Shady

She laughed bitterly. Realizing and admitting were two very different things. “What’s it matter? Not like anything is gonna change whether I whine or not.”

"You sound like Aerik." She sighed heavily, sitting the rest of the way back onto her butt instead of on her feet. She angled towards him ever so slightly so ...

Jerica sank to her knees next to the stream and scrubbed her face with the frigid water, trying to rid herself of the tears and the way her cheeks burned ...

"I..." A shudder cut her off. She wrapped around herself tightly, trying to still the way her entire body was trembling. She hated the fact that they'd only made it ...

Jerica gasped, terrified as something in real life had hold of her shoulder. She threw her hand out, palm striking the offender squarely on the chest, just below the collarbone. ...

The area was dark and hazy. Jerica was vaguely aware that she was indoors, but she couldn't tell where. Nothing looked familiar. She wasn't even quite sure where she was, ...

"You'll have to be more specific than that." She smirked a bit, closing her eyes. "I try too hard most of the time."

Jerica tensed a bit, gaze flicking towards him as she tried to read his tone. But she couldn't. That rarely ended well for her when she was a kid. She ...

"Don't worry. We'll get you competent in no time..." Jerica hesitated, remembering how pitifully the training had been going so far. She yawned. "Well, some time . Then you can ...

“Well...” she smirked, looking at him playfully. “You did get the honor of being rescued by the pretty princess.”

“Some people are useful. They create knowledge. And beauty. And art.” Jerica stretched her legs out, thinking about Rek. Her mind flicked to Akeno. “Or even just kindness. And patience. ...

"Oh, it's just an expression." Jerica waved lazily, shooing away the fact that he took her seriously. She sighed and wandered back to the fire then sat down, deciding to ...

Jerica tensed as he patted her shoulder. She wasn't liquored up enough to find it endearing anymore, and she barely resisted the urge to swat him away. She took a ...

"Yeah." Jerica crossed her arms with a sigh, mourning the slight buzz that she used to have. "That would suck too."

"You really think it's easier, Elias? Really?" she snarled, whirling around back towards him. She'd been trying to put some space between them so that she could cool off, but ...