Consequences of Kindness - 1x1 - Zelly & Anime

[M3Gnificent]

Ashen was quite sulky as she travelled the small path that lead to the village, feeling defeated since Rune was apparently too ill to attend. She supposed she would have to bother him later. Maybe find some other opprotunity to drag Rune out of his shell for once.

 

[Zelly-fangirl]

Rune would be just coming down from the attic when Ashen got back. He always lost track of time up there and he forgot he had someone to keep it a secret from. Although it wasn't much of a secret now if Ashen already saw it. He looked like a deer staring down a hunter for a moment when she caught him on the ladder. "I'd thought I heard a mouse or something and thought I'd take a look..." he lied, knowing damn well that was a terrible lie, but gave up with a guilty chuckle. "I know, I know....caught red handed." he said holding his hands up in surrender. "How was the festival?" He proceeded to put the ladder away and started to go about the usual routine of making dinner as if it were any other normal day, keeping a guilty smile on his face the whole time. His whole demeanor had changed; somewhat less cheerful and certainly less perky and full of life he usually seemed. "You left footprints up there you know, in the dust. You're welcome to ask; I know you're curious."

 

[M3Gnificent]

{So should Ashen have been outed as a witch in the village by now? Or should I save that for later? *will post once I know I promise*}

 

[Zelly-fangirl]

((We can save it for later, lest we milk ourselves dry of ideas.))  

[M3Gnificent]

"Boring, to be honest. No offence to the townspeople of course." Ashen had replied, feeling a little awkward as Rune kept up that guilty look of his. When he finally spoke up about her visit to the attic, she quickly grew quite a bit more uncomfortable. She thought about lying or pulling the 'I took you literally' card, but she doubted he would believe that. So instead she replied, "I'm sorry for invading your privacy. Still, despite your hospitality you have always seemed to be a closed book so I was afraid to ask.." Still a weak copout in her oppinion. "If you don't want to answer any of my questions, I understand."

 

[Zelly-fangirl]

"I'm a closed book? Now there's the pot calling the kettle black!" Rune said with a hearty laugh. "If you want to ask, then ask. You're the one that said you should ask more questions if you want to find out about a person." A faint smile creased his lips.

 

[M3Gnificent]

With a hearty chuckle Ashen replied in a surprisingly warm tone of voice, "I suppose I'll have to give you that." Not long afterwards she found herself asking, "Who were those people in the pictures? Where did you get that bloody armor?"

 

[Zelly-fangirl]

"My father, my fiancee..." A look of nostalgia seemed to wash over Rune completely, his mind going to autopilot as he continued to cook. "The armor belonged to a fool. He tried to fight off an army to save everyone, only to get those very same people killed."

 

[M3Gnificent]

"I...I'm sorry. I should not have asked." Ashen felt rather guilty for snooping now, for prying into painful memories that she had no business knowing to begin with.

 

[Zelly-fangirl]

"It's alright. I just spend this day swimming about in memories either way. You asking about them wouldn't make a difference." Rune said easily.

 

[M3Gnificent]

"That only makes what I did worse. I should not have snooped, let alone even thought of doing so. I apologize for the discourtesy I've shown you."

 

[Zelly-fangirl]

Rune shook his head as he brought dinner to the table. "I think they liked the company." he said with a warm smile. "Probably nice to see someone else for a change, rather than the same depressed elf that got them all killed."

 

[M3Gnificent]

"Oh stop speaking of yourself like that. You are a pushover, certainly, but you're better than you think you are."

 

[Zelly-fangirl]

"No, I'm really not. I don't know how much history they throw around at that festival, I've never gone to be honest, but there used to be a village of elves here." Rune looked out the window toward the village, seeing a different set of houses in its place. "Humans came and wanted to settle the surrounding lands and we were apparently in the way. My father was the mayor and tried to reason with them, but he got stabbed in the back for his trouble. They were ready to push us out by force, and many were willing to comply. I was an idiot who thought we stood a chance and stirred everyone to fight back, but we were outnumbered. Only when my Lunette was killed did I finally give up, and by then I was the only one left. Apparently I was more scared about saving my own hide than everyone else. I thought myself a better man than I really was and it cost everyone else their lives. I was a coward then, it only seemed right I act the part." he'd fixed his gaze on some distant part of the room, away from the window and away from Ashen.

 

[M3Gnificent]

Ashen thought long and hard before giving her response. "How could you have known at that time? Hindsight is cruel, but in a sense also misleading. For all you knew at the time, not resisting could have made things worse. Hell, you might have all died sooner or a more painful and humiliating death than what you got. I can certainly tell you what happens to vulnerable women and children who survive the downfall of their home land in brutal war." She was speaking dead-serious. Ashen did not feel it was right to insult Rune, but she did not feel it was right to pity him either. He deserved respect, and she was trying her best to show that. Of course, Ashen being who she is, she probably missed her mark by a couple paces. "I am not saying that their deaths are justified by any means, and I am not trying to disrespect your loss. I suppose what I am trying to say is that as tragic as it was, you should not blame yourself this much. You did your best, and when it boils down to it, that's all you can do. Sometimes that means making the wrong decision, but you could never have known that at the time."