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

While she had been through the same routine hundreds of times in the past year alone, no dance was ever truly the same. But, she could always pick out at least one thing that made that routine special. The kind that sent the most pleasant shivers down her spine in the heat of the moment. Sometimes, it was hitting the perfect line, raising an arm or kicking her leg at the most beautiful of angles. Other times, it could be landing a leap or spin flawlessly. She may find a new picture in her head, channeling inspiration from a certain muse or memory. There were times where even the audience surprised her in unexpected ways. A particular favorable memory of hers occurred when a child, so fascinated by her skirt that she had run right up to her and joined in the movements. Although, the audience had been on edge having the child around the fire, they all soon learned that the flames were of no danger to the little one. In fact, as each movement of her skirt sent waves of intense heat about, the audience before her would feel only a gentle warmth. It had taken her a long time to be able to keep a firm hold on her emotions while carrying out such passionate movements. The head and heart were two entities at constant war. Both so easily swayed by their counterparts. The delicate balance is on that all living beings, especially wielders of magic, worked to maintain throughout their existence. Fire made with no feeling nor significance was nothing but a flicker -- Yet, fire conjured with no control was far more dangerous than any wild fire. There were still instances where her heart and mind failed to maintain the necessary equilibrium. Only when she danced did she find she had no trouble reaching such inner peace. It was the same reason that, despite the unabashed intensity her flames grew to, they never overtook her. It took her a long time before she was able to even look at her own flames without crying. Once a reminder of tragedy, now, a symbol of hope and pride from a past life. Certain days her memories brought her joy, while others left her mind and heart clouded by sadness. There was a constant tug-of-war between wanting to forget and fully adopt the identity of her stage persona, but also hold on to everything that made her the performer she was. Forcing herself to forget her past was the same as finishing what the orcs had set out to do in the first place...She refused to let them win. The Troupe seemed to also adopt a similar mindset, making sure not to force her into recalling her once-self, but listening with open ears and bright eyes in those rare moments she did. She was nowhere near as broken as the young elven woman who joined the troupe 6 years ago. And, although her journey as a performer seemed to be coming to a close, her journey through healing was far from over. The music slowed, allowing her a moment to catch her breath and engage her audience. While her expressions weren't completely hidden behind the sheer mask, it still allowed her maintain an air of mystery. Her usual somber purple gaze was bright with a mixture of glee and mischief. She very quickly did a sweep of the audience, spotting a tall, scrawny man who seemed to be enjoying the performance by his lonesome. That is, there were no women on his arm. Usually, that meant she was allowed to...play a bit. With so much as a glance his way, she twirled over to him, stopping herself with only centimeters separating them. The average, dark elven woman was tall and lithe, as was the standard with most elven woman. She wasn't the tallest of her kind, actually falling on the shorter side at about 5'7. She matched him in height nonetheless. Her body was not one of an elf growing up in the capitol. Perhaps, it was years of eating cuisine outside of her elven homeland. As much as she adored her humandwarf family, their eating habits were...questionable. If not disgusting at times. When she first started sharing in their meals, she felt as if her arteries were going to burst. Since then, both parties had come to a happy medium. Dark elves had never been ones to indulge in sweet things, but the more she tried pastries from different lands, the more Phoenix realized she had never liked that 'rule.' She was by no means the dwarven definition of curvy, but her hips had much more 'meat' than that of a standard elf. Despite this, her stomach and chest were finely toned from years of discipline. Her dainty hand reached out, gently sweeping her fingers across his jawline. His reaction wasn't much of a surprise given his stature, his eyes widening to the size of dinner plates. She faintly felt him leaning his head in, hoping to follow her touch for as long as she could. However, that wasn't the name of the game. With a tantalizing smile from behind her mask, she retreated -- Her starlight locks gently swiping him across the nose as she twirled away. Soon, she had spotted another victim, the woman next to him clearly a sister given the resemblance. Another indicator it was safe go in. There had been several instances when she first began to grow more bold in her movements where she may or may not have caused an issue...or two. By no means was causing lover's quarrels her intention when she performed. To her it was nothing more than a performance, in fact. Men liked the teasing, women enjoyed watching the men make fools of themselves. But, when it was their significant other becoming the fool...Phoenix could see the problem. Since then, she had learned to single out those who were single. There were quite a few close enough for her to work her magic. Blowing a kiss in one direction, sending a wink in another. There was especially loud cheering when she had leaned in just close enough for her lips to ghost over his from behind the mask. To her it was nothing more than a part of her act. To him? Well, he nearly fainted. The sight nearly caused her to break character. She hadn't always been so bold in her teasing, the playful side rarely showing itself outside of the performance or when she was feeling especially tipsy. But, she had years of practice innocently teasing one boy in particular. The song was reaching its climax before she could concentrate on the memory. Returning to her place at the center of the stage, she concentrated on the final sequence. Her skirt flared out as she spun in place. With several intricate, circular motions of her hands, the fire that had once engulfed the beautiful piece of fabric shot straight into the sky, gathering to form a deep, purple orb. Even taking such a form, the flames seemed to continue their own dance. With a wave of her hand and the drum's final note, the orb burst -- Streams, seemingly like shooting stars, falling all around them. Then, there was nothing. The world seemed to still as she herself remained in her final pose. She struggled to keep control of her breathing, only now realizing how hard she had worked herself during that particular performance. After all, she had something to prove. One heartbeat past. Two. Three-- And then came the cheers. It was