Meghan raised a brow for a moment but nodded. It was only fair of him to ask that. Though she was struggling to come up with something. “I can agree with that. Let's see… If I swear by my father's grave, will that be enough?” she asked as that was the most important thing to her. Besides, as a Grimm, she had no need for the Royal Guard… and she and her mother had enough money for the two of them, so the reward didn't sway her enough.
Adriano pushed his brows together in consideration. There was no sure way of knowing how important this Grimm’s father was to her, but as he searched through her expression, she seemed genuine enough. Especially if her father was a Grimm. That is, if a Grimm’s powers were passed down genetically like Wesen were. His mother had never mentioned anything regarding how Grimm’s were made. “Alright. Yes, that should be enough…Thank you.”
Meg gave a small smile and nodded slightly, glad that they had reached an agreement. She could read Adriano’s confusion regarding her father but it wasn't something she was eager to discuss. Especially with a complete stranger… and a Wesen. “Good.” she said softly before clearing her throat a little. “I’ll bring somethings in for you later. You can sleep in the loft… Oh, and don't bother old Shadow. He can be a bit of a grump sometimes.” she warned, gesturing briefly to the black stallion on the other side of the barn.
His expression finally relaxed into a soft smile, barely noticeable. Shy, yet appreciative for the unexpected kindness. He followed her gesture towards the black stallion, which only brightened his smile. “Aw. To be fair we all get a bit grumpy sometimes.” At first glance stallion reminded him of one of the horses they had at the royal stables. Excellently bred. “Thank you again,” Adriano added once he flicked his attention back over to the Grimm. “Actually, I don’t think I’ve gotten your name yet, have I?”
Meghan gently returned the smile, glad that they had reached a truce and that he didn't seem to be as scared of her anymore. “He was my father's horse.” she explained as she walked over to the animal and started rubbing his muzzle. “He usually doesn't let anyone else, but me and my father, ride him.”
Shadow snorted a little at the action, flicking his ears before bumping his head against her shoulder.
“Meghan. Meghan Hill.” she answered, a little unsure if she had given her name earlier or not. Even if she had, she wouldn't have blamed Adriano for forgetting it considering how nervous he had been. “And you're welcome.”
(😱 what happened to my reply?!? The one where she reads him like a book? I worked hard on that!)
(Wait a minute what??? :O That was such a good post too!! I-)
(I @’ed andrew (Our Supreme Lord and Overseer) about if there's a way to get it back but haven't heard anything yet… Hopefully it isn't lost forever.)
(Ok good, here’s hoping!)
(Yeah 🤞)
(Any word from andrew (Our Supreme Lord and Overseer) yet?)
(No, not recently. He said he would look into it but didn't say how long it might take.)
(Alright! I’ll probably get a reply up to continue either later tonight or tomorrow)
(Ok)
(I wasn't able to find it with my initial search, but I'm rolling back to a few old copies of the database now to see if I can recover it that way.)
(Unfortunately, it looks like it was really deleted. Unlike the rest of the site, posts on the forums aren't temporarily backed up when they're deleted, which makes them a lot harder to recover after the fact. Sorry about this! I'll see if I can get a release in the next couple days ready that adds a similar backup system so it doesn't happen again!)
(Darn it… Well, thank you for your efforts. I really appreciate you looking for that post.)
“I see.” Adriano watched the interaction between Megan and Shadow, still for a moment until he took the chance to approach his own horse. He took her reins in one hand, stroking her neck with the other. He wasn’t planning on leaving anymore. In some ways that lifted the pressure off of his shoulders, or at least a fraction of it. “It’s…nice, I suppose, to meet you, Meghan. I’ve never talked to a Grimm before, let alone one like you.” He should have been used to it by now, that she wasn’t the bloodthirsty Grimm he’d heard about. It would take some time, but the kindness certainly helped.
“Likewise, Adriano.” Meghan chuckled, acknowledging the strangeness of their situation. “Honestly, I’ve never had a chance to speak with a Wesen either. Most run off as soon as they look at me… Kinda like you did.” she admitted. From reading her father's books she could sort of understand why. Grimm’s didn't have the best reputation but Meg had never attacked anyone except in self-defense.
