The dubious, light touch settled until the base of his palm rested in the middle of her back. Her shudders sent his hand bounding with them. The movement sent subtle reverberations through his arm, trailing up to his shoulder, then stopping dulling at that, unable to quake his entire body as hers did. It was difficult for him to place his emotions on the moment. She was heartbroken, that much was clear, and he felt that as well, but not to the degree in which he believed he should be feeling it. In that he felt guilty for not being able to express the emotion of sadness to match the caliber of hers. Perhaps that was a good thing though. If he recalled correctly when his mother and sisters were distraught, it was his father and brothers who remained levelheaded. It allowed them to soothe the women of their household, providing themselves as an emotional anchor midst raging torrents of emotion.
He settled that it was indeed a positive thing for him to remain stalwart, full of sympathy, but able to react should the opportunity present itself. Unfortunately he didn’t exactly understand the opportunity, or if it could be seen here in the shuddering and shaking of her being before him. He remained there, torso turned at a slight to keep his hand on her back. The hand moved, forming circular motions of comfort atop her blouse, rubbing her back gently through the fabric. Several chimes passed, her shuddering and weeping mulling out into shivers of lingering emotion. Her voice came quietly, just past the cusp of his hearing. The mutters were of another foreign language, one he did not immediately understand, and couldn’t understand no matter how hard he strained to hear. He left it, hand slowing in its movements as her voice trembled away in the language he could not understand.
When she quieted, she shifted, stirring into a sitting position. At that he retreated his hand from her, bringing it back himself where it sat awkwardly in his lap with the other. Silence crept into the dark room, his eyes and ears attuning to setting. He kept her in his sights, thoughts rolling over in murky waves of uncertainty. Chimes passed by them, unpausing in their own pursuits of the now waning night. He remained unmoving, head turned to view her; the wetness of her cheeks, redness of her eyes; despair plastered all over her creamy tan complexion. He realized then that he hated sitting there, on the side of the bed, helpless entirely in the situation. He was like the eye of a great storm, where the clouds, lightning, thunder, and rain ravaged all around him but left him untouched, unknown to the destruction around him.
Without warning she slid next to him, eliminating the distance they shared between their two bodies. She was upon him and had embraced him once again, wrapping her arms around his frame once more, the heat of the desert merging the two temporarily into one. Hesitantly he moved his arms to do the same, slipping them from his sides to encircle her in his reach. One arm settled across her back and the other crossed over her side, gliding across her lower back until his palm could gently grasp the space just above her waist.. He pulled her in to his hold, leaning forth to place the soft bottom of his jaw against the top of her head and hair.
In that position they stayed, another collection of chimes drifting by them, ignoring them as if they were frozen, unaffected by time itself. In his hold her body still lightly quaked, each tremble shaking loose her deep earthy scent which floated up to the Kelvic who took it in with each slow breath. Relaxation was what it brought forth, a sense of caring taking over his mind and motivations. He wanted nothing more than to remain in the timeless moment for as long as she would allow. He felt one of her hands withdraw from his body before feeling again in the middle of his chest, lightly through his thin shirt. Her voice came finally, disclosing that she was okay. He remained voiceless, feeling his presence and body did more to soothe her than his clumsy mouth.
Another pause on her part, this one leagues shorter than the rest. She apologized, stating that she wasn’t normally hysterically sad as before, which he knew. She tried to speak again, voice cut off by a catch in her throat that forbid words from coming forth. “It’s okay,” he delicately spoke, voice finally penetrating his deep quiet. Still she went on, trembling voice sending flashes of both sadness and distaste through him. She stated that she could never go back, never seen her family and father, nothing in her now past life would come forth, she’d never experience it again. A heavy thought weighed upon his mind.
Again he drew her in, his arms tightening around her briefly, hoping to display the comfort that he intended. He felt even more guilt in that moment, as he loosened his hold on her; his family was in Zeltiva, not nearly as far as her own family, and his family could be reached whenever he bid it. Unlike her, he had a family, no potential raiders coming after them, safe within their pack of carnivores. He did not want to say he was sorry because it simply wasn’t enough, words alone couldn’t soothe her, the woman in his arms. It would take more than that, it would take time and support, things he wished to provide for her, now more than ever.
His eyelids closed shut, but darkness did not ensue, instead the whirling visions of shifting sands came to mind. The orange and brown hues swirled around him, raging like a storm, blackening the sky. A vision of Zulrav’s? No, there was more. He stood, hot winds blaring against his back. In his vision he whirled, revealing the landscape of dunes around him. The sand settled down, the winds bringing forth kernels of the tiny stones into a whirlwind in front of it. From the whirlwind came forth a silhouette shaped like a woman. Just as sudden as the whirlwind appeared it dropped, as did the sand blocking out the sun. Light flooded the area revealing the features of the woman, her sheer multilayered, white dress, long enough to drape her entire body, flurried at the bottom from the dying winds. Her skin, darker than his own, shone with the sun’s light. His eyes trailed up the skirt of the dress, turning to the sleeveless top and open neck. The woman’s dark hair draped past her ears, soft, shimmering lips were placed upon her face. Deep, familiar sea blue eyes met his own.
