Brink of Death

(...Is this... the afterlife?)

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(That's... not right... I should have... I didn't have a soul.)

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(But then why can I still think?)

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(I should... be gone.)

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(I don't understand.)

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(Am i going to be reborn?)

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(I wish I could.)

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(I want to start over.)

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And then, the pain returned, and Aisha's eyes snapped open, red and wild.

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The next to return was her smell. Blood. It smelled... smelled like iron. Tasted like iron. A sharp sting on her tongue, like it was being electrocuted, almost. The taste was overwhelming, so vibrant and intense.

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Then, her sight. White flashed into her eyes, so bright it was blinding.

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Then, her hearing. Her own scream entered her ears, and suddenly, she was made aware of the pain in her throat, the ringing in her own ears, the blood in her mouth...

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She was alive. She was alive!

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How?

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Aisha panted as she gasped for breath, the screaming having left her without air. The heat began to leave her head, although, her chest still burned with every small movement.

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Aisha let out one last, ugly gasp as she spat blood out from her mouth, teeth stained red, hair blocking her vision.

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She welcomed every single painful sense. It was proof that she was alive. Proof that... that...

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Why wasn't she dead? The wound she recieved was definitely fatal. But she was... not dead. And... that voice...

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But more important, first, was...

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(Where am I...?)

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She attempted to get up, but was stopped by a sharp pain in her chest. Her ribs were still broken. But she could breathe, which meant they hadn't been punctured, like they had been.

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That was good enough.

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Slowly, she struggled to her feet, bracing herself on a nearby wall and gasping for breath.

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(That voice... told me that I could get stronger!... But I have no idea where it came from…I'm guessing that it brought me here, and healed me.)

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Aisha looked on herself, and at the alley around her, for any sort of clue as to who helped her. She couldn't find anything, and the motion of looking around was painful, so she quickly gave up. She looked at the sky, careful to not move her chest. It was still midday, so she had been out for a few hours.

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(Ugh… I still have to buy all that crap for mistress.)

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She exited the alleyway, clutching her ribs, leaning against the smooth stone of the building next to her. She glanced up at the structure, vision still blurry, but clear enough to discern the large numbers on the side.

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(178. That number... this building... There's something... important about this building.)

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Aisha kept her breaths small as she racked her head. Why was that number familiar?

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Oh.

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A few patrons gasped as the short fey girl stumbled into the general store, massive red splotches staining her neck and white shirt. The clerk joined their staring, as she slowly made her way around the shop, taking a random handful of blue crystals and ragged brown paper. She barely could even recognize the objects that she fisted, or even how much they cost - but nobody was about to try to stop the injured, insane fey girl.

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Aisha reached into her pocket and threw a pouch of silver coins at the shocked clerk's head, and limped back towards the entrance, not bothering to watch as the pouch sat on the ground, hitting the edge of the counter and spilling the contents onto the ground. She left the shop, clutching her ribs and breathing laboriously, putting her hand into her pocket as soon as the sunlight hit her eyes.

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It wasn't worth it to take out the paper and read it. She had to conserve energy. She would have to read the list too - it wasn't worth the energy she would have to draw into her eyes, especially since she had already bought everything. She had just gone off what her mistress had said offhandedly that morning - if she had missed anything, she could come back later.

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(Why did you even bother to buy this shit in the first place? You need to get home!)

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Aisha didn't even have a proper answer. Why did she spend the last energy she had, on some menial task for her mistress?

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Angry, Aisha took out the piece of paper and gripped it in her hands, adrenaline blurring her already poor reading ability.

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She couldn't even make out any of the words, but unmistakable on the list were the cute little hearts her mistress scribbled on, lumpy and misshapen.

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Aisha threw the paper downwards, although instead of creating a satisfying landing, it fluttered weakly, as if laughing at Aisha.

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Aisha huffed and started to walk again, but stopped feeling something sticking to her hand. Turning her palm over, she recognized the object as a second piece of paper, this one white, neat, and folded.

