RP:Sanctuary In Sisterhood

Summary: Talyara replies to Lanara's apology letter after their mud-wrestling cage fight, and informs her sister that she's taking a leave of absence from the lands, to heal her broken heart, and to figure out what direction she wants to take her life. Talyara hopes to return in a few months, but she can't make any promises to her older sibling. She also sends her a key, and tells Lana that she has been working for over two years, with her blood, sweat, gold, and tears, and that she has built her an animal sanctuary. It's a dream come true for Lana, and a week later she's well enough for the journey, and the two sisters apologize for the things they had said and done in the past, and they discuss their future paths, though both will sadly be going in opposite directions. Taly's parting gift to Lana is proof that the bond of sisters is unbreakable, that love conquers all, and that dreams really can come true.

Lanara walks along the forest path, a hand-written letter in one hand, and a key held in the other. The elf’s gait seems stiff, as though she were hesitant to continue on this little journey. It had been two weeks since she had laid eyes on her little sister, and though they had both written letters of apology to each other, she was apprehensive about meeting her in Northern Sage Forest. The ‘x’ on the map shows that the sanctuary was built a little off the grid, and she hadn’t brought along a weapon or companion for protection, should Taly desire to face off for round two. Lana has a flashback of their mud-wrestling match, and she sighs. She supposed she deserved everything that was dealt to her and then some, for one shouldn’t hide things from their sibling. Though… The chance of having a child was now zero. She wouldn’t hold that against her sister, as it could very well have been Lucky’s fault, or just that her injuries went unattended for several hours. She steps through a hedgerow of trees and her chocolate hues widen in surprise as she takes in the fifty foot high electrified fence that surrounds the perimeter of the sanctuary. Coming out of her stupor, she itches her inner left wrist, before the all-too-familiar pulsing occurs, and she looks to the right, locking gazes with Talyara. Her expression softens for a moment, before she heaves a worried sigh, and closes the distance between them, giving the witch a small smile. “Hey… How are you doing?”

Talyara foraged in the nearby forest, doing her usual round of herb and flower gathering for various tinctures and poultices for personal use, for healing, and for the small array of animals that she kept at the sanctuary. A basket rests besides Talyara who is dressed in her usual leggings and blouse, her unruly locks curtaining her face. Considering the beating she had taken two weeks prior, she looked decent. There was still some bruising on the knuckles of her left hand where she delivered that infamous blow and the skin on her shoulder was still raw from the intense bite. Idly, she scratches at her wrist, assuming the sensation was simply from a lazing gnat. However, as Lana draws closer the buzzing intensifies and the druidic witch stands, gathering her basket as she does, and walks towards the clearing where she spies her sister approaching. She watches silently, wondering whether Lanara was still angry and hurt despite their respective apologies—Taly had made some rather uncouth accusations about the academy that Lana had attended when she was younger. However, when the older sister approaches with a small smile, Taly rests her basket back down on the ground and gently wraps her arms around Lanara, drawing her in for a gentle, but loving embrace. She holds it for several silent moments before stepping back and giving Lanara a once over with those pretty green eyes. “Well enough, I suppose. How are you?"

Lanara flinches as her sister’s drops her basket, thinking she was going to bruise the knuckles on her opposite hand and deliver another punch, however, TKO Taly does the unthinkable, and pulls her in for a loving embrace. She hesitates, stiffening for a few moments, before wraps her arms around the smaller elf, hugging her close, and lingering in her arms for a few moments. There are no words spoken, though the myriad of emotions that run through Lana’s mind are visible, for when she pulls back her eyes are moist. Surprisingly, she’s not wearing her signature bikini today, as she’s wearing tan leggings, a hunter green turtleneck, and a beige neck warmer. Lifting her hand to undo the hand-knit scarf, one could see how worn it was, as the threading seems to be coming undone. It was warmer than it had been in months, as she shoves it into her leather satchel, before answering the inquiry. “I’m well… I’m staying with the Rolafir’s. They’re quite fond of you, you know? And on the weekends I have been staying with Larz at his apartment.” A fierce blush creeps into her cheeks as she mentions the half-orc, and her sister would read her feelings in an instant. Lana was infatuated with the man. There’s a pause, before she clears her throat, and motions to the basket. “So were you gathering herbs? I can’t believe its spring already…I hope you celebrated Ostara?” She’s being careful choosing her words, though the small talk is killing the witch, and she sighs, finally breaking the silence and lifting Taly’s letter. “Way back in chapter… No. Paragraph four… You said that you are leaving the lands… Sister, I don’t want you to go… Emrith will be dealt with, I assure you. But… If –I- am any part of your reasoning for you wanting to depart Lithrydel… I-I… Taly… I’m so sorry for how things went down a few weeks ago. I never meant to hurt you… In any way.” Lana is being sincere, and she tucks an unruly lock behind a tapered ear, sniffling.

