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 Posted: Sun Mar 13, 2016 4:37 pm
Somewhere New
WHO: Ethiriel (NeonMace) and Candice (Rookeries)
WHEN: Late March, 2016
WHERE: At Fort Richmond, a family friendly camping grounds in Bass'ken.
WEATHER: Mellow and breezy.
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Posted: Sun Mar 13, 2016 4:37 pm
The first call Candice had received from Grandpa Wallace was back in Christmas. As it were, the elderly couple - her two well-to-do grandparents who lived in some secluded estate in northern Maine - had fallen ill. She’d only seen them a handful of times during her life, but Granny Wallace was doing especially poorly and wanted to see her grandchildren for one last time, and Candice wasn’t going to deny the request when her three siblings had already refused to do so. She insisted that she was happy to visit, and within a few hours of receiving the call, Candice travelled to the United States just a couple of days before Christmas Eve, expecting a short trip, and ended up staying there until Mid-March.
Her time in Maine was lonely, but she tried to make the best of it by calling and e-mailing back home whenever she could, including video calls to Henry and Ethiriel so they could meet Granny Wallace and so she could make sure the both of them were doing well. Everything back home in Gaia seemed to be going smoothly, at first, with Eth happily enjoying the results of her surgery and Henry being his usual cheery self, but after January things seemed to be taking an awful turn - something went awry with Eth’s vision, and Henry seemed to be taking the news harder than anyone else. It made Candice more anxious than she already had been for the remainder of her trip.
By the time Candice returned home, she was exhausted, but there was no real time to rest. She spoke to Henry in private before they arrived home, but how he was faring and how Ethiriel was doing, and everyone seemed to be in poor shape. Ethiriel was facing a crux of her depression, hiding at home most days, and it was clear to Candice that she had to coax the Frei out of her shell. Her return had some fortunate timing, at least - now that Spring was well on its way, Fairview Middle was starting its routine camping trips again out in Bass’ken. As always, Candice invited Ethiriel along.
For their first trip of the new year, Fairview decided to go to a new campgrounds with the participating students - Fort Richmond happily invited them along to their family-friendly cabins, which were lodged in the thick of the woods an hour or so from their previous campgrounds. Unlike their previous site, though, Fort Richmond’s cabins were a decent half-hour walk away from its bus stop.
In a way, it was a quiet trip on the way there - because it was their first trip of the year, the kids were quite chaotic and the supervisors were responsible for calming them down. Candice sighed in relief when their bus pulled up to the parking lot, her group of children filtering out in an instant as soon as the door opened. She took a moment to breathe and remained sitting, then looked to her side at Ethiriel.
“Whew, that was a long trip,” with a smile, Candice rested her hand on Ethiriel’s shoulder. The last of their students were pacing to where the camp guide was at the head of the woods. "How are you feeling?”
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Posted: Sun Mar 13, 2016 5:08 pm
Henry had kept in contact with Candice throughout the woman's trip, keeping her updated on all of Ethiriel's hardships. It was, indeed, hard on the nurse, but he kept his chin up as much as he could -- he even went out for advice from those he cared about. Candice's input was heavily considered, as she was good with kids, and the man trusted her with his life.
Since first losing her sight, not much had happened to Ethiriel; she hardly left the room, hardly spoke and hardly fed herself, denying any comfort or help from anyone. Sure, Cesc had cracked open the shell that had formed, but other than sparse texts back and forth with the stag, the silvery Frei kept herself hidden away from interaction. While she had gained more trust with Candice, even with her phone calls she hardly responded. It was as if she had become a zombie, yet somehow far more lethargic.
Ethiriel had spent a few hours the day prior getting ready for the trip -- she had agreed to it, but she still wasn't exactly feeling up to the task. Henry insisted that this would be good, that she would feel better, but all the Frei could focus on was her lack of sight and how she had come full circle; being "useless" in her eyes.
The days before she lost her sight, she had come to learn that certain things were easier without it, but Ethiriel still couldn't find comfort in this.
The bus had been loud with rowdy kids, grating at the Frei's sensitive ears as she stared off into the distance. She had yet to meet with Hyunae in the trip, having felt a bond with the child, and while she still wasn't feeling up to interaction, she wanted to hold the girl's hand -- just that one comfort. Ethiriel sighed, leaning her head gently against the window of the bus.
It wasn't until Candice touched her shoulder that Ethiriel had come out of her trance, her ears perking as she lifted her head. Instinctively, the Frei nodded her head in agreement to the counselor's first comment, hardly having paid attention to begin with. She turned her head toward the aisle of the bus as the kids piled out, hoping that maybe her sense of smell was still good enough to catch the blind girl's scent.