(boop)
(Heyo, I’ve been feeling pretty under the weather lately, and while I’ve been trying to get responses up I haven’t really been able to keep up as much as I’d like to. I wanted to let you know that a reply is coming soon, it just might take another few days or so :) thanks so much for your patience! )
(Oof. Sorry to hear that you haven't been feeling well. Don't worry, I understand how hard it is to come up with anything to write when you're sick. You feel better soon and just reply when you can <3)
(Many thanks!! <3 The few days I took off definitely helped)
Adriano snorted out a laugh. “Well, if the only thing they had heard about Grimms is anything like I was taught, of course they ran. Like I did.” His voice tapered off into an awkward mumble, as he lifted a hand to scratch his nose. The other hand hanging by Fleur’s reins. “Ah, well, considering this is a stable, can I keep her here?”
(Yay! Glad you're feeling better!)
Meg smiled a little at hearing him laugh and nodded softly. “I think I understand why… I mean, I know what my ancestors did but I don't know how you can tell.” she said, looking over at him. It was painfully obvious to her when she noticed someone was Wesen, was it equally obvious to them that she was a Grimm?
“Of course, you can.” she answered, nodding again. “Fleur can stay here as long as you decide or need to stay. She's a beautiful and very well-behaved mare.”
Adriano dipped his head in thanks, taking Fleur’s reins in his hand to lead her over towards an empty stall. The stables reminded him of the ones at the palace, albeit smaller. Nevertheless they smelled the same. Of hay, and of horse, and faintly of manure. The smell wasn’t bad, per se, a little pungent, maybe, but nothing he hadn’t been used to before. The atmosphere was almost comforting, really. “Really?” he said to her first comment. In vaguely shocked tones, mostly conversational. “It’s—uh…” he stammered, wondering for a moment of it was wise to let a Grimm know how Wesen recognized them. “It, um, it’s pretty obvious, actually. Once we see your eyes.”
Meghan nodded slightly back and opened the door of the empty stall for him. The smell of the stables didn't seem to bother her either considering how much time she must have spent here playing as a child while she found all the best places to hide
“I… I figured it had something to do with my eyes. It's why I usually keep them covered or just don't look too many people in the eye.” she admitted. “Though I don't understand what it is about my eyes that causes such a reaction. I… I doubt I change the way you do.” she said half joking.
Adriano nodded with a partial smile spread across his lips. Just his lips, it didn’t reach his eyes. He didn’t answer until he had settled Fleur into the stall, detaching her saddle and checking to see that the food and water pail were full. “No, no you don’t change like us. Not exactly. It’s just your eyes. They turn…they turn into something like a black mirror. A void, and I can see myself woge. It’s very unsettling, really.” More than unsettling. It had been just like his mother had told him.
Meghan’s eyes widened at the information and slowly brought a hand up to the side of her face, near her eyes, more in near shock than anything. She doubted that she would be able to see it herself but it was still an interesting mental image. “I see.” she nodded. “I would apologize but considering what my ancestors have done, it makes sense that you would have a way to identify us.” she said, keeping her voice calm despite the uneasy feeling in her gut. Besides, seeing a old friend suddenly change their face in front of you was likely just as unsettling. She had more or less grown accustomed to the sight by now, but the first few times was… quite an experience.
Adriano nodded absently in response, running his hand down Fleur’s neck. Perhaps just for a sense of familiar comfort. “Yes, I suppose it does make sense. I don’t think…I don’t think you have any reason to apologize. That is, unless you’ve beheaded one of us before. But…” He trailed off, thinking about the stories his mother had told him again. He couldn’t stop thinking about her, it seemed. Not when he didn’t know what had become of her when he left. “I’m well aware of what my ancestors have done too.”
Meghan gave a small rueful smile at the response. “I haven't actually had the opportunity… No one has stayed around long enough to get into a fight with me.” she told him. Honestly, she wasn't sure if she would behead anyone… Unless she had no choice. She knew how to fight, how to defend, and she didn't put up with people giving her trouble. But she didn't actively search for Wesen to kill them. She didn't see the point of that. “I guess every family has a couple chapters they don't want people to know.” she commented honestly.