A labored, mystified nod. A final, merciful blow. Darkness, and loss.

~ § ~ § ~ § ~

During Fenn’s stay at the Citadel, the pallid grey of stormy weather had set into Radasanth, like tea left steeping too long. Fenn wasn’t a big fan of rain. Downpours left him not just drenched but also iced together uncomfortably when it inevitably soaked through his cloak. Still, it suited his inward-looking mood as he plodded his way around. Each heavy splash through the puddles pooling between the stones left floating crusts of frost behind, brittle as he. People staring out at the rain gave him curious looks from within the warm, dimly-lit interiors of their houses and shops, a rare quiet figure caught out in the gloomy drizzle.

It mattered little. His mind was elsewhere.

Daugi had trotted behind him, nudging him in the back every so often in nagging concern. She had no way of knowing he had put himself into the “dangerous” situation of the Citadel’s arena -- it left no mark on him, no blood nor injury -- but she understood that all was not well with her boy-pup. He scuffed his bare feet on the stone as he walked, his head was lowered, and there was a thoughtful expression on his face that didn’t quite belong. Even stranger, his hands were solidly in his pockets for the entire walk. They didn’t leap out to rifle through open store displays, the discarded litter, or other’s belongings. Sometimes, he gave her a distant scratch under the chin, but it didn't much ease the wolf.

Fenn had been expecting the commanding warrior to smite him on the spot. Yet… Shin had taken the time to talk to him before claiming victory. And not condescendingly either. The boy kicked aside a rusted can absentmindedly, wincing as the metal stung his toes. Though he felt a bit sheepish about being so thoroughly trashed, the idea of heading back to the citadel the next morning seemed palpable enough.

“…after we conclude our business here, come back to the Citadel tomorrow with that same steel and I’ll help you become something far greater. If, of course, you have what it takes."

Curiosity swelled in his chest. He wiped solidifying beads of ice off his brow and arms. What did it take? What was it he would be taught? Fenn was still a little uncertain of what more he had to offer, besides the faint determination to prove himself able to rise to the challenge.

The boy and dog stopped. To their left was a little back alley cracked between two buildings, haphazardly protected from the rain with tarps. It was an odd spot that he sometimes would stay at when in the city. Cheaper than an a night at an inn, and perfectly comfortable for someone with no qualms about the chill nip of the wind. Fenn discovered the nook somewhere between his third and sixth visit. Radasanth was a place one passed through frequently when traversing Corone, after all. It was a good place to fish for supplies, enchantments, and unguarded wallets.

Fenn hopped onto a tangled mesh of ropes that served as a hammock. Daugi huffed rolled over on the ground next to him, oblivious to the pooling water. There the boy hung, thinking. He wanted to know what this Shinsou had planned for him. That was it then. He’d return the next day.

If you’d like, we could finish this thread off and do the next training-fite in 4.0? Or we could transfer it.