Abhorrence in the Face of Adoration

Ferreth stared up at the ceiling as he laid in bed, feeling frustratingly tired. His arms flared up in pain and he could only wait and beg for it to stop. It was like someone was chipping away at the embedded stones while they disregarded the agony they were putting him through. This was a hell he hated living in every time the weather turned cold because it meant sleepless nights of incurable pain till spring came around and even that wasn't guaranteed. The only hope he had was that maybe living here instead of the mountains would make these times a little more bearable.

A nice, relaxing stroll through town could probably help. Nighttime walks were a good pastime of his whenever autumn descended upon Thornewind and he needed a distraction from the pain. It was a time he'd let his mind wander off and wear him down enough to conk out soon as his head hit the pillow. He sighed, rubbed a hand down his face, and headed out the door into the cool dark.

Aurora Zenith was different from Thornewind at night. There were hardly any noises, save for the distant waves of the ocean and the wind rustling through the leaves of the trees, and not a soul to be seen for seemingly miles. The only sources of light he could see came from the orange glow of the lanterns in town and the radiance of the full moon high up in the sky. It was a new place, with winter right around the corner, but it still held the feeling of peace he felt up in the mountains.

He looked around the town as he walked. The end of Noctovka marked his arrival here 3 months ago and he was still getting used to everything. Coming from a place where there were others like him all living in a cold and constant drizzle, this was certainly different for him. He liked the warmth, missed the liveliness of Thornewind, and still had no idea what he wanted to do in life.

He had a couple ideas in mind but there were already people working those jobs that did them ten times better than he ever could. What good was there in having an amateur come in and screw everything up? At least he was making himself useful, both in training to become Eric's guard and being the guy to do odd jobs around town. He still had time to figure it out so there wasn't a need to stress about it.

He was nearing the docks when he saw her. A gust of wind blew the hood of the black cloak she wore back, letting her long snow white hair out to cascade down her back as she shivered from the chill it brought. The little skin she showed seemed to glow under the moonlight, which made eyes the color of bloomed orchids stand out even more than in the day. She looked like an ethereal fairy almost and he was absolutely entranced. This was Ven, the woman who had him dancing around the palm of her hand and didn't even know it.

Things had somehow changed between them now. It's not that they had gotten into an argument or did something the other didn't like. He wasn't sure on where she was but things were definitely different on his side.

There was no denying that he had been attracted to her since the beginning of their friendship but this was deeper and longer than his average "crush". She could be so unbelievably cute at times, like the way her eyes seem to sparkle when something catches her attention or when she has the most adorable smile on her face once she gets a whiff of a delicious sweet. He was amazed at how big her heart was for someone so small and at the strength she had, both physically and emotionally.

There were times he'd find himself thinking about her. There had been days he'd be so consumed by his self-loathing and seeing her, being around her would quiet the voices telling him he was worthless. She saw something in him that he wished he could see in himself, something that could make him believe he had worth. He wanted to be with her, stay by her side, and never let her go.

It honestly scared him to realize just how deep his feelings for her went. He's never felt this way towards anyone before and it was scary. The question of her reaction to if and when she discovered these feelings weighed on his mind. Would she still want him to hang around her or would she demand he stay away from her? He wasn't sure if he could take the latter option.