Inevitable Pain.

[-a r e l l a-]

Her words hit her like a punch to the gut, and Arella too stepped back.

"Sorry...I've never been in love or had someone love me in that way so I guess my opinions don't count much. I'll ask my brother about it sometime...he's always had a girlfriend...."

Arella stepped back another step and then fell backwards onto Amelia's grave stone, quickly pulling herself up, Arella prayed that Faith hadn't noticed. She didn't want to upset or p**s her off anymore.

"Do you want me to...leave?" she asked, hoping to get the answer she wanted..

[†Faith Winters†]

Seeing Arella’s reaction to her words, then hear what she said, Faith features immediately softened, she took a step forward, one hand out stretched slightly, “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to… Be all ‘gahhh!’ it’s just… I was planning on spending the rest of my life with this girl… And now I’m not going to… and… It hurts… I’m really sorry about that…” she said in a quiet voice, her voice full of shame.

She was about to reach forward and help Arella back up as she fell, but Arella was up before she could move a muscle, “No… I don’t want you to leave… I’m sorry… Really, I am…It’s just… Hard right now… To… Y’know… Not freak out or anything… I’m sorry…”

[-a r e l l a-]

Arella relaxed a little as Faith seemed to explain herself, and then say that she should stay-the answer Arella had hoped for.

The rain was starting to subside, and the moon peeked out between some dark clouds: it was nearly full-tomorrow would be the first full moon Arella would experience as a lycan.

"I understand...about a week ago I found out my brother had been biten...he was a lycan. Well we're twins you see...and we've been together our whole life. The thought of us not being the same, and together...it got me upset...angry...I lashed out and somehow I ended up being turned as well. I know its not exactly the same but I think I kinda know the feeling of loss...except I guess I got Aridan back. Do you want your girl back?" she asked, softly

[†Faith Winters†]

Seeing Arella relax, Faith relaxed as well. Pulling her shirt out so it wasn’t so stuck to her Faith watched as it sank back to her skin, clinging once again, the outline of her ribs showing clearly through the black shirt. It made her sick.

Moving her azure gaze from her ribs, Faith rose an eyebrow slightly at Arella, “I get what you mean… It’s… A lot like that, just a different kind of hurt… Loosing your siblings, or the thought of loosing them, I know it hurts… I lost my older sister over a year ago.” She stated, explaining how she knew. A deep frown stretched over her once gorgeous face, “I… I… I don’t know…”

[-a r e l l a-]

Arella cursed herself: she didn't seem to help no matter what she did or said. But she couldn't leave...

"I...do...you...when..."

Arella started, but didn't a few sentences, she then allowed a silence to fall between them, as she glanced over Faith's body. She looked close to starvation, so weak, tired and ill, but most of all..sad...the latter oozed from Faith...sadness....and it seemed to be contagious as Arella felt more and more depressed as she learnt more about what Faith was going through.

"The rain's stopped" she said, as she noticed the final drops of rain landing in muddy puddles on the earthy ground of the graveyard.

[†Faith Winters†]

Suddenly a smirk broke out onto Faiths solemn features, “You do me, when? Where?” A playful grin laced her lips, and a clip of the real Faith shone through at that moment.

Watching as Arella looked over her body, Faith was tempted to say her usual ‘see something you like?’ but, stopped, when she realized there was nothing left to like, and she was supposed to have a broken heart. And the pain flooded back. Scowling at herself, Faith shook her head, angry for some reason.

Stopping her scowling, Faith looked around, before holding her hands out around her, “It appears so… Go figure…”

[Kage]

Step

Step

Step

Each footstep, though faint, rang to their ears with a heightened clarity. As if the full weight of the world weighed down each stride, as if the approaching person was not walking, merely..... trudging.

Step

Step

Step

He drew into view, slipping from the gloom surrounding the rain-speckled tombstones like a ghost daring to venture into the light. His features, at a distance, were incomprehensible. His shaggy black hair, normally tied back into a tidy ponytail, hung ragged and limp, all the more so because he moved with his head bowed. His black duster, normally immaculate, seemed overtly worn, as if he had donned the garment long ago and had simply neglected to take it off.

Step

Step

Step

He drew closer, hands dug deep into his duster pockets. As he drew to within a few paces, his head rose, as if he suddenly realized that there were other people there too. His face was drawn and worn, as if he had aged years in the months he had become a sort of recluse.

