[Color=gray][center][h1][Color=silver]M[/color][Color=lightblue]i[/color][Color=cornflowerblue]r[/color][color=green]i[/color][color=mediumpurple]s[/color][/h1]
[Img]https://i.imgur.com/qDMVZHa.png[/Img]
[H2][color=red]F L A S H B A C K[/color][/h2][/center]
[Color=darkturquoise]Race: [/color]Changeling
[Color=cornflowerblue]Location:[/color] Rekkenmark, Karrnath[hr]
Miris and Wendel, the young changeling and long-lived dwarf, entered the workshop both making occasional sideling glances at one another as they walked past the foyer and to a small space meant for lounging— a drawing room of sorts. Wendel was merely observing the young girl to make sure there was nothing wrong, especially since he had seen her wellbeing in need of care and attention. She'd never outright say she needed help with anything, and very much disliked whenever she lied to him, but he couldn't help but see the young changeling as one of his nieces, ones he had not seen in nearly a decade. 

On the other side of things, Miris’ glances were trying to form reasons to steal from him. Despite being the lone dwarf of Rekkenmark, he was quite the pillar of the community here. Despite mostly keeping to himself, everyone who knew him only had precious words of admiration for him. He forged weapons for the academy and would strike up a conversation with anyone he accompanied himself with. So many to call his friend, yet there was something solitary about him, as if there were depths to the dwarf that had not been breached. Miris was sure she could change into him, and even be the man he was on the surface, but the aspects deep beneath the surface were a mystery to her, and that's why she had not tried it in public. Who was he before this? Who is it that he strives to be now?

[Color=silver]“That’s quite the collection you've gathered. Anything good? Perhaps something you might like to keep for yourself.”[/color] Wendel chimed while walking toward the far end of the room while Miris seated herself in a cushioned sofa chair.

[Color=white]“Well…”[/color] She frowned as she glanced down at the sack now resting on her lap– it was frown Wendel could only hear in her voice he prepared two cups of tea. Each item she had procured was nigh worthless on their own besides a few exceptions. [Color=white]“No. None of the things I have are worth that kind of value.”[/color] She stated plainly. [Color=white]“Just unwanted things…”[/color] Both of their eyes lowered at the sentiment, feeling those simple words drive deep into the heart of the lonely. 

Wendel cleared his throat, but he didn't quite know how to address the girl after what she had said. He felt what she was truly saying, but he wrestled with choosing whether or not to comfort her. Though he despised her little white lies, he knew she only deceived him to avoid hurting him. It was easier to think he had misplaced a few things here and there. It was easier to believe she was an avid collector of scavenged scraps and trinkets that she sold to vendors at the market for a few gold coins. It was easier to imagine that she wasn't a lonely homeless changeling trying to survive in Karrnath the best she could. That she had a loving family and a warm home to return to after sitting and speaking to him.

Wendel’s motions slowed as he added two small cubes of sugar into her cup, afraid to face the truth while it was pinned to the forefront of his mind. A young girl shouldn't be left to endure this, not when he could do something about it. He couldn't let this stand anymore– he wouldn't further entertain her falsehoods that forced him to cope with what was truly occurring. Determined to face Miris, Wendel took a long breath, gulped, and finally turned, only to face the sight of the young girl with her face buried in her hands. 

Miris cried quietly. She did so that she wouldn't be heard– to spare the dwarf the need to feel sympathetic towards her. She was here to steal from him after all and would another lie really change anything? She was supposed to be the strongest person she knew. Independence equated to strength afterall. But where was it as she sobbed uncontrollably into her palms, as she allowed the sack in her lap to be bumped down onto the floor by her elbows. She couldn't let him see her face like this, so she didn't bother picking it or its spilled contents up. It was junk anyway. Unwanted stuff. Worthless things. Forgettable. Ugly. Dirty. Stupid…

Miris tightened her eyes, but the action was useless against the flow of tears. The physical manifestation of her anguish, frustrations, and sadness that she kept bottled up in an effort to feel like she could live the way she did with a smile on her face. 

[Color=silver]“Miris.”[/color] Wendel's tone was delicate, as if he could shatter her with his very voice, but there was something more that it carried. Wendel, a proud dwarf with many decades behind him, was not immune to contagiousness of a broken spirit. Just as Miris wanted to hide her tearful face, Wendel feared how much it might hurt for her to see tears well up in his own eyes. [Color=silver]“Miris.”[/color] He addressed again before he set the two tea cups down on the end table beside her.

[Color=white]“Y-yes?”[/color] She managed to say between sobs. She felt stuck in place by her refusal to show her vulnerability, and Wendel acknowledged that without having to hear her voice it. Instead, he chose to kneel down and clean up the mess that had scattered across his wooded floor. 

[Color=silver]“These things…”[/color] Wendel’s landed on the wax seal stamp. [Color=silver]“They are… not what you say they are. Some… Some things might seem like they lack any value when they are on their own. A quill without ink, is just a feather after all.”[/color] He grabbed the stamp and examined the seal with curiosity. 

[Color=silver]“Sometimes we can take one object, and with another, make something nice. And other times, you can take many different objects, and have something that many would deem as extraordinary.”[/color] Wendel smiled as he placed the stamp into the sack. [Color=silver]“Every person has a measure of worth, Miris, and even the people with the most worth know how valuable connecting and even relying on others truly is.”[/color] He stood up with a mild groan and walked to a table across the room where a leather bag sat. [Color=silver]“One individual can do plenty, and there are the strong fearless loners of the world…”[/color] He dug into the bag. [Color=silver]“But nothing beats the feeling of knowing you have someone who has your back.”[/color] He said with a smile as his words granted him some warmth. 

And though her tears hadn't quite stopped, Miris did not fail to take in Wendel’s insight. She felt her sack of trinkets get set down between her feet, causing her to peek down at it between her fingers. Something about it looked different. It was-

[Color=silver]“I tied the top of it. It won't spill like that again and… You should probably drink your tea before it gets cold. I added two sugar cubes, too.”[/color]

There was a brief period of silence between them as Wendel took his cup of tea to the table where his bag was. He had a feeling they wouldn't be talking much this time around, but he was glad knowing he had her company.

[Color=white]“Thank you… Wendel.”[/color] Finally, she smiled.

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