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There were only a few numbers on the paper, but Aisha recognized the triple digit pattern.

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(Goddammit. More building numbers.) She thought, almost throwing the paper on the floor as well.

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But as she prepared to humiliate herself again, she remembered the voice. Of the promise...

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(I'll figure out what it says when I'm home...)

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But first, she had to actually get home.

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In the edge of her vision, she could spot the fountain where she had split up with her mistress. She made her way over and began to retrace her steps back to the forest, leaning on buildings with her hands and leaving bloody trails. Various passerby stared at her, but none attempted to stop or help the fey girl.

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She made it to the entrance of the forest, on the verge of collapse. She saw the two guards that she had met and ignored that morning. They turned to her, their voices coming out alarmed.

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"Hey! What happened? Are you ok?" One said, rushing over to her.

"That's a lot of blood."

"Do you need help getting back home, or to the apothecary?"

They surrounded her and started to try and help her walk, holding out their hands to prepare to carry her. She angrily swatted away their hands, the action making her wince.

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"Don't help me!" She snapped, wincing in pain.

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They gave the girl some space, surprised. They stood and stared as she slowly stumbled her way up the hill, her hand clutching her chest.

Lorian returned that evening, passing through the blue glow of the teleport nexus as she appeared at her house. She entered her house, pushing open the door and looking inside. The lights were out.

(Did she go to bed already?)

She checked some of the drawers in the kitchen. The teleport crystals and parchment were nowhere to be found. She frowned.

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(Where is she? I'm going to have to punish her.)

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Lorian deliberated between a punishment that would be pleasing to her, or... one that might actually dissuade Aisha from repeating her behavior. On one hand, she was a huge pervert, and horny, but on the other hand, it was kind of important for her to know where the girl was.

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Eh. She could do both.

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She turned on the lights and looked around. She checked the couch, the bedroom, and the bathroom. Aisha was nowhere to be found.

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(Is she hiding or something? Maybe she's still out?)

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She went back outside, ready to go back to the town to look for her, when she spotted a pair of twitching, fluffy ears collapsed on the ground, face-down.

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"Hey! There you are! What are you doing there, lying on the ground! You're going to get your shirt dirty!" She scolded, putting her hand on the unconscious girl's shoulders.

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When Aisha didn't respond, she made her way over, ready to scold her again. She paused when she got there, hearing a strange raspy sound. Worry filled her heart as she slowly flipped her body, revealing the bloodstains on her shirt. Lorian gasped. She hastily unbuttoned Aisha's shirt, revealing her chest, which was completely bruised purple. She checked under Aisha's eyelids, seeing only white. She started to panic.

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(Oh my god! What happened?!)

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Frantically, she lifted the unconscious girl and brought her inside, laying her on the couch, tripping and almost dropping the girl.

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"Oh, no no no!" She mumbled, hands shaking. "What happened to you!? Please, don't die, don't die! Oh... please please please!"

She nervously began to gather energy in her hands, sparking unstably, reflecting it's wielders' emotions. She placed them on the bruised portion of Aisha's chest, which began to glow the same red of Lorian's magic. Her chest burst into flame, and Aisha began to scream in intense pain, her head and arms flailing in agony.

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Lorian removed her hands from her chest, and began to stroke her head, running her fingers over her fluffy, twitching ears, muttering soothing words, as the flames began to eat at her chest, exposing bone and bruised tissue.

"It'll be ok.. It'll be over soon... " She cooed frantically, as Aisha continued to scream.

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The screaming seemed to last an eternity, and guild flooded Lorian's heart as tears began to bead at the edges of Aisha's eyes. Lorian was causing her pain - pain that Aisha had probably lived her entire life with, and now, she was another source of it. But it was necessary... the fact that Aisha had dragged herself back up the hill was proof that the girl wanted to live, and so Lorian would oblige, any way she could...

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"I'm sorry, Aisha..." She whimpered. "It'll be over soon..."

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What felt like an eternity passed, as the flamed licked at Aisha's chest, growing brighter and hotter as they began to encroach on her neck and organs, the tissues turning into ash and dissipating into the air.

