Re: An Unexpected Detour

aasha · aasha on Mon Dec 29, 2008 1:06 am

Mommikerri wrote:"He told you?" Outrage clouded her normally bright blue eyes. "He told you and yet you are running away? Where is your compassion, Aasha? I heard Jas had called for Harlan. I imagine that she is still in there, hurting, feeling the pain because of the loss of her sister? Yes, you loved Tiff.. who didn't love Tiff? But there was blood between the two of them. There is a connection that none of us can claim and you are going to run away to do what? It's time for you to grow up and think of others, Aasha."

She knew she was being harsh but the girl needed to stop running whenever things became to difficult. If she could guilt her into staying, she would use the tactic. " Now, will you come back with me?"

aasha · aasha on Mon Dec 29, 2008 1:07 am

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Kerri was lecturing her? She'd lost the rest of the tiny family she'd attempted to claim, one that actually claimed her, and Kerri was lecturing her? I ain't got no comp'sshin' - whatever that is - Harlan's there wit' her...an' he knows lots more 'bout helpin' than what I do.

It stung, Kerri saying her claim to Tiffany wasn't good enough, but then again, she'd already found out more than once that she wasn't good enough for anyone. Each person reiterating it to her only made the realization sting that much more. The pain now joined by bitter rage, Aasha met Mommikerri's eyes. I'm thinkin' of others now...thats why I'm leavin' it to others what knows what they're doin'. You go in an' help. Yer the lady...not me...

Shaking the hand off, the girl raised her chin high and walked away, not letting tears fall or her footsteps to turn into a run until she was beyond the shadow of the castle walls.

aasha · aasha on Mon Dec 29, 2008 1:07 am

Anonymoose wrote:Anonymoose was startled when Aasha broke free of the hug and ran out of the castle. She looked at Harlan and Jasmyne helplessly.

"I think I'll go to the market now and gather the supplies I need for making the plaque. Let me know what you want it to say and I'll make it happen," said Harlan.

Anonymoose hugged Harlan back and once he left, she turned to Jasmyne. "What else do you need help with? Have you spoken to the priest yet? I think the bishop is still in town as well. And what about the castle staff?"

aasha · aasha on Mon Dec 29, 2008 1:07 am

Jasmyne wrote:Could you see to theyre arrival, i've heard the new priest is Peace, i know her somewhat, she is quiet but very intelligent

My last trip out i gathered a few tree's, some are ornamental, i think i'll plant a few dogwood trees around the plaque, i'll have to go back to my home to get them and maybe if i run into Aasha i'll let her know she is and always was a sister to me

Sometimes light prevails out of darkness

aasha · aasha on Mon Dec 29, 2008 1:08 am

Mommikerri wrote:She watched with sadness as Aasha turned away from her. She was sure that if she had bullied the young girl she wouldn't run away. How wrong she had been. Still.. she couldn't help but cry out to the retreating back. "Aasha.. please.. " she trailed off, worry and sadness overwhelming her.

Sitting down heavily on the steps, she placed her elbows on her knees and cupped her chin in her hand. She thought back to when she had seen Tiffanyanne and remembered her vibrant energy and the way she just seemed to have fun.

aasha · aasha on Mon Dec 29, 2008 1:09 am

Jerri wrote:Since he had moved here, he had not seen anyone going into the Castle up the road, not till today. But today seemed special and he was enjoying the parade, a woman, another woman then a man and then another woman -- hmm -- he had seen most of them around before, from a distance though. Probably the town council. He had spoken there often enough but he hardly liked looking at anyone while he spoke or listened, remembering the faces was a hard job. And soon he had lost track of who was coming and who was leaving the Castle, chewing a straw while he lay on the fence and soaked in the sun was a favorite pastime with Jerri. After the drudgery of the mines, it was a welcome break time in the sun --

His corn field was only a little way off from the Castle; the open grounds gave him a good view of anyone leaving the gates. And next time his attention was caught by a figure leaving the premises, it was because of a rather disturbed girl running out the gates and almost blindly heading down the road. A momentary smirk crossed Jerri’s features and his right brow disappeared into the locks hanging over his forehead again, I bet that man has something to do with that. Handsome, but they just can't keep their paws to themselves, he sat up with a bitter shake of the head, assuredly balancing on the fence as if he had been riding fences day in day out --

aasha · aasha on Mon Dec 29, 2008 1:09 am

Even beyond the castle walls, shadows continued to haunt Aasha. Ones from her own past, poking and prodding, reminding her that she'd lost everyone who had ever loved her unconditionally. Pushing in her face how she had no family...shaking her head, tears began to flow as she broke into a run. Trying to escape the pain she carried would be impossible, but she could at least find a place to let it out.

