Awakening (Part 4)

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(( Featuring Soraya Dwin'urdrenn ))
She approached quietly, so quiet Sari wouldn't have ever known she was there had her silhouette not cast a shadow upon her as she sat, wearing her casual red leathers, snug to her body, and lighter looking cloth trousers. Around her left arm, a bandage.
"Any fish?" she spoke.
"Soraya! Oh. uhm, no. I suddenly lost the desire to fish", Sariella replied, grimmly. She cast a gaze across Soraya's arm, and her expression turned to one of concern, the appendage bandaged. She cracked a half-hearted joke, trying to change the flow of conversation away from herself. "Fishing accident?"
"Icecrown, actually", Soraya replied, shrugging, smiling, stepping closer to Sariella, her bare feet shuffling through the grass, before crouching beside her, looking just a tad uncomfortable. "You don't look so good", she stated.
"Yeah.. I suppose I don't" she sighed, softly. "The last... few months have been... rough. Shameful, even.". She almost grunted, disgustedly, recalling her memories as if witnessing another person in her mind, before her mind shot back to Soraya. "Oh. You can sit down, if you'd be more comfortable." she offered, forcing a friendly, accomodating smile.
"And get my arse dirty? I don't want to wash out crass stains!" she grinned tucking her hair behind her ear. "Shameful? What did you do?" 
Sariella grinned lightly in return, before Soraya's question entered her mind, and her consideration. Her gaze returned to the rocky outcrop across the pond, more specifically, the waterfall. "I ran", she answered, bluntly, before swallowing a nagging lump in her throat.
"You ran? From what?" Sora enquired, before leaning back on her hands, making herself somewhat comfier.
"From the bastard prince's minions. We were suffering massive losses within the Citadel. Death was inevitable. Rather than wait for the call to retreat, I ran. I ran and I never looked back. I didn't even care what-" she choked, before she raised her palm to her eye, wiping away a brief tear, attempting to restrain, attempting to hide her emotions "I didn't care what would happen my friends. I just ran.".
Sora's face darkened a little. She let her hair fall across her features to mask her face, the expression of which Sari could only assume was building rage and shame. She took a deep breath, before speaking in a restrained tone. "I understand being afraid... but running? When everyone else was fighting for their lives? What got into you?!"
"I don't know. I've been trying to figure it out. I-... I'm sorry, Sora." she blurted. "I just... that day, there was talk about who of us would be remembered. You were right, all those months ago. No one would spare a thought for "Sariella of Silvermoon". For fel's sake, that human runt Tirion is the only one anyone seems to credit. He's got that statue in Dalaran. What of the rest of us? Nothing!" she raised her voice, before taking a moment to control herself.
"I know that... I shouldn't require reward, though. I'm not exactly sure what it is that willed me to run."
"You still have a duty. I thought you knew better! You see my arm? I could have ran from this! I'm lucky to be alive!" she said, curling her lips into a slight snarl, then looking away across the lake. "I understand you. I even know what you felt. It just... pisses me off." 
"I know. I was your apprentice. You trained me. I'm... sorry for my failure." she said, visibly deeply ashamed and appologetic, a maelstrom of emotions curdled deep in her tone as she choked back anger, dispair, sorrow, sadness, and numerous other feelings. "I'm.. pissed off too. At myself. I don't know... I... guess at the time, I just felt.. "Why die here"? If death was inevitable.. was running such a bad idea? I'm such a coward." she blurts out, once more, as she wiped her eyes again, into her sleeve, her face contorting in confusion and frustration, as her actions ran through her head again and again, trying to solve a puzzle, trying to 'divide by zero'.
"Yes, you are. A soldier doesn't choose their grave." Soraya stated, before she glanced her way again, sighing at the sight of the girl. "...and now look at you. This whole thing is pathetic. Feeling sorry fo yourself like this."
Sariella bit her lip, thinking deeply. Sitting here like this would help nothing. She had to become strong again. Regain her determination. Or forever sit, an empty, skinny shell of a woman. She nodded, her previous emotions almost swept away and replaced with a slight determined look. "You're right." she said. "I just wish I knew what to do about it. How to... stop it happening again?" she sighed, frustrated. "How'd that happen, anyway?", she enquired, looking at Sora's bandage again.
"Ambushed in Icecrown. I was overwhelmed." She rubbed her arm up and down, as if she was deep in thought. "I don't know what happened. Things just fucked up.
Sariella grimaced, deeply, then gradually, over a moment, smiled slightly. "At least you made it out, alive, right?"
"Mmh, and it's made me miss civilian life. I'm not sure what the future holds for me. Coming this close to death scared me." she frowned, before she pushed her hair from her face.
Sariella nodded slightly, as if the feeling were almost mutual. "I don't know about my own future, either. I dunno if I'll ever be able to trust myself not to run away when things start looking grim. Apperantly, the Lich King is dead. I imagine the battle up north will be wrapping up when the remnants of the Scourge are wiped out, and we'll all move back home. Before we remember that we're still at war with the Alliance, anyway".
"Your future looks like it won't get to the battlefield at all. They don't take people in your condition." Sora replied, before she moved to grip Sari's warm, wrapping her hand around as much of the emaciated limb as she could. "You look worse than I did after being bed-ridden for a month."
Sari examined herself briefly, tugging at her loose-fitting clothing, then nods in agreement, as if her current apperance, as if her current state of health still shocked her. "Well.. I was feeling much more sorry for myself in the months previous to now. What you're witnessing tonight is the trail-end of it, I suspect. Before now I... lacked the will to even eat. The 'thistle was about the only thing I could stomach.", she grimmaced, before her face broke into a mild, perhaps forced grin.
"I suddenly do feel like a few fish, however. Hungry?"
"Not now, no. It's getting late and I need to get home" Sora smiled lightly, before she pushed herself to her feet, and dusted herself down a little. "But make sure you look after yourself, mh?"
"I will." she smiled, before reaching for her fishing rod.
"Oh.. and.. Sora? It.. was nice to see you again. Thanks.. I needed an ear. And... I'm glad you made it out alive" she smiled widely, or at least, the widest she had smiled for quite some time.
"It was nice to see you too. Just a shame about your state." she replied, before she reached to squeeze Sari on the shoulder, briefly, then turned away. "I'll be sure to check up on you sometime, don't worry." 
"Th-thanks. Shorel'aran!" Sari said, certainly higher in spirit than she was before meeting Sora again, smiling over her shoulder.
She sat by the pond for the rest of the night, fishing up a meal fit for several princesses, never mind one.
Category:Story