Adventurer
IS OFFLINE
218
Renown
Moon Elf
122 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Thalia Fellstar on Apr 26, 2023 14:56:12 GMT -5
Thalia was tired.
She had been walking for what felt like ages non-stop to get to the Dragon's Cradle up north. Thanks to her general disdain for, well, walking really, Thalia had given up halfway through her journey and stopped in the Ash Lands instead. She felt mildly sociophobic as she received a few curious glances, tucking herself into the corner of a tavern earlier that afternoon for a bite to eat before passing through. She couldn't really imagine staying for too long, unused to the people and not fully trusting. Thalia knew it was silly to think in such a way, but the further she had gotten away from home had only confirmed just how horrendously unused to the world she was.
The moon elf pulled the shawl over her head more insistently, huffing through her nose as the ashen ground kicked up dust and made her sneeze. Thalia left the tavern for a bit to take a look around however, figuring hey, she may as well see the sights while she's there. Even if the dirt got stuck betwixt her boots and feet and she was wholly awkward in this new region, she couldn't really say she hated it. Like most things, Thalia made her way through Darkveil with an air of false confidence that was more unsettling than inspiring. She passed through the marketplace whistling, a song only she knew escaping her lips as she stared right back at those who gazed at her for a little too long.
Thalia paused in her walk to lean against a wall outside, watching the residents and fellow travelers weave through the crowd in practiced movements. She uncorked her gourd from her hip, drinking from the alcoholic swill she had gotten from her time in the Marsh Flats, simply watching the people pass and reading their movements from a shade. She said nothing, only watching with one keen eye until she couldn't see them out of the right one anymore, ducking into her blind spot.
|
|
CCS Courier
IS OFFLINE
336
Renown
Female
Sylvan Elf
692 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Delaela Fenastra-Asiliari on Apr 30, 2023 16:41:33 GMT -5
Delaela herself was prone to such people watching, especially here in Darkveil. There was usually a fair bit of bustle, but also the city's reputation -- a society of criminals-- always kept Del's head on a constant swivel. That, and other things. Those pursuing Del had not been a problem for some time, a few months, in fact. It had been a blissful time, frankly... getting to know Cyran, repairing the orphanage, meeting more friendly faces than she had expected; she would take the uncertainty of Darkveil over the furitive life she had led before coming to settle here. Especially now that her shop was up and running. The forge made life easy, bearable, and the success of Ironwood Ore and Timber was thanks to those she had met along the way.
And that also meant becoming involved in the wonderful business of errands.
After picking up a letter at the tavern down the road on behalf of a friend, Del finished her errands by picking up a supply of lumber from the ghostwood, carrying it over her shoulder as she carefully, quietly, managed her way through the streets. A few faces stuck out here and there, a few quiet coversations as people speak to one another in hushed tones, but Del, an older Sylvan elf bearing the scars of her years (even those she didn't remember), knew better than to look at any one person directly; that was a sure-fire way to pick a fight. Del watched through the periphery of her gaze as she took her circuitous route back towards her shop, pace even and unhurried. It's when she passes someone watching-- from a shadow no less[1] that Del's attention is grabbed. Her gaze slants sideways for a moment to get a good look at the young woman-- head covered, but elvish features, save for the one missing eye. Not at all an unusual sight in Darkveil; criminals came in all sorts. Everyone had a secret all their own. Del lifts her brows at the young woman with a dip of her chin, quietly nodding, before resuming her path towards her shop.
[1] Shadow Sight
|
|
Adventurer
IS OFFLINE
218
Renown
Moon Elf
122 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Thalia Fellstar on May 6, 2023 18:28:49 GMT -5
Thalia watched the woman pass, her eye locked on her retreating form as soon as they briefly met each other's eyes. A sun elf, from what she could tell, with an almost opposite color palette to her own with golds and warmer colors in general. She tilted her head, curious. She'd never seen a sun elf around these parts, but then again she had only been in Darkveil before. Maybe she was simply inexperienced. Thalia's mouth curled into a half smile, turning her head and watching the woman continue on her way. Thalia was too bored and too curious for her own good though, huffing a chuckle through her nose before pushing off the wall.
