crescentview | 🌲🌸☀️ bug eater farm: summertime catch-all ☀️🌸🌲

[ It scares her, too. ]

It must be the Goddess' doing, right?

[ There's no other explanation other than the selfsame force that brought them all here in the first place. It has to be. Otherwise, surely... It wouldn't have been like this. They never would have ended up like this.

His quiet whisper is what finally bids her to turn to look at him once more, finding him laying back down on the grass. ]

N-No, I... You didn't hurt me. Did I hurt you?

[ A beat, then she adds: ]

...I'm sorry, too. I'm sure I'm not the person you would have rather had that happen with...

[ He hates the thought, considering how favorably he thinks of the goddess. She has brought him here, from what he assumes would be oblivion, and has offered him countless opportunity for a second chance at life and love, and--

He wonders if this is part of it.

His eyes remain on Ori, so he's there to greet her when she looks at him again. He shakes his head. If the echoes of their affair in his mind are accurate then he had an incredible time. To be so deeply in love...

His gaze turns to the sky, and his hand slips from his mouth to splay over the scar on his chest. Slowly, he shakes his head. ]

I can't imagine you were hoping to have that happen with me, either.

[ They just met, after all...

He takes a deep breath, realizing that he has never admitted aloud what he is about to say: ]

I am...in love with another.

[ They just met, after all...

Ori has no response to offer other than a quiet, thoughtful little hum as she draws her knees up to her chest and wraps her arms around her legs, taking care to tuck her skirt against her legs out of a modesty that the both of them clearly lacked the night prior. ]

...I see. Someone here...?

[ There's no judgment or regret in her tone; it is a simple note of understanding. His heart must be in turmoil, to have found himself bedded by another who isn't the person he's in love with. And if that person is here, too, then... All the more so.

Her ears droop down as her gaze falls to a patch of wildflowers nearby. ]

I'm sorry. We should pretend it never happened. Neither of us were in our right minds...

...Syrlya.

[ His voice almost comes out as a whisper, the admission causing a coil of emotion to prick at his throat. For the first time in a...long, long time, he lets what he recognizes as love seep out from its containment, as though making sure he's still all there.

That was scary.

He takes another breath and sits up. At this point, most of the leaves on his shirt have regrown--he's looking like normal. His scar hidden once again. When he looks to Ori, there's worry written all over his face. ]

No. We weren't. It would not be fair to you--to either of us if word got out.

[ ... ]

I would...still like to be your friend, however. You're an amazing person who's led an amazing life.

[ Her arms tighten around herself when he sits up; the look on her face spells all of the worries swirling in her heart and mind, at hearing that not only is Trahearne in love with someone else, but that person is right here on this island. It would have been one thing if he'd told her that he still had feelings for someone at home, which is a feeling she would have related to more than she would want to admit, but...

That only solidifies what they must do. Truth to tell, she's not all too worried about her own reputation, here. Maybe a little bit, but it's overshadowed by her worrying about Trahearne and Syrlya. ]

If... For whatever reason, the truth comes out, then we have to make sure he knows it wasn't... By choice. And that there really isn't anything... between us. You can blame me for it, if he gets upset about us keeping it a secret...

[ She curls into herself a little bit more, pressing her forehead into her knees at what he says. She doesn't feel like an amazing person, right now. ]

...We can still be friends. I would like that...

[ She doesn't have very many of those here, after all. ]

[ As Ori curls up, the concern on his face grows stronger. Trahearne scrambles over to her, eyes never leaving her, and he puts his hands firmly on her shoulders. ]

No. I won't blame you for this. It wasn't your fault, and this decision is... It's mutual. And even if he does find out, I know he'd be understanding.

[ He has a big heart for someone who doesn't have one, after all.

There's a pause before he pulls Ori into a tight hug. If there's one thing he takes away from this experience, it has to be the care he now feels for her. Even if it isn't romantic. ]

Whoever falls in love with you...is in for a treat. [ Truly. She's so caring, so delightful, and, objectively, beautiful. It's hard to think the last time he smiled so constantly.

Quietly, he promises himself to make sure she finds love and happiness here. ]

I feel like...if we really met in a dream...

[ He pulls back from the hug, a little smile on his face. ]

...I could have fallen in love with you.

