Aria didn’t see why keeping the people you loved close to you had to be a secret. She couldn’t hold back her expressions for them, even if she tried. “Well, my Aunt Anja and my Uncle Lanar has been in my life for the past sixteen years, and they really helped my gloomy days become brighter. And they’re the ones that got me liking hot chocolate. They used to give it to me after I had a bad nightmare to try to help me feel better. I mean, I really love them a lot and and I know they love me. There’s also Grandpa Gero. He’s been in and out of my life up to when he disappeared when I was around ten, but before he always made sure to come on my birthdays and when we needed help...” She then looked down at the ring on her finger, fiddling with it quietly. She was reminded of a conversation she hadn’t long ago about the people who cared about her... Spoiler: Tales of a Princess, Finale Age 7 Aria’s mind was quiet for once. No nightmares or bad dreams plagued her as she was under the spell. It was hours before she came to, her eyes fluttering open and then she sat up with a start. She was confused to see that she was in her own room, and changed from her wet clothes into a dry shirt and comfortable pants. There was also a brown cloak laid carefully over her legs, the rest of it frumpled in her lap. She remembered standing in the field, watching her uncle bleed out in front of her and being in shock at the sight of it. But then Grandpa Gero appeared, just after she asked for his help. Was that a dream? Aria heard voices in the hallway and looked to her closed, bedroom door. She rubbed the back of her head, and then scooted off her bed. Barefeet hurried to the door, and she laid her hand on it a moment, trying to pick up any bits of conversation. When it sounded nothing but mumbles, the girl scrunched her eyebrows and then silently opened her door. The hallways were lit with candles, and her aunt’s and uncle’s bedroom door was slightly ajar. She heard the voices coming from downstairs and slipped out of her room, feeling inclined to go towards her guardian’s bedroom. If it was a dream, she wanted to make sure Uncle Lanar wasn’t hurt. The seven year old seemed to hold her breath as she walked closer and closer to the door. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears, and feel the world become still for a moment. When she finally reached the end of the hallway, she pushed open the door more and peeked inside. The room was dimly lit with a few candles, and the curtains were drawn shut. There were sounds of deep breathing, but it was shaky and almost raspy. Aria felt her heart sink as she pushed on in, hugging herself as she tiptoed across the room to the bed. There her uncle laid with no left arm, or right leg. What happened earlier wasn’t something in her mind after all; it actually happened. Aria’s eyes stung as she looked at the guardian that was always so strong and brave to her, now weak and hurt. Her hands covered her mouth as she held back a sound of shock, not wanting to wake him up… He was breathing, which meant he hadn’t died. But him being in this state bothered her immensely. A strong hand rested on Aria’s shoulder. “Calm yourself, child. He is okay. Lanar will regain his strength in time.” Gero’s warm voice came. He released her shoulder and returned his hand to his cane as he slowly walked over to the man’s side. “Hm...yes. This is definitely manageable. A student of mine can fix this.” Aria was taken off guard by the voice and the hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see that Grandpa Gero was here after all, and then put two and two together. He was the one that came to save Uncle Lanar and somehow had put her to sleep. She wiped the tears from her eyes and inhaled deeply to do as she was told to do, and then realized what the elderly man said. “F-Fix it, Grandpa Gero…?” Young Aria asked in confusion. She looked back at the missing leg and arm, and then back to Grandpa Gero. As far as she knew, the limbs were lost. “It won’t be quite the same as his old arm and leg but he’ll be able to walk again once it is done.” Gero explained. “My student is quite adept with machinery. Perhaps it his youth as I never much cared for it myself…” Gero looked back to Aria and stepped over towards the girl to pat her on the head, ruffling her purple hair in the process. “Let’s go outside, shall we? Allow your uncle to rest. The night air is crisp now that the rain is gone.” Aria’s mind couldn’t wrap around what Grandpa Gero had in mind for her uncle, but she figured it would be fixed in time. She nodded her head and then walked to the edge of the bed for a moment. She carefully took her uncle’s hand in her own, kissing the top of it softly and then set it down to not disturb him any more. He needed his rest, just like Grandpa Gero said. She then turned to the elderly man and then remembered something. “Oh yeah, your cloak…” She hurried out of the bedroom and darted into hers, grabbing the brown cloak that served as her blanket as she was forced to nap. She then made her way back to the elderly man and held it up to him with a tiny smile. “Here you go.” Gero took the cloak and smiled back at her. “Thank you, little one.” He slowly put the cloak on over his clothes. He lead Aria outside and onto the dirt path not far from her home. Aria had her own cloak on, with patches of different colored fabrics and designs. It was something she made with her aunt, her aunt allowing her to make it after several basic lessons. It was a strange creation, but it did its job and kept her warm on crisp, cool nights like this. She walked along her “grandfather’s” side in silence for several minutes before taking his hand and holding it, just like old times when he would visit. “Grandpa Gero?” She finally spoke up. “How did you hear me when I asked for help…? Aunt Anja and Uncle Lanar said you lived very far away.” The elder man squeezed the child’s hand as he looked down at her, his other hand on his cane. “Why I was walking to your house to give you a visit, Aria. When the flares went up my heart nearly stopped. I went over to make sure everything was alright and that’s when I found you.” Aria wrinkled her eyebrows and met Grandpa Gero’s twinkling eyes. Even to a seven year old, she knew it was good timing for him to appear. “It’s not my birthday yet though,” she replied softly after a moment. “You only come around my birthdays, right?” She fell silent as she thought back to the events earlier that day. “There were so many wrenfel… but they all disappeared after I yelled at them to leave Uncle Lanar alone… I don’t know what happened exactly…” “There was a gift I wished to give you.” From somewhere within his cloak Gero pulled out a small black box. “Inside here is a family heirloom. From your own family, actually. It took a great deal of effort from a number of people recovering this item.” He knelt down and held the box out to the girl. “Your parents wished for you to have this, Aria.” Aria was surprised to have a gift given to her on no special occasion at all. She peered at the box with interest, and then saw the piece of jewelry inside. Staring back at her was a silver ring, the silver being wrapped around a pink sapphire with what it looked like to be two panels of purple opal on the sides. It reminded Aria of stained glass windows in a church she saw in one of Aunt Anja’s books. There were small little diamonds on the right hand side, just under the second panel of opal. “For me?” She asked in a whisper. She reverently as possible took the black box in her hand and admired it closely. “Do my parents love me?” Aria asked Gero. She had