Just Pretend
born under The Rivals
8 years old
Female
Extra Small
Fresh Snow
Lowlander
Rionna
Broken Skulls
Lunar
SIF ASGAUT
His tensenss was rather apparent along his small frame, as if anticipating an attack any moment though none would come to apprehend him. The confirmation would cause her ears to twitch forward, alert to the singular syllable that sprouted, though it hung with an inflection of his typical uncertainty. She still didn’t wish to quite believe it but with every new word that came after, it was hard to dismiss it. If it was all a lie, he had done his research but there was no reason for him to make it all up. Right?
She bit her tongue before she could utter the first thought that came to mind, knowing how rude and insulting it would be had she not caught herself. He was a noble by birth. It seemed even out here she couldn’t get away from them, this particular bloodline even more so as she could list a handful of others that shared it that had made an impact in her life. It ran deeper than that though, not just a noble, she could say he teetered on the lines of a prince hailing from the main branch which swiftly brought back that impending doom feeling. A banished prince. It was almost comical had she been in a laughing mood. The thought made her have the urge to sit up straight and hold herself with a little more respect and courtesy yet she couldn’t bring herself to, not when she looked at him, not with everything that kept happening between them. That chaos that refused to let up. “What’s keeping you? Shame?” she inquired after absorbing everything and evaluating it to the best of her abilities in such a short time. “If I could have my family back, there would be no hesitation to return to them and I’m sure she could use your support right now…and you the same from her,” she canted her head, taking in he had sat back down, still allowing her more space than he normally afforded her. After a few lengthy seconds of staring at him, her head would turn back toward the waters, ears drawing back till they were flat against her skull. “I’m sure your daughter would want her father back as well, even if it is an icy slope at first and she denies it. Every child pines for their parent’s attention,” she let out a breath, not even sure who exactly his daughter was. Did she too carry the same surname? It was a guessing game to her, not recalling any others looking like him in his tawny tones nor could she remember Xandria spewing anything about cousins. She dropped trying to weed it out in the moment, thought shifting to Aurora a lot faster and her own father as well. One face is just a haunting memory and the other she regrettably almost abandoned in a similar belief to his own. Better off without her. She could only imagine his child felt abandoned and unwanted by how he dropped her on a doorstep. Am I Beautiful As I Tear You To Pieces table by rae - image by Lunicea
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born under The Mother
years old
Non-Conforming
Extra Small
Highlander
Wanderer
encounters
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Professor
born under The Eldritch
8 years old
Male
Small
valerian
Mainlander
Rionna
encounters
Essie
I can stay away if you want me to I can wait for years if I gotta Heaven knows I ain't getting over you
“What’s keeping you? Shame? If I could have my family back, there would be no hesitation to return to them and I’m sure she could use your support right now…and you the same from her,” Khepri shook his head and returned his gaze to the lake. While it was growing darker, the last strands of sunlight were fading from its dark surface and he sighed. "But I'm not getting back my family. I don't know any of those wolves, thanks to my mother. Thankfully I never lost my sister in the first place." he said. He didn't know any of them, really.. He knew Nassar needed him right now and he needed her, but what small comfort they could bring one another could be done away from the family home. It wasn't necessary he lived among them and he just felt like... he didn't belong. "I guess that's what's keeping me... more than shame, more than anything else. I just don't feel like they're my family anymore." he admitted. |
born under The Rivals
8 years old
Female
Extra Small
Fresh Snow
Lowlander
Rionna
Broken Skulls
Lunar
SIF ASGAUT
She was silent as he was quick to dismiss her suspicion, though she did nothing to rebuttal it as she didn’t feel the need to meddle in his affairs any further, though just as she was about to open her muzzle to speak of something else, she found her jaw locking as he spoke up. One ear tilted toward him, listening before letting out a sigh at the idea that he wasn’t part of those wolves at all. Fairly so, she could see why he’d detach but it still seemed off to her to think distance could erase the closeness of blood so easily. “Blood is thicker than water, so the saying goes, yet you speak as though your family is no more than air. A cold breeze that only makes your skin crawl,” she stated, gazing harshly but not looking in his direction at all. She didn’t know why it angered her but it did to hear those words, however, she wasn’t going to take it out on him when all he was doing was answering her question. She didn’t understand and truth be told she wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to. It didn’t stop her from trying, closing her eye as she focused on trying to place herself in his place but loyalty was a heavy burden for her that she couldn’t shake.