Talyara takes a step back once the hug had ended and she reaches up to swipe at a rogue tear that began to trickle down her cheek, but there is a small smile on her face because Lanara hadn’t decided to take a chunk out of her other shoulder. Taly hugs her arms around her chest and, if possible, she looks even thinner than she did two weeks ago. “They are nice people but I don’t know how or why they are fond of me. I only met them once and they have you to fawn over.” Taly notices that blush when Lanara talks about spending the weekends with Larz. “Uh huh, I’m not surprised. Our archery lessons suddenly stopped about a month ago and I bet that’s because he spends every moment he can with you.” The witch speaks the truth—she hadn’t seen Larz since the night after finding the labradorite skull, but her words aren’t heated or upset. At Lanara’s mention of Ostara Taly gives a small, noncommittal shrug of her shoulder. She didn’t want to admit to Lana that she did next to nothing to celebrate the holiday, only lighting a candle on her altar. “Did you celebrate? Maybe show Larz about our holiday and the traditions behind it? Did you do an egg hunt like when we were little?” While a bit forced, Taly was completely fine with the small talk as she wasn’t eager to get down to the serious stuff. But Lana seems ready to delve right in so Taly grabs her basket of herbs and flowers and begins to walk towards the sanctuary. “Emrith doesn’t need dealing with,” she calls to her sister over her shoulder. “What’s done is done.” Taly sidles through the opening in the gate and heads inside the sanctuary, assuming Lanara is following her. “And I’m not leaving because of you,” she sighs, moving towards a back office and putting her basket down on the desk. Only then does Taly look up to catch Lanara’s eye. “I promise. It’s not because of anything you said and did. It’s just…I’m not happy, Lana…"

Lanara rolls her eyes and shakes her head as Taly seems a little sad that she dismissed the Rolafir’s, and felt that Lana had replaced their connection. “Don’t be like that, Tay! We are a package deal. They adore you, just as they are coming to care for me. Put it this way… They didn’t exactly warm up to me, at least not at first. Theo thought I was a prostitute! And he kicked me off his front porch and offered to pay me to stay away from his grandson! At least you were welcomed with open arms.” She chuckles, and slowly nods in response to Ostara. “Yeah. I told him about our traditions and gave him a rabbit. Then we had dinner at the orphanage and the kids played with Bunilla Ice, that’s what they named the rabbit.” Lana hates seeing her sister in this state, and she takes in the sickly appearance, betting that she could easily count each of her sister’s ribs. Concern is evident in her expression as she tilts her head, and turns to follow Taly towards the animal shelter. “I’m glad that I’m not the reason for your departure… But… Running away won’t cure a broken heart, Sister… And… Does Zahrani know your intentions? From what I’ve seen… She looks to care deeply for you, perhaps as more than a friend… Do you feel the same?” Lana is babbling, asking all sort of personal questions as they slip through the gate and into the sanctuary, though the elf stops short in her tracks. Her words fail her, as she takes in the secure structure of the spacious building, the beautiful tapestry hanging from the back wall that has been sewn into a perfect likeness, and the pen full of puppies in the center of the aisle. “Oh my gosh! Puppies! MY FAVORITE!” As Taly heads to the back off, and the caretaker with resting bitch face glares at her, the elf climes into the pen of puppies. There are about six of them, in shades of gold, black, and chocolate, and Lana picks up the pale yellow pup with dark ears, giggling as he licks her face and she inhales his puppy breath. “I’m in heaven! Oh Taly! This place is amazing! Is it… Really mine?!” Tears well in her eyes, though it’s hard to cry, even happy tears, when you have puppies bouncing off of you, each eager for a turn at cuddle time.