never seen a photograph of them, or heard them mentioned often. For the longest time she assumed it was just her and her aunt and uncle, and no one else in the world. She was told she was loved, but she was finding it hard to understand since she never met them or seen them before. Gero took a chain from his pocket and took the ring from Aria to loop the chain through it, knowing it was too large for Aria to wear at that point in time. “When you are older, you will grow into it.” The old man assured her as he put the chain around her neck. He frowned slightly when she questioned if her parents loved her. “You think that because you have never seen them, they do not love you?” He chuckled. “Dear child, that is not how love works. Of course they love you. They loved you so much so that it broke their hearts to be separated from you and the only reason they ever allowed it was to keep you safe. Even now, they watch you from the stars.” As he spoke, he pointed to the night sky and directed Aria’s gaze towards a particularly bright star that shone brighter than those clustered around it. “When you look up into the sky, just remember that somewhere up there your parents are watching you. Know that they love you.” As Gero spoke to her, Aria held the ring in her hand. She looked to the star that Gero had pointed out to her, and gently pressed the ring to her chest. Maybe she was imagining it, but she felt a warm feeling as if she was being hugged. She smiled to herself and looked up at the man she called her grandfather. “I want to see them with you someday… and with Uncle Lanar and Aunt Anja too. It’ll be like a family reunion, or maybe a party… not a big loud party, just a nice quiet one.” She sighed out, letting go of the ring to let it hang around her neck. “I’m going to do my best to take care of Uncle Lanar… and Aunt Anja. I want to be strong enough to see my parents someday…” He smiled in return and ruffled the girl’s purple hair. “That would be lovely. Someday, Aria. Someday. I promise that you will get your chance to see them again.” The elder man took Aria’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “It is late. You should sleep now, Aria.” He tugged on her hand to lead the child back to her home. Aria yawned at the mention of sleep and walked along side of Gero. “I’m not sleepy though,” she tried to protest. “I stay up late all the time…” And then she yawned again, leaning against the elderly man as they walked back to the house. “Of course you do.” Gero spoke without a hint of sarcasm in his tone, humoring the girl. “You just need a little nap. That’s all.” Before they knew it, they were at the door of her home. “Be good, Aria. And have a good night’s rest. I will see you again soon.” He spoke softly as he crouched down to hug Aria. Aria smiled sleepily and then wrapped her little arms around his neck to hug him warmly. “Thank you for everything, Grandpa Gero. Be safe going home…” She then kissed him on the cheek and let go. “I love you.” Which was said from the innocence of a child. Every time Grandpa Gero came around, he seemed to make everything brighter and right again. He was the mentor Aria needed in her tender childhood years. Aria hummed out and smiled a bit at the memory. “So yeah, I guess there’s a few people I love.”
Aria was taken aback by the sudden change in subject. Though she had to admit the other one was kind of gloomy. She thought the question over for a moment, and then shrugged her shoulders. “I like everyone,” she stated in a matter of fact tone. She didn’t understand the term “girl talk”, having not been raised around girls her age, nor what Qamar meant exactly by the statement.
As soon as Tinarah left, Aria sighed out heavily and placed her plate on the end table. "Don't... take it personality," Aria finally to Qamar, gesturing to where Tinarah disappeared to with her head. "I mean, I pretty much said the same things you said back at the castle... She's just processing heavy things. It'll take her a while to get on her feet again. I mean, when she was training with us back at Master Choma's castle, it was hard enough to talk to her then too..." Aria laid her head back and closed her eyes, letting the swing rock her. She was kind of frustrated at how things went with talking to Tinarah. Not that she was mad at her in the slightest, and she was trying so hard to understand the girl's tough situation, but the ending result of the interaction left the princess of heart kind of drained. Over the last few days, Aria had seen how many times hands had went out to try to help Tinarah feel better and cheer up. Some attempts weren't so great, but others seemed genuine and as helpful as possible. But Tinarah was stuck on the mirror realm, or at least the pleasant parts. There was so much anyone could do to help. At this point, Tinarah would have to take the initiative herself to wanting to heal and move on. Everyone already did as much as they could.
Everything that was said was rebutted. Which was to be expected. Aria listened actively while finishing up her breakfast and enjoying the sunshine on her skin. Soon breakfast was done, and she quietly sat back on the swing. “I can’t guarantee you anything at this point cause I’m not a seer... but I was told this morning to just focus on the now and let everything else fall back into place.” She sighed contently and closed her eyes as she leaned her head back. “I’m going to miss you when we head out.”
Aria listened while chewing her food, being careful not to keep stuffing her face while Tinarah spilled out what was going on in that head of hers. So Aria was right; Tinarah needed to be outside for a moment. She then heard about the nightmare and she stopped eating all together, wiping the stickiness with a napkin she swiped. "Mmm... That's troubling..." Aria placed her elbows on her knees and rested her chin on her hands over her plate as she stared out into the grass. "I don't mind you talking a lot, Tinarah," Aria gently assured. "It's good to say everything that's on your mind." She breathed out softly through her nose and then sat back in the porch swing chair, making it sway slightly. "You haven't held us back as far as I've seen. I heard you were really helpful yesterday when things were getting crazy. You were standing better than me yesterday when we all met up." She nudged Tinarah in the shoulder affectionately and then chuckled to herself before growing serious again. She placed her hands behind her head and rested it there for a moment. "From what you told us back at the Council, I bet it's going to take a while to get used to the Torrin and Boreas here. And no one is going to get mad at you for that. You'll come to your own solid terms of how you feel about them on your own time. That could take a few days to much longer, but we all understand. Even the Torrin here. And Boreas seems like he'd do the same... You know, if possible, maybe it's not a bad idea to try to hang out with the Stamatis here... Just so you can feel at home away from home. Maybe he can help you process everything that's happened, you know? I mean, once we get that chance and can actually be at the castle again." Aria took another bite of food and ate thoughtfully. She then pulled out the communicator in her pocket and stared at it a moment. "Hm... Torrin gave me this to communicate with you guys while I go on to the next world. Maybe Master Thallasa has a few spares? If so, maybe you don't have to wait to hang out with Stamatis in person. Maybe you can, I don't know, talk to him through the communicator thingies. That is, if that's possible and if you want to. It's just a suggestion."
