Lunari
29
Uh...
Army Soldier
Tier 1 Character
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Post by Ciaran Lee Frye on Aug 17, 2021 10:58:04 GMT -5
"I'm sorry, no." No, the conversation couldn't wait. If he was going to go back to his mother with all of this, he needed to know if Terra wasn't going to just run off again, and for good this time. A part of him wouldn't blame her, either, considering the war that was going on in Teronna. This was going to put a target on her back if they weren't careful, specifically a target on Myra's back and he couldn't keep that from Terra anymore. So far, their daughter hadn't shown any signs of magic, but she had Lee Frye blood in her- he had no doubt about it.
'Telling me not to freak out, is going to make me freak out.'
Ciaran actually smirked lightly at that, finding some strange amusement in it. He kind of guessed she was going to freak out regardless, but what he really didn't want was for her to feel terrified. Not once had he ever asked her about her opinion on magic, and he probably should have.
As she neared, he held a hand up for her to stop as he crouched down in front of the fire. "Just don't scream," he told her, knowing that that likely wouldn't help matters much, but he meant it. After all, Myra was asleep in the other room, and he didn't want Terra alerting any neighbors.
Taking in a deep breath, he drew his attention from her and looked into the hearth. There was no point in drawing this out any more than he needed to, so after another second, he thrust his arm into the fire and left it there...for longer than should be humanly possible. He didn't cry out, he didn't flinch, he didn't even show any signs of pain as he pulled back to stand up. The flames began to lick at his clothes, burning through his sleeve, and yet he still didn't cry out.
Anticipating a freak out from her (and rightfully so), he nonchalantly began to slap at the flames to snuff them out like he was merely batting away mosquitos. When smoke billowed upwards and all traces of the fire were gone, she'd be able to see the burned clothing, the holes in his sleeve...but there was no blood, no charred flesh. He was completely fine.
Dark eyes rose up to find her face, the concern still evident within them. "I have magic, Terra," he practically whispered, as if the Wardens over in Ethion would be able to hear him. "And so does every Lee Frye." Did she understand where he was going with this, or would he have to spell it out further?
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Aquila
28
Complicated
Washer Woman
Tier 2 Character
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Post by Terra Sadler on Aug 17, 2021 23:14:32 GMT -5
Her steps slowed, and that panic only grew worse as Ciaran held his hand up to stop her from getting any closer. It felt like it was clawing it’s way up her body, and she wondered for a brief moment, if she was so tired and exhausted that she was simply dreaming. Was this all dream? No, that panic seemed all to real.
She swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded her head slowly, though she was confused by his request. Don’t scream? Why? Those dark eyes watched him them. Watching as he knelt down and the thrust his arm into the fire. Over the open fire, and Terra’s eyes went wide. “Have you lost your god forsaken mind, Ciaran!?” It wasn’t a scream, but it was a cry of alarm. What was he doing?! Was he trying to hurt himself? She knew he was stupid, but-
She couldn’t help it, she hurried forward. Intent to rip his arm out of those flames, and yet she noticed something strange. He wasn’t screaming in pain, not flinching, nothing. And that alarmed her more then that instinctual need to try and get his arm out of the fire. She was at his side quickly, looking unsure at him before he pulled his arm out and started to put out the flames on his shirt. Terra had expected the smell of burning flesh, the rancid smell filling the air. But instead, it was merely the smell of burning shirt. Her eyes looked critically at his arm, and she hesitantly reached out. Afraid if she touched his arm his skin would fall off. She could feel the heat radiating off of his arm, but it was fading.
Despite the heat, a cold chill ran down her spine as she stared at his arm. He was fine, but how- The realization hit her just as Ciaran said the words, and her dark eyes flickered up his. Seeing the concern in his eyes, as he declared himself, and his whole family, a mystic.
So does every Lee Frye…
The realization read across her face like an open book and she gasped suddenly. Fisting a hand over her mouth she turned away from him. Pressing it against her lips, as if it would keep away the panic attack that impending.
Myra.