"Fine. I am fine." said Ethiriel, her shoulders slumping subtly as the last of the children left -- her senses were slowly coming back, but not fast enough in her mind. "Where is Hyunae?"
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Posted: Wed May 04, 2016 5:40 pm
The impasse response from Ethiriel was received with a soft frown on Candice’s behalf, but she maintained some of her cheery composure nonetheless. “Hopefully you can feel great by the end of the day,” she encouraged, breathing in and moving her hand away from the Frei's shoulders to reach for the small sports bag at her feet. The bus was quiet, now, save for the sound of the bus driver reclining against his chair for a quick break.
Hyunae had been one of the first to leave the bus after the door had opened, running with a handful of her friends to the smell of fresh pine ahead. Once her sports bag was properly around her shoulder, Candice shrugged her way out of the narrow seat to wait at the hall for Ethiriel to rise, glancing outward at the exit. The Fairview students at the campground entrance were insect-sized from Candice’s vantage, and she couldn’t make out Hyunae’s figure among the dense crowd of middle schoolers.
“She’s probably with the camp guide. Let’s go find her,” Candice offered, hopping slightly to adjust her sports bag. She extended a hand out to the tea Frei, smiling brightly to encourage herself to cheer up; it was clear both her and Ethiriel were tired, all the bad thoughts from home lingering heavily on them both, but Candice was optimistic that this trip away from home would do them some good. All Candice had to do was put a little more backbone into things; it was clear to her that Ethiriel needed this.
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Posted: Wed May 04, 2016 8:12 pm
With a meager nod, Ethiriel eased as Candice's hand was removed and she let out a silent breath. The silence of the bus unnerved the Frei now that all of the children had piled out, and she wasn't sure what to do in regards of her guardian's girlfriend.
Another nod as the Raevan took the offered hand, Ethiriel remaining quiet despite Candice's attempts to make things a little smoother.
The counselor's words hummed in her mind, about being great at the end of the day, and it nearly tore a pit in Ethiriel's rune. Why wasn't "okay" good enough? Sure, she wanted to feel better, but Candice's level of friendly was on par with Henry's before they had their little talk about Ethiriel's emotions and it reminded the Frei of when they first met; she was nice, but almost too nice. Too friendly. The Raevan certainly wasn't in the greatest of moods -- and yes, she wished she wasn't... she wished she wasn't so badly... she wanted to be great, like Candice said. She wanted everything to be back to the way it was before all of this had started happening.
Her senses had dulled and they weren't coming back quick enough to make the pain of losing her sight any easier. Now she was practically senseless.
"Thank you," Ethiriel offered as the two of them exited the bus. She still couldn't pinpoint the small girl, Hyunae -- the one she had a common link to -- among the several dozen of other humans present. Humans had their own scent, yes, but it wasn't as strong as a Raevan's: something Ethiriel could pick out in a crowded room (so long as there weren't several other Raevans around). As soon as they were stationary, the Frei let go of Candice's hand for the moment to cross her arms and wait for everyone to be rallied.
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Posted: Sun May 08, 2016 10:15 pm
“Mhm,” Candice replied in meager response, cozying Eth and herself between the handful of fellow supervisors. Her smile faltered when Eth’s hand pulled away from her own, and she waved mutely at Frankie and Tara, who caught a glimpse of Candice’s wavering mood and could only frown in concern. They weren’t typically used to seeing Candice less than stunningly bright during hiking trips like these, and seeing both her and her guest at less than their best was jarring.
Fortunately, the camp guide grinned in the supervisors’ direction before Tara and Frankie could ask any questions. Though Candice was aware of the two supervisors at her peripheral continuing to stare at both her and the Frei, she ignored them, crossing her arms instead to give the guide her attention, though she felt a bit scattered. When Candice noticed Hyunae instead, just a few feet away from her, she perked.
“Hyunae,” Candice called out, her voice clear through the quieting crowd. The girl perked at the mention of her name, but to Candice’s surprise, Hyunae turned her head toward the camp guide and wiggled her way closer to the front and farther away from both her and Ethiriel.
“Oh.” Candice deflated. “I didn’t expect that.”
“Everyone here?” the camp guide asked through the din of student voices, taking a small back toward the entrance of Fort Richmond. Candice pointed between the clusters of students and managed to count them all easily; there were 24 middle schoolers and five supervisors in total.
“Everyone’s here,” Candice confirmed, giving her best thumbs up to the camp guide. Smiling, the camp guide opened the creaking wooden gate of Fort Richmond’s hiking trail for her guests of Fairview Middle.
“Alright, let’s get started, then. My name’s Winona, I’m going to be your camp guide.” A chorus of ‘Hi, Winona’ followed, led by the supervisors, and Winona smiled. “Keep close, I’m going to explain some things on the way,” Winona continued, starting their trek toward the campgrounds, “It’s just going to be a short half-mile trail until we get to the cabins.”