Aria giggled and glanced at Tinarah. "You're right, you aren't a broken doll. You're a tough cookie. Like I said, I missed you, and I want to hang out with you. And I knew you would say no unless I dragged you along with me." Once they were in a spot where they could sit, Aria set her plate down on an end table while sitting on a porch swing of sorts. She then let go of Tinarah's hand and patted the seat beside her. "Come on, the sun hasn't completely risen yet. Birds are still singing... Ooo! We can cloud watch if you want. Or just stay quiet. I just want to spend time in your company, and give you a place to breathe." She criss-crossed her legs under her and then brought her plate on her lap, starting to dig into her pancakes. Really Aria was craving some sort of familiarity and the only thing really familiar to her at this point was Tinarah. Mika was gone, and Master Choma was back at the castle. Although she was making new friends rather well, she still had a special place for the ones she made friends with first.
"Nope, not an option anymore," Aria said with a grin as she took the dishes and the brush out of Tinarah's hands. She took a rag and dried off Tinarah's hands and then gently took the girl by the wrist and dragged her towards the front door, with her plate of pancakes in hand. "I wanna hang out with you. We hadn't hanged out in like... two days. You coming?" she asked Qamar as she paused a moment and looked over her shoulder with a smile. She then moved with Tinarah through the living room and to the door. "You can join us too if you want Chrono!" she called to him and then balanced the plate of pancakes on her head as she opened the door so she didn't have to let go of Tinarah's wrist. "We can do the dishes after breakfast. Let's go smell the fresh air and enjoy ourselves! Oops-" The pancakes almost fell off of her head and Aria quickly caught the plate before it tumbled down on the ground. "THANK YOU FOR THE PANCAKES, TAKE!" And with that, she tugged on Tinarah to follow her out, leaving the door open for others to follow if they wanted to.
"No! I just got-!" Aria was interrupted with yet another yawn and then narrowed her eyes at Chrono. "Curse yooooou!" She playfully shook her fist at Chrono and then yawned once more to get all of the tiredness out of her body. "Ah man. Hopefully we get moving soon. Otherwise I'm going to probably nap some more." She finished all of her drink and then heard the call for pancakes. "Ooo, pancakes! Wanna join me?" With that, Aria stood up and shuffled back into the kitchen, a little more peppy and upbeat than earlier. "Morning Qamar," she called out to the girl. She then took her serving of pancakes, spread some cool whip on them after syrup, and pulled out some rainbow sprinkles to add to it on top. She smiled to herself and realized she had an empty mug of hot chocolate to clean. Turning to the sink, she saw that Tinarah was there and was talking to Qamar. She went on the other side of Tinarah, smiling at her. "I'm gonna wash out my mug for a quick minute." She was careful not to get in the other girl's way as she washed it with warm soap and water, and then placed it on a drying rack. Aria then could see Tinarah was feeling kind of uncomfortable and thought for a moment as she looked outside. "Hey, um, do you want to eat outside with me?" she asked Tinarah first quietly, though the invitation was extended to Qamar as well. "Get some fresh air and sunshine? Or even sit with me."
Ears were attentive to Chorno’s words as he gave his two-cents along with some advice. Aria finally smiled to herself and swished her warm beverage in the cup to melt the rest of the coolwhip. “There’s a lot of what-we-don’t-know’s... but I guess that’s okay. Our job right now is to focus on finding the other princesses of heart, and help the worlds not collapse into darkness...” She took a drink and laid her head back on the cushion. “You’re right, we need to focus on the present. Thanks for helping me get grounded again,” she said with a smile as she looked over at him.
Chrono's voice broke her out of her thoughts of longing. "Hm? Oh, I'm thinking about my homeworld." She wasn't going to beat around the bush with this one. It was then Qamar ruffled her hair and the girl looked up at smiled a bit before returning back to being solemn. "I'm kind of missing it... I mean, I've gone straight from training with Master Choma to all this mess." She finally drank some of the hot chocolate, feeling instantly better as the warm liquid filled her soul. She lowered the mug and then rubbed at the whip cream that got on her nose. "And everything has been confusing lately... not to mention a little overwhelming. I mean from yesterday, this is like the second time I almost died this week? Once from the darkness taking over that one town we were in to find the Light Chaser, and then yesterday when Quietus sent that blast in mine and Torrin's way..." She half-laughed to herself, though it was forced. "I guess you can count three times I almost died with my nightmare trying to kill me... That, and processing this whole princess of heart thing. I mean, even though they said I'm not tracked with this thing," Aria raised up her wrist with the golden bracelet on it, "I don't trust it. He can come get me at any time, right? I mean, his apprentices popped out of no where yesterday and wanted to take me back. And the Light Chaser wanting to use said princesses to erase ALL darkness. I mean, if I have this nightmare inside of me... Does it count as darkness? And if the Light Chaser succeeds with his plan, am I going to be erased as well? I mean, I think everyone is going to be obliterated because darkness is in everyone's hearts and..." She realized she was rambling and scrunched her knees up to her chest while holding her mug of hot chocolate in her hand. "Yeah, there's a lotta things on my mind... It's not very cheery, sorry..." She forced a smile and then drank some more hot chocolate, settling back on the couch.
The smell of chocolate filled the air, and then it turned into something yucky. Aria smiled to herself and stood up with the blanket around her, carrying her heartless stuffed heartless in one arm. "Excuse me, Boreas." She walked into the room, still looking sleepy and her hair sticking out all over the place. She caught a bit to what Torrin said and giggled slightly. "If you do just chocolate, then you're just going to have pretty much a melted chocolate bar slide down your throat and choking you out. May I?" As soon as Take stepped aside, Aria placed the heartless on the counter behind her along with the blanket. She then pulled out a new pan while placing the one with burnt hot chocolate in the sink, and grabbed the ingredients she needed. "So I'll show you guys how, just in case I'm not around or something and you're craving the chocolaty goodness." She winked at them and then grabbed a measuring cup. "So first you're going to add some water and bring it to a simmer..." And since the stove was high tech, it didn't take long to get there. "So now you add this cocoa powder, whisk it in so there's no more lumps, and then add some milk... bring it back up to a simmer, and..." she reached in more ingredients. "Add in the semi-sweet chocolate chips and sugar, and then whisk it until everything is all smoothed out and the chocolate is melted..." After a few moments, she grabbed some mugs. "And tadaaaa... Aunt Anja's Hot Chocolate." She poured some for everyone one and then topped it off with cool whip, dusting each mug with chocolate powder. "There you go, hot chocolate." She turned to Take and smiled at him, her mind still trying to wake up from a rough night's sleep. "Thank you for letting me crash on the couch last night. And I would love some pancakes." She patted him on the head and then scooped up her blanket and heartless plushy while holding the mug of hot chocolate in the other. She passed Tinarah and saw the girl looked off. Nevertheless, Aria gave her a smile and touched her forehead on Tinarah's shoulder as a greeting. "Good morning, friend." And then she shuffled back to the living room, sitting back down with a groan and pulled the blankets back over her. Only her face and hands were poking out by the time she was done wrapping herself up and then she held the mug in her hands, simply smelling the hot chocolate. Aria was unusually quiet this morning, her mind swimming with what happened yesterday and how close she came to dying. She was also feeling a little homesick. The hot chocolate brought her back to the kitchen back on her aunt and uncle's farm on Amerath, but she wished she could talk to them and be with them at the moment. Many people told her this wasn't going to be easy, but moments like these were hard to process and swallow promptly.