unlike any ovation she had received before. Their applause seemed to shake the world beneath her, making her nearly go weak in the knees from the strength alone. Or, perhaps it was the wave of emotion that had her on the verge of collapsing. Her eyes betrayed her as she finally fell away from her performance and returned to herself. Her gentle eyes, seconds ago filled with such fiery intensity, now wide and full of bewilderment. For the first time in forever, she felt as if an applause could truly bring her to tears. Slowly, the look of disbelief melted into that of warmth as a starlit smile found its place upon her lips. A chime of a laugh fell from them as flowers began pooling at her feet. Pride swelled heavily in her chest as she bowed her head thoughtfully, also using it as a means to hide the tears of joy pooling in her eyes. Maybe...this place could become her home after all. -- After several bows and fighting off people's demands for encores, the troupe began to pack up the stage. Several people lingered behind, many of them praising Agnor with hugs and firm pats on the back. The performers had received many words of praise and even more of welcome before most of the people in the plaza were gone. Noting this, the dark elf removed the mask. A scar, now faded by the passage of time, ran in steady line from the corner of her right eye, across the bridge of her nose, and stopping right before her ear. She wasn't a fan of letting it show when performing. The mask didn't hide it per se, but at the very least distracted from it. Frida elbowed her side playfully, making jokes as to how many men were probably too scared to approach her after toying with their hearts like that. Phoenix glared at her, but couldn't help smiling coyly despite herself. She never paid much attention to man's advances knowing that many of them expected 'Phoenix' as a full time lover, when in reality she did not go around teasing every man so openly. At least, again, not without a belly full of mead. Still, it would be a lie if she denied enjoying a bit of a confidence boost. Just think! Now that we're done constantly moving, we can finally get you courted properly, Miss Needs-To-Learn-To-Have-A-Good-Time. Ey, Milo. Which one of the boys she played around with today will try his luck first--? Frida, do you care to explain what your definition of 'courting' is? Care to also explain to Agnor what your definition of a 'good time' is while you're at it? Phoenix chided, raising an eyebrow and letting it fall out of amusement when rewarded with the half-lings flustered stupor. Her cheeks aflame with a color dangerously close to her deep, red hair. It was an unspoken rule that no one tells Agnor what Frida does when they are allowed a free day in whichever kingdom, city, or town they are passing through. Let's just say, she' was surprised Freya wasn't a great-grandmother yet. Pardon me for finding enjoyment in everything a new destination has to offer other than the local's themselves-- -- ANYWAY ! That guy that almost fainted seems like a decent candidate. Then again, he may faint before he can get the words out of his mouth. What do you think would happen if she actually agreed ? The two jests burst into laughter, Phoenix returning their sentiments with a roll of her eyes, absently fiddling with her necklace as she usually did when this topic came up. From atop of his older brother's shoulder, Kai pulled at his brother's black hair. Oh, you want in on this bet, bud? What's your wager? The small boy simply pointed in the direction opposite of which the elf was facing. She didn't turn right away, observing the reactions of her fellow performer's and becoming instantly confused at the one's she got. Milo's was something akin to shock and awe, while Frida...She seemed uneasy, the smile on her face moments ago nowhere to be seen. The feeling of her hand pulling her in the other direction only confirming her suspicions. I-Is that a--? Phoenix...I think we should go, darlin'. Phoenix knew her older, half-ling sister well enough to understand that she was trying to protect her from something. It was strange how she always seemed to be right about these things, but her reaction, Milo's questioning, and the fact Kai pointed out 'something' in the first place had her turning before any questions were asked. The moment she laid eyes on his towering form from across the plaza, she felt her mind go completely blank. Her friends' voices faded, drowned out by white noise and the harsh pumping of blood to her ears. Her breath hitched as a cascade of memories played behind her eyes like one of Kai's beautiful stories. Rich, vibrant portraits of late nights spent with the boy from beyond the border went by in a flash. Their voices and laughter gurgled and warped, but still beautiful. The two barely adults when tragedy forced her away. She slipped back to reality for only a moment, the image of a brute of a young man replaced with the man several feet away. The silver around her neck felt as if it was burning into her skin, she reached up to hold it again, hoping it would ground her long enough to hold on to these things she had forgotten-- All too soon, she was pulled back into her head. The colors had now faded, morphing into dark, grotesque pictures void of colors. The sounds of screams were painfully clear compared to the earlier voices. Images she believed to be buried in her nightmares played out at speeds that made her sick to her stomach. It was then a tiny hand against her cheek brought her back. A shaky breath fell from her lips, and her blank gaze found the source of the warmth -- Kai. From his spot on his brother's shoulders, he had reached out to bring her back from that place inside of her head. Feeling his fingers wipe at her cheek, she realized the moisture on her face was no longer just sweat, but tears. He needed no words to get his question across. Are you okay? Phoenix lifted her hand, gently placing it on his before giving several faint nods. Still, she felt her eyes return to the man across the way. There were many emotions building upon each other in that moment, but two in particular were especially prominent Fear...and rage. The latter surpassing the initial ten-fold. Phoenix knew that those two feelings would play a role in this overwhelming feeling of 'fight-or-flight.' Whatever the man's choice was would dictate her answer. Frida pulled at her again, but, she remained steadfast. Without taking her eyes from him, she spoke lowly, If he wishes to speak...Leave me. I can fend for myself. Glancing at each of them, she was greeted with looks of apprehension. Please. I promise I will find you all soon. Slowly, each of them nodded, knowing that handling herself wasn't the problem -- Controlling herself, however, was a different story. Turning to leave sending her a wary look nonetheless. Once out of their sights, she made her way in the other half-lings direction. Rather than looking at him, she looked past him. Her head held high and proud as she moved down a side street. If he wanted to pursue her...Let him. Last edited Jan 16, 2019