Talyara doesn’t say anything further about the Rolafir’s. Lanara could assure all she wanted but Taly couldn’t help the way she felt (although truthfully it wasn’t much of anything as she had only met the grandparents once). Truthfully, Larz’s disappearance from her life stung more than the Rolafir’s but of course now that she knew her sister and the half orc were seeing one another, it made sense; new love was quite blinding. Even Lana’s confession about Theo thinking she was a prostitute doesn’t garner a reaction because Larz had told her about that one. She wrinkles her nose at the name that was given to the poor bunny and shakes her head. What a silly name, even for an Ostara rabbit! “Did Larz enjoy it? I’m not sure if he follows any specific religion so I’m curious whether it was fun or overwhelming for him." Taly opts to feign deafness when Lanara brings up Zahrani and simply says, “you are the only one I have told so far. I thought it only right that you should be the first to know.” Although spoken innocently, unconsciously, it might have been a slight dig at the older witch who had apparently told all of Lithrydel about her engagement to Eirik save for Taly. Thankfully, current conversation is thwarted as Lana spies the pen of puppies and makes a beeline towards them as Venin, the caretaker, gives Talyara an exasperated look. The younger sister returns towards the center of the sanctuary, after depositing the basket of herbs, watching Lana as she plays with a yellow puppy. She cannot help but give the pair a small smile. “Seldanna wanted a puppy and Larz wanted one for the orphanage. Now that I’ll be gone, I’m sure you can handle it.” There’s a pause as Taly’s green eyes fall on the scampering dogs before continuing. “As I said in the letter, I built this place in your honor after you died. It was always yours, even when you weren’t here."

Lanara is intelligent, and she understand that little dig all too well, her dark eyes narrowing, albeit slightly. The way to Lana’s heart was something with four legs and covered in fur, and she currently had six of them pawing at her, though the yellow one in her arms was getting most of her loving. “I may have to keep you for myself!” She confides, as the puppy chomps down on her nose, playfully, though the witch sees stars. “Ouch! Your teeth are sharp, Little Guy!” She gently pries him off of her face, and hugs him against her chest, as a chocolate colored puppy ambles onto her lap, shaking his chubby rear from side to side as happiness consumes him, and his little tail wags with such a force she’s afraid it will break. “Alrighty there, Tiger. Let me give you a turn, too!” Giggling, she lifts the pup into her other arm and nuzzles him against her cheek, her eyes focusing on Taly’s face. She sensed the jealousy that Larz had chosen her over her sister, and that the Rolafir’s had welcomed Lana into their home. However, she wouldn’t feel any guilt or apologize. Taly had their parents growing up and had felt the love of elders, whereas Lana was in a padded room at the academy, and not allowed to have any personal contact with the other students. And the half-orc had assured her that he only met Taly on a few occasions, and there wasn’t anything romantic between them, so she sums it up to sibling jealousy and nothing more. “Sure. I’m happy to help them find a puppy or two… Though I may just keep this litter all to myself! And Taly… You can work on yourself, here, you know. You don’t have to leave the lands. What if you just took a long vacation in Rynvale? There are some isolated islands that are beautiful! You know I have an endless supply of bikini’s that I can loan you.” A smile, as she lowers the puppies and rises to her feet, exiting the pen and pulling her sister into her arms. “Thank you for this, Taly… You have given me a second chance at life and love and finding true happiness. I want to help you to do the same… So even though your departure will break my heart… I will support whatever decision you come to, because I love you. And I trust you. And I have faith that you will heal your heart, your mind, and your soul, in time…” Placing a chaste kiss to her forehead, she leans back, tears in her eyes. “You’ve made my dream come true with this place, Taly… You have no idea how much this means to me. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.” A long pause. “Before you go, if you go… I demand a girls night out, just the two of us. And please, let me arrange a little party with your loved ones, so they can say a proper goodbye.”

