Zemira
Zemi didn't want to let him go. He looked so serious. Well, he always looked serious since the majority of the time he was either trying to concentrate and understand things, or focusing on his self-sworn duty to protect her. Nonetheless, Zemi could scarcely remember a time where he looked this serious that there seemed to be a heaviness to his shoulders. He was about to head out to fight monsters... so that would explain it, but with that thought came a weight that settled too comfortably on her own shoulders.
If she hadn't run away, if she hadn't left the castle, if she had only just... accepted what hand fate had dealt her... Eitan wouldn't have to be facing his possible death in that moment.
"...Eitan..." She reached out to grasp his arm at his final words to her,
don't come out. But her hand clasped around thin air, and the carriage door shut behind him.
Immediately, with trembling body, Zemi clambered onto one of the carriage seats to kneel and pull back the shutter that kept the window closed. Cool air graced her face, stinging her cheeks and helping to dry her eyes. Tears continued to fight their way forward though, a small squeak of a whimper escaping her at the sight that was manifesting before her, a hand raising to press against her lips.
The creature was... towering. It looked brutal, savage, cruel... something akin to beasts that roam in nightmares. Zemi had been taught what monsters roamed their world, but it took her longer to identify these ones than Eitan, who's job was to study them religiously.
"He... he be communicatin' with them." A female voice whispered from within the carriage and Zemira tore her eyes away to look to the elderly woman who spoke.
"Look-- Look! It growls first an' then he do. How-- How is that possible? How can he be... understandin'?"
Swallowing thickly, Zemi glanced back just as the noises began to finish, a hum of murmured discussing breaking out behind her as those left alive in the carriage began to discuss Eitan's unusual behaviour.
When the fight began, her nails bit into the wood of the ledge she clung to, hands pressed against it to keep herself propped up and as close to the carriage window as possible. A shriek echoed within the walls of the carriage at the Wisp Mongrels unearthly burst of speed, and it wasn't until a hand laid on her back to rub reassuringly between her shoulders that Zemira realised the noise had come from her. At the first spill of Eitan's blood, seeing the gold and the wound from which it dripped from, tears finally dripped down her cheeks in her own pain of what her friend was going through. Each inhale and exhale shook as she attempted to keep herself composed, although she soon had something else to focus on...
"G-gold! He-- He's bleeding gold!" The woman from the couple exclaimed, eyes wide as she pushed herself back from the window, having taken the spot of the elderly woman a second ago, the male of the couple taking her place hurriedly to see what she was talking about.
"By God, she's right! He's.... he's dripping gold! Just like that filthy monster."
A handful of faces turned to look at her, and Zemi froze, the only movement coming from her eyes which flickered between them all. What would they do as a result? Would they kill her simply for knowing and being with Eitan? Would they kill him if he returned victorious, despite what he had just willingly done for them?
The man near the window stepped forward, shrugging off the hand of the merchant, whose nephew clung to his side,
"Did you know?" He questioned, eyes narrowing as Zemi quietly sank into the seat, one hand drifting from the ledge to tuck against her chest as a fist.
"I-I knew."
Immediately the man's lips formed a sneer and he leaned down,
"You knew... an' you let that fucking half-breed mongrel onto this carriage with us."
The woman quickly stepped down the aisle to grasp his arm, pulling him back,
"Y-you don't know what he's got over her-- she could've had no choice, Aidan--"
"I had a choice," Zemi challenged, though her voice was small, nervous about engaging in confrontation and anxious to get back to watching Eitan to make sure he was okay,
"Just like he had a choice when he stepped out there to try and protect all of you. How-- how could you be so cruel? To judge him on his blood when his heart is so pure?"
The man, Aidan, scoffed, freeing his arm from his partner,
"You've been blinded-- monster-fucker. He'll turn on you some day, give in to the side that lives in the dark within him, and you'll wish you were free of him."
Her face paled at what she had been called, shocked at such profanity and disgusting behaviour. She said nothing, staring up at the couple as fresh tears pricked her eyes and the woman dragged Aidan away. As they shuffled down the aisle, the rest of those in the carriage seemed to step away from her too. Zemi sniffed softly, wiping her nose with the back of her sleeve before she pushed herself up weakly to see how the fight was going.
Eitan was... he was in the air. His sword driven into the monster's shoulder, but all seemed to have stilled. Even the air, the breeze no longer gracing the trees that lingered nearby. The carriage door had been opened by this point, and a handful of the carriage patrons were hurling abuse, led by Aidan. Monster. Fiend. Beastly creature.
Unable to stay in the desolate carriage any longer, Zemira shoved her way passed the rest of them to stumble out, only to glance up and see Eitan facing her. Her feet carried her, at pace, to where he stood and soon she was barrelling into him. Her head buried into his chest, and her arms had thrown themselves around his neck. In that moment she just needed his presence, nothing else, no reassurances or questions. She just wanted to hold her friend.
"We need to get away from them, Eitan-- they-- they don't care for what you've just done..." She shook her head, causing her forehead to rub slightly against his chest,
"They... they were so vindictive, so cruel... I no longer wish to be near them. L-Let me get my pack, and then we can go. We-- we'll need to tend to your arm... before infection sets in." She swallowed, pulling back to look up at him.
She may have saved him years ago, but now he had just saved her. Not that she ever held the former experience against him, but in any case, they were even now. And she would be sure he understood that, and thus reiterate to him that he didn't need to look after her now... if he felt like he had to in order to make up for certain things.
Reluctantly, Zemi left his side to hesitantly gather her pack from the back of the carriage, other items having become loose due to the attack that was just inflicted. Her eyes strayed nervously to the beasts that surrounded them, but they stayed away, only the occasional snarl or quietened shriek escaping them as they watched her. At least they were just making noise, the humans in the carriage were a lot worse. Continuing to belittle her, call her names, shout to Eitan he was a monster.
It only served to make her tears gather faster.
Hastily, Zemi returned to his side, eyes anxiously focusing on the beasts again,
"W-why aren't they leaving? Th-they have no business here anymore... why do they linger, Eitan?"