Why Do I Love You

"Why Do I Love You" is a BOTGD 2 thread written on [IRL DATE].
== Summary ==
When Vox and Kendra land on Haligan, they are confronted by Verdandi and Liam, who doesn't recognize his father. When he does, he becomes incredibly emotional and angry, the confrontation escalating to Liam scratching Vox across the face. Verdandi heals Vox's wounds and Liam quickly leaves to deal with his emotions.
== Full Text ==
Kendra Arnason: Daybreak was as quick and reliable as Jin promised she was, and though the journey was rough as dragonback flights tended to be, they were soon coming within view of Haligan, soaring over the sea on four pounding wings with the wind howling in their ears.
Liam and Nala had been nowhere to be found at Perch Hall. Kendra asked the locals if they’d seen any sign of him, and few mentioned they had. It must have been days. Their only option was to travel overseas and catch up with what was going on. The Warden had not contacted them at any point in their travels, so Kendra could only assume she was not within range.
She looked back at Vox, her signage a little hesitant but still tender. Are you okay?
Vox Arnason: He head lifted slowly, acknowledging his daughter’s concern. He held up a tired, weary arm to respond – Yeah, very tired. He hadn’t gotten much sleep since they initially left home, and didn’t anticipate that there would be much for him in the future.
The travel to Haligan proved to be exhausting, and the fear of how his reunion with Liam would turn out kept his stomach in a perpetual state of knotted. That was, if he was even there.
Kendra: She nodded and used her thumb and pinky to gesture at both her and Vox, indicating “same.” I hope Nala is there. I don’t want… Kendra trailed off, both lost in thought and reluctant to relay what those thoughts were. Never mind.
Vox: Not going to lie, I forgot about Nala for a minute.
Though he didn’t necessarily have bad blood with the demon, she wasn’t high on his list of entities he was excited to reunite with. He could read Kendra’s reluctance to talk about it, so he dropped the topic.
Are you excited to see your brother?
Kendra: The Island was almost directly below them. Daybreak pulled into a wide banking turn to begin circling down to land. Kendra let out a long exhale through her cat nose and then looked back at Vox with a hesitant squint, making a so-so hand gesture. She immediately felt bad. I mean, yes? I want to make sure he’s okay.
Vox: As the dragon lowered to the earth below, Vox chuckled to himself. His daughter tried so hard to maintain diplomacy for his and her own sake.
I’m sure he is, Kendra. You and I both know he’s a very capable ki- 
He stopped mid-sign, wincing at the near-mistake.
Young man.
Kendra/Liam: Kendra frowned and twisted her nose, sighing again. No, you’d think he was a kid, the way he acts, sometimes. Daybreak landed with a thud and rumbled deep in her throat, staring at something in the distance. Kendra was immediately alert at the feeling in her legs, squinting towards the direction of the village.
“Hold the fuck up!”
A hooded man was standing on an outcropping of rock several hundred feet away that he had been crouched on, the neck of his hood and scarf trimmed with a fur thick enough to mostly hide his face. He had a bow fully drawn and aimed at the dragon riders. Beside him was a more graceful figure, a half-cape fluttering in the breeze, also holding a bow in their direction. “Who are you?” he yelled again.
Vox: Vox had learned from his run-in with Jin that revealing his name immediately was probably not the best course of action for an encounter with a stranger, so he was wary of the hooded man calling out to him. Dismounting the dragon, the scout made a point not to move from where he stood, for fear that the duo would send an arrow through his heart with one wrong move.
“Please, the arrows aren’t necessary. We are just looking for someone, that’s all.”
Verdandi: Though she doesn’t lower the bow, the woman leans in to whisper in her companion’s ear. “Liam, we can at least hear him out.”
Kendra/Liam: “I’m not gonna play nice with anyone,” he hissed back. “What if they’re with Rhenco?”
He hopped off his perched position and slowly paced towards the dragon, keeping his bow drawn. He squinted through the fur in his face, trying to make out the identity of the stranger on the ground.
“I said, who are you? Why are you here?”
Vox: Vox held his ground. He wasn’t going to let this man intimidate himself or his daughter, especially when weapons are involved. He felt his heart rate increasing as the man drew closer to him.
