Completed [Maiden District] I Can't Feel

[Sigrun Dominic]

There was a long period of silence, once that was scarcely filled by the sounds of Sigmund and Snowe's breathing, as well as Ronan's stirring. Sigrun stared at the steady rising and falling of her younger brother's chest as he lay fast asleep, a serene expression gracing his youthful features. She smiled, happy that he was finally resting. Turning towards the door, she gently rose from the bed and made her way into the living area just as Ronan began to speak once more. "You know, you could make a good living from fishing. Or any other fish related job. There are plenty of people in the docks who are always looking for apprentices or labors to help with their fish or with cleaning them. If you're lucky, you could work for one of the captains." "I don't trust them," she thought, eyeing the burning hearth as she leaned against the doorframe, one of her hands massaging the crook of her neck. "Perhaps that's not such a good idea. One woman alone on a ship full of lonely sailors. I'd suggest you take a land based job somewhere. How is he?" Sigrun looked up and gazed at Ronan's back with a smirk, clearly amused by his train of thought. "He's doing fine," she responded as she lifted a chair and brought it over to the hearth so she could sit next to the young man, "he's fast asleep." "I don't know if I'll feel comfortable working for someone, or generally with other people," she said softly, crossing her legs and placing both her hands on her lap as she watched the soup simmer inside the pot, "but I haven't really gone looking for a job, so I can't really say that I've looked everywhere for a place that seemed safe." "I suppose that the worst thing that could happen is that I end up servicing at a flower shop," she joked, laughing softly.

[Ronan Dugal]

At least she didn't show utter and total defeat already. Young people often seemed to go for the easy way out. Join a gang. Or give up and die. Or worse, join the knights. Ronan was glad Sigrun still felt like she had options left. That was always good. He nodded towards her. "That's good to hear. The tea is already working. Did I mention you could add in some honey or lemon to flavor it?" He smiled at Sigrun as the girl sat herself at the hearth. He wondered for a moment how her life could have turned out but then focused on his task again. He put away the last of the stuff he had bought and returned to the soup. A little stirring later he tasted the soup again. It was coming along nicely. He scooped up another small portion and held his hand under it as he offered it to Sigrun. "Careful. It's hot." Ronan smirked and his eyes twinkled. The twinkle and the smirk faded as she mentioned the worst thing that could happen. "Trust me, Sigrun. Working in a flower shop is far, far above the worst thing that could happen to you in Syliras." His eyes flashed aggressively for a second but he managed to turn it into a smile. "You could get married to a knight..." He mentioned, doing his best to sound casual. He went silent once more for a little while as he stirred the soup, his mind elsewhere. "You can't work for yourself forever. You'll never get out of here or help your brother that way." He suddenly spoke to her, having finished whatever was occupying his mind. "Working for or with others is a good way to earn decent money, if you can find the right job. There's is plenty of people looking for proper younglings to help them out with all their chores and tasks. People well off prefer to pay for something rather than get their hands dirty." There was a tone of disgust in his last words as he was reminded of all the richer people in Syliras and how they controlled almost everything that was going on, making themselves richer in the process. He pinched the bridge of his nose as he sighed. "Sorry. Just thinking about them makes me angry." He shrugged somewhat and turned back to the soup, watching the wooden spoon cut through the water of the soup, stirring the different vegetables. Hopefully someday someone would talk about him like that. He'd like that.

