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Post by C'Leena Thomas on Apr 21, 2023 18:23:47 GMT -5
"Neph, you've derailed nothing. Truthfully, I'm ecstatic. I don't think there really is a way to describe this. Sure, it's faster than what used to, but I'm okay with that if you are, too." C'Leena moves and sits next to Nephele, shoulder to shoulder.
"You don't need to worry about derailing anything. If anything, I'm more concerned than embarrassed. Theres still a lot about myself that I'm not comfortable with, and a lot going on in this busted excuse for a head that I still need to work out. My concern stems from your thoughts on all this," She gestures to herself. She turns toward the balled up Nephele and softly pried her hands off her face and pulled her chin to face C'Leena.
"So, I want to ask you something. This isn't something you need to answer immediately; you can take all the time you need, be it minutes or even days, I don't mind," C'Leena pauses, looking into her eyes, "Is this something you want? It's okay to not know what to do; truthfully I'm not sure what the hell I'm doing here. This is all new for me, and I'm simply going with what feels right.
"I'm not going to influence your decision. I know you've been avoiding questions since we met, so please, do me a favor and ask the questions on your mind. I promise you I will answer them to the best of my ability, okay?" C'Leena says, still lightly holding onto Nepheles chin.
There is a sincerity in her words as she makes her promises and requests. C'Leena truly is skirting by her hunches, hoping that she says the right thing. She's never been antisocial - quite the opposite, but all this is still incredibly new to her. C'Leena releases her chin and looks into the rising sun.
Sunrise has been and gone. The sky now entirely blue - not unlike Nepheles skin, C'Leena realizes. The fey beside her almost seems entirely sky-themed. Eyes that portray the galaxy, hair that is reminiscent of clouds, both in color and appearance, and a skin that blends in with the blue sky. C'Leena can't fight off the smile that spreads further across her face as she makes this realization.
C'Leena is simply sat with her legs bent in front of her. Her forearms are resting on her knees as she waits in silence for what the Fey has to say. A hand is idly fiddling with the braid and poppy, which only serves to make C'Leena smile all the harder.
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Post by Nephele on Apr 21, 2023 19:00:47 GMT -5
Nephele's mouth open and closes a few times, rethinking her response. Every spontaneous thought she had was fighting with her common sense, not realizing how much physical touch had an affect on her until this moment. She forced her focus to narrow, seriously thinking about her next words carefully.
"C'Leena," The sound of her name on her tongue made Nephele pause, smiling to herself at the sound. "I find you really interesting, and I would like to step in that direction with you. Run that way, even. But I really, truly wasn't expecting this today. What I said about you earlier wasn't for no reason. You're otherworldly in more ways than literal; you are mentally beyond my reach. I want you to heal before you decide to walk with another." Nephele pauses to regard her playing with the flower, and something squeezed in her chest. It was endearing, to see such a rugged woman smile so sweetly, and immediately the rest of the words died in her lungs.
Nephele had never been in a relationship with anyone, and was completely convinced before today that she'd stay alone to wander the realms alone. Her people often stayed together for life, sometimes even beyond if they so wished. Nephele felt awful, fearing that all of this was spur of the moment attraction mixed with sleep deprivation. She had to be sure that both of them truly liked each other.
She inhaled shakily, starting again but far less composed: "I'm happy, and I don't want to leave your side any time soon. If you would like I could help you, if you're willing to give me some time." Nephele sounded like she was simultaneously trying to convince the both of them, her ears drooping slightly. With a deep breath, she says: "So, first question: What can I not ask you? I don't mean to scare you away."
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Post by C'Leena Thomas on Apr 21, 2023 19:30:32 GMT -5
C'Leenas smile does not falter when she hears Nepheles side. Sure, there's the twinge of disappointment, but it passes quickly. Her reasoning is sound, and she never heard an outright no; quite the opposite, it seems.
