04-15-2017, 10:48 AM
She’d gotten good at pretending. Almost four years of practice had it so she almost believed someone was there, could almost feel the weight of a body’s presence just a breath away, so close she could feel the cool air radiating off their skin, their breath caressing her cheek, her neck. She could even hear the soft sound of that breath going in, coming out to brush against her skin. In her mind, she could lean in just a little like so and let that phantom presence touch her, a reassuring press of velvet soft nose to her neck--
Lilitha jumped, sparks raining from her skin as her eyes flashed open and she jerked back, startled by the solid weight of that accidental touch. “Oh god I’m so sorry, I didn’t--” She stomped out a few stray sparks that had landed on the ground and kindled into tiny little flames, leaned in to blow out one that seemed determined to catch on his coat despite the cold emanating from his...body...was he supposed to be cold? Was she running hotter than usual? Maybe her emotions were a little farther out of control than she’d realized.
“I didn’t see you there, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” she apologized again, blowing a little harder to make sure the spark faded away instead of hurting...whoever he was. He offered to fetch Romek, and she paled, meeting his eyes for the first time. “I...no. No, that’s really not necessary, please don’t. I just needed a little space, just a few minutes. It’s...complicated, everything’s...but thank you, no, I’ll be okay, please don’t trouble him. I appreciate the--but no, I really, I’m fine. I didn’t expect it to be quite so hard is all. Or I did, I suppose, or at least I would’ve if I’d known he was still here, but she said he’d gone, you see, and I didn’t realize I’d run into him and I wasn’t quite prepared. I only meant to see if I could cross the border, just one more try to see if--and then he was there, and god it was good to see him but it’s so much, all at once, and I just--”
Her gold eyes went wide, and she cut herself off, closing her mouth against the stream of words that seemed intent on pouring out without so much as a by your leave, bypassing her mind entirely and spilling out onto the ground at this poor stranger’s feet. “I...sorry. Thank you. No. I’ll go back soon, I just...got a little overwhelmed, I suppose. I’m not used to...and seeing his family, even from a distance, knowing they were almost mine, knowing they never will be, it’s...it just hurts a bit more than I was ready for. Still not being able to set foot here, that I was braced for, but...but I can. Clearly. I mean here I am. And I’ve no idea what that means for me. If I...I can finally come home, but it’s been so long I don’t think I can--just because this was supposed to be home once, a very long time ago, doesn’t mean it is now. Doesn’t mean I can fit, after everything that’s--god, I’m sorry, thank you for asking, you’re very kind. I’m Lilitha, by the way, I should’ve said. Earlier. Because obviously now I did say. I swear I don’t normally talk this much. Or almost at all. Honestly, is there something in the air here? The water? No, couldn’t be the water, I didn’t drink anything, maybe it’s these trees and they just emit some sort of truth pheromone that shuts off a brain’s ability to stop talking. That sounds awfully inconvenient though, how would you ever sleep? God. Sorry. Nervous.”
Blushing, she had to be blushing. She ducked her head, hiding her eyes behind a thick fall of red. Breathe. A long, slow breath in until her lungs ached with it, then back out, nice and easy. Breathe. Let the poor man be. Too bad that fire power didn’t include some ability to play with earth too. So she could open a hole in the ground beneath her and just crawl in and hide, let the ground swallow her up for a little while. She hadn’t thrown sparks in years, and now this? Stupid mouth, stay closed. Poor stranger. Poor, sweet stranger, stuck listening to her apparently endless rambling. Good heavens, she’d never spoken so many words all at once in her whole life. “It’s...it’s nice to meet you,” she whispered, peeking through her hair to meet the kind stranger’s eyes at last. Finally. One normal, sane sentence. Good job, Lilitha.
Lilitha jumped, sparks raining from her skin as her eyes flashed open and she jerked back, startled by the solid weight of that accidental touch. “Oh god I’m so sorry, I didn’t--” She stomped out a few stray sparks that had landed on the ground and kindled into tiny little flames, leaned in to blow out one that seemed determined to catch on his coat despite the cold emanating from his...body...was he supposed to be cold? Was she running hotter than usual? Maybe her emotions were a little farther out of control than she’d realized.
“I didn’t see you there, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” she apologized again, blowing a little harder to make sure the spark faded away instead of hurting...whoever he was. He offered to fetch Romek, and she paled, meeting his eyes for the first time. “I...no. No, that’s really not necessary, please don’t. I just needed a little space, just a few minutes. It’s...complicated, everything’s...but thank you, no, I’ll be okay, please don’t trouble him. I appreciate the--but no, I really, I’m fine. I didn’t expect it to be quite so hard is all. Or I did, I suppose, or at least I would’ve if I’d known he was still here, but she said he’d gone, you see, and I didn’t realize I’d run into him and I wasn’t quite prepared. I only meant to see if I could cross the border, just one more try to see if--and then he was there, and god it was good to see him but it’s so much, all at once, and I just--”
Her gold eyes went wide, and she cut herself off, closing her mouth against the stream of words that seemed intent on pouring out without so much as a by your leave, bypassing her mind entirely and spilling out onto the ground at this poor stranger’s feet. “I...sorry. Thank you. No. I’ll go back soon, I just...got a little overwhelmed, I suppose. I’m not used to...and seeing his family, even from a distance, knowing they were almost mine, knowing they never will be, it’s...it just hurts a bit more than I was ready for. Still not being able to set foot here, that I was braced for, but...but I can. Clearly. I mean here I am. And I’ve no idea what that means for me. If I...I can finally come home, but it’s been so long I don’t think I can--just because this was supposed to be home once, a very long time ago, doesn’t mean it is now. Doesn’t mean I can fit, after everything that’s--god, I’m sorry, thank you for asking, you’re very kind. I’m Lilitha, by the way, I should’ve said. Earlier. Because obviously now I did say. I swear I don’t normally talk this much. Or almost at all. Honestly, is there something in the air here? The water? No, couldn’t be the water, I didn’t drink anything, maybe it’s these trees and they just emit some sort of truth pheromone that shuts off a brain’s ability to stop talking. That sounds awfully inconvenient though, how would you ever sleep? God. Sorry. Nervous.”
Blushing, she had to be blushing. She ducked her head, hiding her eyes behind a thick fall of red. Breathe. A long, slow breath in until her lungs ached with it, then back out, nice and easy. Breathe. Let the poor man be. Too bad that fire power didn’t include some ability to play with earth too. So she could open a hole in the ground beneath her and just crawl in and hide, let the ground swallow her up for a little while. She hadn’t thrown sparks in years, and now this? Stupid mouth, stay closed. Poor stranger. Poor, sweet stranger, stuck listening to her apparently endless rambling. Good heavens, she’d never spoken so many words all at once in her whole life. “It’s...it’s nice to meet you,” she whispered, peeking through her hair to meet the kind stranger’s eyes at last. Finally. One normal, sane sentence. Good job, Lilitha.