Dance of a Rose

The growl was... mildly scary coming from a creature who outweighed her by probably a hundred pounds. Yet... Lillie found she was uncaring. She was more focused on his words, and those caused a slightly more violent growl, but also a flash of pain in her eyes, obvious with green eyes meeting green eyes. It was then the growl faded, and she'd take a step back, looking at him. How? How could he be so possessive? And yet, she was as well in a way. She did not want to share Finch, she did not want to share Starling. That was with outsiders, though, not family. Even if they were not her family; she would not begrudge them Finch's love and company.

"And she is the closest thing I have to family," she suddenly hissed, ears flattening on her head. She did not expect those words to come out, but the pain warred with the anger and caused an odd mix. "Do you expect me to give up the single person I would kill someone for? The single person who I've made cry from joy, the person who I can make so happy? do you think I would hurt her? Do you think I can do that?" Lillie's voice had risen somewhat, and she forced it down, shaking her head back and forth. "Surely you understand that. It would be like asking you to stop caring about her, to not worry about her. You can't do that, can you?" She paused, her lips lifting in what was almost a sneer. "But then again, no one is allowed to care except you." This time, her voice was a mere murmur, barely audible. She dared a look back at the young girl. Finch was older than Lillie, but seemed so much younger.

"She is the closest I've ever come to loving someone. I will do anything for her, die if I must. And you demand I give that up." Another headshake, and she tipped her head back to look at Lark. "You should know better," she murmured. "You saw me, with that anger and that bitterness. Finch... she somehow makes it better. She dulls that anger, that bitterness, and I make her happy. When I do things with her, it's to please her. That gold necklace. You may have seen that. I got that for her; I found it. She brings out my gentle side, Lark. I can't give that up. I can't let her be hurt. I can't let her lose her joy, her sweetness, her innocence I can't tell you that I will never associate with her again, that I won't do things to see her happiness blossom. I can't tell you that I won't bring her flowers, just to see her smile, or that I won't bring her trinkets that will make her joy palpable. She is family to me, Lark, the only family I have. I won't ever take her from her blood family, but will you really tear the one person who brings utter joy to my life away from me?" Even Starling was just a friend, and even then... even then half the time their friendship did not bring joy, but anger and pain. Finch... she brought joy, and Lillie could be sweet, gentle, and make another happy. Another sigh, and she'd look down, the words feeling drained from her. She did not want this fight; she did not want this at all. But, it seemed, she could not win.

"I make her happy. Lark, don't you see? She's the only person I'm able to make happy, and I will give anything to continue to do that."

"Speech" "Language"