As soon as her father left, Charlie threw her head back and laughed at the hilarity of it all. Her laugh was a strained, painful sound, and it unleashed the floodgates of her tears. They came hot and fast, and to preserve her mask, the pulled the fabric down around her neck. And she kept laughing and laughing until her laughs mixed with strangled sobs until she could no longer breathe without gasping to suck in air like a lowly fish.
Doubling over to bury her face in the neck of Romule, Charlie sobbed. His words meant well, but they left her feeling sour and empty. No one understood her fears. Even if a rune had reacted--which Charlie was quite convinced that it hadn't, and that they were trying to placate her--she didn't have enough magic to do much more.
"Y-you stupi--d be-beast..." the girl whimpered into his fur, her insult just a barbed, guttural reaction. "I don't have a--hic--any more magic..." She sat back and sniffled, rubbing her eyes with the backs of her hands. "I can't...I justcan't... I'm not g-good enough, not...not..." Charlie couldn't even get the words out as another wave of tears flowed down her cheeks, bringing with it another choking sob as she struggled to breathe.
It was too much. Too much for her to handle. Too much pressure. She'd failed, in her mind. And she'd continue to fail, thanks to her lack of magic. Even if she was Vioroll's daughter, her mother had tainted her. This lack of magic surely had to come from her.
Were it not for the sobs she still made, Charlie had all but disappeared, fading out of sight to hide. Hiding was easier. Safer. She should have hidden at the meeting. Should have kept quiet. Should have just not offered anything. Even her ears were burning white hot deep within her skull.
"I need to go," she choked out, easing the helvate's head off her lap. "I can't--I'm sorry, I just--" Her footsteps sounded over the gravel. For all her invisibility even her magic couldn't hide her panicked footsteps as she struggled to stand and breathe at the same time. "I-I need to g-get out of here..." Had the air always been this thick? The sky so dark? She was speaking sounds that made no words. Her chest was going to explode.
"R-Romule..." Charlie's form flickered back into view, her face ghostly white as her hands clutched at her chest. "Myheart...I--somethi--" Without warning, her eyes rolled back and she collapsed under her own panic. Legs too weak to hold her up, heart beating furiously to compensate for her lack of breaths, it had been too much.
All she remembered was a ringing sound as her head hit the ground.
Doubling over to bury her face in the neck of Romule, Charlie sobbed. His words meant well, but they left her feeling sour and empty. No one understood her fears. Even if a rune had reacted--which Charlie was quite convinced that it hadn't, and that they were trying to placate her--she didn't have enough magic to do much more.
"Y-you stupi--d be-beast..." the girl whimpered into his fur, her insult just a barbed, guttural reaction. "I don't have a--hic--any more magic..." She sat back and sniffled, rubbing her eyes with the backs of her hands. "I can't...I justcan't... I'm not g-good enough, not...not..." Charlie couldn't even get the words out as another wave of tears flowed down her cheeks, bringing with it another choking sob as she struggled to breathe.
It was too much. Too much for her to handle. Too much pressure. She'd failed, in her mind. And she'd continue to fail, thanks to her lack of magic. Even if she was Vioroll's daughter, her mother had tainted her. This lack of magic surely had to come from her.
Were it not for the sobs she still made, Charlie had all but disappeared, fading out of sight to hide. Hiding was easier. Safer. She should have hidden at the meeting. Should have kept quiet. Should have just not offered anything. Even her ears were burning white hot deep within her skull.
"I need to go," she choked out, easing the helvate's head off her lap. "I can't--I'm sorry, I just--" Her footsteps sounded over the gravel. For all her invisibility even her magic couldn't hide her panicked footsteps as she struggled to stand and breathe at the same time. "I-I need to g-get out of here..." Had the air always been this thick? The sky so dark? She was speaking sounds that made no words. Her chest was going to explode.
"R-Romule..." Charlie's form flickered back into view, her face ghostly white as her hands clutched at her chest. "Myheart...I--somethi--" Without warning, her eyes rolled back and she collapsed under her own panic. Legs too weak to hold her up, heart beating furiously to compensate for her lack of breaths, it had been too much.
All she remembered was a ringing sound as her head hit the ground.