“I’m sworry~” Aria apologized with a sheepish, sleepy grin. “I think I’ll be ready soon...” She sat up when everyone else came into the room, saying good morning to everyone while pulling the blanket over her head and placing the shadow Heartless plush in her lap. It looked homemade, but everyone could make it out to what it was. Aria pulled up her legs to sit in a cross-cross fashion, observing everyone while greeting them to get a feel for the room. Most were tired, others grumpy, one sweaty, a few wide awake. Instead of making conversations with anyone, Aria yawned again when Chrono did and snuggled the stuffed heartless to her chest.
Aria had moved in the middle of the night into the living room where she could see the night sky and hear Take shuffle around the house. She would have helped, but having been nearly wiped out yesterday, her energy was gone and needed to be replenished from rest. She yawned and smacked her lips after Take walked off and snuggled under the blankets, cuddling up to a Shadow Heartless like plushie. She got as much sleep as she could, jolting awake a few times when she thought she was going to slip into a nightmare. She opened her eyes and rubbed the little crusties out, glancing up to see Torrin. "Oh, good morning-" she was interrupted by another huge yawn and then plopped her head back down on the couch. "Excuse me... Ack... How are you?" She was having a hard time opening her eyes fully and her hair was a mop of a mess on her head.
"She's not that bad," Aria said with a smile. "She's just a little rough around the edges, that's all." She went to the door and then curtsied in a silly manner to Torrin to try to get him to cheer up more. She liked to the see the broody one smiling more than usual. "Good night, Torrin. See you in the morning! Oh, and thank you, again. You know, for saving my life and finding the ring for me." And with that, Aria carefully closed the door behind her and walked to her room. As soon as she got into her room, she saw Qamar settling in her room already. "Oh, it's okay! I don't mind. I usually don't wear those anyways. I like these flower ones." As the girl talked, Aria listened with a slight frown and eventually moved over to the bed to sit by her. She listened to Qamar, making sure she got everything that she was trying to say to her. Finally, she moved over to Qamar and put an arm around her. "You're not useless," she murmured as she stroked the girl's hair to try to comfort her. She pulled away from her and looked into Qamar's eyes. "I know that it feels like it right now... Your emotions are raw and your world crashed down on you. You just lost someone you knew well right in front of you. But don't blame yourself..." It seems like she was giving the not blame oneself speech multiple times today. "And like I said before. It takes time to figure out people and how to interact with them." Aria reached over to her bag and pulled out a clean, blue handkerchief, handing it to Qamar with a smile. "You're strong, okay? The masters wouldn't have trusted you to come along with us if they didn't think you were ready. We make mistakes. It hurts when it happens... But that's how we grow, and that's how we learn. I probably mixed my words but I'm tired." Aria chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of her neck. "But yeah... Don't mind the others. They are a bit more sensitive and going through stuff. Ya just gotta be gentle with them. And... You know, you can probably drag one of the mattresses in here if you don't want to sleep on the floor. Or you can stay in your room. I don't mind. I feel safe with everyone around."
"I'm a bit too tired to make hot chocolate actually," Aria admitted. Usually she was all for it, but she was exhausted and didn't have much energy to mix stuff together and warm it up. She could still stand and talk and that was pretty much it. She then saw Qamar was upset about something to do with missing leggings and Aria had an idea. "Hey, I have some that might fit you. Be right back." Aria was off to her room. Quickly she dug through her magic bag and pulled out a few changes of clothes, finding some black leggings that could work in the meantime for her. She then changed out of her yucky, scratched up uniform and into her normal clothes before heading out of the bedroom and heading back to the living room. It was then she paused by Torrin's door and glanced at it for a moment. He was hiding himself away, but she knew he was still injured. Hesitantly, she walked away and approached Qamar. "Here, try these out to see if these work." She then smiled gently and then looked back over her shoulder. "I, uh... I'll meet you in a little bit. Feel free to crash in my room in the meantime." And with that, she headed off to Torrin's room. Aria felt better being back in her own clothes again. Her cut she had earlier was now just a thin silver lining on her stomach already, hardly noticeable and the bruises on her neck were gone. Master Thallasa was good at healing after all. The princess of heart paused at Torrin's door a moment, pressing her lips in a thin line. Would he even want to see her at this point? After all that was said and done, she didn't want to push him to interact if he was uncomfortable with it. She was worried about the burns on his arms though, and she felt a bit of her magic reserves had almost returned to normal. Although he could be a big boy and ask Master Thallasa herself to heal him (since she was the better healer out of everyone), she wanted an excuse to try to talk to him. She took in a deep breath and knocked on the door. "Torrin? It's me, Aria... Can I come in?" Torrin looked up from the ring he spun around in his fingers and hastily placed it back in his coat pocket when he heard the knocking on his door. He scratched the back of his head, wondering why Aria had come to his door. Though he worried a little over what she would wish to talk about, he knew she wasn't the time to hold it against him for a mistake despite the fact that he did. Still, there was some sense of excitement that came to him when he heard her voice saying she wanted to come in without a sense of urgency. Rather than saying anything in response he reached into another pocket and pulled out another piece of paper that he had taken from the Council's castle. A piece of paper slid under his door into Aria's view. Aria heard a rustling of paper at her feet and raised an eyebrow when she saw the familiar stationary slide under the door. She crouched down and picked it up, looking at the image that was scribbled on. She couldn't help but to cover her mouth as she giggled at how Torrin depicted himself and