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With a weak groan, Thessi’s head turned towards her brother. The pained expression surrounding her uncanny eyes remained unchanged. She didn’t appear to recognize Tharos for several long seconds before her trembling hand finally reached out and curled around the lapel of his jacket. Her knuckles blanched with the effort. She forced her eyes to focus on the familiar silhouette until her churning mind rendered it into a shape she could call by name.

[color=a187be][b]“Th-Thar-Tharos…”[/b][/color] She stammered after a few struggling, silent attempts. [color=a187be][b]“I-It… M-m-mother… W-we…”[/b][/color] Her disjointed words were interrupted by a wheezing inhale followed by a half-choked sob. With the taste of blood and bile in the back of her throat, her chest heaved again. Her grip on his jacket suddenly released and her hand feebly pushed him away instead. Fighting the urge to vomit, she tried to rush her words with a strained voice. [color=a187be][b]“It came back, reached through, stole the circlet, and… and I…”[/b][/color]

Trying to form the next words caused her body to clench again and she lost the battle with her twisting gut. She turned from him quickly and wretched another few times. Muttered swears slurred from her lips, though she was suddenly thankful to have missed the evening meal. [color=a187be][b]“I… called It a god. Lost my temper again, like a damned fool, and I just blurted out the one forbidden fucking word.”[/b][/color] She continued, as much frustration in her flailing gestures as in her voice. [color=a187be][b]“Then, It spoke again, called me Its vessel.”[/b][/color] She forced out her point before her stomach could flip again. 

After a moment, she continued. [color=a187be][b]“Mother knew.”[/b][/color] Thessi said quietly. [color=a187be][b]“We damned her for nothing.”[/b][/color] There was shame in her hushed voice. 

She sat forward, resting her elbows on her knees. With her head in her hands, she felt the absence of the circlet anew. [color=a187be][b]“And we’ll suffer the same fate if we don’t get out of the city before someone sees me.”[/b][/color] She said without lifting her head, still searching for the strength of body and soul to rise and resume their preparations. [color=a187be][b]“Not even the porter. He’s so old now, and speaks out of turn.”[/b][/color] Her thin fingers massaged her scalp as she spoke. [color=a187be][b]“We need to retire him soon.”[/b][/color]

With her mind drifting back to trite concerns, the tension gradually eased from her posture. She could take in a full breath again, even if her chest still ached. Ignoring the burning in her ribs, she placed a hand on Tharos’s shoulder to aid herself as she stood. Renewed determination brought her that far, at least. Taking a step proved to require more physical strength than mental, though, and that was recuperating slowly. Visibly swaying on her feet when she pulled back her hand, she quickly replaced it. 

[color=a187be][b]“Perhaps a little help, at least with the stairs.”[/b][/color]