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But finally, the flames began to die down to a low burn, and the tissues and skin began to mend themselves, and skin began to rejoin itself. Aisha's screams also died down, into soft whimpers, and Lorian could only hold the girl close, pressing the smaller girl's head into her chest, as she continued to stroke her head, trying her best to comfort the girl, any way she knew how.

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Before long, the whimpers also died down, replaced by soft murmurs as Aisha's breathing slowed and softened. Lorian sighed in defeat, relaxing as she prepared to let Aisha down and rest, but stopped when she felt a softness against her hand.

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Her eyes went wide as Aisha mewled in protest in her sleep, pressing her head back into Lorian's hand and begging for that protective, loving stroking. And the taller girl could only oblige, happiness blooming in her heart, although not enough to quell the sinking in her stomach.

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Aisha slowly opened her eyes to the sight of Lorian's worried face. She vaguely remembered collapsing, and then an intense pain. She felt her stomach. It no longer hurt to the touch, or to breathe, and then grimaced, as Lorian buried her face into her stomach.

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"You shouldn't have healed me." Aisha muttered.

"How can you work for me if you're dead?" Lorian said, her voice muffled by the small girl's navel, but Aisha still caught a strange wavering in her voice.

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When Lorian lifted her face, Aisha was shocked to see tears coming out of the big woman's eyes, dripping down her cheeks.

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She was crying for her? Why?

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"I'm so glad you're okay." Lorian hiccuped. "I... Aisha... don't ever worry me like that again..."

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Aisha didn't answer, looking away with a distant expression. More than anything, she was confused... as to why this woman would cry for her. You were supposed to cry for people you cared about, but there was no way... no way... nnn...

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Aisha found it difficult to think, all of a sudden, a strange feeling spreading it's way through her body. It made her... hot, but at the same time, it drained the strength from her limbs, like the muscles in her body were replaced with little clouds. Her chest burned, but with a dull heat, one that felt kind of good... but not as good as her ears, oh gods, her ears...

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Aisha began to drool and pant, it felt so amazing. Her ears were super sensitive, but the sensation was so soft, and comforting... it made her entire body clench and unclench, her breath shuddered.

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Suddenly, a small drop of awareness broke through the pleasurable sensation, and Aisha's half-lidded bedroom eyes snapped opened, her cheeks crimson red and flushed.

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"W-w-w-what are you-you, you, doing??" She screeched, blubbering and stammering over her words.

"Hm?" Lorian sniffled. "Do you not want me to pet your head?"

"No!"

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She struggled into a standing position, out of Lorian's lap, holding her hands over her ears protectively. The expression on her face practically screamed embarassment, the way her cheeks flushed, and her unwillingness to meet Lorian in the eye...

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It was absolutely adorable. Of course, the girl was always cute, but it was these little moments, when the emotion shined through, when Aisha was the most adorable. It made the tall woman smile a bit, giggling softly after sniffling, wiping her tears away.

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(She's so adorable. I wanna hug her so bad.) Lorian thought, her heart aching. (I want to embarrass her more.)

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The grin on Lorian's face screamed "predator!" to Aisha's Fey senses, and the girl quickly scampered her way out of the living room. She hurriedly deposited the teleport crystals and paper on the counter, buttoning up her shirt and going outside to think.

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Outside, she shook her head violently to get that damn heat out of her chest and head, that made her unable to think. She glanced at the paper in her hand. She knew nothing about the voice. Who knows what would happen if she accepted the invitation. But then again… she had nothing to lose. And an opportunity to become stronger did not come easy, especially for her. Even if she died… then the world would go on.

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(What about Lorian? She would be sad if you died. She would cry again.)

A small voice nagged at her head. She shook her head violently, but the feeling of dread would not pass. She had never felt this emotion before. She decided she didn't really like it.

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(Let the fucking bitch cry! She's just another goddamn hume! Selfish, and ugly on the inside! If you weren't cute, she wouldn't have spared you a second glance!)

