Post by sunflower on Mar 16, 2011 8:22:53 GMT 10
Title: Solace Part Two
Rating: PG
Word Count: 609
Pairing: Team Scheme (Aly/Taybur)
Round/Fight: 1/D
Summary: Aly has a conversation with Taybur.
Taybur let her in quickly, after peering through the spyhole at its center for a moment. It seemed he slept as lightly as Aly herself. Stepping through the doorway, Aly saw a griffin feather hung above the doorframe. At another time, she would have been amused at Taybur’s knowledge of the legendary creatures’ ability to deflect lies and illusion, but now, it held no entertainment for her. It was hard even to appreciate the hard angles of Taybur’s muscular body – he slept in only a loincloth, and had not seen fit for whatever reason to pull on any additional clothing for Aly’s visit. Perhaps it just slipped his mind, she thought.
It was only after the older man put his hand on her shoulder to steady her that Aly realized she was shaking.
“What’s wrong, Aly?” His voice was quiet and gentle, and so were his hands as he poured her a glass of water and handed it to her.
She gripped it with both hands and took a sip, being careful not to spill it. Her mind felt disconnected from her body; her lips tingled with a strange sensation.
“Don’t you have something a bit stronger than this?” she asked, but there was none of the usual teasing in her voice.
Taybur gave a low, rumbling chuckle, but his eyes staying wide open in concern. “You realize that your children will be drinking it too, come morning.”
“Oh. Yes, of course. My children.” Her last word sounded foreign, like a language she didn’t know how to speak. At first, Aly told herself that she was in control, but it soon became clear to both of the room’s occupants that she wasn’t. First, she was crying, then she was sobbing. A small, distant part of her was ashamed of her behavior as the older man guided her down to sit beside him on the bed.
She was glad that he didn’t waste his time wiping away tears and lying to her. Aly hated when people told her everything would be all right when it so clearly wouldn’t. Instead, Taybur gripped her chin firmly, but not too tight in one hand and lifted it up. His voice was a great deal softer than his palm as he inquired, “Aly, what’s wrong?”
“Everything,” she gasped. “I feel trapped – I never wanted to be married, or have a family, and now…”
“You feel as if you can’t breathe? You know you should be happy, but you’re not?”
She struggled to nod against the resistance of his strong grip, and he released his hold on her chin with a slightly embarrassed haste. He looked down, passing her a handkerchief, which Aly accepted gratefully.
“Who was she?” Aly asked as soon as she had wiped her face.
“Her name was Kayna. She was as pretty as her name,” he rumbled in a low voice, averting his vision ever so slightly from Aly’s face.
“You loved her,” she half-questioned.
Taybur sighed. “It’s easy to love someone when there is no outside pressure – it becomes steadily harder the deeper you go.” He was silent for a while. “Her family, my family, our family, our friends – they were always there, watching. I couldn’t take it. I left her.”
Aly knew he was telling the truth, but there was regret hidden in his tense expression. She smiled briefly at the idea of the watchman not wanting to be watched. “You still love her.”
“Of course I do. She was my wife.”
Alianne Crow – formerly Alianne of Pirate’s Swoop – nodded, understanding completely. She planted a small kiss on his cheek, promised to wash and return his handkerchief, and left.
*modified for small oopsie.
QC by: greenie
Rating: PG
Word Count: 609
Pairing: Team Scheme (Aly/Taybur)
Round/Fight: 1/D
Summary: Aly has a conversation with Taybur.
Taybur let her in quickly, after peering through the spyhole at its center for a moment. It seemed he slept as lightly as Aly herself. Stepping through the doorway, Aly saw a griffin feather hung above the doorframe. At another time, she would have been amused at Taybur’s knowledge of the legendary creatures’ ability to deflect lies and illusion, but now, it held no entertainment for her. It was hard even to appreciate the hard angles of Taybur’s muscular body – he slept in only a loincloth, and had not seen fit for whatever reason to pull on any additional clothing for Aly’s visit. Perhaps it just slipped his mind, she thought.
It was only after the older man put his hand on her shoulder to steady her that Aly realized she was shaking.
“What’s wrong, Aly?” His voice was quiet and gentle, and so were his hands as he poured her a glass of water and handed it to her.
She gripped it with both hands and took a sip, being careful not to spill it. Her mind felt disconnected from her body; her lips tingled with a strange sensation.
“Don’t you have something a bit stronger than this?” she asked, but there was none of the usual teasing in her voice.
Taybur gave a low, rumbling chuckle, but his eyes staying wide open in concern. “You realize that your children will be drinking it too, come morning.”
“Oh. Yes, of course. My children.” Her last word sounded foreign, like a language she didn’t know how to speak. At first, Aly told herself that she was in control, but it soon became clear to both of the room’s occupants that she wasn’t. First, she was crying, then she was sobbing. A small, distant part of her was ashamed of her behavior as the older man guided her down to sit beside him on the bed.
She was glad that he didn’t waste his time wiping away tears and lying to her. Aly hated when people told her everything would be all right when it so clearly wouldn’t. Instead, Taybur gripped her chin firmly, but not too tight in one hand and lifted it up. His voice was a great deal softer than his palm as he inquired, “Aly, what’s wrong?”
“Everything,” she gasped. “I feel trapped – I never wanted to be married, or have a family, and now…”
“You feel as if you can’t breathe? You know you should be happy, but you’re not?”
She struggled to nod against the resistance of his strong grip, and he released his hold on her chin with a slightly embarrassed haste. He looked down, passing her a handkerchief, which Aly accepted gratefully.
“Who was she?” Aly asked as soon as she had wiped her face.
“Her name was Kayna. She was as pretty as her name,” he rumbled in a low voice, averting his vision ever so slightly from Aly’s face.
“You loved her,” she half-questioned.
Taybur sighed. “It’s easy to love someone when there is no outside pressure – it becomes steadily harder the deeper you go.” He was silent for a while. “Her family, my family, our family, our friends – they were always there, watching. I couldn’t take it. I left her.”
Aly knew he was telling the truth, but there was regret hidden in his tense expression. She smiled briefly at the idea of the watchman not wanting to be watched. “You still love her.”
“Of course I do. She was my wife.”
Alianne Crow – formerly Alianne of Pirate’s Swoop – nodded, understanding completely. She planted a small kiss on his cheek, promised to wash and return his handkerchief, and left.
*modified for small oopsie.
QC by: greenie