Closed Your Place or Mine? (Thane)

[Zhol]

|.

There is was: the rebuttal; the Inartan resistance to change. The Inartan prejudice towards the different. The Inartan hostility towards everything that they saw as beneath them.

It was hypocrisy, Zhol supposed, to expect progression and change. It had been the same in Endrykas, when the horsefolk's traditions jarred with the sense of morality that his mother had worked to hard to instil in him. He had no right to expect anyone, much less an entire culture, to conform to match his sensibilities: and yet deep down in his core he still did regardless. No matter how much he tried to respect their laws and practices, there were some things that a human being - that a living, sentient soul - simply should not do to another. Perhaps it was that, more than anything else, that made him feel as if he did not belong.

He withdrew his hand, and conceded the argument as lost, for now. There was something about this Inartan that seemed different to the others; a chink in the armour of his resolve; or perhaps just because his views corresponded with Inartan opinion, it did not necessarily mean he conformed to them exactly. He seemed more affected by this Chiet's death than any responsible Avora he had ever seen - and with the riots such a short time ago, Zhol had seen more than a few Avora in that position - and if his words were taken at face value, it almost sounded as if he were concerned more for the success and wellbeing of the Chiet that Zhol had sent to the stables, rather than merely dismissive of his skills. Zhol amended his opinion, and studied the man more closely.

"Zhol," he replied, giving his name as requested. "But you shouldn't dwell on what you can't control. If the Chiet returns, this pony will need to be out of the way so that the mules he and Kami bring can be put to work; and if he does not, nothing is gained if we merely wait and wallow."

Zhol turned back to the mountain pony, another reassuring rest of his hand against her flank. "Easy, girl," he said softly in Pavi, as much an answer to Thane's scathing earlier question as it was a reassurance for the equine. "We'll have you out of this harness and out of the tunnels soon enough."

He glanced back to Thane. "Well?" he asked, a hint of impatience in his voice. "Are you just going to sit there and let the Outsider clean up after your messes on his own, or are you actually going to help make up for them?"

"Pavi" | "Common" | "Nari" | "Symenos"
This template was made by Khara. She was bribed with coffee and jammy dodgers.

[Thane]

uggggghhh

At that moment, Thane's natural eagerness to continue arguing lost its vigor. It was time to hear out someone's ideas and agree to the point where he'd lose a sliver of his own pride. Thane wasn't originally in favor of Zhol nor his entire presence for an outsider. The only thing which forced himself to trust the man was the current morbidity--which was the wreckage that unraveled for only a nick of time and also, the dead body.

Zhol. Thane's thoughts lingered towards the man's name for a while, thinking if it was acceptable for his own Drykas kind. Truth to be told, the Drykas were only the few people Thane knew little about outside Wind Reach. He remembered meeting one, a traveler if he would assume. It was roughly known and Thane just heard numerous chatters about the man fetching some supplies for the purpose of resuming his journeys. Thane never gave himself the chance to know the man as he was always callously blunt towards people who doesn't concern him.

Continuing to let his mind open for his own comprehension of the common language, Thane was quite unsettled upon lending his ears to the next waves of chatter following by.

"Easy, girl," Thane sharpened his observation, determined to decode the flow of speech as they were spoken. "We'll have you out of this harness and out of the tunnels soon enough." After that, Thane assumed Zhol was conversing to the horse as his actions proved it was obvious. He also looked at the animal, slowly sinking himself to the poor state it winded.

Thane's attention was immediately pulled once Zhol hoisted a hint for a help request. As he was always reluctant towards helping, Thane actually found it much easier to go through a simple agreement rather than offering a refusal. Once after he decided an affirmative response within a split second, Thane hurriedly shuffled towards the horse. He looked narrowly at the harness, seeing as it was somehow tightening the animal's breathing. He hastily ruminated for a quick, possible action to remove the harness without having the horse erupt to a panic. Sadly, there wasn't an idea popping out on the next following ticks but somehow, Thane assumed that Zhol already had one.

"So now I'm trying to help you out."Thane was still unwilling to look at the person he was talking to as his sights swung towards the horse.

"Just tell me what I can possibly do. You're the expert here, so I....trust you." The last words that were spoken out proved to be quite a challenge, or at least just for his own problems on trust. Thane waited for Zhol to give him orders while his mind tried its best to sweep away the urge to argue back.

[Zhol]

|.

