by The Royal Mirage » Thu Apr 12, 2018 4:07 pm
Wincing in reply, Maia knew she deserved the sting that accompanied Kirsten's response. It had been insensitive to bring up home, she should have been more considerate, yet what hurt the most was the dissonance between this Kirsten and the one she had known not so very long ago. Their paths hadn't crossed quite so often, yet they had lived together in peace for a long while, long enough, anyway, for the quicksilver fae to know what her raven companion was like. The Kirsten of the past was gone, swallowed whole by a shadow of circumstance that, by the worn fae's opinion, was at least in part her fault. Maia felt her throat grow tight, lips quivering as she pinned the blame solely on herself now - why had she just left with Lilith? Why hadn't she insisted that her sister talk out her problems with Cray, instead of following blindly as always, just trying not to make waves? Pathetic, spineless, deplorable.
Steeling herself, Maia's steps faltered as she cleared her throat and blinked away the moisture that had begun to accumulate in her eyes. She had no right to feel sorry for herself right now. "There is another pack here," she answered stiffly, trying to concentrate on being of use and begging her voice not to waver as her mind shifted to the new subject. "It's a little ways off still, but our healer is very skilled. I know she'll be able to help..." Yet as long as Maia was there, she would be a reminder of Kirsten's troubles, wouldn't she? She didn't want to cause any more problems than she already had, but she needed to lead Kirsten at least until Tanga could take care of her. "Once we get there, I'll let her know what's happened. I'll stay out of your way after that, so please, forgive my presence a little while longer." Turquoise orbs finally met leafy greens again, desperately apologetic, yet with the sense that they wouldn't dare to ask for forgiveness.
((One so far, might add in Lilith in a bit I should go to bed, but I'll stay up a bit longer and read through more of the thread to see where the rest of my characters are - I didn't get nearly as much studying done today as I'd hoped, I'm going to be doing a ton of cramming tomorrow before the exam. Luckily there are a bunch of practice quizzes online, so I can speed through it))
So Sparrow didn't recognize it. Lilith nodded in response, flashes of afternoon sun catching at silver flecks over her cheekbones. Somehow her features seemed so soft without their ivory shield, ears flicking with the gentleness of gossamer as the humming of a dragonfly briefly snagged her attention. The otherworldly silence hung heavily around them, each little whisper of wind or the scratching scurry of creatures that had reclaimed this land punctuating the stillness. She wanted to go further along this indiscernible path, to see beyond their surroundings, to indulge in a world other than her own. Would it be so wrong for an outsider like herself to see the birthplace of the land she called home, at least for now? Tips of grass wavered in the breeze, brushing her sides, insisting that this place beyond imagination was real, real and ripe for discovery once again.
To drown in this sea of gold, did she even deserve it?
At Sparrow's sudden reminder of the rest of the pack, a wave of emotion crashed suddenly against her, Lilith staggering as it threatened to swallow her whole. She'd done it again, she realized; run away from her problems. Again she recklessly left behind those she cared about. Dark lips twisted into a grimace in an attempt to hold back the sob that threatened to break from her maw, thinking of Tanga, of Maia, Kirsten, even further back, to another group she had abandoned when things became too much to bear. It would be too convenient to believe she was doomed to never settle, to wander with the wind until her heart ceased to beat and bones turned to dust. No, to believe in that kind of destiny would be to relinquish responsibility. And taking responsibility was the only way to stop from tearing her heart in two again. Snapping her ocean gaze to Sparrow's, orbs swimming in the salt of unshed tears, Lilith couldn't help one last moment of selfishness.
"Sparrow, I miss them."