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Post by Silver on May 7, 2024 1:37:07 GMT -6
Her eyes slowly opened and the unfamiliar world around her began to take shape. The first thing she did as she approached consciousness was let out a prolonged groan. It felt like she had been crushed by a Thundergug. Tenebris rubbed her face with her palm, reluctant to move much more than that in her disoriented state. When she was finally able to focus, she noticed a faint silvery mist in the air. It reminded her of smoke pouring off of a stick of incense. For a moment, she wasn’t sure whether or not she was still dreaming. The way her head ached suggested otherwise, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was out of place. Perhaps she was out of place. Tenebris slowly pulled herself up into a sitting position, so she could look around and determine where she was. The mysterious mist quickly cleared away as if it noticed her movement. What an absurd thought. She must be even more out of it than she thought she was. [157.6, 4.1]
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Post by Silver on May 7, 2024 1:37:32 GMT -6
She was… indoors. In a bedroom. On top of a dresser or something. Sitting in a makeshift bed made from small blankets and stuffed toys. Morning light trickled through the gaps in a curtain. Wherever she was, she had been there at least through the night.
Tenebris didn’t get much time to survey her surroundings before someone walked into the room. It was a person with sparkling silvery hair. As they walked toward her, Tenebris instinctively grabbed for the knife she kept on her belt. Thankfully, it was still there. She clutched the handle and waited for the stranger to make their move. A hand moved in her direction and without even thinking she swiped forward with the blade, slicing into their palm.
“Who the hell are you?” she demanded. She held the blade out at arm’s length, and a single drop of fresh red blood fell from its tip.
[157.8, 4.2]
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Post by Silver on May 7, 2024 1:37:55 GMT -6
“I, ah, I’m…” they paused for a moment, as if they didn’t know. Tenebris did not look amused. They closed their fist, erasing the wound on their palm, then held out their freshly healed hand to show her. “I’m a healer.”
Tenebris instantly realized that this healer had likely saved her life. “I don’t have any credits,” she said coldly.
“That’s okay,” they said softly, seemingly unphased by her (successful) attempt to stab them. “I don’t, ah, I don’t need you to pay anything.”
“Then what do you want?” Tenebris kept a steady grip on her knife and scrutinized their every move.
“I, ah, just wanted to see if you, if you were alright,” they said. The way they spoke was awkward and stumbling, but it did seem sincere.
“Do you know what happened to me?” she said, lowering the knife but not letting it go. If she wanted answers, she would probably have to play nice, but she was still reluctant to let them get any closer.
[158, 4.3]
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Post by Silver on May 7, 2024 1:38:27 GMT -6
“Not everything,” they said. “Just, ah, that a creature attacked you.”
“Right,” Tenebris said. She looked away from them, feeling a sudden rush of guilt as she was able to recall some of the circumstances that led to her being here.
She had gone back to the shady glade where the giant willow tree was. She wanted to see him one more time, and maybe to catch a glimpse of… someone like her. The last thing she could remember was a haunting howl. Everything after that happened so fast that she could hardly even remember what it felt like.
Tenebris looked down at her clothes to find them cached in blood. Her blood. The worst of the holes in the fabric had been haphazardly pinned back together, probably by the person standing in front of her. Who she just stabbed. The gravity of what had happened began to wash over her. Without someone there to help her, she certainly would have been killed. All because she just couldn’t let go.
[158.2, 4.4]
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Post by Silver on May 7, 2024 1:38:49 GMT -6
“Ah, I have some, some clothes for you,” they said. Tenebris’ golden eyes snapped back up to look at them when they spoke. They moved slowly, grabbing a small bundle of fabric from a nearby shelf and holding it out for her to take. Their slow, deliberate movements were no doubt an attempt not to be stabbed again, and she immediately felt a pang of guilt for the overly cautious way they were acting.
Tenebris sheathed her knife and accepted their offer. She ran her hands over the fresh, clean fabric. The cutesy print wasn’t really her style, but it did look to be about the right size. Anything would be better than the tattered blood-soaked shreds she already had.
“Wait,” she said before they had a chance to leave. There was no way this person just happened to have clothing in her size and just happened to find her in time to save her life. Something else was going on, and she had a feeling that she knew what it was.
[158.4, 4.5]
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Post by Silver on May 7, 2024 1:39:10 GMT -6
“You own those Harachiu, don’t you?”
While ‘own’ was not the word they would have used to describe their relationship with the Harachiu that lived in the old willow tree, they did know what she meant. They nodded, but didn’t say anything.
Tenebris did not quite know what to do with that information now that she had it. All of the questions she wanted to ask buzzed around in her head, but none of them came out. Instead, she simply said. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome,” they said reflexively. They waited for a moment to see if she would say anything else before turning away to leave the room.
“Hey,” Tenebris said just as they went to leave. “Why are you being so nice to me?”
They were visibly taken aback by the question. This was how they would have treated anyone in her situation, and the thought that she considered it unusual made them sad for her. “I am a healer,” they said. “It’s… just what I do.”
Tenebris frowned, thinking that was not really an answer, but not wanting to press the topic any further. “One last thing,” she said. “Will you tell me your name?”
“Oh,” they said as if they forgot people had names. “I’m Silver.”
“Tenebris,” she said. “My name is Tenebris.”
“Nice to meet you Tenebris,” Silver said with a respectful bow of their head.
“You can stay here as long as you need.”
[158.6, 4.6]
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