Regret kisses softly, dread sinks its claws.

Here's a little thought I had written a while ago. Stumbled across it while I was sorting my mess of a WIP (handwritten out of order on a paper tablet with no organization whatsoever). Neither of these two characters get a POV scene, so I thought 'might as well share it around'.

Context is that … oof. Okay. So tree fairies, they have this system where they rid of any fairy they deem as other (yada yada oppression yada yada appropriated religion and complicated history yada yada) and these two characters are talking about what to do with Sitara, a younger tree fairy they both care about, who's been condemned to die that moon cycle.

Also! Fae/faer/faerself pronouns. You'll get used to it.

"I was like you once," Nali ties the third knot in faer looping grass chain and undoes it with a single tug, "foolish and dreamy, thinking that a fairy deemed broken could prove the world wrong."

Ankh presses a bundle of dried herbs flat as faer expression. "What happened?"

Nali smirks, tying faer knots. "I accepted the truth. We will never change what others think of us, and we cannot stop our friends from being idiots and believing otherwise."

"You gave up."

"And you have an overly simplistic view of the world. I never said to wallow in self-pity and despair. You know what is in my control?"

"Your work ethic."

"Ha. Very funny." Nali bonks Ankh's head with faer walking stick. "But wrong. I control how much I get to bother you. You and the others."

"And how does that do any good?"

"What? Isn't my presence alone charming?" Nali chuckles, raspy wheezes. "Should I say it plain enough for your tiny amount of intelligence?"

Ankh picks another dried herb from faer pile, blinks, the eye-like markings on faer eyelids give Nali empty stares.

Nali leans on faer walking stick. "Sitara's going to die, either from disease of the body or disease in everyone else's heads. We have a chance, you and me - we spend all our time trying to save Sitara or we spend all our time with Sitara.

"Personally? I choose the later."

Ankh sighs. "And I chose the first."

"You fail — no one else has wrenched a condemned fairy from their 'star-given fate' — what then?"

"It won't happen."

"You sure?"

"I won't let it."

"See?" Nali leans back. "Young and dreamy and foolish. There's nothing wrong with that; even my little tragedies taught me a great deal… but you give out your heart too easily. Be careful, Ankh. You can't save everyone."

"Just Sitara."

"Just Sitara… then Kamari and faer youngling and oh no! you're trying to take down the whole fallen fairy system because somehow you alone can destroy the result of an entire history!"

Ankh glares. Fae snaps a stem from faer herbs, some faded flower that smells of sweet nothing, and presses it to faer forehead.

"You gave up."

"I could've broken myself on hope. Let grief taint every joy I could've had. And who would that have helped? … ha. My guardian probably. Ancients in their rot know how much fae would've liked to see me break."

Ankh makes a noise under faer breath. The breeze rattles the towering patch of pines and their browning needles flutter over their heads.

"Hmph." Nali eases faerself onto faer walking stick and pokes Ankh's shoulder with it. "Maybe not knowing how to laugh makes you a better thinker. Who knows. Just… take care of yourself, Ankh. Dance with Kamari; pick your flowers; visit Sitara. If one day you find that I was right — and I have a nasty habit of that — then those experiences keep you whole."

Alright that's what I got so farrr.

This is Ankh (left) with Kamari (right)

Also them.

… and… oof. I don't have a current drawing of Nali. Sorry about that. Nali's fun though.