divine places to die in; Ellyse/Xero/any

[Xero]

Oh, it's in my roots—in my veins.
It's in my blood and I stain every heart that I use to heal the pain

She smiles in amusement at his flat greeting. He seems unhappy about the prospect of socializing, but too proper to be rude about it. His no-nonsense air had been refreshing among a field full of charming snakes. Xero has no qualms with a bluntly honest person – they were usually the most trustworthy. And she’d rather not mentally tire herself out with trying to navigate through flowery words or cutting insults.

She was looking for an outlet – a way to ease her current loneliness.

He abruptly thanks her and she is startled enough to swing honey brown eyes away from the water and to his own. A lingering look and she determines her acquiesce to be the cause. She wonders for all his brusque and bristly presence if he really isn’t the same as her. Hurting in her loss and separation, lonely and yet distancing herself from others to prevent more damage. She just needed a solid place to pull her back from the swirling depths before she could drown herself.

“No thanks needed. I imagine we’re both fulfilling a need.”

She’s always been curious by the idea of herds. Xero was a jungle-woman, a kingdom of female prowess and fearlessness. She was taught to survive the unforgiving jungle and developed a backbone that could endure whatever life threw at her. Momma Sol and Momma Luna took great care in giving their firstborn daughter all the life skills she could possibly need. But her jungle home served as a painful reminder and so here she was exploring that frivolous and youthful curiosity.

His observation brings a bittersweet smile to her face as she stares intently at the gushing water. Of course she had been drawn to what was most familiar to her. The deep, rugged canyons were striking in their unfamiliarity, and yet somehow gave the illusion that no others could break through her thin walls. They were a convenient safeguard against the outside world and Xero had found comfort in the very heart of them.

A secret garden hidden amongst towering, fortress walls.

“It reminds me of home. I grew up in the jungle, but I can appreciate the hidden beauty of this mysterious place.

She swings her face back towards the other, yellow forelock falling across her forehead as inquisitive eyes search his once again.

“What drew you to this place?”

Xero

Nocturnal x Quark