It was with that thought in mind that her feet lead her past to the burned out husk of Aimar's cottage. She took no notice of anyone she past, her internal battle was too strong. She couldn't see, but she could feel exactly where she was as she stopped dead center of the wreckage. A wave of pain brought her to her knees, tears drenching her face and the ground beneath her. There was no life here, much like she felt at that moment. Kerri's words echoed in her mind, one she desperately wanted to refute;

- But there was blood between the two of them. There is a connection that none of us can claim...

She claimed me...claimed me as a daughter, as a sister, as a friend...

...blood between them...connection none of us can claim... -

Each repeat felt like a dagger, unerringly finding and pressing into her already damaged heart.

aasha · aasha on Mon Dec 29, 2008 1:09 am

Jerri wrote:Lost something? he held the straw he had been chewing on lightly between the tip of his fingers when he spoke, though it was placed back in his mouth as soon as he felt he was heard. He was standing to the side of the figure on her knees and he was very sure what she was looking for was not in the ashes of the burnt down shack. But he still looked around with the apparent casual desire to help find what was lost, never looking at the girl, making sure he avoided eye contact. Curiosity, or maybe sympathy, had brought him here. Two emotions he did not believe in unless he thought they served him a purpose, two emotions he was very vulnerable to even without his knowledge --

aasha · aasha on Mon Dec 29, 2008 1:10 am

His words blended in with her thoughts, she had lost much, all of it increasing the pain she was finding so difficult to deal with. There was nothing she would find here, no spirits lingering to give comfort, no warmth lay in the cold ash, only emptiness.

It was with almost resentment that she finally acknowledged his presence. Had she not come here to be alone? But did she really want to be alone? She'd left the castle more because she was alone than because she wanted to be so, carrying burdens that only grew instead of being able to share and even the load. Her voice was husky with the effort to speak, bitterness ringing in the tone; too much... ...nothin' I'm findin' here...nothin' what ken be found... Scrubbing at her face, she attempted to regain control of her emotions before letting her eyes bounce off his form.

aasha · aasha on Mon Dec 29, 2008 1:10 am

Jerri wrote:If he could understand an emotion, it was loss. He nodded solemnly and decided he had intervened at a bad time, something that was very unlike him; going up to a stranger to pick a conversation. But the girl had seemed distraught, which was none of your business. He knew he would have resented anyone thinking his life was their business. What he could still not manage was to leave.

He’d been quite pleased with his find for a home, there were no nosy next door neighbors, the shack had been burnt down for reasons he did not care to know – all that mattered was that he had the privacy he wanted without living at the edge of town. For the first time though, he thought he had been mean, and to think he planned to deter anyone rebuilding the house. Using the tip of his shoes to displace some ash at his feet he hid behind the activity to keep from making eye contact, Your house? There was no sympathy in his tone, no curiosity even. This strange girl was aching for a loss, he was only there maybe to listen or maybe it was to find comfort in another’s loss. Loss was, after all, the only universal tragedy --

aasha · aasha on Mon Dec 29, 2008 1:10 am

She was normally so good at hiding things, so when he asked if the property was hers, she picked up on the flat tone immediately. It triggered a curiosity in her, was he hiding from something like her? Or was he just there because she was invading his space? She knew he lived next door, she'd noticed him moving in, a benefit of being on the welcoming committee. It gave her the perfect excuse for doing what she'd always done anyway, kept tabs on who was new. An early warning system perhaps for if she needed to take off again.