“Whoo!” Candice exclaimed; she waited until the supervisors beside her continued forward, choosing to stay at the foot of the group for stragglers. Again, she held her hand out for Eth, smiling despite her worries. “How about we catch up to Hyunae later? Are you ready?”
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Posted: Sun May 08, 2016 11:04 pm
Perking at Hyunae's voice, carried by Candice, Ethiriel lifted her chin and raised her brows in anticipation. The girl made no effort to contact them back as far as Ethiriel could tell, resulting in the Frei slumping her shoulders, arms still crossed. She had an idea of what the girl was upset about and she couldn't blame her.
Ethiriel would have been upset, too.
Once Winona gave her small speech and Ethiriel offered a pitiful 'Hi, Winona' of her own, her voice hardly audible -- even to Candice, beside her. The Frei's attention trailed away, hardly listening to the explanation as she stared off into her familiar darkness. She vaguely remembered a passing thought she had when she first agreed to these hikes; wouldn't they be more enjoyable with legs? In a way, she felt like she was cheating this system... At least she could listen to the crunch of dirt and gravel beneath so many other feet.
"Hm? Oh, yes..." the Frei muttered, fumbling for Candice's hand before finally making contact. "Right..."
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Posted: Wed May 11, 2016 5:13 pm
Winona, with her bright smile and red hair that stood out in the cold morning haze of the woods, led the small Fairview group to their campgrounds with ease. Her explanation was one everyone in the hiking trip heard several times before, and as everyone tightened into their own cliques and groups, they wandered into their own thoughts and conversations, only half-hearing what Winona had to explain. The camp guide didn't seem to mind much, so long as the supervisors provided some attention to her explanations.
Hyunae, for one, wasn't paying much attention at all. All of her focus was lent on the sound of crinkling leaves bending and crunching at her feet and sifting along the dirt with the gentle movements of her cane. She liked hiking trips for its little comforts like these, and walked slow to savor her walks, but this time was different - she was brimming with some kind of anticipation she couldn't quite explain without feeling guilty.
So, she decided, she would keep it to herself. But with anxiety keeping her on her feet, she moved much quicker than usual.
"You're being kind of weird," one of Hyunae's friends said. Her name was Ivy, almost a foot shorter than Hyunae but with a voice twice as loud. When Hyunae approached Ivy's side, she flustered, pressing her index finger to her lips.
"Everyone can hear you," Hyunae replied, and she was right - she could feel a few of her other friends snickering and distancing themselves from her, and her shoulders fell. Awkwardly, one of her hands clung to the strap of her backpack. She knew Ethiriel and Ms. Wallace often fell to the back of the group for their hiking trips, and she didn't have to deal with any of their awkwardness for now.
"So what?" Ivy asked, plain as day. She glanced back at the remaining adults, though the explanation was already clear enough to her; "Why aren't you walking with Ms. Eth?"
"Shh," Hyunae insisted. Her ears felt blistering hot, and she pressed a hand to Ivy's back, urging them closer to Winona. "I don't wanna talk about it. Wanna race?"
With a few idle giggles and whispers between them, the two girls paced a few meters ahead, almost by Winona's side.
Unfortunately for Hyunae, Candice had heard what she had said despite their distance. She'd kept her hold on Ethiriel's hand light, in case the Frei wanted to drift away a safe distance from her for some privacy, but she tightened her grip right then on instinctual worry. Candice bit down a frown and breathed out; she thought a quiet walk would do for the morning, but she felt some need to give Ethiriel and Hyunae both some space.
"It's been such a long time since we've had any girl time," Candice started. She looked hopefully at Ethiriel to see if she could gain any traction for conversation.
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Posted: Wed May 11, 2016 5:25 pm
Unfortunately for Ethiriel, she heard the girls talking, too.
The Frei felt sad that Hyunae's friends were talking down on her, but even moreso that she, herself, seemed to be the cause. Ethiriel's grip on Candice's hand loosened despite the counselor's tightening and she closed her eyes with a silent scoff. Of course. While the paranoia was high, the thought of being the cause wasn't the first to come to mind when the Frei thought about Hyunae being distant -- at least, not right away. Now it was painfully obvious. Turning her head away from her guardian's girlfriend, with her free hand Ethiriel rubbed her opposite arm.
"Yeah," she said, her voice soft and obviously hurt. Chest tight, Ethiriel couldn't help but take a deep breath.
Maybe she shouldn't have come, she thought.
Leaning in closer to Candice, Ethiriel continued to look forward. She didn't exactly have much to say, most of her thoughts rather self-destructive and negative, but the counselor was working so hard to make the Frei happy despite current circumstances and she sighed.
