Branwen/Ethne: tea and angsssst
Takes place uhh a couple of days ago. They have tea! And there is angst, waugh.
Tea was beginning to leave a bitter taste in Branwen's mouth. She had been drinking it for years and had never had a problem, but lately it had tasted rather bland.
That didn't stop her from drinking it with her friends.
True, Ethne could probably detect her less-than-stellar attitude towards tea, but it wasn't as if she hated it or anything; it was just starting to lose its taste. And the biscuits were nice. Ethne was like a sister to her, so she was willing to put up with the tea for that. Branwen knocked on the door, as she always did, calling Ethne's name softly. Sound was the best (natural) sense that Ethne had.
As usual, Ethne announced the door was unlocked and asked for Branwen to come in.
Her hands clutched the fabric of her dress under the tea table. Only a few more days before they left... Only a few more days for her and Branwen to be like this. For her and Kaethe. Only a few more days, and they'd...
They'd hate her. Wouldn't they?
She smiled when Branwen came in. They might never get to have tea like this again... the thought almost made her want to give up. But there was so much more involved... she could take Branwen and Kaethe's hatred, if it meant doing everything within her power to stop all of this...
"Hello, Ethne," Branwen said quietly. She crossed the room, careful not to touch anything so as to not put it out of place. She did all of this without conscious thought, having long ago adapted to these things. This was normal around-Ethne behavior. "I have asked a maid to bring the tea." Augh, maids.
She smiled "It is starting to get chilly." The cold suited her much better than the heat.
"It is," she said quietly. "Chillier than usual, too... I wonder how cold this winter will be."
Not that she would be there to see it...
Branwen played absently with her jewelry. "Perhaps it will be colder than normal. Or perhaps this week is just a bad one." She paused, twirling the bangles around on her wrist and making them jingle.
"I want to go out this winter." She said this very quietly. Branwen never left the cathedral.
"I'm sure they'd give you permission.... you never go out. It should be okay."
But probably not. She doubted they'd let the Oracles out after they left. They might even stick guards inside the dormitories... Oh Freya.
Not that she knew any of that~
In all honesty, she was nervous. She didn't leave unless she had to. The thought of walking around outside was scary.
"It is too bad that it is so hard to go together." It would have been very nice, to go with Ciera and Marcine and Ethne and hang out at...whatever sorts of things were there in the city. Oh, the power of suggestion is strong in this one. Pity it would soon have no meaning at all.
It... would have been very nice.
It would never happen.
Ever...
"Yes... I can usually get out with Lethe, but only because of my eyesight, I think." She frowned a little.
"Yes," she replied quietly.
Pause for tea! The maids always giggled when they walked by her. It was very, very annoying. "Well, I am sure that there are still things to be discovered here." Things to do with the people she spent her life with.
"Doesn't it get boring after a while? To always look at the same things..."
Branwen tapped her spoon on the rip of her cup absently, biting her lip in thought.
"Always. That is why art is so important. It gives one the ability to see things from a different perspective." But there were still only so many ways to paint the same scene out her window.
Not that she would ever dream of leaving. As mentioned before, she was balking at the thought of walking out for a few hours.
Ethne sipped on her tea. She couldn't seem to come up with anything to talk about... anything she wanted to say would ruin the whole plan for escaping...
"Maybe you can describe things to me sometime."
"Yes, I could do that," she said, the smile in her voice. "I could read to you too, if you would like. I read out loud even if I am alone." Silly habit.
"That'd be nice..." If it could happen.
"I appreciate it, Branwen. Thank you." Smile.
The smile was contagious. Of all of the other oracles, she felt the closest to Ethne...even if she did consider all of them family. It was nice to...well, just chill out with her and have tea and wow those biscuits were so good she was making a total pig out of herself wasn't she.
Ethne laughed a little at Branwen's thoughts.
Freya, she would miss her. She would miss them all so much.
"...Hey Branwen...?"
Hmm? "Ethne."
"We may not spend much time together anymore, but I really love you, all right...?"
Her heart tugged in her chest. It was probably her last chance to say it. "So... remember that no matter what, okay?"