Shaking her head at the tangents her mind was wandering into, she sighed, then answered. No...this ain't my place. Nobody lives here now...the owner... swallowing past the lump in her throat, she tried again; ...used to know who lived here...he's gone now... Memories pressed in as Aimar's face flashed in her mind, then Tiffany's, reminding her of what brought her here.

Needing a change of subject, anything but loss, she finally stood up. Even with that, he still towered over her slight frame. Yer fields look like they is doin' well... It was then she noticed how studiously he was avoiding making eye contact. - Do I know him? Did my cousin send him? - Different scenarios, all bad were tumbling to the forefront. Her gaze on him sharpening, she tried to discern the reason for his actions.

aasha · aasha on Mon Dec 29, 2008 1:11 am

Jerri wrote:Gone now, he nodded but it told him nothing more than he already knew, and whoever wished to know anyhow? He was fine as he was, or so he told himself. He was in uncharted territory as soon as she stopped speaking, the comment on his field was more than welcome to him. But he merely nodded in reply, looking into the direction of his corn and the fleeting glance in her direction a moment later took him by surprise, she was watching him.

The corner of his mouth twitched in what would have been a crooked smile if he'd cared to carry it through. Instead it appeared to weigh the person in front of him as if he was thinking an introduction would not be too grueling a task; his head tilted to the left slightly, he gave a short nod of acknowledgment, I am Jerri --

aasha · aasha on Mon Dec 29, 2008 1:11 am

He didn't look rough enough to be one of her cousin's friends, but you never knew with Thomas. Sometimes he could fool even the most intelligent of men into believing his crap. And sometimes he could find something to hold over people, he was a master manipulator. Studying the man further, she sighed. - My Jah Ash, are you really that paranoid? Jumping at shadows now? You were kneeling in the ashes of a burned out cottage bawling your eyes out. Anyone would be curious, it doesn't mean he's after you! -

Flushing at the direction her thoughts were taking her, she tried to smile, but wasn't sure she pulled it off. I'm Aasha...got piggies 'cross the bridge there. She didn't know how to explain that she lived in Tiff's place, or even that Tiff's house was hers now, so she left it off. Glancing towards his house, she easily saw the shadow of the castle. Sighing deeply, she wondered exactly what he'd seen before he approached. He probably thought her an idiot if he'd witnessed even half her antics.

Deciding to pretend he saw nothing, she quickly continued; Got a fox 'round here somewheres...his name's Pillow. Did ya happen to see which way he went?

aasha · aasha on Mon Dec 29, 2008 1:12 am

Jerri wrote:His brow disappeared into the locks hanging over his forehead, She blushed at an introduction? He would have gotten past it if she hadn't looked past him to his house and sighed, this was confusing considering he'd thought --

Ermm -- No. I have not seen a fox here, he said finally and looked around, I am so quick to judge people, I knew I should not have looked at her.

But just in case he had judged her right, he pursed his lips and nodded slightly as he took a step back; it was time to leave. I will let you know if I see one. What else could he say? The company he had been subjected to had addled his thinking, now he was always careful of what people intended. He turned partially and gestured towards the road, I have to walk back to work --

aasha · aasha on Mon Dec 29, 2008 1:12 am

She sighed again, not wanting to move, but knowing she couldn't stay in the ruins without looking even more like an idiot. Besides the fact that she'd decided at some point in her musings that Kerri was wrong. She was just as much family, had just as important a bond as Jasmyne. Maybe, just maybe she needed to be there to see Tiffany off. She had given Aasha so much more than she ever deserved, this was the least she could do to show love and respect, something she'd never gotten to say in life, but could show in death.

The peal of the bells ringing out in symphony with Jerri's obvious words of farewell had the girl feeling even more awkward. She was out of time, and would have to deal with her pain and confusion on her own, privately. This gentleman, though well meaning, wouldn't be the one to help her get through anything, nor would any other. She'd let too many get too close, only to be hurt in the process.

Bowing slightly, she murmured; Thank ya m'lord. I'm sure he'll turn up. I 'pose I'm headin' back to the castle. Straightening to her full stature, she took a deep breath and began to walk, quite forgetting the ashes on her clothing and face in her determination to do what was right.