For the longest moment it felt as though his eyelids were glued shut... or perhaps too heavy to open as, soundlessly, he struggled to reopen them and return to the vibrant embrace of the Gridanian woodlands whose natural sounds faintly called out to him in the form of indecipherable whispers, quietly informing him that it was time to his return to the real world once more. When he finally succeeded, glassy eyes of deepening sapphire revealed themselves to the warm and welcoming light that filled the forest around them with a pale glow. They stared blankly on out ahead of himself for a short moment as his thoughts struggled to catch up to his fleeting mind.
"That is the end of the story"
The concluding words of the green-eyed girl finally processed with Andre as he snapped out of the drowsy state Clover had bestowed upon the Ul'dahn hyur with her enchanting story. Perhaps he hadn't given himself enough time to rest since his return, the thought occurred to him. The story wasn't even that long in truth, and yet.. he felt oddly drained of his energy.
Blinking a few times in response to Clover's voice, Andre recalled the entire story as it was told as though he were just awoken from a nostalgic dream. Regardless, no detail was left forgotten. He found the story to be beautifully mesmerizing in its teaching of sacrifice. A tragic tale that succeeded in aching the hearts of it's audience could never be discredited. Its beauty of course, only enhanced through the soft narration of a young and enthusiastic Clover Blake who, with a sweet but moderated voice, depicted the sorrowful tale of unconditional love with a perfection that left nothing to be desired.
Andre breathed in a long but soft breath as he contemplated a fitting response to such a tale, one that had carefully toyed with his heart.... though for once, he found himself at a loss. Perhaps it was his fatigue or a momentary loss for the right words, though whatever the reason had been, the response was not something that could have been said on a whim. Tales like the one she had told were peculiar, as though they always needed some time to effectively sink in.
He released the breath again, its quiet and unseen escape into the rising air bringing with it a faint smile.
"Beautiful.."
His awaited response in the end was so simple, though in the end, to him it was somehow very befitting - summarizing everything that he had felt from the short and isolated experience in the woodland.
His eyes lowered to the ground as they gazed upon the leaf litter and random assortment of small twigs wistfully, his faint smile slowly fading in reflection of the tale and himself.
"That is the end of the story"
The concluding words of the green-eyed girl finally processed with Andre as he snapped out of the drowsy state Clover had bestowed upon the Ul'dahn hyur with her enchanting story. Perhaps he hadn't given himself enough time to rest since his return, the thought occurred to him. The story wasn't even that long in truth, and yet.. he felt oddly drained of his energy.
Blinking a few times in response to Clover's voice, Andre recalled the entire story as it was told as though he were just awoken from a nostalgic dream. Regardless, no detail was left forgotten. He found the story to be beautifully mesmerizing in its teaching of sacrifice. A tragic tale that succeeded in aching the hearts of it's audience could never be discredited. Its beauty of course, only enhanced through the soft narration of a young and enthusiastic Clover Blake who, with a sweet but moderated voice, depicted the sorrowful tale of unconditional love with a perfection that left nothing to be desired.
Andre breathed in a long but soft breath as he contemplated a fitting response to such a tale, one that had carefully toyed with his heart.... though for once, he found himself at a loss. Perhaps it was his fatigue or a momentary loss for the right words, though whatever the reason had been, the response was not something that could have been said on a whim. Tales like the one she had told were peculiar, as though they always needed some time to effectively sink in.
He released the breath again, its quiet and unseen escape into the rising air bringing with it a faint smile.
"Beautiful.."
His awaited response in the end was so simple, though in the end, to him it was somehow very befitting - summarizing everything that he had felt from the short and isolated experience in the woodland.
His eyes lowered to the ground as they gazed upon the leaf litter and random assortment of small twigs wistfully, his faint smile slowly fading in reflection of the tale and himself.
![[Image: ecec20e41f.png]](https://puu.sh/xvMxb/ecec20e41f.png)
Characters: Andre Winter (Hy'ur) / K'nahli Yohko (Miqo'te)
