I'm not about to give thanks or apologize.

[Talitha de le Poer]

[html]

3+

She snorted past the dust that clouded her face, kicked up by the movements and the cleaning. It reminded her of how long he really had been gone, how quickly he had left. A surge of guilt pushed its way through her veins. Had he left because of her, so abruptly? She had caused problems for the men who claimed her as a sister and daughter, returning early to try and defend her home, and running away when things went wrong. Gabriel had seen his little girl suffer, and Ezekiel had chased her across the wilderness. The de le Poer woman exhaled a heavy sight, leaning against the entrance of the cave to take a rest.

Her ears swiveled slightly in order to listen to her brother's words, laughing when appropriate, though it was a dull ring rather than a cheerful display. The Massacre gaze looked out over the snow with solemn undertones she was unwilling to show the golden prince behind her. "I could always visit you, little sister. Still living in that old house?" For a moment, she forgot. Did she live in the manor? Did she live in the caves? Where exactly did she go home to when the sun fell? "Yes, for now. It offers me company I don't have other places," she replied.

With the reappearance of Ezekiel, she wondered if she needed Cotl's company. The orange coyote-dog had been the source of prior discomfort, but he gave her a chance to indulge in the substances that kept her, if not saner, calmer. She wondered if Ezekiel would let her do the same things. The answer that came to her head was the more obvious: no. If she was digging herself a shallow grave in the snow-covered ground, she was certain her brother would have issues with it. And that meant it was best to keep him away from the manor. "I can come here. I don't want you there, it's not really a stable house," she explained, turning back to look at him. "You're so much bigger now, I'm sure you'd be too much for the stairs."

The final laugh was much happier, words laced with jest she hoped wasn't lost in the fact that she was keeping him away from something.

[/html]