Welcome to Gaia! ::

As soon as her eyes began to sting and her throat began to tighten, Nivalis resolved that she would sooner pass out from not taking a breath rather than sniffle or sob in front of Naqenni. She couldn't fathom the idea that her eldest sister had ever cried, even as a child younger than Niva was now. Even if it wasn't true, it felt as though it was, that Naqenni was too disciplined now to have ever not been. Nivalis couldn't show such weakness either, despite the circumstances, regardless of how much she trusted and cared for this woman. Not in front of her.

She clenched her trembling fingers against her legs, dipped her head, pinched her eyes shut, and held her breath. Her sisters would follow Naqenni as quickly as they would follow her, Nivalis was sure. And if Naq was disgusted or disappointed with her, the others would be too... It was all she wanted, to be pleasing and useful to them.

And not have her sisters die for her.

Her heart still thudded wildly, though. For whatever reason, thinking of what a disappointment she could be, and of what could lead to it, what she could do to prevent it, somehow did not ease her mood. "I-I apologize," she spluttered out on a choked breath, before promptly gritting her teeth shut and huffing quietly. She couldn't allow her feelings to get the better of her. She never should've, but it was especially important now.

'One, two, three...' Her slow inhale stuttered, so Niva held it again until her chest burned. 'Six, seven...' It helped to think of nothing, or only something so linear as numbers could be.

"I would never ask you to leave," Nivalis whispered once her heart had calmed, her hands had stopped trembling, and the threatening sting in the corner of her eyes had melted away. "And it is my hope that I could always be at my best for you, such that you wouldn't be disappointed, or angry... Or uncomfortable. So I'm sorry if you think I've performed poorly this day."

Whatever discomfort and disappointment that she had in herself all but retreated to the periphery of her thought as Naqenni layered her hand over Niva's. She blinked in rapid succession, briefly startled by the gesture because even though she had never made a show of being opposed to such things, so many of her sisters were less... immediately willing for contact as Nivalis might be. She's always considered her eldest sister to be at the top of the list, and the rarity of such an occurrence was striking, if nothing else.

"I think... the Great Mother would not have given us these emotions, if we weren't meant to show them or make some use of them somehow," Nivalis murmured. Though she had less knowledge of how to properly manage them once they'd made themselves known.

And perhaps there was more to be done with grief, rather than quiet moping and wishing that events could have unfolded differently.

Nivalis' fingers shifted beneath Naqenni's, twisting so that she could fold just her index and middle fingers over Naq's own and show that it was a gesture she was willing to accept and thankful to have. She might have expected Naqenni wouldn't have come to her at all, as she seemed relatively uncomfortable with the situation herself. Except...

Niva's gaze flicked to the little package that had been left behind near her tent's entrance. It hadn't been a point of concern before, but now it felt obvious that it would be the reason for Naq's visit. She'd come to tell her, and show her, that the threat Nivalis had seen had been eliminated. Any extra pleasantries were likely just an addition to that. Minty eyes trailed from the 'gift' back to her sister. "Have you brought me something, Naqenni?"

With her eyes fixed on the wrapped bundle at Naqenni's feet, Nivalis rose as her sister did and moved forward for closer inspection. She'd never so much as seen Zinnia's murderer. She never would've expected the opportunity to be presented to her and hadn't even thought to wish for it, but now that it was here, tucked in a cloth bag, Nivalis decided she did want to see the earthling's face.

She didn't wait for further invitation.

Naqenni must have done the deed and returned to her quickly, for the package didn't smell rancid when opened and even held a degree of moisture to it still. Niva was greeted with a plume of dark purple hair and tanned skin already faded into a sickening grey pallor, drooped lids and a slackened jaw that special sort of tension that only appeared on skin severed from constant blood flow.

"She is ugly," Nivalis whispered, as though the shallow insult served as some sort of retribution she could deliver herself. The words would never be enough to satisfy her as compared to the atrocities this woman had committed, but... She scraped a pink-polished nail along the edge of one of the head's drooping ears before folding it away in the fabric again and dropping it to the floor. "I do appreciate it, Sister," Niva whispered to the older Elaria. "And I am very grateful for your dedication to avenging our sister, and your presence today. Please see that your faith to our tribe always remains as strong."