"Hello." His voice was soft and tired, as if he had just woken from a long term of sleep. His gloved hands, slipping soundlessly from his pockets, spread wide, as if Kage were an umpire giving the 'Safe' signal, then his arms came back, his arms crossing slightly as his lips moved in a rapid, soundless whisper.

Warmth and dryness returned to Faith and Arella, Kage having just cast a spell to dry them off.

"So what brings you here?"

[-a r e l l a-]

Arella sighed in desparation: she did not like to give up on things, but helping Faith seemed to be a big task, which was anything but easy. It didn't help that Faith didn't want the help either...

Hearing the footsteps, Arella looked at the horizon to watch for their owner's form appear in sight. As soon as she recognised the male, Arella's heart sunk.

She'd met Kage, the lycan, in the hospital wing the night Aridan and herself had been turned. They hadn't seen eye to eye, and all Arella could really remember about him was his heavy weight on her slender form when he'd pinned her to the floor. Arella had been terrified.

When he held out his arms, and cast the spell, Arella merely nodded her thanks, unable to make eye contact.

Realising that Faith would probably be more comfortable with this male lycan (who she'd most likely known much longer), Arella coughed clearing her throat, made a quick eye contact with Faith, then mumbled.

"Well I'll let you two catch up...remember what I said, Faith..."

With that, Arella started heading back to the castle, a heavy weight dragging on her whole body.

[†Faith Winters†]

Oh, if Arella only knew. Faith had taken one glance upon Kage, and shrunk back into herself, wishing she could be swallowed into the earth at that moment.

Seeing Kage was one of the things Faith hoped would come much, much later; him being the man Amelia had been with, the father of their pups. A lump formed in Faiths throat so large she didn’t think she could swallow it down.

Feeling nauseous, Faith kept her gaze fixed on the ground. Doing as Arella did, Faith merely nodded her thanks to him as well. Kicking the dirt lightly with the toe of her shoe, Faith glanced briefly at Amelia’s grave, before gesturing towards it, answering Kage’s question.

As Arella mumbled her departure, a look of panic flashed across Faiths face. Reaching out quickly, Faith took a hold of Arella’s hand, stopping her in mid-stride, “Uh… I’ll walk back with you…” She spat out quickly, the words rushing together.

Nodding a head towards Kage, she put a faint smile on her face, “Nice seeing you again, Kage, hope you’ve been well…” Declining her towards the other lycan in a semi-bow, Faith turned to leave with Arella. Realizing she still had the other girls hand, she let her own slide away, tucking it into her now dry pockets.

[-a r e l l a-]

Something stopped her leaving, had grabbed her by the hand; Faith. Arella looked down at her hand encased in Faith's, and she squeezed it. Arella could now tell by Faith's reaction that there was something between the pair of lycans: perhaps the dead girl buried beneath the uncompassionate gravestone.

As Faith let go of Arella's hand, the pair began to walk. The atmosphere was strange: a mist had begun to raise up from the soaked ground: it threatened to engulf them from the feet up.

"I wish there was something I could do to ease your pain, Faith, all I can think to say is that she's never truely gone if you don't forget her. My Grams always told me that you make the best of what she had. If Amelia had kids...then why not spend time with them? Look out for them?--Amelia would have loved that, right?" she said softly into the silence that seemed to be occuring more and more between them.

[†Faith Winters†]

Lowering her gaze to the ground, Faith walked in silence for a few moments, absorbing Arella’s words. Nodding her head slowly, Faith peered up at the clearing sky, “I suppose you’re right…”

Letting out a delicate sigh, Faith took her hands from her pockets and began to fiddle with her de-ringed finger once more; playing with her ring had become a habit she was having trouble breaking. Growling at herself as she took note to what she was doing, Faith dropped her hands to her sides and continued to walk.

Pondering for a moment, Faith shook her head, “As mush as I wish I could do that, there’s no way I could face her kids… I couldn’t even face Kage back there…”

[Kage]

OOC: I would like to point out that Kage did NOT pin Arella in the Hospital Wing, he held her above him after he tripped her, thank you.

BIC:

So she left when he came. Hardly a surprise.

Kage's head barely moved to register her exit, eyes locking squarely upon Amelia's grave. His hand swept out, over the top of the headstone and feeling the concealed niche.

Briefly digging his fingers into it, he extracted the engagement that, though it seemed like not all that long ago, he had put on Amelia's finger when he asked her to be his wife.

"Amelia...." He said in a hollow whisper, sinking to his knees before the grave. He offered one final thought to Faith, before basking in his memories of Amelia.

A walking testament as to why life isnt fair.