Welcome to Gaia! ::

Runa grimaced as she saw the damage she'd done. Her self-loathing grew exponentially as she watched her bitterness's effect take hold of Carli. No, she couldn't just be rotten; no, she had to infect others with her toxic personality. It came out so naturally these days that she didn't even think about it anymore. She could see why Agnetha was worried about her; even though the harsh comments didn't bother the angel, they hurt everyone else. It was... no, she was too much for them. No one could endlessly weather her grouchiness and scathing remarks. Not even Carli.

The zombie draft didn't say a word; she just turned and started walking away. She forced most of the guilt from her face, painting over the rest with her usual, grumpy expression. It didn't matter... Nothing mattered anymore. Agnetha was happy and mated now... her temporary purpose had terminated. It was over. She would walk and walk and walk until she finally ran out whatever accursed magic created her.

Runa walked for ages before finally realizing there was another set of hoovesteps following her. Maybe it was because those steps were now irregular--likely from exhaustion. She paused and turned to face that brilliant shade of blue that had faithfully followed after her. Confusion filled her white eyes. "Why...?" Why had she followed? Why had she bothered with Runa? She was a lost cause.

Runa's rotten little heart melted. Impulses like the ones she'd suppressed earlier flooded through her, sending her flying over to the exhausted mare's side. The zombie mare showered her in wordless, desperate affection, like a cat starved for attention. She didn't need a friend. She just needed Carli to be there with her. If Carli was there, surely her path would be brighter...

Once she'd calmed a bit, Runa gently nudged the other mare and mumbled her insistence that Carli rest. The desperate need to show her true feelings was still trying to gnaw at her, but she had enough control over it now that she wasn't going accidentally overwhelm the only Azrien to ever get this close to her. Besides Agnetha, of course, but she didn't really count, did she? The zombie draft, recalling the events of earlier, hesitantly--and almost timidly--nibbled at Carli's mane. Runa tried to be gentle and not tug, not wanting to hurt the other female.

Carli was warm, and that warmth was surprisingly comforting. Runa tried to convince her frazzled mind to pull itself together, at least enough to be more aware of her companion. Heartbeat and breathing were a bit irregular from the run, but they seemed to be returning to normal. But it didn't take long for Runa to understand how exhausted the other female was. "Rest," she murmured to the exhausted mare. "I'll... stay with you." No one would bother them. Carli would be safe while she rested... Runa wished she could produce proper body heat like a live Azrien could. It would be much more helpful... The night could get chilly.

Runa's zombie body didn't allow for sleep, but she did go into a daze for a while, even closing her eyes to emulate sleep. She opened an eye to lazily inspect Carli before cracking a smile of her own. The other mare looked well rested and the zombie mare herself felt a bit tingly from her warmth.

The smile shrank away, replaced by weary confusion. "You... really think so?" she questioned, her eyes trying to avert their gaze from Carli's--and failing for the most part. Was her smile really pretty? And that touch send lightning through her. Oh, if she was capable of sleeping, she would swear this was a dream. And was her smile really that pretty? She had tombstone teeth...

Runa's smile returned. "Your father's a wise stallion, then." She nuzzled the other mare, relishing the contact. No one wanted her near them, let alone cuddling them. So this ability to make contact, talk, to show another that she cared about them... it was a unique mixture of feelings. Relief and yet desperation, affection and timidity... they'd all blended together to leave the grumpy zombie without her usual arsenal of blunt and sarcastic comments.