Welcome to Gaia! ::

Teiluj held some medicine in her arms as she walked away from the tiny market. The large flow of the travelers had disappeared. She was left with the few that that came between the large spurts of traders. She wasn't sure of the location many of the items had been gathering originated from. That didn't stop her from gathering them. She was starting to create a store of ingredients should they be needed, and so she could have the opportunity to practice with them.

The market wasn't nearly as busy as usual and while Ast was predominantly a shifter settlement, however there seemed to be an unusual increase in Alkidikes entering into the village of late. Two of them had caught her glance and were approaching her. Teiluj swallowed pausing in her tracks to take a step back. Turning her head to glance behind her out of the side of her eyes. No another one back there seemed to be just as interested in approaching her. Oh by Aisha what did they want?

"Now here's an interesting creature. A mixed crystal crawler. More than what you usually find." The first sneered shifting her shoulder up to motion she was talking to another Alkidike beside her. A large grin was appearing on her face. "What's a tiny creature like you doing in Jauhar?"

Teiluj flinched back as the woman reached out to take a fistful of hair. She knew what this meeting meant. She had been coming across alot more of these women lately. They hated hybrids like her, to them she was tainted and foul. Tightening her grip on the various things in her arms Teiluj took a step back and bumped into another alkidike.

Her heart pumped hard in her chest as she struggled to speak. Her nerves failed her, her voice was failing her. It was gone, it took all Teiluj had not to visibly tremble in front of them. She wanted to show the Alkidikes she could be just as strong as them.

"Awe look at this, she's smaller than even an earthling. It's impressive she even has these." The one behind her giggled as she tugged on one of Teiluj's antenna's. "You shouldn't even have these."

Teiluj closed her eyes tightly. Trying to drown out the words the girls were throwing at her.

Small pools of tears welled up against the edges of Teiluj's eyes. Her antenna hurt the way the woman was gripping it. Struggling to drown out their thoughts with images of home, of Tao and Pacju. Giving a squeak when her antenna was tugged on again.

"Does it hurt little crystal crawler?" The alkidike smirked. Leaning forward to get a better look at Teiluj's face. "Aw look at you, trying to act all tough... What do you want?"

Teiluj shivered but held back her eyes focused on the back of a shifter as he interjected himself between her and two of the Alkidikes. Confused for a moment, Teiluj soon recognized the man before her. Isaris. Yelping again at another tug Teiluj closed her eyes again trying to block out the pain.

"What would a runt Crystal Crawler like you know." The taller Alkidike sneered. "Tainted blood like her shouldn't even exist in the first place. Besides this has nothing to do with you leave us to our own matters."

Usefull little errand girl... Pity her... Teiluj could feel the pain etch deeply into her heart. Was that really what she was? Was that all he really thought of her? He pitied her? Used her for what he wanted in the end? She had been convenient for him... her mind told her. Tears fell down her cheek as resisted the urge to take in the shuddering breath. Her body shook with the pain his words left behind. Her mind spiraling with the words he hadn't said, with the reminder of words others had spoken about her to her back. The pain was all to real, tangible, and it cut into her heart like a hot branding iron meant to lay waste to her very essence. Sapping away the very core of her strength, eating away at the light she held so close to her heart.

"Tch." The shorter one to the left made an annoyed sound as she looked around at the shifters that surrounded the village. They were all looking at them. And while it looked like some agreed with the mans words. There was no way she was going to cave in. Fight or no fight the Alkidike were superior to the earthlings.

"Save your breath... oh..." A smile raced upon her face as she stood up taller. Her eyes focused on Teiluj. "Apparently she didn't think she was that low of a creature. How pathetic, you would almost think she had feelings for you in some way." The woman trailed off as she ignored Isaris, reaching out to firmly grasp Teiluj's jaw leaning in close to get the best image she could of Teiluj's pained expression. "No, we've succeeded here. Whatever hope was left in this shell just fled with your words crystal crawler. Thank you."

Laughing as the Alkidike holding Teiluj's antenna let go, she watched as the girl crumpled to the ground. Whatever strength was in her legs also seemed to have vanished. Giving a wave to the other sisters the trio gave Isaris anther hard look. "You just might be our size, with the devastation you can cause." Sneering at the onlooking shifters the three seemed to have been satisfied, turning they left in a tight bunch. Muttering about how the shifters were going to get what was coming to them.

Teiluj's eyes opened part way as she started at the ground. She could hear voices but they sounded distant. Like she was hearing them through a thick layer of dirt. Like one was trying to yell from the other side of a thick wall. She tried to bring her thoughts out of the fog they swirled in. Only to be pushed down further but harsher words. Her mind had taken what Isaris had said, added it to the pile of others and now it was like the words themselves were drowning her.

