Two years old. Nero was a full fledged adult now -- by society's standards, anyway. No part of him felt capable or mature enough to truly consider himself anything other than a wayward adolescent, however. Nero still had so many things to learn, and yet the greatest lesson of all had been to appreciate his isolation. Since Scilla had been consumed by the mist, the albino had spent noticeably less time among the Sigrún. He was frustrated by the inaction and craved restitution for what had been lost, but until that day, there was nothing to be done about it. Now he was old enough to challenge for his home, and Nero couldn't help but envision a future where he provided safety for his family. All he wanted was to keep them safe, and now that he was finally able to do so, the young man was nervous. He knew any challenge would be a loss. He certainly wasn't expecting to win the first or even the second time he made a move, but eventually? He would win. Nero wouldn't stop until he won, until he brought down the Rike family and made them pay for his sister's death.

Nero would not stop because he could not stop. His life revolved solely around revenge, now, and he supposed that was what made him Sigrún more than anything else.

His head down, the rogue jogged through the icy cavern. He had no goal in mind, no destination he intended on. Nero only wanted to keep his heart rate elevated, because the thrumming of his blood in his ears provided temporary relief from the incessant drumming inside his mind.

code by dee, art by spu

asteria had not spent much time in the colder regions of amaryllis. in fact she had all but avoided them, really, but today... well... here she was. whether she stayed for long was another question entirely, and she had taken to moving quickly in order to keep her heart pumping fast. her muscles were tired, now, but still she loped on, welcoming the burn in her limbs. despite the chill she could not ignore the beauty of the cavern she had happened upon, even if the hanging icicles looked just as deadly as they were beautiful. still she kept up the quick pace, leaping over stones and cracks in the ground if only to practice and add some finesse to her moves. she wasn't expecting company here. not in the cold. but company she found all the same, and jerked to an abrupt halt when she realized who was there. guilt and anger warred with jealousy and shame, and the girl froze in her spot and stared at her brother friend... friend? finally a hushed and uncertain "hey @Nero" fell from her lips, but she wasn't entirely sure where they stood and so did not rush forward. he was, after all, still saga's son.

The focus pulsating throughout his body made every nerve tingle. He fell into a steady rhythm, letting each paw hit the ground in a quick succession. Nero listened to his breathing and the sound of his blood thrumming in his ears, unable to even consider anything outside of his bubble. There was Nero and there was nothing else -- not the birds singing, not the winds howling, not the heartbeat of another creature for miles. That was how it felt, at least, and it allowed him to shift into some sort of thoughtless euphoria where no worries could find him. He had built a fortress around himself that not even the strongest of artilleries could penetrate, and safely stowed inside was the frightened child he never grew out of being.

His paws would never be massive, intimidating killing machines. Not like Ransom. Not like Keir. Nero would remain small for the rest of his life, regardless of how old he was. The only thing he could do was capitalize on that and hone his agility, make himself as much of a ghost as his appearance suggested. Every day he went out to run, to increase his speed and stamina and strength. It was his singular focus. Always.

And yet, despite how focused he was and despite how strongly he had built the walls around him, a single voice was enough to absolutely stop him in his tracks.

His eyes widened as he whipped his head towards her, clearly startled. Although he didn't jump out of his skin or shriek, Nero felt as though his heart had absolutely leapt through his chest. Asteria, he murmured softly, amazed at how much she had grown since they had last spoken. Nero froze there for what felt like forever, torn between a thousand warring emotions building inside his mind. I.. He what? He was sorry? Sorry for something that was by no means his fault? His whiskers twitched as he navigated the maze of his own mind, but something inside of him stirred. Something he had been suppressing for his entire life. Nero had never allowed himself to be made whole by a friend, and he realized now how foolish he had been.

Nero didn't hesitate. He lowered his head and rushed her, attempting to wrap his front legs around her in an embrace while resisting the big, fat tears that threatened to roll down his cheeks. I miss you, Asty. I miss you so much. He wanted to hold her and never let go, but he knew there would always be a chance she would reject him. At the moment, he didn't care. Let her reject him, so long as he was able to see her one last time.

code by dee, art by spu

her feelings were.... complicated. on one hand this was her friend, the first friend she had made in amaryllis, the one who had spent more than a few nights at her side. despite all that had happened she did her best to remember that he had been a child, too, and that even if things had gone array his intentions had never been malicious. at least, she didn't think they had. but the fact of the matter was he still had the happy family she had wanted so badly -- there was no gaping wound in his chest where saga lived. asteria was not a perfect creature, and the fact that he still had a mother and she did not when they had the same disbelief -- well, it hurt. for several long seconds there was silence, a frozen moment as the two stared at eachother, and when he rushed at her she tensed. instantly she was on guard, bracing herself for what she initially perceived as an attack. her ears flattened against her head and she wondered if this meant she truly was an enemy to all sigrun, bloodborn or not. so when he embraces her she is tense at first, jerking her head back, pulling away. but then... then she realizes it is not tooth and claw that meets her, but an all consuming hug much like hiccup gave. tentatively she relaxes, even if she is unsure about her own tumultuous feelings about the situation. @Nero does not seem to hold the same reservations -- "i..." a start and then a pause, and she tried to unravel her feelings at mach speed. "i missed you too." there was truth in that, at least, even if it was only a piece. a paw lifted hesitantly from the ground to hook around him. maybe her hug was not quite so enthusiastic, but at least it was a start.