She made her way through the crowd, weaving through the bodies with practiced ease. Thalia kept the woman in her sights, her hands laced behind her back as she continued to watch her move with purpose. Sometimes Thalia did this; sometimes her attention would drift to a particular person, and she would end up following them as long as she could, curious. Granted, Thalia was never any good at staying discreet, but that was mostly because she didn't want to be. If people noticed her, they noticed her. If not, they didn't.
Thalia was also a sucker for negative attention, to an almost stupid degree of disregard for her health. That untrustworthy look made her curious, and now she wanted to be nosy. She kept a solid distance between them, whistling a rendition of Scarborough Fair under her breath as she followed after her. Thalia took into account the signs of buildings she passed so she wouldn't get lost.
|
|
CCS Courier
IS OFFLINE
336
Renown
Female
Sylvan Elf
692 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Delaela Fenastra-Asiliari on May 11, 2023 1:03:25 GMT -5
Del made no effort to disguise her movements or attempt to hide or be stealthy; with what she was carrying, that would make it far harder than it needed to be, anyway. Perhaps that was a change from the Sylvan elf's old manner of keeping herself safe-- no longer did Del feel the need to be furitive and cagey, moving from shadow to shadow to avoid notice.
One thing that hadn't gone away, though, was the sensation she got when she was being followed.
Ever aware of pursuit, especially given her own circumstances, Del maintains her steady pace and gait as she weaves through the crowd. The whistling behind her never seems to fade or get any closer, simply a persistent sound that alerts her to the attention being paid. There's no way to tell if it's a signal to others lying in wait to engage in an ambush-- but no way to tell that it wasn't, either.
Nonetheless, Del neither speeds up nor slows down, nor does she look over her shoulder to see who might be following her. She only presses on, feeling the prickle of eyes on the back of her neck the whole way back to the shop.
For that is where Thalia would find herself being led; a smithy, labeled "Ironwood Ore and Timber" on a wooden sign hanging above the door. Carefully balancing the wood in one arm while unlocking it with the other... and sets the wood down inside. Standing in the threshold, she turns then, looking back over the small crowd, scanning for familiar faces, when she catches the woman with the eyepatch from earlier-- she kind of stood out. Del locks eyes with her from a distance, frowning lightly and arches one eyebrow in silent question.
Bringing pets
[1] Chip - Flitten
|
|
Adventurer
IS OFFLINE
218
Renown
Moon Elf
122 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Thalia Fellstar on May 11, 2023 2:27:26 GMT -5
Thalia’s song eventually petered out as the woman she was following eventually slowed to a stop in front of what looked like a shop. She looked up, still standing amidst the crowd as the two locked eyes, a surprised look on her face as she realized that the walk was over. Unclasping her hands from behind her back, Thalia lifted a hand and with a gesture that was far too friendly for what she had been doing in the past few minutes, she waved. It was odd, but she figured that she wasn't too different from anybody else that she had passed or walked around. Granted, she was following a complete stranger without saying anything, but she wasn't exactly sociably adequate.
Thalia stepped through the crowd, walking closer to the woman, her stride having her leading with her head. Her body was tilted downward into an angle as if bowing, though it was mostly a gesture of weirdly primal curiosity. Walking over until she was a good 5 feet away from the woman, Thalia straightened, smiling.
“Good day to you,” she greeted with a far too comfortable tone still, as though she hadn’t been weirdly following a stranger. “I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable in any way, I was mostly just curious.” Thalia looked around, as if in unintentional emphasis. “I've never been to the Ash Lands before, but I'm trying to get to the Dragon’s Cradle. I figured I'd take in the sights and the sounds, and it seems that people are a mix of the two.”