then folded it into her pocket with the other notes that had gather there. She then opened the door partway and peeked in. "Hello..." She greeted with a soft, gentle voice. "I uh... Wanted to check on you. Since your arms were burned pretty badly." She stepped further into the room, leaving the bedroom door partway opened. "Some of my magic came back to me. I-I know I'm not as strong as you or Master Thallasa, but I wanted to help in any way I can. So... can I?" He waved slightly when Aria stepped in the room and slowly closed his hand and began to lower his arm. His hand opened again to scratch his cheek then awkwardly shifted to rub the back of his neck. "Hey." Torrin looked down at his hands when Aria commented on his burns and then looked back up at her, shrugging slightly. "I mean, it's not as bad as getting stabbed. Ever gotten–no of course you haven't. That's stupid. But..." His eyes fell onto her stomach where he knew he had struck her. "I'm sorry about what happened. That was on me. If I had made better calls out there..." He sighed. "I know you don't blame me. That doesn't seem to be in your nature...but I can't really help myself." Torrin sat back down on his bed and stared at Aria intently, his eyes glowing in the dim lighting. "My magic hasn't come back yet. But if you want..." He rolled up his sleeves revealing skin that was red and raw. "Not exactly the kind of thing that would leave a cool scar." He joked darkly, lowering his gaze. Aria frowned slightly and then moved over to the bed where Torrin sat and carefully set herself beside him. "It was confusing out there... I mean, I thought I was awake. And I really wasn't..." She hissed between her teeth and winced at the sight of Torrin's arms. He went through that pain and agony trying to protect them against the blast. She gently took his hands into her own and closed her eyes, exhaling quietly. Green light washed over his arms, healing what it could. "There... I'm sorry I can't do more for you." She dropped her hands away from him, and then remembered something. "And now that I have the energy..." she gently thwapped him on the back of the head with the back of her head. "Stop it," she said with a little bit of a smile. "I know you can't help but to blame yourself, but stop it. I'm fine. I'm alive. If you hadn't come into my dreams sooner... I would have been dead before Take and Master Thallasa came along." That realization that she probably wouldn't have made it sunk in on her and she rubbed at one of her shoulders as a chill temporarily shivered up her spine. "You stalled it long enough for me to get enough strength to wake up, and for someone to help me from the outside, too." He had almost forgotten that the pain was even there when Aria took his hands, feeling the searing sensation come back to course through his very bones even as the Cure spell took effect. The pain dulled once more and his arms began to look a little better. "Thanks." He spoke quietly. Torrin watched Aria and blinked at her as she began leading on with what might have been some course of action...and then she smacked him upside the head. "Hey!" He spoke in a loud whisper, rubbing the back of his head with his hand. "Keep it up and you're losing your princess privileges. Wait, you'd probably enjoy that. Keep it up and I'll start treating you like a princess." He frowned at Aria. "I don't know how to keep you from having those nightmares again." He spoke regretfully, desperately wishing there was more he could do to help her. "You shouldn't have to go through this..." He thought for a moment, searching for anything that could possibly help when his mind recalled a few words Take had said the previous night. Torrin was not one to believe in superstitious concepts such as luck but at this point, anything was better than nothing. "What about...a lucky ring?" Aria crinkled her eyebrow at the thought. "A... lucky ring?" She had no idea where Torrin came across that idea and just shrugged her shoulders. "I mean... sure?" She looked down at her bracelets that were on her wrist. The one from Mika was almost too painful to think about, even though it was still right there. And the one from the Light Chaser was staring back at her in a sinister light. It saved them both from utter doom, but she still couldn't help but to not trust it completely. She reached her fingers around it and tugged hard at it, only to have it pinch and constrict her wrist momentarily. "Ugh..." She sighed out, pushing her hair back from her forehead. "You know, I used to have a ring, once upon a time. Gran-I mean, Master Gero gave it to me when I was little... He said it was from my parents. I used to wear it around my neck like a necklace since it was too big for my fingers... But I lost it while training with Master Choma. I was so upset about it. It's really the only thing I have from my parents... to be honest, I really don't know who they are. I know they're out there... But that's about it." Torrin blinked and reached in his pocket for the ring that rested at the bottom, remembering the letters engraved on it. Torrin turned it over in his fingers, leaving his hand in his pocket as he began to wonder of the possibility of an absurd coincidence. Still, with the way fate had acted on him so many times this would not have been a stretch. "The word Dorin woldn't happen to mean anything to you, would it?" He asked out of curiosity. Aria turned to Torrin in surprise. "That's my last name," she said quietly in disbelief. She wondered for a moment if he picked that up while he was in the Dream Realm with her, but it would be weird to think so.
“I’m being careful,” Aria waved at Qamar as she held herself. “I don’t need to be carried anymore. It’s better to walk it off while I can at this point. If I sit around too much, I’m gonna get stiff and hurt more.” Aria went quiet as Qamar seemed to blame herself fully for the death of the comrade she barely knew. She frowned slightly, not knowing how to comfort her at this point. She said she would be fine as soon as she could talk to the masters, so Aria decided to leave it alone. Qamar then offered to take care of her and Aria blinked a moment, glancing at Master Thallasa. “Oh uh, thanks Qamar. But Boreas already patched me up, and Master Thallasa is going to take care of the rest. She is a Master after all...b-but I appreciate the offer. I’ll be fine. I’ll keep in mind you have a first aid kit if something happens again. But hopefully it won’t.” She shot Qamar a smile and then looked to Chrono. “It’s... still around,” she mumbled. “When it’s going to strike next, I dunno. I’m kind of scared to go to sleep... but I’ll be fine.”
