Closed [Hunters Allegiance] Dismissed missives (Taylani)

[Isedan Autumnrun]

The woman was extremely compliant. She did not rebuke; she did not resist; she did not argue or fight. She simply went with it. It was clear that her spirit had been severely broken by this mans death and though the situation she was now in was bad it did not seem to affect her the same way. Issy simply knew the agony of loss now...

And with the offer from this stranger she felt it all coming back to the surface again. She could feel her heart skipping violently inside her chest, her throat constricting and eyes blurring as tears swam in their grey-gold depths. The leash slipped from Isedan's fingers into her lap to cover her eyes as a great sob rose out of her breast now, her whole body shuddering as she leaned forward. The weight of the other woman's arm pulled her naturally against herand Issy found herself half-laying on Tay, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Why did they have to kill him!" She wailed. "He only wanted to protect me and I only went to see what was outside. I had heard something and they just took me and killed him! Gods, why? Wh-hah-hah-hhaaaiiyyyy!!" The Dynakuva whimpered at their feet, looking up sadly at them with his ears cocked to the sides and tail wagging, wanting to cheer this poor woman up too, her sad mood infectious. She sniffed hard, body shaking while she leaned against Tay. "H-hao can th-th-they do this? Don't they kn-know? It hurts s-s-so m-much, Taylani. I c-cannot feel him; th-they just killed him and n-n-now he is gone!"

She had wanted to ask about the lion she had encountered, but her mind had fixed onto the void she felt within. Part of the kelvic yearned to just let go of this world, but it would not have been what Lukyc would want. Instead, she simply cried and rocked, devastated and angry.

ooc She's so pathetic...

[Taylani]

Taylani shifts naturally as the weight of the other woman leaned against her, her dancers training kicking in to help her to achieve balance with the added weight. Her thin arms hold the other woman's shuddering shoulders, her nimble fingers stroking the dark hair.

She did not respond to the woman's wails, assuming they were simply a release of emotion instead of Isedan actually thinking she knew the answers. Taylani made soothing noises, wishing she had a scrap of cloth or perhaps a kerchief to give to the woman. She does not know what to say or what to do to comfort the girl, only what she had wished for herself in her grief.

So she simply is there, stroking her hair, holding her shuddering body, murmuring sounds that were not really words that were suppose to sooth. All Taylani could think about was that her own situation, while not pleasant paled in comparison to the other girls. Yet the other girl could not possibly survive in this condition, not out here. Fallan was not lying when he had told her that Drykas had a hard life to live.

"You need to make a decision. A decision to either pick yourself up and ...move on with your life as best as you can. Or that it is too hard to pick yourself up and move on...in which I would suggest you cut it quickly and go." Her words were harsh, but her voice soft to take the edge off, "However you have to think on what he would want. Would he want you to live, tormented and sorrowful. Or would he want you to live, and move on? Or would he not mind if you threw it away and ..just ran..?"

[Isedan Autumnrun]

There was tenderness in the girl that was needed and greatly accepted as the woman let it out. She just let it all out as she had so often done once the initial horror of the ordeal had lifted before putting her nearly back into that catatonic state she had been in the first twenty days at the camp. And then, a choked snort came as she bent, half-trembling, against Taylani's side.

"You do not understand. How can you, you are just human." That was an odd thing to say. Isedan wiped at her nose once more before letting it flop down so that the back of her hand lay atop the others thigh, she staring blanky ahead. "What he would want is me." Her face contorted in agony again and it looked as if she might break down once more before she swallowed it down a little. "He would want for this to have never happened and to be alive so that we could continue our hunting, continue to ply our trade and sell our kills and love each other. But they killed him and it is so hard to keep going, Taylani for I desperately want to just let go and see if maybe I can catch up to him...wherever he has gone...Maybe remake the bond...or find a way to bring him back." Which was ridiculous, of course.

Groaning, Isedan pushed off of her and leaned her head against the canvas behind her, eyes sliding closed so that she could block out the world. "If time could be taken back to that night...I would have stayed inside...and he would be alive and this...this would all be a dream. A very bad dream that I could wake from and forget." Recovery was going to be hard.

[Taylani]

For better or for worse, Taylani is not who coddles. In fact shortly before her auction she had advised the brother who came with his sister to stop coddling her and let her heal from her own emotional pain. It remains to be seen whether or not Taylani's lack of coddling skills is for Isedan's better or for her worse but, it is what it is. Taylani firmly believes in letting the cry come, and then bucking up and moving on. Comfort when needed, but not overindulge in the sorrow or pain. Otherwise there will be little of the girl left if she is allowed to remain in this shape.

"Well that is enough of that." Taylani says, still gently but not any less serious. "I might be just human.." Taylani pauses to really consider how odd that was to say, before continuing, "But I know pain. I know grief, and I know dangerous grief at that. You are doing nothing for him by wallowing in it. In fact if he loved you as much as you love him then he would definitely not want you catching up with him, or rather not want you living a miserable existence."

Taylani pauses, taking the time to adjust her skirts around her, before looking at the other overwrought woman. "The choices are the same, they never change. If you continue to live in the past, then your grief will kill you just as much as taking off, out there on the plains. The only difference is, taking off robs them of their desires, and is much quicker then dying from grief." Though she speaks again hard words, her hand reaches out to gently stroke the other girls' hair, "I just do not see you throwing away his life like that...for I know that he died trying to protect your life...not for you to just fling it away."

