monument rapids

If she could scream, she would.

Unfortunately for her, that was not an option. Hell, talking was barely an option. Even eating was hard. She was having to eat regurgitated food again, like a pup, because she wasn't able to eat normally. She was also avoiding Motif and Vail like the plague, sulking instead by the water, looking down over the water and dangling a paw in it, feeling the spray, feeling a little sorry for herself, a little frustrated, and a lot angry. That anger was mixed with frustration, though, which was why Lillie just sort of tried to lock those emotions away.

If she were to get too angry, she'd get so frustrated she would cry. Which she hated. Still, locking her emotions away couldn't completely get rid of the feeling of wanting to bite something and tear it apart. Unfortunately for her, she couldn't bite down on anything at all. IT didn't help that she couldn't see out of one eye, too, with the right half of her face swathed in herbs and some under her jaws. IT had taken some tough negotiation for Lillie to not have her jaw wrapped.

Regardless, she was stuck. And bored. And frustrated. And the same thoughts over and over again in her head.

"Speech"

Feeling frustrated and anxious was nothing at all unfamiliar to Lark, though in comparison to Lillianna he seemed to be doing quite splendid. Even if it felt like he was anything but. Abaven was growing more depressing and quiet since his father's absence; admittedly he missed the time he spent with his family, even the Italian lessons that he had never particularly loved. The rapids had become a comforting place for him. Once, they had seemed treacherous and uncrossable, but thanks to Calypsei's help he knew they were little more than an obstacle, and one he could pass easily at that. Of course it'd taken him so practice, and he knew his mother would nearly have a heart attack if she saw him crossing, but he looked forward to seeing the impressed look that he knew Bass would try to hide. It nearly made him grin, the faintest of expressions, but seeing someone out of the corner of his eye forced the smile away. His face was quite blank as he peered at her as he approached the side of the river. She wasn't in good shape - her face seemed like it'd been.. quite roughed up, to say the least, and her fur was plastered with plant matter. His nose wrinkled as he took a few steps closer, though he maintained his distance. "What kinda mess did you get into?" he'd ask bluntly as he drew closer. It reminded him of when his dad had returned home from Imperium, only this time he felt far less upset -- only mildly curious about this girl he barely knew. "Looks pretty bad."

She looked up at the sound of pawsteps; her head turned to face the source of the sound. Her eyes immediately landed on those tell-tale markings: a Destruction had decided to grace her with his presence. She could almost laugh - she had been surrounded by nothing but Destructions. Destructions who were too kind, too hiding. Destructions that hid anger and replaced it with concern. Destructions that didn't know anything. She craved bluntness. Looks like -

Her musings were cut short as the male spoke, and she felt a satisfied smile curve her lips - that is, until pain made her stop. That smile held for a moment more, stubborn, before dropping. "I pissed off an Imperium bitch," she replied easily, scooting her body around so she was facing the boy. Another yearling, from what she saw. She nodded slightly in regards to his comment. "It is. Kind of sucks. Speaking hurts, too," Her head tilted slightly, considering her own words - what she had tacked on seemed as if she was rejecting the conversation. "So what brings you here?" she questioned, just as curious and blunt as he was - and trying not to let the conversation fall to ruins before it even started.

"Speech"

He'd gotten into fights before, but never as bad as what this girl had gone through. His nose wrinkled as he stepped closer, eyeing her injuries with a sort of detached curiosity. His pace slowed as he neared the edge of the rapids, slowly lowering himself near the surface of the water.  His head remained turned to her, his eyes fixing on her unblinkingly. "Why would you do that?" Lark would ask bluntly.  "Seems pretty stupid." There was no malice in his voice, no hint that he was egging her on or trying to further upset her - just a simple, honest reflection. Imperium hadn't made the greatest impression on him, and there was no way in hell he was going to go over there and piss anyone off. Not because he was afraid, but because it was just plain stupid. Though she said speaking hurt, he was far too literal to take that as a sort of passive-aggressive comment that he ought to leave her alone. He would turn to gaze at his reflection, considering things for a moment as he listened to her question.  "I like the rapids," came his soft answer as he glanced sideways at her.  "They're a good place to go when I don't feel like being around anyone."

She shrugged. "It wasn't intentional." Perhaps it was due to his voice, the detachment, that prevented her from angering. This male was blunt, and it was a relief of sorts. There was no malice, no accusations, no sneering disgust. It was appreciated. Her ears twitched at his response regarding the rapids, and she nodded. "I agree. The water is... soothing." The sound, in particular, but even the way the water would rush against the pads of her paws or between her toes had a relaxing quality to it. She also glanced the side, green eyes meeting green for a split second before Lillie put her attention back to the water. Just as he did not take her words as a rejection of the conversation, she did not take his as a rejection of the conversation. They seemed more... matter-of-fact, than passive-aggressive in any way.


