RP:The Mourning After

From HollowWiki

Summary: The morning after the mud-wrestling cage match between the two witch sister's, is one filled with despair, and Lanara wakes up in the Rolafir's Cabin in Sage Forest. Largakh had spent the entire night searching for the woman, after hearing about the horrific beating she took from the hands of her sister, Talyara. Eventually, he heads to his grandparent's house, only to find that they had performed surgery on Lana the night before, and that she's resting in their guest room. Larz and Lana have a heartbreaking heart to heart, where she confesses that she thinks it's best that they separate and that she plans on leaving Lithrydel. Somehow, the half-orc gets through to the elf, and she promises to remain in the lands, and their bond strengthens.


Room Description: A finely furnished, spare bedroom, at the Rolafir’s cabin, in Sage Forest. A king-sized bed sits in the center of the room, with thick white blankets and an abundance of fluffy pillows. At the end of the bed is a large, rectangular seat, with thick padding to provide extra cushion. The hardwood floors are covered with an elegantly embroidered wall-to-wall area rug, and various chairs and tables are scattered throughout the spacious room. Two large windows peer are aligned on each side of the stone fireplace, looking out into the woods, and a crackling fire is going, in the hearth. A rocking chair sits to the left of the bed, and to the right of the bed is a small end table with a lantern and a bouquet of white lilies. The room is lavishly decorated, yet gives one a feeling of comfort.




Lanara :: The house is eerily silent, and that is the first thing one would notice upon entering the usually lively Rolafir household. The barnyard animals don’t make a peep, there aren’t any audible chirping of birds, there isn’t the clicking of utensils in the kitchen, and though it’s nearly noon and the day is in full swing, this place seems as though death had paid a visit. The deafening silence continues for at least an hour, until finally, the creaking of a door being opened at the far end of the hall is heard, and Theo and Seldanna emerge from one of the guest bedrooms. They walk down the hall and step into the living room, speaking in hushed tones, their expressions filled with worry, and there are tear stains on Seldanna’s cheeks. “I didn’t think she was going to make it… And then when she woke after surgery… I thought she was going to take her own life! Theo… I know you promised her that you wouldn’t tell Larz, but we need to get to him before she recovers and leaves… He only just found her and she wishes to go! I never thought Taly would be capable of such horrors… That poor child… And where had that wolf come from?!” Theo pulls his wife into his arms and sighs, knowing that last night had been one of the hardest nights of their lives. Lanara had been dropped off nearby, and drug the rest of the way by a mysterious wolf, which had howled at their doorstep until he had investigated. He -never- would have imagined to find the naked elf in such a state, and after inspecting her further, he had to perform a life altering surgery. And then… She had woke up. She was difficult, had to be restrained three times, and finally, he had to force her to drink a sleeping potion. Theo gently rubs Seldanna’s back, sighing, and his voice nearly breaks when he speaks, “We had no choice. And… If Larz is to come by… Well, I’m not sure what I will say. I’m not going to lie to our grandson! I just… I hope she can forgive us, in time. And I wish I could erase all those tears, the screams, the blood, from my mind. Let’s… Get some rest. She will be waking soon and need fresh bandages. Come, dear. We will sneak in a nap. She has that wolf to call on us, should she need our help.” The pair walks the short distance to their private quarters, and as their door closes, the witch in the spare room awakens. Lana opens her eyes, albeit painfully, and discovers that her hands are still tied to the posts of the headboard. So much for escaping. Not that she could, in her injured state. The previous night comes rushing back to her and she bursts into tears, the salt pouring into the small cuts that surround her left eye, which is halfway swollen shut, and an ugly shade of eggplant and black. She struggles to remain calm, as her sobs cause intense pain along her ribcage, and she looks her body over, as much as she can, despite having a thick blanket neatly pulled up to her navel. Seldanna had cleaned the dirt from beneath her nails, bathed her twice, and had combed the knots from her long locks. She had also parted her hair down the center, and neatly pleated them into two braids, which perfectly managed to hide the half-inch bald spot at the nape of her neck, which bore a fresh set of stitches. She’s wearing an old-fashioned blouse, that had been neatly cut into a midriff, so that her torso could be inspected, as the healers saw fit. Bruises and scrapes mar the silken flesh of her arms and hands. Thick bandages wrap around her slender frame, from below her breasts, to her hips, and though she tries to shift and take a closer look, she knows that it’s hopeless. A firm tug is given to her restraints, as she sighs, and rests her head back on the pillows. She didn’t have the strength to wield magic, and she’s so tired of hurting, both physically and emotionally. A black wolf lies at the foot of the bed, keeping a close watch on his mistress, and his piercing blue eyes continuously peer at the door, as though he was waiting from someone to dare enter and harm Lana. Every so often, a low growl is given, though he quiets down if the elf is to give the command.

