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 Posted: Thu Oct 15, 2015 12:36 pm
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“He can’t know! You gotta keep it a secret, okay?”
Noting her serious expression, even if only temporary, Kursha nodded and made a motion of crossing his pump biscuit. That seemed an easy enough promise to keep. It was not as though he would ever run into her or her lusus again.
As Elidae continued, he felt a stab of guilt. All the traits she listed had long been traits he wanted to associate with himself. Hearing those words come out of the yellowblood's mouth should have come as a relief. Instead they weighed down on him like a burden. Fearless, brave, admirable...? He wasn't any of those. The only worthwhile qualities he could claim were a vicious temper, and a near bottomless reserve of willpower. She had no idea what she was dealing with. He was a lie.
Kursha blinked at Elidae's additional comment. Some others...? What did she...? Suddenly he let out a bark of laughter. It elicited a spasm of pain throughout his side, and he took a sharp breath in. Masking a grimace with a smile, he shook his head. “That's an understatement,” he said. He had not expected that from her. Looking amused, he met her gaze. For a second, something seemed to click. Then the yellowblood's expression changed.
Pulling in his legs, Kursha nodded. “The base first, then... yeah. I don't like leaving anything unfinished.” He leaned forward. Slowly, one hand on the ground and the other on the wall behind him, he rose to his feet. The stitches in his side twinged, but held. He let out a sigh of relief. Fully standing, Kursha stepped away from the wall. For a moment the world spun, and he wavered dangerously. Then his vision steadied and he planted his feet.
Glancing back down at Elidae, Kursha noticed her worried expression. Tilting his head, he grinned. “I'll be fine,” he said. “Thanks.”
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Posted: Mon Oct 19, 2015 2:12 am
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He didn't like leaving anything unfinished; Elidae understood that. She was the type of troll who worked relentlessly on something to finish it, even losing sleep. This, however, was completely different than her little projects at hive. Still, finding him practically unconscious and in his condition made her question if he really was ready to "finish" what he needed to. How could she not feel concerned? Even while she only just really met him, really, she cared. Besides, he had importance. It was imperative for him to return back to the base and out into the field. Why did it make her so nervous, though?
As he attempted to stand, Elidae immediately panicked. Jumping to her feet, she gasped and urged forward towards him somewhat, as if ready and willing to catch him if he were to fall, even though he was almost twice as big as she was. "Oh no, oh gosh." When he finally found his balance, she sighed in relief. Then he looked at her, grinning. She blinked back.
Kursha said he would be fine. He would be fine. This was fine. Everything was going to be fine. If he said so, then it must be so... right? Elidae tried not to look skeptical, cracking a smile herself, but a part of her felt a smidgen of doubt. "Okay. N-no problem." She said simply, giving him a curt nod, trusting his words. Now that he was standing on his own two feet... was this where they were to part? When would she see him again? Was she ever going to see him again? He could... die...
No. Elidae pushed the thought in the back of her think pan, reluctant to address it. No thoughts like those were going to bring her down. In her mind, she would see him again. She knew it.
Suddenly, she exclaimed, "Wait!" her voice echoing off the walls of the tunnel. Pausing for a moment, she blinked repeatedly and took a quick breath. Then, in a fluid motion, Elidae grasped the end of her yellow, polka-dot ribbon, tugging the bow apart. It was torn and dirty and speckled with blood, but still intact. With hesitance, she stepped towards Kursha, her hands held up, ribbon in one hand, nothing in the other. Coming up before him, she slowly held out her hands to his. "Here. My lusus says this gives me good luck. Keeps me out of trouble." She explained, carefully wrapping it around his wrist and tying it in a somewhat sloppy, loose knot. "I know you probably don't need it, but..." She looked up at him with a genuine smile. "A little extra luck doesn't hurt, right?"
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Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2015 3:02 am
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Just when he turned to go, he heard Elidae call out to him. “Hm?” He looked back at her, expression neutral. She stood a little ways behind him, wide-eyed and anxious. His mouth twitched. After a moment, Elidae undid the ribbon in her hair. Without explaining, she stepped towards him and reached for his hand. He resisted the urge to flinch. Allowing her to take it, he watched in silence. As she bound the ribbon around his wrist, careful to avoid aggravating the burns on his hands, she spoke.
