riverview | Video; the.boneless. Guess who's back?

I can only imagine what things you have to tell me.

[A bit of light hearted teasing, something she used to do with him before they had their spat.]

I could meet you at your home for dinner, if you want.

Edited 2018-03-09 16:46 (UTC)

There's going to be a lot.

[He's eager to tell her everything that he's accomplished.]

Good. I'll make...something.

[He's not really that much of a cook, but he can at least put something together without charring the food into blackened inedible hockey pucks. In the back of his mind, he's kind of wondering if this is a date. Because it kind of feels like one. Argh, he's never good with these sort of things.]

I’m not surprised. I’m just...glad you came back.

[ Having this be a date hasn’t crossed her mind. Really, it’s more about seeing him again and seeing how he was. With everything that’s been going on, her feelings were on the back burner. Except for Ben...that was complicated. ]

You don’t have to, if you don’t want to. We could get something or I could bring something over.

I'd never fully abandon this place or my daughter. [There's a pause and then he adds on.] Or my friends.

[He considers Rey among one of those, but is there room in their relationship for something more? He'd really like to find that out. Maybe he'll have the courage to bring that up at dinner.]

No, it'll give me the chance to try making something different. The food at home seemed very dull after the things I've eaten here. So I'll see you at around 6:30?

Good--no parent should abandon their child. [Or sell them for a drink or two, but that wasn't the time to discuss it. Ivar...didn't need to add on the 'friends' part. His family--his child, were more important than all of that. He needed to be with her, see her again and learn if she did anything new.

As for Rey...people came and went, but there were those who she wanted to hold onto, and Ivar was one of those people. However, she didn't dwell long on those thoughts because her mind was dealing with other things.]

Are you sure? As you said, you just got back. I can arrive at 6:30, but you don't need to do anything.

[Friends were just as important to Ivar as the other two. He'd never had a single one before coming here, so he'd come to rely upon their companionship much more than he wanted to. Some part of him didn't like the feeling, for he felt it made him seem weak.]

Just show up on time and stop fussing over me. I'll be fine.

[When Rey arrives, she'll find he's grilled hot dogs and made sure there was plenty of things to go on the sides like chips and pickles. He has really missed modern day food.]

You're still your stubborn self. I'll see you later.

[His stubborn self is something Rey did miss. She ends the message there, finishing up her work before going over to Marco's place. She doesn't ring for Ivar to let her in, she knows the code after coming over a few times. Heck, she may have left an item or two in Marco's room when she slept over because she didn't want to be alone.

Well, color her surprised to see Ivar actually cooking. Then again, he might be surprised to see her hair is down, only half of it is in a pony tail, and she's wearing grey/dark blue coloring.

Part of her still wants to argue with him over leaving his daughter behind, but the other part...she's happy to see him back. Very happy, and there are other feelings involved but she can ignore those for now.]

Hey.

[Ivar's sitting down when Rey comes in. There's a few differences about him, his hair done differently, and a tattoo that's now hidden on his back. When he sees her, the main difference becomes clear. He stands up and it's apparent he's wearing a pair of heavy metal leg braces. They're positively primitive by modern standards, but they get the job done for him.

He grabs the hand crutch he uses to help get him around and limps toward Rey. There's a smile on his face as he approaches her.]

You're doing your hair differently. [Then he reaches out and hugs her tight in a rare display of emotion for the Viking teen.] I've missed you a lot.

[Oh, the hair is a dead giveaway for Rey. It's done differently, but it makes Ivar look more...handsome? Regal? It's hard to say, but she was prepared to walk over and--

He was walking?! When she saw him, he was in his wheelchair, but now there are braces on his legs and he's limping along. He's gained more mobility--which is great. Never mind the fact that he's smiling and she's smiling back.]

I figured a change was in order--!! [Rey barely gets the words out before she's pulled into a hug. Her arms instantly come around him, returning the embrace. Her heart is beating hard in her chest hearing those words. it was one thing to hear Finn missed her, it's....something else to hear Ivar say it.

She actually had someone leave and come back into her life, and it makes her heart ache. Tears were pricking at the corners of her eyes, but she forces them to go away.]

I've missed you a lot too, Ivar.

[It's an interesting feeling having Rey in his arms. It took him two years of thinking about her, but he knows now that what he feels for her is close to what he feels for Marco or Letha. Alas, he still has no idea what to do about that. He rests his chin on top of her head for a moment before he lets her go with a final squeeze.]

Let's eat. I can't tell you how dull eating the same food for the last two years has been.

[Ivar got spoiled after being introduced to new foods here in the city.]

