tulip

The stallion steps from the shadows and Tulip instinctively steps back, her expression becoming somewhat guarded. The teachings from her parents had assured she would not be outright rude to a stranger, but she did not have to blindly trust everyone she came across. Perhaps she would have, if she had remained in the Cove her entire life, but her family's upheaval had shown her the world was not as black and white as she had thought. "I don't believe your mother is here," he says, and Tulip visibly deflates. The tense way she had bunched her shoulders relaxes, and the tension falls from her pinched brow. Instead it's replace by a look of profound sadness, disappointment. She might have continued to wallow in he despair and her trust distrust of the stranger had he not asked Çiçek's name. It is a small sentiment, a tiny offer but a glimmer of hope all the same. The step she'd taken away is erased as she steps further up onto the shore of Paradise, leaving the safety of the shallows.

With those steps she had officially gone to a place that was not Tinuvel. Had it been a different circumstance she'd have marveled at the bright colors, the sweet smell in the air, the sound of distant birds, and the heaviness in the air around her. But instead she turned her entire focus onto the stranger. "Çiçek," she says, unsure whether she should offer any further information. This was new for her, everything outside the snow-peaked lands of her home was new to her. "I'm from Tinuvel," she adds, hopeful it may help, "if that helps." She hopes it does.