"I'd love nothing more than to have you by my side. I'd have to agree with you, too. I'm probably not in a position to make a good partner right now," she says, rubbing the back of her neck.
She thinks for a moment. A lot has happened with her, and a lot is difficult for her to talk about. She's been trying to work on herself, and the fact that she's even wearing a tank top, revealing some of her burns is proof of that progress, although she still has some difficulty with it. It's a step in the right direction, though.
"Honestly, I only ask that you not pry if there's something I don't want to share. I'll let you know if that comes up, but I'll try to answer what I can for you. And please, you aren't gonna scare me off. I'm more worried of scaring you off," She mumbled the last part. It really is something she's concerned about happening. Is it unlikely? Maybe. Is that going to stop her from worrying? Absolutely not.
"So, yeah. Please, ask away. I'm an open book, hon."
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Post by Nephele on Apr 21, 2023 20:05:45 GMT -5
Nephele's smile was back now, less bright but relieved nonetheless. She was happy that C'Leena was so understanding, and better yet that she was alright with placing that boundary. A part of her grumbled at her rational decision, but she drowned it out as she focused on the here and now. She and C'Leena were taking things slow, that was all. If they find that they weren't compatible, then they could still remain on friendly terms. And even if C'Leena found someone new then...well, that was a then problem. The idea nearly made her smile disappear.
Nephele stared up into the sky, wondering what time it was for the first time in her life. How interesting this was, scary and new but still so wonderful. Nephele crossed her legs and adjusted her bodice, finding it tight now that she had grounded herself. She wrinkled her nose at the irritating feeling, but she rolled her shoulders and let it be after a second more of adjusting.
"Then, would you mind if I asked you more about your sister? You speak of her as if she hung the stars herself. Did she still live with you before you were taken?"
As she awaits an answer, Nephele slowly starts to pick more poppies, not as calculated as before as she gathers them one by one in her lap. Her guilt was still there, eating away at her in a way most would deem foolish, so she found solace in starting to twist and bend and craft them into a wispy flower crown, the black buds like pupils for the row of red eyes. Nephele found the distraction soothing as she awaited C'Leena's answer, splitting a stem down the middle with her long fingernail and tying it in place.
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Post by C'Leena Thomas on Apr 21, 2023 20:33:57 GMT -5
"God, she might as well have hung the stars herself. Her and I were inseparable when she was born She was a bit younger than me, 17 when I was 20. We'd do anything and everything together. Attend school together, learn instruments together, even sleep in the same damn room, even though that was less because we opted to, and more because there wasn't another room for us to take." C'Leena smiles, seemingly more than happy to talk about her sister.
"I remember quite a few years ago now, her and I were about to practice a song piece; she would play the violin, and I would play the piano as I've said before. Right when we were about to start, she put down her violin and asked me to play something for her, since apparently, she had never heard only me play.
"She wanted me to play a song called 'I'm Still Standing', by an artist named Elton John. She even made me sing, the bastard," She chuckles a sad, but nostalgic laugh. "She really was the sweetest. Lived up to her name, though. Lord she could be a right prickly bitch sometimes." This time she laughs freely. Her smile afterwards falters, however.
"She was killed 4 years ago, damn near 5 years in about a month from now. Someone else was operating something they shouldn't while piss wasted and hit Rose. I would visit her grave every second week when I was off work and just talk to her for a while, even about mundane things. I'm not religious, but I like to think she was listening."
C'Leenas head is hung low. It's obvious that Roses death weighs heavily on her shoulders still. Truthfully, C'Leena would be at least further into recovery if it werent for her life getting thrown around like a rock in a washing machine. It's made coping a million times harder. She is, however, slowly making progress.
"I miss her. Ahem, anyway. My sister meant the world to me. Hell, she used to muck about with my hair like you did. Thank you for that." She once again, absent-mindedly runs her fingers across the braid, smiling.
