The stars in your eyes
Emersyn
06-03-2021, 09:54 PM
Em saw Segin's good mood visibly deflate when she didn't respond in the affirmative right away. Shit, he had seen through her forced amicability. Watching his grin slip from his face as a glum expression replaced his bright demeanor actually hurt Em in a way she hadn't been expecting. He looked up at her with big, sad silver eyes while he asked if she didn't want to stay with them. Her mouth opened on instinctive reaction to answer when spoken to, but no words came out. What was she even supposed to say? Sure, I'd love to stay, but the murderous slaves and their insane master would absolutely tear you to shreds if I stay! She was desperately searching for a way to gently turn this sweet gentle wolf down in the nicest way possible when he went and twisted the knife even harder in her gut by looking away like a scolded puppy and half-heartedly stating that it was fine if she didn't stay with them. Oh, that was so not fair!
"Segin..." she began, trying to find the words as she went along. "It's... not that simple." Emersyn looked away, maybe ashamed, or maybe she just couldn't stand to keep looking at those heartbroken puppy dog eyes. Heaving a sigh, Em stepped closer to the edge of the water and sat down with her paws in the shallow cool water. "There's a lot of bad wolves after me. They're violent and ruthless, and if I stay with you, I put you all in danger. It wouldn't be fair to you."
She stared down at her reflection in the rippling water, trying to ignore the flashbacks of the last time she'd seen her reflection, beaten and bruised and bloody after the assault before the tournament. Her stomach churned and heaved at the memories that haunted her, and it took all of Em's strength to not be sick when she saw herself. "It's not that I don't want to stay with you. If I do, I'd knowingly be risking your lives, just so I could pretend I actually have somewhere I belong..." Em's ears flattened to her head, duo-toned eyes darkening as that crushing sense of loneliness she was intimately familiar with gripped her heart. She hadn't belonged anywhere... Not with her family, not with the slaves, not with this kind band of strangers...
