It was nice to be able to lose herself, to bury herself, in her work. As she slowly and methodically pressed her hoof into the vine, it was easy to forget her troubles. Each time she crushed the greenery it was like crushing away some of the evil that sat on her shoulders, some of the terror that followed her in the shadows, some of the memories that haunted her mind. Crush, went the vine and with a gentle twist of her hoof the individual strands separated apart. If she had known she had broken Dragomir's heart, she might have compared the wrenching and shredding to what she had done to his heart. But she was oblivious and, besides, her heart belonged to another, even if she did not yet know it.

At the very least, his instruction to Nasreen found her own vine looking better by the moment as well. Even pressure across the hoof. She must have been tilting more to one side or the other. With concentration, she could keep her hoof straighter, flatter. But now it is her turn to listen to him and she is at once interested and bored. If only there was a fast way for her to learn the information, or if Dragomir could just stamp his hoof on the ground and she would know what it was he was trying to tell her. But ah, she had asked the question so she needed to listen.

It was an interesting story, no doubt, of branches falling and vines breaking. Kahlua would not have noticed it, she was certain. Even now, as she looked at the trees, she could see branches and vines and leaves and roots and bark. She could see each part of the tree, each crevice and nook and hole. But if a branch fell, it would only be a falling branch. It would not be something to be studied, to be pondered, to be considered. Only a falling branch... she smiled at Dragomir for half a moment. She felt like that vine he mentioned, that had snapped. Aurelia had fallen down upon her and she did not have the strength to hold herself together. Or maybe she was only stretching, maybe the other vines of hers were her friends, holding her up...

“Thank you, for taking the time to figure this out,” she said to him, though her heart was not really in it. She meant it, but it was easier to wallow. “But yes, what next?” she echoed Nasreen's sentiment, and the followed her motions as she went to grab a new vine to continue practicing separating the strands.


@[Dragomir] @[Nasreen]