“I’m looking for a man – his name is Liam Arnason. Could you tell me where we would be able to find him?”
Kendra/Liam: Liam’s heart jumped backwards and upwards, into his throat. A little panicked, he took a few steps closer, drawing his bowstring tighter, aiming it for the man’s heart. “Who’s asking?” he said, trying to keep a tremor of fear out of his voice.
Behind Vox, Kendra had covered her mouth with her hands in shock and horror, and she watched with wide eyes, terrified of interfering. She was paralyzed by the oncoming conclusion.
Verdandi: Verdandi scrambles down from the perch, thus ruining her graceful appearance. “Liam!” she hisses. “Stop! He’s not Rhenco!” She’d recognize that voice, the voice that now haunts her nightmares, anywhere–and this man’s voice isn’t the same.
Even if his knowledge of Liam’s full name is deeply unsettling.
Vox: The scout watched the woman desperately chase after the man… Liam. He had heard her shout his name, and a flooding of recognition and realization overcame him.
He analyzed the man’s height, voice, the way he carried himself… it was so obvious now; how did he miss it?
“Liam… is- is it really you?”
Kendra/Liam: Liam felt like he was going to be sick. His fingers trembled around the bowstring, but he didn’t release his full draw. It was creeping up on him, and now it hit him like a tumbling boulder. He struggled to draw a breath.
“Wh-what...are you...”
Kendra sprinted in front of Vox and shoved Liam’s forearms aside, pointing the bow away from them. He seemed like he was looking at her from a distance, absolutely bewildered. Kendra? he signed slowly.
Liam, I know what you want to do, and I need you to stop and--
He elbowed Kendra aside and stormed forward, stumbling and struggling to throw off her grip again when she grabbed his upper arm, hauling him back and away from the man that Liam had the sudden blinding urge to harm very, very badly.
“What...the fuck...are you doing here!?” he said raggedly, trying to throw off Kendra’s desperate grip. His scarf slipped from around his neck, showing most of his face. “What do you want!?”
Vox: Vox watched the scarf adorning his son’s face fall, and guilt hit him like a brick. He could only faintly recognize the features of his own flesh and blood mere feet in front of him. He looked on as Kendra used all of her strength to keep her brother from murdering their father where he stood, and couldn’t blame the boy in the slightest. He almost wished that Liam would break free; his child had every right to destroy him. 
“My so- Liam, listen… I can’t say anything that will make you hate me less, so I won’t try to make any excuses.” He felt tears beginning to form, but shut his eyes tight before they had a chance to properly manifest themselves. He was practically paralyzed with fear in the presence of a boy who held so much blind rage towards his father. “We came here to make sure… to see if you were okay.”
Kendra/Liam: Liam!! Kendra signed in angry, tearful frustration, as her brother broke free of her hand and he closed the distance, shoving Vox in the chest hard enough to send him stumbling a few feet backwards.
“You want me to believe,” he panted, words vibrating with rage, “that you give a shit about whether or not I’m okay!? Cause you don’t! Clearly you fucking don’t!” His paws were clenched into tight fists around the bow in his hands. “Right!? Why else would you have checked out on us with Dario!?” He spat the name like it was a mouthful of dirt.
Vox: Vox felt so much pain in his chest from the words his son screamed at him. Each was shouted with more vitriol than the one before it, but the last sentence stung the worst.
“…d- do not bring Dario into this. None of this is on him. It was my decision to…” He stuttered, shaking from the exchange playing out in front of him, but he would not let his son tarnish the name of his best friend he left to seek help for. He stepped forward, not to be intimidated into running away from his only son.
“Please, with time, I can explain it all. I love you, and I am just so glad you’re alright, even if you don’t believe me.”
Kendra/Liam: Liam laughed hollowly. His cheeks were wet, and freezing in the cold wind. When did he start crying? “Okay, yeah. I get it. You fucking love that deer, don’t you.”
Kendra pushed his shoulder aside in almost a slapping motion, forcing him to face her. Stop it, right now.
What the Hel are you doing with him?
I came looking for you! She was full-on crying. I was worried about you and Nala! He came to White Hallows–
White Hallows? Mom knows?
