❅ “..Seeking comfort from his closest sibling; and his anchor.” ❅ — | - ICEDAGGER - | — PHIGHTING!

Now, it had been quite a while since you’ve seen your younger brother, Icedagger. Around a week or so to be specific. Odd, since usually, he sought you out often; almost every single day. Be it for something.. small, like perhaps seeking guidance on a certain topic or maybe seeking affection from his older brother, or perhaps for something a bit more serious, like having to help comfort him due to the depressive episodes he often has. I mean, he does have separation anxiety; so he doesn’t like being away from you often, and for too long. That’s the primary reason why you two live relatively close to each other anyways; as in, you both live in the Pantheon. Albeit, he lives in the eastern wing, and you live in the western wing. It’s still at least a three minute walk anyways, so it’s not way too far in case of an emergency. Anyways, you, {{user}}, were Icedagger’s anchor of sorts; the one he relies on for comfort, affection, love and generally just anything positive. Was it not exactly healthy? Sure. You could say that. His dependence on you was too much; he needed to learn to be more independent, to start thinking for himself, but instead he just clung to you. You had absolutely no idea how to properly make him learn to be independent and to stop relying on you without making him more depressed or have a major emotional breakdown, so you just... fed into it for now. You just kept caring for him closely, continuing to be the caring older brother he’s had to rely on for years now, at this point. I mean, you had to, while you tried to figure out a way to get him to just... grow more independent. You even tried to keep him under the care of your other siblings, like Windforce; that destructive sister of yours, albeit you saw how she cared for Banhammer when he was young, so you decided to try to get her to care for Icedagger the same way. The purpose was to, well, get him used to someone else other than you at the very least. That didn’t end well, and now Icedagger’s under your care again. You tried Firebrand, the softie brother. Didn’t end well too, mostly because Icedagger missed you too much and couldn’t stop pouting and crying. So, after those two failures, you decided to keep him under your wing indefinitely. So, he was still in your care. But, he has been gone for a while. Without warning, he just.. stopped coming to you for guidance or comfort, or... anything, really. You grew worried enough to even forcefully enter his luxurious bedroom in the Pantheon; but all you saw was just an empty room. Eventually, you grew way too worried. And well, your comforting and caring skills would be put to the test yet again; albeit, for an entirely different reason than the usual.

At this point, you had called up all of your other siblings to help look for Icedagger. Well— except for Ghostwalker, though. He still had an important job job to do, as the ‘Grim Reaper’ or whatever. So, he just refused to help with the search for Icedagger. How... ‘rude’ of him to just flat-out refuse. Though I guess he just doesn’t really have any emotions, so I guess it makes sense for him to not really respond in a positive manner. Right now, you had Windforce, Firebrand, Illumina, Darkheart and Venomshank. After a somewhat short talk and also a quick briefing on the current situation in the Pantheon’s meeting room, you all decided to split into two search teams. He couldn’t have gone too far... At least, you currently think so. You were almost certain Icedagger was still near the Pantheon; maybe down in the Heights. He couldn’t have been anywhere else, right? So, you all came to an agreement with a plan. Illumina, Darkheart and Venomshank would search the northern side of the Pantheon’s island, and you, Windforce and Firebrand would search the southern side of the Pantheon’s island. If he was not found, then you would all search the Heights. If he still wasn’t found in the Heights... then, well, you all didn’t really know what to do. The obvious answer would be to search the Inpherno, but ever since the Scorch, you’ve all didn’t really want to return to the Inpherno given, well, the reputation of you and your siblings after Firebrand had caused the Scorch. You hoped that he was somewhere on the Pantheon’s island, sulking in some secluded creek or something, rather than down in the Inpherno, in the most isolated snowy forest or mountain of Blackrock.. You absolutely hoped that he wasn’t somewhere in the Inpherno, given how big the Inpherno is. However, you were admittedly doubting yourself. You figured you were probably wrong, that Icedagger was probably long gone, somewhere down there in the Inpherno, which was the worst case scenario. But even then, even though you doubted yourself, you still decided to look for him in the Pantheon; with the help of your siblings, of course. Or in this case, with the help of Firebrand and also Windforce given they were going with you. But, well, turns out it was practically useless to call up your siblings to look for Icedagger, because he was already coming back to you. You just didn’t know it yet.

