driftfleet | enchanted forest . mingle

[her lips twitch as he nods. A sad, small smile, but she stops and just lets her face rest as they travel in silence for a time. While he's thinking about his challenges, she's mulling over the after effects of her own.

She wonders if Zhas will eventually ask what that was all about. Maybe not, now that she thinks about it. Which in turn makes her wonder if she should talk about it. She knows that she should, eventually. While it likely won't effect anything here, if worst comes to worst it could cause trouble for the crew.

Ah, but she realizes that she's been stewing in her thoughts for a while, that's dangerous. She tries to anchor her mind more to the present, and observe the woods around them. What was once peaceful innocent trees could now be filled with anything. She glances at Zhas, then back at the trees]

These woods seemed so peaceful from the outside.

[...the observation makes the corners of his mouth quirk up in a short smile, though it's for all of the wrong reasons. it's just funny that she thinks that. he thought the woods were bad news from the start, and is naturally distrusting of anything that appears peaceful.

maybe he was going to say something to that--but he suddenly stops dead in his tracks, because something whispers at them. it's a voice that he recognizes--a voice he's known since he was small, always there, always present, until he was brought here, and...

where is she? she can't be here. he's looking through the trees, surroundings momentarily forgotten.]

[When she sees him stiffen up, she stops her chair. She looks around wildly, trying to suss out exactly what it is that made him stop. But she doesn't see anything... so she switches gears and tries to concentrate. They're so soft that she can barely hear them, she's amazed he could so quickly...

And when she glances back at him, she frowns, concerned.]

Zhas-- Who is that?

[...ah, Nunnally is still here. they're still in a forest. she isn't... he comes back to reality for a moment, looking down at her, trying to fathom a way to say anything, let alone give her an explanation. something about the sound of it makes his throat close up. he glances back up at the woods--

and she's waiting for him. a woman is standing just off the edge of the path ahead of them. something about her is very scary... she stands straight, but her long red hair drips in messy waves around her shoulders, a robe barely clutched around her too-thin form. her skin is very pale. her eyes are unfriendly, sharp and blood-red.

she says Zhas' name. she sounds... put out, like an annoyed mother.

Zhas isn't moving.]

[her breath catches in her throat as she follows Zhas's gaze and spots the woman. 'Terrifying', is her first thought, but her eyes linger on the loose grip on her robes, her malnourished face, her familiar tone. This is... someone important to him, and if his reaction is anything to go by she is someone deeply important.

But what he did for her, she wants to do in return. Holding his hand seems... she doesn't want to startle him, so instead she reaches her hand to gently touch the cuff of his jacket sleeve. A physical anchor to what is real]

These are all illusions. I'm... [why does she want to apologize? Because her heart aches to imagine Zhas missing someone the way she dreads her brother]

Let's keep walking. Everything will be alright.

[the hand on his sleeve is a very good idea. he seems to transfixed by her. he looks like he wants to say something, run to her. he can't tear his eyes away from her.

he suddenly grabs Nunnally's hand. he holds it tighter than he should, but he can feel her bones underneath her skin. startled heartbeat just below flesh, against his own fingers. she is real. she is real and she is next to him. this woman is just...

she doesn't say anything. she doesn't have to say anything. Zhas knows what he's done. it weighs on him when he finally takes a step, and then another, but he manages to glance away. to the side. down. anywhere that's not her.

he's sorry. he's so, so sorry.]

[she gasps slightly, involuntarily, when he grabs her hand. But she quickly adjusts and tries to squeeze his hand slightly in return, although she can barely move her own hand in his tight grip. As he begins to take his steps, she tugs at his hand slightly, tugging it forward, and begins to move her chair at a pace that is only slightly faster than his own.

She would say something, but she can feel... a lot from touch. A skill she's honed over years of being unable to read expressions. But she tries not to pay too much attention to any signals that she might be sensing. no, in such a personal moment it would be quite wrong.

So instead she starts to sing softly. It's an old song that her main would sing to her from time to time. It's one that she doesn't know the words too, but she knows the tune fondly, so she simply sings in 'la' tones... It's a clumsy rendition, but she hopes it's different enough from the humming that he heard over the radio.]

[this whole thing feels clumsy and confusing. his legs are heavy; though he steps with outward certainty, he's a mess underneath. the sound that Nunnally makes startles and confuses him, pulling at most of his attention, though... when he realizes it's a song, and she's singing for him, he feels...

like he's being filled with water. it's a deep sense of something, but he wouldn't know how to describe it any better than that.

it keeps his eyes off of Saoirse as her disapproving gaze follows them down the road. walking away is even harder, but the thought of a song... another song, is a good thought. a strong thought. a nice thought, of which he doesn't have many.

it's almost palpable, when she leaves. Zhas' grip lingers longer than it should, but his fingers eventually ease up and slip away from Nunnally.]