Her sweet, precious little girl...A mystic. Just like her father. Terra had seen the evidence just now with her own eyes. And suddenly….
The world she thought was so unfair, the world she’d made around herself that was angry at Ciaran for keeping them out here for so long without a reason, for his scarce visits...It all made sense now. The heartache she suddenly felt nearly brought her to her knees, and she stumbled to the kitchen table, lowering herself slowly down into a chair. Her breath came in quick intakes and she couldn’t bear to look at Ciaran for her own shame. All this time? He knew this entire time? He’d kept them out here…
Because he knew there was a chance their child could be a mystic and he was protecting you both. Ciaran’s reaction from earlier was evident how much he cared, but also revealed to Terra just how terrified he’d been and now she had the answer to her number one question. The why.
“T-this whole time you’ve kept us here?” She found herself asked in a whisper. She stared at the grain of table and found she was holding her breath as the shock was starting to wear off. This whole time you thought he didn’t care… That he wasn’t protecting you. A pained expression crossed her face before she finally managed to turn to face him. “Was to protect her?” Her voice cracked, as the tears swelled in her eyes.
“Ciaran, you didn’t fail us, I failed you.” She said with a slow shake of her head. “We were friends. You should have been able to tell me. I-I’m sorry If I ever gave off the impression I wouldn’t accept you.” She said. For a moment the pained expression turned to anger as Terra closed her eyes, and took a shaky breath. “You should have told me though.” She whispered. “I’m her mother, how am I to help protect her, if I don’t even know what she might be capable of later?” She asked him. Clearly upset by the fact he hadn’t said anything and not because of what he had said.
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Lunari
29
Uh...
Army Soldier
Tier 1 Character
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Post by Ciaran Lee Frye on Aug 18, 2021 12:07:56 GMT -5
After all of this, after he spoke those words, Ciaran was completely silence. There was nothing left to say unless she had questions, but he expected her to be completely surprised by what she had just seen.
He just watched her as she approached, how she was hesitant to touch him, the shock in those dark eyes of her. He could see how the wheels turned in her head as she put two and two together, and he realized he had been holding his breath in fear, swallowing a hard lump within his throat.
Please don't run away... was all he could think as the seconds of silence ticked by. Of course, she would have every right, but he was terrified this would completely change and undo everything they had begun to mend. He panicked when she turned away from him.
He was taking steps towards her as she stumbled, lowering into a chair, but Ciaran paused and merely hovered in case his touching her would make all of this twenty times worse somehow. While she couldn't look at him because of her own shame, he couldn't help but think she couldn't bare to look at him because of his, because of this and what he was. The panic began to heighten, and he struggled to find words. He was trusting her with his family's greatest secret, one that could get them all killed...what if he had made a mistake in doing so?
'T-this whole time you've kept us here...'
Ciaran was somehow still expecting the worse, and regardless of the why, he would take her retaliation, whatever that may be, without question. This was a lot to throw at her suddenly, he knew.
'Was to protect her?' But then, Terra was surprising him.
She continued, and Ciaran dropped to a knee in front of her as he reached up to take her tear-streaked face within his hands so that she'd look at him. "You did nothing wrong, understand? But you also need to realize...this is my entire family that I've had to protect. Not just myself, not just Myra, everyone. I've seen friends turn against each other, Terra, you know it happens, and I couldn't chance it just yet. I'm sorry. Things are getting worse in Teronna."
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Aquila
28
Complicated
Washer Woman
Tier 2 Character
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Post by Terra Sadler on Aug 18, 2021 22:52:08 GMT -5
Terra looked at Ciaran through blurry eyes as he held her face, and knelt before her. She reached up to rest her hands over his as he tried to tell her she did nothing wrong. Then why did it feel and hurt like she did? She’d judged him without knowing the full truth. Thinking he didn’t care about either of them, when in reality he’d thought he was doing what was best to protect them from the dangers of what lurked in Teronna. She’d thought such awful things of him for so long, and to find out he’d only deserved part of it? How would things have been different if he’d told her from the beginning?
Maybe then, maybe then she wouldn’t have resented him so much.
