who started most of them." A ghost of a smirk tugged at his mouth. "I guess that makes me even less of a man than before..."

However, his smile vanished when Starkad lied her head across his lap whining, "I'm booooorrred." She let her wings drop limply to the ground to emphasize her point. Jokul merely rolled his eyes and snapped back at her, "I didn't make you come. And don't complain."

"Where's Red Girl? Will she have any fishies?"

"Stark." He warned. "If you can't be quiet I'll send you back home without giving you any stupid fish." And with that, she curled into a ball beside the chair, still grumbling and whimpering about how her brother was being a big meanie.

[Fern & Nima]

The man had heard enough; with heave of breath, he relaxed, knowing the boy was worthy of his daughter. He looked to him as he stuttered, and laughed a little, "Relax, boy. There's no fight today. Not for you, anyway." He said gruffly, and as the boy took the yak milk he reclined in the chair. The boy did the same and he looked over to him, as the boy started figuring things out.

"Well, almost right." The man said with a gruff laugh, "I may be a little thick in the head, but I ain't all too crazy. See, I have to make sure the man who courts my daughter isn't some beserker or drunk, the like." He put his finger in the air, "Speaking of which..." He said thoughtfully, "That's why you passed." He looked over at the boy.

"See, I had to see what you'd do if you were faced with a fight, and under pressure. And well... you reacted pretty well for a boy." He said with a small laugh, "But denying a drink at such a young age... " He looked down to meet the boys eyes, "That's the sign of a man. A man with a good head on his shoulders. Which..." He sipped his jug of yak milk, wiping his mouth, "Is more then I can say for most around here."

Just then the dragon came over, and as the man reached out to pet her, a familiar voice called down the stairs, "Is he here yet, dad?" Before a head poked around the corner. A giddy smile reached her lips, as she bolted down the stairs, running over to him. "Jokul!" She said softly, reaching to kiss his cheek. "So..." She looked at the two hesitantly, "You met my dad then?" Her dad laughed.

"Yes he did. And let me just say..." He looked to Jokul, before back to Fern, "You've found a fine young man, this time." He laughed softly, "Thank Thor the last one never lasted." Fern crossed her arms, turning pink from embarrassment, "Dad.. it was just a crush..." She looked back to Jokul, moving to wrap her arms around him, "Besides.. I've found a much better man... right here."

The man smirked a bit, "Alright.. You two go run off. I can't sit around watching you two smooching all day. That's too much for any father." He said with a laugh. "Go on, get. Have fun kids." Fern turned to Jokul and smiled, "Want to head upstairs?" She asked softly, "I can show you my room."

[Jokul & Starkad]

Jokul just kept staring at Brutus as if he'd grown a second head. Crazy... but effective... I guess. Not exactly how I would've gone about doing it though...

Starkad might've not fully understood what had just happened, but what she did know was that the larger man was no longer a threat, seeing as the negative aura dissipated. With this in mind, the dragon edged closer to the man's outstretched hand. As hesitant as she was, she still cooed and pushed the top of her frill into the meaty fingers. 

"You little traitor." Jokul growled upon seeing her dark coloring shift back to normal. The hobblegrunt grew a smug face and pressed up against Brutus' leg like a cat. "His hand is warmer than yours." She stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Is he here yet, dad?"

The boy's head turned so fast he was sure he just gave himself whiplash. Oh thank Thor. Please save me! He got to his feet before she even crossed the room. While he was sure she was only going to hug him, the chaste kiss wasn't at all unwanted. In fact, it might have cleared his head of thoughts of her father beating him to a pulp. He knew the man had confessed he wouldn't have done such a thing, but he can't really rule that out happening in the future.

"You met my dad then?"

"He's crazy." Jokul grumbled under his breath in dragonese. Even if Fern didn't understand it, he hoped she at least heard him. Meanwhile, back on the ground, Starkad had abandoned her new 'warm' friend, and scurried back over to her rider's side. "Red Girl!" She stretched her head out and started sniffing her. "Fish?"

Well that didn't take long. Jokul rolled his eyes at the hobblegrunt, but he had to give it to her. She knew well enough to say a word he'd taught Fern just the other day instead of using her normal term of 'fishies'.

At the mention of a previous boyfriend, Jokul's attention was entirely focused on Fern. So I'm not the first? He shouldn't be surprised, but nonetheless, he still felt the tiniest shred of hurt surge through him. And this was something the emotion-detecting dragon cocked her head at. "What's wr-" The teen silenced her with a gentle touch on her snout.

He felt a litte relieved when Fern sounded flustered at the memory of whoever this was. I'll have to ask about this whole thing later. Once he felt her latch onto him, he brought one of his arms up behind her neck to rest awkwardly on her shoulder. "Besides.. I've found a much better man... right here."

A breathless smile graced his lips after he heard her. Never thought I'd be chosen as someone's 'better' anything. "T-thanks." He whispered down to her.

"Alright.. You two go run off. I can't sit around watching you two smooching all day. That's too much for any father."

