The feline felt his guard go up as soon as she asked. His muscles tensed, his eyes narrowed slightly, his brows furrowed... Brianna felt a pang of guilt for asking--until Zaeren uttered a lie. That he was like everyone else. She felt her tail bristle, and from there it traveled up the rest of her body, causing her thick tresses to puff out more-so than usual. Though her eyes didn't narrow, her pupils turned to little slits as she stared at him, lips pulling into a frown.
"I'm not stupid, Zae," she said flatly. "You told me you're a balance keeper. You have the authority to kill a dragon king for his crimes! You take the form of a dragon, but you're not a dragon. Nor are you a man." She got off of him and slid onto the bed, shifting until she was at its edge. "If you can't tell me, that's fine, but don't act like I'm stupid." She turned her back to him and huffed, tail thumping loudly against the bed covers, back and forth in an even rhythm.
"You know very well that I don't have a home, and it's because of the dragon we just killed. So I travel everywhere, too..." Her harsh tone softened. "We could travel together, Zae... I don't care about not settling down in one place. I've never had the chance to do it, so why start now?" She reached up to clasp at her pendant, her hand once again stopping short to scratch an itch under the bandages. With a sigh, she turned her head around to look at him, eyes all too keen. "I can tell you're tired of being alone, Zae. I see it when you think I'm not looking. That brooding far off stare... the heaviness you must feel in your chest carries to your eyes, you know."
Another sigh as Brianna pulled herself off the bed, taking a moment to stretch her sore muscles before walking to the window, propping her elbows on the sill to glance out into the balmy summer's night. "Smells like rain," she said to herself, sighing again. It rained on the day they met, too...
"Zae, I want to help ease whatever burden you carry, but you have to be willing to let me in so I can do that. If you just push me away, well... don't be surprised if one day I take the hint and leave. I have to look out for myself, too." She made no effort to look at the man, instead fixing her gaze on the stormy horizon with intensity. Her ears swayed in the breeze, and before she could sigh again Brianna reached up to clasp the pendant at her throat.
And then she felt it. The roughness of its normally smooth surface was wrong in her hand... Her eyes widened in horror, and before she knew what she was doing Brianna reached back to untie the string around her neck. Her shoulders ached at the motion, but she ignored it and dropped the crystal into her palm and--
Dropped to her knees before the window.
In her palm rested the shattered pendant that was the only heirloom she had ever been given--the only thing tying her to her mother and the brief home she'd known as a child. Her mouth opened as closed like that of a fish, eyes wide in shock, unable to blink. The once clear crystal was now marred with a deep gouging crack, and was now so opaque she couldn't see her own hand through it. When had it--how had it??
The tears fell hot down her cheeks, completely unnoticed.
"O-oh..." was all she could manage to say.
"I'm not stupid, Zae," she said flatly. "You told me you're a balance keeper. You have the authority to kill a dragon king for his crimes! You take the form of a dragon, but you're not a dragon. Nor are you a man." She got off of him and slid onto the bed, shifting until she was at its edge. "If you can't tell me, that's fine, but don't act like I'm stupid." She turned her back to him and huffed, tail thumping loudly against the bed covers, back and forth in an even rhythm.
"You know very well that I don't have a home, and it's because of the dragon we just killed. So I travel everywhere, too..." Her harsh tone softened. "We could travel together, Zae... I don't care about not settling down in one place. I've never had the chance to do it, so why start now?" She reached up to clasp at her pendant, her hand once again stopping short to scratch an itch under the bandages. With a sigh, she turned her head around to look at him, eyes all too keen. "I can tell you're tired of being alone, Zae. I see it when you think I'm not looking. That brooding far off stare... the heaviness you must feel in your chest carries to your eyes, you know."
Another sigh as Brianna pulled herself off the bed, taking a moment to stretch her sore muscles before walking to the window, propping her elbows on the sill to glance out into the balmy summer's night. "Smells like rain," she said to herself, sighing again. It rained on the day they met, too...
"Zae, I want to help ease whatever burden you carry, but you have to be willing to let me in so I can do that. If you just push me away, well... don't be surprised if one day I take the hint and leave. I have to look out for myself, too." She made no effort to look at the man, instead fixing her gaze on the stormy horizon with intensity. Her ears swayed in the breeze, and before she could sigh again Brianna reached up to clasp the pendant at her throat.
And then she felt it. The roughness of its normally smooth surface was wrong in her hand... Her eyes widened in horror, and before she knew what she was doing Brianna reached back to untie the string around her neck. Her shoulders ached at the motion, but she ignored it and dropped the crystal into her palm and--
Dropped to her knees before the window.
In her palm rested the shattered pendant that was the only heirloom she had ever been given--the only thing tying her to her mother and the brief home she'd known as a child. Her mouth opened as closed like that of a fish, eyes wide in shock, unable to blink. The once clear crystal was now marred with a deep gouging crack, and was now so opaque she couldn't see her own hand through it. When had it--how had it??
The tears fell hot down her cheeks, completely unnoticed.
"O-oh..." was all she could manage to say.