Thalia spoke with an awful amount of class for someone so sketchy looking. Her voice was high pitched and nasal with a perpetual drawl, and a bit of an accent that clearly came from a very specific part of the Moonglades. It wasn't quite nobility, but she was no hoodlum or woodswoman either. However, despite this she still didn't seem to pick up on the very obvious social cues, or if she did she merely ignored them. Thalia also failed to mention that she was following the sun elf because of how different she looked from most of the passersby, because for some reason she found that ruder than silently following.
Thalia then directed her gaze up to the sign, tilting her head the other way as she craned her head to read. “A blacksmith? Oh shit, do you work here or something?” Thalia asked, nonplussed as ever. “Ah, probably should have guessed, hm? You wouldn't be carrying all that stuff around if you weren't. Or maybe you would be, just for a different job. Not too sure yet. Did you need help with that by the way? I'm not, like, super pressed for time.”
The moon elf paused abruptly in between her fast paced babbling, adjusting the green choker around her neck. Then, as if forgetting something, Thalia gasped. “Oh my goodness! Totally forgot, my name here and everywhere else is Thalia Fellstar. Sooo sorry for not introducing myself earlier.”
|
|
CCS Courier
IS OFFLINE
336
Renown
Female
Sylvan Elf
692 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Delaela Fenastra-Asiliari on May 20, 2023 18:55:27 GMT -5
There was a wave from the young woman, friendly... Del's expression did not shift, nor did her posture. She wasn't precisely expecting a bow, either, but here they were. Del looks on, her face held in an expression of wary stoniness that was practiced over the long course of her life. She had not stayed alive this long by assuming that people weren't capable of great harm, especially since the moon elf had been following Del for gods knew how. But, as the young woman steps forward, her words apologetic and her expression still much friendlier than she was used to, especially in Darkveil. "So it would seem." Del agrees after a patient moment, her posture slowly relaxing from stiffness into something resembling a cautious softness. There was an air about the young woman that was cavalier, capricious almost. She carried herself with an easy swagger that harkened to not only wealth, but experience. The covered eye alluded to that quite strongly. So, on her way to the Dragon's Cradle, then. Interesting place to choose to sight see. Then again, she was an interesting person. Del let the young woman ramble, watching with quiet amusement as the pace of her words went faster and faster until she remembered her name. A light exhale of air is all that comes from a light laugh, and she inclines her head in turn. "It's nice to meet you, Thalia. I'm Del, and yes, I own the shop."[/color] she gestures behind her to the open door, where the wood lay already placed. Curious that now she would offer to help, instead of when she was carrying it up the path, but Del writes this off, for the moment, as a quirk. "You can come in and see for yourself if you like. I only need to put the wood away."She holds the door open for Thalia to enter, if she so chose. The wood Del deposited on the floor was already being beset upon by a tiny, bee-like flitten sniffing the corners of the wood with his gossamer wings twitching. As the shadows of those in the threshold pass over him, the palm-sized feline looks up and says "Meee!!"
|
|
Adventurer
IS OFFLINE
218
Renown
Moon Elf
122 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Thalia Fellstar on May 22, 2023 19:56:57 GMT -5
Thalia blinked, not expecting to be invited in. Yes, she had technically asked if this woman, Del, needed help. Did she expect to be taken seriously? Never, obviously. Was she taken it for granted? Never. Obviously.
“Thank you.” Thalia acquiesced, following Del. At the sight of the flitten, Thalia’s eyes went wide. She’d never seen one before save for a few times in the past in pet store windows back in Eclipse City. She remembered smushing her face up against the glass, playing with them through the clear surface and watching them flop around and bat at the glass as a child. Thalia almost didn’t know how to react, so she instead opted to wave awkwardly at the tiny animal, singing out a soft and high-pitched “Hiii!”
Thalia then began to look around the interior of the shop, itching to poke and pick up absolutely everything. It was also warmer inside, to her joy. It was absolutely gorgeous.
“Do you do this often? Like, go for wood and stuff? Who watches the place when you’re not here?” Thalia found her asking more questions again. This time though, she caught herself. “I’m talking a lot, sorry. Don’t leave the house often, obviously.” She then slapped herself in the side of the head in emphasis, laughing like she’d cracked the smartest joke at a tavern roundtable.