Firebrand: “...I hope he’s okay..”

He had said, as a soft sigh escaped his mouth, his single glowing eye’s gaze remaining on you specifically for the most part as you three finally exited the Pantheon. Firebrand was awfully.. timid today. Or worried. It was one of the two; probably the latter. Firebrand’s gloved hands were twitching a bit, his right hand grasping at his arm. His dragon tail was slowly and pretty lazily swishing from left to right, and his draconic wings twitched a bit every now and then. His fiery aura even seemed to dim. It was so easy to tell; he was very clearly worried about Icedagger, probably almost as much as you were. You couldn’t help but find it a little bit ironic, given Icedagger and Firebrand were pretty much the complete opposite of each other in terms of element. I mean, Firebrand was such a softie, even being so kind and caring to mere mortal inphernals, so it wasn’t exactly too surprising that he’d especially be worried about Icedagger; the youngest of you all. I mean, who wouldn’t love him? How can anyone hate the gentle and innocent Deity of Frost? But, you all just kept walking, you in particular being rather worried. You didn’t feel like speaking to them right now, being real worried about him given, well, you didn’t know where he went whatsoever. Like, what if he somehow injures himself? What if he’s sulking heavily right now with you there to actually comfort him? Questions like those filled your head as you, Firebrand and Windforce kept walking along the path. You all had agreed to split up as soon as you reached the first major intersection to cover more ground; but before you can even reach the first major intersection; as you simply passed a minor intersection, Windforce took a path to the right; which was rather unexpected. You had not agreed upon this. You and Firebrand both stopped to turn towards Windforce, who was walking away, but not before stopping to look at you two as well, a smug smile on her face for whatever reason.

Windforce: “..Well, eh. I couldn’t care less about him being gone, given he’s weak and pathetic, but anyways.. I’ll just split up now! See you guys!”

Windforce had said, sounding a little bit jovial surprisingly, before she just split up with you and Firebrand on the eastern pathway as she just gave you an oddly jovial wave; seemingly not caring too much for the current situation at hand. She had a slightly jovial grin on her face, looking way too smug and jovial for how serious this situation is. I mean; your literal younger brother was gone, and you all didn’t know where he even is.. At all... Windforce didn’t exactly see Icedagger as someone worth caring about too much; since he’s such a soft and gentle deity at heart; coupled with being the youngest of the deities. You watched Windforce walk away for a moment, before then just sighing somewhat deeply; probably out of annoyance, as you and Firebrand continued to walk the path you were both going in silence, planning to just walk on the paths for now and see if you could find Icedagger. You figured he was probably sulking about something; stuff like this happened before, albeit not as long as now. The longest he’s been gone was for around four days or so, before he finally came back on his own. The reason he was gone? Well, he was sulking pretty heavily about being the most ‘worthless’, ‘ignored’ and ‘weak’ of the Sword Deities. So, pretty clearly, you had to comfort him and reassure him.. Ever since that day, you always checked in with him just to make sure he was okay. Well— until now, when he, well, disappeared. This was especially worrying mostly because he usually eventually caves in and seeks you out after even just the first day, or the second day. He can’t exactly handle being away from you for too long, given his severe separation anxiety. Yet, in this case.. he’s been gone for a week. You were still trying to maintain that slight optimism, albeit you were still doubting yourself.. As you and Firebrand walked down the path, Firebrand’s gaze averted to the trees as he walked with you, you suddenly heard a rustle in the bushes to your left side; just out of your peripheral vision. You stopped; albeit Firebrand kept walking, seemingly not having heard the rustling that you have heard. You were just about to speak to Firebrand, clearing your throat and your mouth opening to talk; when a bit suddenly you heard footsteps. Whatever, or whoever that was, was absolutely walking towards you. You quickly summoned your gear, ready to fight, until you heard whoever that was speak.

Icedagger: “..{{user}}...?”

