[ The Hollow Knight entered the room. It stood slightly inside, as tall as it could be, and looked down at Grimm. Water dripped from its ragged cloak and trickled in runnels down its mask. Rain had welled in its mask, spilling from the eye holes, mimicking the tracks that the rain in the City of Tears had run down its stone visage.
[They aren't tears, as much as they resemble them. Grimm knows this. But even before he can wonder why the Hollow Knight had let so much rain collect on them or why they'd come to him now, he's already drawing them close to him in a hug.]
[ It hadn't stood in the rain to achieve an expression, of sorts, but rather for the nostalgia of the feeling. It hadn't been taken to the City of Tears often, and certainly not since its Father had built the fountain in its honour, but it had been a memory. Late one day, when all were sleeping save a few, and they had walked those carved streets. It had watched the way the water droplets fell from His crown past His eyes and down His chin, and it had almost wanted to hold His hand.
Now it wished it had. He would have taken His hand away, it was sure, but there would have been a moment, just a moment, when His fingers would have curled around it in return, and in that moment it would have offered Him some respite.
Just some.
Grimm's arms enfolded it in a warm embrace, far more comforting than its Father's scant touch had ever been. And yet the affection, though far more effusive and blatant, did not fill the hole that was left in the confirmation of His absence.
The Hollow Knight raised its arms, settled them around the moth who had been its Father's friend, and curled into the hug. ]
[There will be no one to fill that space. The ache may be blunted with time, but the shape of a lost parent remains in the heart.
Grimm draws them further inside, closes the door behind them with a wing rather than let go of them for even a moment.]
I am truly sorry.
[As mixed as his feelings on the Pale King were, as much as that bitterness remained and would remain until even higher beings forgot the story of Hallownest, he understood the loss of a beloved parent a thousand times over.]
[ Like his Troupe tents back home, Grimm's living space was dark and red. The warmth and coziness was a stark contrast to the elegance of the White Palace and the emptiness of the Temple of the Black Egg. In its own way, that was comforting.
The Hollow Knight pulled itself back from the embrace, not wanting to make Grimm feel as if he had to give it so prolonged a touch if it was an imposition. It knew it shouldn't be feeling this, but oh, it was so hard to tell itself that.
It knew the Wyrm had died. It had felt it, Her screaming delight and renewed struggle to free Herself, when he had vanished from Hallownest. The Hollow Knight had known its Father; He would never have left this Kingdom if He had had a choice.
Why, then, did the confirmation hurt so?
It typed a message, fingers stiff and shaking slightly. ]
[What he did for Hallownest is undeniable. Grimm does think the bugs were better off under his rule than the Radiance - that's a low bar, but it is a bar.]
[ Rather than respond with text, the Hollow Knight nodded its head. It would like to hear more stories of its Father. That odd memory, of Him slurring His words and seeming to focus overmuch on the elevators in the City of Tears, had stirred a great longing and sadness in the Hollow Knight... but it had been a good sadness.
If any emotion it felt was good, even here. Even now. ]
[What memory can he call back of the Pale King? He has many. Most are tinged with his own feelings, the lingering bitterness and frustration at the vessels' fate - but in this moment he can only think to call upon something happy.]
Your father was the one to call me to Hallownest and request my aid, and when I encountered other residents of the White Palace it was at his side. With his retainers, the Pale King was the picture of the aloof, unmoved god and monarch - but with the White Lady, he expressed much more genuine emotion.
That they loved each other deeply, I was certain of from the first time I saw them together.
[And no matter what tragic ending that love found, that moment is a pure one still.]
[ They had loved each other. The Hollow Knight had been witness to that so many times. From the happy to the heart-wrenching, their love for each other had been palpable. Even to a creature like it.
It nodded again, looking down at the ground, where the water that dripped off of it was forming a damp patch. It would need to clean that up, but it could wait, for now. It wanted to hear more. ]
[There are other stories. Grimm touches on many, though some are too short to be called a story and not an instant.
He tells of the Pale King's laboratory, the way writing would glow and shift depending on what the Pale King was working on that day. His days upon days of labor on the Kingsmoulds and later the Vessels, and how often Grimm had to be the one to remind him that his physical body needed rest.
The many attempts and failed attempts at those moulds, how even the failed attempts would put any other engineer to shame. Even the one that wouldn't stop giggling.
How he had heard the Pale King laugh out loud exactly once, and missed what the White Lady said that triggered such an astonishing response, and had been wondering about that impossibly funny joke for hundreds of years.]
[ It listened. Stories were like water, and it like a creature dying of thirst. Each one was a memory of sweetness, painting its Father in a light that it had never seen Him, but had perhaps seen glimpses of.
How would the world have been, if it had been truly hollow, and the Pale King could have been this person again? Its failure had killed the King, broke His heart and let Him wither and die.
It slowly leaned forward until it was resting its face against the crook of Grimm's neck. He smelled comforting, even if the Hollow Knight had a muted sense of what smell was. Like fire, warm and crackling. ]
[Grimm holds the Hollow Knight close to him. Though they may barely feel the cold of the rain and even less bothered over it, he hopes his warmth will chase away their chill.
It is the least he can do for them.]