Mama didn’t…like it…but…
I never would’ve guessed! ‘Mama didn’t like it,’ oh, no shit! But I should go find Liam anyways, he would love this! You’re a real piece of work, Kendra.
You wouldn’t be doing any of this if Nala were here to stop you! she signed with the force of yelling, her signs massive and sharp and jerky. He looked like he’d been hit across the face.
Shut the fuck up.
You’re just mad that he doesn’t hate you!
Shut! UP!
Vox: Seeing Kendra and Liam locked in a heated argument of this caliber overwhelmed Vox to the point of tears. He was so furious that his son would continue to berate Dario, but to see him tear down his own sister out of rage was unacceptable.
He couldn’t bear to witness this any longer. Vox, face soaked from watching this exchange between his two children occur, stepped in between the two and grabbed Liam by the shoulders. The sudden intrusion of his father caused the boy to momentarily freeze.
“Son, you need to stop. You know as well as I do this isn’t Kendra, Dario, or anyone else’s fault. ALL mine. If you need someone to blame, to scream at, to treat so vehemently awful… do it to me.”
Kendra/Liam: “Let GO OF ME.”
Mind screaming with rage and hate, Liam furiously ripped his father’s arms away from him, and, in the process, swiped at him to get him to step off. His claws were fully bared. The tips of them connected with the skin below Vox’s ear and tore all the way down his jaw and just under his chin. He shoved both paws into his chest and pushed him to the ground, a split second before realizing the tips of his fingers were stained with bright blood. Nothing deep, but ragged, and clearly extremely painful.
Liam stood, lungs heaving, staring down at his father, his hand frozen in front of him.
LIAM!!
Vox: I deserve every bit of that, Vox thought to himself, I can’t say I wasn’t expecting it, at least.
He felt the blood running down his chin, as Kendra moved down to assist him back to his feet. He had hit his tailbone on the way down, and could feel his entire back pulsating from the impact. Once she was able to bring him back up, the scout looked to his son, frozen in the wake of his actions. Vox wiped away what blood he could before addressing Liam.
“…you feel better now, buddy?”
Verdandi: Seeing Liam knock the man–his father?–down, Verdandi races over, her boots skidding on the loose stones of the path. By the time she reaches them, the other young woman has already helped him to his feet, but all the same…
She steps closer, holding a hand up to his face. Verdandi closes her eyes tightly, concentrating, and–her palm begins to glow with a golden light. The same light is just visible beneath her closed eyelids, and the torn flesh of Vox’s face begins to knit closed.
Kendra/Liam: Liam was still gasping jerkily, and seeing Verdandi step in to fix what he’d done gave him a new level of shame, rage and hurt. He stepped backwards, and then stepped again as Kendra stormed up to him and tried to push him in the chest, but just ended up weakly laying her fists on his shoulders. Her face was reddened and covered in tears. Stop, stop, stop it, she begged. No more.
“I wasn’t…trying to…” Liam signed uncertainly with his words, and she shook her head, shaking his shoulders once before pushing him back and stepping back to Vox and Verdandi, still crying.
Vox: Vox gave a smile to the stranger who healed his face; he then turned to Kendra, who would now no longer look towards her brother. Her face spoke volumes about her disbelief in his actions.
I’m fine, Kendra. Don’t worry, he didn’t mean it.
Looking to Liam, he stepped in the boy’s direction. He didn’t move expeditiously, as the situation was tense enough as is and didn’t call for things to move faster than they already had. His son was still shaking, and Vox needed to de-escalate things before they could do anything further.
“You know, all things considered, I’m glad to see you are able to fight for yourself.” He laughed in an attempt to lighten the mood. “You’re a big brother, and it’s not a bad thing to know when it comes down to protecting those you care about.”
He sighed, knowing that this wasn’t going to be the kind of conversation his son would respond to.
“I mean it, Liam. I am so sorry, for everything I did to you and your sister. Things will make sense one day, but for now, just know that I’m here if you want to talk about it.”
Kendra/Liam: “I don’t want to talk to you.”
Liam’s voice was thick and congested and he hated it. With a shaky step forward, and then another, he walked straight past Vox and Verdandi and Kendra and began walking back towards the village. He cradled his bloodstained hand, and he felt the tears start to fall again, hard and fast, and he screwed up his face in an effort not to let anyone hear how much pain he was in.
