05-27-2025, 01:25 AM
Elyse didn't even know this guy's name. He didn't know hers. This conversation felt weird, but she felt like she owed it to him. His apologies weren't necessary. He didn't understand. Very few people did if she explained it to them. Elyse didn't even think Nox, who knew what she was, hadn't really comprehended what had happened that day. Nox blamed himself for what happened. She was sure of it. He had knowingly cheated on her, whereas this guy hadn't even known she existed. But the situation was infinitely more complicated.
"You did nothing wrong. You didn't know," she said, knowing that immediately it sounded like she was throwing Nox under the bus."And Nox...well...he was figuring things out then - things that...it's not my place to say...but it wasn't really his fault either. I was just..." She turned her gaze away from him, and rested the back of her head on the wall and looking up at the picture of her and Marta as she tried to come up with the right word. "Collateral damage."
The words hit her hard, and brought to mind the reason why she had really been upset then. The cheating and the break up had been upsetting. They had hurt her dearly, but in reality, she also had felt like the victim of terrible circumstances. It seemed like it always happened that way. Things beyond her control always pushing.
"See, I'm special - I can't sling around fire and make water appear out of thin air, but I have this thing with wolves - can talk to them and have some wolf-like abilities," she faced him, allowing him to see the wolf eyes. She wasn't embarrassed of who she was at all. "With that comes, for lack of a better word, wolf-spirit within me. Wolves are territorial. I never thought of Nox as my property or anything. He was my boyfriend, but the wolf...well...it thought otherwise. And when I smelled him on you...it wanted to assert itself. Then you ran and it wanted to hunt. Then tonight - it tried to grab hold again. Tonight was easier to fight it back. The wolf is my blessing," her voice got softer and more reluctant. "And my curse."
Elyse explained only to give background for why she had reacted the way she had. The man smelled guilty as hell, and she wasn't sure he would take her words to heart or not. She hoped Nox would understand too. He didn't need deal with that guilt. Of course, he might not feel it at all. He didn't feel anything anymore. Elyse brought her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, feeling very small right now.
"You did nothing wrong. You didn't know," she said, knowing that immediately it sounded like she was throwing Nox under the bus."And Nox...well...he was figuring things out then - things that...it's not my place to say...but it wasn't really his fault either. I was just..." She turned her gaze away from him, and rested the back of her head on the wall and looking up at the picture of her and Marta as she tried to come up with the right word. "Collateral damage."
The words hit her hard, and brought to mind the reason why she had really been upset then. The cheating and the break up had been upsetting. They had hurt her dearly, but in reality, she also had felt like the victim of terrible circumstances. It seemed like it always happened that way. Things beyond her control always pushing.
"See, I'm special - I can't sling around fire and make water appear out of thin air, but I have this thing with wolves - can talk to them and have some wolf-like abilities," she faced him, allowing him to see the wolf eyes. She wasn't embarrassed of who she was at all. "With that comes, for lack of a better word, wolf-spirit within me. Wolves are territorial. I never thought of Nox as my property or anything. He was my boyfriend, but the wolf...well...it thought otherwise. And when I smelled him on you...it wanted to assert itself. Then you ran and it wanted to hunt. Then tonight - it tried to grab hold again. Tonight was easier to fight it back. The wolf is my blessing," her voice got softer and more reluctant. "And my curse."
Elyse explained only to give background for why she had reacted the way she had. The man smelled guilty as hell, and she wasn't sure he would take her words to heart or not. She hoped Nox would understand too. He didn't need deal with that guilt. Of course, he might not feel it at all. He didn't feel anything anymore. Elyse brought her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, feeling very small right now.