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Post by Nephele on Apr 21, 2023 21:02:04 GMT -5
Nephele frowned at the story, sad and sympathizing as C'Leena sang her little sister's praises, all the way up to her dying day. It was incredible, to love someone like that, all to have it ripped away by senseless idiocy and a blatant disregard for others. Nephele's gaze fell grim, fumbling with the crown in progress and humming to show she was listening. She wished she could say she loved her mother that much, but if she were honest she couldn't really tell how she felt for her. Nephele had no siblings that she knew of, so she wondered what it was like to have a sister like that.
The part of Rose's death stuck with her, even as she smiled in understanding. "I see. I'm sorry about your sister, I couldn't imagine how I'd feel if one of my loved ones were killed." Nephele hesitates, but carefully leans against C'Leena's shoulder, just enough for their shoulders to be flush but not enough that she was shifting too much weight on her. She found physical touch soothing, but even if she were uncomfortable she was sure C'Leena would show it.
Nephele then shook her head, a ghost of a smile returning. "I'm glad I was able to provide such comfort, she seemed like a lovely person. I would do it again, if you so wanted me to. Your hair feels nice and is fun to work with, even if I haven't braided in over five years."
Nephele paused for a moment, running her fingers over the flowers she picked. Most of them were healthy, while others were slowly dehydrating, but quite frankly she wasn't focused in that; so long as her hands had purpose.
"Oh, speaking of," Nephele began abruptly as if she had been saying her every thought aloud. "Did you gain your scars in another altercation? Your pros...pros-tet...um, your arms are those, right?"
Nephele struggled to articulate the word, realizing belatedly that her words were slurring together and her fatigue was catching up with her. Stubborn to fight her sleepiness, she began working on the crown again.
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Post by C'Leena Thomas on Apr 22, 2023 1:53:23 GMT -5
Despite the new subject, C'Leena found herself laughing at Nepheles struggling of the word 'Prosthetic'.
"Pro-Sth-Etic, darling," she gently corrects, a smile on her face. Having said that, this was the question C'Leena was dreading. It's never been something she's at all enjoyed talking about, but she said she'd answer her questions, and she's not one to break promises.
"Altercation is.. Not the word I'd use. That suggests that someone else was involved. No, it was an accident. Uhm, I was in my home. A new one I had saved up to buy, and when I was cooking, something in another room must've caught fire. I didn't notice the smoke until it was far too late," she pauses, taking a moment to recollect her thoughts. She found herself shaking, too. "I hesitated. I was scared and I didn't move when I should've. When I did, every single way out of the house was blocked off, either by debris or the fire. To make things worse, the ceiling above me collapsed, throwing me to my back and pinning me there. The uhm.. The debris caused a lot of damage to me. Not just to my limbs, but to my heart, lung and liver, too."
The shakiness in her voice is palpable. Despite her difficulty with speaking on this subject, there is a grim determination in her eyes. She needs to talk about this, and why shouldn't it be now? She never even spoke on this subject before.
"I felt my eyes.. Okay, nevermind, not going there," she says quickly, hurling the words out. "I was in surgery for an incredible amount of time. My heart, right lung and liver all needed replacement. By all accounts, I should be dead. I had no right to live through that, and even as grim as it sounds, I sometimes wonder if I should've. Apparently, I've been diagnosed of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder because of all that. Fun."
C'Leena leans into Nephele and lightly rests her head on Nephs shoulder. "Al this was.. 2 years ago? 2 and a half? I was trying to develop my own prosthetics when I got pulled here. Trying to work on tactile functions, which apparently, the lackthereof carried over. I don't really feel anything through the prosthetics. I know I'm being touched or that I'm touching something, but it's less like being actually touched, and more like being gently told I'm being touched."