Kendra watched him go in devastation. She felt beyond awful. She had led this to happen, though she knew there really was no better way it could have played out. She reached out and grabbed Vox’s hand, quietly mopping at her cheeks.
Vox: This was about how well he expected their meeting to go, but yet, it tore his heart into pieces to watch Liam walk away like that… defeated. Hurt. The boy obviously wanted to say so much, but couldn’t. He needed time.
Vox pulled Kendra in for a hug, squeezing his daughter just tight enough to convey how sorry he was. He’d never seen her so scared in his life, and it was all his fault. Once he thought that enough time had passed, he stepped back and addressed both Kendra and the woman, signing as he spoke.
“I am so sorry, ma’am, for all of that.” He placed his hand over his chest, realizing now that he had been bleeding from the shove to the ground his son landed on him. “You probably know it by now, but I’m Vox Arnason, Liam’s… father.” The word stung on his tongue as he said it. “You must be Liam’s girlfriend; what is your name?”
Verdandi: Verdandi’s entire face flushes red, and she quickly shakes her head. “Oh, no no no, we’re not–I’m not his–” She gives up. “Um, my name is Verdandi, sir.”
The last of the adrenaline from–whatever her power is, fades away, and she sways on the spot. Part of her wants to chase after Liam, but she’s so tired. Without realizing it, she sits down heavily on the path.
Vox: He took a seat next to her, recognizing the exhaustion as something that typically happened to those who exerted any sort of extraordinary ability. He’d seen Dario do the same when they were younger.
“Thank you again for that, even if I deserved what happened.” He pushed his face into his hand, which had scraped against the ground and received a bit of scraping. “I know I messed that kid up more than he could ever deserve. I know he hasn’t ever talked about me, probably…”
I wouldn’t blame him. I wouldn’t hold myself in high regard, either.
“It truly is my pleasure, Verdandi. Regardless of who you are to Liam, I’m sure you’re good for him.”
Kendra/Liam: Kendra squatted in front of Verdandi as well, concern furrowing her brow. Vox translated her words for her. Are you okay? Do you need anything?
Verdandi: “Nnn, I’m… fine.” Verdandi blinks slowly, feeling as if her head is full of cotton. She turns, tracking Liam’s progress back to the village. “I should go with him,” she says. Her heart is breaking for both the man and his father–who so clearly wants to mend the bridges burned between them–and she hates to see Liam walk away on his own.
She pushes herself to her feet, ignoring the way her vision swims as she does so. “Liam!” she calls. “Wait!”
Kendra/Liam: Liam did not wait. His ear flicked, but that was it. He was trying to scrub off the slight stains of blood from his fur, and he pulled his scarf to strap across his face securely again; the tears weren’t stopping for some reason.
Verdandi: “Liam!” Verdandi’s voice cracks. She chases after him, only to end up tripping over her own feet and slamming into the ground with a loud thud before she makes it all of thirty feet. “Gods damn it, Liam!” she yells. “Talk to me!”
Vox: Vox had slowly trailed the woman, having an idea of how this situation was going to play out. He was disappointed to see that he was right.
“Verdandi, it’s alright.” He knelt down beside her, placing out his hand as an offering to help her back to her feet. “I’m sure you know as well as I do this will take some time.”
Kendra/Liam: Liam didn’t break his stride. His sharp teeth were gritted behind the thick fur across his face, and his cheeks were only growing more wet. He wished Nala was here, at the same time he never wanted to see her again.
Verdandi: Verdandi shakes her head sharply. “It’s not alright,” she whispers. She jolts in surprise when a tear falls down her cheek. She’s unsure when she started crying.
Still, she accepts Vox’s hand and allows him to help her to her feet.
Vox: “You’re right, it’s not.” Vox gave her a light squeeze on the shoulder, trying to instill some sort of wisdom upon her. “But that doesn’t mean we get to stop trying, right?”
He turned to Kendra and smiled, hoping it would allow his daughter to do the same. The day they were having was not going well, but his children were here, and they were safe. That would have to be enough for now.
Category:BOTGD 2
Category:Vox Arnason
Category:Kendra Arnason
Category:Liam Arnason
Category:Verdandi Østergård
Category:Act I