\

[Isedan Autumnrun]

Issy stared at her hands for the longest time now, tears still leaking from her eyes and splashing against her blouse, a large wet stain now apparent. "Grief...It is easy for you to equate this as grief. But it is so much more than words can show. Like the umbilical of life woven into your soul for all eternity...and with so little care cut and left to snap back to opposite ends, that connection gone in the blink of an eye to the one that holds is as much a part of you as you are to them. Hew knew me, Taylani...and I knew him. Love cannot define it but is a part of it. It is just...just the Bond. And now it is gone and I am lost. So lost..."

She moved a little away from the other woman, leaning forward to stroke a hand over the dogs head that had laid across both womens feet. The large ears perked again and that tail thump-thump-thumped. "It is torturous. We were so close to one another..." The woman shuddered heavily at the memory, her eyes closing and her form straightening away from the dog which had so far been complacent in his presence. He might make a fine protection dog, but his companionship qualities vastly outshone such.

"I haven't even the will to run..." Her eyes had drifted down the tent-line, knowing somewhere beyond the canvas and the ropes and the men, the grasses lay and freedom beyond. Yet, what freedom could there be for her when her heart remained trapped by the death of her bondmate? Again, Issy leaned back against the canvas, uncomfortable and ill from all the excitement of these past few chimes. "...but you cannot understand it. I would rather talk of something else if we are to talk at all." Provide the distraction, it was what she begged.

[Taylani]

Taylani lifts her hands, she has done what she could, the rest would be up to the other woman to drag herself from the pit of despair. Some did not ever bring themselves back, those who were too weak to shore up the hurts inside, or simply had no will to do so. Then there were those who were like Taylani, who take hurts and sadness, bitterness and rage and built up a shell that surrounds their spirit who in the end found their spirit caged and trapped behind their protection.

Taylani does not say what she is thinking, that Isedan is letting the Drykas win. Letting them have her body as a living incubator, and then they will have her life. Some captives are no longer captives, Taylani knows this, but she can not understand how they can come to ...live the Drykas way of life. Were their lives so pale in comparison that they were happy to throw their lot in with those who had kidnapped them? Taylani can not say, but she did not think that discussion would be something that would be helpful to Isedan.

"The man who purchased me. He is not unreasonable, considering." Taylani begins, snorting a little as she realizes her words, "The scary part is, the more often I say that the less...offensive it is to say. Not quite as horrifying, because it has become the normal." It is good for Taylani to speak of these things out loud instead of laying their in his bedroll pulled against him trying to sleep but the thoughts would not quit whirling. However she brings herself around and remembers to whom she speaks, trying to find a lighter subject.

Unfortunately Taylani can not think of a single thing to say, that didn't sound inane, stupid, or insipid in the light of things.

\

[Isedan Autumnrun]

And so, perhaps it was time to bid adieu to Tay for the time being. Issy had spent enough time lingering as it was and if Corsal or Tudav, or the worse Cotice were searching for her, it would be better to be at the pavilion when they were than roaming the city aimlessly with this new (and useless) dog (pet).

Looking sideways at the other as she mentioned the worse of what it was being here. It was absurd but not disagreeable. Issy even nodded a little, looking down again at her hands. "I should get back, though. For what it is worth, I appreciated the time you took to...to talk. It was generous, the efforts. I'm sure we'll see each other around again." Another of those wan smiles as she got to her feet finally, kneeling a moment to grab the leash once more.

"Come on, dog, let's go." Issy did spare a look back to the other woman, an awkward wave of parting given. "Goodbye Taylani."

OOCWoo! I have /never/ finished a thread in one day before!

[Taylani]

Standing as the other stands, Taylani smooths the skirts of her plain garment before straightening. Her face impassive as she is bid farewell by Isedan. She does not speak her thoughts out loud, but in the calm but resignation reads clearly on her face as she doubts that the other would last very long in the camp if she did not choose to pull herself out of the depression she was in. Taylani has been wrong many times before, and being kidnapped definitely has not given her great insight in the emotional toll of grief, but she has seen enough to know that Fallan was right when he said Endrykas life was hard.

Instead of speaking on this she lifts her hand in a farewell before turning to return back to the Amethyst clan pavilions. She has been given another piece to the Drykas puzzle, a disturbing piece to be sure but a piece. It will give her many things to think upon as she is struggling for sleep tonight.

OOCYes, simple meet and greets tend to not be very long anyways, though the fact that rapid back and forths speed threads along. Have fun in Endrykas!

[Praetorian]

Isedan

Observation	+2 XP
Rhetoric	+3 XP

• Taylani: A Kindred Captive
• Taylani of Syliras, the Dancer

Loot :

1 Dynakuva

Taylani

Observation	+3 XP
Rhetoric	+4 XP

• Isedan: A Kindred Captive
• Isedan of Syliras, the Hunter
• Isedan: The Unmarried Widow

Notes :

Good job, guys! Great social thread exploring different reactions to being a captive. Not as much to give skill-wise, but that was not the aim of this thread, aye? Always so lovely to see characters focus on their story. Keep it up!

Have any questions, comments, or concerns? Feel free to message me.