"That's caused all sorts of issues, mainly relating to how much pressure I put into things. I don't always know if I'm holding something too tightly or too loosely unless I can see how much pressure i'm exerting. I've broken a lot of glassware because of that," She chuckles to herself. Despite the previous topic on her burns, she seems a lot more calm when she's talking about her prosthetics. "Same goes for my legs; they're fake too. Sometimes I kick something too hard, other times I run a bit too hard and fail to keep up with the speed; That's always really amusing."
She continued resting her head on Nepheles shoulder, allowing her time to process the information she gave. Only now, she realized that Nephele is sounding tired.
"When have you last slept?" She asks gently. As a doctor, she wouldn't feel right about keeping her awake, even more so with C'Leenas woes and crap.
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Post by Nephele on Apr 22, 2023 2:46:02 GMT -5
Nephele was drowsy, but out of pure determination to let C'Leena finish she kept her mind focused on her words. The details of the accident were so gruesome, and she was aptly silent for the entire explanation. The thought of such an accident debilitating someone so much was, simply put, heartbreaking. Nephele hummed softly when she had finished, so lost in thought that she barely noticed the soft strands of hair brushing her shoulder and collar for another ten seconds.
"That's terrible." Nephele reached out to gently squeeze C'Leena's hand as she caught the slight tremor in her voice, just barely through her hazy mind. It was a habit she was beginning to pick up through their small interactions throughout the day, though she didn't know how she should feel about noticing such a thing. "I'm so sorry that happened to you. I'm glad that you survived. I can't even imagine how...how that felt, to sit and realize that you lost that physical autonomy. A life where you tread with only half of the feeling in it is so foreign to me. I dunno..."
Granted, Nephele recognized that as a touchy, mostly free-spirited person, C'Leena's existence sounded like torture. It only boosted her admiration for the doctor, simultaneously increasing her urge to comfort her as much as physically possible. Her thoughts began morphing into a hazy, sleepy process, where Nephele internally decided that she would help C'Leena feel that again. She squeezed her hand tighter as if to prove her point, wondering just how in depth touch it went when it came to prosthetics. The look on Nephele's face was an endearing mix of determined, sleepy, and sad, with her lips turned down into a pout and her brows pinched together.
"Sleep? I woke up...maybe around this time yesterday. Sooooo maybe just a 'lil over a day ago." Nephele nodded as if confirming the own words spilling out of her mouth. Her words had begun to drawl out despite her best efforts to mask it, forgetting entirely about the crown she crafted on the ground. Despite this, she still refused to doze off with all the determination of a toddler being forced to lay down.
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Post by C'Leena Thomas on Apr 22, 2023 3:20:14 GMT -5
C'Leena would be lying if she said she wasn't getting tired too. She wouldn't admit it, but C'Leena hadn't had a good night sleep since she got here, only getting 3 hours max nightly. At least with today, she had a reason to stay up for her Dawn Service.
Nepheles words mean a hell of a lot to her. It hasn't been easy to say the least. It took her a long time to come to terms with quite literally being more machine than flesh. C'Leena looks down at their hands and softly squeezes back. Her squeeze was incredibly light, and her grip is loose in fear that she might accidentally cause Nephele harm.
Hearing that Nephele hadn't slept, she tsk'd disapprovingly, ignoring the hypocrisy. "You need your sleep, hon. Do you have anywhere you return to? I would invite you to my place, but I don't really have 'a place'." She chuckles. She hopes to change that soon.
"I'll bloody carry you if it means you'll get a proper night sleep, yeah? Shouldn't be disregarding your body like you are." Despite the joking tone of the first half, there is an undertone of something that tells you that she's also dead serious. "As much as I would love to continue talking with you, your needs come first."
C'Leenas tone brooked no complaints or retorts. Moments like these are why she was always considered motherly among her patients; stern, but kind. She'd been told she does it rather well, and C'Leena hopes that continues to be the case. As a doctor, C'Leena almost always had an excuse to have little to no sleep and continue operating anyway. Was it healthy? Absolutely not, but she did it anyway. That has since granted her the concerning ability to get mere hours of sleep a week and still function well enough to manufacture, attach and test prosthetics.