[The feeling Rey has for Ivar...it's similar to what she's felt with Ben, especially when Ivar placed his chin on top of her head. There's a feeling of being...cared for, safe...and other things. Things she's felt when she's snuggled up to Marco when they've passed out in his bed, or...when she was with Ben, before everything happened.

There's a squeeze from her too, slowly pulling back and lingering in a small amount of space that could have given way to something more, but it doesn't. Instead, he brings up food and Rey...doesn't have much of an appetite. It's suddenly gone. However, she won't be rude and turn it down.]

Don't have to imagine. I've done it, I hope you had some spices to help. [She takes some chips, on to a plate rather than going straight for the hot dogs herself.]

Now, do you want to start from the beginning, or should I just assume it was all glory and honor for you? [Teasing slightly, but she was interested to know what happened.]

[Rey might not have much of appetite, but Ivar does. He selects three dogs and puts them on a plate, loading it up with some side dishes. He limps over to the fridge, cracking open a beer.]

They haven't discovered many in my time.

[They didn't even have sugar for goodness sake. He talks in between bites of food, clearly glad to have a captive audience.]

It was a lot of hard work, but I got all that I set out to do save for one. I'm king now. But I'm starting at the end.

[He swallows down his current mouthful and pauses before he eats again.]

When we got back, we went onto kill the king that was left, Ecbert. I wanted to blood-eagle him, but my half-witted brothers decided against that when he gave us a deal that would give us land if he could die in his own way. He killed himself and later on we found out the deed was worthless because he'd already passed the crown onto his son when we found him.

[Well, it's not too surprising that spices weren't in his time. He was from further back in history-or some version of world history. On Jakku there weren't any spices there either, so Rey had to make due with what she had.

Oh...he's king now. That's not too surprising, but at the same time it is. It reminds Rey that Ivar is royalty and she knew one day he'd be king, but she didn't think it would happen so...quickly?

She listens, nibbling on her chips, being mindful of her food and doing her best to listen to her stomach. If she started to feel hungrier, she would need to eat more. Trying to be healthier and not wind up back in the hospital.]

Uh-huh...and I take it you either killed his son, or you made an alliance with him?

Neither. Aethelwulf isn't the kind of man for either of those. Killing him would only put one of his idiot sons on the throne and they're an unknown element. Forging an alliance with him wouldn't last. He once killed an entire Viking settlement in Wessex because they were in the way.

[Rey's finally getting a glimpse at what made Ivar such a great strategist. He'd interacted with the man very little, but he could read his intentions just from that. Ivar worked things out in his head and was always five steps ahead of everyone else.]

We needed a base to keep power, so we took over the city of York. Every time the English attacked, they were beaten back. They tried to starve us out, so I let them believe that they were successful, and we were driven away. Then we attacked from right beneath their feet in the catacombs. We were so successful we broke their army's spirit completely. Oh, and I got a Christian warrior priest as a slave during the battle.

[Ivar's eyes seemed to light up at the mention of Heahmund. He might be just a touch taken with the priest, opposite as they are in everything but their fierce love for battle.]

He slaughtered men because they were in the way of what?

[Rey is trying to understand. She was in a war herself, playing a major part of it, and if lives could be spared, be saved, she would much rather go that route. However, she's had to kill to save her own life, the lives of others--Ben included.

It's quite clear that Ivar has a sharp mind, considering the way he explains his plan. It was one thing to destroy an army, but to break their spirit--that was down right cruel. She was on the receiving end of that, where the First Order seemed so much more impossible to stop now. But, they have to have hope. They have to keep going.

She stopped eating when he mentioned his newest...acquisition.]

You have a slave? Do you know how wrong that sounds? [Well, maybe he shouldn't answer that, considering he looked delighted with that fact.]

You did let him go, didn't you?

The way of the progress they wanted. It was apparently the wrong place and wrong time for Vikings to be settling in England.

[It was something that Ragnar had held a grudge for until the day he died. Unleashing his sons upon England had been his great revenge. Now, Ivar was terrorizing the countryside and slaughtering anyone who got in his way.

He protests when Rey gives him a judgmental look over having made Bishop Heahmund into his slave.]

I treat him well! He was a great warrior and I didn't want my people to crucify him, so I saved him by having him become my slave. Besides, he doesn't mind as long as he gets to slaughter heathens. [There's a long and awkward pause before he finally answers.] ......No. We got separated, but I plan on getting him back at some point or another.

[He decides to change the subject. Talk of slavery will only make things tense between them and Ivar has other things he wants to discuss with Rey. He swallows down his latest bite of food and searches inside himself for a bit of courage.]

I had a lot of time to think about people here while I was gone. Winter, my family, my friends. I thought about you a lot.