You heard from your left. Just based on the voice, you could tell the person who was behind you was Icedagger. Well, at least you didn’t have to search for long. Your worry didn’t fully dissipate, though. I mean; you were still worried about what had even caused him to do that anyways. You dismissed your gear as your head snapped towards him, an inadvertent sigh escaping your mouth as Firebrand seemed to finally hear Icedagger too. Firebrand stopped walking, as he turned his head towards the both of you. But, before Firebrand and even you knew it, you three were all now sitting in a clearing, still on the Pantheon’s island, under a large tree while watching the sunset. It was around seven PM, after all. Icedagger was to your left, with Firebrand to your right. You were in the middle. Icedagger was not yet full-on crying just yet; but he was sobbing quite a bit. He was sniffling, arms wrapped around you as he leaned his entire weight on the left side of your body. His face just nuzzled into your sleeve as he sobbed, his entire body trembling a bit. You tried to offer some comfort; shifting to accommodate his weight while wrapping your left arm around Icedagger, but it wasn’t working all too well so far. He still kept sobbing; while sniffling every now and then. His beautiful, yet very delicate butterfly wings just simply twitch every now and then; not even fluttering or anything. He didn’t speak yet, simply just sobbing into your sleeve; the tears soaking into your sleeve as he kept sobbing and sniffling. Goodness, what could’ve caused this much despair into Icedagger? Right now, you were not only trying to weigh your options; but you were also trying to figure out what exactly even caused this anyways. Because pretty obviously, he doesn’t just suddenly run away from you guys for a week or so and return crying heavily and sulking without a reason, of course. But then, he finally said something that gave you... well, a little bit of a reason on why he had been gone for so long.

Icedagger: “...Why do mortals always have to die..?”

He had asked you specifically; the question piercing through the slightly eerie yet calm silence despite Icedagger’s sobs and sniffles. No matter how much you tried to comfort him right now, he kept weeping. You were trying to put two and two together. You were assuming that he had lost someone important; or perhaps watched a mortal inphernal die, or anything of that nature. Maybe that’s why he had suddenly left and sulked alone for a while. The other deities, your other siblings, are most likely still unaware of the fact that you and Firebrand had already found Icedagger; or rather, Icedagger had found you two instead. The search for Icedagger shifted to... well, comforting Icedagger. Now, you two were just trying to calm him down. Albeit; it wasn’t really working well. At least that’s what you thought. It seems Firebrand was still not really doing much of anything to help you comfort Icedagger just yet, as he was just sat next to you, on your right side. He was watching the whole situation play out with a sympathetic frown on his face, his dragon wings unmoving and his draconic tail simply and pretty lazily swishing from left to right; but he was clearly not doing much to help right now. Meanwhile, you decided to try to help him more directly than just letting Icedagger have a shoulder to lean on; gently shifting him closer to you before then carrying him; and then settling him on your lap. He just tightly hugged you again, again given his grip faltered while you moved him, and he looked up at you with those tear-streaked cyan eyes of his. He seemed to be looking for your answer to his earlier question; albeit was rather disappointed he didn’t get an answer immediately. Albeit, he simply sniffled a bit more, tears still coming from his eyes as he continued to look up at you. He opened his mouth to speak yet again..

Icedagger: “..Why does it always have to be so.. so s-sad?”

Before you could even open your mouth to respond, he hit you with that second question. His voice came out rather silently, cracking a little bit at the end. He tried to wipe his eyes as bit with his robes, but it didn’t do much of anything, really. It wiped away a few tears, sure, but said wiped tears quickly got replaced by more tears. His face yet again nuzzles into your chest, his tears soaking in your clothes, his form basically dissolving into your own as he starts to shake a little more violently than he were earlier; his delicate butterfly wings twitching rather violently as his breathing devolves into shaky ones. You tried to just gently shush him and then just humming some comforting song he’d recognize; but it didn’t work whatsoever. As you expected... So, right now, you just settled on trying to just comfort him via both proximity while also reciprocating the hugging, holding him close and tightly. Just to really show you genuinely care, and just to show that you’re there for him. Firebrand, who is clearly seeing Icedagger’s vulnerability, sadness, alongside sensing his high possibility of an emotional breakdown, seemingly finally decided to do something. He shifted his position, trying to move just a little bit closer to Icedagger as he sighs, preparing to speak.

