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After her encounters with Sankor and Ril’o, Adelaida had tried to lay low. Still she stayed away from Dahlia de Mai, if they removed her from the ranks it was no big deal. Her brother hadn’t been back in to check on her, in that little shack in the Dampwoods, but she didn’t blame him. It seemed the days of his babysitting his sisters’s lives was over. Adelaida was ready to let go if that was the case. Still, he and Ril’o had done her some good. No longer did she passively wish her life away, she entertained the thought now and then as a passing idea, but it did not haunt her. Her coat and muscles were filling out a little more, she wasn’t so haggard looking. Maybe she was only taking care of herself because it had made Ril’o unhappy to see her not, but at least she was. Not seeing him anymore, who had become a close friend (who occasionally gave her warm feelings) saddened her a little, but she staying her seemed a worse idea.
Pickles rode on her shoulder, he hadn’t made a peep. Although Adelaida wanted the rodent to come with her, wherever she ended up going, he didn’t belong to her. She knew Alexey missed the creature, and it was only right he should be with her, not Ade. Adelaida had told the rodent this and hadn’t understood his squeaks of protest, perhaps at Adelaida’s leaving without making up with Alexey and Sankor, but he went with he dutifully to Dahlia one last time. There he would stay and Adelaida didn’t know the next step in the plan. And so when they did arrive at the borders, Adelaida bent down, letting the creature hop down. Well Pickles.. this is it, huh? She could leave now, but she lingered a little longer, although she wasn’t sure what she had left to wait around for.
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There was something peculiar in the air and Alexey couldn’t quite figure out what it was; a wind of change, maybe. Whether said change was going to be positive or negative, she couldn’t tell. Her life was slowly getting back on track; the pups were home, Kol was getting better, and Drey was as handsome as ever. Now that she didn’t have so much stress on her shoulders, her thoughts revolved around her siblings, mostly Adelaida. Their last argument had gotten out of hand. And for once, Lexey was willing to take responsibility for her actions.
The masked femme had done nothing wrong; well, aside from wishing death upon her own sibling, but Alexey did not hold such a thing against Ade. They had both succumbed to anger that day, and holding grudges would lead them nowhere. Perhaps the Caregiver would’ve sought her sister out before now, but between keeping up with Kol, Drey, and the Lillium’s pups, Alexey barely had time to think straight. It was only out of pure coincidence that she came face to face with Adelaida and her former companion, just in time to hear what had been said.
While she was overjoyed to see the rabbit-like rodent, Ade’s strange behavior was enough to mask her delight. The Ceriser stopped a few feet away from her sister, afraid of what might happen if she got any closer. Honey-hued eyes travelled back and forth from the Chinchilla to her sister and a concerned frown creased her forehead when she finally noticed the worried look on Pickles’ face. What was going on? Was Ade leaving? “No,” she murmured, her tone of voice barely above a whisper.
Beige-colored ears were laid flat against her head and her fox-like tail was tucked submissively between her hind legs. Rarely had she ever adopted such a position with her own family members. “Where are you going Ade?”
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Despite her sister’s submissive posture Adelaida recoiled and momentarily thought of fleeing. Part of her had been hoping Alexey would show up, but now that it had happened she was terrified. The words Alexey had spoken were as fresh as ever in her head, and Adelaida imagined she could still feel the blow Alexey had dealt her. At least now it felt against that the wind was knocked out of her. Pickles was forgotten and he merely stood between the two, holding his little rodent breath. Yet Ade stayed, lowering herself instinctively to the ground, ears falling into place against her head. She could lie, not this time. Alexey already knew, she was just waiting for a confirmation. I-I’m leaving.
Adelaida swallowed hard and looked away, she didn’t quite understand. Alexey had not, for the first time in a long time, greeted her with harsh words or accusations. Still, the past few months weren’t just washed away and the bitter taste of Dahlia de Mai was on her tongue. She had tried to work it out, for Sankor and for Alexey even, but she was just past that. Past caring for anyone, least of all herself. I’m not sure where, maybe to mom… Katanka would always take in her wardway children, but maybe it would be doubly pathetic, Kata mourning for Fyodor still and Adelaida mourning for herself. They would make a messy pair.
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Alexey’s body stiffened when her sister shrunk back so suddenly. Not because she was angry or insulted; it was just the opposite. It hurt her to see Adelaida behave in such a way, even though it didn’t come as a surprise. The tawny girl couldn’t really blame her sibling. Not after their last encounter. Lexey had spent quite some time rehearsing different ways to apologize but none seemed good enough now. A simple “sorry” seemed so… impersonal, almost devoid of emotion. It was a little ironic now that she thought about it: hurting Adelaida had come so effortlessly. And now that she had to make amends, words were jammed in her throat.
The Caregiver tried to blink away the tears that followed her sister’s harsh revelation. She didn’t question it, fully aware that she'd been a terrible friend to Adelaida. It was her fault. “But I don’t want you to go,” she admitted sincerely, lowering her amber-colored eyes to the ground. Of course, Ade could go see Katanka if that’s what she truly wanted. Lexey knew it would surely please their mother. But she also really wanted her littermate to stay; DDM was her home too now, was it not? She couldn’t leave. “I never meant to hurt you, Ade."
