- You think that you're the man. I think, therefore, I am. -
Her heart hurts.
She's so angry that she'd been too stupid to see her infection, that she'd been too heartbroken to see how it separated her from her homeland, that she'd been too numb to care.
Thal has already accepted that she's not the one to blame for the experience - not when Asta has made it clear that her mistakes did not mean she deserved anything - but it doesn't change the frustration she feels at having been manipulated. She tries not to wallow, she really does, yet her mind continues to drift to the disgusting feeling of having her free will ripped from her, of having been a discarded puppet when they'd tired of her. And it sucks. She wants to scream and cry and punch something so hard that she blasts a hole through dimensions to wrap her hands around Pierce's throat.
But that's not possible, and she has to settle for the blazing determination in her mind to never feel that way again. It solidifies iron walls around her heart that still oozes blood from the thorns that had been torn away; she strengthens her senses to recognize threats and she is always on guard. Nothing will get through without proving first that it deserves her trust.
All of these roiling emotions burn through her as Thal lands amongst the familiar dark stones of Apopo, shifting gracefully from lyvern to Ancient in a seamless step that has her black cloak fluttered behind her. It feels like stepping home, the salty breeze caressing her cheek while the pull in her chest eases with the ocean's proximity. She closes her eyes for a moment, appreciating the peace and quiet as much as the heat that embraces her stoic features. It loosens the tight hold in her chest and draws her close to the river of lava where she warms her hands.
A small sigh escapes, encouraging her shoulders to fall from her ears. The movement sounds strange, a scratch that doesn't sound like the tension of her shoulders or the bubbling of lava. It sounds more like a scratch of claws, and she's suddenly on alert, her eyes scanning the surrounding for what beast may be preparing to attack.
She's not expecting to spot a fluffball of white fur trotting playfully across the igneous surface. It seems to be chasing a piece of ash, getting closer with every naive bounce, small grumbles chiming from its throat that are less than terrifying. They're almost... cute, although Thal won't admit it, not when the fumbling furball is getting closer to the lava -
A colorful curse bursts from her lips, watching with horror as the young cub chases the piece of ash right over the edge of the cliff. In a split second of instinct and decision, Thal darts forward, blinking in and out of existence as she closes the distance between them. Black tendrils still trail her fingers as she lunges over the edge to close her grip around the horribly soft scruff of the cub. She curses again when a piece of stone bites into her hip, but she grits her teeth and doesn't release her hold, using all her strength to pull it up and over the cliff to safety, putting herself between the whimpering cub and the lava that would certainly turn it into a skeleton.
She's so angry that she'd been too stupid to see her infection, that she'd been too heartbroken to see how it separated her from her homeland, that she'd been too numb to care.
Thal has already accepted that she's not the one to blame for the experience - not when Asta has made it clear that her mistakes did not mean she deserved anything - but it doesn't change the frustration she feels at having been manipulated. She tries not to wallow, she really does, yet her mind continues to drift to the disgusting feeling of having her free will ripped from her, of having been a discarded puppet when they'd tired of her. And it sucks. She wants to scream and cry and punch something so hard that she blasts a hole through dimensions to wrap her hands around Pierce's throat.
But that's not possible, and she has to settle for the blazing determination in her mind to never feel that way again. It solidifies iron walls around her heart that still oozes blood from the thorns that had been torn away; she strengthens her senses to recognize threats and she is always on guard. Nothing will get through without proving first that it deserves her trust.
All of these roiling emotions burn through her as Thal lands amongst the familiar dark stones of Apopo, shifting gracefully from lyvern to Ancient in a seamless step that has her black cloak fluttered behind her. It feels like stepping home, the salty breeze caressing her cheek while the pull in her chest eases with the ocean's proximity. She closes her eyes for a moment, appreciating the peace and quiet as much as the heat that embraces her stoic features. It loosens the tight hold in her chest and draws her close to the river of lava where she warms her hands.
A small sigh escapes, encouraging her shoulders to fall from her ears. The movement sounds strange, a scratch that doesn't sound like the tension of her shoulders or the bubbling of lava. It sounds more like a scratch of claws, and she's suddenly on alert, her eyes scanning the surrounding for what beast may be preparing to attack.
She's not expecting to spot a fluffball of white fur trotting playfully across the igneous surface. It seems to be chasing a piece of ash, getting closer with every naive bounce, small grumbles chiming from its throat that are less than terrifying. They're almost... cute, although Thal won't admit it, not when the fumbling furball is getting closer to the lava -
A colorful curse bursts from her lips, watching with horror as the young cub chases the piece of ash right over the edge of the cliff. In a split second of instinct and decision, Thal darts forward, blinking in and out of existence as she closes the distance between them. Black tendrils still trail her fingers as she lunges over the edge to close her grip around the horribly soft scruff of the cub. She curses again when a piece of stone bites into her hip, but she grits her teeth and doesn't release her hold, using all her strength to pull it up and over the cliff to safety, putting herself between the whimpering cub and the lava that would certainly turn it into a skeleton.
Thalassa
- I'm not your friend or anything, damn -