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(She cried over me.)

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(She's crying because she doesn't want to lose her expensive TOY!)

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(Nobody's ever cried for me before.)

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(I guess I'll ask her about it.) She sighed, relenting to her feelings.

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The thought of talking to her was unappealing, but she supposed she owed it to her, at least, as her employer/caretaker/mistress, to at least tell her that she would be going out. She also needed her to decode the second part of the message.

She sighed and went back into the house. Lorian was absentmindedly reading a comic book, with graphic drawings of girls kissing and holding hands.

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"Hey. What is this?" Aisha asked.

She held out the paper for Lorian to read

"This says 376. The second part… I think it's a old method of timekeeping. Um.. If 0 is midnight… 12 should be after morning.. So mid-day."

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She smiled and handed the paper back to Aisha.

"Why do you ask? Did you make a friend at the square? Are you going to meet them?"

"...Sure."

"I'm so excited for you! You're finally going to..."

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Aisha tuned her out as she headed for their shared bedroom. It was dark out, and she was a little tired from almost dying that day. She undressed and climbed into bed. Soon Lorian joined her, her warm body enveloping Aisha's smaller frame, and pushing Aisha's face into her breasts.

(She didn't ask about what happened... I guess she realized I didn't want to tell her. Maybe she isn't as annoying as-)

Her thoughts were interrupted by Lorian taking the tip of one of her ears into her mouth, swirling her tongue around the tip and sending a sharp tingle down her body. Aisha's eyes widened, and her entire body began to convulse in pleasure, arms and legs shaking.

"H-hey!" She squeaked angrily, but as with everything she did, the anger and malice didn't exactly translate, coming off as just completely adorable.

"Sorry, I just couldn't help myself!" Lorian giggled.

Aisha couldn't see her face, but she had the feeling that Lorian was smiling above her. She tried to, but she could not muster the strength to strike back verbally, so instead she angrily poked at her sides, making Lorian giggle and laugh in ticklish glee.

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"You're not supposed to enjoy this!" Aisha growled in anger.

"Hee hee Hee!" Lorian giggled. "I-I-It's-Hhheee haah haa! I'm ticklish in that spot! Yaaaaaaaahhhh!"

"Stop laughing!" Aisha cried in anguish. "Wah!"

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Her tickling only made her mistress hug and squeeze her tighter, and Aisha's arms were soon pinned to her sides by the surprisingly strong girl, and her attack on Lorian's exposed sides was successfully quashed.

"It's not fair." Aisha mumbled, pouting slightly. "I can't... get you back."

"Of course you can get me back." Lorian smiled.

"How? I'm weaker than you."

"You're not planning on actually hurting me, are you?" Lorian said in mock horror, raising a hand to her lips.

"I am!" Aisha said childishly. At Lorian's amused expression, she grew even angrier, raising her fists to pound at the whore's fat cow udder boobs-

"Hey, you want to play a game?" Lorian smiled.

"...Are you talking about the game that we 'played' this morning?"

"Mhm."

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Aisha glared at her mistress, but her anger subsided extremely fast. Almost as if... she wasn't really that angry at her in the first place.

"I hope you're ready to play... unlike last time." She said, with suspicion in her voice.

"I am!" Lorian whined. "Look, you can start."

"Ok... My greatest desire... is to become strong. And become someone of worth."

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"You're starting so personal!" Lorian exclaimed. "You're supposed to slowly get to the more juicy stuff!"

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"Ready my fucking ass." Aisha mumbled.

"Alright alright fineee!" Lorian whined. "Um... my greatest desire... right now... uh... I guess... It would be to get you to like me!"

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Aisha just stared at Lorian with an apprehensive expression, staring desperately for any glance, for any slight twitch of her face, any little fidget of her hands that would belie a lie.

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"...You're better at lying than I thought." Aisha muttered, looking downwards.

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"I'm not lying!"

"Yeah, of course you aren't." She said dejectedly.

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"It's true! Why don't you think it's true?"

"What do you have to gain from me liking you?"