“Anyway, really cool place! Never been into a smithy except, like, twice when I was a babe. Much meaner over there though.” Thalia mused, dropping her hands and twirling to look around at the ceiling. Thalia’s guard seemed awfully low for someone in an entirely unfamiliar city and land. She was smiling still, so hard it looked like it hurt. Which, maybe it did.
|
|
CCS Courier
IS OFFLINE
336
Renown
Female
Sylvan Elf
692 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Delaela Fenastra-Asiliari on May 24, 2023 21:04:08 GMT -5
"Mreee!" screams the Flitten, the song of his people proud and fierce. Del chuckles as she bends to pick up the wooden beams, the Flitten scampering along the length with a wobbly gait towards the Exciting New Person.
"This is Chip. Careful with his claws, they're venomous." She moves to set the heavy lengths of wood behind the counter, to be properly treated and shaped later when she had time. Chip's little wings buzz and he takes wing, flying up to Thalia to enthusiastically sniff at her to see if she had any flora based treats on her person.
It was an interesting question for the young woman to be asking. A decent question for casing a joint; see who was around and where, how often she was out. But it was... more blatant than Del was used to seeing. Either she was genuinely curious, or the doe-eyed, 'lost-in-a-new-place' thing was a gimmick of some kind to earn one's trust. Not knowing which was which either way yet, Del decides to play it by ear and feel out the situation a little better. She seemed earnest, at least.
"I lock up pretty tight," is the easy answer. She didn't have anyone else to mind the shop while she was out-- but she also didn't feel as though the shop needed minding from anyone but her anyway. "Chip does a pretty decent job of keeping troublemakers in line, though."
The Flitten had, at this point, alighted on Thalia's shoulder and was trying to see if the ribbon around her neck was a plaything.
Didn't leave the house often, mm? Interesting, that. She seemed to have a savvy-ness to her, but was that experience or just confidence? "Meaner where, if you don't mind my asking? Is that what brings you so far from home, then?" She tilts her head as she leans her back against the counter, looking Thalia over. "I'm assuming you're from a fair distance away, given that you mentioned trying to get to the Dragon's Cradle. How long have you been in Darkveil?"
|
|
Adventurer
IS OFFLINE
218
Renown
Moon Elf
122 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Thalia Fellstar on May 25, 2023 13:21:09 GMT -5
Thalia wasn’t the best around animals, and it very much showed in how she stiffened up immediately as the flitten approached with excitement. She had never been allowed to have pets back where she hailed, as her mother was allergic to most things with fur and her father had a strange superstition around them. Having never been socialized with animals, when Chip had settled on her shoulder, Thalia couldn’t really figure out how to react.
Thalia tried to focus on what Del was saying, her hand quickly clapping her hand to her neck to block Chip from biting or toying with the ribbon around her neck. She hoped to the gods that he didn’t scratch her hand, she couldn’t take being bedridden so early in her journey. Despite this, her voice was still chipper and energetic. “I bet, he’s really cute! Venomous claws probably get the job done.”
Then Del asked another question. Thalia experimentally ran a finger over Chip’s head, speaking without care. Fuzzy… She was clearly juggling being weirded out/endeared and holding a conversation, but she managed.
“If you wanna call that clique-y hellhole a ‘home’, sure. Oh wait I called it that…anyways!” Thalia looked up at Del at this point, hoping that her nails were enough of a distraction for the tiny creature. “Yeah, I was born and raised in Eclipse City, to my detriment. I’m trying to make money to pay off a debt to my good for jack shit birth givers. I heard through the grapevine that it’s a pretty good place to rack up a few solars. I just came into town a few hours ago.”
Everything Thalia said was the truth, perhaps more than she was planning. She was aptly distracted on two fronts. It also didn’t help that Del was staring at her like she was fixing to rob her at any moment; it wasn't super obvious, but there was a certain distrust in her posture. Thalia was distrusted in this city, nothing else to it. She couldn’t really take it personally, so that’s why she spilled her reasoning without much forethought. Better to say too much and appear dumb (which she kind of was, but that wasn't the point) than being glared at the whole time.