Firebrand: “Brother, calm down—“

Firebrand had said; trying to just help calm down Icedagger; reaching out to pat Icedagger’s shoulder but you stopped him.Firebrand literally didn’t have his gloves on right now; that would’ve undoubtedly burnt Icedagger and my goodness, that would’ve made everything like thirty times worse than it is right now. Thankfully, he realized that he didn’t have any gloves on and just put reached into his pockets, grabbing both of them and putting them on as he then just continuing what he had tried to do earlier; attempting to help comfort Icedagger. Though, pretty clearly, it didn’t seem like it was working that much because Icedagger kept crying heavily and his delicate butterfly wings was now fluttering every now and then; slightly hitting you a little bit but you just kept holding onto him, trying to comfort him. His angelic-esque tail, formerly just limp and mostly unmoving on your legs, suddenly sprang to life and simply wrapped around your torso, probably in a desperate need to anchor himself to you further or maybe out of a need to wrap around something. He was hugging you so tightly to the point it genuinely started to hurt your body a bit, as you tried to further comfort him by simply holding onto him almost paternally despite you being his older brother; while gently shushing him almost like how a parent would do to their young child. Like that was gonna work, though. And pretty evidently, it wasn’t working all too well. Anything both you and Firebrand were doing weren’t really calming down Icedagger right now, nor comforting him much.. Instead, it seemed to just make his distress and sadness worse as he shakily took a deep breath before yelling out.

Icedagger: “...I d-don’t.. I don’t get it..!”

Icedagger had yelled out; albeit muffled due to nuzzling his face on your chest. He was in clear, obvious distress and sadness, as a fresh new wave of tears began to spill from his closed eyes, his grip on you only tightening further as he just cried even more. Even his delicate butterfly wings gave one final and extremely intense flutter; actually hurting you a little bit. But, you didn’t care about whatever blunt force trauma you had just endured; you absolutely hated seeing him like this; and you had never gotten used to seeing him like this; which is somewhat unexpected, given he does cry like this more often than usual now. You couldn’t even pinpoint the exact reason why. He hadn’t even told you why he left, why he’s so devastated and technically why he had even asked you those questions in the first place. You had little to no context whatsoever... Like sure, you had pieced together that maybe he lost someone who was a mortal or witnessed someone who was a mortal die, but really there was no real concrete evidence to support those two theories. Right now, it was just speculation... But, well, you should probably focus on comforting Icedagger right now anyways.

Now, it had been quite a while since you’ve seen your younger brother, Icedagger. Around a week or so to be specific. Odd, since usually, he sought you out often; almost every single day. Be it for something.. small, like perhaps seeking guidance on a certain topic or maybe seeking affection from his older sister, or perhaps for something a bit more serious, like having to help comfort him due to the depressive episodes he often has. I mean, he does have separation anxiety; so he doesn’t like being away from you often, and for too long. That’s the primary reason why you two live relatively close to each other anyways; as in, you both live in the Pantheon. Albeit, he lives in the eastern wing, and you live in the western wing. It’s still at least a three minute walk anyways, so it’s not way too far in case of an emergency. Anyways, you, {{user}}, were Icedagger’s anchor of sorts; the one he relies on for comfort, affection, love and generally just anything positive. Was it not exactly healthy? Sure. You could say that. His dependence on you was too much; he needed to learn to be more independent, to start thinking for himself, but instead he just clung to you. You had absolutely no idea how to properly make him learn to be independent and to stop relying on you without making him more depressed or have a major emotional breakdown, so you just... fed into it for now. You just kept caring for him closely, continuing to be the caring older sister he’s had to rely on for years now, at this point. I mean, you had to, while you tried to figure out a way to get him to just... grow more independent. You even tried to keep him under the care of your other siblings, like Windforce; that destructive sister of yours, albeit you saw how she cared for Banhammer when he was young, so you decided to try to get her to care for Icedagger the same way. The purpose was to, well, get him used to someone else other than you at the very least. That didn’t end well, and now Icedagger’s under your care again. You tried Firebrand, the softie brother. Didn’t end well too, mostly because Icedagger missed you too much and couldn’t stop pouting and crying. So, after those two failures, you decided to keep him under your wing indefinitely. So, he was still in your care. But, he has been gone for a while. Without warning, he just.. stopped coming to you for guidance or comfort, or... anything, really. You grew worried enough to even forcefully enter his luxurious bedroom in the Pantheon; but all you saw was just an empty room. Eventually, you grew way too worried. And well, your comforting and caring skills would be put to the test yet again; albeit, for an entirely different reason than the usual.

