[META BATT] Ripping off the Band-Aid (Elidae + Kursha)

[Green Minuet]

Captain Kursha Vidari

Kursha stayed quiet while Elidae spoke. His eyes never left her face, as he absorbed every word with a kind of intense focus uncharacteristic of him. This was the reality. Not just his, but one he shared with the yellowblood sitting beside him. He had to pay attention.

Elidae's words became choked, restrained sobs worn in shoulders. Kursha hesitated, the distance between them suddenly vast and unapproachable. Then he shifted towards the yellowblood and gently wrapped his arms around her.

“Hey... it's okay,” he murmured, close to her spongeclot. Hoping like hell he knew what he was doing, he ran his fingers through her hair and stroked the back of her head. “I'm not going anywhere. You're right—I've been an a*****e. I'm not gonna abandon you, though.”  

[blackbird cake]

Feeling Kursha's arms wrap around her, Elidae seemed to tense somewhat, before leaning into him and taking in a deep breath. His words and gentle stroking assuaged her trembling, a few sniffs here and there signified she had not quite finished but close to regaining back to normal.

Shifting in his embrace so she could look at him, Elidae held up a lone pinky finger. "Promise?"

Green Minuet

 

[Green Minuet]

Captain Kursha Vidari

The side of Kursha's mouth twitched. The scene bore a shocking resemblance to another. And just like that time, he took Elidae's pinky in his own. After a moment, he folded both hands around hers. His gaze never left the yellowblood's face.

“I promise. I'll be careful from now on,” he said. No crossed fingers. No hidden conditions. Just the truth and a sincere promise to try. He owed that much to her, not to mention himself.

Meanwhile, a hole burned in his jacket pocket. The barely perceptible lump felt hot against his chest. “Er...” Kursha's voice stuck in his throat. He looked away distracted as he released Elidae's hand. Reaching into his inside pocket, the greenblood retrieved a small bundle.

“I don't know if you really want this back, but... I've been hanging onto it for you.” He offered the object to Elidae, and a tattered, muddy, yellow ribbon landed in her palm. “You were right. It's pretty lucky.”  

[blackbird cake]

Eyebrows knitting together, the yellowblood held the tattered ribbon up and peered closely at it with a surreal feeling of nostalgia. "You... kept this?" A knowing feeling swelled in her pusher, old memories she replayed so many times in her thinkpan suddenly becoming validated as her fingertips brushed the old, muddy fabric. Her lip twitched and then stretched into a small, gentle smile.

A promise she wondered would never be fulfilled and then slipped through the cracks had emerged at just the right time.

Elidae remained quiet for a long moment.

"Tell you what..." She grabbed his hand and opened it up, then carefully put the tattered yellow ribbon into it. Enclosing his fingers over it, she placed her own hands around his. She held it there as she spoke. "Keep this. I want you to continue holding onto it. I think it's still got some use left for you. And in exchange-" Letting him go, Elidae shuffled around as her hand dug into her own pocket of her shorts and finally pulled out a shiny gold pin. She held it up between her fingers to the light, then slowly moved it towards him teasingly before tossing it lightly in the air to grab it in her fist.

"I'll keep this." She smiled at him, then her eyes crinkled as it grew. "If that's okay with you."