“I’m thoroughly exhausted though, I’ve been walking for like, two days I think? Give or take, I guess. I just ate something a few hours back.” Thalia shrugged, nonplussed. "Went through the Marsh Flats, chaos central, lemme tell you. Nearly got kicked out of a tavern three times. You'd think dodgier places wouldn't care about raucous behavior."
|
|
CCS Courier
IS OFFLINE
336
Renown
Female
Sylvan Elf
692 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Delaela Fenastra-Asiliari on Jun 2, 2023 0:25:27 GMT -5
"Mrrrreee!" Chip preens, arching his little back and fluttering his wings under the tentative touch of the Big Person he was perched upon. The skritches to his incredibly fuzzy and plush fur was more than enough distraction to dissuade him from pursuing the ribbon tied around Thalia's neck. For now.
"They'd be pretty annoying if you got a few nicks at the same time, I'm sure. But he's too sweet to be an effective defense." She chuckles fondly as she watches Chip and Thalia interact. The little Flitten, having been introduced very early on to Cyran's gaggle of orphans, had become accoustomed to the idea that every one he met was a potential playmate, and Thalia was apparently no different.
Del frowns, hearing about a debt to what was ostensibly Thalia's... parents? Family? In either case they didn't sound particularly worthy of the title. The Sylvan elf leans back against the countertop, arms folded over her chest as she listens to the young woman talk. Hmm.
"Well. You're not wrong, Darkveil is a place one can make funds, if they're willing to get their hands dirty. And quickly lose them, if they don't know what they're doing," Del says slowly. The press of her brow at this point resembles concern much more than it does suspicion. This young woman seemed to be the life of the party, so to speak, but there were glimmers of naievete that were, frankly worrying. "Can you tell me more about this debt you apparently owe? It's... well, frankly, upsetting to hear someone who was supposed to care for you would put you in a situation like that." Sympathy mixes with the concern in Del's expression. "Are you okay?"
|
|
Adventurer
IS OFFLINE
218
Renown
Moon Elf
122 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Thalia Fellstar on Jun 2, 2023 13:06:44 GMT -5
As completely weirded out as Thalia was, the flitten was slowly starting to grow on her. He was really cute, but at the angle he was in she could barely see him and his antics. Some days she really hated that she only had one eye.
Narrowing her attention back to Del, Thalia takes in her body language. Less defensive, more… concerned? Oh gods she really hoped not. The last time that a stranger expressed concern for her, she had a breakdown in a bar she had never been in before. Absently, Thalia wondered where Cyran was now. He said that he was going home, but that was a while ago. She almost hated to admit it, but she would like to hear from him again. She still needed to finish his portrait.
“Hm?” Thalia blinked as Del asked her if she was okay. Oh jeez, that was a loaded question wasn't it? “I mean, I'm not dead… super broke though. It's been a long time coming anyway, I mean, what child doesn't have to like, pay their parents back for raising you and stuff?” Thalia waved her hand dismissively, a big smile on her face.
“I owe them because I owe them, they're just really mean about it so I'm trying to get somewhere where I can rack up 10,000 solars.” Thalia said all of this without missing a beat, still petting Chip. He’s really soft, I wonder if all flattens are like this? I kind of want one now… she was thinking absently to herself. “I've already sent them like, 500 I think? But it's not super easy to find more.”
Nothing that Thalia was saying was untrue. She avoided eye contact yes, but that was mostly because of how easily she got distracted. If it wasn't the flitten it was a sound outside, if it wasn't that then she was looking around the smithery. Regardless, every single thing that she had said was delivered like she was just talking about the weather.