She understood that this was his entire family he was protecting, but she still struggled with being kept in the dark for so long, when it was something pertained to Myra. She was her mother, it was her job to protect her no matter what. No matter the cost, and if she had known sooner…
You would have been on the first ship out of Teronna with that baby. The moment you were able to recover from birth, you would have been gone. A voice told her, and she visibly flinched. There was no changing the past, but she knew now. And what mattered now, was their next actions.
“I could have done something. I had a right to know, what If Myra showed a gramarye as a baby? I need to know how to protect her.” She whispered vehemently. Letting him know what she was most upset about. “That’s what I’m mad about.” She told him. Did he understand that? She was with Myra every day. At any point their daughter could have revealed a gift, and Ciaran could have not been there to see it. Terra would have been the one panicking, trying to think about how to tell him. Afraid of what he might do if he hadn’t told her he was a mystic. Safety was his reasoning for not telling her, and it was that same safety Terra felt she needed to know.
She took a deep breath, knowing there was nothing she could change. She had to look to the future. “I unfairly judged you, thinking you were being selfish, and I'm sorry.” She confessed to him. That ache in her chest wasn’t letting up. She lightly pulled his hands from her face, but rather than turn away from him, she was leaning down. Wrapping her arms tightly around him in a tight hug as she rested her chin on his shoulder. “I want to protect Myra. I want to protect you, and I need you to tell me how to do that.” She whispered. This was all new to her. She never thought she’d be on one of the ends of the spectrum when it came to the mystics, and yet here she was. “Where do we go from here?”
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Lunari
29
Uh...
Army Soldier
Tier 1 Character
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Post by Ciaran Lee Frye on Aug 27, 2021 22:42:07 GMT -5
Ciaran was still expecting her to get mad, to yell at him, or even hit him for keeping this secret from her. It was such a sensitive subject, though, something he was always worried about because it was a dangerous world they lived in now. Ciaran couldn't be lax about this- one wrong move or one wrong thing said, it could spell disaster for his entire family.
They survived the war for this long...and he wasn't going to be the reason they were found out. So, after he told Terra, he was holding his breath, still terrified for the outcome, that she might change her mind.
"There was nothing you could have done..." he said quietly. Hiding out here in the village was the best thing until they officially knew. He did understand why she was mad, but his family always came first...and by not telling her, he still felt like he was protecting them. And that including Myra. "But now you know, and...I know it's late, but-" But what? He didn't even know. Ciaran was growing tired and sighed softly. Anyway they looked at it, any approach either of them would have taken would have brought on some challenges.
It was all out in the open now, so the reason question was: where do they go from here?
'I want to protect Myra. I want to protect you, and I need you to tell me how to do that.'
As she embraced him, he stood up a little taller upon his knees to encircle his arms around her in return. He didn't answer right away, because he was honestly not entirely sure what to do. Yet, as she asked the inevitable question, the one that had filtered through his mind, she'd be able to feel the tension in his body.
"We go back to my mother. She knows now...and she'll know what to do. If anything, it means you'll have the protection of my family."
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Aquila
28
Complicated
Washer Woman
Tier 2 Character
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Post by Terra Sadler on Aug 27, 2021 23:21:07 GMT -5
Terra turned her head slightly, resting her cheek on Ciaran’s shoulder as she felt his arms encircle her in that embrace. She pursed her lips, not realizing how loudly her heart was beating as she wrapped her mind around the fact her daughter was now likely going to be a mystic.
She felt Ciaran’s body tense against her own, and it caused her to hold her breath as he told her what they would do next. Her own body tensed and her grip on his shoulders tightened, as anxiety began to sink its claws into her. Back? They were going to Lasairbh? How ironic...
Terra supposed it would be a relief to let an actual adult who planned things fix this mess, but she was still hesitant. She was afraid to go back and face his family. To know what they might think of her, or worse. What they would think of Myra. Was the protection of the Lee Frye’s really a good thing? Or had Terra just found herself, even more, a prisoner?