Talyara begins to bounce her leg and gnaw on her bottom lip, both physical signs that anxiety was beginning to consume her as Lanara pressed her about staying in the lands and working on herself. “I can’t, Lana!” She suddenly bursts out before squeezing her eyes shut and pinching the bridge of her nose and taking a steadying breath. “I’m sorry,” she says quickly, giving Lana an apologetic look. “I’m sorry. It’s just…I’m not happy here. Lithrydel doesn’t feel like home to me anymore and it hasn’t in quite some time.” Talyara feels tears well up in her eyes once more and angrily swipes them away with a sniffle. “You have Larz now. And Theoduin and Seldanna. You are so happy and I can see it in your eyes that it is true so I can only imagine that he must feel the same, I mean who wouldn’t? And I am so happy for you both, you don’t even know. I don’t know Larz all that well but I know that people don’t always treat him respectfully, but I know you do and will. And he is kind and good, unlike all the others you were with. True, I didn’t know much about Krystan besides the fact you guys left my cottage a mess that one night…” Here Taly gives a small smile to inject a bit of humor into the emotional conversation. “And now you have this sanctuary. You have all the tools you need to live a loving and fulfilling life and that is all I have ever wanted Lana. What I want more than anything in this world is for my big sister to be loved and to be happy.” Taly reaches out and gently touches Lanara’s cheek. “I’m hoping my departure will only be temporary. I hope that when I find myself I can come back here and back to you and find my place once more.” The younger sister drops her hand and looks towards the pen of puppies who are all whining for Lanara’s intention. “I will concede to a girls night with you but I don’t want a party with people. Those who need to know will be told before I leave and the others I will send letters to."

Lanara winces as Taly reaches to caress her cheek, though seeing that it’s a gentle touch and not another backhand, she tilts her head into her open palm, and those big brown eyes become a chocolate pool, as unbidden tears fall onto her tanned cheeks. “I am happy, and I –do- love him… I think he feels the same, though we haven’t said those words just yet… And yes, I have Larz, and Theo, and Seldanna, but… He could leave me, just like all the others. You know how people get sick of me after the chase ends and they see that I’m just this broken elf that craves love and affection. I’m… I’m scared. If I lose them, and you are gone… Taly. No one will love me…” The older sibling pulls in her younger counterpart, sobbing in her arms, as the cries of the puppies echo in the background. “I don’t care if I have a million people in my life… None of them can replace my sister. Taly… You were always the one constant in my life. And I’m being so selfish right now, I know it… But I’m going to miss you terribly.” Her entire body shakes as her sobs consume her, the little witch filled with grief and anxiety over losing her only remaining family member. She had traveled the world to find Taly after the attack of the drow… She had returned from the dead to protect her, twice. And now her little sister was willingly stepping out of her life. Her heart was breaking. She knew this day would come, when Taly would grow up and feel the need to venture on her own to worlds unknown to truly find herself, as she was the more dependent of them both. My, how their roles have reversed! After twenty minutes of uncontrollable sobbing, Lana pulls back, looking into her sisters beautiful emerald hues, as her own are red rimmed and puffy. “I… I have to be strong. I have to have faith that you are –strong- and that you aren’t this fragile child I’ve always treated you as… I have to let you go, don’t I? I have to… I have to be mature and put your wishes above my own selfish needs… And you are strong. And you will make it. You will find yourself and heal and you will return to me. Whole. And unbreakable.” Raising a hand to dry her tears, she nods, before walking away, the separation killing her on the inside. “I love you… And I want what’s best for you, but only –you- can truly know what your destiny is… I’ll be waiting for your return, every minute of every day. And I will plan a memorable girl’s day.”

Talyara smiles as Lanara confesses to loving Larz and the older sister would know that Taly was sincere in her happiness for them. “There’s no need to rush those words. I’m sure the actions speak louder than anything else and that’s what’s important. Just promise me…” Taly says, wagging her finger at Lanara teasingly. “If you get engaged you write me a letter as soon as it happens!” Still, when Lanara confesses her fears and pulls Taly in for a bone crushing hug, she doesn’t hesitate to return it, stroking her fingers through her hair. “Oh Lana, no matter where I am I will -always- love you. Always.” Lanara’s emotion becomes contagious and Talyara begins to breakdown in fresh tears of her own. “And if something happens and you need me to come back, I will, Lana! I promise! I am not leaving you, I could never do that.” The two sisters remain locked in their embrace, crying and clinging to one another as Venin looks on and rolls her eyes at the display of love and affection. When the hug breaks, Taly wipes her cheeks with the crook of her arm. “I know I am being selfish too, but as I said in my letter, I’m not eating. Food is not only unappealing, but the smell of it turns my stomach. I…I don’t want to succumb to…whatever this is, Lana. I do want to get better.” Lanara’s words of encouragement break Taly again and the sobs start anew because having her support and the confidence she shows in her younger sister's abilities to overcome this darkness was so touching, and so needed. After another ten minutes, she recovers, pulling Lanara into another big hug. “We will stay in touch though, right? We will write letters and share stuff about our lives?” She wasn’t trying to cut everyone out of her life, only rediscover her own purpose. “And please no mud treatments at a spa for our girl’s day! I’ve had quite enough of it after the other week."

