(Written by: @Feyona )
It was the little things that tended to set off the little reactions; the touch of the hand on a shoulder, or the scent of the cake she'd brought home with the intention of giving it to her lover the next day. Dahae had been over thinking things for the last few hours, and despite her best efforts to lift her mood, by the time she'd gotten home she was just.. Tired. It had been a busy few days, and finally, she could feel the wear of the day seeping into her bones. It showed no physical onset, other than the subtle darkening under her eyes for the weariness, but even that was avoidable until she set herself down in front of her mirror, thinking that she could freshen herself up before bed to lift her mood.
Fingers lifted to her own cheeks, pressing tentatively to the softer skin just under her eyes-- the flesh there looked almost bruised. It wasn't tender, but it made her aware of just how worn thin she was. Taking a shaking breath, she set aside her brush, moving to her bed to slide her legs into the embrace of the sheets, before enveloping herself entirely in the blanket thrown over her head. Dahae curled in on herself, shrinking like a flower turned away from the sun, and her shaking shoulders were the first cue to her quiet, muffled sobs. When had the world become so heavy on her back?
Tears stung her eyes until she didn't want to open them any longer, and with salt drying on her cheeks, she fell asleep.
She didn't quite remember her dreams, normally, but this wasn't really a dream. This was a mindscape, if nothing else: that fuzzy in between of real and not real, of soul and body and everything inbetween. At first, she occupied the space alone, the distance around her shifting and white, like a mist pulsing and convulsing in any infinite number of spaces and realms. When she breathed--or when her spirit breathed, it was with drawing forth that light, misty moisture, dotting beads of water across her eyelashes and lingering like condensation to her cheeks, until she noticed she was no longer alone.
"Don't you think you're overdoing it?"
Looking ahead, and then down, Dahae was distinctly aware of the silhouette of a small, brown, emaciated cat. She couldn't make out the features, but it was familiar enough to know just who was speaking to her in that subtle, mocking voice. The spoiled tone of her familiar. Waka groomed one paw, lifting it daintily to brush her pink, rough tongue to the fur, the top, the side, the underside of her paw.
"What?" Dahae's brows furrowed just a bit, nose wrinkling.
"Look at you. You're wearing yourself thin. I bet you can't even catch a rat with how you've got your whiskers in everything."
Dahae shifted uncomfortably, shoulders tense as she holds herself defensively, even if her body was hardly corporeal in this plane of existence. "I don't need a lecture from you," the young woman answered, unease bleeding into her tone. There were few that she couldn't hide her true intentions from, and the cat before her was one of them. Waka cut her a glance, and Dahae could nearly feel the judging, smugness radiating from the little creature. Under the gaze of those slitted pupils, she felt laid bare, and subtly, she could pick up the sharp scent of salt even here, lingering in this world from the tears she'd let soak into her pillow.
The cat laid its paw to the ground, before approaching at a leisurely pace to finally sit directly in front of the elf. Unobscured by the pale mist, Dahae knew there was no denying the cat, but now she could see that the creature had brought something with her from where she'd previously been hidden by the misty scenery. A small, dead mouse laid to her feet, and Waka huffed, looking proud of her hypothetical catch. It was a message, if not an offering. Dahae knew what the offered corpse meant, and couldn't help but give a little huff under her breath. A ghost of a laugh, even, as her arms circled herself to hold against the chill of the uneasy terrain.
"You can be thoughtful when you want to be, can't you?" Dahae asked dryly, eyeing the cat with tired amusement. Waka seemed to be completely comfortable with the fact that she'd just suggested Dahae couldn't support herself, but her normal arrogance had softened a bit. In a way, the creature nearly seemed kind.
"You're big for a kitten, but you'll have to do. Rely on me a bit more.."
Before Dahae could answer, she found the world hazing away from her. "Thank-" she tried to murmur, but as the word left her lips, she found herself awake in bed again, the cover still pulled over her but the warmth of the sun from the window making her aware just how long she'd been asleep. "-you," she finished, the word held on baited breath as she realized the bed next to her stomach was warm, as if a creature had just recently left a spot sleeping next to her.
She drew herself against the heat, sapping the last few degrees of mutual warmth before she rose to face the next day ahead with a few less lingering regrets.
