Doomed and Determined Snippets

Meet Zephyr's parents

     Zerxes wasn't quite sure what he was expecting when he walked into the bar. Zephyr attempting to pretend like she hadn't been waiting all day for him, though they both agreed to meet around 5, might have been one idea. But stepping through the doorway to see her staring down at an envelope as if it had just threatened to tear the world asunder.

    It must have been something because she didn't even look up as he came up behind her, hands folded behind his back. He leaned around her, just enough to see Zephyr Mangata written neatly on an envelope, "Anything good?" It was times like this that he was thankful for his roguish training, ducking as spun around with her hand almost flying towards his face. "Hey, it's just me!" He could see a wild panic in her eyes, one that he found he didn't like there at all. "What is it? What's wrong Dove?" He came closer again when he was sure that she wasn't going to smack him in the face. She looked pale, paler than what she was normally, he could feel something protective stirring within him, even as she relaxed. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

    She bit her lower lip, something he was sure she'd been doing for a little bit before he caught her. "Just about," Her gaze turned back to the envelope, making his own dart towards it as well. He could feel the quip on the tip of his tongue, "it's my mom's handwriting." Her mom's? Zerxes was sure she had never really told him about her mother. It seemed most times when family came up, he was rambling about his own mother, or newly found Uncle.

    "Really?" He lifted a brow at her, almost tempted to tug that lower lip away from those teeth with his own. No, now was not the time to be thinking about that you prat. "You said you never hear from them," Which made this almost as worrying to have them message her now. "Open it, see what they have to say." He received no response, well verbal response. The way her grasp tightened on flimsy paper. "Do you want me to open it?" He offered, one hand slowly coming out to pull it from her grasp.

    It was snatched away within a second, almost violently, it surprised him more than it should of. "No!" In all the time he has known her, he was sure he hadn't heard her snap like that before, it made him bristle. He was sure he was doing what Elswyth, Daevaris' Leopard, does when confronted with an unknown threat. Tense and bunched up, glancing around for any threat that may come from any direction. This threat though, was a scrap of paper that he all of a sudden felt the need to see burn.

    "I'm sorry!" He jolted, tearing his eyes away from the letter to that of his Dove that had apparently gone straight into a panic. "I just-"

    He was sure that if he let her, she'd talk herself to death and then some. "Take it easy!" He grasped the sides of her face, one thumb rubbing against her cheekbone. He waited till she took in a breath, "You're starting to worry me." She was almost vibrating it seemed, even as he tried to get her to breathe. Her mind was elsewhere though, he could tell from the way her eyes didn't focus quite right.

    Just what had her parents done to warrant this type of response? He could see the tears starting and something tugged in his chest. No, no, I'm no good with tears! Where's Murvenvu when you need him! There was his own panic, but it also made something dark come to life, the want to find who caused this reaction and make them suffer more then she was- It was better to cut that thought off right there.

    "Now I insist to know," He murmured, trying his best to whip away the tears as they came. "You're crying and I'm going to take this lightly now." She blinked, and the thoughtful look left her eyes. He still felt the need to tear something apart, namely the letter, but he was more concerned with the little Dove that had burst into tears. She touched at her own cheeks, almost confused as she felt her own tears, and it just made him frown more. The next second she was brushing his hands off her face, and he let her go without complaint. Though there was a temptation to rest them on her shoulders instead.