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 Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2016 12:14 pm
Who: Hyunae and Candice (Rookeries); Ethiriel (NeonMace).
When: Mid March, 2016.
Where: At Fort Richmond, a family friendly camping grounds in Bass'ken.
Weather: Chilly and damp.
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Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2016 12:19 pm
Rookeries I'm setting this up preemptively, we don't have to get to it until after we finish the other solo<3
For hours, it felt, Ethiriel had been calling for Hyunae... how had no one found her, yet? Had the group she had split from found her? Was she wandering lost on her own on a wild goose chase and no one knew the look? Was it her turn to be lost with no vision to guide her?
In that moment, she was afraid.
”Hyunae...! Hyunae, please! Please respond!” Ethiriel called, her voice becoming hoarse from the chill and overuse – she had never yelled like this, especially for so long, and it was starting to take effect.
Ethiriel paused, her hands held out before her as she listened closely. What was that noise? She held her breathing, trying her hardest to focus – there was no other sound, not even the lingering owls in the last of the morning. There was nothing... nothing... nothing...
Nothing.
Groaning in frustration, Ethiriel took a jagged breath as she lowered herself once more. So close, she had thought; so close to finding her, had that noise actually been something. So close...
Allowing herself to rest again, the Frei covered her face with her hands and rubbed hard at the tired feeling in her eyes and the clamminess of her skin. Her arms fell into her ribbon lap, knuckles against the ground, as she continued to listen. How had they seriously not found Hyunae yet? Surely they would have located her by now, regardless of the Frei's help.
However...
A scent...
Perking, Ethiriel's eyes shot open as she fought to recognize the smell...
”Hyunae...?!” she called out again.
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Posted: Sun Jun 26, 2016 3:47 pm
There wasn't much that Hyunae had wanted for during their trip to Fort Richmond - to hang out with Ivy and the rest of her friends, to find every wildflower imaginable this side of the mountain, and to get some peace of mind away from home. It was always awful during the summer - Mom, Dad, and her sister were always so nagging, pulling her into every gathering and summer program imaginable. At least, with the hiking trips, she wanted to go.
But, as soon as Minae said the words 'Are you excited to see Eth?', Hyunae knew she was in trouble. Because she wasn't; she was upset, no matter what anyone at school told her about the news she'd heard about Ethiriel. Hyunae thought things were going to be okay so long as she didn't talk to Ethiriel, so long as she avoided her for the trip, but that could only last for so long...
And when she finally had to meet with Ethiriel again, their talk was so much worse than Hyunae ever could have imagined. She didn't know why Ethiriel was so mad - why would she be? But Hyunae made her mad, somehow, and she was scared of her -
She was scared to death, and as soon as she caught up with her friends at the cafeteria, everyone could tell, and they laughed at her. 'Why are you so scared of Miss Eth? She couldn't even hurt a fly, even if she tried.'
'But she already hurt me,' Hyunae replied, and everybody laughed. Hyunae knew she was tough, but sometimes, she wished her friends would defend her, too.
She was done with them, so she left the cafeteria for some fresh air - for a walk. This place couldn't have been much different from every other dozens of campsites she visited, she thought; so, as the sun went down and the evening grew colder, Hyunae strayed further and further from the cafeteria, to the comfort of the quiet woods, where the grasshoppers and frogs and the leaves under her feet could keep her company.
When she reached the forest, her thoughts kept her going; and, in tears, Hyunae began running. If she could just leave this campsite, she wouldn't have to talk to Ethiriel at all.
Then, when she bounded through the trees, a branch caught her ankle, and Hyunae fell.
The shock had her asleep for hours, far past the safety of the hiking trail. Her small frame was hidden by the brush and the shadows of trees while supervisors walked past her, flashlights in tow.
Gasping awake, Hyunae sat in a panic, unaware that the supervisors had even passed by her. Her hands felt around the unfamiliar place, clinging to leaves and stems and the damp ground beneath her - when she found the familiar texture of a tree, she clung to it, eyes welling with tears. Pain was shooting through her wrists, her legs, and her neck.
When she heard a familiar voice, she startled, one palm rubbing her cheek. "I-i dunno where I am," she stammered; in her panick, she couldn't recognize who it was, and words failed Hyunae as she descended into sobs.
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Posted: Sun Jun 26, 2016 4:12 pm
Hyunae's waking sobs were enough to send Ethiriel into a panic as she held her arms out for branches, bushes and trees. She sounded relatively close, especially as she cried, and Ethiriel's caring instincts kicked in and she searched further.