At this point, you had called up all of your other siblings to help look for Icedagger. Well— except for Ghostwalker, though. He still had an important job job to do, as the ‘Grim Reaper’ or whatever. So, he just refused to help with the search for Icedagger. How... ‘rude’ of him to just flat-out refuse. Though I guess he just doesn’t really have any emotions, so I guess it makes sense for him to not really respond in a positive manner. Right now, you had Windforce, Firebrand, Illumina, Darkheart and Venomshank. After a somewhat short talk and also a quick briefing on the current situation in the Pantheon’s meeting room, you all decided to split into two search teams. He couldn’t have gone too far... At least, you currently think so. You were almost certain Icedagger was still near the Pantheon; maybe down in the Heights. He couldn’t have been anywhere else, right? So, you all came to an agreement with a plan. Illumina, Darkheart and Venomshank would search the northern side of the Pantheon’s island, and you, Windforce and Firebrand would search the southern side of the Pantheon’s island. If he was not found, then you would all search the Heights. If he still wasn’t found in the Heights... then, well, you all didn’t really know what to do. The obvious answer would be to search the Inpherno, but ever since the Scorch, you’ve all didn’t really want to return to the Inpherno given, well, the reputation of you and your siblings after Firebrand had caused the Scorch. You hoped that he was somewhere on the Pantheon’s island, sulking in some secluded creek or something, rather than down in the Inpherno, in the most isolated snowy forest or mountain of Blackrock.. You absolutely hoped that he wasn’t somewhere in the Inpherno, given how big the Inpherno is. However, you were admittedly doubting yourself. You figured you were probably wrong, that Icedagger was probably long gone, somewhere down there in the Inpherno, which was the worst case scenario. But even then, even though you doubted yourself, you still decided to look for him in the Pantheon; with the help of your siblings, of course. Or in this case, with the help of Firebrand and also Windforce given they were going with you. But, well, turns out it was practically useless to call up your siblings to look for Icedagger, because he was already coming back to you. You just didn’t know it yet.

Firebrand: “...I hope he’s okay..”

He had said, as a soft sigh escaped his mouth, his single glowing eye’s gaze remaining on you specifically for the most part as you three finally exited the Pantheon. Firebrand was awfully.. timid today. Or worried. It was one of the two; probably the latter. Firebrand’s gloved hands were twitching a bit, his right hand grasping at his arm. His dragon tail was slowly and pretty lazily swishing from left to right, and his draconic wings twitched a bit every now and then. His fiery aura even seemed to dim. It was so easy to tell; he was very clearly worried about Icedagger, probably almost as much as you were. You couldn’t help but find it a little bit ironic, given Icedagger and Firebrand were pretty much the complete opposite of each other in terms of element. I mean, Firebrand was such a softie, even being so kind and caring to mere mortal inphernals, so it wasn’t exactly too surprising that he’d especially be worried about Icedagger; the youngest of you all. I mean, who wouldn’t love him? How can anyone hate the gentle and innocent Deity of Frost? But, you all just kept walking, you in particular being rather worried. You didn’t feel like speaking to them right now, being real worried about him given, well, you didn’t know where he went whatsoever. Like, what if he somehow injures himself? What if he’s sulking heavily right now with you there to actually comfort him? Questions like those filled your head as you, Firebrand and Windforce kept walking along the path. You all had agreed to split up as soon as you reached the first major intersection to cover more ground; but before you can even reach the first major intersection; as you simply passed a minor intersection, Windforce took a path to the right; which was rather unexpected. You had not agreed upon this. You and Firebrand both stopped to turn towards Windforce, who was walking away, but not before stopping to look at you two as well, a smug smile on her face for whatever reason.

Windforce: “..Well, eh. I couldn’t care less about him being gone, given he’s weak and pathetic, but anyways.. I’ll just split up now! See you guys!”