“I was given directions by someone in the Marsh Flats to head to Dragon's Cradle for money, sooooo that's what I'm doing!”
|
|
CCS Courier
IS OFFLINE
336
Renown
Female
Sylvan Elf
692 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Delaela Fenastra-Asiliari on Jun 12, 2023 0:08:21 GMT -5
Chip mrrps his delight at the pets, rubbing his back along the digit so he could get the optimal skritches. Tiny little buzzing purrs vibrate from his body, accompanied by the flutter of wings.
Del, meanwhile, cannot help but softly wheeze at the number. Ten THOUSAND? That was an astronomical number to her, more than she'd seen in the past fifty years, never mind the thought of giving it to people who certainly didn't deserve it.
Then again, part of the reason for that was that Del typically provided her services as a carpenter or smith on the road for free, including the gifting of trinkets to people, but that was neither here nor there.
"....Thalia, was it?" Del asks, confirming, ensuring her voice was slow, deliberate, and as neutral as possible, despite her sudden incandescent levels of rage directed at these "parents" of the young Moon elf, "...Ah. No. No, people do not typically have to pay back their parents for such things. Especially not to that excess. That is... it's shitty." she says flatly, a slight grimace tugging her lips. Most people didn't necessarily enjoy being told that their parents were terrible people, but Del was not about to pull a punch like that. Oooh, wait until Cyran heard about this one...
"Well." Del begins very slowly. Her experience with Fish had taught her to at least attempt some subtlety instead of jumping straight into a full-bore care-giver cycle. "if you're determined to pay them back, I cannot stop you, but I do think it's terrible of them to foist that on you. You shouldn't owe them anything. Children are a privilege, not anyone's property and certainly not a source of personal income or live-in help. I haven't known you even an hour, but I know you deserve better than that." She arches her brows slightly, to drive the point home.
"But," she continues, her voice careful in the delivery of this potential offer, "If you are looking for work or a means of getting to where you need to go in Dragon's Cradle safely, I might be able to help you."
|
|
Adventurer
IS OFFLINE
218
Renown
Moon Elf
122 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Thalia Fellstar on Jun 12, 2023 11:50:15 GMT -5
Thalia was confused. That was the only way to describe it, her face contorting into the textbook definition of the phrase ‘huh?’, italicized and all. Her smile had vanished, replaced with a perplexed stare. In all honesty, her parents were pretty well off, as her father pulled in quite a bit of money from his job at the docks. Still, the thought that Del didn’t understand what she was talking about and found it more concerning was truly lost to her.
Her mind scrambled for an explanation. Maybe it was a cultural difference? Thalia inferred, her brow furrowing and her scratches to Chip’s back pausing for a few seconds. She doesn’t respond to that, apparently too deep in thought to understand what Del was saying. She would never admit it, but Thalia was having a little bit of a crisis. Just a small one. She hung onto that idea that it was a cultural difference by a thread, and refocused on Del’s next words.
Thalia blinked, hearing the tail end of her offer, or what sounded like one. “Huh? Oh, um, yeah! Okay…”
Thalia was able to keep the tremor out of her voice, but her smile didn’t return to her face. Her face had devolved into that a sad puppy, though she was trying her damnedest to hide it. She was starting to wonder just how much she didn’t know at this point. Thalia’s parents were assholes on a good day, but even before the whole incident a few decades back they weren’t the nicest people in the world. Was she…was she really that dumb?
No, that couldn’t be. They’re her parents after all. It was only natural for Thalia to pay them back for everything, right? It was for raising her, for keeping her, for keeping her alive…for losing her brother twice now! Not to mention the resurrection and—
Thalia suddenly slapped her unoccupied hand to her cheek. It was an aggressive grounding technique, one that she exuded quite a bit in placement of just drinking. Unfortunately, Thalia had made the decision to be responsible and not drink her life away today, so she was uncomfortably sober and conscientious.
|
|
CCS Courier
IS OFFLINE
336
Renown
Female
Sylvan Elf
692 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Delaela Fenastra-Asiliari on Jun 18, 2023 23:10:42 GMT -5
Ah. She had, as the kids say, "fucked up".