Jokul tensed and turned to face Fern's father. "W-wait. Hold on! We don't-!" But he was cut off by the man before he got a chance to finish. It's not like we do that on a regular basis. I mean... We've only had, what? Five in total? Maybe Six? The boy's mental argument was interrupted by the girl beside him.

"Want to head upstairs? I can show you my room."

"U-uh? Um... A-are you sure that's okay?" He cast a glance over at were Brutus was, asking for his permission rather than Fern's.

[Fern & Nima]

As the hobblegrunt pushed her frilled head into his hand, the man gruffly laughed, "Well, well, hello there." He moved to cup to the dragons head in his hands, so he could scratch her under her chin to shower her with love. As Fern came downstairs he paused to watch her kiss the boy, before looking away. At the boys muttering in dragon tongue, the man gruffly laughed, smirking a bit but said nothing. It was almost as if he understood him... Or did he? One might never know.

Meanwhile Fern came downstairs, raising a brow as Jokul whipped around to see her, standing. She rushed to him, realizing her dad must have already scared him half to death. Hearing Jokul's dragonese, she didn't quite understand it but she could sense the fearful tone to it, which caused her to move to wrap her arm around him.

Fern saw Starkad and spoke dragonese, "Starkie! Here.." She slipped a fish from her pocket to feed to the dragon, moving to pet her forehead and scratch her beneath the chin. "You'll get more later." She whispered, though in norse tongue for she didn't know enough dragonese to say so in her langauge. Instead, she just gave a smile, patting her pocket, which was full of fish, to remind her there was more for later.

Yet just then her dad started to go on, and well.. he spilled a little too much. Fern furrowed her brow, thinking hard before saying in dragonese. "Crush. Just... crush." It was all she could think of to say, though she wanted to say much more, but those were the only words she knew that could get her point across.

Then she told him how he was much better, knowing he could understand that. It was true; her relationship with Jokul was much more then she had ever felt for anyone else, and he was the first one she had grown this close to. As her dad went on about them smooching she laughed, "C'mon, Jokul!" She said, trying to tug his arm to lead him upstairs.

The man heard Jokul's hesitant words and gruffly scoffed, "Well, I don't put it past my daughter to try something but..." He looked to Jokul, dead in the eyes, "I think you know a bit better then that now. Go on." He said, before rolling his eyes, muttering beneath his breath, "Just don't make me regret it." And with a wave of his hand he dismissed them, "Go on, before I change my mind." While Fern kept trying to tug Jokul upstairs, blissfully unaware of her dads warning.

[Jokul & Starkad]

As it turns out, Starkad had gained yet another friend. Or at least that's what she assumes whenever someone feeds her or pets her. And Brutus' large hand easily reached the special spot right underneath her jaw to make her back leg scratch at the air.

The dragon only noticed Fern once the smell of fish reached her nose. She abandonned her large new scratching post, and scurried over to the girl. Starkad bounced around in anticipation whenever Fern talked with dragon tongue. It usually meant she was going to at least get a good scratch, but this time, she'd happily accept the slimy food.

"You'll get more later." While a bit disappointed, the hobblegrunt still purred and circled the young viking, rubbing her shoulder against her the whole way around.

As for Jokul, he wasn't having as much of a good time. First, he was threatened, then he had to hear about the guy Fern dated before him. He released the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding when she told him it was just a crush. Still gonna find out more about this later though.

"C'mon, Jokul!" He was so focused on Fern's father, that he did see her lean away in time to brace himself. She wasn't that strong compared to himself, but the first jerk caught him off guard. If not for Starkad, he would've fallen. That's twice in the past 10 minutes that the pest's caught me. Maybe I could sneak an extra fish or two for her for dinner...

After the first tug, Jokul managed to keep both feet on the ground, still waiting for Brutus' approval. Once he heard it, he let his body relax enough to let Fern pull him towards the stairs.

As if one of the gods had it out for him, he lost his footing right at the first step. Once again, his dragon prevented him from embarrassing himself. "Okay! Okay! Calm down!" He kept a hand on Starkad's shoulder and tried to keep his girlfriend from going too fast. While Fern was eager to get him upstairs, he ultimately trusted Starkad more to be his eyes.

So, with a bit of guilt, he managed to pull his hand out of the girl's grip. "Just..." He switched to dragonese, "Slow down." His voice went to a hushed whisper in an instant. "E-eyes." Hopefully she got the message, because he didn't think he'd be able to say it again.

Beside him, his dragon whined, obviously reacting to his sudden depression. She nudged him forward in an attempt to snap him out of it. "Yeah yeah... I know." He took another few steps until he heard Starkad's low grunt; a warning. "Next one is bigger."

Normally, he rarely came across a set of stairs he needed help with. In fact, he knew his own home's by heart enough that it was almost instinct by now. This however, was something new, and there was no way he'd be able to get up without a guide. And lucky for him, Starkad knew exactly what kind of directions to give him.

"Shorter, and loose." True to the hobblegrunt's word, the next step squeaked and gave under his weight a little. Once he came to the last step he reached out to Fern again. "Okay. Lead the way."

[Fern & Nima]

Fern was in such a rush to get up the stairs, she tugged on his arm, dragging him along, before feeling tension, realizing he had slowed down, before his hand slipped out of her grip; at the release of contact, she paused, only to stop dead in her tracks at his voice; which was filled with sadness.