"A... a... um... friend."

"You sure about that?"

"...Yes."

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Aisha rolled her eyes. It was strange, but... Aisha was ok with that answer. Even though she thought it was a lie... a small part of her told her that her mistress was truthful. Even though... there was no logical reason she would want that.

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"Ok ok! It's my turn! Um... I think you're really cute, and smart, and... I want to be your friend!"

"..."

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Aisha paused for a second. Cute was a word often used to describe her, but people... usually didn't say that she was smart. Creepy, sometimes. Useless, a lot of the time. Lorian was the first person to say that she was smart. It felt strange.

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"I think you're unbearably naïve, and stupid, and stubborn." Aisha mumbled. "And you are filthy, and you clearly know nothing about social ettiquite."

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"Hey!..." Lorian's voice faltered, a bit of genuine hurt in her voice. Aisha hated hated hated the way that it made her feel bad. The way it made her want to apologize and say all the good things about her.

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"It's the truth." She said instead.

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Lorian frowned and poked at Aisha's cheek.

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"I lived in the feywood before I came here. I left because I was... a burden. I couldn't hunt, or craft anything, and nobody really liked me. So the elders... told me to leave. I got captured by hume hunters... and now I'm here."

"Aisha..." Lorian whispered in sympathy.

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Lorian pulled away in concern, letting Aisha get a good look at the worried expression on her face. Aisha just stared stiffly, even as the woman raised a soft hand and began to stroke Aisha's face, filling it with warmness. Aisha initially frowned at the gesture, but after a moment, her face relaxed, almost leaning into the warmth.

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Almost.

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(Ugh. She feels... bad for me.) Aisha thought.

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Ordinarily, her pity would have angered her, but... for some reason, she couldn't be angry at her.

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"I'm so... sorry." Lorian said softly.

"You weren't even there. And they were right."

"But still..."

"Just answer."

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"Alright..." Lorian sighed. "I grew up in the wastes, with my sisters. We weren't actually related... but parents don't last long in the wastes. I never knew them. We all wanted to leave the wastes, and go somewhere safe, but humes in this place are... reluctant to let in daemons from the wastes. I had to disguise myself, but I was the only one powerful enough to maintain a disguise, and we only had enough coins for one person to go... and so they chose me."

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Aisha was silent for a few moments, as Lorian's words sunk in. She had people back home... that cared for her. She wondered what it was like. That feeling... knowing that people cared for you. Caring for them back.

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For once, the feeling wasn't met with anger - it was... getting more and more difficult to muster up that emotion with her mistress. Perhaps she was just getting tired of it.

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"Do you miss them?" Aisha asked, curious.

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"I do... but at the same time... I'm glad I came here. I met some new people... and I don't have to worry about defending myself. I just wish they could be here." Lorian responded sadly.

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The large girl frowned, after a terse silence. "It feels like I've talked more than you."

"Yeah, well, maybe I'm just better at this game than you."

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Lorian's lips curled up into a sweet smile at Aisha's words, and suddenly, she found herself able to muster up some of that lost anger and frustration. Why was she so happy? Why wasn't Aisha able to make this girl miserable? It was the only thing she was good at!

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"Stop smiling." Aisha demanded furiously. "Stop that!"

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"Sorry!" Lorian apologized, her face twitching and contorting, but she found herself unable to force the happy expression off her face, turning into laughter instead.

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"Why are you like this?" Aisha shouted. "Why are you happy!?"

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"Well, I'm just happy to be here with you!" Lorian responded, eyes gazing soft at Aisha with affection. "I'm happy that we're talking... that you care enough about me to ask me about my family... that you're willing to tell me about yourself... it makes me really happy."

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Aisha nearly scoffed. Care about her? As if.

"Don't project your feelings on-"

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Aisha's face clammed up. Suddenly, she felt sick to her stomach.

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She recognized that emotion. Or rather, not recognized, but... she just knew.

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"No..." She whispered.

"Sorry?"

"Don't look at me like that." Aisha whispered. "Don't... don't..."

