Word Count → 282 :: I really should have done this earlier. Sorry.
Ataxia remained stoic as the witch informed the crowd that they were her to honor rather than mourn. Regardless of the purpose, the girl would rather not have been here. There seemed to be nothing gained by standing in a crowd while she was upset, forced to bottle up her emotions so she didn't risk an outburst. The hybrid remained passive while the slave approached the dark woman; the words we send to you, our brother, what is yours didn't sink in as a sacrifice until the knife was driven through the slave.
Thereafter Ataxia blinked in shock, not quite believing her eyes. She wasn't sure whether to be happy that the red woman - who she hated for living while her father remained dead - was now meeting a fitting end, or be angry that she was denied the chance to kill the woman herself. The competing emotions were visible on her maw while she watched the bodies burn.
The wail from her mother was the last straw; the girl's stress took over her body and caused an unconscious shift into Seculi form. She started to panic when it seemed as if everyone in her vision was becoming taller, and imagined that she was sinking into a grave to join her father in the afterlife. Her voice caught in her throat and would not allow her to speak or let out a call for help, which served to only increase her anxiety.
Only when the transformation was complete did the girl realize what was happening. Ashamed by her emotions and lack of control, the girl quietly weaved her way through the crowd and escaped. Long before the ceremony had ended, Ataxia had left.
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