Bilgewater Baptism

Caedes watched from a distance as Delaeni staggered her way to the black rock beach, a sense of disdain curling his lip at the sight of her. He found the sight distasteful, her vulnerability, her beaten and bloodied frame – and even the way the healer within him urged him to go and care for her. She seemed to have sought solace in the embrace of the ocean, a pitiful display… truly a feeble attempt to cleanse away the stains and the pain. The air smelled of Sephiran, carried by the northern breeze and chill to his nares.

As she lowered herself into the cold embrace of the water, Caedes could almost taste her desperation, that futile struggle to escape the harsh reality that surrounded her by numbing her pains in the cold water. The waves crashing against the shore almost seemed to mock her, and he began his approach with his heavy steps masked by the sound.

Despite the pain etched on her face, Caedes felt no sympathy for Delaeni. Though it was true he had once been in the same position as she. Yet it was her weak, broken persona that he truly found unsavory. She had no… fire. No intensity. She was like a lamb, perfectly fit for slaughter. Her suffering brought him no satisfaction, only a sense of contempt for her conditioning. Should he have felt bad? Was he capable of it? The answer eluded him. He stopped when he finally came to loom over her, emeralds scanning her for the worst of her injuries; while his fingers itched to treat her wounds. “Ugh.” The brute grunted out, his voice devoid of any emotion, though his eyes shone with a silent longing. Ah.

It was a passive gesture, really, not rushed nor desperate – just an extended paw that reached to submerge the small girl’s skull beneath the water's surface. But he was strong, and far, far bigger than her.