Whoa. What had brought that on? Branwen frowned, concerned. "I do not understand why you would say something like that. Please tell me if something is wrong." Silly Ethne. It had gone unspoken for so long. Of course Branwen knew that she loved her. "I love you too."
"I just--- I felt I should say it, is all..." She forced a small smile. Forgive me. Please forgive me. I do love you. "I don't mean to worry you..."
"I know it already. Even if I cannot read minds." Making a soft amused sound, Branwen leaned back in her seat and looked at the ceiling. "I know it already."
"I know you know." She of all people would know, but... "It just... feels nice to hear it, sometimes, I think..."
"Yes, that is true." It did feel nice to hear...it solidified things, really. Especially since they had not spent very much time together in the past two months. Finishing off her tea, she placed the glass down on the table gently.
"I believe you are going out soon." She paused. "Do not forget something warm."
She sipped on her tea again. "I won't."
Ethne wondered if managing to smile like this made her inhuman. ...If all of this made her inhuman. She was leaving the people she grew up in favor of foreign strangers, and even a reunion like this couldn't get her to change her mind...
"...Do you want me to bring you something?"
Branwen shook her head. "I would not know what to ask for."
"Okay..."
Better that way. Branwen wouldn't be disappointed... well. Even more disappointed.
Disappointed? Disappointed was a severe undestatement.
"Just be sure that you enjoy yourself."
"I... I hope I do." Another sip. She couldn't very well say she would, could she? She was sure Branwen would remember this conversation later...
Yes. It would be nice to go out. Later. Time sometimes lost its quality when you spent all of your days in the same place. There was always a later. Branwen saw everything in a wide open, unending future.
Mmm, biscuits. She pushed a few over onto Ethne's side of the tray, just in case she tried to grab those, too.
Funny how opposite their views on future were.
Perhaps Branwen at least could have a future...
...Yes, that was... a comforting thought. To think they were also doing this for everyone else's sake - somehow it made it feel like less of a betrayal.
"Thank you." She did take one cookie, but made no motion to eat it. "...Can you read a bit for me later?"
Her future was restricted to this cathedral, though. Forever. To some, it was not really much of a future at all.
"Of course." Branwen smiled gently at Ethne. "Whenever you would like." She was free all night.
Tea was beginning to leave a bitter taste in Branwen's mouth. She had been drinking it for years and had never had a problem, but lately it had tasted rather bland.
That didn't stop her from drinking it with her friends.
True, Ethne could probably detect her less-than-stellar attitude towards tea, but it wasn't as if she hated it or anything; it was just starting to lose its taste. And the biscuits were nice. Ethne was like a sister to her, so she was willing to put up with the tea for that. Branwen knocked on the door, as she always did, calling Ethne's name softly. Sound was the best (natural) sense that Ethne had.
As usual, Ethne announced the door was unlocked and asked for Branwen to come in.
Her hands clutched the fabric of her dress under the tea table. Only a few more days before they left... Only a few more days for her and Branwen to be like this. For her and Kaethe. Only a few more days, and they'd...
They'd hate her. Wouldn't they?
She smiled when Branwen came in. They might never get to have tea like this again... the thought almost made her want to give up. But there was so much more involved... she could take Branwen and Kaethe's hatred, if it meant doing everything within her power to stop all of this...
"Hello, Ethne," Branwen said quietly. She crossed the room, careful not to touch anything so as to not put it out of place. She did all of this without conscious thought, having long ago adapted to these things. This was normal around-Ethne behavior. "I have asked a maid to bring the tea." Augh, maids.
She smiled "It is starting to get chilly." The cold suited her much better than the heat.
"It is," she said quietly. "Chillier than usual, too... I wonder how cold this winter will be."
Not that she would be there to see it...
Branwen played absently with her jewelry. "Perhaps it will be colder than normal. Or perhaps this week is just a bad one." She paused, twirling the bangles around on her wrist and making them jingle.
"I want to go out this winter." She said this very quietly. Branwen never left the cathedral.
"I'm sure they'd give you permission.... you never go out. It should be okay."
But probably not. She doubted they'd let the Oracles out after they left. They might even stick guards inside the dormitories... Oh Freya.
Not that she knew any of that~
In all honesty, she was nervous. She didn't leave unless she had to. The thought of walking around outside was scary.
