Thread: ᴏɴᴇ ʜᴏᴍᴇ ʟᴏsᴛ, ᴀɴᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴡᴏʀᴛʜ ғɪɢʜᴛɪɴɢ ғᴏʀ [ ɢᴇᴍ x ᴡᴏʟᴢᴇʀᴇx ]

It felt like he was trapped in a dream. Whether it was some sort of nightmare or a bittersweet daydream, he wasn't sure. He watched as the dance continued, his eyes eagerly taking in every graceful move she made, even as his heart ached worse and worse. But on his face was nothing but steel. Being a half-breed was difficult in any culture, but in orchish culture...it was a fight for survival. In some ways, orcs could be more accepting of their half-orc half-human offspring than humans could be, but only if those offspring proved themselves through trial after trial after torturous trial. It was an absolute rule in orcish culture that strength ruled, and if you had weak human blood in your veins, you were essentially the runt of the litter. Korm had had to fight tooth and nail for every ounce of respect and the ability to live in peace as a child. Thankfully, living so close to the border and in a small town, he faced far less persecution than he would have otherwise. Being an orphan was hard enough, but being a half-breed orphan in an orc society could be deadly. There had only ever been one person in his life that showing emotion to hadn't been seen as a deep-seated weakness. He had learned long, long ago to never let what was in his heart show on his face. So he watched the exotic, beautiful display as still as a statue, even as a storm raged inside of him. When she began to tease the men in the audience, he felt a burning sensation catch in his throat. This was...utterly impossible. It looked so familiar that he couldn't help but wonder, even though he knew it was impossible. The girl he had known had died all those years ago, she must have. He had spent two full years searching and turning over every rock he could find to try and locate her, or at least discover what happened to her. But had had found nothing, and eventually his heart could no longer take the strain of hope. She MUST have died in the invasion, just like most of the elven population. So this girl couldn't be her, but if she was then...Korm didn't know what he would do, or what he would even think. Instead he just kept watching, feeling an irrational stab of jealousy as her touch landed on a few lucky individuals. When the dance was over and the crowd came to their feet in a huge applause, Korm simply stood in the back, still subconsciously rubbing he silver band on his finger and remaining silent. He stayed there all through the cheering, all through the crowd of fans that gave their compliments, all through the tearing down of the stage. He just stood and waited, watching, as the battle continued unabated in his heart. It felt as though fire of emotion and the ice of long dead hope were each competing for dominance, and his head was absolutely no help in determining who should win. But one thing for sure was that he HAD to know. He had to be sure whether or not she was an impossible miracle the girl he thought he'd lost, the one who'd mattered to him more than life itself for so many happy years. Finally, after what felt like hours, just as the last of the crowds were disappearing and the troupe seemed to be gathering together, she noticed him. He'd been keeping his vigil for so long that he almost missed it. But then his shimmering, icy eyes connected with hers for a brief moment and a chill ran through his body. For a moment he thought she would turn away, like he would have expected one of her kind to. They had every reason to hate his people. Fear and anticipation built side by side inside of him as he watched the troupe's reaction, too far away to hear what they were saying. And then he thought his heart would explode as those emotions skyrocketed, because she was walking towards him! Then he realized she wasn't looking at him at all, but past him and seemed to be headed for the side street just a few feet from where he stood. Once again, the agonizing choice lay before him stoke up hope once more and approach her, or keep hope frozen and dead and walk away? It may have felt like an eternity, but it was truly only a moment that he hesitated, right after she disappeared down the side street, he turned and followed. Turning the corner quickly, he walked with long strides until he caught up and was only 10 feet or so behind her. That was quite a performance, he called out to her. The steely calmness of his voice surprised him, because he felt like a shaky leaf. Oh, could it possibly be her, he wondered, at the same time cursing himself as a fool. It most likely wasn't her, and this elven woman would probably fly into a fit of rage that he was addressing her. And considering that she could control fire, being on the wrong side of that was definitely not the best idea. Still, his heart was winning, and he had to know. His broad, muscular exterior and guarded eyes painted a very different picture on the exterior than what the truth going on inside actually was. I didn't quite catch your name though.