"Speech"

Lark was used to just being himself, without any worry how his matter-of-fact way of speaking might hurt or offend someone. "I'd hope not," he would reply plainly. If she had meant to get herself hurt, that would exceed any level of stupidity he'd ever heard of. "Don't think I like that pack anyway. My stupid aunt went there and Dad tried to get her to come home but she wouldn't." His voice took on a sharper edge as he recalled the limited experience he'd had to form his opinion of the pack. It wasn't favorable, and knowing they had attacked one of Abaven's members - even if it was provoked - didn't really help his opinion much. He fell into comfortable silence once again, content to hear the sound of the water rushing over the rapids. Silence was almost never awkward to him, it was only calming. "What happened after?" Lark would ask after a long moment of careful consideration. "Like did you get in trouble? Or did she?" He knew for sure that his dad wouldn't be impressed if he'd gone and picked a fight, and he certainly wouldn't be happy either if someone hurt him so badly..

Lillie nodded, a small smile twisting her lips. No, she'd not be so stupid as to look for pain. She was no masochist; she did not find pleasure in pain in any form. It was rather unpleasant, and she would not want to meet someone who enjoyed this sort of pain... though anyone who did would likely be long dead by now. Her ears flicked back as he continued speaking. Stupid aunt? That must be... well, Rhythm, right? The one Shaye was always with, Motif's sister. Her jaw ground at the thought of the other woman, green eyes flashing as her lips started to lift in a snarl - stopping due to pain.

She fell silent as well, and with Lark... it was companionable. She didn't feel pressed to fill the silence, another appreciative thing. But, words soon filled that silence again. Anger flashed through her as she remembered what happened after, and she could not stop the low growl in her throat. "No. Vail followed me and saw it all. I was blamed; Motif didn't even care. She was too absorbed by her precious baby." Bitterness laced her tone, completely undisguised - and pain as well, an undercurrent to the bitterness. "I got in trouble; it was blamed all on me. All my fault, I was the idiot, no, it's not the bitch who threw a fit and did this when I mentioned her brothers. No, it was my fucking fault," snarled the yearling, ears flattening to her head as she stared angrily out over the waters. It wasn't until then she realized how far the anger, the bitterness, ran. She had fallen silent after those last words, instead staring out over the water with a fuming look in her eye.

"Speech"

Perhaps it was surprising that he hadn't gotten into fights like the one Lillie had, given how stubborn and hard-headed he could be. Still, he was motivated quite a bit by the fear that he might somehow let his father down.. and because of this it was unlikely he would do something so drastic that he was certain would upset him. He watched with a steady gaze as she spoke again, watching the anger flare up in her again, stoked like the embers of a fire. There was a passion in her that was undeniable, and he felt himself drawn to it. It was something he wasn't entirely used to seeing in others. His green gaze was fixated on her as she spoke again with anger bubbling up in her voice, not bothering to mask it to him. Her frustration was not at all unwarranted. He couldn't help but wonder if her lack of oversight had been caused by the fact that she'd been without parents for awhile now. Lark remembered her mother, albeit barely; what would it be like, he wondered, to essentially raise himself? It was difficult for him to imagine. He followed her words with a simple shrug. "Well, it's over now," the boy explained to her simply. "Dwelling on it probably won't help. At least now you'll have a badass scar to show off. It'll make you look tough, once it heals." The faintest hint of a smile touched his lips. The expression was short lived, fading into oblivion almost as soon as it arrived, dampened by his normal serious demeanor as his brows pulled together in thought. "What did my dad say? Has he seen you yet?"

She wasn’t so sure what caused the bitterness, the oversightedness. She truly did not see what Lark saw; she did not see what Motif was focused on. She could not comprehend. That lack of comprehension was what fueled her anger - and embarrassment as well. It was not her fault; not entirely, but no one saw that. They only saw it was her fault. No, it was not that the Imperium girl was... was… frustration ripped through her; she couldn’t even think of words! Her mind would refocus from it’s roiling storm on Lark’s words, and a shoulder would shrug. Her mood was soured, but she was not bitter at the boy next to her… but she couldn’t calm herself either. Dwell on it she would, until she couldn’t no more; it was so recent, so disappointing.

However… somehow, Lark managed to say the right thing. His words would be met with a snort, a faint whisper of a smile tracing her wounded jaw before it also faded. Her mood was still sour, but slightly less so due to the comment. “I suppose it will,” she murmured quietly. Ears would prick from the flattened position at his question, and her head would tip. “No, he has said nothing. But he was there at the meeting Allen called - he would have seen me.” And oh, oh she wished he would indeed say nothing at all to her; she did not wish to be confronted by the alpha.