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 Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2016 8:25 am
"I know..." replied Ethiriel, her brows furrowing a touch. Even if it wasn't the whole truth, it wasn't a full lie and the Frei was fully aware of it. Whatever had possessed her to act in such a way was beyong her, and she regretted it deeply. "There is nothing I wish I hadn't done more. I was hurt, but it was a hurt I had brought onto myself."
The Frei frowned as Hyunae prepared to give up for now, eyes widening at the news of her knee. As requested, Ethiriel immediately halted and hovered lower to what she assumed was the girl's level and she helped her ease to the ground. Her hands immediately searched Hyunae, trailing down her body to find her knees.
Ethiriel remained silent for a moment as she placed her hand gently over Hyunae's injured knee, her other hand softly rubbing the girl's shoulder. "We know where we are, we can find our way; we're already on the trail," she said, trying to comfort the girl as best as she could. "Just a little bit farther, I promise."
The Frei's soothing touch cooled down the heat of Hyunae's wound, the pain seeping away for the time being. It was far from being healed, but with Ethiriel being aware of this ability, unlike with Cesc, she was able to the hurt away a bit quicker. It was far from perfect, but within minutes of them sitting around, Hyunae's knee was back to feeling a tad more comfortable -- at least, enough to walk on.
"We're almost there..." Ethiriel echoed, hovering higher as she felt up the fence. Just like as Hyunae had thought, the Frei knew that there were signs posted along the fence and she hoped they had braille -- having been with the others, she had no real need to read them before, but now that it was just the two of them, "lost" in the woods, she knew she had to try.
To her luck, her guess was right.
"Fort Richmond..." Ethiriel said aloud, feeling the sign for any other markings. "Bass'ken. The sign says we aren't far from camp, either. We can do this, Hyunae, I believe in us!"
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Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2016 6:15 pm
Hyunae kept bundled in on herself despite Ethiriel's efforts to apologize, to encourage her; even after the Frei cut the edge on the pain throbbing at her knees, the girl did not budge. Lightly, she pushed Ethiriel's hands away from her shoulders, then buried her face against her knees, letting out a tired huff. "You don't even know how far we are. Don't lie."
Ethiriel's reading the sign only made Hyunae's brooding feelings chip ever-more against her morale. Her entire life up to now was lead by adults giving her only vague answers and reassurances when things went wrong, and they knew Hyunae was upset. For some reason, until now, she'd expected Ethiriel to not be just like them - her parents, even Minae - but this was the final hint that Hyunae had been proven wrong.
Even if the sign wasn't far from her, only a few steps away at the very most, Hyunae didn't want to stand and find out for herself; she was tired, and she was angry, and it took so much of her effort just to contain that within herself.
Clenching her fists, she bundled herself up tighter against her legs. "Whatever. You can keep on going if you want. I don't want to go back to camp. The parking lot isn't far, too, right?" Hyunae asked, a bite to her tone, and she scruncehd her fingers up against her pants. "Like you'd know that, either! I'm not dumb!"
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Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2016 6:31 pm
Hyunae's biting tone made Ethiriel freeze in place, her eyes widening in shock. The Frei retreated as she was pushed away and could only stare at a random coin on the ground as she processed the girl's words.
"Hyunae, I--" she stammered, her hands instinctively reaching out but Ethiriel kept herself from touching the girl. "I'm not going anywhere without you! When I heard you had gone missing, I... I..." Hands falling to the ground as she hovered lower, the Frei closed her eyes tightly as the sting of tears came back. "I knew it was my fault. It was my fault that you--"
The tears came strong with that admission. With them streaming down her face, Ethiriel tried to sniff and wipe them away with her dirtied hands.
"I was hurt and scared-- I never wanted to hurt you, and I was so unfair. You're not dumb. You're far from dumb... I'm the dumb one; I didn't consider your feelings when I lashed out and acted a fool over the failure of the surgery -- an attempt to change who I am. I hurt you, then and now, and I would do anything to change it..."
With a jagged sob, Ethiriel laid her head against her wrist, hand flat against the damp ground. Voice strained, she let out another pathetic apology, not even trying to hide the tears now.
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Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2016 9:01 pm
Ethiriel's response came as a shock to her, and Hyunae reeled back against the fence in surprise as the Frei was racked with sobs. All she wanted Ethiriel to do now was go away, to give her peace, but there would be none of that. "It wasn't because of you that I went for a walk, and I could've found my way back on my own," she retorted, dumbly. She flustered when Ethiriel continued on with her streams of sorrow and regret.