Delivery of Cakes- Shawn, Yukyo, Lakoda Lakoda only smiled a little when Shawn mentioned she handled herself well. Memories of her past tried to flood into her mind, but she wouldn't allow it as she kept watch to on the road. "Thank you." She was about to offer her opinion about what was in the boxes when Yukyo spoke up. He then offered to take over the reins and she handed them over. "Really, it was scary, but I've been through other stressful situations before," she said with a shrug. She then moved to the back and patted Yukyo on the shoulder, inspecting the boxes herself. No damage was done, and so she covered them up with the quilt and secured them nicely. "If there is something in here, maybe she didn't want to tell us so we wouldn't give it away by accident." A Price Unpaid- Gavin, Zephyr, Thea It seemed like this group wasn’t very well formed, at least to Izra. They were quibbling amongst themselves, challenging each other’s strengths and trying to figure out exactly what to do with one another. She stood impatiently with her arms folded, sighing out softly through her nose. After they finally had things sorted out for the most part, Irza let her arms fall to her side and nodded slightly. “Alright. We’re going straight to the lair of the demon. The faster we get Selena, the better of a chance of living and recovering she’ll have. Kyo is going to lead the way. After he gets us close enough, he’s going to fall back and head to the town so his presence will not be missed. Jack is going to stay with the children to make sure they’re safe in the meantime I am away and fighting alongside all of you. So, without further ado, let’s be on our way.” With that, Izra pulled her cloak over her head and started to lead the others away from the house and towards the dark swamp. Kyo bowed slightly to the group before walking a bit to be alongside of Izra. He dropped his voice so the group couldn’t hear what he was saying. “Do you think they can really defeat Xilyn?” “I don’t know,” Izra mumbled lowly so only Kyo could hear her. “But if we want to get Selena out alive, we can’t afford to wait around much longer.” --Short Time Skippage through the Tulips, by the windoooow. Jk, just a short timeskippage to where they're walking along-- Kyo led the way through the swamp with Izra’s shadows moving forward among the roots and foliage, reaching out to make sure nothing would come in their way. As the group on, the spiderwebs were becoming more and more numerous. Both Kyo and Izra seemed to be more and more on edge the further in they went. There was a sudden rustling ahead of them and Izra held up her hand to stop the group. A chatter of sorts could be heard, along with hissing and a clicking sound like teeth… or fangs. Izra reached ahead with her shadows and then opened her eyes, making them retreat. “Damn… this is as far as you can go with us, Kyo.” “… Mmm, it’s her pet, isn’t it?” “Afraid so…” Izra turned to the others and held her flute in her hands. “Up ahead is a monster spider known as Xislyn’s pet. To get to Xislyn, we’re going to have to fight this giant monster spider pet first.” “It a guardian of sorts to Xislyn. And there won’t be any other way around it,” Kyo explained. “It only listens to those that are aligned with the governor. Although I work for him, I am not aligned with him. Nor do I participate in the sacrifices. Be careful of its poison and its webs. If you are caught in the webs, it’ll be difficult to move. If you are bit or sprayed by the poison, the mission will be over for you.” Izra shifted her eyes to the three mages with her. “Are you ready?” Village in Peril- Conrad, Everette, Samuel Renza groaned softly as Conrad shifted her to be closer to him. Although the worse was over, she was rendered weak and her body still ached from the short, intense fever and cleansing it had just underwent. She instinctively turned her head into his chest, finding comfort in being held and close to someone she had grown to trust in a short period of time. It had been a while that she was cared for like this. She had been surviving on her own for quite some time and it reminded her something that her father probably would have done, but Conrad was not old enough to be a father. Instead, he seemed like a big brother to her. Her eyes fluttered close again, but she continued to breathe and color was gradually returning to her cheeks. Once again, Conrad had Samuel floored with how naturally gifted he seemed in the care department. Even though Samuel had seen Conrad’s soothing work firsthand with one of their guild members, he was still amazed by the fact how Conrad could get others to trust him and help them recover quicker. “She’s still going to be sick and weak until we get the cure, which is that antidote from the source of the poison.” Samuel explained. “Hopefully we can get it…” He rubbed the back of his neck and sat back. A thought suddenly entered his mind and he sat up. “Everette…” For some reason, Everette’s memory hadn’t been doing so well today. Maybe it was the stress, but Everette was his responsibility. “Conrad, I’m going to go look for Everette. I don’t want him out there alone. Renza should be fine right now, but it’ll be best to keep her in one place so she could rest… If you decide to move her, wrap her up in a blanket and… take her to the Village Hall. I… don’t like that idea of her being with the other sick people, but we don’t have much of a choice right now. She doesn’t have anyone else to look after her besides us.” He laid his hand on Renza’s head to double check on her and then pulled away. “Okay, I’m heading out. See you in a bit.” With that, Samuel rushed out of the inn. His legs felt like jelly already, but he just couldn’t sit down and rest. That would have to come later. “Everette!” he called out, not knowing where his friend would have gone. -- “Y-yes of course,” Chief Yolvun agreed. He wanted to do everything possible to help his people. Whomever was viciously attacking them in this matter needed to be stopped. He then heard Everette’s name being called and saw Samuel looking around frantically. “Over here!” He called to the boy. Samuel breathed out in relief and ran over to the pair, stopping when he was near and placed his hands on his knees while panting. “Renza’s going to be okay. Conrad is with her now. She’s weak, but she’ll make it. How’s the water situation?” “The Town Hall’s water system had been poisoned as well,” the leader said with a solemn tone. “Chief Yolvun!” A village ran up to the trio with a panicked look on their face. “Th-The guards outside the village…. They’re dead!” “What?!” “I went to give them their supper, and they were dead! They had the signs of the plague as well. But they were fine this morning!” As Chief Yolvun was processing the news, another villager ran up. “There was someone at my house!” the villager exclaimed. “They were by my water system, and I think I scared them off. I didn’t know who they were, bu-but they ran off towards the river. My water has been tainted, and it was earlier today!” Chief Yolvun frowned and looked to the mages. “This could be the culprit causing these problems. I will go to the inn and see to Renza to relieve Conrad so he can join you.” He then looked to the two villagers and put his hands on their shoulders. “Go to very house for me. Warn everyone to not drink ANY water until further notice.” Without another word, the two villagers were off to warn the people.
