Aurelia
and that the world is always our fault
when we did nothing, how did we do wrong?
when we did nothing, how did we do wrong?
Well, her explanation was explanation enough - Aurelia understood what it was like with family. There were plenty of times that her sisters and her did not see eye-to-eye on things. Plenty. At Melita's comment that anyone she went up against deserved it, Aurelia's smirk broke completely through. Not because she doubted that at all but, because it was a good way to look at it and anyone stupid enough to go up against Melita did deserve it. "Yeah, probably," she murmured in agreement.
And the arrow was soaring through the air, never to hit its mark, lost on the wind.
Only, Melita didn't stand there was though she was gloating in Aurelia's miss, as was expected. So Aurelia was pleasantly surprised not to be mocked or ridiculed, and even more pleased at Melita's joke about Sunjata getting away with too much. She let out a soft breath of laughter at that one, already sort of knowing what the other woman meant.
The bow was lowered at the sound of the critique, and Aurelia nodded curtly to the directions. She flexed out her fingers as Melita had done. Admittedly, they were feeling sore. The skin there was not used to pulling back such strong wire. It had already cut hard indents. Not that she'd ever complain about it out loud, though. Call it pride or bravery or what-have-you; she always suffered in silence like a damn fool. If Melita had not said anything, she would never have indicated that she needed a break.
For a second, as Aurelia took the moment to observe every move Melita made to shoot her own arrow, she thought that Melita was only talking about the dummy that stood there against the hillside. But she momentarily realized that she was also referring to the actual ghost whales, the ones that had stopped the Ark from setting out to sea that season.
Pausing as she went for another training arrow, Aurelia let it hover around the bow she held. Her gaze drifted back up to Melita. She asked, "What do you think we'll do about them? The whales. Does that happen every time the Ark goes on a voyage?"
She didn't wait much longer after that, making a show of fluid motions as she knotched the arrow and aimed the bow towards the ghost whale. Her fingers steadied along the place they needed to perch, hesitating to release just yet. Her gaze locked onto the pretend whale, and the arrow flew before she even knew she had let it.
An extension of her own body and mind, it knew her intent and it thudded against the whale's eye. If it had been sharper, pointed, it would have embedded itself there. Only, it wasn't, so it fell to the ground. Aurelia tilted her head back with a grin and lowered her weapon.
And the arrow was soaring through the air, never to hit its mark, lost on the wind.
Only, Melita didn't stand there was though she was gloating in Aurelia's miss, as was expected. So Aurelia was pleasantly surprised not to be mocked or ridiculed, and even more pleased at Melita's joke about Sunjata getting away with too much. She let out a soft breath of laughter at that one, already sort of knowing what the other woman meant.
The bow was lowered at the sound of the critique, and Aurelia nodded curtly to the directions. She flexed out her fingers as Melita had done. Admittedly, they were feeling sore. The skin there was not used to pulling back such strong wire. It had already cut hard indents. Not that she'd ever complain about it out loud, though. Call it pride or bravery or what-have-you; she always suffered in silence like a damn fool. If Melita had not said anything, she would never have indicated that she needed a break.
For a second, as Aurelia took the moment to observe every move Melita made to shoot her own arrow, she thought that Melita was only talking about the dummy that stood there against the hillside. But she momentarily realized that she was also referring to the actual ghost whales, the ones that had stopped the Ark from setting out to sea that season.
Pausing as she went for another training arrow, Aurelia let it hover around the bow she held. Her gaze drifted back up to Melita. She asked, "What do you think we'll do about them? The whales. Does that happen every time the Ark goes on a voyage?"
She didn't wait much longer after that, making a show of fluid motions as she knotched the arrow and aimed the bow towards the ghost whale. Her fingers steadied along the place they needed to perch, hesitating to release just yet. Her gaze locked onto the pretend whale, and the arrow flew before she even knew she had let it.
An extension of her own body and mind, it knew her intent and it thudded against the whale's eye. If it had been sharper, pointed, it would have embedded itself there. Only, it wasn't, so it fell to the ground. Aurelia tilted her head back with a grin and lowered her weapon.
and I've been thinking that when we thought
the world would break us, that we weren't wrong
the world would break us, that we weren't wrong