Although it wasn't an outright rejection, the hesitation stings. He can feel the amount of emotion he poured forth was not returned in kind, and although she stiffly returned what she felt comfortable with, Nero felt guilty. It had been foolish of him to think he could approach her like that -- like they were still friends. He felt the heat of embarrassment creep up his neck and flush in his cheeks. Stupid, stupid boy. She returned his sentiment about missing him, but..

Nero did his best to cease the tears, pulling himself together in order to.. he didn't know. There was no making up for the idiot he'd just made of himself, and once again he felt unable to do anything right for her. He wanted to tear out his mane and scream. Instead, he simply relaxed and tried to give her breathing room. Sorry, he murmured, ears flattening against the crown of his head. I.. sorry, I shouldn't have done that. He'd only thought.. he just.. he didn't think all his worries that she didn't want him anymore had been.. real. Sorry. And all he wanted to do was crawl back into the fortress he had made to protect himself from this exact kind of pain. Idiot. Idiot. Idiot.

He would never learn.

code by dee, art by spu

asteria can feel him retreat, can feel that she has upset him again. it seemed no matter what she did she managed to do that, even when she was trying her best to piece back together this friendship. she had returned the hug, after all. could she really be blamed if it was not as enthusiastic as his? it wasn't like it was simple between them, but maybe it was her fault for hanging on to the difference. or being aware of them. "it's okay @Nero," she says, as he pulls away. there is a small frown at that, wishing he hadn't jumped so immediately to thinking that she did not care. or that his embrace was not welcome. "you don't... you don't have to apologize? i do miss you." asteria had had far too much time to think about things, but more than anything she missed the careful ease of their childhood. that was what she missed -- that was what she would have given anything to have back.

No, no, I know, that's not what I meant, he said with a humorless huff of a laugh. I'm sorry for ugly crying on you and mussing your fur. See? he said, gesturing towards the area he had evidently used her sooty fur as a tissue to dry his eyes. He finished the task by rubbing his eyes with the back of his paws. That wasn't very gentleman like of me, I meant. Just rushing you like that and blubbering. It was true that he had expected a bit more enthusiasm in her response, but that was not something he could change now. Nero could only react and move on.

He shifted his weight. I believe you, he reiterated, tilting his head. He had no doubt that she missed him in the same empty, aching way he missed her. Or.. the idea of her, he supposed. The two of them never seemed to be on the same wavelength, but not for lack of trying on either of their parts. Walk with me? he asked, rising to his paws with a hopeful glint in his eyes.

code by dee, art by spu

Asteria took his explanation in stride, not wanting to argue or doubt him, even if she did think that wasn't all there was to his apology. "It's okay," she found herself saying again, with a glimmer in her eyes that hinted at a little bit more ease. As long as she didn't think too much about the before, maybe they could be okay now. "Sure," and she allowed him to lead the way, not trusting herself to lead them safely through the icy tunnels. Grimoire's was much more familiar to her, but this place was all new. After a step or two she asked -- "how have you been?" It was a risky question, maybe, with the tumultous history behind them, but she thought it might be a good.... starting point. @Nero

Nero desperately hoped that she was being honest, that it was okay. He was.. a bit obsessed with cleanliness, if he was being honest, and the idea of someone snotting all over him was quite unfortunate. At least he hadn't done something that degrading and it was only tears that dampened her coat, so there.. was that, he supposed.

Be careful right here, this ice is pretty slippery. Nero gestured to a small incline and scrambled up it, using his claws to anchor himself. C'mon, there's a really pretty view out this way. He waited at the top, ready to offer a paw if she needed it.

As for how things were, Nero hesitated for a brief second. Well, he began. Scilla is gone, if you hadn't heard. That weird mist? It chased us all out. It was the strangest thing, and now it's just gone. Some lady rules there now and apparently we're not going back for it. Nero paused. Well. I might, I'm not sure yet. There were other options, but Scilla had.. memories. Otherwise I've been fine, mostly. Haven't been attacked by any more sharks. Oh, did Hiccup tell you I found him stuck in a tree again? Nero flashed a crooked grin. It was like when we'd first met except he's much, much bigger than me now. She knew that, but still.

@Asteria

code by dee, art by spu

He led and she followed, scrambling up the incline after him and managing to do so rather nimbly. She used her claws, too, and only slipped once. A part of her wondered how he knew his way around so easily, and wondered then if this was where he was staying now. She had assumed, of course, that he would have stayed near Saga. The mere thought hurts and so she turns her mind away from it, focusing on his words as he leads her through the cavern. Asteria might have had something to say about Scilla, some comforting words, but Nero moved quickly on to talk of Hiccup. At this she gave a wry grin. "He did. Good thing he missed your leg this time." A small chuckle, trying not to think of what had happened in the wake of that incident. "He also told me you saved him," her voice was softer, now, "so I'm really glad you were there." It was a debt she could never repay, truthfully. @Nero