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- 1-3 posts per week
- One post per week
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- Weekends, I tend to have buckets of time unless I'm working or traveling (I'll let you know), then I'm scarce af. During the week, I work pretty standard 9-5, then go to class or the gym, so....8-11 PM Pacific?
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- Primarily Prefer Female
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- I'm open to more than I'm closed to. If it doesn't fall under gratuitous or inorganic (forced) romance, pitch me an idea, and we'll work it out.
Tai gave her sister a sincere, if distracted smile, the classic sort that all her family and friends recognized as Tai trying her very best to be good, to pay attention...but hadn't heard even the last two words of whatever they said.
"Hm?" Tai muttered, her gaze already floating back to their Ashkerai host. "S'okay, 'setta, I'm not hungry." Then, without realizing her sister had said nothing of the sort, she went on, her brow furrowed, her gaze equal parts fascinated and concerned, as she always was, by the Ashkerai. Any Ashkerai, but Eliko in particular.
"He's so gentle with them," she said, unaware she was even speaking aloud. "That little one, the one that's about to have...um...houndlings? She's hurting, she's tired, and still, when she sees him, she just..." Tai shrugged, a bemused sort of smirk on her face. "They all adore him. I can feel it. He's not bad, 'setta, he just needs help."
And it was true. Tai still didn't trust the Ashkerai. She could feel what this place did to her sister, to both of them, and she didn't like it. She could feel the fear and hate and anger that seemed to follow them everywhere they went. Tai went to sleep shivering each night and woke shaken and pale from nightmares more often than she was willing to admit. But each and every time she thought about running, taking Kohe from this place back to where everything was warmth and light and she could be her usual naive, too-trusting self, she got a glimpse of insight. This woman who had just shoved by her in a narrow hallway that made her feel anxious and cold -- her youngest was sick, hurting. Tai was certain she could help, if only that woman would trust her...but of course, they weren't there for that...though it hadn't stopped Tai from trying to sneak away. It was when she'd nearly fallen down the hole too narrow to spread her wings, when darkness had closed over her head, and she'd felt close to panic...and then Eliko, not Kohe, had been the one to leap forward.
They were all of them afraid, and Tai could not blame them, living in a world of hatred and misunderstanding as they did. It ate through to Tai's bones, making her feel tired and sore all the time. But she only poured herself into a better understanding. Who were these creatures who seemed to thrive on darkness and cold and hate? For once, Tai was quiet, not nearly so outgoing as she might have been anywhere else, but following her sister in silence everywhere they went, watching closely, understanding, seeing far more than anyone else might have guessed.
And she tried to soothe. More than anything, she tried to ease the cold and fear she saw everywhere. Most of the time, she was too tired to do much, and she saved most of her energy for keeping herself and Kohe warm at night. But as afraid as she was herself, she was beginning to find fear in the Ashkerai, too, and her heart ached for them.
"He loves them," Tai said, still thinking, still digging through layers she was only beginning to understand. She wanted to understand more, faster, but none of them would let her near, and she didn't like being away from Kohe too long. Without her sister, her lifeline, the darkness burned too close, too quickly. And Tai would have borne it in silence if she knew it was doing any good. But in the three days she'd been there, she'd seen no change, and she was beginning to get desperate.
"He loves them with everything he is," she added, uncertain as to whether she meant his hounds or his people. "'Setta, there's something there inside him none of them can see." She frowned, chewed her lip, and her expression softened a bit, somewhere between pity and concern. "I don't think he sees it..."
It only then occurred to her she had seen Kohe smile for the first time in days and turned to her sister beaming.
"Sorry, were you saying something?"
"Hm?" Tai muttered, her gaze already floating back to their Ashkerai host. "S'okay, 'setta, I'm not hungry." Then, without realizing her sister had said nothing of the sort, she went on, her brow furrowed, her gaze equal parts fascinated and concerned, as she always was, by the Ashkerai. Any Ashkerai, but Eliko in particular.
"He's so gentle with them," she said, unaware she was even speaking aloud. "That little one, the one that's about to have...um...houndlings? She's hurting, she's tired, and still, when she sees him, she just..." Tai shrugged, a bemused sort of smirk on her face. "They all adore him. I can feel it. He's not bad, 'setta, he just needs help."
And it was true. Tai still didn't trust the Ashkerai. She could feel what this place did to her sister, to both of them, and she didn't like it. She could feel the fear and hate and anger that seemed to follow them everywhere they went. Tai went to sleep shivering each night and woke shaken and pale from nightmares more often than she was willing to admit. But each and every time she thought about running, taking Kohe from this place back to where everything was warmth and light and she could be her usual naive, too-trusting self, she got a glimpse of insight. This woman who had just shoved by her in a narrow hallway that made her feel anxious and cold -- her youngest was sick, hurting. Tai was certain she could help, if only that woman would trust her...but of course, they weren't there for that...though it hadn't stopped Tai from trying to sneak away. It was when she'd nearly fallen down the hole too narrow to spread her wings, when darkness had closed over her head, and she'd felt close to panic...and then Eliko, not Kohe, had been the one to leap forward.
They were all of them afraid, and Tai could not blame them, living in a world of hatred and misunderstanding as they did. It ate through to Tai's bones, making her feel tired and sore all the time. But she only poured herself into a better understanding. Who were these creatures who seemed to thrive on darkness and cold and hate? For once, Tai was quiet, not nearly so outgoing as she might have been anywhere else, but following her sister in silence everywhere they went, watching closely, understanding, seeing far more than anyone else might have guessed.
And she tried to soothe. More than anything, she tried to ease the cold and fear she saw everywhere. Most of the time, she was too tired to do much, and she saved most of her energy for keeping herself and Kohe warm at night. But as afraid as she was herself, she was beginning to find fear in the Ashkerai, too, and her heart ached for them.
"He loves them," Tai said, still thinking, still digging through layers she was only beginning to understand. She wanted to understand more, faster, but none of them would let her near, and she didn't like being away from Kohe too long. Without her sister, her lifeline, the darkness burned too close, too quickly. And Tai would have borne it in silence if she knew it was doing any good. But in the three days she'd been there, she'd seen no change, and she was beginning to get desperate.
"He loves them with everything he is," she added, uncertain as to whether she meant his hounds or his people. "'Setta, there's something there inside him none of them can see." She frowned, chewed her lip, and her expression softened a bit, somewhere between pity and concern. "I don't think he sees it..."
It only then occurred to her she had seen Kohe smile for the first time in days and turned to her sister beaming.
"Sorry, were you saying something?"