"It... It's a lovely day," Ethiriel stumbled, unable to lift her voice into anything other than a downtrodden hum.
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Posted: Wed May 11, 2016 5:48 pm
"It is. It's already sunny and bright out, and it's only morning," Candice continued on, voice soft and calm. She smiled sympathetically at the Frei; unlike Ethiriel, Candice couldn't understand why Hyunae was keeping her distance from her. She was curious why, but not enough to risk hurting either girls' feelings to understand, especially when the Frei was already so broken-hearted. She could only hope any of the other supervisors were more informed.
With the pause in conversation, Candice breathed in the crisp air of Fort Richmond's surrounding forest, staring outward at the trees whose trunks curved and helped shade the trail toward the cabins. It was a friendly walk, but still an uphill one, and Candice was grateful that Winona was clearly pacing herself for the children. Past the downtrodden fencing were the fields covering most of the hill's expanse, its patches of grass a bright spring green for the new season. Fort Richmond was lush with more unique flora than Candice had seen in their other campgrounds, she realized, and she glanced hopefully back at Ethiriel.
"And smell all those flowers. The kids are going to want your help collecting those later, I'm sure." Rolling the sleeves of her sweater up to her elbows; a clear day meant the sun was going to warm her up pretty quickly. "So, what have you been up to lately? Henry could only tell me so much."
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Posted: Wed May 11, 2016 6:24 pm
"Yeah..." was all Ethiriel seemed to be able to say as she allowed her free hand to fall back down to her side, fiddling with the fabric of her thin cardigan. She had definitely come to like Candice, but everything felt so jumbled lately and the Frei couldn't figure out her emotions, save for sadness.
At Candice's cue, however, the Raevan lifted her chin and closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath of the air around them. Ethiriel couldn't help but sigh out a gentle hum, her shoulders relaxing from being squared.
Even if Hyunae didn't want anything to do with her, at least the other children could give her the time of day.
Thank god for a topic change.
Lowering her chin, Ethiriel stared forward, hand now in her pocket playing with silver coins. She knew they were on good terms again, but the Frei couldn't help but think about all the trouble she had caused the poor man recently, all the stress. He seemed to like the idea of Ethiriel getting out -- admittedly, the day was beautiful and it felt nice -- and the Frei hoped that this would help ease things at the house.
And Gabe...
"Bedridden," she admitted, giving another silent scoff without any amusement on her face. "What you have heard from Henry probably sums it all up. I was being a child."
That time, Ethiriel sounded bitter at herself.
"There isn't much to tell, to be quite honest. I... I want to change it, though."
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Posted: Wed May 11, 2016 8:29 pm
"That seems a bit harsh... you've been going through a lot lately," Candice replied, her grip on Eth's relaxing when she noticed the Frei even out some. The brunette's gaze remained out at the expanse ahead of them, her expression sobering as she thought; a small laugh lleft her, and she nodded in agreement. "But I understand that feeling, I really do."
"Instead of thinking about what you've been up to lately, then... how about we talk about what you want to do?" Candice smiled, lilting her head. "The world is your oyster. If you can't think of anything, I've got some fun ideas, too."
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Posted: Wed May 11, 2016 9:01 pm
arrow It was true -- a lot has happened in such a short amount of time, but Ethiriel could have handled it much better than she did. Instead of shutting those who cared out, the Frei should have accepted their help and tried to better herself, not wallow in self pity and hate. No, she was well aware that things had been handled poorly on her part.
"I want to get better, that is my main goal," Ethiriel said, attempting a ghost of a smile. "I am all ears for your suggestions, however."
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Posted: Thu May 12, 2016 11:47 am
"That's a good main goal," Candice smiled, placing a careful hand on Eth's back in encouragement. She let go of the Frei's hand to give her space, stuffing her own hands into her hoodie's pocket. Children were already picking up flowers and other plans off the side of the trail, supervisors eagerly following after them with field guides while Winona assured them that none of the plants were poisonous. She glanced back at Ethiriel. "But it's a pretty broad one, isn't it? What could we try to do to get there?"
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Posted: Thu May 12, 2016 2:25 pm
"To be honest, I haven't a clue..." Ethiriel said with a small but genuine laugh, easing a little. The Frei flexed her free fingers before crossing her arms lightly across her chest. "Henry thought fresh air would do me well, so I figured I would give it a try. It does feel rather nice, I will admit."
Keeping one hand rested lightly on her opposite, upper arm, Ethiriel dug the other back into her pocket to lightly toy with the coins Candice had given her. She was still slow to eat, but being able to slowly soak in some of the silver from the trinkets was keeping her filled rather than taking in a full meal.
With a sigh, the Frei continued, "I was hoping that Hyunae would want to speak with me, but I've upset her. Hopefully she can come to forgive me..."
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