Wellard OOM

[takiena_called]

Finn didn't sleep well last night-- this hasn't been a strange occurence, recently. It was different, though, from destruction and laughter, speed and freedom.

He dreamt about his brother, small and bright, and woke to find his pillow damp with tears.

He's recovered, mostly, by the time he joins Henry downstairs for breakfast, though he's even quieter than usual. Soon enough they are on their way outside, to work on Henry's strange flying boat.

(He's going to have to tell him what happened to Dari, eventually. He's not sure he wants to.)

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[politestpirate.livejournal.com]

Wellard is quiet as well- but then again, it is still morning, and the caffine from the tea at breakfast has yet to really make itself known. He is still muffling the occasional yawn as they make their way out to the small 'ship yard'.

The morning sun is peeking through scattered clouds, casting long shadows through the trees and hills, over the lakes. The three mountains created by Belar are lit up brightly, but its still cool in the valley, under the trees.

[takiena_called]

Finn gives Henry an amused look when one of his yawns stretches particularly large, but other than that doesn't say much.

The small ship yard (and even if Henry uses that term somewhat ironically, it is the only one Finn has ever seen), and the surrounding area, is a very familiar place to Finn these days. It's where they spend a good majority of their mornings, and into the early afternoon--progress is being made, yes, but Finn is never entirely sure what he's supposed to be doing.

He looks inquiringly at Henry as they arrive.

[politestpirate.livejournal.com]

Eh. He will wake up in a few minutes-

Specially considering the work they are about to start.

"Right, then. We're going to start on the fittings and settings for the rudder sets- horizontical and vertical. This is going to be the interesting part." Wellard smiles a bit wryly, getting out the carefully drawn plans from the storage shed.

"Meaning, now we're getting into the parts Avar and I had to make up on our own."

Though, said parts have already been planned out and drawn, with each needed piece sketched out and measured, so today will not be that much different than others, at least from Finn's point of view.

[takiena_called]

Finn looks curiously over his shoulder at the plans. He's heard Henry speak of Avar before, so is interested in getting to the part of the building that he and Henry invented theirselves. "For the steering in all directions," he agrees, not quite hesistant (but not exactly confident, either). He's picked up a good deal of the terminology from Henry's comments, but he's not yet comfortable with them.

Then, before they start working, he gathers up his courage (it's hard, and he doesn't want to speak, but he knows it's right--that Henry should know). "Henry, I remember you had something to do with..." he trails off in pained silence for a moment, before continuing, "with Dari, my brother."

It's the sort of statement that Henry's probably used to by now--a fairly simplistic fact that tacitly begs for details and other facts from him to place it in context--but it's said more hesistantly than Finn has spoken to him since his first week or two back in Milliways.

[politestpirate.livejournal.com]

Wellard pauses, his hands on the tools he was in the process of gathering. He is quiet for a long moment- the sort of quiet familiar to Finn as he gathers his thoughts-

Though this time takes longer than others, as the subject is much more difficult to speak of.

"You asked me to take care of him, when you left for the Longest Road. We- we didn't know what that was going to be, but you were worried about what would happen to him and your family, when it happened."

He takes a deep breath, looking down at his hands. "You did come to get me, and... left a note, when you couldn't find me and had to go back."

[takiena_called]

How does he say this?

Finn has known he let someone down some horrible horrific way even when he rode with the Hunt. It would haunt him, sometimes, as he tried to find out who he was to protect and hadn't. But he didn't remember until it was too late, until he had fallen and Dari was already dead.

But he couldn't remember how, or why. He thought it was just because he had left on the Longest Road, abandoning him, but now he realizes it's more than that: he had made provisions for his brother and had let both him and this man down when he hadn't carried them through.

And now the little one is dead, and Henry--who has looked after him even though he does not have to--is hurting.

"It's my fault, then," he says in a quiet, broken voice. "Please forgive me."

[politestpirate.livejournal.com]

The tools slip from his fingers- Wellard lets them drop, heedlessly, as he turns to face Finn.

"-Your fault? You came to get me, and I wasn't there. I was out here, working on the boat, and you had no idea where it was at the time. You had checked everywhere- if I wasn't there, how could it be your fault?"

[takiena_called]

"I was supposed to look after him! I should have waited--I should have looked harder." It's not yelled, not quite, but it's the teary anger of a boy who messed up something beyond fixing.

"I promised," he adds, quieter, trying to make Henry understand. "I was his brother, and I promised, and now--"

He stops and looks away. He can't even see how Henry might feel guilty for this. It was his place and his mistake (and now Dari is dead).

[politestpirate.livejournal.com]

"You promised, and I promised, and-"

("Wrong place, wrong time. It's rotten luck, but it's not your fault.")

Wellard takes a deep breath, shaking his head. "Its not like either of us did anything to try to break our promises, to see your brother taken care of, after- after things happened. If you could have found me, if things had been different-

"But you and I both know that there's no changing the past, even as much as one wishes. ... I'm sorry, Finn."

[takiena_called]

Finn doesn't say anything, but at the apology he tenses and wants to yell at Henry for it (its not his fault, it won't ever be his fault, can't he see that? But he knows well enough that it won't help at all).

He doesn't nod, either. Finn glances back over at Henry, and starts to say something, then stops and starts again because his voice (choked and quiet) failed him on the first attempt.

"Henry, I--he died. He's dead."

[politestpirate.livejournal.com]

Wellard startles, looking at Finn.

"... dead? What- what happened? Paul didn't say anything, at least when I talked to him after you had gone."

[takiena_called]

"I don't know," he says, frustrated. "I just know that he killed Rakoth Maugrim, and he died."

(At any other time there would be hate in his voice along with the name, but now there is just grief and some pride.)

"The Twiceborn told me, after I fell."

[politestpirate.livejournal.com]

... the Dark, Rakoth Maugrim, the Wild Hunt, and everything aside-

Dari was more importantly, Finn's brother. And Finn's grief is all too real and normal.

Wellard nods slowly, biting his lip.

"... My sympathies, Finn. I- I'm sorry that it happened, and..."

[takiena_called]

Finn bites his lip, but stays quiet. He wants to tell Henry it's not his fault, but he can tell that that's not how he means it. And he doesn't want to interrupt him in the middle of saying something.

[politestpirate.livejournal.com]

If there was more to say- and if Wellard knew how to say it. For lack of words, he carefully rests his hand on Finn's shoulder.

"And I wish that I had known Dari, from all you told me about him- and I regret that I never had the chance to."

[takiena_called]

Finn gives him a small, grateful--well, less of a small and more a lightning of the expression that implies it.

"He would have liked you."

[politestpirate.livejournal.com]

The answering smile is faint and sad, but there nontheless.

"Thank you." Quietly.