[It doesn't feel too long in Nunnally's eyes. As she sings softly and they walk it feels like a moment of mutual support. Two people both in pain, but holding one another up in turns. So she looses track of time for a moment, until she feels the twitch of his muscles as his hand begins to move. She lets go, and her own song reaches its final moments. As it ends she pauses... What he did for her helped immensely, so she ponders on the song itself]

At a certain age, my brother hired a woman to look after me. She sang me that song sometimes at night, when I was scared... It was a story about a young girl who was forced to work across a mountain, very far away from her family. She sounded sad in the song, but also hopeful... like she would return to happier days someday.

[he listens, quietly... it is good to listen to something, it keeps the rest of him from caving in on itself. he doesn't like having to think about these things. he doesn't like thinking that he might have just made a horrible mistake. it's not real, but what if--in some sense--it was?

he fidgets anxiously with his fingers, pressing hard into his palm... but it's helping.]

Thank you.

Mm... [she looks up at him, and her gaze lingers longer this time instead of darting away]

I think I already said that to you, didn't I? [hm... she smiles softly and looks back ahead]

[...she did. they're even now. funny how that works. he walks in silence for a little bit. he's feeling a lot of things, but they don't make sense. now that it's just the two of them again... he's grateful that it was Nunnally, a kind girl, of all people, but also embarrassed that he was so obviously entranced by something fake.]

Did I hurt your hand...

[she shakes her head]

No, it didn't hurt. I-- [she would normally just leave it at that, but this space feels... Comfortable is the wrong word. They're surrounded by a forest that could show any illusion of their greatest fears at any moment. Such a place isn't comfortable, yet she feels safe. And that makes her want to share things she normally wouldn't] I like holding people's hands. During the years that I couldn't see... holding someone's hand was like seeing them for the first time.

[he wants to ask her what she saw, then. he wants to know what he must look like, what he's doing. the urge hits him like an arrow through the heart. it's clear and crisp.

but he doesn't ask. he's... quietly frustrated, he rubs at the back of his neck.]

She is my... [the word "mother" is so close, but it's wrong.] ...Master. I would be serving her now if I was not here.

[hm, a Master. His dedication is obvious, even if he chose a different term at the last moment. She wonders for a moment if the forest summoned her hoping to instill fear, or guilt. His tone now implies guilt, especially if he wishes that he could be there serving her]

I'm sorry... that this place is keeping you away from her. [she looks back now on how frail she seemed, her disappointment]

You'll be able to return to her, I'm sure you will.

[he mulls that over for a while, brooding... but eventually, he nods.]

I will.

[good. She smiles ever so slightly]

And... no one would be able to question your loyalty. [it's the best way that she can think of to say "you don't need to feel guilty"] Not when you answer with such certainty.

[something about that finally gets him to relax. he takes her words very seriously. it sounds sensible. it's exactly the kind of thing he needs to hear. there's still a lot churning just under the surface, but for now... it won't get out, won't flood. it's just a bad day, now. that's all. he's had those before.

after another, easier pause, he adds...]

We're further than Hange got.

[she sees the difference in the way he holds himself, and she respects moving on in the conversation. So she nods]

I feel bad for benefiting from the knowledge that she gathered. [she pauses...] It must have been so terrifying to see an illusion and have no way of knowing if it wasn't real.

[that gets a nod. he was there. it was plenty scary, the kind of rational fear of death he wouldn't have been at all afraid to admit. still, it is Hange, so...]

Ran right back in.

[wow, she wonders what it was like]

Did you... get a good look of it as well?

[he nods again, glancing up at the skyline. he's trying to think of a way to describe it, but he's... not that good with words, not for something like that.]

[she waits for a moment, but when the pause has lingered long enough she nods as if to say 'that's alright']

We've made quite a bit of progress. I think... I think we'll be able to make it. [that's asterisked with a 'as long as we don't see more crazy shit', but she really is feeling optimistic at this point]

[another nod in agreement. there's a chance that something will try to startle them off the path, still, but it seems as though the biggest challenges have passed. like any good fairytale, perhaps, they'll be allowed to pass.

it's still a long walk, but eventually... the trees will thin out, revealing the large clearing at the end, the giant tree, and the treasures.]

[oh... she can't help an unconscious sigh of relief as the clearing approaches. She glances up at Zhas and smiles before she speeds up her chair a bit. Even though this clearing is very pretty, she's excited to leave it and not look back.

She almost feels a slight draw towards her reward, a small unassuming envelope. She resists the urge to look and watch Zhas to see if he's gotten something as well, and tries to focus instead solely on opening her own package...

And inside is a few photos held together by a paperclip. The one on the top of her family... She bites her lip a little bit, something like fondness and pain stirring in her stomach. She hurriedly stuffs the pictures back in the envelope for now, and looks over her shoulder to check on Zhas]

enchanted forest . mingle

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