Flashback [Nettle District] On the Verge

[Sigrun Dominic]

She listened to Khal'iah's words intently, her eyes pooling with tears that she struggled hard to hold back. She breathed in and out slowly, deeply, keeping her eyelids still as she absorbed the man's words of advice, feeling the weight in her chest increasing in pressure. She knew. She knew what she had to do, what she should've been doing all this time, and what she shouldn't have done in the first place. She understood the consequences of her actions, and even though on occasions, as she drank herself to sleep, she felt the fear of death hit her like a knife to the stomach, she continued on past all the moments of hesitation. She did the wrong thing willingly, because while she knew it wasn't the answer, it was all she was willing to do. "You have four lives that were stolen from you...but you should not rob yourself of life because they are gone." "Stolen," she thought, her eyes scanning the carpet, "Stolen." She repeated the words again and again in her mind, until it no longer sounded like an actual word, but instead a mix of letters, of vowels and consonants. "It should've been me," she thought, as she remembered Sigmund slowly losing his breath as his sickness choked the life out of his lungs. "It shouldn't have happened," she furrowed her brows, tears finally flowing down her cheeks as she recalled the way the light left her mother's eyes when her brother was born, and how the same thing happened to her father's. The only thing left of Philipp Dominic after the death of his wife was a hollow husk of a body that moved more like a puppet rather than a person. He became a stranger in their home, and once he'd realized that, he fled. "He should've stayed," she whispered almost inaudibly, wistfully, referring to Francis, who'd disappeared after a brief fight between them. He was her one and only friend, and with him gone she had to carry the burden of caring for her younger brother alone. "You have to live in their stead." "I have to live," she repeated, as her vigor and will to survive made a sudden comeback. She needed to live for Sigmund, most of all, as he had the most potential; he had the brightest future. It was put out by a horrible, debilitating ailment. "I have to live." She said it softly, distantly as she stared into space. She took Khal'iah's hand and rose from the bed, her eyes still fixated on something past the violet-skinned man's form. "And maybe I can talk some sense into you." She remained silent for a moment, her eyes glazed over, although she was no longer crying. She remembered the first time Sigmund had learned how to speak, and how she felt as if she could feel her own mother around whenever she looked into his bright blue eyes, which were the same color as hers. She remembered the time she spent with her mother and father when she was much younger, and how much in love they'd been and how she had inspired to have a romance as passionate as theirs. All hope of a happy life dwindled after each precious person disappeared. It felt almost impossible to rise up from the floor on an emotional level, but as she turned to Khal'iah and looked into his eyes, she decided that it wouldn't hurt to depend on someone again, after such a long time. "Alright," she said, smiling softly, "let's go. My head is pounding."

[Khal'iah]

As the heartfelt words escaped the violet-skinned warrior's lips, a coldness gripped the pit of his stomach in response to what he saw. His shimmering eyes beheld her reaction and he mentally began to berate himself for his immense failure. The coldness, the sensation that manifested in response to the woman's visible sorrow, only grew with each passing moment as the sadness became more and more physically apparent. Her eyes pooled with waters and her breath became heavy. The waters soon spilled over and ran down her cheeks, and silence ruled her. Then, just as the Akalak could feel no lower; as his careful selection of what to say had obviously failed in its directive, she whispered something along the lines of "He should've stayed." The words were so quiet, an almost inaudible whisper, that his ears strained to hear them. He had no idea what she meant by that, but he dared not inquire... Then, as if an unseen fuel was poured upon a dwindling flame, her resolve made a sudden resurgence. The woman boldly proclaimed an affirmation to all that he had said, putting his heartfelt "speech" into four simple words: "I have to live." With that said, she accepted his outstretched hand and ascended from the bed. From there, she was silent once more, a fact that sent additional chills running down the Akalak's spine for fear of her allowing more tears to fall. This fear was only solidified by her looking past him, as if transfixed on something that was behind him...but her attention soon returned to his eyes and she offered him a soft smile. This gesture, he returned warmly with a toothy grin of his own. He relinquished her hand and opened the door for her, akin to a true gentleman. "Excellent, after you." he said, making a comedic bow and motioning in an over-the-top manner for her to go on through.