"Y-you're going to be okay, Hyunae! Keep talking to me so I can find you!" Ethiriel exclaimed, trudging forward. She kept close to the ground, her hands wildly searching the damp earth for any sign of the girl. There were shoe imprints and scuff marks from where the young girl had tripped and fell, but she wasn't out in the open, it seemed.
Breaking down into hysterics, herself, it was hard for Ethiriel to keep her composure while searching for the child. She had done her wrong and led her to this.
Finally, the Frei managed to find one of the young girl's feet and she climbed forward from there. "Hyunae! Oh, thank heavens..." Ethiriel sighed through burning tears, her hands eventually finding the girl's face. Wiping away any dirt and tears that clung to Hyunae's face, Ethiriel held her close to her chest. "Are you hurt? Show me where..."
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Posted: Sun Jun 26, 2016 4:37 pm
"I-i'm right here," Hyunae replied, voice as loud as she could muster; despite the advice, the girl was too wracked with tears. Hugging her legs closer to herself, she continued hugging the tree. Her shoulders stiffened at the recognition of the voice; it was Ethiriel, loud and clear.
Still - with all the tears that wrought her, Hyunae clung quickly and closely as soon as the Frei found her. "'M okay," she replied, burying herself against Ethiriel's shoulder; her crying stifled to clumsy hiccups. "I just tripped and--" she breathed, "I-i dunno where I am..."
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Posted: Sun Jun 26, 2016 4:42 pm
As Hyunae explained, Ethiriel lovingly pet the girl's hair and held her close. She nodded along, pressing her own head against Hyunae's.
"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..." Ethiriel cried, shaking her head against Hyunae's shoulder. She had done so much to hurt this poor girl and all she could do was join along in her sobbing, clinging tightly as if, if she let go, Hyunae would disappear again. "I never meant to hurt you! I'm so sorry..."
The Frei stayed like this for a moment, allowing herself to breathe through her tears until she finally had the composure to search her companion's body. Ethiriel sniffled as she pulled away, her hands clutching Hyunae's cheeks.
"Wh-where does it hurt? I can help..."
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Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2016 12:50 pm
Silence fell on Hyunae's part as Ethiriel sobbed against her, issuing her apologies; things were not right between them, and Hyunae was no liar. "I'm okay," Hyunae offered in place, her hands reaching around the Frei's back and finding the security of Ethiriel's wings. The adrenaline was beginning to die off, quickly replaced by fatigue, and all she wanted to do was sleep.
When Ethiriel pulled Hyunae away, she rubbed her cheeks to dry her tears; she was dirty with sweat and grime from the forest, and a few scrapes on her knees and wrists made the cold air sting. "I just got a little scraped up," she explained, motioning to stand; wobbly from disorientation, she could only get so far before falling back. She sniffed. "Where are we...?" she asked, warily.
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Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2016 3:20 pm
The lack of acceptance or apologies in return didn't go unnoticed by the Frei and resulted in Ethiriel's rune thrumming uncomfortably. She was afraid that this would happen, that Hyunae wouldn't take a simple 'sorry,' and she knew she was going to have to try harder.
Even if she didn't accept it, Ethiriel would have to.
"If you're sure..." Ethiriel responded, continuing to lightly hold onto Hyunae as she attempted to stand. As they both fell toward the ground again, the Frei gently scooped up the young girl's face in her hands. "Is it your legs?" she asked, her hands exploring Hyunae's young frame until she found her sticky knees. Shrugging, she softly placed her palm over the girl's skin -- the Frei was cool to the touch and immediately comforting. "I don't know how far we are from the cabins... If we cannot find our way back, I'm sure someone will find us..."
Being 'found' wasn't exactly a comfort to the Frei and she doubt it was for Hyunae too, but she wasn't about to just roll over and wait. Keeping her hand against Hyunae's knee, Ethiriel listened closely in hopes that she could hear some of the men shouting, but so far -- nothing.
When she was satisfied with her work, Ethiriel pulled away and shakily reached for Hyunae's hand. "Hyunae... I know what I did was wrong," she started, brows furrowed and voice soft. "I also understand if you don't accept my sincerest apologies. There is nothing wrong with me, with us. I know I hurt you and I deeply regret it... I should not have treated you the way I did..."
Tears began to spring forward once more, carried in the Frei's voice.
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Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2016 10:58 pm
Hyunae flinched when she felt Ethiriel's soothing touch against her knees. "I'm fine," she reiterated, trying to will herself into ignoring the slight pain she felt in her legs. She only steeled herself further with the Frei's uncertain answer, and she turned away from the Raevan to face the remainder of the unknown forest, her palm rested against the surface of the tree as if it were a beacon.