The only thing that she could think that softened the idea was that he was chased out by more than just his mother, chased by his whole family to rot in the pits of despair. Then maybe, she could understand but even then… man was she broken. Maybe she was what was wrong and not his way of thinking. Her perspective shattered by suffering. “I’m sorry…” she breathed after a second, forepaws drawing in closer to her as she shook her head. “I don’t understand… If that's enough to keep you away, why do you keep chasing me? What’s so special about me that makes you so… persistent when you lack such even for kin? All I’ve done thus far is push you away,” irritation prevalent in her voice as she tried to find some semblance of reason in this man or the fault of her own. Lia. She couldn’t recall that name from anywhere, though it wasn’t quite what she remained focused on when he was muttering about such a bad relationship between them to the point of hate being a possibility. Slowly she raised to her paws as the light upon the water started to gather the stars. Taking a few steps along the edge of the pool away from him before looking over her shoulder, expecting him to follow if he still so craved her attention. “How old is LIa?” she asked tentatively, expecting the girl to be just a child no older than her own or younger to behave this way, to hold such resentment forged by a poor experience in upbringing. She didn’t wait a second more before her feet would carry her along the bank toward the cliffs she had descended down moments prior. If he followed then he followed, if he didn’t, well she wouldn’t likely care. Am I Beautiful As I Tear You To Pieces table by rae - image by Lunicea |
Professor
born under The Eldritch
8 years old
Male
Small
valerian
Mainlander
Rionna
encounters
Essie
I can stay away if you want me to I can wait for years if I gotta Heaven knows I ain't getting over you
"Blood is thicker than water, so the saying goes, yet you speak as though your family is no more than air. A cold breeze that only makes your skin crawl.” He could tell he'd hit a note with her but he couldn't help but be truthful. He believed she just didn't understand. The only family he'd had, had essentially abandoned him and thrown him out while the rest had been made up after he'd gone. He didn't know any of them except by name and appearance alone, beyond that they were just... blank slates. “I’m sorry… I don’t understand… If that's enough to keep you away, why do you keep chasing me? What’s so special about me that makes you so… persistent when you lack such even for kin? All I’ve done thus far is push you away.” He blinked. "Chasing you?" Is that what she thought he was doing? Just... chasing her around like some lost puppy? His stomach knotted and he frowned. "I haven't had a family in years. My mother kicked me out before any of the wolves you might know even existed there. I only had Nassar and my other sister, who's now dead. There isn't anything to go back to but her and the unknown and besides I don't need to go back to get to know them. I can just visit, as I have been trying to do since my mother died." He didn't need to live with them like he were still a child. He had his own place, his own life... small as it may be. |
born under The Rivals
8 years old
Female
Extra Small
Fresh Snow
Lowlander
Rionna
Broken Skulls
Lunar
SIF ASGAUT
Another sigh couldn’t help but manifest as he tried to defend himself but not from the actual question she asked but rather his tied to his kin further or lack thereof. More death and as tempted as she was to ask how, no such new question would come to light, finding it even more inappropriate than her already crass behavior. He had chosen to tell her everything prior, she had not asked to get a peek into his heart and yet here she was, continuously getting more and more information about him he needn't tell. One thing was for certain, though, there was an emphasis on one part of his story he kept repeating that she wasn’t feeding into this moment.