Trust was not something the Inarta usually offered to an outsider such as himself, and so Zhol accepted it willingly, and without question. He hesitated before providing an answer though, scrutinising the situation to ensure that he had something useful to say.

The more he observed, the more clear it was what had happened: as the cart had toppled, the two wooden bars that protruded from the front and allowed the horse to heft the cart's weight had twisted with it, and swept the pony off her feet. One bar had broken from it's impact with the ground, the fragments lying somewhere underneath where the pony lay; the other was intact but, slightly higher up the incline that the pony and cart had been attempting to climb, It pressed down heavily against the pony's flank, and made it impossible for her to free herself without also lifting the bulk of the cart's overloaded weight.

Zhol considered the options. Horses weren't as flexible as humans; she couldn't simply twist, roll, or crawl her way out the way a person might have. Her only option would be some kind of frantic shuffle along the ground, perhaps using her hooves against the tunnel wall for purchase, until she'd managed to move the few feet it would take to escape the cart and hopefully stand. It would be tricky, but Zhol didn't doubt for a second that the terrified creature would exploit any slight opportunity they gave her for freedom.

Standing for a moment so that he could move behind the pony, he returned to a crouch and studied the intact bar, trying to work out the best place to get purchase. He hooked his arms beneath, taking the bar in the crook of his elbows, and with his head gestured for Thane, and the Dek who'd come to fetch Zhol, to move to the opposite side and do the same. Out of the corner of his eye he was conscious of the danger that the pony's legs posed to him personally; Thane and the Dek in no immediate danger, but if things turned sour and the pony started kicking too frantically, his legs could end up in considerable peril.

"We need to lift this," he explained, reinforcing the plan to his two assistants. "We need to ease the weight off her, just enough to get herself free."

"Pavi" | "Common" | "Nari" | "Symenos"
This template was made by Khara. She was bribed with coffee and jammy dodgers.

[Thane]

uggggghhh

Without delaying himself further, Thane affirmed the command with a single nod before shuffling his way to the other side of the cart. He then positioned himself down to a crouch, carefully giving the overturned cart an analyzed scan. It took him a few seconds to study the horse's position and after that, went on to assist Zhol by contributing his strength to lift up the cart's weight. Sadly, due to the overloaded weight, the three of them may not successfully shift the cart on a balanced stand but after analyzing thoroughly, Thane saw possibilities wherein they could hoist the weight and let the horse free itself. Thane hoped that the creature would do it as soon as possible before any of them loses strength.

Suddenly, Thane felt as if he needed to give commands for the sake of the task. With a quick glance given to Zhol's companion, Thane gestured him to come over next to him. As the Dek swiftly moved over, Thane fastened his arms against the bar connecting from the horse's harness to the cart, clenching his fist when he felt the supposed weight to be lifted. This...will be quite difficult Thane's mind already concluded even though they haven't started yet.

"I need you to support the weight under as we lift these things." Thane's expression towards the Dek looked slightly indifferent as he delivered his command. The Dek nodded in response, then crouched down to position his arms on the cart's rear bottom. Afterwards, another nod was quivered towards Thane, giving an affirmative signal wherein the Dek was ready to do what he was assigned. Thane stared at Zhol, glancing to the bar where his arms were hooked.

"I hope our strengths will be enough for this." Thane said before taking a deep breath. He looked down at the horse, still hoping that it would react in time. A few ticks following by and Thane began to accumulate his strength, assuming that the first phase of the lifting would be pillared on his initial pull since he was on the cart's opposite side. He then took another breath, this time deeper and more compelling than the previous one as he felt his strength gathering towards his arms. "Ready? one, two, three......" With a sour grunt drawn to his face, Thane lifted the bar, assuming Zhol's support followed by. It was heavier than what he expected. It's as if he was bearing the entire weight of Mt. Skyinarta. Rapid drops of sweat gushed down from his forehead as he continued exerting all of his strength on his arms. His pale skin quickly reddened as he grumbled irregularly.

"Come.....on.....is...this..all you've....got?....Give...me another.....decent....lift!" Thane's words were loosely growled as he continued trembling from the heavy weight. He then heard a loud whimper on the rear side of the cart, only realizing that the Dek had been yielding every strength he could utilize for the task's progress. Thane didn't bother going through what Zhol has been struggling as he continued on providing force. Thane returned to crouch, recoiling to come back with a stronger pull. As he grunted while lifting the bar, he somehow felt the strength of what the others were applying which then gained a flick of slow, elevated motion on lifting the cart. Thane then glimpsed an unraveling progress of the cart's bars slowly moving away from the hooks supporting from the harness. He suddenly realized that he placed the Dek in a much more difficult situation, but he hoped that there wouldn't be accidents happening this time.