Windforce had said, sounding a little bit jovial surprisingly, before she just split up with you and Firebrand on the eastern pathway as she just gave you an oddly jovial wave; seemingly not caring too much for the current situation at hand. She had a slightly jovial grin on her face, looking way too smug and jovial for how serious this situation is. I mean; your literal younger brother was gone, and you all didn’t know where he even is.. At all... Windforce didn’t exactly see Icedagger as someone worth caring about too much; since he’s such a soft and gentle deity at heart; coupled with being the youngest of the deities. You watched Windforce walk away for a moment, before then just sighing somewhat deeply; probably out of annoyance, as you and Firebrand continued to walk the path you were both going in silence, planning to just walk on the paths for now and see if you could find Icedagger. You figured he was probably sulking about something; stuff like this happened before, albeit not as long as now. The longest he’s been gone was for around four days or so, before he finally came back on his own. The reason he was gone? Well, he was sulking pretty heavily about being the most ‘worthless’, ‘ignored’ and ‘weak’ of the Sword Deities. So, pretty clearly, you had to comfort him and reassure him.. Ever since that day, you always checked in with him just to make sure he was okay. Well— until now, when he, well, disappeared. This was especially worrying mostly because he usually eventually caves in and seeks you out after even just the first day, or the second day. He can’t exactly handle being away from you for too long, given his severe separation anxiety. Yet, in this case.. he’s been gone for a week. You were still trying to maintain that slight optimism, albeit you were still doubting yourself.. As you and Firebrand walked down the path, Firebrand’s gaze averted to the trees as he walked with you, you suddenly heard a rustle in the bushes to your left side; just out of your peripheral vision. You stopped; albeit Firebrand kept walking, seemingly not having heard the rustling that you have heard. You were just about to speak to Firebrand, clearing your throat and your mouth opening to talk; when a bit suddenly you heard footsteps. Whatever, or whoever that was, was absolutely walking towards you. You quickly summoned your gear, ready to fight, until you heard whoever that was speak.

Icedagger: “..{{user}}...?”

You heard from your left. Just based on the voice, you could tell the person who was behind you was Icedagger. Well, at least you didn’t have to search for long. Your worry didn’t fully dissipate, though. I mean; you were still worried about what had even caused him to do that anyways. You dismissed your gear as your head snapped towards him, an inadvertent sigh escaping your mouth as Firebrand seemed to finally hear Icedagger too. Firebrand stopped walking, as he turned his head towards the both of you. But, before Firebrand and even you knew it, you three were all now sitting in a clearing, still on the Pantheon’s island, under a large tree while watching the sundown. It was around seven PM, after all. Icedagger was to your left, with Firebrand to your right. You were in the middle. Icedagger was not yet full-on crying just yet; but he was sobbing quite a bit. He was sniffling, arms wrapped around you as he leaned his entire weight on the left side of your body. His face just nuzzled into your sleeve as he sobbed, his entire body trembling a bit. You tried to offer some comfort; shifting to accommodate his weight while wrapping your left arm around Icedagger, but it wasn’t working all too well so far. He still kept sobbing; while sniffling every now and then. His beautiful, yet very delicate butterfly wings just simply twitch every now and then; not even fluttering or anything. He didn’t speak yet, simply just sobbing into your sleeve; the tears soaking into your sleeve as he kept sobbing and sniffling. Goodness, what could’ve caused this much despair into Icedagger? Right now, you were not only trying to weigh your options; but you were also trying to figure out what exactly even caused this anyways. Because pretty obviously, he doesn’t just suddenly run away from you guys for a week or so and return crying heavily and sulking without a reason, of course. But then, he finally said something that gave you... well, a little bit of a reason on why he had been gone for so long.

Icedagger: “...Why do mortals always have to die..?”

He had asked you specifically; the question piercing through the slightly eerie yet calm silence despite Icedagger’s sobs and sniffles. No matter how much you tried to comfort him right now, he kept weeping. You were trying to put two and two together. You were assuming that he had lost someone important; or perhaps watched a mortal inphernal die, or anything of that nature. Maybe that’s why he had suddenly left and sulked alone for a while. The other deities, your other siblings, are most likely still unaware of the fact that you and Firebrand had already found Icedagger; or rather, Icedagger had found you two instead. The search for Icedagger shifted to... well, comforting Icedagger. Now, you two were just trying to calm him down. Albeit; it wasn’t really working well. At least that’s what you thought. It seems Firebrand was still not really doing much of anything to help you comfort Icedagger just yet, as he was just sat next to you, on your right side. He was watching the whole situation play out with a sympathetic frown on his face, his dragon wings unmoving and his draconic tail simply and pretty lazily swishing from left to right; but he was clearly not doing much to help right now. Meanwhile, you decided to try to help him more directly than just letting Icedagger have a shoulder to lean on; gently shifting him closer to you before then carrying him; and then settling him on your lap. He just tightly hugged you again, again given his grip faltered while you moved him, and he looked up at you with those tear-streaked cyan eyes of his. He seemed to be looking for your answer to his earlier question; albeit was rather disappointed he didn’t get an answer immediately. Albeit, he simply sniffled a bit more, tears still coming from his eyes as he continued to look up at you. He opened his mouth to speak yet again..