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Adelaida watched her sister, suspiciously. Adelaida had made it up in her mind that they were through with each other, or at least that Alexey was through with her. After the last two confrontations the masked female had lost any hope of reconciliation, and letting Sankor see her in the pathetic state she had been in made her feel even worse. It had been after he left her in the shack, by herself removed of the collection of bottles she had painstakingly acquired, she decided to leave. What made her come back to Dahlia de Mai at all before setting off, she wasn’t sure, but here she was without answers once more.
“W-what?” Her voice shook and her eyes blinked. Alexey’s words had been what she wanted to hear for so long but now it seemed to late. Did she mean them even? Adelaida was ready for something crueler to follow, though that was not Alexey’s way. Still, it was always best to be prepared for the worse. She remembered vividly Alexey questioning her why she had come here at all, what she would do now that Alexey was back home. Adelaida hadn’t a good answer then, she didn’t have one now, and she wondered if Alexey remembered that. The words she had said then so contradicting to what she was saying now.
It occurred to her then that perhaps Alexey was only feeling a flood of guilt. Perhaps her sibling had realized that they both had been awful and that was unacceptable, but maybe she didn’t really want the reconciliation. Maybe Alexey did realize that Ade didn’t fit into her life anymore, they couldn’t be the best friends they once were. And Adelaida wasn’t going to let Alexey just apologize to alleviate guilt or make Fyodor proud or anything of that manner. She would give her sister an easy out.
“It’s okay Alexey… really. I never meant to hurt y-you either but… I don’t belong here and you don’t really want m-me here… I don’t fit in here a-an-anymore.” She meant that maybe she just didn’t fit in with Alexey anymore.
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Apologizing just wasn’t her cup of tea, but Alexey was willing to put her pride aside if it meant salvaging their relationship. Sacrifices had to be made; it was clear by now that both sisters had to work on their attitudes. If her littermate chose to do so, then Alexey would do the same. The tawny girl couldn’t even remember why she’d been so angry in the first place, and that was reason enough to end this relentless feud. “You heard me,” she murmured, not thrilled at the prospect of repeating herself. Apologizing once was hard enough.
She hadn’t expected this to be easy, but Adelaida’s prudence was exasperating. “I wouldn’t be asking you to stay if I didn’t want you here,” she explained, hoping that her sister would come to realize what she meant. The masked femme was being rather difficult, and Alexey didn’t like where their conversation was heading. It became apparent that Adelaida wasn’t bluffing. She really wanted to leave Dahlia de Mai. “Please stay.” What else was there to say? In the end, it was Ade’s decision and not hers.
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It was tempting. So tempting to give in. Alexey seemed to want her, really want her. And Adelaida, more than anything wanted to be wanted. Still, their fight, not talking for so long and the bitterness between them when they did talk, it had been too much. Too painful. The foul memories were hard to erase, and the severed ties between them couldn’t just be stitched back together. It would take work, and Adelaida was afraid that they, and mostly just herself, were not up to the challenge.
“Alexey...” It was hard to decide what to do. Running away, to wherever, maybe really to Kata, was an option. The easy option, and for so long she had been taking the easy option. Staying was hard, but maybe it would be more rewarding. Maybe they three, Alexey, Sankor and herself, could have what they had once. That would be the best reward, better than anything else Adeladia could imagine. Adelaida didn’t know if it was even possible. “Are we ever going to be us again?”
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Honey-hued eyes became glazed with unshed tears as she answered honestly. “I don’t know Ade,” she whispered, trying to find an appropriate reply. She could’ve just said what they both wanted to hear. But lying had never been her forte, especially not when it came to her siblings. Although their relationship was far from perfect, Alexey took great pride in the fact that she’d never lied to her littermates. It was her way of showing them respect, by being truthful no matter what. “I really don’t know,” she repeated, mostly to herself. So many bridges had been burned; all three of them had changed.
Her gaze settled on the chinchilla for a moment. He had changed too. His fur seemed a little lighter and his facial features were different, older. “But we can try,” she offered, somewhat fearful that her honesty would end up discouraging the masked femme. A smile tugged at her lips then. It was genuine, hopeful. She closed in on the distance between them, hesitating a moment before awkwardly letting her nose rub against her sister’s neck. Alexey might’ve been good at comforting puppies, but Adelaida was no pup. Mending an adult’s broken heart wasn’t an easy task.
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Her stomach clenched and knotted itself up at the answer of her sibling, Adelaida knew that the tawny women knew what Ade wanted to hear and she had chosen not to say it. It would have been a lie, but one that Adelaida wanted to believe in. For the majority of her short life Alexey had been her best friend and the time when they had been at odds had been the worst. It had been nearly pure torture. To reverse it and pretend it had never happened was ideal, she was nearly banking on it, but Alexey wouldn’t let her have it. Alexey had to be a realist. Adelaida stood there, listening to her sister proclaim they could try, but Adelaida wasn’t quite sure she could put in the effort without guaranteed results. It had just all been so messy and unsavory up until now, she needed results.
Then that physical contact, the touch she had been craving for so long, came. The simple nuzzle, hesitant perhaps, but it was there none the less. Adelaida could feel the spell breaking, the cloud lifting, and a million other cliché feelings flow through her at once and she let herself lean into Alexey. The closer they became the closer Ade wanted to be, it had been too long that she had been deprived of the comfort her sister provided. At first it was frantic, nuzzling her back, but then exhausted and spent she just leaned into her, resting her weight against Alexey’s shoulder, her head resting on the back of her sister’s neck. “I love you Lexey. I’m so sorry.” And she just stood like that, and would for as long as Alexey would let her.
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