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Zaid's eyes never left the ground. He half-distracted himself by thinking that if he starred hard enough, he'd somehow bore a hole into the ground. He winced, thankfully hidden behind his obnoxiously long hair. Her words hurt, but he couldn't blame her.
If not for his blood relation to Jelani, he may have already dispatched him. The logical side begged for the man's death. He had betrayed his kin, ravaged their homeland, and now sought to wage war on the rest of the world? The other half, that annoying 'honorable' side reminded him, quietly, that Jelani was still his brother. His kin, a member of his tribe...and whether he liked it or not, he was obligated to any tribesmen. Any of his kin... A very small, almost shameful part of his mind reminded him that Jelani was all the family he had left. "Damn." He swore under his breath. He had hoped Cae would help him shoulder this one as well. He couldn't imagine pressing on without her there. Her strong, sometimes loud, voice of reason keeping him in line, her long talks about taking responsibility, and occasionally her soft words of support. He offered only a short nod. "...Two nights ago...I said I'd do whatever it took to keep you safe." Cae waited for him to gather his thoughts, while the wind from the sea lightly tugged at her dark hair. She owed him that much, at least; but she didn't flinch away from the hurt in his eyes at her flat statement. She could not, would not, change her mind. As he spoke, she nodded, cautiously, not really understanding where he was going. "I just...I just can't kill him. What would it do, Cae?" He looked up, "It won't bring anyone back. It'll just add to the death count. It's the coward's way out..." He shook his head, "Death isn't...a punishment in his case.... to live carrying the weight of his sins." He took a deep breath. "....please come with me." "You don't understand. So long as he's alive, he has the potential to do what he did to my family - and yours - to other people. Do you want other children to lose their fathers, mothers, siblings? Could you do that, knowing those sins would be on your hands for not acting when you had the chance?" The question is deliberately harsh, and her voice cracks with taut emotion before she manages to get a hold on it. Another ragged breath, and she's mastered herself again ... but it's a near thing, and she shuts her eyes briefly. "No. You don't let a mad animal live. He's insane or evil or both, and it wouldn't be a punishment for him; he'd be able to bide his time and get loose someday. " She stares at him for a good long minute, eyes full of some emotion ... was it pity? Loss? It's hard to tell. "I refuse to take that chance, and I can't believe you're willing to." Zaid closed his eyes once more as he listened. Her words were harsh...but true. Damned if they did, damned if they didn't. He could still remember the night of the fire. The crazed look in the general's eye, the satisfaction on his face as he took his father's life before the tribe. The laughter that had echoed through the stone city as he was flogged in the square. She had a point, many in fact. "...I..", He choked. He wanted to say something brilliant, to stand tall and just -know- what course of action to take. On one hand....Jelani didn't seem right. He seemed almost pathetic, weak. There was no honor in taking a man's life in that state. Bound, thin, pathetic- possibly sick on top of everything else. On the other hand, when he was well, what would he do? He was on an island in the middle of the ocean- but one with living beings on it. Beings that, in any other situation, he'd see dead or enslaved for his empire. He felt sick. The decision was his to make but no option was entirely right. He slumped, then fell to his knees and began driving his fist over and over into the ground. He'd likely regret it in the morning, but for the moment it was the only thing he could think to do. Cae watched as Zaid's emotions played over his wretched features. It was perhaps a difference in the two of them, that she could not see the problem with killing Jelani in his current state; the last few months had hardened her already-angry heart. It would be nothing but a relief from the pressing fear and rage that constantly dogged her soul. As he drops to the ground, tormented, she watches him quietly for a moment. There's silence, except for the thumping of the young man's fists against the rocky, sandy earth, an outlet of the immense frustration he surely must be feeling from the situation. Cae quietly kneeled down to his level on the ground, and gently draped over him in a hug, almost fearfully, resting her chin on his shoulder. "Don't." There's pain in her voice, unshed tears glistening in her eyes. "I'm sorry. I just can't." His fist slowly releases as Cae kneels in front of him. He looks up slowly, then tenses as she puts her arms around him. For a moment he just sat there, eyes wide. But...she was angry with him. Slowly, and stiffly at first, he lifts his own arms to wrap around her. After a moment he pulls her closer and hides his face against her shoulder. As if holding her there would change her mind. "I can't be like him, I can't kill my kin, Cae...I can't." His voice came in a choking whisper. "I know," she whispers, helplessly, damning both himself and her, and the people who put them in this position. She's shaking, violently, but the contact seems to be calming, for within a few minutes of silence, it subsides as she buries her nose in his neck. "It'll be my responsibility then." Zaid managed after a few more quiet moments, "You can sail out on another ship...return to the mainland and find the others... I'll take the general and end this war so we have a home to return to." He sat himself up and reached down to unfasten a knot in his sash. He looked back up to Cae and offered out something closed in his fist. "...here..." She reluctantly pulls back, rubbing the back of her knuckles against her eyes, and sighing. She doesn't look happy with the statement; in fact, she's still furious at him as well ... but she's not sure what to do about it any more. And she can't stay with them, not with Jelani in reach and not ... dead. "Alright," She said listlessly, shrugging. As he holds his hand out with something unseen inside, she blinked, not even bothering to try to make a show of enthusiasm. She can't seem to garner much. "What is it?" Rather than answer, Zaid turned his hand over and opened his fingers to reveal the necklace from the market. He'd traded both his painted bands for it, but he didn't exaclty -need- them. No one would know their significance anyway... He bit his lip, handed it over, and stood himself up. "...I should go..." Different emotions shifted across her face as she saw the necklace; for a moment, it looks almost as if she were going to start crying. Cae took it, gingerly; then threw her arms around Zaid's neck in a fierce hug. "You be careful," she whispered, then fled. __________________________________ Original lineart was done by :iconhoneroastedferrets:, I just threw some color and a background on. XD Very sad, very touching scene between Zaid and Cae. The two are very special to myself and  so we've been on a kick trying to accumulate art of them. XD Ferrets did a fantastic job- go check out her gallery. :3Cae belongs to , Zaid and the Para storyline belong to me. No touchy. |
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July 8
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Comments
--
What the Heck...... I'm still talking -_-
--
So here at the end of this day
Where the world is shaded in gray
I will look to the blue horizons and watch for you to come
When my hope is tattered and torn
When my faith is weathered and worn
I'll look to the blue horizons
--
So here at the end of this day
Where the world is shaded in gray
I will look to the blue horizons and watch for you to come
When my hope is tattered and torn
When my faith is weathered and worn
I'll look to the blue horizons
--
What the Heck...... I'm still talking -_-
--
So here at the end of this day
Where the world is shaded in gray
I will look to the blue horizons and watch for you to come
When my hope is tattered and torn
When my faith is weathered and worn
I'll look to the blue horizons
--
I use my Imagination to escape reality, whats your escape route?
--
So here at the end of this day
Where the world is shaded in gray
I will look to the blue horizons and watch for you to come
When my hope is tattered and torn
When my faith is weathered and worn
I'll look to the blue horizons
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