Welcome to Gaia! ::

She was dead. The body on the ground, covered in the ruins of the cavern. To one side lay the head. A large ax, the battle weapon of the fallen troll, was the decapitator. The large blueblood was the judge, jury, and executioner. Forgotten lay her whiteboard by the slumped body of the deceased. [Use her], it said. No one had read it, had they? There was no vote, no expression of opinions. Just the largest troll won. They were no better than what they fought against.

Milieu trudged through the desert, worn and weary from yet another emotionally exhausting battle. This one left a deeper scar than the others. With a shaking hand she touched her throat as teal tears trailing down her cheeks. When Milieu joined the initiative she did so in hopes that her voice would be heard. Or respected. Yet now, she understood a sad bitter truth. It would never matter. Words, her only vehicle for speech, could not trump actual voice or action.

Lunear, bless him, could not relate to this pain. He had reveled in the traitor's death and saw the blood and carnage as justice. Milieu wondered if he ever realized that it could easily be them at the hands of others. If the royalists found him, if they found her... Death was all that awaited them. Milieu was tired of the fear of death, of danger and violence, that loomed everywhere. Even in the comfort of friends she felt it creeping higher.

Friends... Milieu stumbled to a halt. In the tunnels they had reconnected, but then drifted apart. During the time away, the teal troll understood something about herself. About her sudden attachment to Lunear. Sure, she really did enjoy and care for Lune. It had been bubbling and brewing for a very long time. It still stunned Milieu how fast and hard she fell for him. Was it a rebound from Vremea? That's what she thought at first. A combo of caring and rebounding.

Standing before the small hive, Milieu gently knocked on the door. She heard the two voices inside, just a whisper in the night air. It was Odette and Vremea, for sure. That was what had pushed her, she realized. Odette and Vremea did everything together, and whenever the two were near they suction cupped tightly. Holding hands, giggling, smiling back and forth. It was natural, Milieu knew, but it hurt all the same. There was no room for her in either of their lives.

She avoided them in the rebel tunnels because she thought they didn't care. They seemed so happy together, completely unworried and uncaring. Who needed her, anyway? She a mute burden who offered them nothing but struggles. Yet these two meant so much to Milieu and when they met again in the tunnels... They seemed relieved and happy. It was so confusing. Did she matter? Did she not? She needed to know. To tell them how she felt. They deserved that at least.