[Sigrun Dominic]

It was as if the rest of her night was brightened, the moment she saw Khal'iah smile. Sigrun's lips broke into an even wider grin as he let go of her hand and went over to the door to open it for her. She'd never once been treated in such a way. "Excellent, after you," the violet-skinned man said as he took a bow by the side of the doorway. Sigrun laughed, touching her fingers to her lips as she struggled with her emotions. "Thank you, good sir," she said shyly, giving him a polite curtsy as she went out into the corridor, "I believe the answer to this aching head is a lot of water? Or is it tea? I'm not sure." The truth was that she'd never experienced having to recover from drunkenness in the past, and thus knew nothing of how to recover from the aches and pains that came with it. She had always been maintaining her intoxicated stupor as much as she could for days, and was only now attempting to fully recover. Sigrun put a hand to her head, massaging her temples before reaching over to her dry throat. She licked her lips and turned to Khal'iah as they made for the stairs. "Have you any idea how to get rid of all this?" she furrowed her brows, referring to the headache and the throat problems.

OOC noteFeel free to take us anywhere you deem fit! Sigrun has nothing for hangovers at home so she isn't planning on heading over there.

[Khal'iah]

'Well,' thought the foreign warrior as he busied himself with closing and locking the door behind them, 'maybe she'll be okay after all.' Apparently his antics were having great success with preventing the woman from plummeting into the pit of despair, as evidenced by the fit of giggles and smiles she recently displayed. As such, the Akalak opted to continue "playing the game" and strode after his newfound acquaintance, appearing at her side in no more than three, long strides. She was obviously being plagued by her hangovers seriously at that point, and the violet-skinned male had to seriously contemplate the best remedy for such a condition. Seeing as though he had only been intoxicated once in his entire thirty years of life, he did not have the most experience in hangover cures, but he did know enough to make a decent suggestion. "I do believe," he began, "that you need to get hydrated in any way you can. I think we'll start with a cold glass of water and then some tea to help soothe your headache. Sound like a plan?" With that said, the two began to roam about the corridors: their destination being that of the Inn's dining facility. Though the hour was late, the Akalak was sure that there would be someone there available to give her a glass of water and a cup of tea; after all, for an upscale establishment such as this, service had to be a high priority. Nonetheless, following his inquiry, the Akalak strode in relative silence, contemplating what exactly he could say in order to "talk sense into her". He needed to tread carefully, as despite her laughter, her emotions were obviously a tad topsy turvy. In a few moments' time, their walk would bear them to a flight of stairs that would lead them to the dining facility; at which point Khal'iah would continue to display his antics. With a polite bow and an extended arm, the "gentleman" said simply: "After you."

[Sigrun Dominic]

"I do believe that you need to get hydrated in any way you can. I think we'll start with a cold glass of water and then some tea to help soothe your headache. Sound like a plan?" Sigrun nodded, feeling a litle bit like a child again. She could clearly recall the days when she would get sick with the cold for being out in the rain so often, and her mother would constantly lecture her on how to combat her congested nose. As they reached the end of the hall, they managed to find the staircase that led over to the dining area of the inn. Khal'iah bowed and gestured over to the stone steps. "After you." Sigrun snickered, raising her eyebrow at him. She began to walk down the staircase slowly, her hand planted firmly upon the railings as she watched her feet take each and every step. Her very heels wobbled and shook, and her heart raced every time she lifted a foot in the air, as if she'd suddenly forgotten how to trust the capabilities of her feet. She bobbed left and right, glancing over to Khal'iah with an embarrassed look on her swollen face, smiling sheepishly until they had reached the bottom and entered the facilities. Sigrun sat herself on the nearest chair, sighing heavily in relief as she found her head no longer spinning from all the movement. An attendant quickly approached the pair and took their order. "A lot of water," Sigrun managed, "and some hot tea, thank you." She turned over to Khal'iah and watched him carefully, her eyes trailing up his arm starting from his hand, and ending at his face, briefly pausing below his chin to eye the white sash that hung around it. "How come you're violet?" she blurted out, immediately regretting her heightened impulsiveness during intoxication. She briefly patted his wrist with her hand in an apologetic manner, visibly blushing in spite of her puffy face.