"It is too bad that it is so hard to go together." It would have been very nice, to go with Ciera and Marcine and Ethne and hang out at...whatever sorts of things were there in the city. Oh, the power of suggestion is strong in this one. Pity it would soon have no meaning at all.
It... would have been very nice.
It would never happen.
Ever...
"Yes... I can usually get out with Lethe, but only because of my eyesight, I think." She frowned a little.
"Yes," she replied quietly.
Pause for tea! The maids always giggled when they walked by her. It was very, very annoying. "Well, I am sure that there are still things to be discovered here." Things to do with the people she spent her life with.
"Doesn't it get boring after a while? To always look at the same things..."
Branwen tapped her spoon on the rip of her cup absently, biting her lip in thought.
"Always. That is why art is so important. It gives one the ability to see things from a different perspective." But there were still only so many ways to paint the same scene out her window.
Not that she would ever dream of leaving. As mentioned before, she was balking at the thought of walking out for a few hours.
Ethne sipped on her tea. She couldn't seem to come up with anything to talk about... anything she wanted to say would ruin the whole plan for escaping...
"Maybe you can describe things to me sometime."
"Yes, I could do that," she said, the smile in her voice. "I could read to you too, if you would like. I read out loud even if I am alone." Silly habit.
"That'd be nice..." If it could happen.
"I appreciate it, Branwen. Thank you." Smile.
The smile was contagious. Of all of the other oracles, she felt the closest to Ethne...even if she did consider all of them family. It was nice to...well, just chill out with her and have tea and wow those biscuits were so good she was making a total pig out of herself wasn't she.
Ethne laughed a little at Branwen's thoughts.
Freya, she would miss her. She would miss them all so much.
"...Hey Branwen...?"
Hmm? "Ethne."
"We may not spend much time together anymore, but I really love you, all right...?"
Her heart tugged in her chest. It was probably her last chance to say it. "So... remember that no matter what, okay?"
Whoa. What had brought that on? Branwen frowned, concerned. "I do not understand why you would say something like that. Please tell me if something is wrong." Silly Ethne. It had gone unspoken for so long. Of course Branwen knew that she loved her. "I love you too."
"I just--- I felt I should say it, is all..." She forced a small smile. Forgive me. Please forgive me. I do love you. "I don't mean to worry you..."
"I know it already. Even if I cannot read minds." Making a soft amused sound, Branwen leaned back in her seat and looked at the ceiling. "I know it already."
"I know you know." She of all people would know, but... "It just... feels nice to hear it, sometimes, I think..."
"Yes, that is true." It did feel nice to hear...it solidified things, really. Especially since they had not spent very much time together in the past two months. Finishing off her tea, she placed the glass down on the table gently.
"I believe you are going out soon." She paused. "Do not forget something warm."
She sipped on her tea again. "I won't."
Ethne wondered if managing to smile like this made her inhuman. ...If all of this made her inhuman. She was leaving the people she grew up in favor of foreign strangers, and even a reunion like this couldn't get her to change her mind...
"...Do you want me to bring you something?"
Branwen shook her head. "I would not know what to ask for."
"Okay..."
Better that way. Branwen wouldn't be disappointed... well. Even more disappointed.
Disappointed? Disappointed was a severe undestatement.
"Just be sure that you enjoy yourself."
"I... I hope I do." Another sip. She couldn't very well say she would, could she? She was sure Branwen would remember this conversation later...
Yes. It would be nice to go out. Later. Time sometimes lost its quality when you spent all of your days in the same place. There was always a later. Branwen saw everything in a wide open, unending future.
Mmm, biscuits. She pushed a few over onto Ethne's side of the tray, just in case she tried to grab those, too.
Funny how opposite their views on future were.
Perhaps Branwen at least could have a future...
...Yes, that was... a comforting thought. To think they were also doing this for everyone else's sake - somehow it made it feel like less of a betrayal.
"Thank you." She did take one cookie, but made no motion to eat it. "...Can you read a bit for me later?"
Her future was restricted to this cathedral, though. Forever. To some, it was not really much of a future at all.
"Of course." Branwen smiled gently at Ethne. "Whenever you would like." She was free all night.