Walk | Talk | Think
It made her unspeakably happy to see her parents like this, so happy and affectionate toward one another. Though the memories were difficult, she could still picture the way her mother had been just before her death, wasting away with so little energy, so little will to live. Not even her newborn child had been enough to mend the brokenness left behind after Bane's passing, and Anais felt the confirmation very strongly now as she watched them together. They belonged with each other, there was no question to it, and being witness to them gave her a very peaceful feeling.
Her mother's comment sent a stirring of guilt rising up from within as the mother-to-be thought of her sister. She wanted very much to agree with Tahlia, to assure her that both she and Lior were happy and content with their present lives. But could she really say so with certainty? She had spent so little time with Lior lately and knew so little about her progression as a healer aside from the fact she had been the one to recognize her pregnancy. "I hope we are," she answered more noncommittally than she had intended. She really did need to pay more attention to her sister and her life in Donostrea.
The guilty thoughts in her head were interrupted suddenly by an odd sensation. Whether it originated from her body or simply her mind, Anais could not say, but she felt its pull, felt it tug her away from the conversation with her parents toward another world. Her world. The look on her face became worried before she could stop it, fueled by all the uncertainties of the situation - did she have time to say her goodbyes, or would she be hauled away at any second? - and even as she tried to hide it her mother caught on. Guiltily, Anais tucked her ears against her head and answered regretfully, "I think I need to leave."
She hated to say it, hated even more to do it, but there was no arguing with the forces that controlled this dreamlike realm. Her mother stepped forward to embrace her, and Anais nuzzled roughly back into her, cherishing every moment of contact that she could get. Her smile was a mirror to Tahlia's but it wobbled when her mother made her request. "Of course," Anais answered readily, feeling her own eyes fill and spill over with tears. She knew they would love to hear it as much as she had. Trying not to entirely break down, she turned next to her father, nuzzling him just as she had Tahlia. "I love you," she said to him, though loud enough for the both of them to hear and take comfort from it. With her goodbyes said, Anais backed away with a teary-eyed smile and turned into the woods. She tried not to look back but caved under the pressure and did so after a few feet, and when next she turned back around she set off at a run, afraid that she might not leave at all otherwise.
-Exit Anais-
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