[ His hands on her shoulders isn't enough to urge her out of herself. In fact, her tail comes to curl around herself...

She feels so confused, and upset with herself. How could even magic cause them to act in such a way...? Not even a Charm Person spell would have lasted that long, and for it to spur them into going so far as to sleep with each other... It feels wrong. It is wrong, to her. If they're here to form relationships and maybe even fall in love... why would something like this happen? Wouldn't it only cause more hurt? How... How can she be sure that if she does have feelings for someone, that they're genuine and not part of some spell?

And just like that, it's like she's her younger self again, unsure and self-deprecating and shrinking into herself until she may as well disappear. It's not until he pulls her into an embrace that she finally looks up again.

She doesn't hug him back, but one hand lifts, and pats him on the back. ]

Please, don't say things like that when you're in love with someone else, Trahearne... Just... Find your happiness with Syrlya, okay?

[ Ah.

He's really good at saying the wrong things.

When she pats him, he drops his arms from her and sits back on his heels. For a few moments, all he does is study her and her hurt. He doesn't even know how to comfort her, or where to begin; instead, he rolls over to come sit beside her. There's a comfortable distance between them, but not too far away that it seems like he's trying to remove himself from her presence. ]

...You're right. I'm sorry.

[ He dips his head, bringing his knees up to his chest. That wasn't fair to her at all.

He still genuinely hopes they can be friends. ]

Have you ever been in love?

[ The previous day notwithstanding. ]

[ Ori would really like to believe what he's said, at least about whoever it is that might fall in love with her here. But falling in love in a dream, things like that... While she understands that Trahearne is simply trying to comfort her, when she's clearly upset, but...

The answer to his question should be enough to reveal why... Perhaps it's not him she would have wanted to be in love with, even in a dream. ]

I have...

[ "I am." A little part of her will always, always be in love with Colin, she thinks. They've been through so much together. Even if she knows the romance they share at home is ill-fated by circumstances. He's a prince, one that feels no small weight of obligation and responsibility to his people - who have suffered at the hands of her own kin. And she's...

Well, among other things, she's also here. ]

But he's not here. I think... We weren't meant to be. But that's okay. I've made my peace with it. I'd just like to move forward... I think that's what he would have wanted for me, too.

[ She draws in a deep breath and sighs. ]

Thank you, for saying all that. I know you were just trying to comfort me, and I do appreciate it...

[ Trahearne only listens quietly as she speaks, eyes resting on her profile. He sees the melancholy in her face, hears it in her tone, and his heart aches for her. He can sympathize--to be in love with another, and know it will never work out comes with a special kind of pain. He hopes, regardless, that she can look forward and find someone she is meant to be with. Because she deserves that much.

At the same time, he feels guilty. He is extremely lucky to be here, alive, with Syrlya. Of all the people the goddess could have pulled from across time and space, any of them could have been not him. Not Syrlya. Neither of them. He could still remain in the depths of oblivion. He could be here alone, forced to think of him and miss him and wonder what things could have been like if he were here.

It tugs at his chest.

He looks away when she addresses him again. ]

If you ever need anything, I am here for you.

[ He doesn't want to pretend like nothing happened. They have a bond now, and he is going to hold onto that.

Still, though. ]

...I am sorry.

...

[ With another sigh, she leans over and rests her head against his arm, though being mindful of her horns. ]

I'm sorry, too. I understand what you meant. Even if this wasn't the way I was hoping to get to know you... I still think you're an incredible person, and that you deserve happiness, so... I'll root for you and Syrlya, of course.

But you don't have to worry about me!

[ It's still strange hearing others voice their sentiments, that he deserves happiness. He'll always want to question it, simply because he's constantly occupied by his shortcomings and failures, and because it was never a sentiment he heard at home. But he swallows his urge to question her and his urge humble himself, and takes it.

Him and Syrlya. ]

We're friends now. [ Trahearne tilts his head to look at her, a wry little smile across his face. ] You'll find my worry comes hand-in-hand with my friendship.

[ You'll be seeing a lot more of him sorry!!!! not sorry!!!! ]

🌲🌸☀️ bug eater farm: summertime catch-all ☀️🌸🌲

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