Tears spilled down her cheek, but sobs never seemed to come from her tiny frame. It felt like her very soul was fleeing her. Pain tumbled over and over against her heart. Stabbing her with fresh pain at every inhaled breath. She couldn't even feel the pain in her antenna as she tumbled deeper into her own mind. Into her own self loathing. Why did she even exist in the first place? It was obvious she was regarded as nothing more than a beast to the pure-bloods.

So trapped in her own spiral, Teiluj lost all sense of self her own mind wanted to flee from her body. Her muscles all seemed to relax at once and Teiluj's body collapsed forward.

While her conscious seemed to have returned to her body Teiluj wished it hadn't. Her eyes flickered open just barely, a fresh wave of tears spilled down her face. She was only mildly aware of how she was being carried let alone the fact she was being moved. She wanted to curl up, to permanently segregate herself from all humanity. A throb in her antenna pulsed, pushing to remind her she was alive. That she couldn't escape who she was, that she couldn't flee her own body. A fresh pang in her heart, and her shoulders began shaking, trembling as the first sob left her chest. Echoing from her very soul. Still her body refused to give her control.

"Nothing more than a tool..." The words had found their way out. Echoing the thoughts that were quickly eating away at her. To weak to fight them Teiluj could feel herself once again succumbing to the voices in her heart and head.

Still unaware of where she was or what was happening around her the young woman remained quiet at first. Until a stinging sensation broke through. Cringing Teiluj looked up at Isaris. What did he want with her? Tears spilled down her cheek as she watched him. He was tending to her antenna, it stung painfully but not near enough to the level that ached in her heart.

"Do you really think I'm pitiable, just something to use to get what you need?" Teiluj eventually asked. Her voice cracking as she spoke. People didn't often speak words even in jest out of no where. People often had a base for the words they used, weather they felt it about that person on some level or not. Teiluj couldn't help but wonder if Isaris had actually meant it to some degree, even if he was tending to her now. Looking at him made her heart break in a new way. The look on his face and the gentle touch as he tried to ease her pain.

Oh what had they gotten themselves into? Did he hate her now? Her fingers twitched as she rose to take his hand and move it away from her. Her body moving to pull away from him. Of course he would, it was only natural right? "You don't have to force yourself to care for me." Teiluj muttered quietly, both wanting to be heard and wishing she wasn't.

Her attempts to shift away were futile, he was stronger than her. She could feel the sensations of her bare skin as it came in contact with his own. His words seemed to continue to tear into her heart. Struggling to breath, struggling to not let the emotions show Teiluj trembled before a sob wrenched form her. How could she not trust him. With all the times they had shared, with how long they had been together, Teiluj had always found it easier to trust others than to question them.

Teiluj struggled with her tears, letting them fall against the shifter as he held her close. "It's my fault." Teiluj started. "I should have been smarter, should have kept a better eye out to avoid them. This all happened because of me."

Teiluj’s eyes cracked open, though only a sliver of color could be seen through the teardrops that clung to her lashes. Yellow shifted to green as the moon rose, the light refracting and breaking on the droplets of water that clung to her cheeks. Her heart jumped as he looked at her, his face steadily moving closer to hers. There was another painful pause before their lips touched. Though the contact was brief, her breath caught in her throat as her body stilled; the trembling in her limbs simply ceased as surprise overcame her misery. Sorrowful tears slowed as her mind came to a halt, negative whispers silenced as she was unable to comprehend just what was happening. Blankly she stared into Isaris’s eyes, the colors having shifted with the moons ascent.

His touch was gentle, soft and filled with emotions she dared not try to name. She could feel them, tingling little sparks of warmth that traveled through her, touching parts of her that flinched away from the implications. She closed her eyes, allowing herself a moment to simply bask in his warmth and the scent that was uniquely his. As his arm tightened around her waist, Teiluj realized how paradoxical the situation was, how different his grip felt to the personality he’d shown her.

Blinking away the last of her tears Teiluj searched his face for any hint of what he was thinking. Why had he chosen now of all times to kiss her? Did he really care that much about her? Was this his attempt to show her that their conversations weren’t just empty words? Raising her hands she placed them on his chest, letting her palms rest against his warm flesh. She could feel the blush that spread across her face as the heat traveled across her cheeks. “W-Why did...did you do that?” Teiluj stuttered, eyes never leaving his face. She wanted to touch her lips, to trace the skin that still tingled from the too brief contact but she refrained.

Instead she spread her fingers, as if measuring the breadth of his chest. Was his heart big enough to fit her inside? Was it strong enough to stay with her, even though she wasn’t strong enough to stand on her own? She knew his kindness and the faith and loyalty he showed to his family. But despite it all, Teiluj waivered on believing that he could truly feel the way he implied he did. He was a pureblood, one who wasn’t tormented by things beyond his control. She was sure that given enough time he would resent her, like so many others did, for simply being who she was. What she was.

She could feel the familiar prickling in the back of her eyes, and it was a struggle to swallow them back down. “Why?” She asked, voice soft and broken. “Why?”