@nightingalesweet @Eremophobia @LlamaDelBae @Lumiess @TotallyNotRice @Vegemiite
@KyberulfIt was the little things that tended to set off the little reactions; the touch of the hand on a shoulder, or the scent of the cake she'd brought home with the intention of giving it to her lover the next day. Dahae had been over thinking things for the last few hours, and despite her best efforts to lift her mood, by the time she'd gotten home she was just.. Tired. It had been a busy few days, and finally, she could feel the wear of the day seeping into her bones. It showed no physical onset, other than the subtle darkening under her eyes for the weariness, but even that was avoidable until she set herself down in front of her mirror, thinking that she could freshen herself up before bed to lift her mood.
Fingers lifted to her own cheeks, pressing tentatively to the softer skin just under her eyes-- the flesh there looked almost bruised. It wasn't tender, but it made her aware of just how worn thin she was. Taking a shaking breath, she set aside her brush, moving to her bed to slide her legs into the embrace of the sheets, before enveloping herself entirely in the blanket thrown over her head. Dahae curled in on herself, shrinking like a flower turned away from the sun, and her shaking shoulders were the first cue to her quiet, muffled sobs. When had the world become so heavy on her back?
Tears stung her eyes until she didn't want to open them any longer, and with salt drying on her cheeks, she fell asleep.
She didn't quite remember her dreams, normally, but this wasn't really a dream. This was a mindscape, if nothing else: that fuzzy in between of real and not real, of soul and body and everything inbetween. At first, she occupied the space alone, the distance around her shifting and white, like a mist pulsing and convulsing in any infinite number of spaces and realms. When she breathed--or when her spirit breathed, it was with drawing forth that light, misty moisture, dotting beads of water across her eyelashes and lingering like condensation to her cheeks, until she noticed she was no longer alone.
"Don't you think you're overdoing it?"
Looking ahead, and then down, Dahae was distinctly aware of the silhouette of a small, brown, emaciated cat. She couldn't make out the features, but it was familiar enough to know just who was speaking to her in that subtle, mocking voice. The spoiled tone of her familiar. Waka groomed one paw, lifting it daintily to brush her pink, rough tongue to the fur, the top, the side, the underside of her paw.
"What?" Dahae's brows furrowed just a bit, nose wrinkling.
"Look at you. You're wearing yourself thin. I bet you can't even catch a rat with how you've got your whiskers in everything."
Dahae shifted uncomfortably, shoulders tense as she holds herself defensively, even if her body was hardly corporeal in this plane of existence. "I don't need a lecture from you," the young woman answered, unease bleeding into her tone. There were few that she couldn't hide her true intentions from, and the cat before her was one of them. Waka cut her a glance, and Dahae could nearly feel the judging, smugness radiating from the little creature. Under the gaze of those slitted pupils, she felt laid bare, and subtly, she could pick up the sharp scent of salt even here, lingering in this world from the tears she'd let soak into her pillow.
The cat laid its paw to the ground, before approaching at a leisurely pace to finally sit directly in front of the elf. Unobscured by the pale mist, Dahae knew there was no denying the cat, but now she could see that the creature had brought something with her from where she'd previously been hidden by the misty scenery. A small, dead mouse laid to her feet, and Waka huffed, looking proud of her hypothetical catch. It was a message, if not an offering. Dahae knew what the offered corpse meant, and couldn't help but give a little huff under her breath. A ghost of a laugh, even, as her arms circled herself to hold against the chill of the uneasy terrain.
"You can be thoughtful when you want to be, can't you?" Dahae asked dryly, eyeing the cat with tired amusement. Waka seemed to be completely comfortable with the fact that she'd just suggested Dahae couldn't support herself, but her normal arrogance had softened a bit. In a way, the creature nearly seemed kind.
"You're big for a kitten, but you'll have to do. Rely on me a bit more.."
Before Dahae could answer, she found the world hazing away from her. "Thank-" she tried to murmur, but as the word left her lips, she found herself awake in bed again, the cover still pulled over her but the warmth of the sun from the window making her aware just how long she'd been asleep. "-you," she finished, the word held on baited breath as she realized the bed next to her stomach was warm, as if a creature had just recently left a spot sleeping next to her.
She drew herself against the heat, sapping the last few degrees of mutual warmth before she rose to face the next day ahead with a few less lingering regrets.
@nightingalesweet @Eremophobia @LlamaDelBae @Lumiess @TotallyNotRice @Vegemiite
