My Dearest

 The day had passed with relative ease, Rhelenso finding himself wandering almost aimlessly, getting acquainted with the territory. He had not encountered anyone, which was perhaps a little peculiar, but nothing that truly gave the man any cause for concern. He padded from the water’s edge, towards the tree line. As he entered, he felt pine needles scratch at his coat, making it smell of evergreen sap.

 A familiar sweet scent wafted into his nose, making his shoulders relax and his ears perk up. He angled his paws towards the scent trail, following it, curious as to where his Amore may be. As he wandered along with it, eventually it grew stronger, his tail lifting slightly as he sniffed at the air.

 ”Valeska?” He called out, her scent all around him but not quite able to pinpoint the exact location of her presence.

@Valeska

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[narrow width=700]For Valeska, the days following had passed not with ease, but with the panicked and dreadful knowledge that she needed to have a very difficult conversation. She hadn't been avoiding Rhelenso - quite the contrary, she had hoped to bump into him by chance just to try and force herself to get it over with - but instead she marinated just a little bit longer on the whole thing, her nerves wrapped up in a tight ball like so much knotted hair. What on earth would she say? How could she say it? Might there be a way to avoid hurting him altogether?

'No, idiot,' she thought bitterly. 'What would I say; hello, I haven't been around lately because I was busy getting a girlfriend, which makes you not my boyfriend, would you like to find some dinner and talk about why you didn't make the cut in favor of a mystic skull collector?'

There wasn't even anything wrong with him. By all accounts, he was a splendid man, and he did his damnedest to make things right. Winning over Harper might take longer than the others, but in the end, he was too good and too determined not to succeed. He was noble, well-mannered, well-spoken, strong despite his age; he was intelligent, he was loyal... she hesitated. Loyalty had been a point of contention, truthfully. Harper did not forgive so easily, and while Valeska had been quite sorrowful the man had chosen to stay behind at Halcyon for a while, she acknowledged that she had done him poorly as well in vanishing from his pack seemingly overnight. She had been led by the gods, though. It was holy work - surely he could understand the importance of divine intervention?

Valeska had been called to lead Elysium.

He had stayed behind with his spoiled child of a nephew in hopes of accomplishing something, maybe to soothe his wounded pride, but that was his choice. Valeska didn't have a choice - she was directed.

Whatever excuses she made as justification, all of them fell to pieces when she heard him call her name.

Like a puppet on a string, she dragged herself in the direction of his voice, head low and tail hanging listlessly behind her. He didn't deserve more pain; not after the life he'd lived, the losses he had suffered. Yet it was inevitable - she had to.

Valeska came to a stop a few yards behind him.

“Hello, Rhelenso,” she said, fighting to get the words out. “Was hoping to... see you.”
[/narrow]
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 Rhelenso could hear the distinct sound of Valeska’s footfalls upon the earth, drawing his attention to a particular spot in the underbrush. That icy gaze softened as her pale visage emerged from the foliage, bringing a happy stutter to his heart, a butterfly’s flutter rising in his chest. But, the light did not sparkle in her eyes as she laid her own sun-hued gaze upon his frame. He tilted his head slightly to the side, more willing to show emotions around her as opposed to the usual stoic appearance that lay across his features in effortless mannerisms.

 ”Hello, Rhelenso. Was hoping to… see you.” The tone that gripped her worried him. The Salvatore man strode forward a few paces, bringing him closer to the woman he’d grown to love so quickly.

 ”What troubles you, dearest?” He spoke softly, reaching out with his nose to hopefully brush her cheek in a comforting manner. He lifted his tail slightly, giving a small wag of it, hoping that she would perk up. But, he could not deny the sinking feeling that settled itself heavily in his stomach, or the apprehension that lay across his shoulders like a leaded cape.

@Valeska

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There was no use beating around the bush. As she gazed into his ice-cold eyes, holding the tired confidence of a worn soldier, she bowed her head and allowed the air to hang thick and heavy with what was to come. It was not to say that she didn't love him, in her way; he remained dear to her, and she could wish him only good and wonderful things from life. Yet with time spent together and lingering proximity to one another, coupled with the women's combined efforts to once again build up their former home, the connection she held with Amaranth had blossomed into something deeper.

It was a case of too little, too late. They had made their respective choices, and though she tried to hold onto her feelings for Rhelenso, he had never returned as he promised.

Whether it his fault or not, she had waited dutifully, but he never came back.

She did not blame him - but their moment had passed, and they had slipped through each other's fingers like melting snow.

“It is us,” she began quietly, holding a steadiness to her tone that even surprised her. “Rhelenso, I do not think... we are to be. I wait so long, but I never saw your face - never touched you, felt warmth from your skin. I worry, I linger, but no word, not a breath on the the wind.”

Valeska clenched her jaw, averting her gaze to the side. Suddenly the lake seemed so much bigger than it had before, yawning empty and black as the night sky above them, a void threatening to swallow the two wolves whole. Perhaps that would be preferable to enduring this conversation.

“Thought you dead, after a long while. And, yes, I understand - is not your fault. This is just terrible outcome of decisions we both make. Made.”

She sighed. The dagger was in; it was time for the part that would hurt.

“I love another.”

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 The Salvatore man watched as Valeska bowed her head, shoulders sagging heavily as if the weight of the world rested upon them. Worry touched his usually stoic features, wondering if perhaps his interaction with Harper had gotten back to her, fearing her disappointment or anger in the situation. But… something that hung in the air did not ring of that nature, and instead, it began to give him a sense of apprehension. What was wrong? Before he could propose the question, Valeska spoke.

 ”It is us. Rhelenso, I do not think… we are to be. I wait so long, but I never saw your face – never touched you, felt warmth for your skin. I worry, I linger, but no word, not a breath on the wind.” He blinked. That had not been what he had expected. Instead of speaking, or trying to defend himself, his actions… Rhelenso stood there, staring at her with a dumbfounded look upon his features. He managed to keep the hurt from lingering like a toad in the water of his gaze.

 ”Thought you dead, after a long while. And, yes, I understand – is not your fault. This is just terrible outcome of decisions we both make. Made.”

 The man lowered himself into a sitting position, letting out a quiet breath, that shortly was sucked in at the woman’s next words.

 ”I love another.”

 It would seem that Harper had gotten as she’d wanted.

 ”That is… That is fine.” The words sounded strangled, but surprisingly lacked any ice that they perhaps should have held. Instead, they held a sadness.

 ’You’re not meant to love again, this is your sign,’ He thought to himself, blinking hard for a moment. ’You should have let any hope of love die with her. But instead, you went and got attached. And now look what happened. You don’t even have your daughters to turn to and speak to. You have… no one.’

 A quiet grunt came from the man, as he stood.

 ”I hope whoever it is, treats you the way you deserve to be treated, Valeska.” He turned, and began to walk away, pausing only to state:

 ”I’m sorry I wasn’t good enough to you.”

 The Salvatore man began to walk away, with the intention of leaving the territory. It… would be for the better, he decided.
 

[exit unless otherwise stopped]

@Valeska

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With an ache in her heart, Valeska quietly watched him leave.

She knew she would not see him again.

Until he disappeared against the horizon line, she remained where Rhelenso had left her, silent and full of words that were useless. He deserved better - and she hoped, one day, that he would find it.

 

{Exit}

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