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"Don't what?" Lorian asked, frowning and looking at Aisha with a concerned expression.

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Suddenly, Aisha clenched her eyes and teeth, tilting her head down in an anguished expression.

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"Don't look at me like that." She forced out, voice on the verge of breaking. "Like you care about me."

Lorian put a soft hand on Aisha's shoulder, speaking in a even softer voice. "But I do care about you."

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"Shut up." Aisha grit out of her teeth, her voice straining. "Don't lie to me."

"I'm not lying." Lorian said softly, her words so gentle, so affectionate, like they were spoken by a lover.

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"No." Aisha croaked.

"I'm not going to stop." Lorian cooed. "I care about you. I want you to be happy. I wanna help you do... whatever it is you wanna do."

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"Stop it." Aisha croaked. "Stop!"

"And if you don't know what you want to do, I'll help you figure it out!" Lorian said sweetly. "I just wanna be with you."

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"...Aisha?" She whispered, after a long, long, silence, Aisha's head hanging low.

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"DON'T SAY THAT!" Aisha wailed, tears flowing freely down her face, as she started to sob uncontrollably. "DON'T PRETEND LIKE YOU CARE ABOUT ME!"

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"W-what? I do care!" Lorian said, eyes wide in surprise, before her voice firmed up, concern thick in her voice. "Don't cry!"

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"NO, NO NO NO NO!" Aisha screamed. "DON'T LIE TO ME! DON'T LIE TO ME, AND LEAVE ME, LIKE EVERYONE ELSE! I DON'T WANT TO BE LOVED! I DON'T WANT YOU TO CARE ABOUT ME! I DON'T WANT YOU TO LEAVE ME!"

"I'll never leave you!" Lorian yelled, resisting all attempts from Aisha to push her away, using her superior strength to restrain the girl. "I'm never going to leave you!"

"DON'T LIE TO ME!" Aisha cried. "D-Don't... D-do-o-on't lie to me... E-e-ev-everyone else... they were liars... Nobody cares about me. Just t-t-throw me away now, BEFORE IT HURTS! BEFORE I- AIIIIAAAAHH!"

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By now, the bed was completely drenched with Aisha's tears, and Aisha was thrashing in Lorian's grasp, trying to get away from her. But she couldn't let go. She could never let go - if she let go now, she would be proving Aisha right.

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But she wasn't right. Lorian cared about the girl, as shallow as her reasoning might be. She wanted to stay with her forever. She would never leave.

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"Don't..." Aisha wailed, sniffling and hiccupping uncontrollably. "D-don't-t-t... I... mistress... I... I can't... I don't want to hurt anymore... I don't want to feel anymore pain... it hurts... so much, mistress... it hurts, it HURTS!"

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And finally, Lorian flung her arms around the girl, holding her tight. Squeezing her so tight, that she couldn't move away, so tight, that Aisha couldn't leave, even if she wanted to.

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It sent a message. That she would never let her go. That she would never stop loving, stop caring for her. But just in case...

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"I'm never going to leave you." Lorian whispered, directly into one of Aisha's ears. "I'll love you, Aisha. I'll be there, always. I promise."

.

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A while passed, and soon, Aisha's hiccupping and sniffling stopped, and her body no longer thrashed in Lorian's embrace. Her arms went slack, and the muscles that were once tensing feebly against Lorian's grip, turned relaxed all at once.

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Feeling that it was safe, Lorian loosened her grip - although she never let go - to look at Aisha face to face, only to discover that the girl was fast asleep, her eyes closed with little tear stains underneath her eyelids.

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Lorian simply wiped the girl's tears away, uncaring of how the snot and water stained her shirt. She began her work in earnest, drying the girl's eyes, then wiping her nose, and then finally, dabbing the moisture away from her chin.

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And when she was done, for once, Aisha looked like a young girl, unmarred by years of pain and anger. She looked so peaceful, so relaxed, so pure. Like she could wake up and be... happy.

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(I want to... make that a reality.)

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"Good night, little Aisha." Lorian whispered.