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Description
"Home..."

She's back. After all this time, she has finally returned to the home she was once taken in. But does not intend to come back for good, however. This is a personal matter that was in need of making amends. Ryner is determined to fix what she has likely broken between her and Atlas. Whether she is forgiven or not is not what she's concerned about. All that matters is making things right. And yet, she continues to hesitate to simply knock on the door.

'What if no one's home? Should I come back another time? No. This has to be done. Someone has to be around. Either Eppard or Atlas. Someone's gotta be here!'

Ryner shook her head and gave her cheeks a slap in an act to pull herself together. "Come on, Ryner...! You can do this! It's for Atlas... All you gotta do is knock on the door. It's that simple! So why... can't you just do it already?" The guilt came rushing back as she continues to hesitate.

'She probably hates me... And I deserve it. I... dunno if I can do this...'

She retracted her quivering hand, placing her palm against her chest and then lowering it to her protruding belly. She was so sure that she was mentally ready to go through with this. And now that she's here that confidence is vanishing.

"Kwah! Kwaah!!"

Her perturbed thoughts were interrupted by the sound of her Runeboo whom was pawing at her legs. He was gazing up at her with eyes telling her 'to do what has to be done.'

"You... You're right, Plum. Okay..." She took a deep breath and huffed through her nostrils as if she was a Rattle Cattle. Ryner worked up the nerve and gave a few hard loud knocks on the door. Shortly after she could hear the sound of footsteps approaching. Her heart was beating so fast that it may as well just jump out of her chest and haul on out.

'Keep it together, Ryner...! You need to be calmer than this! You don't want to stress out too much... You have an egg on the way, after all. Remain calm..'

The door slowly began to open with a loud creak following it. "Yes?" A soft voice answered from behind the slowly revealing door. And the one whom answered it was none other than...

"A...Atlas?" Ryner voiced her surprise. Not at the fact that it was Atlas whom answered, but at the fact she has underwent one heck of a change while she's been away. She looks like a completely different Wyngro. Yet, Ryner was still able to recognize her nonetheless.

"Ryner...?" Atlas gasped. It's been roughly a year since she last saw her goofy red friend. Despite how much time has passed, Ryner still looks the same as ever. She doesn't seem to have changed one bit. Although, the protruding belly is kind of new...

The girls couldn't help but exchange surprised looks at each other for a good moment or so. There was nothing but silence filling the air between them until Plum nudged at Ryner's leg while also motioning his head for her to 'get on with it.'

'Right... Here goes nothing...'

Ryner relaxed her already tensed shoulders and calmed herself before she could speak. If only the beat of her heart would lessen up a bit... When she was finally ready, she held her head up high and locked eyes with Atlas.

"Atlas... I know I've been away longer than I intended. I-In fact, I didn't mean to be away for this long. What started out as me assisting someone to have a child, turned into me falling in love with the person whom I was helping and sticking around to care for my son. And I..." Ryner nervously gulped, taking a moment to pause before she could proceed. "...I was enjoying the life I was having with them. So much that the excitement of it caused it to slip my mind to let you know how long that I was going to be away for. Worse, I barely wrote you a letter to keep in touch to keep you up to date on what's been going on in my life..."

There was a notable crack in her tone at that last part. Atlas looked as though she was going to say something, but Ryner raised a hand stopping her from saying anything until she finishes her piece.

"Out of all the selfish things I've done, almost as selfish as..." she shook her head, trying to push back a past memory of a time where she projected her thoughts on to someone else whom she deemed selfish at the time...

"...What I did was selfish, Atlas. It was horribly selfish of me to just leave without saying a word to you or Eppard. You must've been hurting because of me. And I know that no amount of apology could fix my mistake for what I've done. But I still want you to know that I am sorry, Atlas. Sorry for hurting you. And that I'm sorry for leaving you behind like that! That I'm also sorry for not staying in touch when you were likely worried for the amount of time that I was gone...! It was wrong and selfish and you have every right to hate me for it! I'm... really, and terribly sorry for hurting you like that. I don't deserve your forgiveness. But at the very least I wanted you to hear me out..."

It took everything she had to hold back her tears announcing all of that. Her head fell down to cease eye contact. She was done. She awaited for whatever Atlas had to say to her. Regardless of what she was going to say, Ryner would accept what's coming to her.

A long moment of silence passed between them...

'Why isn't she saying anything...? If she hates me for what I did she should come out and just say it already! I can't take the silence any longer...! I'm practically at my limit here...!!'

As soon as she lifted her head up she felt Atlas' arms wrapped around her. She felt... warm. This embrace had a strange yet comforting effect. Ryner heard what sounded like someone sniffling. At first her eyes for some reason shifted down at her Runeboo, whom simply shook his head at her and pointed to the source.

Ryner could feel Atlas' shoulders shake in-between her sniffling. The brown Wyngro pulled away briefly to look at her. Despite her tear-filled face, there was a grin of relief stretched upon her face.

"I'm so happy to see you again..." Those were the only words that Atlas wanted to tell her.

Ryner could feel a wave of relief wash over her from those words alone. She expected so much to come from her friend after being away for so long. But this was enough to reassure her that despite what she might've put her through, the bond between them was still there to allow a room for forgiveness.

Ryner returned Atlas' embrace and gently bumped foreheads with her.

Reunited at last...

Previous: Can it be Repaired

Atlas (c) CoUmbi
Ryner belongs to me

Description
"Home..."