Aria decided to not help Qamar back up until Master Thallasa had healed her. In the meantime, Chrono came over and she straightened to attention, only to wince and lean against the wall. She already explained to Boreas what had happened earlier, but she figured she would have to give this report multiple times. "Well, we were looking for Master Thallasa cause the world was falling apart. And then Torrin found her via communication with keyblade or something... Don't ask me how it works, he just stuck it in the ground and then told us what was going on with her side." She rubbed at her waist away from the cut, trying to soothe the throbbing nerves carefully. "We got the report that the keyhole was here in the mansion, and Take was sent to go take care of it while Torrin and I fought off the Heartless. And then that big heartless, Quietus? It aimed a giant fireball at me and Torrin. Torrin tried to stop it with his powers, but something went wrong and I stepped in and did something..." She rubbed at her head now. "Still not clear on what happened exactly, so don't ask me about that either. So then, I got stuck in my nightmare somehow. I tried to wake up, but it was keeping me unconscious and started to choke me out." She pointed to the bruises on her neck that still lingered there. "And then Torrin somehow got in my dream and saved me. I also got this cut thing from that... whatever it is," she said, pointing to her now exposed abdomen that had the fresh, somewhat crooked stitches in them. Again, she was never going to tell anyone that it was actually Torrin who did it. As far as she was concerned, the monster played dirty and used her as a shield. "Then Take came over with Master Thallasa after sealing the keyhole, and woke me up along with Torrin... And so here we are now..." Aria trailed off as she held her arm and glanced down to the floor. She didn't exactly what to do with herself at this point. She was tired, but she didn't want to sleep. She was hurt, but healing could wait on her. Everyone used as much as their reserves as possible to get her at least up and walking again. "... I... Heard what happened with..." She glanced at Qamar who wasn't too far away from her and cut it off at that. "Seems like things were bad on your end too... Are you okay?"
"I know," Aria said softly in reply to the comment that she had to be protected. "That's kind of why I want to do my best so I'm not a burden to you guys. I mean... I feel like I hold us back a lot." She didn't bother to ask her about the not nice things Qamar was meant to do. That could be saved for another time and another place. As Qamar continued to talk, Aria understood the feeling of loneliness. She heard here and there that Qamar was having a hard time associating with everyone else... And with her best friend dying in her arms just only a little bit ago, Aria could see why Qamar didn't want to be left alone. "I can stay for a bit," she said with a small smile. Just then, Master Thallasa asked if anyone wanted to be healed and it was then Qamar did as Aria predicted she would do, and she fell. Aria let out an omph when Qamar fell down, wincing a bit. "J-Just fine," Aria said as she held up a thumb to say that she was okay, trying to hide the pain. She took this as her cue that she was free from Qamar's arms and gently rolled off of the girl, getting to one knee as she struggled to stand back up again. After she staggered up, she held on her side. "She's first, I'm doing better," Aria insisted to Master Thallasa. She then glanced around the room, seeing that Take and Tinarah were talking with one another and smiled a bit. But she made a promise and decided to stick by Qamar. She then saw Torrin heading to his room, knowing that he felt guilty for causing her pain. But as she said to herself and him, she could never bring herself to blame him for what happened. Had Torrin not been there when he was, she wouldn't be literally standing here with everyone else right now. She looked down at Qamar, smiling at her. "I'm fine, really," she insisted. "Everyone's been really helpful to me."
It seemed like everyone around Aria was suffering in some form or another. Everyone was needing help or healing, but there was only one of her. It was overwhelming to say the least, but she vowed to do what she could. She spent so much time alone that she promised herself that when the chance would arise, she would do her best to interact and talk to others. "I wasn't planning on staying here," Aria quietly replied. "I was sent out to find the Princesses of Heart that were still out there. Other wise I would be back at the castle now and not with you guys. Even though I think everyone is fine now because Take closed the keyhole. Something about the darkness seeping out of it and it was locked away. So everyone is safe... But seems like this world needs help repairing from all of the damage done and some may need a break. I ain't staying though, as much as it sounds tempting to take a break... But yeah, as I said, my job and reason to be able to be out of the castle is to find the last of the princesses of heart before the Light Chaser does. And Qamar..." She looked down as she was being carried, finding it kind of awkward but accepting this was going to have to be for a bit. "You're right, I don't know you well. And you don't know me that well. I don't understand completely the effect I have on others. But... it'll just take time to get to know people and time things out," she said with a little smile. "I mean, it takes a while to read others emotions; if they want to talk, if they want to be alone... If they're happy, sad, or mad so you can be careful with your words and time it accordingly... I mean, I get it wrong sometimes... But it'll come in time." Spoiler: Tales of a Princess- Children Can Be Cruel, Part 2 Age 10 Aria yelled out in pain and frustration, kicking at the thick, wooden wall once more. A howl echoed back in reply. The girl gasped and fell silent, her eyes wide in the dim lighting of the enclosed space. There were tiny holes around her, letting in cool air and some light. She heard the howls again, this time they were closer. Her heart crawled up into her throat as her ears pounded heavily. Wrenfel were huge in size, and were known to break wooden fences and even some barn doors down if there was enough of them pushing on it. She heard the padding of heavy feet, and heard the snarl of an animal. The ten year old froze in her box, not daring to breathe loudly. She could hear loud sniffing by the tiny holes and shut her eyes tightly. Wrenfel. It had to be wrenfel… There was a loud bark as something heavy landed above her. And then again close by her feet. Aria whimpered as the creatures tried to break open the wood again and again. She heard it begin creak under the heavy paws and shut her eyes. A howl sounded off in the distance, making the large creatures around her silent for a moment. Suddenly, they moved off and ran away, leaving Aria alone once more. Aria kept herself quiet for the remainder of the time she was in the box. She didn’t know how long she was in there. She couldn’t move around freely like she wanted to and her limbs began to cramp up after a while. Was she ever going to be found? Was she going to die in here? It had become colder and darker in the box as time wore on. Aria didn’t know how many times she closed her eyes and nodded off. There wasn’t much else she could do. She tried to roll the box and break out a couple of times, but didn’t have the strength anymore. Her mouth felt like sandpaper, and her stomach was growling loudly. A muffled voice broke Aria out of her dozing. She laid there in silence, wondering if it was just her mind playing tricks on her. Was someone looking for her? “Aria?!” Aria gasped. “I’m here!” Her voice weakly cracked. “I’m here! I’m right here!” She began kicking at the box again and slamming her aching shoulder against the wooden walls again. “Don’t leave me! I’m here!” “Aria, where are you?!” “I’M HERE!” She yelled out, pounding on the box harder. Tears were streaming down her cheeks again. “I’M