[Re-enter, stage right]

[Cairyn Midore]

Cairyn was never a patient person. When he wanted something done, he wanted it right then and there, often with little concern as to how it got done. The incapability to wait had been cause of many of his plights over the years, leaving him scarred and broken on multiple occasions. This however, he'd taken his time in, had built his power. Not necessarily his choice, of course, but nevertheless, this had been a long time coming.

And yet, he waited still.

The moment wasn't quite right, all the pieces just weren't quite in place. While he was impatient, he was also a man of theatrics, and his audience wasn't there yet. As tempting as it was to move on his own, he'd waited too long to not have the audience he so desired.
Now if only she'd hurry up...

He'd sent a message to the woman who'd almost been the equivalent of a mother to him. Well, less of a message, more of a parcel. Assuming it made it to her, assuming she hadn't written it off as something not even worth her time, she would've found a ticket. There was no letter of introduction, no explanation as to where he'd been or what he'd been to, only a harmless-looking ticket, for a circus. Towards the bottom of said ticket, written in a script that looked incredibly reminiscent of blood, a simple 'pets are welcome'. Perhaps she'd catch the not-so subtle hint, perhaps she wouldn't show at all.

Regardless, he waited for her, his now elongated limbs taking up the majority of a bench. The circus had once been full of life and lights, now it was just short of a ghost town. Every so often, the boy would shudder, taken by the remnants of electricity that coursed through his body - one could almost imagine the tones of his skin altering in a visible representation of the lightning. For this reason, he was almost perpetually in pain though in this particular circumstance, it didn't seem to show. Whether it be painkillers or sheer force of will, he was taken by a chilling sense of calm.

[member="Lady Psyona"]​

 

[Grace Darkson]

This was the place.

Amber eyes glanced at the ticket, held in shaking hands. It could well be a trap. She could be walking to her death. But in the small chance that it was him... Well, she had to try. The nexu who'd snuck onto her ship pawed forward, her nose twitching as if sniffing for something. One second, then two, and he was bounding into the tent. "Griz?" She called, the question almost dying on her lips as she rushed into the tent behind him. There was only one person she could see. The boy who'd changed so much about her, who'd been as much an annoying pest and the best parts of her life, the one she'd been desperate to find for so long, just sat there. Griz bounded up to him, excitement all the more apparent as she got closer.

Grace froze. Shocked eyes studied him, tried to learn everything that had happened to him. The twitch, the way his mind felt in the force... Someone had hurt him. Someone had hurt Cairyn and she hadn't been there. A quiet rage flared up, the brief flicker dying before she could show it. Nothing she could do now. Careful steps carried the gorgon forward as if she was walking on eggshells. "Cairyn. You've grown." Hesitant words, carefully chosen. "I..." As steps came to the bleachers, something changed, words choking as they tried to leave her lips, and she wrapped him in a gentle hug. "I'm sorry. I should have been there."

[member="Cairyn Midore"]​

 

[Cairyn Midore]

The nexu reached him before the woman, bounding towards her master before come to a halt just before reaching him. He'd changed, enough for the nexu to take notice, the feline growing cautious in her approach before recognizing him as the boy she'd known. She remained cautious still, slow to approach his waiting hand, sniffing and even growling at it before rubbing her head against the appendage. Hands gloved, both for extra support and to prevent the spread of his armor, would no longer take comfort in the soft fur, would scarcely acknowledge it for that matter. There was no warmth in his gaze, either, the vacant stare void of anything beyond curiosity and maybe recognition.

He looked up from the creature when Grace spoke. Eyes more yellow than they were green, dark shadows surrounding them as if he hadn't slept well in the past week, his head twitched as it moved, hair still far from tamed shaking as he did so. He had grown, that very process perhaps being one of the more painful ones of his time spent away. The Orbalisks, in their suffocating embrace of protection, didn't help, their tight bound to his form stunting his growth. His brow furrowed just a fraction as she, the woman who'd always seemed to have some sort of information to preach, choked on her words. Cairyn stood, hand falling from Griz's head. He was slightly taller than Grace now, only a fraction. As she pulled him into the hug, he froze. She'd never been one for affection. If she had, even just a little, perhaps all of this would've been avoided. But no, that wasn't the point.

The Teevan slipped away from her embrace, once overly expressive face a mask lacking in emotion, distant. He hadn't expected an apology. He hadn't expected any of this. So he didn't acknowledge it, turning instead to the main tent's entrance, half expecting her to follow. Ever the loyal pet, Griz still rubbed up against his side. "I have work to do."

[member="Lady Psyona"]​