Lanara sniffles and nods, promising her sister that there would never be another secret kept between them, be it something huge, or even a white lie. “Taly. I’ve learned my lesson. I’ll never keep anything from you again. And you, too! I never want us to lose our way… Because we can always find our way, as long as we have each other… And this.” Lifting her arm, she points to the rune tattoo on her wrist, their unique tracking device that they were branded with at birth. “Our bond.” She lifts her fingers to gently wipe away Taly’s tears, before she reaches into the pen and picks up a black puppy this time, scratching behind her ears. “There’s a good girl!” The puppy nips at her fingers, as she’s in that toothing stage, though Lana doesn’t have the heart to ask her to stop. She was downright adorable! “I… I don’t think Larz would ask me to marry him, ever… He sometimes will talk about being together in the future, and that sort of thing, but I think he’s just making small talk. I… I think that he deserves someone that doesn’t have so many walls up, so many trust issues, and so much baggage. For now… I think he’s happy with me and we have a lot of fun, and amazing chemistry. I love him… Even though it’s soon, but I wasn’t ‘with’ Eirik near the end, for a while, before we broke it off. So though I met him shortly after, I was very much alone for months. I just… I have this fear that Larz will replace me, too. Or grow sick of me. Or just decide I’m not worth all the extra effort. There’s nothing easy about us witch sisters!” She smiles slightly, trying to lighten the mood. “But I’ll always have this place and the animals… In case no one else is around to care about me. And, of course we will keep in touch! I can’t imagine completely cutting you out of my life.” Lana pauses, mid-stroke down the puppy’s back, and catches the eye roll of the caretaker that her sister had hired, and she scowls at the dark-skinned woman. “Lemon, was it? I don’t believe we’ve officially met. I’m your new boss. Lanara.” Begrudgingly, she extends a hand, her grip is far firmer than her employee would expect, and she narrows her dark eyes on Venin. “We’ll be spending a lot of time together, so I hope you do your job, and that you do it well. This place and these animals mean more to me than you could ever imagine. Why don’t you find me some doctors skilled in healing animals? I’d like to line up interviews, immediately.” Lana waits for a reply, before turning to her sister, and this time, her smile isn’t forced. “Hm. No spa days… Oh, I think I can come up with something far more memorable that doesn’t involve mud.” She winks, and realization sets in… “Oh my Goddess! I own a sanctuary!!!”

Talyara gently takes Lanara by the wrist and forces her to catch her eye. “You listen to me, Lanara. Just because you have baggage doesn’t mean you are broken or that you aren’t deserving of love and happiness. We all have walls, and only those brave and compassionate enough to help bring them down are worth your time and love. I’m not saying it’s always going to be easy, but I truly believe you two have a chance to make something long lasting out of this.” Talyara considers her next words for a moment before continuing. “My advice for you is to be patient. I think love and relationships are new to Larz and while I love you greatly, you tend to hold things in until you can’t anymore and then explode. If he does something that angers or upsets you, tell him right away. He’s not going to know if you don’t tell him and you can’t expect him to read your mind and just know.” Taly grins and pulls Lana in for another quick hug. “And if he hurts you or breaks your heart, I have an abundance of green fabric to fashion a new poppet…” Taly’s eyes sparkle with mischief before she winks. As Lanara turns her attention to the caretaker, Taly winces. “Lana,” she says almost in a chastising tone. “This is Venin. She is a very capable caretaker to the animals even if her people skills leave something to be desired.” Taly can see Venin ball her hands into fists as Lanara begins to list off tasks she has to complete and the caretaker gives Taly a look that clearly says, ‘you’re really going to leave me with this one?’ Talyara grins and shrugs her shoulders before a grumbling Venin nods her head in acquiesce and leaves. The druidic witch slings her arm over Lanara’s shoulders as she turns to face the sanctuary as a whole, taking it all in. “You do and I can’t wait to see all the amazing work you will do with it. May the Goddess bless you and keep you and your staff and all the animals prosperous, healthy, and happy.” Taly turns her head to peck her sister’s cheek. “Welcome home, Lana."