The Road to Forgiveness Be Damned

Ripples of the Past

Dim morning light peeked through the vines as Ferreth waited up for Ven. Were it not for the noise outside, he'd have no idea how early it was. He needed to get better at waking up earlier. If they wanted to accomplish their task within the four day time limit, he couldn't be sleeping in like this. It'd help if he knew how far they'd have to go to the swamp but nothing in life was that easy.

He found it weird how Filaurel didn't tell them of anything to look out for. Nothing of its appearance, its behavior. If he didn't know better, it was almost as if she was setting them up for failure. By not telling them jack, they'd waste away the four days wondering what they were hunting for till they eventually gave in. It'd be par for the course for that sadistic bitch.

The way she treated Ven yesterday infuriated him. Barely letting her get a word in, twisting her words around to seem as if she were at fault... She probably would've done way worse had he not stepped in. He already resented her for being the core of Ven's issues but her actions yesterday cemented his hate for her. If only he could make Ven realize she wasn't to be trusted at her word...

Ven came out at that moment, struggling to tie her hair up. She seemed to be the same as ever, though that didn't mean much to him today. With her tendency to hide how she really felt at times, she may be feeling worse than she let on. She proved herself to be a better actress than he gave her credit for sometimes.

Despite his concern, he mustered up a smile and asked, "Hey, how'd you sleep last night?"

"The usual," she replied, becoming increasingly frustrated over tying her hair up without the help of a mirror.

"Any nightmares?"

"No more than usual. Hey, can you help me with this? I can't seem to get it right..." She held out a brush and hair tie to him.

Although she said that nonchalantly, he was worried. She may be used to the nightmares but he wasn't sure he'd be able to. Seeing how she acted when they arrived, he hoped being here wouldn't exacerbate those bad dreams at some point. The only thing he could do was lend an ear, though he wished it wasn't so.

Brushing through her hair, he asked, "Ven, you'd tell me if the nightmares got worse, right?"

"Would that be okay with you?" she asked, the tone of uncertainty he's heard times before present in her voice. "I don't want to be more of a burden to you than I already am..."

"Yeah!" He gathered all of her hair and tied it up into a ponytail. "I know I can't do more for you than just listen but... I'll always be there for you, you know?"

She barely responded to his words. He couldn't tell if she believed him or wanted to, in any case. His mind flashed back to the time they had to wait out rain in a cave nearby during one of their missions. He promised her she could rely on him in times like this and no way in hell would he back out on that now. Not when she might need him to help her through this.

Putting an arm around her shoulders, he bumped his forehead against hers and said, "Remember, you can lean on me whenever you want to. I can't offer much but I'll be there for you. I promised you that and I'm sticking by it."

The smallest glimpses of a smile rose up on her face. Smiles were rare to see from her, making this moment mean more than it usually did. He loved her smiles just as much as he loved her and wanted to make her as happy as she deserved to be. No matter how long it may take him, he was determined to see her smile without anything holding her down.

Upon leaving, they made their way over to the outskirts. It was considerably busier today, with carts going in and out at the gate and several guards checking the insides of each one. If they were worried about someone bringing in contraband, that person would be pretty stupid to do it in plain sight.