07-04-2017, 12:05 PM
Someone else, a third person, arrived. Ebony didn't know who he was, Ebony didn't know who anyone here was. Just that some of them were mean. Was this new person mean? The other two weren't poking her anymore. Was he going to help her?
Ebony's mind frantically raced trying to decide a cause of action as she hugged herself, pushing her back against the wall and trying to sit upright. The large hood still covered her head, with the cloak pulled up to assist. The tips of her boots poked out, and her belts jangled as she adjusted herself. Her arms shook frantically, and she rubbed the sore shoulder she'd previously been leaning on.
It hurt, and she hurt as well - just not in the same way. It felt like she was drowning in icy water - something she'd only learned of recently. Her lungs burned, her breathing was frantic and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Her body felt numb and her heart felt like it was about to explode. And then, when she tried to move or speak, on the occasion her body actually obeyed her demands, it did so shakily and rarely completed them. She'd tried breathing and speaking and moving outside of her huddle, but every attempt was met with a resistance driving her further into the depths of panic. It was a neverending cycle.
She knew, somewhere in that mind of hers, that nothing was actually stopping her from doing anything. But, similarly to someone who messes up a maths question by making the mistake three times seven equals twenty-seven, just knowing something was no help in the pressure of the moment, and seemingly simple or obvious knowledge can easily be overlooked. And Ebony, as one might expect, was not very good at dealing with pressure.
All this should explain why simply being able to sit upright, even if she was still curled up tightly, leaning on the fountain, and hiding her face, was a monumental achievement for her in this moment of time. She still, however, didn't know what to do. Her usually keen ears hadn't heard much of what the new person said, but she thought he might have asked for her name.
She shivered, bracing herself to take a look. Ebony didn't like the light. It exposed you and left you vulnerable. The dark was better. It was safe. It could hide you and protect you. Black was a nice colour, unlike the dull, harsh, white of the Nexus. Slowly but surely, she relaxed the arm holding the cloak up. Her eyes first met the mean people from before; she flinched but kept looking, pivoting her head slowly towards the new speaker. All the shuffling had messed up her usually well-groomed hair, leaving loose strands of it dangling down in front of her eyes.
Two sets of eyes met briefly. Both green. One deep, glinting, and full of life - yet ruined by tears. The other pair was dull and lifeless: not scary, not happy, not friendly nor mean. They might as well have been grey. Ebony looked down quickly after the short glimpse she got through the tall man's helmet, her eyes flickering up once or twice before she pulled the hood down further, yet again hiding her face.
Everyone was looking at her expectantly. Like they expected her to say something after moving so carefully. She didn't know what to do. Should she tell him her name? What if he's with the other two bad guys? What if they overheard?
Ebony opened her mouth to answer, but instead, her shortness of breath caused a cough. And then another. And another. They weren't loud, but her small frame shook violently from them, resulting on her placing a hand on her chest. Learning from her mistake, she tried her best to take a longer breath amidst the short ones, then opened her mouth to speak. "Y-you f-f-f..."
And then she tried again. "Y-y... f... st." Sounds barely came out of her small mouth, her lips quivering as her head sunk down.
Ebony's mind frantically raced trying to decide a cause of action as she hugged herself, pushing her back against the wall and trying to sit upright. The large hood still covered her head, with the cloak pulled up to assist. The tips of her boots poked out, and her belts jangled as she adjusted herself. Her arms shook frantically, and she rubbed the sore shoulder she'd previously been leaning on.
It hurt, and she hurt as well - just not in the same way. It felt like she was drowning in icy water - something she'd only learned of recently. Her lungs burned, her breathing was frantic and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Her body felt numb and her heart felt like it was about to explode. And then, when she tried to move or speak, on the occasion her body actually obeyed her demands, it did so shakily and rarely completed them. She'd tried breathing and speaking and moving outside of her huddle, but every attempt was met with a resistance driving her further into the depths of panic. It was a neverending cycle.
She knew, somewhere in that mind of hers, that nothing was actually stopping her from doing anything. But, similarly to someone who messes up a maths question by making the mistake three times seven equals twenty-seven, just knowing something was no help in the pressure of the moment, and seemingly simple or obvious knowledge can easily be overlooked. And Ebony, as one might expect, was not very good at dealing with pressure.
All this should explain why simply being able to sit upright, even if she was still curled up tightly, leaning on the fountain, and hiding her face, was a monumental achievement for her in this moment of time. She still, however, didn't know what to do. Her usually keen ears hadn't heard much of what the new person said, but she thought he might have asked for her name.
She shivered, bracing herself to take a look. Ebony didn't like the light. It exposed you and left you vulnerable. The dark was better. It was safe. It could hide you and protect you. Black was a nice colour, unlike the dull, harsh, white of the Nexus. Slowly but surely, she relaxed the arm holding the cloak up. Her eyes first met the mean people from before; she flinched but kept looking, pivoting her head slowly towards the new speaker. All the shuffling had messed up her usually well-groomed hair, leaving loose strands of it dangling down in front of her eyes.
Two sets of eyes met briefly. Both green. One deep, glinting, and full of life - yet ruined by tears. The other pair was dull and lifeless: not scary, not happy, not friendly nor mean. They might as well have been grey. Ebony looked down quickly after the short glimpse she got through the tall man's helmet, her eyes flickering up once or twice before she pulled the hood down further, yet again hiding her face.
Everyone was looking at her expectantly. Like they expected her to say something after moving so carefully. She didn't know what to do. Should she tell him her name? What if he's with the other two bad guys? What if they overheard?
Ebony opened her mouth to answer, but instead, her shortness of breath caused a cough. And then another. And another. They weren't loud, but her small frame shook violently from them, resulting on her placing a hand on her chest. Learning from her mistake, she tried her best to take a longer breath amidst the short ones, then opened her mouth to speak. "Y-you f-f-f..."
And then she tried again. "Y-y... f... st." Sounds barely came out of her small mouth, her lips quivering as her head sunk down.