[Khal'iah]

For a moment, whilst the woman descended the stairs before him, the Akalak regretted not going first. The way she wobbled with each and every step made him feel certain that she would trip and plummet painfully down to the lobby. At least, if he was in front of her, he could have made a meager effort to catch her or something...but, fortune decided to smile upon the Akalak and the woman made it to the bottom of the stairs with no incident. Khal'iah followed after and seated himself beside the woman quietly, keeping silent until an attendant arrived in order to take their order. Sigrun spoke first, taking his suggestion and ordering water and hot tea. When the attendant looked to the Akalak, he offered a warm smile and said: "I'll have a tankard of ale please." Finally. He was getting that long-overdue drink! With that said, he turned his attention to Sigrun and found her eyes plastered upon the sash that he wore about his neck. Absently, his fingers trailed upon the lower edge of the strip of fabric, his mind taking a minute to wander off. He thought of the one who formerly wore the sash over her eyes, his beloved twin De'na, and felt a slight lump form in his throat at the mere thought of her. Even though nearly two decades had passed since her death, the wound of her death still lingered. Khal'iah was torn from his thoughts by a question that was beyond random. It was an inquiry that threw the Akalak for a loop, as he didn't expect it to be asked so bluntly. At first, he gaped in disbelief, wondering if she had meant it to come out in that manner. Then, he regained his composure and responded with a tad of sarcasm. "How come you're white?" he asked, with his tone as serious as he could muster. The Akalak was certain to wipe the smirk off of his face and to fold his arms across his chest in a menacing manner for a moment...before chuckling and shaking his head. "I'm an Akalak, from Riverfall. Have you never heard of my people?"

[Sigrun Dominic]

"I'll have a tankard of ale please." Sigrun's eyes lit up, her irises practically catching every single flicker of every candle that filled the dining hall of the White Swan Inn. She gazed at Khal'iah intently, not at all offended by his choice of drink, but instead found herself perking up at the sound of her favorite drink be uttered. Quickly, she shook the wide-eyed expression off of her face and quickly turned away, only to blush furiously at the man's response to her previous question. "How come you're white?" she took a quick glance over to Khal'liah and wilted at the sight of his flatlined lips and dimmed eyes. Her eyes shifted over to the table as she gulped nervously. "Shykes," she thought, "shykeshykeshyke..." "U-Uhm," she managed slowly, her eyes never leaving the pale tablecloth as she struggled to form a coherent sentence, "my mother... her... she—" She could feel the violet-skinned man fold his arms in front of him, immediately sending a cold shiver up the young blonde's spine, which quickly melted into a relieving warmth when she heard him chuckle. "I'm an Akalak, from Riverfall. Have you never heard of my people?" Sigrun sighed heavily, unabashedly expressing her relief that she hadn't offended the man with her drunken outbursts. "I'm so sorry," she breathed out with a giggle, giving Khal'iah another pat on the wrist, her voice shaking with amusement, "no, I haven't. Riverfall sounds a bit familiar though, something from my mother's stories." Riverfall did indeed ring a bell. It sounded like a place from a fairytale, rather than something her mother was teaching her about. Perhaps she was mixing it up with something else, as she had never heard of an Akalak before, let alone the existence of a violet-skinned race. "No wonder your name is so exotic. You're an Akalak!" she mused, unintentionally pronouncing the last of her sentences in a suggestive manner as the influence of her intoxication continued to mar the surface of her conversational attempts. "Tell me more about Akalak."

[Emblem]

Congratulations! You Get Glorious Experience! Sigrun Skill Points Earned Socialization 3 XP Observation 2 XP Lore Earned An Unhealthy Coping Method Commonalities Between Strangers Khal'iah's Advice Akalak's, the Violet From A Place Called Riverfall Other Shenanigans: Khal'iah Skill Points Earned Socialization 3 XP Observation 3 XP Lore Earned A Distressed Women Looking for a Simple Drink Offering Advice Dominic, the Troubled Other Shenanigans: Comments : Shame this couldn't go on further. You are both great writers and I was enjoying the thread when it came to that abrupt halt. Oh well. Good work though guys and if you have questions or concerns please shoot me a PM!