[Sigrun Dominic]

"That's good to hear. The tea is already working. Did I mention you could add in some honey or lemon to flavor it?" A warmth that Sigrun had not experienced for a long, long time overcame her as she and Ronan exchanged smiles. It was bliss and comfort, melded together to form something that she could only remember feeling when her parents were still around. She nodded at the young man, remembering how much her mother was in love with having honey in her tea. She watched fondly as the young man scooped up a portion of soup and placed it in a wooden bowl, gingerly handing it to her. "Careful. It's hot." Sigrun blushed at the kind sentiment, her trembling hands wrapping themselves around the bowl. She winced, quickly placing it upon her clothed lap for a moment before lifting it up again. She returned his smirk as she began to blow into the soup, cooling it. "Thank you," she said softly, to fill up the silence. "Trust me, Sigrun. Working in a flower shop is far, far above the worst thing that could happen to you in Syliras." The young girl shrugged, thinking it silly to work in such a place. What did a florist even do, exactly? Simply arrange flowers? The young girl shook her head and smiled as she took a sip of the soup. It was delectable, very much so compared to the meals that she'd been having for the past few seasons. "You could get married to a knight..." Sigrun coughed and heaved, almost spitting out her soup at the young man's words. "Marriage?" she questioned him bewilderingly, grinning, "to a knight?" Suddenly, memories flooded through her mind, memories of Francis, who was training to become a knight. Her eye twitched, smile fading at the thought of his face that night when she'd seen him last, and how heated their argument had been. "Sigrun," Francis muttered softly one rainy night, "have you ever thought of, maybe, settling down?" "No, never," the young blonde responded with a raise of her eyebrow, "I don't think I should even bother." "You can't work for yourself forever. You'll never get out of here or help your brother that way." Ronan was speaking, but only half of his words were registering into the blonde's mind as she lost herself in her memories. "Why not?" Francis retorted rather defensively, "It'd be good for Sigmund." "I don't see how that'd help at all," she flashed him a mocking grin. "Settle down with me," Francis beamed, taking her hands, "it'll be fun, it'll be like playing house or something, and Sigmund can—" "Can what, play house with us too?" Sigrun snatched her hands away from him angrily, "drop this, I don't want to talk about it." "There's is plenty of people looking for proper younglings to help them out with all their chores and tasks." "I don't understand, Sigrun," Francis growled, his fists balled up as if he were just about ready to punch the girl. "What didn't you understand, hm? What part of what I'd just said did not make sense?" "Am I not good enough for you?" Francis responded, "is that it?" "It's not about being good enough! It's about—" "About what?!" "It's about you, coming 'round here talking about settling down or some shyke, talking about how it'd be good for Sigmund—" "It would!" "And how would it?! It would just bring the boy's hopes up! Our family is gone, Francis, dead and gone. This is just another opportunity for all of us to get hurt. I don't even understand why you've brought this up, it does nothing!" "People well off prefer to pay for something rather than get their hands dirty." "Because, I love you." Ronan's words mixed with the voices inside Sigrun's head, confusing her quite a bit. But there was no way she could deny the dull, lingering ache that claimed her heart, squeezing it tightly, nearly laboring her breathing to the point that she was panting. She eyed Ronan with glazed eyes as she struggled to repress her memories. "Sorry. Just thinking about them makes me angry." "I-It's fine," she blurted out, quickly taking two large gulps of soup, completely disregarding its heat. She twisted about her scalded tongue in an attempt to soothe the burning pain. "Don't worry about it." "I love you, Sigrun." She continued to watch Ronan stir the soup, allowing her mind to lose itself in keeping track of the young man's repetitive motions. It was soothing, calming, and soon enough the young girl was feeling much better. "I could probably go looking for a job," she said finally, "I might." "Perhaps we should... We should wake Sigmund and give him some soup," she said after a long pause, finishing her soup but no longer having the ability to taste it due to her burnt tongue. "I'll go see if we have something to sweeten the tea," she mumbled, leaving he wooden bowl on her chair as she rose and began to hunt through the sacks and cupboards for some honey.

