I don't like how this post turned out, but my muse is being a pest today. Sorry if it's sucky!
The interest on the older woman’s face matched her own. They seemed to mirror everything, even that thoughtful look that had cast a shadow over Lucia’s companion. She seemed lost in some distant place, and Lucia knew exactly how that felt. She often revisited her past, whether she wanted to or not was a different matter. Her mind did what it wanted nowadays, and for the most part Lucia had no problem with that. It made things simpler in her eyes, though it did mean the occasional holiday into those locked rooms that held things she just didn’t want to deal with anymore.
Most of the time she would travel back to the death of her mother, or the revenge she sought on her father. His death always brought her great pleasure. She never got tired of that one. It was the other male in her life that brought the sorrow into her heart. That sandy furred coyote with the toned muscles and soft eyes, he haunted her dreams. She would recall how they first met on the beach, their conversation awkward and shy. She could taste the ocean on her tongue; she could still feel his hands on her flesh. That was one of the most beautiful nights she had ever experienced, but it never lasted. Like everything beautiful, it was deadly. After a whirlwind romance that consisted of Lucia joining Inferni as an outsider, having to put up with being a wolf in a coyote’s world, she was abandoned by her prince charming. He took off without a word, leaving Lucia at the mercy of Inferni, leaving her to deal with the consequences. It hadn’t gone exactly to plan, driving the ebony woman crazy with heartache and anger. She had left without a sound, disappeared into the night. She hadn’t decided where she was going, or what she would do, but she couldn’t stay.
Lucia had travelled for a few months after that. She couldn’t remember every location or every detail, only that she had slept rough almost every night and that men tried to lure her into staying with them for sex. She remembered how they had sneered at her when she refused; she remembered how they tried to pressure her. It was no wonder she was like this now. After being abandoned by Snake, feeling used, she was continuing the trend it seemed. Men came and went through her life, failing to get anything out of her except anger and spitefulness. She became bitter, angry. She became withdrawn. It was only when she came across a strange looking female, a gypsy of sorts, that Lucia had found herself in the direction of Nova Scotia again. The woman had told her stories of how things had changed in the land, how the packs had folded and rebuilt, how it all seemed so different since she was last there. This had brought Lucia back, she had to see. Part of her just wanted to see if Snake had returned, but that only brought disappointment. It appeared he was long gone, and so Lucia had to rebuild herself. She returned to Nova Scotia as quietly as she left, bumping into the odd soul here and there, but keeping her head down. Now she was here, talking to this woman. It was strange how everything seemed to work out in the end.
A smile caught Lucia’s attention. It dragged her back from her thoughts, allowing her chance to hear what the older woman had to say. It seemed that she agreed with Lucia, something which the obsidian furred woman found very odd indeed. They seemed to have many similarities inside, and out. It was peculiar, and it made her curiosity grow so much more.
“I know exactly what you mean,” Lucia said quietly, her tone void of all emotion, “rain is a luxury these days it seems… and if you’re anything like me, luxury doesn’t come into the cards very often…”
Having another drag on her cigarette, Lucia noticed how much it had burnt down during her little mental trip through her past. She frowned slightly, but finished it off regardless. Flicking the butt to her side, she watched it as the smoke slowly died out. Glancing back toward her aged reflection, Lucia held out the leather pouch. “Cigarette…?”
It seemed better to ask. Normally she wouldn’t even consider giving out her vices, but today seemed different. She wasn’t sure if it was the weather making her act out of character, or simply the strange situation she had found herself in. Giving the stranger her best smile, something that probably resembled a small creature crawling on her face and dying, Lucia waited to see what the woman said, listening to her next set of words with deep concentration. It had been a while since anyone had successfully grabbed her attention.
“Soran…” She paused, trying to think if she had ever come across this woman before without realising it. After a few seconds, she decided she hadn’t. She spoke again, this time answering the female’s questions and wondering where things would take them next.
“I’m Lucia Cabriel” She smiled as best she could; she never was any good at the positive emotions. She was such a failure. “Used to be part of Inferni for a little while… only an Outsider, but still… I’ve been travelling for a long time now. Only just returned home…” The word ‘home’ was used loosely. In her mind she didn’t have a home, just places she travelled night after night. If anything, the Dampwoods was the closest thing to home. What about her companion? Did she have a home? Lucia was curious to know. “What about you? Where do you call home?”