“And we're back where we started.” She found herself murmuring. Eventually, she relaxed in his arms once more. Those feelings were to be felt tomorrow. Tomorrow’s problems, right now they were both exhausted. A soft smile appeared on her face at the humor of it all. How they’d nearly gone full circle, but this time, people would know about Myra. Terra just hoped she could find it in herself to learn to trust Ciaran’s family. To trust that she could depend on them should she need to.
“I’m scared, Ciaran.” She confessed quietly. “What if they won’t accept her?” She voiced her tired concerns to him.
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Lunari
29
Uh...
Army Soldier
Tier 1 Character
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Post by Ciaran Lee Frye on Aug 28, 2021 12:05:19 GMT -5
Myra had yet to show signs of magic, but the Lee Frye blood was strong...so he had no doubt. It was more of a matter of when now, and because of that, Ciaran knew she couldn't stay out here alone with Terra any longer. He had bought some time, but it all came crashing to a sudden halt the moment he panicked. Now, he had to face the consequences.
If she had expressed some of these inner thoughts, he wouldn't really know what to say...because he didn't know. He really wasn't sure how his mother would react. She had been so quiet and unreadable when he ran home in a panic. What would she be like now that things have mostly calmed and she had time to think about the lie her son had kept from him?
And it wasn't just any lie- he had kept a granddaughter from her.
'And we're back where we started.'
His brow furrowed as he drew back just enough to look at her with a bit of confusion. "No," he said quietly. "No, we're not." Were that the case, he would be leaving them again, his mother wouldn't know, he'd be trying to do the same things over again. But now? No, now he was attempting to make things right and amend his ways. He was making an attempt to fix this.
Then, she was telling him that she was scared, and he sighed gently.
'What if they won't accept her?'
"Then we leave. We just go...anywhere," he told her so matter of fact, as if it was so obvious. "We just go anywhere but here."
Ciaran liked to think that his mother wouldn't turn Terra and their child away, but he could never be too sure when it came to Catriona Lee Frye.
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Aquila
28
Complicated
Washer Woman
Tier 2 Character
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Post by Terra Sadler on Aug 28, 2021 13:08:37 GMT -5
It was Terra’s turn to be confused, and she raised her head to look at him. Her dark brows created a deep valley between her eyes. “Anywhere?” She repeated quietly in disbelief. Trying to search his eyes to ensure he hadn’t gone completely mad in the last ten seconds. The man just said his family would help protect them, that he’d done all of this to protect his family, and he’d just leave?
“But they’re your family, why would you want to leave them?” She asked him quietly. Maybe she wasn’t seeing it how she was supposed to, but Terra had been on her own for the longest time. Her only family had been her father and he’d passed, and now Myra was her family. Why would Ciaran want to give up his own for them? People he claimed to love and want to protect.
Dare she believe that the care he felt earlier extended far beyond what she believed? She knew he loved Myra, but- her? was it even possible? She didn’t think she could ponder that over. That foolish tired, heart of hers would start to think he reciprocated the feelings she kept locked away in a vault.
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Lunari
29
Uh...
Army Soldier
Tier 1 Character
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Post by Ciaran Lee Frye on Aug 31, 2021 14:44:29 GMT -5
"Anywhere," he repeated without hesitation. Did the idea of that scare him? Of course it did. He relied on his family and the money, but he wasn't without his skills, he wasn't without common sense (usually) to not be able to make a living on his own.
"Myra is mine," he told her quietly, saddened by the idea that his family might not accept her simply because she was out of wedlock. Something told him it would never come to that, though. "If they cannot accept her, or you, then they don't accept me." And why would he wish to be surrounded by that? He wasn't so vain as to remain for the sake of money- it really hadn't gotten him anywhere.
He let out a slow breath, filtering fingers through her dark hair before they settled at the nape of her neck to ensure that she was looking at him. "It's going to be okay. I know I've said this before, and I know it's been bleak...but it will be. I promise." Ciaran swallowed a hard lump in his throat, his voice growing softer. "I need you to believe in me this time." There was no malice or an accusatory tone to those words, because she had every right not to believe him before. But he simply needed her to now, because he couldn't do this alone.
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