"We've gotta find our way back," Hyunae replied, tightening her hands to fists. If people were looking for her - and she couldn't even fathom for how long - her pride hurt more than her scrapes and bruises. If any of her friends or classmates caught wind that Hyunae had gotten so phenomenally lost, she never would've heard the end of it.
It struck her that they likely already heard. She sniffed, wiping tears from her eyes. She kept her ears on the surrounding forest, too, but like Eth had heard nothing. When it was disturbed by Ethiriel's voice behind her, Hyunae turned back to the Raevan - Hyunae flustered at Ethiriel's weeping tone, then softened, though her expression settled into a slight grimace.
"You're just like Minae!" she replied, bluntly, though her voice wavered as she felt tears threaten to fall again. "Why do you have to get so sad at the worst times? Just take my hand," she reached forward to grab Ethiriel's palm, pulling her forward, "And I'll find a way back home..."
"...Okay?" Hyunae asked, squeezing Ethiriel's hand. She hesitated from stepping away from the tree, even the prickly brush; but she breathed in and knelt down, feeling the earth, then began their slow walk back uphill.
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Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2016 11:10 pm
Taken by surprise, Ethiriel's eyes widened at Hyunae's tone. Her hand was taken and the Frei could only stare dumbly into the abyss as she was led forward.
Unexpectantly, Ethiriel laughed through tears.
"Okay, okay..." she chuckled, using her free hand to wipe away the tears streaming down her face. Ethiriel always seemed to forget that Hyunae liked to take matters into her own hands, even with her disability. It was something the Frei always admired, and a quality she always wanted in herself. Perhaps she should take a hint from the young girl and work harder to be her own person.
Just like Henry and the others had been trying to help with.
Ethiriel squeezed Hyunae's hand in return as they trudged forward, her free hand outstretched to search, navigate through the forest without bumping into trees or bushes. It was probably better for Hyunae to guide them -- she had feet, something Ethiriel didn't, and the Frei could possibly have led the girl to danger if she tried.
Wiping away the last of her tears, Ethiriel noticed something; a glimmer in the distance. What was that? Of course, it could only be one thing with the Frei's special sight, and her eyes widened in realization.
Silver.
"Hyunae... I see the path!" Ethiriel exclaimed, lightly tugging on the girl's hand. "Straight ahead... My silver markers are still on the trail!" Perhaps it wouldn't be Hyunae finding their way back home after all. Now, the only question left was which direction would they need to go?
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Posted: Sat Jul 02, 2016 9:43 pm
Hyunae trudged onward through the forest at a careful pace, her free hand extended out in front of her to make sure her direction went unobstructed. The limp in her leg was hard to ignore, but the girl fought through it as best she could. She wiped the sweat and grime with her hand, sniffing as her nose was growing runnier with the cold.
She startled when Ethiriel spoke up, but she listened carefully, clumsily making a stop. "Silver markers?" Hyunae asked, bewildered; she gasped when something Ms. Wallace had said quickly came to mind. She'd explained Ethiriel's silver coins once or twice during previous hikes, but Hyunae had never found herself paying much attention.
"Where are they? Hey-- we've gotta go downhill, be careful!" Hyunae urged, tugging Ethiriel in the correct direction of the slope, "I don't have no legs like you, I'm gunna trip."
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Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2016 7:56 am
"Straight ahead-- there are a couple of trees; be careful..." Ethiriel responded, her grip on Hyunae's hand tightening a little. As she was tugged downward, the Frei clung closely to the girl, especially at her urgings. "I'm sorry!"
As they trudged forward, Ethiriel's eyes never left the markers. It still felt a little bitter to see them, but she knew it was their main shot into getting back to the cabins, back to safety and warmth, and she would make small comments to guide Hyunae in their direction. The Frei also kept her hand out, reaching for trees and other obstructions so as to not run into them despite her companion's guidance.
"Almost there..." she said, hovering lower to stay close to Hyunae's level. "It looks like we're in the clear!"
Ethiriel floated higher while still holding on to the girl, her eyes still planted on the silver. Guiding Hyunae just enough to the edge of the trail, the Frei picked up one of the silver coins to inspect. Looking both ways, she found that they led far into each direction and her brows furrowed. "Which way is uphill, Hyunae?" she asked, dropping the coin. If her memory served correctly, there was a hill somewhere along the path that led to the cabins -- Candice and the other counselors had mentioned it along their walks, and surely they'd be able to find either the bus or the cabins whichever way they went.