As Del watches Thalia, she notes the sudden, frantic silence that seems to embody the elvish girl. It seemed... this was quite a large revelation for the young woman. Which felt strange, and oddly hypocritical of Del, she realized, to voice such an opinion; at the end of the day, she didn't know, she could not remember the family she had, if she ever had one, her most recent memories beginning well into her adult hood, only fifty or so years passed. Perhaps it was typical of noble families?
...but she also did know.
She had been staying in Shade's Valley for months, watching Cyran interact with children without asking for anything in return, even insisting he paid Del when she did work on the Valley itself, even when she had offered charity. Even despite her best efforts to make improvements on the sly, he always found out and ensured she was compensated for her work. If anyone had an excuse to bill someone that was under their care, it was Cyran, and Del knew with a certainty amd fierce pride towards him, that he would never, never ever, never, never, never even entertain the thought. It would have never even crossed his mind. And he was once noble, was he not? Once a noble of Moonglade. If it were cultural, would that not be reflected in some way, at the very least in his adamant refusal to adhere to it?
But that did not solve the issue that this girl was currently on her own and dealing with what Del could only interpret as a complete upheaval of her world view. She barely knew the young woman.
Well, that hadn't exactly stopped her before, now had it?
As Thalia abruptly strikes her cheek, Del frowns, and takes a quick step forward, as though to stop her from doing so again. "Thalia." Del says gently, looking at the red welt forming on her cheek and feeling a twist of empathy. A familiarity in the action. Breaking things to feel more in the realm they belonged to.
More painful than the act was the reason.
Taking a slow breath, Del reaches down to still her hand, folded gently in a warm and callused hand. The other spreads slightly away from her body, as if to invite Thalia in for a hug. "It's going to be alright."
|
|
Adventurer
IS OFFLINE
218
Renown
Moon Elf
122 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Thalia Fellstar on Jun 19, 2023 15:57:40 GMT -5
Thalia wished she could believe Del. Her face was frozen in abject horror, the sting to her cheek hurting a lot more now that she was sober, regretting the fact that she hadn't had a little something to drink today. Her expression was not able to be nailed down as one, not even two emotions, her mind threatening her with a migraine as she tried to wrap her head around what she had just said.
How could she not owe her parents? After all this time that she had spent, traveling and gathering money to pay off her and her brother's debt was… a lie? Was it really all a lie? How could it be? How could her life for the past 12 years be something so cruel as a lie? Thalia's journey had been restless, not allowing herself a single day to relax and to live and breathe and just simply be, all because her parents told her that she needed to pay this debt back. She had to get to the Dragon’s Cradle; she didn't want to go, but how else was she supposed to pay them off?
Thalia registers Del’s touch, and it's then that she realizes that she's hyperventilating. Her hand twitches as if threatening to hit herself over the face again, but she’s stopped by the careful and gentle hold on her hand. She looks up at Del, her eye wide and in shock and her mouth hanging open. “I don't think it will be.” Thalia says, her voice cracking at the last word. This should be embarrassing, breaking down in front of a total stranger and sobbing. She takes a step forward to embrace Del, less of an embrace and more the moon elf resting her forehead on her shoulder. She's trembling and shaking her head, unsure how to react.
It was cold, yet unbearably hot. Her mind was racing a mile a minute and somehow she could feel it: the phantom sting of tears under her eye patch until something finally streamed down her face. Blood, mingling with tears on the other side of her face once it pulled down to the tip of her chin, and finally she lifted her hands up to clutch onto Del’s shirt. Thalia normally didn't cry, especially not like this. She couldn't register the fact that there was blood streaming down the left side of her face, where her eye should have been.
“It never will be. Not as long as I live, I'm just... I'm such a failure I can’t--” Thalia was mumbling through incoherent sobs, struggling to stop her panic attack and only growing more frustrated when she couldn't breathe. Her nails dug into the back of Del’s top, sharp enough that if the material was thin enough they probably tore tiny holes into the back of it. This wasn't supposed to happen. This was never supposed to happen.
|
|