After a few pulls and lifts, what hindered the horse from freeing itself from the wreckage was now lifted up but was quite in risk seeing that the three of them placed the cart on hold a raised position wherein the horse could freely shuffle its way out. With their strengths maintained on providing a lift, they could only hope the horse would move as fast as it could. Unfortunately, it didn't and seeing that Thane wasn't very happy about it made him utterly furious.

"Move! you.....obno...xious....creature!" Thane stammered a bit on his words. It wasn't quite enough, obviously to Thane's knowledge that horses couldn't understand people's words. Continuous grunts followed by as Thane and the other two maintained the cart's standing. It was extremely tiring and Thane couldn't afford having his tunic flooded by anymore of his sweat. Then his mind snapped, erupting a volatile reaction towards the horse's sluggish movements. Thane growled angrily. His voice was enough to thunder an echo throughout the mines. Within a few seconds, he might lose his grip on what he was lifting. However, the growl alone made the horse move. Its hind legs shuffled through the ground as it provided a limped movement to grasp some distance forward. Afterwards, the horse attempted a slow trot with its other leg staggering irregularly. It moved to a decent spot enough to keep a few distance away from the cart, then as it snorted, legs were folded, bringing down to a squat where it lied on the ground to rest from the injuries.

Thane released his hold of the cart, stepping away as it clapped down the ground. He then gasped for breath before traveling his sights to see if Zhol and the Dek were in a steady condition. After seeing that they were alright, he gave a nod, gesturing for having the task accomplished. Thane continued gasping for breath then stared at Zhol. "I will not lift something like that again" After a huff, his sights trekked its way towards the injured horse. "So, I guess you'll be dealing with that" Thane pointed to the horse's view "Excuse me for what I've said earlier if it somehow offended your sympathy for horses" Though intended to be said, adding a pinch of sincerity in his apologetic excuse felt quite uncomfortable.

[Zhol]

|.

"That's grass behind us," Zhol replied, shrugging off Thane's apology. He was glad the shrug was only verbal; after that struggled effort, if he didn't move his arms again until the end of time, it would still be too soon. It occurred to him that his idiom was a distinctly Drykas expression, and probably translated poorly for a mountain-dwelling Inarta. Water under the bridge didn't seem all that Wind Reach friendly either. Wind that has been and gone? Leaves that have already fallen?

He gave up; if the Inarta didn't understand, Zhol was in no position to resolve that just now. He did however appreciate the sincerity and sentiment of Thane's words, and delved into his fragmented command of Nari for a suitable response. "Thank you," he said, with a grateful bow of his head; he didn't know the Nari word for forgiveness, but he hoped the point made it across.

Retreating from Thane and the Dek and leaving them in peace to recover, he retrieved his discarded satchel of healing supplies and moved to where the pony had positioned itself, a short distance from the scene of the accident. She shifted uncomfortably as he approached, clearly in pain and distress, but in no condition to return to her feet and flee. "Easy girl, easy," he uttered softly, movements slow and visible as he crouched beside her, moving to the side that he had as yet been unable to inspect in search of obvious wounds. Obvious was an understatement; the breath caught in his chest as he saw the shard of blood-stained wood lodged deep into the pony's flank. It looked to have missed anything too vital, he noted with relief, but had found it's way between her ribs, and lodged itself in the flesh there. The fur immediately surrounding was already drenched with crimson; he couldn't be sure if blood had been oozing from it the entire time, or if her escape had dislodged clotting that had already occurred.

He considered his options. Kami was by far the better healer, but as Thane's concerns attested, the mines and the stables weren't exactly close. It could be only a few more chimes before Kami arrived; it could be over a bell, especially if she wasn't easy to find when the Chiet arrived. Realisation of Zhol's shortsightedness dawned: Kami had been giving riding lessons when he'd left; that's why he had come instead of her. If she was busy, or worse, if she had left the stables entirely, and the Chiet wasn't able to find her at all -

Zhol grimaced. His mind had run off on a worst case tangent, but that worst case was too severe for him to err on the side of hope and optimism. He unfastened the satchel and began to rummage through it for supplies: clean linen, and a small bottle of water to clean out the wound; another small bottle that a quick unscrew of the cap and sniff confirmed was neat alcohol, to help flush out infection; a batch of an almost edible-looking white paste with the faintest hint of green, made from the sap of a plant that had natural numbing properties; and a thicker, darker paste, almost like tar, to seal the wound and protect it from water and the air until the flesh beneath had a chance to heal.