“I’m being harsh, I get it,” she murmured, accepting one of her many faults but it was what had helped her survive and get to where she was. As cold and unyielding as she could be, it was what kept her from sinking deeper into depression and into a desire to give up again. Push all woes aside to aim higher, to not crumble. Khepri seemed to be the opposite, he was comfortable in his nest of despair and servitude. He accepted it. At least, that was how she viewed him. “I’m sorry for your losses: your sister, your mother…and your wife. I’m no stranger to that. I’ve lost too many to bother counting anymore but all their faces are still here, even if just a passing memory. Just as I’m sorry if my injury had kept you from attending Kohl's funeral those mounding days I can’t remember all that well,” she could only assume if he had kept close to Nassar then he was potentially close to her husband as well to some capacity. A day of victory sullied by death and injury, there were no celebrations from war because no one truly won in the end. She knew she felt like shit over it all. “You aren’t a failure of a healer; you did as you needed to do. I’ve never blamed you for my eye, you did not cause it and there was no saving it in the first place.” It was perhaps a little late to address most of what had come past her lips but she felt he needed to hear it before she had pulled away from where they had been resting in front of her kin’s grave now that the initial shock had worn off. A shell swiveled at the sound of steps trailing after once her head no longer faced him, not surprised he took the invitation, yet he seemed hesitant and meandering. What did surprise her was how old his daughter was, nearly as old as she. Truth be told, she thought he was a younger sibling not a littermate to the Tiamat matriarch, mainly from his demeanor but it marveled her just a tad to know he was likely well past her by a few years. Before she could formulate anything to say, it seemed he beat her to it with another speech, this time actually addressing the real question she had asked before. A roll of the eyes hidden from his view, knowing if she truly believed him a stalker, he wouldn’t be standing here free, either making him bloody herself or dragging him to the prison. She had never bothered trying to find evidence of such and she needn’t go far to find reasons to arrest him, surely. Captain. The word stopped her in her tracks, ears tilting back as she stood motionless for a long few seconds before letting out an amused snort. He really was just a walking manchild, wasn’t he? Maybe Lia’s rationale didn’t seem too far from her own father’s, simply taking after him. He had no reason to use ranks to address her, for it was simply a habit to show respect in her own case. Addressing one by prestige was typical in the army and if she didn’t know a title or one lacked such entirely, she usually reverted to the next respectful address she could muster. Sir and Lady perhaps the most common she fell back on. “You are not my subordinate and I’m no Captain anymore,” she stated calmly, even. She felt no shame in admitting it, it was her own choice after all. The pause of silence wouldn’t last long. “You're a very lonely man, aren’t you?” She wanted him to be forthright instead of tip toeing by saying things of similar value, to simply admit why he wasn’t chasing her when he very much was tailing her even as she spoke now. There was hope within him that he wouldn’t be chased away, or he’d not demand her words to usher him to leave. Maybe he liked the misery, to be banished by another woman. Or was it fear of it happening again? Do I remind you of your mother; do you hope not to be cast away a second time? The thought danced in her mind but even she couldn't be so cruel as to say it out loud. Am I Beautiful As I Tear You To Pieces table by rae - image by Lunicea |
Professor
born under The Eldritch
8 years old
Male
Small
valerian
Mainlander
Rionna
encounters
Essie
I can stay away if you want me to I can wait for years if I gotta Heaven knows I ain't getting over you
“I’m being harsh, I get it,” she admitted. Khepri wanted to agree with her aloud, but he didn't say anything at all. She was oftentimes harsh with him, but with the way she viewed him it was no wonder when he really thought about it. He felt like some insignificant bug, scratching at her skin and causing her irritation. Then again, he felt like that during most of his interactions with others, little more than a nuisance. |
born under The Rivals
8 years old
Female
Extra Small
Fresh Snow
Lowlander
Rionna
Broken Skulls
Lunar
SIF ASGAUT
Her ears drew back as he offered her the same condolences, not sure what to say or do for the simple fact it was purely new to her. Part of her wanted to say the most important rested here, buried by the water before them but even she couldn’t be fully certain of that. A promise Diluc had made after taking her away from here, she never saw it actually happen nor did she try to swim to the bottom to see if there were a whole house of corpses. It was simply her family’s way of a burial into the waters where they would be sent to rest in Valhalla and Fólkvangr or in the worse cases Helheim should they not be seen as worthy. If her wishes had not been made, she feared their souls still being trapped here, unable to move on and could only wonder where the capital might have put them. She clung onto the hope, that belief that Diluc had kept his word for the Helvig also practiced such a funeral ritual even though their beliefs had long since strayed from the gods and goddesses after acculturation to the Mainlands.
