[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/HDwS9l5.png[/img]
[h2][color=9e0039]Zeldria Miphras[/color][/h2]
Bride to Ineraz ([@SilverPaw]), Sister Bride to Sera ([@Pupperr])
Interacting with Ineraz & Sera[/center]

It wasn't long before Zel was left alone with herself and her thoughts once again. There was the guard, as always, but this one seemed content to sit and watch her in silence. Perhaps he was the quiet sort, or maybe he was being cautious and keeping his distance from her for fear of joining his associate in the dungeons. Zel had no intentions of burning him, of course, but he had no way of knowing such things. She was glad for the silence, however; in a house full of nothing but scorn, her own soul and mind were the best company she would have. What recourse she had at this point, she could not say, but she knew she would need to calm herself to find one. So, she returned to her old habit. 

Closing her eyes and bringing her hands together as if she was praying, Zel concentrated on her breathing and blocked all other things from her mind. Ineraz's pressures, Sera's temperament, the way the cooks reacted to her, all of it was sent away from her head's inner chambers and instead funneled into a tiny flickering flame between her hands. Slowly she began to make the fire grow and shrink in time with her breath, spreading her fingers out around it like a cage. She funneled all of her concerns, her worries, her fears into it, sending them to the fire where she could contain and control them and away from where they would only try to consume her. In a way, she absently thought, it was almost symbolic of herself, this little burning sprite she'd made...

[b]"What are you doing?"[/b] barked the deep, rough-hewn voice of the guard, his tones filled with warning. Zel opened her eyes as she nearly jumped out of her skin. Her control waned and the fire between her palms flared outward in a crackling burst of heat that forced her hands apart lest they be scorched.

[color=9e0039][b]"Composing myself, if you must know,"[/b][/color] she replied after she'd brought herself back to center, [color=9e0039][b]"I find it helps to conjure a small flame and exercise fine control over it."[/b][/color]

The guard only grunted, which she took to assume meant some form of acceptance of her answer, and she returned to waiting. After some time Sera was deposited there with them while Ineraz went to attend to some business. And while Zel did her best to retain her composure, Sera's presence still had a notable effect on her. She would glance warily toward her sister bride every so often, as if watching to see if she would call her fire again, but if Sera returned the gaze Zel was quick to find interest elsewhere and look away. 

The time seemed to stretch and linger past its due, until finally Ineraz returned- albeit looking much more cold and stony than before. Something had happened, though Zel could not hazard what, and she only hoped it would not give him cause to rebuke or relieve his stress upon her. It seemed he would not, however, and instead beckoned them outside. A wagon was prepared, and the hunting hounds were brought out to meet the two of them. Zel had known hounds, but like most things in Drakka the ones she was now seeing proved drastically more vicious and savage than what she'd known. They were quite large and one of them would not have much trouble eating her if the mood took it, but it seemed for now they were content to investigate her scent and leave her be beyond that. Some of them even permitted her to scratch their ears, a surprising comfort to her heart, before they had to be on their way. The wagon smelled heavily of animals, but such things had been the norm back home and Zeldria had no qualms climbing into the wagon.

Once they reached the market, Ineraz allowed them to roam freely, within reason, to find clothes they wanted. Selection was somewhat limited, but it seemed more than a few tailors saw opportunity in the Reaping and had laid out a collection of wares for Gems to sport. Many of them were designed more for looking at than actually wearing, it seemed to her, but here and there Zel managed to find a few selections that would serve practically. A few blouses, mostly white, caught her eye, coupled with some skirts in black and red and a single moderately formal dress. There was, however, one thing that called her attention to it; a small neck kerchief the color of the morning sky. She couldn't say why, but it called to her in a way that was oddly familiar, and she found her heart quietly set on it. With her choices in hand she turned to Ineraz for final approval, but the only piece she honestly hoped would not be denied was the scarf...

[hider=Summary]
Zel does her calming exercise again and a small difference occurs, but nothing to be alarmed about I'm sure. What could be alarming is how she's very wary of Sera now, but she's trying to not be direct about it. She pets the puppies a little, then gets in the wagon and goes shopping. She finds a few things, including a little neck kerchief that for some reason resonates with her, and she really wants it.
[/hider]