private twisted hands casting all our blame — cinder

[GRIME]

❝ INFO ❞ Grime has a terrible habit of comforting himself with his own ruination. It's always brief, fleeting satisfaction that never has the grace to either grow into something long-lasting or die neatly. Even the smallest of wounds can fester and threaten mortality, and maybe Grime is being a little theatric comparing one night with a stranger to a future undoing— but it's just observing a pattern, isn't it? He knew then it was a terrible idea, even if he still doesn't yet know why. All he knows is that he wanted comfort and revenge all at once, and Grime isn't naive enough to think that's a safe combination in any shape or form.

Especially when it only partly worked. Revenge is worth shit if there's no one to care. Like sleeping in shadow to spite the sun, it had no effect. Grime is still the stupid bastard who overestimated his worth. Worse, he ran off like a kicked mutt with his tail between his legs before he had to face her in the aftermath.

Grime sighs heavily, leaning hard against a tree. He has a few new gashes on his side courtesy of a random rogue who wanted a fight, and he's never been one to de-escalate. They're not too bad, at least; he can ignore them easily enough.
​

 

[salamander]

Numb, swollen paws stumbled ungracefully through the forest. The presence bare trees with their naked branches brought little comfort. Rather, it triggered the opposite in the pregnant molly. She felt exposed. Leaves that once acted as defensive shadows now laid crumpled and useless on the ground. At the same time, the woods grew suffocating. Whether it be a dense area shrouded by shadows or an open field with abundant view, nowhere felt safe.

Sunken eyes refused to rest so they remained diligent, scouting the area for threats. A brisk breeze had carried a familiar scent to her attention. One she thought she'd never breathe in again. Dread and hope conflicted with one another until she stood face to face with a tom she once only knew the shiloutte of.

Teeth clenched around the crumpled, dry marigold. "Those will get infected." she flatly pointed, voice directed toward his wounds. She dropped the marigold that poked and prodded her tongue when she spoke, "I can patch them up." Why was she offering to do such a thing?

She should have turned tail and run the second the earthly aromas of leaffall were disrupted. But here she was, offering to help the tom who took advantage of her when she was most vulnerable. Stars, she prayed he didn't recognize her. Why would he? There were a whole lot of "why's" but none went answered.

Awkwardness hid behind a thick veil of cautious hostility. ​

 

[GRIME]

❝ INFO ❞ He does feel horribly guilty for leaving as he did. At the time, it hadn't even occurred to him that he could stay, if only because nothing good could come from it. If anything can grow from soil fed with lies and envy and the desperate escapism of someone betrayed by the love of his life— well. It can't be a plant worth harvesting. And the stars only know that he's convinced he's in no shape to be anyone's lover, not when he's still so raw and aching like he's nursing a full-body burn. Still. He should have explained something to her instead of allowing fear and shame to rule his decisions.

But he hadn't thought it would matter because he didn't think he would ever see her again. Maybe Grime should have known that he would, given how determined the trajectory of his life is to bite him in the ass. So he shouldn't be surprised that there's a familiar scent followed almost immediately by a familiar face, and he's not proud of it, but he does briefly consider running off into the bushes.

And then he notices the heavy swell of her belly. Ah. That would be the consequences of his actions.

He swallows hard and tries on a wobbly smile. "It's uh, it's all right. They'll go away on their own and I'm sure you were going to use those for something else." Grime breathes in. "I'm going to go out on a limb and say that's my...influence?" He grimaces deeply. "I mean, our night together."
​