Sleep was becoming a bit of a luxury these days; something was always coming up, a new direction to go, a new job. Her work with the Alliance was highly rewarding, and she enjoyed having a purpose once again, but she was ready for a break. Her twentieth birthday had come and gone; she might not have noticed had her special day not coincided with a day for lovers here in Shaman. "Valentines Day" they called it. Thank the gods she'd been busy, or the couples all over the place might have made her a bit lonely. She yawned tiredly, shoving that thought away. At least she'd been given a few days off now; she did wish she had something to distract her from her worries, her thoughts of home. Her aunts, Gracie... What she wouldn't give to see Calvyn, even. He might still hate her, but even seeing that on his face would have been something at least. She sighed. It was strange, the thoughts that came into ones mind when they were past the point of exhaustion.
She knocked into someone on the street; it was highly uncharacteristic for her, and yet another sign of her tiredness. She mumbled an apology, far less of one than she would have normally offered, and stepped away. A girl's voice came from behind her, and she froze. She couldn't make out the word, but why was the voice itself so familiar? She shook her head, forcing her feet back into slow motion. There was no way. If Gracie were here in Shaman, if she'd somehow come here as Faeyra had, she'd know it by now, wouldn't she? She would have seen her... or... No. She couldn't allow herself to wander down that dark path in her mind again. After she'd arrived, she'd driven herself nearly mad. The pain... they said it went away, but for her, it never had. It just kept rolling, waiting in the back of her mind for her to weaken so it could sink its fangs into her again. She fought against it, but she couldn't help casting a glance over her shoulder. She just... had to be sure.
"Gracie?" she whispered hoarsely as she watched the little girl running towards her.
"Gracie?" she repeated, louder this time, as she moved to meet the girl. The pain, the relief, the shock; it drove her to her knees as Gracie collided with her chest. She wrapped the girl in her arms, and her eyes lifted of their own accord to the person who'd brought her back. She blinked back tears as her eyes settled on Calvyn's face.
"C-Calvyn?" Her voice broke, disbelief and hope warring inside of her.
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♥♥ drawing by the AMAZING ALICE ♥♥ |