HERE! UNCLE LANAR!?! AUNT ANJA?!” “Look, down there!” Aria heard the sound of feet sliding down rocks above her and shouting of people. “HELP!” Aria yelled out again, still making as much noise as she could. “GET ME OUT OF HERE!” “Oh my god… Someone get me a crowbar, NOW! Hang on, Aria, we’re going to get you out. Someone get Lanar! We found the girl!” Aria was crying and hugging herself tightly. “O-okay. Please hurry,” she called out to the voice outside the box. “Don’t worry, we’ll get you out. Alright, step back.” There was the sound of something chipping at the metal lock, and Aria covered her ears to block the loud sound out. Soon the padlock fell on the ground, and the box lid opened. The cold air washed over Aria, making her curl up instinctively. She was then gently grabbed and coaxed out of the box. She wasn’t sure who pulled her out, but she was glad to be freed and wrapped her arms around her rescuer. The girl broke down into sobs as she was hugged and picked up carefully. “Children are cruel,” the Gero’s voice muttered, hugging Aria close to him. “Come now, I will take you to your aunt and uncle.” He lifted the small child up and looked at the others around who had been searching for her. “She is alright. I will see to it that she is delivered safely home.” He assured them. Aria was shivering violently from the cold evening air pressing around her and from how weak she had become being cramped up without food and water for so long. She buried her head into Gero’s shoulder and wrapped her arms around his neck, hiding her face from the rest of the search party. The men looked around at each other once Gero declared what he was going to do. Some shrugged their shoulders while others scratched at their head as they stared at the box the girl was shoved in. “Take her home then,” one of the men spoke up with a nod of his hat. “Anja and Lanar will be relieved she’s safe.” There were some standing on top of the hill with bright lanterns, watching what was happening below and keeping an eye out for the party. This would be the time the wrenfel would be the most active, and they were outside of Lanar’s property line by a good half-mile. There was a small boy with the group, around eight years old. Tobin, the one that tried to speak up for Aria much earlier. He watched on with wide eyes as he saw where Aria ended up. He was the one that ran back when he could and told the adults what happened, even though he was threatened he would get beat up if he told. None of the other boys involved were there, only him. Aria sobbed in Gero’s cloak and tightened her fingers around his clothes as she shook. “I’m sorry,” she gasped out softly. “I’m sorry I didn’t listen. I’m sorry I disobeyed. I’m really sorry…” She swallowed hard and coughed from being so upset at herself and for what happened. The words of the boys still circled her head, that she deserved this and she was the cause of everyone’s unhappiness and misery of late. “No, it is not your fault. Do not blame yourself for this.” He spoke as he walked forth. “I’m just glad you’re safe. It will be alright. You will be okay.” He said with warmth in his voice. “Sometimes life will be unfair and there may be nothing you can do to make it right. The only thing you can control is how you act in the situation.” Gero stopped in front of the home belonging to Aria’s guardians and took in a deep breath. “I worried about you. You may not be my child but I consider you to be family to me.” Aria sniffed and rubbed at her eye, allowing Gero’s words calm her down. She rested her head on the old man’s shoulder and wiped the stray tears away with her sleeve. “You’re my family too, Grandpa Gero,” Aria whispered as she closed her eyes and hugged the elder more tightly. The front door swung up in a rush, and Anja and Lanar rushed out to meet the pair. “Aria!” Anja exclaimed with tears streaming down her own face. Aria’s head perked up as she heard the familiar voice of her aunt. “Aunt Anja…” Anja met Gero and Aria partway and hugged them, crying in relief. “Thank goodness you’re okay! We were worried sick about you!” Anja held Aria’s face in her hands and kissed the child’s head with relief as she tried to hold back the rest of her tears. “Are you hurt?” She asked as she did her best to inspect Aria while she was being held. There was a good sized goose egg on her head, and bruises and sprains unseen from the tumble down the hill in the box. “Oh dear… what did they do to you?” Lanar rubbed his neck with his good arm and anxiously looked on to the trio. He didn’t wish to overwhelm Aria with all the fussing his wife was doing. He cleared his throat, which made Anja stop her inspection. “Let’s get her inside where it’s warm, Anja… and get her fed and hydrated, settled in for the night. Maybe we’ll squeeze in a cup of hot chocolate in all of that.” He offered a small smile to Aria and a wink, and then approached when Anja stepped back a little. He ruffled Aria’s hair gently, his heart nearly breaking when he saw how scared she seemed. Her cheeks were tear stained, her eyes somewhat glassy, and she was trembling badly in Gero’s arms. He wanted so badly to take all the pain away from her and make it right again. Lanar subconsciously wiped the tears from Aria’s cheek and then looked to Gero, nodding his head slowly as he controlled his emotions. “Thank you, for finding her…” Aria shifted in Gero’s arms and went to embrace her uncle. Lanar, seeing the cue, scooped the girl in his arms, holding her on one side of his body while she laid her head on his shoulder. He hugged Aria close to him and gently swayed in place while laying his robotic hand on her hair and stroked it to try to comfort her as he talked. “Will you stay with us for a little longer?” He asked. He knew what the answer was, but he wanted to be polite. They had important things to discuss after all. “There’s no need for thanks.” Gero said,smiling at the family. “I wish I could stay, truly, but I’m afraid I must go.” He stepped closer and patted the girl gently on her head. “Be safe, Aria. And be strong for me.” “Wait,” Anja spoke up, looking to her husband and Aria and then back to Master Gero. “Is she really safe here? After all that has happened lately...?” The last thing Anja wanted was to give up their guardianship of Aria. They did the best they could to protect her and keep her safe up to this point, but in a way, the woman couldn’t help but to feel like she failed Aria tonight in some way. “I considered that myself as well, but I came to the conclusion that she should stay here.” He paused for a moment to consider his next words. “If she were to be taken from you now, that would defeat the purpose of ever bringing her here. Her parents wished for her to have as normal a life as possible. That is what I want for her as well. That includes all the hardships that come with being a child.” He looked at Lanar’s mechanical arm and sighed. “I will admit that there was some danger present that I had not foreseen but there is no place that is ever truly without its hazards. In time she will grow and be stronger for it. I can already see the good influence both of you have had on her. Breaking you apart because of this would harm her more than anything else.” Both guardians were surprised by Master Gero’s words and glanced at each other. They were expecting for Aria to be taken away that night, but to hear she would benefit staying here in the long run… It both confused them and put their troubled minds at ease. Aria was laying her head against Lanar’s shoulder. She heard every word that the wise old man said and felt her shaking gradually stop. She had faced many terrifying things up to this point, both in sleep and in consciousness. But she couldn’t have gotten through it without her aunt and uncle. She lifted her head up and slipped out of Lanar’s arm, and then went to Master Gero. She hugged him tightly around his waist, her heart filled with love and admiration for the grandfather figure that had helped her all through her childhood. “Thank you,” she whispered as tears streamed down her cheeks once more.