However, until she knew where to bring Nephele, C'Leena was content to stay here.
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Post by Nephele on Apr 22, 2023 4:01:13 GMT -5
Upon being asked if she had a place to sleep, Nephele yawned, covering her mouth with both of her hands. "I mean alright, but I don't have a place. I usually sleep either in caves or in a tree if I feel like climbing. You may actually have to carry me at this rate." (That last bit was, for all intents and purposes, a mischievous little lie.)
Realizing how mental that sounded if you weren't a druid, Nephele sluggishly clarified. "It's completely by choice, I just fall asleep wherever I can. Well, almost wherever, I was nearly eaten by an army of trolls on my walk through the Marsh Flats two days ago." Nephele stretched her arms above her head, scrunching her nose at the memory. "Well nevermind. I'm quite certain Thunderhoof Village is nearby, if that cartographer I met in the Moonglades wasn't a liar."
Nephele poked C'Leena in the side, smiling dopily. "Seems we're even more alike than I already suspected, we're both a couple of lost ones, hm?"
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Post by C'Leena Thomas on Apr 22, 2023 4:43:45 GMT -5
"Thunderhoof Village is nearby. Should have an Inn, if I remember correctly," She confirms. C'Leena suddenly moves into a kneeling position, picks up the poppy crown and looks at it for a moment before placing it upon Nepheles head. Next, she takes her coat that has since fallen onto the ground, quickly removes the medals and lays it atop Nephele.
"You said it yourself. Up you come." C'Leena proceeds to lift Nephele into a bridal carry, faint whirring sounds from her prosthetics as they adapt to the sudden weight. C'Leena stands up carefully and takes a second to get her bearings and begins walking toward Thunderhoof Village.
"I'm also not going to even explain the level of concern I have about you nearly getting eaten. You alright?" she asks, the gentle tone making a return. "And yes, it would appear we are a pair of lost ones. Here's hoping we can continue getting lost together, yeah?" She gives a toothy grin and continues walking.
They make it out of the poppy fields and some distance across the plains. Soon enough, Thunderhoof Village is in view. C'Leena doesn't look at all bothered by carrying Nephele all this distance. In fact, she seems happier than before. Truthfully, she feels lighter. Having shared what she shared, and receiving support from Neph helped more than C'Leena thought it would.
"Now, I must ask: One room or two?"
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Post by Nephele on Apr 22, 2023 12:47:28 GMT -5
Nephele lets out a small sound of surprise, eyes wide as she automatically loops her arms around C'Leena's neck. To no one's surprise, Nephele weighs just about enough to cause minimal strain on C'Leena's prosthetics. She readjusts the crown on her head with a cheeky grin.
"It was all fine in the end, 'm not as fragile as I look." Nephele then flexed her right bicep in a proud display, showing off her lightly muscled arms from training in the monastery. It was nothing too noticeable, but Nephele was no tiny woman by zero means. As they walked through, she blurted out an answer without thinking:
"One," Flustered, Nephele quickly amended her statement to try to make it sound not as silly. "I mean, less money is better...don't look at me like, that I'm tired."
Nephele hid her embarrassed smile in C'Leena's neck, pretending to have fallen asleep. She could hear the sounds of the day as it ebbed through noon. Nephele wondered what this all meant, and how long she was allowed to indulge in this happiness. She often heard from rather malicious people that water nymphs naturally attracted others, but usually for predatory means. When those people would chase her and her mother out of places, the Crescent Isles welcomed them with open arms. Sadly though, those arms would slowly begin to constrict, and her mother couldn't take it and died from grief.
Nephele never thought she'd be so lucky to find another companion, much less someone who had been through so much. Someone, for better or for worse, like her. Nephele felt she had a lot to learn from this otherworldly woman, and to her? Well, she felt that was just wonderful.
And hopefully, Nephele would be able to answer her soon.
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