[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/PLyfcLV.png[/img]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/wPyT7ht.png[/img][/center]
[color=E77298]Time:[/color] 9:30am
[color=E77298]Location:[/color] Doorway of Anastasia's bedroom 
[color=E77298]Attire:[/color][url=i.imgur.com/ngEDMGH.jpg]Dress[/url]
[color=E77298]Interaction:[/color] [@Helo] Callum

[hr]

Anastasia's brows lifted, and a huge smile plastered her face. [color=E77298]"Wait- He's safe! Callum, you're a [i]fucking[/i] legend!"[/color] There was such a relief from stress that it felt in that moment that the greatest miracle in the world had happened. All had seemed so lost to Anastasia; if her actions had truly led to Darryn's death, she wasn't sure if she'd have ever been able to forgive herself.  Though Callum had advised differently, she wanted to speak with him today. She needed to apologize to him and would be sneaky about it if she had to.

Callum's words had also made her realize that perhaps Wulfric's opinions had not been as foul as she imagined. With that in mind, she decided to give Wulfric back a few respect points on her mental list. It lifted some of her pain to do so anyway. Being so aggrieved with her eldest brother had broken her heart a little; she had not been sure if she had ever wanted to speak with him again if he had been resigned to killing Darryn. Callum, however, was overloaded with her respect right now. It was his next words that made her realize she, too, was being respected. This was something she did not expect to receive from anyone.

[color=00F8FE]“You know, what you did, standing up to our parents, in front of an audience like that, it took guts. They might not appreciate it, but it was honest, brave, and for what’s worth, I think you did the right thing.”[/color] She felt her vision blur as tears threatened; Anastasia cast her gaze downward. [color=00F8FE]“Thought you deserved to know that.”[/color]

It felt amazingly validating to be told something like that. As good as it had felt, there was a nagging feeling that she'd only suffer for her actions, especially the mistakes she had made the night prior. She had finally stood up publicly, but it was a whole different game than standing up to her mother in one of their many argument sessions. Now she had hurt their reputation and would probably not be trusted in a public avenue. This meant only further isolation. She could imagine even King Edin would say something about it, telling the others that "even Callum had not made such a mockery of himself." 

But Callum deserved that.

He deserved to be finally recognized for his good qualities and not shunned as the failed brother. So if her demoting herself to the worst family member meant maybe he'd receive some long-awaited recognition, maybe it was all worth it. After all, she had meant every word she had said, and it had felt [i]amazing[/i] to finally force herself to be heard. Anastasia decided she'd believe she had done the right thing as Callum had. There was no way she'd ever regret trying to protect Darryn.

Anastasia smiled faintly at Callum. The mixed emotions had been evident in her eyes for a moment before she practically dove into giving him a hug. She wrapped his arms around him tightly. [color=E77298]"Thank you Callum. That means a lot to me."[/color] After a long moment, perhaps maybe not appreciated by Callum, she let go of him and put her hands on his shoulders. She looked up to meet his eyes. [color=E77298]"You deserve to know something too... I want you to know you're worth more than anyone could tell you, and one day, you're gonna show everyone how stupid they are for doubting you."[/color] She paused before continuing. The tone of her following words was emotional, though a brief laugh had escaped her mid-sentence. 

[color=E77298]"I guess just know your [i]crazy[/i] big sister is always on your side, okay?"[/color]