[Ronan Dugal]

Ronan looked at Sigrun as the young girl seemed non too pleased about marriage. He noticed her grin and, immediately after, noticed how her grin faded away. It didn't stop him from talking, however, but his eyes did remain on her face, watching the girl struggle. He was glad she loved the soup, which was evident from the speed at which she ate it. The fact that it was boiling hot didn't seem to bother her much, or not outwardly at least. "If you need a g... Yeah, I think your brother might be getting hungry." Ronan picked up her bowl and refilled it with soup. Placing the ladle aside, he let the rest of the soup boil on, increasing the taste as the vegetables cooked in the water. Placing the bowl next to the bed, Ronan sat himself down on the side of it, softly stirring the young boy. "Sigmund?" He was careful, attempting to be quiet on one end and loud enough on the other end so that Sigmund would wake up. He felt the young boy's forehead and noticed that the fever had somewhat declined, although he was still not entirely better. "Do you have another pillow?" Ronan half whispered towards the kitchen, where he had last seen Sigrun. He would need to sit Sigmund up in order to feed him. Hopefully the boy would be able to stomach a few spoonfuls of soup. Anything was better than nothing. As he waited for Sigrun, Ronan felt the young boy's pulse and stroked a strand of hair from his face. Sigmund carefully opened his eyes. "Hello there, young man. How are you feeling." Ronan smiled down at the boy before taking a quick look towards Sigrun to see where she was. "Time for some food. Sigrun made delicious soup for you but it's still a little hot. Can you sit up." Ronan sat and spoke softly to the boy, making sure not to push him in any way, shape or form. "That's quite a thing you did there, scaring your sister like that. You shouldn't scare a lady like that." Ronan nodded with a soft smile. The boy seemed to have regained the slightest bit of color in his cheeks but he was still cold to the touch everywhere but his forehead, where he was burning up. Ronan truly hoped that the boy would be able to make it.

[Sigrun Dominic]

"If you need a g... Yeah, I think your brother might be getting hungry." Sigrun turned her back away from the young man, her trembling fingers finally managing to find a small portion of honey from the sack that he'd brought in earlier. She could hear his soft, steady footsteps as he entered their bedroom, his voice faintly calling out Sigmund's name. The situation was reminding her more and more of the times when she had Francis around to help her care for her younger brother, the times when she would be preparing supper with the little amount of food they could manage to find while Francis and Sigmund were busy playing in the bedroom with Snowe. The redheaded teenager had always brought a smile to the little boy's face whenever he stayed to visit. Nowadays, Sigmund couldn't even muster up a grin. "The loss has been far too much for the both of us," she thought solemnly, referring to herself and her younger brother. "Do you have another pillow?" She busy stirring in a spoonful of honey in her tea, which had now become less hot. She whipped her head around just as she brought the cup to her lips, gazing into the open doorway and catching a glimpse of Ronan leaning over her brother. It was like taking a glimpse into the past. Almost like a brief bout of hallucination, Sigrun had to stop herself from calling Ronan her father, remembering the days when he would sit by his son as he laid in bed and told him stories, just like his wife ordinarily would, when he was still fine. Which didn't exactly last for a long time. "Time for some food. Sigrun made delicious soup for you but it's still a little hot. Can you sit up." Gingerly, she stepped into the bedroom and watched as Ronan coaxed her little brother into consciousness so he could feed him the soup. As Sigmund began to flutter his eyes open, Sigrun walked over to the nearby wardrobe and managed to take out an old worn pillow covered in rips and tears. She handed it to Ronan, who placed it behind Sigmund so that he could sit up comfortably. "Sorry," she said shyly, "Snowe ripped it up when he was still a puppy." She sat next to the canine, who lifted his head up and wagged his tail at the sound of his name being mentioned. Sigrun took another sip of her tea and patted the Inganu Deepwoods on the head with a soft smile. "That's quite a thing you did there, scaring your sister like that. You shouldn't scare a lady like that." Sigrun blushed, but otherwise remained silent. She watched as Sigmund eagerly eyed the steaming soup and lifted his head so he could be fed. The boy meekly met eyes with Ronan, his deep blue irises channeling a sickly sort of sadness. "I'm sorry," he cried raspily, "I didn't mean to." "I won't do it again, I won't—" he frantically turned his head to face his sister, "I promise I won't, sister, I'll get better and I'll stop getting sick, I—" Sigrun softly hushed her younger brother, placing a palm over his head and mussing his blonde locks. "Calm down, brother, you needn't worry." "But I hurt you," he sobbed, tears threatening to form. "No, shh, you didn't, my dear," she leaned over and kissed the little boy on the forehead, "you didn't hurt me." "But—" "You didn't hurt me," she reiterated with a warm smile, gesturing over to Ronan, who sat adjacent to her, "but you will if you don't let Ronan over here feed you some soup!" "Okay, okay," Sigmund calmed down, smiling faintly, "I'm sorry." "There's nothing you need to be sorry about," she responded fondly, "nothing's your fault." "It's all someone else's," she thought darkly. "Sister, is that tea?" Sigmund said in between sips of his soup, eyeing the cup in Sigrun's hands. "Yes, it has honey in it," she said cheerfully, taking in another delightful sip. "Mm," Sigmund hummed after another hearty gulp of broth, "my favorite."

