Visiting and an understanding (Kath)

A year of her life had been spent, stolen from her by Basilisk Fang. Or, if one really wanted to get specific, by Ahote and even further, Famine. The two of them, a mother and son duo, had ultimately been what launched her into a pit of trauma and torture. She had been a dolt to think seeking justice via meeting with Famine would have results that were in any form positive. Her foolishness had assisted them in her destruction and now, finally free to roam again and live how she pleased, her only goal was to be happy. Getting there would not be an easy task. There were scars and nightmares to remind her of how quickly things had gone off the metaphorical rails and those were obstacles that took many different forms in how they effected her now.

Since landing on Tolgalen with Aemon, things had been simpler for the two of them. There was no fear, no stress. Relatively, there was peace. A lot of it in comparison to before. During their adjustment, she had discovered that Sol had been in Basilisk Fang as well, but just prior to her own involvement. She was quite curious about how he had gotten away without being hunted down. Ahote and Famine had made clear that doing so would have been an impossible feat, so it had caught her attention as strongly as a fish on a largely barbed hook. In her mind, it must have meant that there was some connection between the three of them that made his departure as smooth as the ice on the mountain's rivers. Something had happened, that much was clear. And she was sure, he was curious about her as well.

Sol wasn't aware that it was her coming to see him. No... she had made a point to do it in secret. For the most part for privacy, but also not to cause her partner to worry about her. She couldn't be sure whether or not he would stop her and this needed to be done alone. It concerned her more than it did him anyway, he was content being separate from the guild as a whole. No reason to get him involved.

As she walked she would see him not far off, sipping tea and making quick conversations with the citizens of his province. Her steps quickened and soon she was mere feet from him, close enough to call and not receive odd looks.

"Sol!"

Katherine smiled as she was noticed and felt relieved that her 'surprise' had come as a pleasant one to him. She could only hope that their conversation would go pleasantly as well. Seeing as she still didn't know much about Sol or who he was as a person, she would tread lightly and try not to push too far out of bounds. Whichever way things went, there was a chance that she could gain a better understanding of what Basilisk Fang had once been and no longer was or would ever be again.

"Yes, many," she said, following him as he gestured for her to do so. "Since that day we met on the docks I've wanted to speak with you. I was hoping maybe you could give me answers that Famine never did..." Her voice trailed off as they reached a castle, his she assumed even though she hadn't initially been aware that his status reached this far. "This is... quite impressive. I don't think I've ever seen anything like it." The gate opened for them and she continued to follow him onto the grounds, awestruck by the beauty of it all. Once inside, he wordlessly urged her to remove her shoes and so she did. He lead her into another room that looked over the courtyard and had furnishings that she found odd, if only because she hadn't seen anything like them before. She mirrored his actions and sat as he did, her legs tucked underneath her.

She stared down at the tea she was given, tapping her fingers lightly against the sides of the cup as she thought, or rather, recalled. She remembered that when she had first met Ahote, he had given her tea as well. It had tasted bitter on her tongue... just as that experience had left a sickening mark on her. Literally in a few instances. Katherine finally looked up at Sol where he sat across from her, after letting a few moments pass.

"I was wondering... how did you get away so easily? They didn't try to come after you?" she asked with a tilt of her head in genuine curiosity. "Were there no death threats or blackmail?"

“No need to apologize,” she said with a smile. “I understand you have a life of your own, it’d be foolish of me to expect your time.” She listened attentively as he spoke, wanting to absorb all of the information she could. It was obvious that he was remorseful for whatever he did during his time in the guild, so she didn’t need him to explain it to her nor did she wish to make him uncomfortable with her inquiries. It was all just something she wanted closure about, that which she hadn’t had for quite a while.

“Oh, um…” she said and hesitated to continue. “It’s alright. I was just remembering the last time I had tea… it didn’t end well for me.” The redhead chuckled sadly. “Thank you though.” She felt a bit bad for declining this act of hospitality, but it would seem ruder to accept it and pretend to enjoy it. As Sol told her what happened the night of his escape she watched in wonder. He, of course, had done things the smart way. He knew the inner and outer workings of the guild and had been able to execute his departure perfectly, or so it seemed. She couldn’t help feeling impressed by this. Katherine shook her head when he asked if she minded that he smoked; she wasn’t a fan of the act herself but it was his vice in his home. He was free to indulge if he pleased.

“They found you?” She asked, her voice wavering slightly with concern. If they’d found him, then it was entirely possible that they would find her and Aemon… right? She didn’t think she was strong enough to put up that kind of fight, physically or mentally. Her partner was for sure, but it was weak of her to depend on him so much. However… even with all that Ahote and the others had against them, they were nothing without the fortress. The explosion had destroyed everything. Logically thinking, as a guild master the kid would want to rebuild somewhat, though she hoped he didn’t succeed. Either way, such an effort could take a long time and maybe… maybe he would forget or decide they weren’t worth his time. They hadn’t been when they were there, either.

“You’ve really worked hard for all of this, huh?” she asked with a smile. “It’s encouraging, honestly. You had to deal with them much longer and in much closer contact than either of us ever did. I suppose we’re lucky in a way. They don’t care enough about us to come hunting I think. There’s not much I really need to ask about the guild itself but more about… recovering from it.” She stared down at her hands for a moment before looking up at him hopefully. “You said you were a doctor, didn’t you?”