In what appeared to be the instant of a breath, he exhaled and opened his eyes, pulling back enough to see Elann’s head tucked into his chest. The arm across her back lifted, his hand moving to comb the loose strands of her hair behind her ear, tucking them in place, revealing her cheek. “It will be okay,” he said again, softer than before. “I will save you from the sadness.”
He settled that it was indeed a positive thing for him to remain stalwart, full of sympathy, but able to react should the opportunity present itself. Unfortunately he didn’t exactly understand the opportunity, or if it could be seen here in the shuddering and shaking of her being before him. He remained there, torso turned at a slight to keep his hand on her back. The hand moved, forming circular motions of comfort atop her blouse, rubbing her back gently through the fabric. Several chimes passed, her shuddering and weeping mulling out into shivers of lingering emotion. Her voice came quietly, just past the cusp of his hearing. The mutters were of another foreign language, one he did not immediately understand, and couldn’t understand no matter how hard he strained to hear. He left it, hand slowing in its movements as her voice trembled away in the language he could not understand.
When she quieted, she shifted, stirring into a sitting position. At that he retreated his hand from her, bringing it back himself where it sat awkwardly in his lap with the other. Silence crept into the dark room, his eyes and ears attuning to setting. He kept her in his sights, thoughts rolling over in murky waves of uncertainty. Chimes passed by them, unpausing in their own pursuits of the now waning night. He remained unmoving, head turned to view her; the wetness of her cheeks, redness of her eyes; despair plastered all over her creamy tan complexion. He realized then that he hated sitting there, on the side of the bed, helpless entirely in the situation. He was like the eye of a great storm, where the clouds, lightning, thunder, and rain ravaged all around him but left him untouched, unknown to the destruction around him.
Without warning she slid next to him, eliminating the distance they shared between their two bodies. She was upon him and had embraced him once again, wrapping her arms around his frame once more, the heat of the desert merging the two temporarily into one. Hesitantly he moved his arms to do the same, slipping them from his sides to encircle her in his reach. One arm settled across her back and the other crossed over her side, gliding across her lower back until his palm could gently grasp the space just above her waist.. He pulled her in to his hold, leaning forth to place the soft bottom of his jaw against the top of her head and hair.
In that position they stayed, another collection of chimes drifting by them, ignoring them as if they were frozen, unaffected by time itself. In his hold her body still lightly quaked, each tremble shaking loose her deep earthy scent which floated up to the Kelvic who took it in with each slow breath. Relaxation was what it brought forth, a sense of caring taking over his mind and motivations. He wanted nothing more than to remain in the timeless moment for as long as she would allow. He felt one of her hands withdraw from his body before feeling again in the middle of his chest, lightly through his thin shirt. Her voice came finally, disclosing that she was okay. He remained voiceless, feeling his presence and body did more to soothe her than his clumsy mouth.
Another pause on her part, this one leagues shorter than the rest. She apologized, stating that she wasn’t normally hysterically sad as before, which he knew. She tried to speak again, voice cut off by a catch in her throat that forbid words from coming forth. “It’s okay,” he delicately spoke, voice finally penetrating his deep quiet. Still she went on, trembling voice sending flashes of both sadness and distaste through him. She stated that she could never go back, never seen her family and father, nothing in her now past life would come forth, she’d never experience it again. A heavy thought weighed upon his mind.
Again he drew her in, his arms tightening around her briefly, hoping to display the comfort that he intended. He felt even more guilt in that moment, as he loosened his hold on her; his family was in Zeltiva, not nearly as far as her own family, and his family could be reached whenever he bid it. Unlike her, he had a family, no potential raiders coming after them, safe within their pack of carnivores. He did not want to say he was sorry because it simply wasn’t enough, words alone couldn’t soothe her, the woman in his arms. It would take more than that, it would take time and support, things he wished to provide for her, now more than ever.
His eyelids closed shut, but darkness did not ensue, instead the whirling visions of shifting sands came to mind. The orange and brown hues swirled around him, raging like a storm, blackening the sky. A vision of Zulrav’s? No, there was more. He stood, hot winds blaring against his back. In his vision he whirled, revealing the landscape of dunes around him. The sand settled down, the winds bringing forth kernels of the tiny stones into a whirlwind in front of it. From the whirlwind came forth a silhouette shaped like a woman. Just as sudden as the whirlwind appeared it dropped, as did the sand blocking out the sun. Light flooded the area revealing the features of the woman, her sheer multilayered, white dress, long enough to drape her entire body, flurried at the bottom from the dying winds. Her skin, darker than his own, shone with the sun’s light. His eyes trailed up the skirt of the dress, turning to the sleeveless top and open neck. The woman’s dark hair draped past her ears, soft, shimmering lips were placed upon her face. Deep, familiar sea blue eyes met his own.
In what appeared to be the instant of a breath, he exhaled and opened his eyes, pulling back enough to see Elann’s head tucked into his chest. The arm across her back lifted, his hand moving to comb the loose strands of her hair behind her ear, tucking them in place, revealing her cheek. “It will be okay,” he said again, softer than before. “I will save you from the sadness.”