She could only offer Khepri a weak smile, depression and stress not well hidden in that moment as her thoughts acted harshly against her in those sparking doubts. In the end, that hope would prevail but it would take a few daunting seconds to do so. As for his comment about missing nothing, it sounded like she had simply been wrong on having any connection to his in-law. To her that was a shame, especially with how high she regarded the late colonel, her former commander. If it wasn’t for him offering her a place in his ranks, who knows if she’d even be alive anymore and if she was, what further horrors she may have faced while so young. “No.” There wouldn’t be a beat missed to answer his question about her loyalties falling from the army. “No, I have not left the army; I refuse to take retirement as an option. I simply changed positions. Having left the ranks to take a job closer to home, among other reasons. I’m an Executioner now. More or less serving the King’s will on poor unfortunate yet deserving souls that have crossed a line too far to return to society,” she replied, her lip curling a little at the end. Punishment on those with crimes far too horrid to ever be forgiven again but that didn’t mean she just acted as an obedient hound either. She was also there to make sure such punishment was justified, to make sure someone destroying a flower bed of a noble wasn’t put to death for such a petty crime. “That isn’t to say it will remain that way for me much longer,” she said a little more quietly, knowing the army ranks grew restless and she might be forced back to her old position soon. She wouldn’t say it aloud, however, knowing the return of Jacob was a topic most didn’t take well to. She could only hope the fears of war would never come to light so soon after the last. The admission of being lonely softened her eyes a little, slowly turning toward him again so she may see his face, observing him as he gave another apology. After a bit of harmonious silence, she would take steady steps toward him till they weren’t so far apart, being the one to invade his space this time. “I can remedy some of your loneliness but one thing, Khepri,” she started out soft but his name held a strain to it. “You keep off my doorstep when uninvited and leave my daughter out of our affairs. Understand?” Stern while her gaze was unwavering, certain he could figure out what may become of him if he went against that warning. What had bothered her more than anything about him was that day he did both about a year ago. He was only lucky he simply spooked Aurora or his guts would have been torn asunder from his body well before now. Am I Beautiful As I Tear You To Pieces table by rae - image by Lunicea |
Professor
born under The Eldritch
8 years old
Male
Small
valerian
Mainlander
Rionna
encounters
Essie
I can stay away if you want me to I can wait for years if I gotta Heaven knows I ain't getting over you
When he heard her say she took a new position he was not expecting the one she told him -- Executioner. Khepri tried to swallow, but a lump formed in his dry throat. Why anyone would want such a job was beyond him. Khepri had never been fit to kill, and that was why he'd been banished. He was too kind or too weak as his mother saw it. He did not enjoy hurting others and with a job in the Army it was inevitable. "Ah, I... I see." he managed, fumbling over his words as if he didn't even know how to use them... and he didn't, for the moment. The mention that that might change later made him think of the looming war overhead. With Jacob's return, Khepri felt it was going to happen one way or another. He just hoped it didn't, but hope didn't get you very far here in Rionnach. |
born under The Rivals
8 years old
Female
Extra Small
Fresh Snow
Lowlander
Rionna
Broken Skulls
Lunar
SIF ASGAUT
His reaction would be well noticed, feeling like she could physically touch the distress that poured off of him, potent as it was to the point it affected his speech as well. “I don’t expect you to understand… you’re a healer not a killer but no matter what position I take in this career I will be taking lives. I prefer them truly to be criminals and not just someone fighting for a belief or following an order, if I have a choice in the matter,” she explained gently, watching him while drawing a breath in. She wouldn’t be surprised if some of the wolves she killed in the war were nothing more than children and to say those that follow Jacob were all inherently evil would be a foolish thought. Most were fine people but prejudice she could not deny even she held when she scented the coat of a Highlander, though that wasn’t fully the reason she shifted positions either. She kept being sent North and it would force her to walk through that forest. She needed a break from the trauma. It rekindled every time her foot touched its soil but she wasn’t about to tell her commander such a thing.
She paused for a long few seconds, debating on saying anything of the sort. What were the chances he’d judge her for not wanting to go there? He always wanted to help, he stated so every time she crossed his path just as he did today. Ears would fold before glancing at him, hesitant to utter what was on her mind. “Plus I-” she broke off, suddenly feeling a bit vulnerable but he had already seen her at her worst, too broken to function. Could he really view her any worse than when she was broken down crying and paralyzed? Why was she remembering this now? Probably because he was a reminder of the bad and that none of it was a dream. It had all been real. She’d take in another breath, trying a second time to get the weight off her chest. “I’ve been avoiding the forest as much I can,” she finally admitted, unable to look at him as she said it, feeling weak on more than one level. It didn’t feel any less heavy to confess it, feeling instant regret in doing so. It was no surprise he didn’t back away from her, he never was one to do so, if anything he usually cut off the distance more but this once he seemed to be allowing her full choice in how close they got. His acceptance of her wishes made her tail sway content behind her, though she found his question peculiar. “No, no, of course not. If she comes to you that’s a whole different story. Aurora is a timid, delicate girl. It doesn’t take much to give the poor thing a heart attack and asking for me only makes her ask too many questions. It’s not everyday someone looks for me outside of the guild.” The child was always curious about her mother’s life and she didn’t want to answer any of the things the girl inquired. “Understand it’s also for your safety not to approach my home. Those I live with aren’t so forgiving to what they would perceive as a commoner touching their land,” she said softly, eye half lidded. If he trespassed, there was no telling what they would do to him, never ones to let others parade around their bit of territory within Castle Stuart without punishment. Am I Beautiful As I Tear You To Pieces table by rae - image by Lunicea |