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Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2016 10:17 pm
Hyunae stumbled along toward the clear of the trail as Ethiriel guided her, feeling uneasy at the uncertainty of where she was and the imbalance before her. What few minutes passed before they reached the safe path felt like an eternity, and Hyunae slumped in relief as soon as she felt the familiar groundings of the trail fencing with her palm. She gripped the low pole for a moment, breathing in an air of relief.
"Oh, um... lemme go for a second. Stay here. Keep your hand on the trail fence, okay?" Hyunae asked, gingerly letting go of Ethiriel. Carefully, she felt the rope of the fence and stepped over in, letting in a deep breath before leaping to the ground onto the trail proper, grimacing at the pain she felt throbbing at her knees. She stayed crouched for a moment to reground herself, slowly standing as she felt the night breeze against her face. The ground was now soaking with moonlight dew, and everything smelled so differently here than it did on their usual mornings at hiking camps.
It didn't help Hyunae's uneasiness, the increasing feeling of unfamiliarity with the place. She thought she knew camps - she'd been going to them since before she could remember - but the night made everything so different.
Still, Hyunae didn't have time to ruminate on it. Even if this was an unwanted adventure, an adventure it still was, and being on the trail helped Hyunae gain her confidence some. Keeping one palm on the fence, she took a few steps along it walking forward, then turned around to go the opposite direction. One more turn and she nodded, certain of where they should go, and placed her hand above Ethiriel's once more.
"This way," Hyunae said, taking brisk steps forward.
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Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2016 7:43 am
Ethiriel wasn't confident in letting go of Hyunae, for both of their sake, but the Frei did as she was told and held the fence. Listening closely, she heard the sound of damp earth crunch beneath the other girl's feet and she used the sound to ground herself as well as keep up with Hyunae.
It felt like every other sense had been magnified, both by her loss of sight and the crispness of night. The Frei wished she had Hyunae's boldness, her unwavering spirit to get things done, even with her disability. It was something she admired in the girl, something she aspired to gain in herself. She longed to take things into her own hand and work her hardest towards her goals without needing help from another source. Ethiriel would learn to take control, she decided, and she would become like Hyunae.
It was her new goal, her new dream.
The sound of Hyunae's feet brought the Raevan back into reality, and as her hand was grabbed, Ethiriel nodded mindlessly with a quick, "Okay," before taking the girl's hand entirely within her own, holding strong. Being led along for a moment, Ethiriel admired Hyunae's boldness once more.
With a gentle squeeze of their hands, the Frei took a deep breath and hovered just before Hyunae, gently leading her forward. She had no feet to speak of, no way of knowing whether or not she could trip the girl, but having been on this trail before gave Ethiriel a bit more confidence in where to go. "We're almost there..." she said, her voice low and comforting.
They were going to find their way back, Ethiriel was confident. Her trail of silver remained planted on the trail, minimally covered by dirt and foliage that had fallen from the trees above -- they were still visible, bright in the Frei's limited sight, and she knew they could get back to the cabins safely.
Though she wondered where the rest of the search party had gone -- they must have missed Hyunae during her impromptu slumber beneath the bushes.
At the feeling of Hyunae slowing as they walked up the hill, Ethiriel slowed her pace to keep just beside the girl. "I will do my best to never hurt you again," she said, nearly whispering, as she squeezed Hyunae's hand once more. The top of the hill was coming, and surely they could rest a moment at the top.
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Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2016 10:09 pm
Despite Ethiriel's comforts, Hyunae felt differently - every step they took uphill was a battle in its own right, and she felt the pain in her knee grow with the effort, making it feel like the campsite was stretching farther and farther away with them by the moment. The hike from the parking lot to the campsite had taken a half hour when they'd arrived in the morning, and Hyunae could only hazily guess the amount of time she'd spent roaming away from the cafeteria. She grimaced, her grip on Ethiriel's hand tightening.
She didn't know how long they were going to be walking, but there were signs along the fence. If she could read just one, that would have been the best comfort, and she hoped they'd come across one soon.
Just in time for Ethiriel to speak again, Hyunae winced, leaning against the side of the fence to rest. She pried her hand away from her to touch her knee, head tilted angrily away from the Frei at her words.
"You didn't have to yell at me, you know," she replied, wiping her cheek against her sleeve. "I was... just... trying to catch up to my friends."
That wasn't entirely true, and her words were stifled, but she breathed out, eager to change subjects. "My knee hurts. Maybe... we should just sit here." As much as it hurt to say, if Ethiriel was out and about, there was no doubt that others were looking for her, just like she feared. Defeated, Hyunae slumped to the floor, pulling her legs around her arms to sit closely bundled against the fence.
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