That... [Rey's eyebrows knitted together, trying to process when the 'right time' would be for anyone, Viking or not, to be in a different country. It was stupid, it was ridiculous--about as ridiculous and mad as an entity that wanted to control all of the galaxy.] Insane. It's stupid. There's no reason behind it.

[As for Ivar's slave, Rey merely sat back and continued to stare at him. Saving this warrior priest by turning him into a slave didn't 'save' him. He would still under Ivar's control. Reduced to a thing, and seen as property. Seen as a person with only one task to do. But, Ivar changes the subject, however, Rey would bring up this point again.

What he says next causes Rey's facial expression to soften. She's shocked to hear that she was on his mind, but wondered why. Followed by her heart starting to beat a bit faster, and a sense of anxiety. What did he mean by that?]

About me?

[Because she's never heard that before. Not in the content of someone leaving and actually coming back. Not coming from a place of wanting to rule a galaxy or control an army. Thinking of her...that was more than enough, but where was he going with that? But she tries to play it off like it's nothing serious...because why should it be?]

Because of the argument we got into?

Do wars and terror ever need a reason? [He would have also added cruelty in there, but Ivar has committed too many senseless atrocities to be that much of a hypocrite. He enjoyed being vicious and violent for the sake of it, no other reason needed.

He remembers all the nights of thinking of Rey, wondering if he'd forever missed his chance to tell her how he really felt. He'd sworn if he got back he wasn't going to let the opportunity pass him by again. So he's going to get these words out, dammit, no matter if she laughs at him or feels pity instead of reciprocating them. He doesn't quite meet her eyes, instead staring at a spot on the wall just over her shoulder.]

No. Not just that. I thought a lot about what I had left behind here. Not only just my family and friends, but people that I....felt things for. People like Marco, Letha sometimes. [He finally meets her eyes, squaring himself like he's bracing himself for a blow in response to his next words.] And you.

They usually have one, yes. Always for control, for power.

[There's an iciness in her tone. That's what the First Order wanted. They wanted power, to put everyone in their 'place.' They felt they could do it and recruit or kidnap others for their cause. Their men were nothing but canon fodder. Their people were nothing but numbers and letters. Reduced to simple figures, that was it.

However, that train of thought completely derails. Ivar was having a serious conversation with her. Talking of feelings that he had for Marco, and her heart sunk a little there. She knew why, but didn't want to acknowledge it completely. Feelings for the woman who was the mother to his child--

And her.

He had feelings for her.

Confusion and surprise danced across her face, but what settled there was unrest. She was still reeling from having feelings for someone else--someone she thought she knew. Someone who didn't want to open the door between them. but this was someone she had come to love to be around. Someone who was a friend, and someone who she greatly missed when he was gone.

Stars, what could she say to that?!]

I didn't know. [Her voice sounded so soft and weak to her own ears, but she didn't know what to say.] It felt like when you left, I lost someone I cared about--and I care about you a lot. [Could he pick up on the subtlety of what she was saying? Rey leaned back, sighing in frustration. No, he wouldn't and she would have to say out loud what she felt.]

I have feelings for you too. [For him, for Ben, and Marco.

..What a damn mess she got herself into.]

[Ivar waits anxiously for a reply and he can't believe that Rey didn't know. Then again, she was about as in touch with her emotions as he was, so he couldn't well blame her for that one. Then she says the words he never thought he'd hear.]

You do? [Ivar doesn't bother to hide his surprise, his eyes wide as his voice went up at the end of the question. Honestly, he'd expected her to be kind as she rejected him, or maybe just walk out of there without saying a word. Having her feel the same way he did was something he had most definitely not seen coming.

There's a warm feeling of happiness in his chest that he's reluctant to trust. Too often, good things in his life don't last. But he wants to give into it, to be able to be happy that what he had hoped had finally happened. He leans across the table, putting his rough, callused hand over Rey's smaller one.]

I do.

[The words were whispered as though she was afraid for anyone else to hear, or for fate to hear and rip Ivar out of her life. In something that should be a happy moment for them, it began to feel sad for Rey. It began to feel like she had a weight on her heart, one that grew heavier with each moment. He deserved someone better. Someone that wasn't thrown away. Someone who would stay.

Someone who wasn't dangerous, or that could die from being in a war.

Yet, she had Cisco's voice ringing in her head, "You shouldn't put your life on hold...you should not put your happiness on hold until some distant future when it's okay to let yourself take a break." Those were the words he said to her. Didn't she deserve something nice? Something that resembled happiness?