She's back. After all this time, she has finally returned to the home she was once taken in. But does not intend to come back for good, however. This is a personal matter that was in need of making amends. Ryner is determined to fix what she has likely broken between her and Atlas. Whether she is forgiven or not is not what she's concerned about. All that matters is making things right. And yet, she continues to hesitate to simply knock on the door.

'What if no one's home? Should I come back another time? No. This has to be done. Someone has to be around. Either Eppard or Atlas. Someone's gotta be here!'

Ryner shook her head and gave her cheeks a slap in an act to pull herself together. "Come on, Ryner...! You can do this! It's for Atlas... All you gotta do is knock on the door. It's that simple! So why... can't you just do it already?" The guilt came rushing back as she continues to hesitate.

'She probably hates me... And I deserve it. I... dunno if I can do this...'

She retracted her quivering hand, placing her palm against her chest and then lowering it to her protruding belly. She was so sure that she was mentally ready to go through with this. And now that she's here that confidence is vanishing.

"Kwah! Kwaah!!"

Her perturbed thoughts were interrupted by the sound of her Runeboo whom was pawing at her legs. He was gazing up at her with eyes telling her 'to do what has to be done.'

"You... You're right, Plum. Okay..." She took a deep breath and huffed through her nostrils as if she was a Rattle Cattle. Ryner worked up the nerve and gave a few hard loud knocks on the door. Shortly after she could hear the sound of footsteps approaching. Her heart was beating so fast that it may as well just jump out of her chest and haul on out.

'Keep it together, Ryner...! You need to be calmer than this! You don't want to stress out too much... You have an egg on the way, after all. Remain calm..'

The door slowly began to open with a loud creak following it. "Yes?" A soft voice answered from behind the slowly revealing door. And the one whom answered it was none other than...

"A...Atlas?" Ryner voiced her surprise. Not at the fact that it was Atlas whom answered, but at the fact she has underwent one heck of a change while she's been away. She looks like a completely different Wyngro. Yet, Ryner was still able to recognize her nonetheless.

"Ryner...?" Atlas gasped. It's been roughly a year since she last saw her goofy red friend. Despite how much time has passed, Ryner still looks the same as ever. She doesn't seem to have changed one bit. Although, the protruding belly is kind of new...

The girls couldn't help but exchange surprised looks at each other for a good moment or so. There was nothing but silence filling the air between them until Plum nudged at Ryner's leg while also motioning his head for her to 'get on with it.'

'Right... Here goes nothing...'

Ryner relaxed her already tensed shoulders and calmed herself before she could speak. If only the beat of her heart would lessen up a bit... When she was finally ready, she held her head up high and locked eyes with Atlas.

"Atlas... I know I've been away longer than I intended. I-In fact, I didn't mean to be away for this long. What started out as me assisting someone to have a child, turned into me falling in love with the person whom I was helping and sticking around to care for my son. And I..." Ryner nervously gulped, taking a moment to pause before she could proceed. "...I was enjoying the life I was having with them. So much that the excitement of it caused it to slip my mind to let you know how long that I was going to be away for. Worse, I barely wrote you a letter to keep in touch to keep you up to date on what's been going on in my life..."

There was a notable crack in her tone at that last part. Atlas looked as though she was going to say something, but Ryner raised a hand stopping her from saying anything until she finishes her piece.

"Out of all the selfish things I've done, almost as selfish as..." she shook her head, trying to push back a past memory of a time where she projected her thoughts on to someone else whom she deemed selfish at the time...

"...What I did was selfish, Atlas. It was horribly selfish of me to just leave without saying a word to you or Eppard. You must've been hurting because of me. And I know that no amount of apology could fix my mistake for what I've done. But I still want you to know that I am sorry, Atlas. Sorry for hurting you. And that I'm sorry for leaving you behind like that! That I'm also sorry for not staying in touch when you were likely worried for the amount of time that I was gone...! It was wrong and selfish and you have every right to hate me for it! I'm... really, and terribly sorry for hurting you like that. I don't deserve your forgiveness. But at the very least I wanted you to hear me out..."

It took everything she had to hold back her tears announcing all of that. Her head fell down to cease eye contact. She was done. She awaited for whatever Atlas had to say to her. Regardless of what she was going to say, Ryner would accept what's coming to her.

A long moment of silence passed between them...

'Why isn't she saying anything...? If she hates me for what I did she should come out and just say it already! I can't take the silence any longer...! I'm practically at my limit here...!!'

As soon as she lifted her head up she felt Atlas' arms wrapped around her. She felt... warm. This embrace had a strange yet comforting effect. Ryner heard what sounded like someone sniffling. At first her eyes for some reason shifted down at her Runeboo, whom simply shook his head at her and pointed to the source.

Ryner could feel Atlas' shoulders shake in-between her sniffling. The brown Wyngro pulled away briefly to look at her. Despite her tear-filled face, there was a grin of relief stretched upon her face.

"I'm so happy to see you again..." Those were the only words that Atlas wanted to tell her.

Ryner could feel a wave of relief wash over her from those words alone. She expected so much to come from her friend after being away for so long. But this was enough to reassure her that despite what she might've put her through, the bond between them was still there to allow a room for forgiveness.

Ryner returned Atlas' embrace and gently bumped foreheads with her.

Reunited at last...

Previous: Can it be Repaired

Atlas (c) CoUmbi
Ryner belongs to me