[Seasonal Event] won't stay quiet

KIADA you kneel and say your prayers with shaking hands and a mouth full of metal but the blood in your mouth tastes nothing She feels better than she has in the days following the events of Longnight. It’s enough that she feels the ability to leave the comfort of her home, from her place lying by the fireplace with Auni beside her. Enough that she actually feels like she should go outside. And while it might not be much of an accomplishment for anyone else, she finds strength in the ability to do it anyway. So she gathers her things, much like before, wrapped in leather and furs and steps outside into the bright light. The streets are bustling with people, and she can’t help but notice all the Naturals that have come out to clean the mess that Longnight had brought. She hadn’t even thought about cleaning her own home yet. But she makes a mental note, adding to the list of things she needs to do. Something to keep her mind off it. She leaves her house and Auni trots along beside her, his hooves clipping against the ground as they moved deeper into the Settlement. And she nonchalantly glances to everyone while she walks. It isn’t until a flash of red against the gold of the sun that she takes a moment to actually look. She remembers the girl she sees, though the memory is a bit hazy. It’s an image of concern, blurred by tears that had not fallen yet. And she realizes that she owes this girl an apology too. And she searches the far reaches of her mind for the girls name as she and Auni approach. The deer gets there beforehand. Tail wagging at the memory of Melita and how she helped his bonded. Kiada, however, approaches a bit later – uncertain how to begin the conversation. But she knows that Melita appears to be planting something, and Kiada at least knows how to do that. “Hi… Melita, right?” She begins, but her voice is a little flat. Her eyes aren’t as bright as they’d once been. But she’s out of the house and needs something to distract her. nothing, like holy wine as it drips from your tongue during confession and your hail mary feels h o l l o w in the face of all that r e d