Ivar had more courage than her at that moment, reaching across the table to place his hand over hers. Their hands saw war, bloodshed, and knew the definitions of hard work and survival. Two people from two completely different worlds, but who had so much in common. She found herself squeezing his hand, as though she was afraid he might slip through her grasp and go back to his world.]

[He rubbed his thumb, torn up and scarred, over her own hand, which wasn't smooth either after a lifetime of being a scavenger on Jakku. He barely knew what to say now that they were in the same position he'd been in before with Letha and Marco.]

I never thought you would. That you'd want someone else, someone whole, not broken and crippled.

[Ivar was tough and this was a known fact. He'd charge into battle without a single thought for his own safety and had never backed down in a fight. But when it came to his own self-esteem, it was shattered into a million little pieces. He saw himself as someone that people would only ever see as an object of pity or ridicule, someone who was nothing among his own people, and who subsequently would never be seen as equal to anyone else. No one could ever want him as someone to love or show affection to. Hence, he was always amazed when this happened.

Now he wondered where they went from here. Things couldn't just remain the same between them. Marco and he had come to an agreement before he left that they were together, but it had never been an exclusive thing. He could choose to pursue something with Rey, provided that was what she wanted too.]

[Rey's eyebrows came together, knitting in concern over Ivar's words.]

You are not broken. You are yourself; a strong, albeit stubborn viking who is a father, and a great friend.

[He was loved. That much Rey could tell. Regardless of how he saw himself, that's how she viewed him. She didn't see his flaws as weaknesses or anything to scoff at. Whereas her...she didn't think being loved would be an option for her. Not a romantic love where she would give her heart to someone--but she had and had it crushed. Her family had sold her for drinking money, and though Ben could be lying to her about that, it rang as a hollow truth for her.

If her own family didn't want her, how could anyone else?

Rey found herself squeezing Ivar's hand and then slowly pulled hers away from his. Her eyes averted downward, finding it bittersweet that she knew how he felt, but she couldn't let it go past that: simple feelings...ones that could change over time and he deserved....he deserved more than a woman with a heavy destiny on her shoulders, who could easily die, and wouldn't stay. She wouldn't put him through that kind of pain.]

You also deserve someone like Marco, not me. Not someone who will leave.

[And with Marco...she would have to refrain from going to his place anymore, because it was inappropriate for her to sleep in the same bed as him if someone had feelings for him. Even if it wasn't sexual.

It hurt to tell Ivar that, but it was the truth. Anything less would be a disservice to him.]

[Her words warmed Ivar's frozen heart, knowing that she didn't see him as so many back home did, a cripple and reject, someone that should have been killed at birth instead of being allowed to grow up. Then her next words hurt him again as she withdrew from him.

Ivar's face crumpled a little, pain clear across it at what he saw as a rejection. He recognized that, for once, this had nothing to do with him. Whatever scars Rey carried within her own mind was affecting her. Both of them had been abandoned by people who were supposed to love them. That carried its own weight with it.]

Rey, everyone's left me. My parents, my brothers, my uncle, Letha. I've never had anyone in my life stay forever. It hurts. It hurts a lot. But I know it will hurt even more if you leave without giving this a chance.

[His eyes were sad, silently begging her to stay, not to abandon him the way he felt everyone eventually did with him. He wanted her stay beside him and let whatever was between them blossom into something else.]

[It pained Rey to see Ivar's face crumple, even a little. Pain was the last thing she wanted to inflict upon him. He didn't need it, let alone deserve it. He had done nothing wrong. Neither of them had done anything wrong except start a friendship and found more in common than they were expecting. They had bonded, and she remembered at Yule how she was tempted to ask for mistletoe knowing what the tradition was.

She didn't want to tempt fate. She didn't want to get attached, but she had. As strong as Rey wanted to be, she wanted to give in. Place her hand back on his and try to comfort him, but the last time she tried, she had gotten hurt. Her heart was still recovering from that blow, and among other things.

He was willing to deal with that pain, the same way she was trying to spare him of it. He wanted to see where things could go. Could she do that? Explore what laid between them, knowing she would leave? Her expression mirrored his, sadness and pleading with him to let her go even though her heart was aching and trying hard not to reach out to take his hand again.

Cisco's voice echoed in her mind, reminding her again that she shouldn't try to put her happiness on hold while she tried to fix everything else. That would only lead to regret, and she may end up hating herself or others for it.]

I don't want to be another person in your life that's walked away, that's left you. You don't deserve that, Ivar.

[Rey was really caught between a rock and a hard place, but it was neither a 'yes' or a 'no.']

What about Marco? You said you have feelings for him too. You should be with him, he won't be leaving. [At least as far as she knew.]

Video; the.boneless. Guess who's back?

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