“It shouldn't,” Kursha replied. He raised his wrist to examine her handiwork when she finished. The knot was sloppy, and the ribbon itself frayed and muddy, but... but... it was a gift. He felt a stab of pain in his chest that had nothing to do with his battle wounds. A ratty, tattered, yellow object of no significant worth or purpose, yet somehow it was most definitely a gift. A valuable one. As he lowered his arm back to his side, he reached across and touched the ribbon. His mouth unfolded into a smile, half sincere and half self-deprecating. The blood loss was effecting his thinking.
“A loan then,” he said, feigning nonchalance. “I promise I'll take good care of it. You'll get it back in no worse condition than when you gave it to me.” His grin widened. Were it in much worse condition he would not have anything to give back to her. After a beat, he added, “Cross my biscuit, and hope to die.” Once more he crossed his hand over his chest. In the back of his mind, he felt a keen sense of unbalance. Two promises in one night, to the same troll no less. He was off his game.
It was time.
Kursha gestured over his shoulder down the tunnel. “In any case... I should...” His voice trailed. He found himself reluctant. Here, in this tunnel away from the fire, deep in the darkness, he had found a pocket of moonlight. A beacon in the void. He was loathe to leave it. But the moon waxed and waned, and so too did his life. He could not afford to remain standing still. He turned abruptly.
“Good luck.”
Squaring his shoulders, Kursha started down the tunnel. He had only gone a few paces however when he stopped again. Without turning, he spoke. “Hey, Eli... Elidae. He sounded hesitant. “If you ever need anything...” He did not finish. He could not. After all, who knew when they would meet again? If they would meet again. With a shrug, Kursha waved. As he continued down the passage he did not bother to disguise his limp.
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Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2015 7:21 pm
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Relief washed over Elidae when Kursha kept her token of good luck, the smile she wore widening. His acceptance of her ribbon meant more than he probably could have even fathomed. If he really was to go back out there, whilst she nearly refused to acknowledge the meaning of it, she concluded he was in more need of its "protection" than she did. She already felt incomplete without its promised security, vulnerable even, but it was a sacrifice she was willing and happy to make. In a sense, she felt a bond.
A stifled giggle was her response to his biscuit crossing motion, but the promise induced hope. It was a suggestion he would return with her ribbon, and while she would be happy to have it back, the thought of him returning... Just the kind of assurance she needed. When he turned to leave however, there was a rush of uncertainty.
"Good... good..." Good luck? Was this a... good bye? It was a strange way for him to part ways, so cold and indifferent. With a despondent feeling by the lackluster farewell, she resisted the temptation to run after him, if only because she found herself reluctant to let him leave. So sudden, so quick. Why did she feel so... sad? Suppressing it with a halfhearted smile and a tight grip on her optimism, she tried to disregard the feeling and wrapped her arms around her.
He stopped abruptly, as did the beat in her chest. At the sound of her name, the beat escalated, lurching within. "Yes?" She responded, then stayed silent as if afraid she would miss his words, hanging on edge with anticipation. When he finally spoke, what he said was... surprising. If... if she ever need anything? Lips parting as if ready to say something, she stood there paralyzed, unable to bring herself to speak. She gazed helplessly as his limping form vanished down the passage, away and out of her life as sudden as he appeared.
"Good luck, Kursha." She finally said, dropping her arms to her side, though the tightness in her chest remained. It was too late, only the tunnel walls could hear, but the words were there. Good luck felt more reasonable than a good bye. "We'll meet each other again." She murmured to herself, resolute and self-assured. There was a ghost of a smile.
A risk made on a whim lead her to a peculiar happenstance, where she stumbled on the commander of the extermination. Of course, Elidae did not understand the gravity in the moment, her mind solely focused on the oliveblood who went by the name Kursha. Despite witnessing his weakness, she still sensed his strength. Perhaps setting herself up for disappointment, the promise would not go forgotten and would linger with her until fulfilled, despite the likelihood of collecting dust.
After waiting a few minutes to give a decent buffer of time, she persevered forward to finally leave down the passageway herself, passing the olive blood seeping into the ground to the opening leading back to the cavern where time continued to move forward. How long had she been there? Not long. Nothing seemed to change. A sudden thought, and she was quick on her toes again; she needed to find her lusus.
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