White December

He was berating her again; trying to get a jab in about her mane as it it would truly hurt her. That was when she felt perhaps he was doing this more out of the fact that he was in the mood to just yell. If yelling was what he wanted, then she would let him yell. She had suffered worse than a few hateful words, had taken more beatings than verbal ones, and she felt she could handle it. Surely something must have truly upset him if he had come to the point of insulting a friend. Because they were friends... right? She didn't let herself linger on that, didn't let her insecurities ebb into the thought of being rejected yet again, turned aside like nothing as everyone else had done. Rostislav was different, even though he was grumpy, he was kind in his own way. He had been the only one to stick around after seeing her on multiple occasions. At least, she thought it was him choosing to stay.

Suddenly he was changing tactics, pointing out her act of grooming and honing in on her looks. Calling her ugly, distasteful, anything that sounded good passing from his lips. She only listened, ear ears still pricked towards him, until suddenly he was closer. Teeth snapped shut inches from her skin, causing a slight look of confusion to flicker across those steel eyes. Surely it was him venting, not truly wanting to hurt her right? Her heart had begun to pound, the panic seeping in at the thought of actually having her only... whatever Rostislav was, potentially hating her, no longer seeing her worthy of his time. She took one step back, but only one, eyes still on him as she kept all the fear inside, paying only attention to him and his words, wanting him to hurry and get it over with so that he would feel better. She suddenly didn't like where this conversation was going.

"And even then he would be ashamed to say he ever laid eyes upon you. Gods help his soul for touching you."

She'd be lying if she told herself the words hadn't stung. The flinch was minimal, as if she was chasing away a pesky fly on her shoulder, but anyone who had seen her enough, he would know that he had struck a chord. Swallowing hard the mare blinked, silently staring, not knowing what else to do. She had to think, to let it all process and sit in her mind to see if he really meant it or if it really was just his anger talking. He had been upset that Carl spat at him when he was born, could that have driven him past the point of no longer seeking her companionship? Had she done something to drive a wedge between what meager relationship they had by being too abrasive, too much like her that he suddenly realized just how awful she was? Suddenly the filly was in her head, those teal eyes filled with fear and those blue crystals shooting from the earth and striking her skin. She twitched again, in the spot where the small mark had been made, another devastating flinch in December's world. She kept her breathing calm, her eyes only on him and his angry complexion. Damaris was out of her mind now, the dog had kept her and Carl at peace, and for that she was thankful.

Without thinking she stepped forward, attempting to get closer to the brute and to offer a gentle blowing of air on his cheek. Her way of soothing, rather awkward, but still her reaching out nonetheless. Grey eyes were searching his and she was silent, fighting down the fear and anxiety that boiled within, threatening to choke out of her and spill out into the open to reveal the broken woman she was. She fought it though, face still calm as she whispered, "I never claimed to be beautiful. Is there anything else you'd like to say Rostislav? I see you're upset, and as your..." Gods why was it so hard to say? So hard to admit what she felt even if it was so casual. She had to though, to let him know how she felt because maybe it would help ease his rage, to settle him and see that she had met no offense, only tried to offer support.

"Friend..." she continued, taking in a slight breath and continuing to look at him with that calm expression, eyes never moving away from him, a storm of emotion as she fought it all away and tried to keep on her usual face. She couldn't show him that it had hurt, that made her look weak. She wasn't weak, she never would let herself be weak, but she knew that many thought of her as such. She would prove them wrong. After calming her nerves again she finally continued in a soft whisper, "I'm here. Should you need to... talk or... well just have someone there. I will provide aid. As that um... is what friends do." This whole comforting a friend thing wasn't going as smoothly as she thought. It required... talking, and empathy, and talking and- well, she had to talk and that was already hard enough as it was. She would do it though, she would do it for him because she was loyal to him, to their friendship that she had come to cherish in her own way. Because for the most part; it was all she truly had.

"Speech"
Text
Thought

{WC: 926
Tag: Rosti
OOC: A bunch of awful ramble.}