There was one thing missing though: a way to seal the blood vessels that were so clearly leaking. It would help no one if he were to stop the pony's wound from bleeding out, only to leave her bleeding internally. He might as well open an artery in her throat if he was going to do that; at least she'd die quicker and suffer less discomfort in the meanwhile. No, if he planned on saving her, he needed to seal those vessels and, staring at his hands and wincing at the memory of seeing something similar done with a hot iron back in Endrykas, he stared at his hands and knew what he needed to do.

He began with the water and the linen, clearing the worst of the blood surrounding the wound, and giving himself a better look at what was happening. Next came the anaesthetic paste, applied liberally and allowed to soak into the pony's flesh as much as possible; the more he could numb her against feeling pain, the better. His heart thumped in his chest, the rhythm altered to synchronise with the pony's laboured breaths. The slight whine that accompanied them began to subside; the paste was working. Small mercies.

Blowing out a breath, Zhol wiped the paste from his fingers with a spare square of linen, hoping to remove it before it began to affect his ability to feel as well. Flexing his fingers for a few moments, he reached for the wooden shard and, holding her flesh steady with one hand, began to slowly draw it out with the other. The pony flinched at first, but not enough to interfere with Zhol's efforts, and so he persisted. Blood began to well from the wound as the makeshift cork that had plugged it closed was removed, quickly spreading itself across Zhol's hands. He ignored it, working as swiftly as due care and attention would allow. When safely removed, he cast the wooden shard aside, and grabbed for the water first and then the alcohol, splashing both liberally into the wound. The pony's next flinch was considerably more violent, and wrenched a whinney of distress from her lungs; Zhol felt himself buffeted by her frantic movements, but refused to let himself be knocked away. "I'm sorry girl," he said, completely unable to keep the sadness from his voice, "But it's about to get a lot worse."

Closing his eyes, Zhol rifled through his mind for the meditation teachings he'd been practicing at the hideaway. He tried to remember what it was like there, no sound but the distant rumble of the lava pool; so little light; the air so still. Systematically he tried to block out his senses, pushing the mines away a piece at a time. Darkness filled his mind, and into it he allowed a simple image to form: a candle, the flame flickering with each breath. Slowly he added more detail; he pictured the melted wax, a small pool collecting around the lit wick, gently disturbed by the flame's movements; he imagined a small droplet escaping, a trail chasing it as it descended the candle's lengths. In his mind he took a hold of that droplet, and ushered it through his chest, into his shoulder, and down his arm.

His eyes opened, and he watched the inky res trace now familiar windmark patterns down his arm, seeping into the blood already coating his palm. Carefully, maintaining as much focus as he could muster, he moved his hand beside the wound and coaxed the res to trickle in, guiding it past the jagged edges that the wooden shard had torn and into the void beyond. He let it change, the liquid dispersing, expanding into a gas to fill the available space. He shuffled backwards, as far as he dared; as far as he could without the res slipping from his control. "I'm sorry," he said again, softly, before allowing his mind to think one simple thought.

Fire.

The sound that the pony unleashed transformed into a terrifying, blood-curdling scream, that chilled Zhol to his very core. A flash of flame and a puff of smoke erupted from the wound; combined with the sound, the inputs assaulted his quieted mind, and Zhol recoiled backwards, elbow slamming against the rocky ground and sending a surge of shock shooting up his arm. The pony whined and panted, trying to kick it's way towards standing, but found itself unable; Zhol fought his way past the sickening feeling in his arm and the pain already clustering between his eyes, and threw himself in the pony's direction, snatching at the numbing paste and scooping as much into the cauterized wound as he could, before the burns truly had time to finish forming. The smell of cooking flesh assaulted his nostrils, and the pony couldn't stay still no matter how hard she tried; but he ignored it, tried to pin her steady with his considerably lesser wait, a smeared a liberal application of the sealant paste across the wound.