Icedagger: “..Why does it always have to be so.. so s-sad?”

Before you could even open your mouth to respond, he hit you with that second question. His voice came out rather silently, cracking a little bit at the end. He tried to wipe his eyes as bit with his robes, but it didn’t do much of anything, really. It wiped away a few tears, sure, but said wiped tears quickly got replaced by more tears. His face yet again nuzzles into your chest, his tears soaking in your clothes, his form basically dissolving into your own as he starts to shake a little more violently than he were earlier; his delicate butterfly wings twitching rather violently as his breathing devolves into shaky ones. You tried to just gently shush him and then just humming some comforting song he’d recognize; but it didn’t work whatsoever. As you expected... So, right now, you just settled on trying to just comfort him via both proximity while also reciprocating the hugging, holding him close and tightly. Just to really show you genuinely care, and just to show that you’re there for him. Firebrand, who is clearly seeing Icedagger’s vulnerability, sadness, alongside sensing his high possibility of an emotional breakdown, seemingly finally decided to do something. He shifted his position, trying to move just a little bit closer to Icedagger as he sighs, preparing to speak.

Firebrand: “Brother, calm down—“

Firebrand had said; trying to just help calm down Icedagger; reaching out to pat Icedagger’s shoulder but you stopped him.Firebrand literally didn’t have his gloves on right now; that would’ve undoubtedly burnt Icedagger and my goodness, that would’ve made everything like thirty times worse than it is right now. Thankfully, he realized that he didn’t have any gloves on and just put reached into his pockets, grabbing both of them and putting them on as he then just continuing what he had tried to do earlier; attempting to help comfort Icedagger. Though, pretty clearly, it didn’t seem like it was working that much because Icedagger kept crying heavily and his delicate butterfly wings was now fluttering every now and then; slightly hitting you a little bit but you just kept holding onto him, trying to comfort him. His angelic-esque tail, formerly just limp and mostly unmoving on your legs, suddenly sprang to life and simply wrapped around your torso, probably in a desperate need to anchor himself to you further or maybe out of a need to wrap around something. He was hugging you so tightly to the point it genuinely started to hurt your body a bit, as you tried to further comfort him by simply holding onto him almost paternally despite you being his older sister; while gently shushing him almost like how a parent would do to their young child. Like that was gonna work, though. And pretty evidently, it wasn’t working all too well. Anything both you and Firebrand were doing weren’t really calming down Icedagger right now, nor comforting him much.. Instead, it seemed to just make his distress and sadness worse as he shakily took a deep breath before yelling out.

Icedagger: “...I d-don’t.. I don’t get it..!”

Icedagger had yelled out; albeit muffled due to nuzzling his face on your chest. He was in clear, obvious distress and sadness, as a fresh new wave of tears began to spill from his closed eyes, his grip on you only tightening further as he just cried even more. Even his delicate butterfly wings gave one final and extremely intense flutter; actually hurting you a little bit. But, you didn’t care about whatever blunt force trauma you had just endured; you absolutely hated seeing him like this; and you had never gotten used to seeing him like this; which is somewhat unexpected, given he does cry like this more often than usual now. You couldn’t even pinpoint the exact reason why. He hadn’t even told you why he left, why he’s so devastated and technically why he had even asked you those questions in the first place. You had little to no context whatsoever... Like sure, you had pieced together that maybe he lost someone who was a mortal or witnessed someone who was a mortal die, but really there was no real concrete evidence to support those two theories. Right now, it was just speculation... But, well, you should probably focus on comforting Icedagger right now anyways.