Fridgar's gesture of goodwill seemed to help, for shortly after their hand met Kaelrik's shoulder, his heartbeat began to slow and his breathing eased. That was nice, at least. Fridgar enjoyed making things easier for kind people, and Kaelrik was very kind. After the smaller man thanked him for his attempt at comforting him, he began to smile a little. Fridgar smiled in return, then nodded to Kaelrik's explanation of why he didn't mind being Alistair's slave so much. Of course, Alistair was very kind, as always, and very considerate, even to his slave. Fridgar's grin grew wider and they snickered a little at the thought. "That's kinda funny without context," the larger Lothar said, then shook their head. "A circumstance where the slave wants to remain in servitude more than the master wants to keep a slave, it's cute."
Fridgar's smile faded a little. "It's good that you enjoy your servitude, there's no need to flagellate yourself over what happened arcs ago. Do right by becoming stronger, by sticking it to that lurker," they offered their words of encouragement, then made their offer to train with him. Kaelrik quirked his head at first, which was understandable. How could he expect to keep pace with a beast that lived and breathed the plains themselves? He soon voiced his concerns too but said that he would train with Fridgar regardless. The Protean nodded with understanding, then pat Kaelrik's back a couple of times heartily. "That's the spirit. I don't expect you to keep pace with me, just push yourself, give 110% effort and you'll do fine."
What else could they ask from another man? As long as Kaelrik was pushing himself to his limit, then further, he would grow stronger and learn to fight harder. It was how Fridgar learned, Kaelrik could too. They felt Kaelrik smile even wider with a certain sincerity; it warmed their heart.
Then came the matter of organizing a time and place. Fridgar took a deep breath, they stole themselves to leave the warmth of Kaelrik's body and lifted themselves from the ground on which they sat with the exhale of that deep breath and a groan. "Well, I've made plans to mentor a friend of mine in becoming on the morning of the thirty-second. Once I'm done with that, I can come and find you around noon?" Fridgar tapped their nose with a knowing smile. "This thing can find you from a fair way away, so don't worry about the location. I'll find my way."