But, word by word, Hyunae was able to piece things together. "Do you think I was hurt because you had your dumb surgery?" she asked, gripping her hands against her knees. Quickly, she held her palm against the pole, lifting herself up to stand before Eth, to distance herself from her. "Why would I be hurt about that? I don't care what you do. I just..."
The words were stuck in her throat. Letting out a soft whimper, she attempted to hide it with a harsh sniff, and she rubbed her face against her sleeve. "I hate that you never tell me anything real. You and everyone else." Her voice wavered, and she let her tears fall down her cheeks. She sniffed, biting her sorrow back for anger, voice louder and stronger with her frustrations. "It sucks, and I'm sick of people treating me like a baby! I can do everything anyone else can, even if I can't see! I thought you would get it, but you don't! You just--"
"Let everyone else do everything for you, but I don't want that!" Her cheeks felt hot, and her voice carried through the echoes of the forest. She didn't let the silence settle, trudging down the trail and away from the campsite. "I'm sick of it. I'm going home!"
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Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2016 9:23 pm
Hyunae's words did nothing but stir Ethiriel's emotions further despite the Frei finally choking back her own sobs as the young girl's became tainted with tears. Eyes wide and unseeing, she stared forward into the abyss.
Hearing Hyunae come to a stand, the Frei picked herself up off of the ground in a hurry, hovering a few feet over. She made no attempts to follow the girl quite yet save for an outreached hand. "Hyunae..." Ethiriel spoke, though her voice was still soft and weak. It was true: she let people do most things for her, but... "That's something I've always admired in you," she said, hurt. "Something I've always longed for myself..."
As the girl began to finally walk away, Ethiriel finally gave chase. A few paces behind, she kept her hand outreached for Hyunae. "Please... please, come back... I don't want to go back without you. I came on my own... separated from the search party... because I didn't want to give up on you. You inspired me to do something for myself...
"Please..."
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Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2016 11:10 pm
Hyunae's pace slowed as Ethiriel continued on, and she kept her hand gripped tightly against the fencing. She couldn't help but laugh in her disbelief. "Admire in me?" she asked, quietly, "I was supposed to be the one looking up to you."
She took another step downhill, away from Ethiriel, facing away from her. She shook her head; despite Ethiriel's words, Hyunae still didn't believe her. She rubbed her face against her sleeve again; what few tears she'd drawn were now gone.
"Maybe... that's not true. When Ms. Wallace told me about you, she said you were even younger than I were, and you were blind, like me," Hyunae said, picking at the skin on her fingers. "I couldn't see anymore when I was little, but I still remember it. It was scary, but now I can do everything myself. I thought I could help you with that stuff." She shook her head. "I didn't think you would be a grown-up when I met you. Well, that's what you sounded like... but you're a kid, just like me, aren't you?"
She turned back toward Ethiriel. "You still have a lot to learn, don't you."
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Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2016 11:15 pm
Ethiriel let out a scoff of her own at Hyunae's words -- more at herself than the girl. The Frei had never thought about it like that: was she meant to be the one others looked up to?
"Yes..." she responded weakly, her hand still outreached. "I am treated as an adult and I look like one, but I am far from such..." There was a slightly lilt in Ethiriel's voice as she spoke, wavering from lingering emotions and self judgement. Hovering closer, the Raevan held her arm out until her fingers lightly grazed Hyunae's shoulder. "I may seem like an adult, but yes, I have a lot to learn. And I've learned a lot from you, Hyunae."
Her hand softly cupped the girl's shoulder from behind, thumb idly rubbing Hyunae's back.
"And I am beyond willing to learn more."
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Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2016 11:22 pm
Hyunae felt the fatigue relax her shoulders as Ethiriel floated nearer. She held her hand over Ethiriel's, nodding. "It's okay. You're, like, two," she replied, a soft smile returning to her features. "I guess I should take you back to camp. Just... actually read the signs out loud for me, okay?"
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Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2016 11:26 pm
The feeling of Hyunae's hand on hers sent a wave of relief over the Frei and her fingers lightly clenched at the girl's shirt. Ethiriel chuckled at the girl's attempt at a joke, her own smile widening in return. Wiping away a single tear from her cheek, she spoke.
"That I can do," she promised, her hand snaking down the length of Hyunae's arm in search for her hand. "Just make sure I get back to the camp in one piece, okay?"
Once their hands were linked, Ethiriel motioned towards the hill before them.
FIN
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