When she looked back, she saw a a look she had never seen on his face. She bit her lip, taking a few steps back down the stairs and moving to wrap an arm around him; luckily the stairway was wide enough to fit the dragon, Jokul, and Fern all on the same steps. Fern watched him as they went up the stairway, and then when they got to the top she moved away to sit on the bed, burying her face in her hands...

"Jokul, I'm sorry.. I should have realized... I..." She came over to him with tears in her eyes, staring into his empty eyes for a moment before reaching forward to hug him tightly. "You didn't deserve this burden.. Gods, why isn't there a way to heal this... "

She moved to bury her face in his vest, "Doesn't matter... I love you just the same..." The words were out of her mouth before she could stop herself. She tightened her grip around him, before moving to run her hands up his shoulder and to his neck, then through his hair, as her hands explored his face slowly, gently, before she leaned in to give him a tender kiss, "I love you..." She whispered softly.

[Jokul & Starkad]

For one thing Jokul was thankful for, was how Fern had the decency to silently help him on the way up. Having Brutus unable to see him like this was just a bonus. Odin forbid that man find out his daughter's dating a cripple... He pursed his lips at the mere thought of having that as another weight on his shoulders.

Just before Fern's warmth left him, he murmured, "Thanks." He reached down and scratched in between Starkad's shoulder blades. "You too." The dragon purred and spun her head around to lick his hand. Flicking his fingers at the wall to get rid of the spit, he told her with sarcastic disgust. "Yeah... really. Thanks."

He had yet to notice where Fern had gone until she spoke, "Jokul, I'm sorry.. I should have realized... I..." As she went on, he did a half-hearted shrug. "Fern, trust me. It's okay."

Once she started getting closer, he thought, Why do I have a feeling she wants to hug me? And she did just that. Barely managing to open his arms in time, he returned her embrace. Yup. I'm totally nailing this relationship thing. "You didn't deserve this burden.. Gods, why isn't there a way to heal this..."

This only brought her an exasperated sigh and a small shake of his head. "Even if I could fix it, I don't think I would. I mean... Starkad and I get along a little better now." An unamused snort came from somewhere on the other side of the room, followed by a tiny crash. What could she be possibly be getting into now?

"Plus," I tilted his head down to see her face. "I've learned your eyes can deceive you. After all, I'm pretty sure it wasn't your looks that caught my attention." He gave a small smile before she pressed her face into his chest. Being a considerable amount taller, the first thing he felt was her hair tickling his nose.

"Doesn't matter... I love you just the same..."

Dead silence was what followed. Jokul's brain barely processed what she'd said. And once it did, he didn't know what to do. At first, he just assumed she meant it as something more platonic before he jumped to conclusions. The longer the two stayed quiet, the more, it seemed, that his first assumption was wrong.

Back on Fern's bed, Starkad's form circled until she curled into a ball, waiting for something more fun to happen. Big brother is aways boring, but at least Red Girl might be worth watching. She decided on fixing her focus on the red-headed teen.

However, sensing her rider's growing nerves, she was split between them. Jokul was hyper-attentive as to where Fern's fingers were as they moved. In fact, that was pretty much the only thing he noticed until she kissed him. He came back to reality just in time to hear her soft voice say, "I love you...", for the second time.

Oh Thor... OH THOR! Did she really just say that? He imagined his face gave little away, since most of his thoughts blanked-out. "Uh... um..." He stammered, unable to control what language it came out as. "I-I-" Swallowing the lump in his throat, he tried to think of a response, only to circle back to where his thoughts originated.

Starkad's frill popped open at the awkward aura surrounding them. It officially confused her to no end. "You always say that to Mama." She got back up to her feet and shook her body. "Why is Red Girl different?" The hobblegrunt hopped down to the ground and rubbed her nose against the girl's legs. "Starkad loves Red Girl." She stated as an obvious fact.

[Fern & Nima]

As she helped him up the stairs, the guilt weighed more and more on her mind. It caused her brain to somehow misfunction into saying things she normally wouldn't. Deep down she knew it was much too soon for deep feelings, but her stupid girlish mind told her otherwise. But she would learn; and learn the hard way.

Thus as Jokul seemed to shrug it off, Fern looked to him and smiled, hugging him a little tighter. There it was; that constant understanding, despite all her flaws. As he mentioned about her looks not being the thing that attracted her she laughed a little, "Good thing there. I might look like a troll for all you know." She said softly, before sighing, and out popped the sentence... And what she heard from Jokul was...

Nothing.

Instead she could feel the tension rising in the room, and suddenly heard a heart pound, she was unsure if it was hers or his, and she pulled back a little, realizing it was her own heart beat. As she spoke the words again, the look on his face gave it away. She squinted her face up a bit, looking down, "Look, umm.. Jokul... I better get some sleep. Starkad can show you the way out, right Starky?" She looked to the dragon with tears starting to fill her eyes, retreating to the bed and hoping to distance herself before Jokul could hear her sniffles; although, granted, a few sobs escaped her, and they weren't exactly quiet.