[Ronan Dugal]

Ronan sat there for a moment, listening to the two siblings talk as he slowly but surely spoonfed the young boy his soup, making sure to blow on every scoop so that he wouldn't burn his mouth. The flavor of the soup was still off and unfinished but it would help the young boy to gather some strength until the soup was finished completely. Ronan felt a pang of guilt as he saw how the young boy became so frantic, trying to not be sick, trying to explain to his sister that he tried to be better. But Ronan simply continued to watch the two of them talk, making sure that Sigmund took in enough of the soup whenever he was quiet. When Sigrun pointed at him and explained that her little brother needed to eat his soup or he would hurt her, Ronan couldn't help but smile as the boy doubled his efforts to eat. For a moment there was silence, as Sigrun seemed to be in thought and Sigmund did his best to eat as much from the soup as possible. His strength hadn't returned enough yet to feed himself so Ronan remained seated on the bed, feeding the boy spoons of soup. After a few moments, Sigmund noticed the tea and Ronan leaned back a bit as the two siblings talked about tea, which was good since it meant that Sigmund wasn't delirious and dying. Standing up slowly, Ronan left the siblings to themselves, the bowl of soup on the bedside table, slowly steaming away as he removed himself to the main room of the house. He gathered his things, casually, making sure everything was in order in the house before taking his things. For a moment it felt right, two people depending on him and him going out to work. The only problem was that he wasn't coming back after work, like a real father or a real big brother would do. Ronan was leaving forever. He sat and waited until Sigrun joined him in the main room. "Take good care of your little brother. Tea and soup. When his fever goes down you can try some more solid food, some bread, some meat. And do take care of yourself, dear." Ronan grinned as he found himself talking like a mother to the young woman. He reached into his coat, his hand moving underneath it as he tried to find the right hiding spot. His other hand disappeared underneath the coat as well, on the other side, and both hands moved around, trying to find the right place. Suddenly a smile on his face appeared as Ronan picked out a gold round coin and placed it on the table. "Just in case you need anything else." He turned around and walked to the door but changed his mind halfway and turned back. "Should you decide that you ever need to pay me back, just come by." He gave her the name and general location of the place where he was staying at, and would stay at for quite some time still, before he turned around a second time and opened the door, stepping out with his bag on his back, filled with goods bought from traders left and right, ready to be sold to other traders right and left for a profit. Unknown to Ronan at the time, he had just finished his only act of proper kindness for quite a few years.

[Sigrun Dominic]

Sigmund was falling asleep again. Never before had she viewed her brother's drowsiness with so much anxiety. The little boy's eyes were weighted down by his stupor as he struggled to take in the last few spoonfuls of soup, having to exert more and more effort as the minutes went by. Sigrun clung to her brother desperately, her hands wrapping around his shoulders as she snuggled her head against the crook of his neck, suddenly looking like the younger sibling.

The young boy hummed softly in approval, his eyes now remaining perpatually closed as he took the last of the soup. Sigrun's eyelids fluttered to a close, her sights falling upon Ronan before disappearing into the darkness of folded skin.