Oh, my friend. How I wish I knew how to comfort you.
[ It wished it knew how to be comforted. It was meant to be hollow, not feel a hollowness deep inside of it.
Gently, knowing that it was being demanding, it tugged lightly at Grimm's wings, nudging him in the direction of his couch. It could curl up on him, giving him Chroma while he gently touched and comforted. At least it could offer something back.
It just...
... it wanted. Oh, it so wanted a father's touch now, and Grimm was the closest thing it knew, here. [
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hagrides
no subject
Date: 2019-10-05 11:03 am (UTC)[It's only Grimm in at the moment, and he promptly opens the door. The Hollow Knight - he hasn't so soon forgotten their conversation.]
Come in, my friend.
no subject
Date: 2019-10-08 11:37 am (UTC)It lowered its head. ]
no subject
Date: 2019-10-08 11:44 am (UTC)Oh, my dear friend.
[They're cold and wet. He doesn't care.]
no subject
Date: 2019-10-08 03:38 pm (UTC)Now it wished it had. He would have taken His hand away, it was sure, but there would have been a moment, just a moment, when His fingers would have curled around it in return, and in that moment it would have offered Him some respite.
Just some.
Grimm's arms enfolded it in a warm embrace, far more comforting than its Father's scant touch had ever been. And yet the affection, though far more effusive and blatant, did not fill the hole that was left in the confirmation of His absence.
The Hollow Knight raised its arms, settled them around the moth who had been its Father's friend, and curled into the hug. ]
no subject
Date: 2019-10-09 12:51 am (UTC)Grimm draws them further inside, closes the door behind them with a wing rather than let go of them for even a moment.]
I am truly sorry.
[As mixed as his feelings on the Pale King were, as much as that bitterness remained and would remain until even higher beings forgot the story of Hallownest, he understood the loss of a beloved parent a thousand times over.]
no subject
Date: 2019-10-11 02:51 pm (UTC)The Hollow Knight pulled itself back from the embrace, not wanting to make Grimm feel as if he had to give it so prolonged a touch if it was an imposition. It knew it shouldn't be feeling this, but oh, it was so hard to tell itself that.
It knew the Wyrm had died. It had felt it, Her screaming delight and renewed struggle to free Herself, when he had vanished from Hallownest. The Hollow Knight had known its Father; He would never have left this Kingdom if He had had a choice.
Why, then, did the confirmation hurt so?
It typed a message, fingers stiff and shaking slightly. ]
The world is a smaller place without Him.
no subject
Date: 2019-10-11 10:16 pm (UTC)[What he did for Hallownest is undeniable. Grimm does think the bugs were better off under his rule than the Radiance - that's a low bar, but it is a bar.]
Would it help if I shared another memory of him?
no subject
Date: 2019-10-13 07:39 am (UTC)If any emotion it felt was good, even here. Even now. ]
no subject
Date: 2019-10-13 08:00 am (UTC)Your father was the one to call me to Hallownest and request my aid, and when I encountered other residents of the White Palace it was at his side. With his retainers, the Pale King was the picture of the aloof, unmoved god and monarch - but with the White Lady, he expressed much more genuine emotion.
That they loved each other deeply, I was certain of from the first time I saw them together.
[And no matter what tragic ending that love found, that moment is a pure one still.]
no subject
Date: 2019-10-13 08:36 am (UTC)It nodded again, looking down at the ground, where the water that dripped off of it was forming a damp patch. It would need to clean that up, but it could wait, for now. It wanted to hear more. ]
no subject
Date: 2019-10-13 08:54 am (UTC)He tells of the Pale King's laboratory, the way writing would glow and shift depending on what the Pale King was working on that day. His days upon days of labor on the Kingsmoulds and later the Vessels, and how often Grimm had to be the one to remind him that his physical body needed rest.
The many attempts and failed attempts at those moulds, how even the failed attempts would put any other engineer to shame. Even the one that wouldn't stop giggling.
How he had heard the Pale King laugh out loud exactly once, and missed what the White Lady said that triggered such an astonishing response, and had been wondering about that impossibly funny joke for hundreds of years.]
no subject
Date: 2019-10-13 11:10 am (UTC)How would the world have been, if it had been truly hollow, and the Pale King could have been this person again? Its failure had killed the King, broke His heart and let Him wither and die.
It slowly leaned forward until it was resting its face against the crook of Grimm's neck. He smelled comforting, even if the Hollow Knight had a muted sense of what smell was. Like fire, warm and crackling. ]
no subject
Date: 2019-10-15 06:57 am (UTC)It is the least he can do for them.]
Oh, my friend. How I wish I knew how to comfort you.
no subject
Date: 2019-10-17 06:07 pm (UTC)Gently, knowing that it was being demanding, it tugged lightly at Grimm's wings, nudging him in the direction of his couch. It could curl up on him, giving him Chroma while he gently touched and comforted. At least it could offer something back.
It just...
... it wanted. Oh, it so wanted a father's touch now, and Grimm was the closest thing it knew, here. [
wrapup maybe
Date: 2019-10-17 06:20 pm (UTC)They do not have to give anything back. But if doing so allows them to accept that comfort, then he will offer no protest.]