Bend until I break

It had been a couple of days since she heard the news from Aliana that Chimera had set her free. Clearly even with that freedom she had chosen to stay with the massive brute, seemingly enjoying his company, but that hadn't really phased her. Ali was allowed to do whatever she wanted with her freedom and Dalila wouldn't fault her for that, but it was just the implication of it that kept her mind reeling. Chimera wasn't a kind or understanding man, at least not from her experience, and yet he had given Aliana the freedom to choose. That thought kept running through her mind day and night, stunning her and making her question and reevaluate everything she had felt these last several months. She quietly went about her work, only interacting with Siren when she had to in order to care for her, but otherwise she kept to herself, hiding away in various parts of the island she knew Siren didn't usually go to.

Eventually her nerves became too frayed and her exhaustion from not being able to sleep finally pushed her to the edge and she paused in the middle of their usual morning routine. She stopped in the middle of tending to Siren's luxurious fur, the practiced motions mostly mindless at this point. For a moment Dalila just stared at the comb she held before she finally sat it down, hear ears folding back uncertainly. She couldn't keep going on like this. It was going to kill her or break her and she wasn't entirely sure which was going to come first. "Chimera freed Aliana," she stated softly, unable to meet Siren's gaze. There were so many questions that she wanted answers to, so many things that she needed to understand, and she really didn't know where to start, but that was what tumbled past her lips first. "What am I to you? Do you want me to just be your servant..? I just... I can't do both any more. I can't be both. It... It hurts too much to know how much I love you and know that there's nothing I can do to have you be mine... It feels like I've given you everything and... and I've gotten nothing in return."

"Dalila"