the c h a n g e // zenethil [FIN]

[Zenethil]

It was a bittersweet moment. He was, first and foremost, joyous that she was going to allow him to release her form the prison of her mind. She would, with hope, return to something more akin to her former self. Become the woman that she deserved to be. And yet, a sense of foreboding, of dread filled him. The sinister flickering in her eyes. Something he had never seen. It worried him, even as it faded from her eyes. Their path was set, the final destination unknown. Only one thing seemed certain. It would not be an easy journey. So many years of hurt, buried underneath her fragile layer of lucid insanity...

He nodded once, placing one finger under her delicate chin, his eyes a blur of unspoken emotion. Relief, worry, curiosity, apprehension. Even as she seemed to close down, her words and eyes spoke a different story. He smiled softly, just barely gracing his lips, a half-hearted, almost pained expression, resemblent of the inner turmoil that gripped him. There was no turning back now. Tomorrow. Tomorrow they would begin. Tomorrow she would remember. He placed his hands upon her shoulders, delicately squeezing. Tomorrow she would live again.

We shall begin tomorrow. Today, you have already experienced hardship. One last day before your journey of discovery. Tonight, I will pray to the Goddesses to grant us the strength and the surety to see us through.

He embraced her once again, holding her tight for a moment, before standing, his hands still upon her shoulders. His resolve redoubled at the sight of the dainty, demure girl before him. No turning back now. He smiled, before refilling her tea, then turning to leave. His expression changed again the moment he turned away from her, doubt flickering across his eyes, solemnity across his lips. He hoped more than anything that he was right...

[EXIT ZENETHIL]

[Lorina]

Lorina stared blankly before her, not truly taking in anything as her mind reeled in turmoil. She had always hoped that her father would leave her be, and accept her for the person she was now. What did it matter that she had eccentricities? She had never harmed anyone, and she did not have much interest in her magic to begin with. There was no certainty in the future, and especially where her mental state was concerned. At least she acknowledged her own flaws and misgivings, right? How often did people even know that their mind was shattered? Were lucid about their own insanity, but could still function in reality? Part of her wished to throw her mug of tea at the wall, to give into the chaotic urges she sometimes had. Discipline and control had always mattered so much to her father, and she had striven to keep herself demure and polite. She never responded back to some of the Knights that taunted her, and was kind when some actions did not warrant such generosities. There was no choice in this for her, and Lorina had known this from the beginning. A carefully constructed wall had been built, and now the chaos of her own mind would be free to reign.

Her chin was lifted, and she met her father's eyes with her own. It was as if she was not truly seeing him, and Lorina felt so detached from everything. She could see each flicker of emotion within his eyes, but her own were already dead. There would be no delaying this, and part of her wished her sister had been here to stick up for her. Nairore had never minded her broken mind, and Lorina held no fire to resist her father's wishes. It would have happened even if she had declined, but perhaps it was for the best. Remembering was worth the suffering, and soon they all would suffer. Would it be worth it, then? "Into the hole again, we hurried along our way into a once-glorious garden now seeped in dark decay," she replied distantly. Her words were cryptic and vague, and Lorina would give no other response for the entirety of the evening.

Lorina did not respond as he embraced her closely, and she sat upon her chair like an empty doll. Her father refilled the cup of tea before leaving the kitchen. For one moment, she was tempted to take the mug and hurl it at the wall. She wanted to see the peace disturbed by a moment of chaos that represented the turmoil she was in now. Let her father see how much his actions had disturbed her, but she sat as still as before. It would be some time before the young girl even finished the tea, washed the mug in the sink, and then leave the kitchen for her bedroom. There was a jerkiness to her movements, and no life to be seen within her eyes at all. Oh, the decay her mind had become.

[End Thread.]

[Midna]

Rewards given. Thread locked and moved~