The worn floorboards whispered the faint footsteps of a retreating figure, rousing the young girl from her slumber. She eyed the doorway just in time to catch sight of Ronan walking out of it.

Jerking up, she almost risked waking Sigmund, who furrowed his brows and reached out for the air, searching for the warmth that had left once his sister had sat up. Snowe quickly hopped onto the bed at the sight of the child's outstretched, wandering hands, quickly allowing his neck to be embraced by him. Sigrun moved off the bed and watched as the pair cuddled each other in bed, their heads sinking beneath the pillows and bedsheets.

By the time she'd entered the main room, Ronan was already set up and sitting on one of the wooden chairs, waiting for her. She stood and leaned against the doorframe, watching the young man intently, the reality of his temporal presence in their household.

"Take good care of your little brother. Tea and soup. When his fever goes down you can try some more solid food, some bread, some meat. And do take care of yourself, dear."

Her throat locked itself, her eyes watering as she struggled to fight the emotions that began to take a hold of her. She wanted him to stay.

She watched him silently, giving him a saddened smile as he put on his coat and looked at her amusedly. She couldn't bear returning the optimism.

"Thank you, Ronan," she murmured, her eyes projecting a vision of mirth, "I hope to see you again."

"Maybe someday," she said sweetly, finally managing a smile that had no longer held a trace of sadness. There was hope in her heart for everything.

"Just in case you need anything else," he placed a gold coin upon the dining table and then made his way for the door. Sigrun eyed the Miza with wide eyes, before turning to look at him as he turned around to say something else.

"Should you decide that you ever need to pay me back, just come by."

Chuckling, she gave him a nod and watched without protest as he left through the door, closing it behind him with a soft thud. Suddenly, the house felt empty.

"Goodbye," she muttered into the air.

Sigrun stared at the chair where he had sat down, her eyes trailing the space that he'd left were she began to create an imaginary outline of his silhouette, managing to generate a ghost from all of the intangible things he'd left behind in their home.

Her eyes then traced it into non-existence as she approached the table and grabbed the single golden miza, which she brought into the bedroom and placed into Sigmund's small sack of marbles. Storing the pouch back in its rightful place inside the wardrobe, she turned around and watched the remnants of her family sleep soundly upon their flimsy mattress, looking more than content with their impoverished living conditions.

Sigrun laid in bed next to Sigmund, watching amusedly as Snowe tucked himself around the boy on his other side. She brushed away the young boy's blonde bangs and rested her head upon his shoulder. It hurt her to see him so sick and so frail, a mere shadow of his once healthier form. She suddenly felt severely inadequate.

"You deserve so much better," she whispered, as she closed her eyes, "I'm so sorry that you have to live like this."

"There's nothing you need to be sorry about," Sigmund responded breathily, emulating his sister's previous words, his eyes still closed as he gave his sister a somniferous smile. Sigrun turned her head and gazed up at the young boy's angelic features, surprised that he'd still been awake, and gave him a thankful look.

"Nothing is your fault."

[Emblem]

Congratulations! You Get Glorious Experience! Sigrun Skill Points Earned Socialization 4 XP Cooking 2 XP Medicine 1 XP Philosophy 1 XP Lore Earned Stranger in the Wind Struggling Through Winter Ronan, the Benevolent Watching What's Left of Your Family Fighting a Fever How to Make Tea Other Shenanigans: Ronan Skill Points Earned Socialization 4 XP Teaching 3 XP Cooking 2 XP Medicine 1 XP Philosophy 1 XP Lore Earned Sigmund and Sigrun, Brother and Sister A Helping Hand Comparing Lives Teaching Sigrun Other Shenanigans: Comments : Sorry for the wait guys, but this was an awesome thread! Both of you are great writers and I enjoyed the entire thread. So good work! Anyway, if you have questions or concerns, shoot me PM!