Panting he fell back, struggling for breath in sync with the pony. She twisted and turned, trying to see what tortures the human had inflicted to her; but within a chime the numbing paste began to do it's worst; each ragged breath slowed, each movement became less frantic; a few more, and her distress had subsided to whispered sobs, an almost mournful look cast in Zhol's direction when she realised where he was.

"You'll be okay," he struggled out, silently hoping that he wouldn't be proven a liar. Shuffling backwards, he slumped against the tunnel wall, suddenly overcome with exhaustion.

"Pavi" | "Common" | "Nari" | "Symenos"
This template was made by Khara. She was bribed with coffee and jammy dodgers.

[Thane]

uggggghhh

For the next following ticks, Thane's thoughts grumbled towards the unlikeliness that unraveled before his eyes. Magic was a vastly rare practice within Wind Reach but the concept of it wasn't very strange to his level of knowledge. The sight of it alone gave an alarming caution. It was now clear that the man was capable of something and no matter how the situation ended up in a serene state, Thane's watchfulness sharpened. The books he had read about magic had influenced his beliefs on the people practicing it. Since then, he viewed magic as something often abused for power and glory, as to attain something out from greed. Of course, he wouldn't come into a quick conclusion wherein he would see Zhol as particularly evil and menacing but his eyes remained intact to monitor any strange actions.

The terrified whines of the horse was almost unbearable. Enduring it for a substantial amount of time wouldn't be possible for Thane's tolerance. There was just something about the sound which triggered his revulsion towards animals. But noticing the next action applied to the creature, Thane immediately turned away from the revolting outburst of the mended wound. He didn't even bother going through it even when the practice of magic was present.

After it all ended, Thane remained watchful. His mind swam through a pool of questions, each of them demanding to be asked. However, his sharp observance didn't slip from his senses as it may open a few suspicious possibilities. Still, he wanted to ask. It would most likely be effective if it was to be done in a slow pace. Thane took a mental note out of it and slowly approached where Zhol had rested himself. The horse was quietly weeping in pain but the overall process was somehow successful for the prevention of any other worst case scenario.

Thane cleared his throat as he neared Zhol. His mind weighing only insusceptible queries "That was...." For a moment, he quickly ran out of words to say even when he just began. Thane mentally cursed his incompetent brain. "....quite, strange" Finally figured something to describe the previous display, he sighed in relief, knowing that he wouldn't possibly be stuttering for the next following conversations.

"I honestly did not expect someone like you to be possessing that kind of.....sorcery" He paused for a while, slightly unsure if that was the right term to attach.

After a long pause, and a quick observant glance to the sight of the different materials used on the magic display, Thane decided that it might be necessary for him to be direct on his point as he was growing quite suspicious.


"Actually, just to be honest, I'm beginning to suspect you. I don't want to sound bad-mannered but what are your businesses here, in Wind Reach?" Thane went back to his unwelcoming mood. "That thing I just saw isn't a very common sight. Are you aware of what might happen if something like that goes out of hand?" Thane's eyes flicked a cold expression but it was somehow giving a hint of concern towards the well-being of the man. He was actually worried, if he would admit within himself. There was just a strong dislike of trouble which he clearly didn't desire to see. The accident and the death was too much and Thane didn't wish for more.

[Zhol]

|.

Are you aware?

It was as if Thane had asked Zhol whether he knew what colour the sky was. It was as if he'd asked whether Zhol realised his leg had been severed. It was as if he'd forged a lance of ironic truth and speared Zhol clean through the heart.

Zhol's eyes stayed closed as he tried to pick out which of the voices belonged to Thane. It should have been easy: Thane was speaking aloud, whereas the others were whispers; somehow they seemed louder though, more persistent, more intense. They were all too familiar; all too painful; dredged from the depths of his psyche to confuse and torment him as much as possible. He heard Yahalla, his youngest sister, her voice half consumed by a gasp of breathless wonder, marvelling at the impossible miracle he'd just performed, begging him with eagerness to show him more. He heard Lillah, the eldest, the sibling he respected most, expressing her pride and inviting him to earn more. He heard Dinah, his twin, gently reassuring, urging him not to give up, not to stop practicing the gift they shared, that made them even more of the same.

