I'm glad that you're ok 
And I know about christmas being hectic, I have like 10 presents left to buy and have now officially run out of money :S
The ebony lady stood before her son, swaying slightly, unsure what to do, there was no recognition in his eyes, he was more broken than she thought, he didn't even recognise the woman who had given him life. As she watched him her heart ached, her red boy looked even more destroyed than he ever had, even when he had killed Hollow, even when he had accidentally brought death upon his father, he had not seemed this ruined, filled with guilt and remorse yes, but Soran did not recall any moment when he had just sat there slumped, to her he had the look of a man whose whole world had crumbled away from under his feet. Sorrow brimmed in the the dark lady's own eyes, she had wondered if she'd hate him for what he'd done, she had wondered if she'd ever be able to forgive him, but looking at him now, nothing but love and pity filled her, she wanted to hide him away and protect him. She did not know what she wanted to protect her red boy from though, the world had indeed turned him this way, it was cruel and unloving and he was a victim of this, but what he had done he had done himself, he had taken Naniko by force, hurt her, abused the love she had had for him, she did not know if she could protect him from the darkness inside himself.
And then as the obsidian female watched, she saw the change in him, the realisation in his eyes, the way his expression changed, he knew her, for a long moment she had been certain that he had no idea who she was, she wondered if he would attack her with the wooden bat stretched across his lap, or chase her away, for she had no idea what he was capable of now... would he attack a stranger? Then again he had attacked his mate, the female that he loved, why not his own mother? It was a worrying idea, but a valid one none the less, but she doubted that he would harm her, she used her hope that somewhere buried in the ashes the real Conri, the Conri that she knew was there still to quash the fears and waited for him to speak. To show some sign that he did indeed know her, though his eyes gave a lot away and the sudden change in the way his ears were postured, the sorrow now eminated from him and the ebony lady's heartache increased tenfold, she just wanted to look after her boy. She wished that she could go back in time and change what had happened, perhaps if he had been feeling so much anger that he wanted to attack someone he could have come to her if she had stayed. Soran wished beyond everything that she had stayed now, she had let all of this happen simply by turning her back on her family, she had been selfish because she had done something evil, undoubtedly evil, she had killed her youngest son whe he had been tiny and feeble and helpless... and without crime as well. And she had allowed herself to be blinded by her own guilt and grief, she had allowed herself to wander the lands, being of no use to anyone, even herself, and while she had been gone all of this happened. She hated herself for leaving her red boy when he was going to need him most.
In a jarring thought the ebony fae wondered if this had been what she looked like, Conri looked like he had not eaten for weeks, that he had not washed in that time either, his eyes had been blank and lifeless, she knew that when she had found out what she had done that she had retreated into herself, she had been less than a shell of her former self. She wondered if this was how she had been, gaunt and weak, dishevelled and dirty, not really registering anything around her and not caring when she did, she had the worrying thought that she might have been looking into what she herself had been only a month ago. And then Conri spoke and she felt herself shudder, his voice was so different from the happy one it had been, the warm tones were all gone, it was raspy, weak and filled with such pain. Despite the worry and disgust the ebony fae felt towards Conri, despite worrying that he may hurt her and hating the crime that he had committed she was unable to stop the sudden maternal love that bubbled through her chest spreading to her limbs. She sprung forwards, throwing her dark arms around his slight frame, silent concern washing through her as she felt how frail he was beneath the muscles of her own body, she knelt beside him, holding him tightly.
"I know that you are sweetheart, I know that you're sorry.” She whispered, her own eyes welling up with salty tears. "And so am I