Worse than the whispers was the feeling they created; the elation, the euphoria, the way his heart swelled at the mere thought of his actions earning their respect and praise; the anxious realisation that if he stopped, he might lose that. The whispers grew louder, more persistent, more intense. Their gentle suggestions became outright pleas; they begged him to continue; they needed him to continue. Please help me. Don't fail me. You're letting me down.

Zhol fought back, reaching to the corners of his mind for the most painful memories to use as weapons. Yahalla's face as she'd stood there, Zhol's hands wreathed in fire, their pavilion, their home, turning to ashes around him; the way she'd cowered behind her father, fled as far from Zhol as he could get; the rage and hate in Darda's eyes; the pain in Zhol's heart as he was ripped away from everything he knew and loved, and left alone in the cold and the dark. Are you aware? He chanted that phrase in his mind like a mantra.

Are you aware?

His eyes snapped open, his gaze finding Thane in an instant; the voices subsided, slightly. "Painfully aware," Zhol shot back. There was an edge of his words, and none of the gentle tone that usually graced them. "Just as you're now aware what happens to a minecart when greed gets in the way of good sense."

The words were harsher than anything Zhol would normally have said, but he didn't regret them; not for now, at least. Stiffly, he climbed his way back to his feet, a dull ache permeating every joint, and lingering at the core of every bone. He squared himself off in front of Thane, his gaze locked on the man's eyes. "I made a mistake, and it will haunt me for the rest of my days. My business in Wind Reach is atoning for that, and making sure that I never allow myself to be the cause of anything like it again."

His gaze shifted for a brief moment, glancing past Thane to the cart. "After today," he mused, "That seems like something the two of us might have in common."

"Pavi" | "Common" | "Nari" | "Symenos"
This template was made by Khara. She was bribed with coffee and jammy dodgers.

[Thane]

uggggghhh

Thane held himself back, still fighting the urge to bicker against Zhol's point. He had to, though he couldn't muster up a reasonable explanation behind it. There was just something about the man which Thane wanted to know further, as much as how curios he recently became since the display of magic was exposed.

"Hey, don't bring that back in my head." Thane complained but sounding a bit friendlier. "I'm trying to escape that guilt and I know my mistakes well."

Looking back was something he didn't want to do. He continued to let his mind race towards something that was completely unrelated to the casualty. As there were streams of persistent guilt building up, they still managed to go back inside Thane's head. Insisting to linger around until he snaps himself out of his own mistakes. Fighting back was all he could do and even though it wasn't enough to relieve himself from the entire incident, it eased him from the moments when he felt collapsing.

He turned his head away from Zhol, glancing what's beyond the rocky walls. It seemed that the back-up was taking more time than what he had expected. Still, he had patience enlightening his wait even though he wanted to get everything done as soon as possible. Thane took note of what Zhol's purposes were. It was erratic for his own understanding, though he couldn't afford to contradict with it since he was holding his disputatious force. There was silence again following by and as those few moments passed, Thane managed to get a few distance beside Zhol. Ambling slowly, he leaned himself against the wall, crouching afterwards before he glanced at the horse. Still, he refused to look at Zhol since it would be quite awkward on doing so. He then found the sight of the Dek sitting a distant corner, presumably waiting for the supposed back-up.

"So you're running away? I don't want to judge you since I also made a mistake and felt responsible for it." Thane paused briefly, carefully thinking not to invite a hostile environment. "..But cowering away, I think it's not the best solution for it all. You need to go back to them if you're atoning your mistakes. That is of course, if they would still welcome you back."

He would've said the same for himself but it somehow helped him in the process. Perhaps he just needed to voice himself out.

"After today, That seems like something the two of us might have in common."

Thane turned his gaze to Zhol, setting his sights beside the outsider. "Possibly, I would agree but since I don't know your background, I suppose mine would be much more difficult to get out of." His gaze slowly drifted to the ground. Thane thought about the possibilities that might free himself from the incident.

"Probably quite late and excuse me if I haven't exchanged my name to yours but, my name's Thane. Nothing fancy, just Thane. T-H-A-N-E in your common language." Somehow, he felt as if the last part wasn't necessary but Thane wanted to prove how much he understood the common tongue unlike most Inarta.

Silence again followed throughout the next passing moments. Thane heaved a sigh, already concurring that the Chiet may not return anytime soon."And now we wait...."

[Zhol]

|.

"There's a difference," Zhol countered, as Thane made his judgement that he claimed was not one, "Between running away, and walking away."

Which one were you? his mind jeered unhelpfully, as Zhol tried to struggle his way to making a coherent point. The stab of aggression towards Thane had helped stun the whispering voiced in his mind towards silence, but now they began to creep back in as well, their encouragement and his subconscious jockeying to be the dominant voice in his mind. At least the whispers - arguably both less painful and more dangerous than some of the alternative side effects of overgiving - would subside eventually; but the constant condemnation of his father-voiced inner narrative sadly would not.

"Some mistakes, you need to stay and be held accountable for; to atone, to fix. Some mistakes can't be so easily repaired, though. Some accidents can't be undone, and can't be made up for or forgotten, no matter how hard you try. Some mistakes can only be made worse, even by the best of intentions."

Zhol wondered whose benefit these words were for: Thane, or his. You shouldn't run from responsibility, because if you start running, they'll never let you stop. But sometimes the only thing you can do is hitch up that guilt and responsibility onto your shoulders, and walk away. You don't run from it, you take it with you."

He gestured to the cart, the guilt that Thane was trying to escape from. "You can't run from what happened today. But, everyone knows the dangers when they work in these mines. Everyone knows the risks, and knows there's a chance they might not come back. It's the same with the Endal, or a hunter, or a game scout, when they go off into the Unforgiving. They know the risks. That Chiet knew the risks. His parents, if he even knew who they were, knew the risks. They accept those risks, because on some level, to them, this was better than the alternative."

His arms folded, a gentle breath escaping his lungs as he wondered if anything he was saying was helping in the slightest. "You can't undo what happened, Thane, and tidying the aftermath will only do so much. When that's all done, this is something you're going to need to walk, not run, away from. The guilt will come with you: but just like mine, it'll be a reminder to not let this happen again."

"Pavi" | "Common" | "Nari" | "Symenos"
This template was made by Khara. She was bribed with coffee and jammy dodgers.

[Thane]

uggggghhh

This person...definitely talks too much. Failing to notice Zhol's shot of aggressiveness, his attention was rather drawn towards what bothered him to annoyance. He clearly didn't want to delve into deeper conversations, but then again he was the one who sparked the light out of it with his incoherent judgement. As Zhol continued his speech, Thane followed by but wasn't completely taking note of each alleged statement. He wasn't the best listener, though he had to admit that there were a few points which eventually turned out to be true.

"I didn't say anything about running away," While gushing out from denial, Thane paused, finding the accurate words to say seeing that he was using the common language for a longer time than he realized. "I just....don't know how to handle this kind of situation. I have already experienced death happening before my eyes and since then, I'm always left clueless. I can't do anything even though I wanted to. I didn't want to leave but staying only gets the worst of it. And now this...." He fought back the guilt that was conquering his volition, but the surge of negativity was just overwhelming for him to handle at that moment. Thane glanced at the dead body while going back through the words he said about not running away.

He never stopped looking and refused to do so. His breaths started to throb heavily as he continued his gaze. There was an urge to look away but he fought back valiantly. It's as if he was fighting an invisible force formed by his own guilt. Regardless of how he developed a courage on taking a glimpse at the casualty, his mind was still being attacked. With constant thoughts circling around bearing negativity, there were voices that started to linger inside his mind. The voices were but a terror to Thane, each of them hurling sinister blames to his threat. All directing to nothing but his irresponsible actions. Thane couldn't continue on fighting, the grim whispers slowly screeched his courage and forced him to run away. But his mind wrestled with all the strength that it has. He wanted to believe that he could withstand it as he was able to do so against other people's criticisms.

Thane's concentration was shaken off with a single snort of the horse. Once he settled himself, he looked away from the sight of the casualty, knowing that he was ready to accept anything ranging from the accident. He then glanced at Zhol, observing the silence that he surprisingly left.

Walk away.

Somehow, Zhol's last words found themselves sticking to his mind. He lifted a small gasp of breath, fishing a suitable response in respect to Zhol.

"Well obviously I can't bring the dead back, even if I had the power, it's still not possible." He said, feeling the slight convenience developing in his speech. "But I'm sure there is something I can do to prevent any of these from happening."

For a second, he inched a bit closer to Zhol but not too close for his own comfort. "You may find this surprising but," He held his whispering tone for a while, again thinking of the right words to say. "Thank you. Your words somewhat, helped me just now." Trying to not sound sarcastic as he wasn't originally intending, Thane smiled but it was quite forced.