Largakh had searched all night and it wore on his body his face and certainly his eyes. The bloodshot around tuscan colored eyes make them seem evil in a way, but the determined expression on his face made any avoid the orc who is seemingly on a warpath. He needed a bite to eat in order to keep going and didn’t want to trek all the way back to his own place so he stopped by his grandparents, but he realizes he didn’t even think about this all night - he could have asked them to help look! His booted feet quicken and echo once on the front deck, letting the door swing open, but hesitated… Blood before the door. Forgetting the fact his stomach was practically closing in on itself and the sting in his eyes from constantly searching, or the dry itch in his throat from questioning numerous people from where the fight was back to Sage. Some people saw she was made off with some woman - still in a bikini? This was all very worrisome to him. He heard she lost and how brutally Taly defeated her while feeding the fire of Lanara’s mind, but what could have driven them to such lengths? Was her ex that much of a thorn in their relationship? His footsteps loudly echo in the still of the house as he quickly made his way to his grandparents’ room, which startle them awake, “I was worried something happened to you, what’s the mess on the front porch? I need your he-” his voice carries in the house and surely Lana could hear the conversation clearly with that good elvish hearing. He got quiet as Theo calmed him down and Seldanna asks him, “Larz, you look like death! Have you been searching all night?” He had nodded while Theo starts to explain, but as soon as Larz learned that she was HERE he bolted out of the room with Theo after him, “wait! My boy, she needs rest, there’s some wolf in there with her.” He sees it’s useless so he follows him to update Larz on her condition and all they had to do, “my boy…” Theo’s tone darkened when he touched Larz’s elbow to stop him and Larz does stop, “maybe you should get some rest and let her as well. Talk to her after?” He gently suggests as they are in front of the guest room and Larz looks back and down at his grandfather, “I can’t. If it were you or Seldanna I couldn’t either.” This shuts him right up, but follows Larz in the room and sure enough the wolf might growl while the half orc comes nearer. Larz does not care while he starts to loosen the restraints, “my only. Are you alright?” She could easily see how worn he was, “tell me everything.” He gently gets her to sit up and if she wasn’t so wounded he would squeeze her tight as if he would never let go ever again, but he pulls her in for a soft embrace and a hand on the back of her head, “what happened?”

Lanara hears that all too familiar orc voice, and she panics. Seldanna and Theo had -promised- they wouldn’t tell him about her whereabouts! Yet… Larz was down the hall, and would soon be at her door! The elf whimpers, struggling against her restraints, trying her hardest to free herself, so that she could at least cover her face. “I can’t let him see me like this…” Krystan lifts his head, ears erect, and he growls low and long, before leaping from the bed and stalking towards the door. He’d run interference, while she tried to find cover, she assumed, though the door is roughly swung open and literally bashes the black wolf in the head. Lana’s right eye widens, as she hears the wolf whimper, though he recovers and resumes his growling, close at Larz’s heels as the half-orc approaches and begins to untie her wrists. “Go away. I don’t want you to see me like this… Please… Just… Go…” She’s pitiful, her voice keeps cracking, and she dissolves into sobs as her palms are brought up to cover her battered face, the salty tears pouring into her many cuts, and causing further pain. Theo stands to the side, clearing his throat, and bows his head. “I tried to warn you…” His words could have been for either of them. Was he aiming to warn Larz about the condition she was currently in? Or was he aiming to warn Lana that it was unavoidable and that the male would seek her, regardless of her wishes? She’s thinking about this, trying so hard to focus on -anything- other than the fact that her warrior is seeing her so broken, so bruised, and such an utter disappointment. “I need to leave the lands. I can’t stay here anymore… I’ll just hurt you… I’m… I’m crazy, they say…” She’s nearing hysterics again, and Theo leaves the room to likely go and make another batch of sleeping potion, or perhaps to get Seldanna to read her some poetry, in an effort to keep her calm. And then, everything seems to go still in the room, and Larz has his arms gently around her, holding her, as though he could glue together all her broken pieces, and she relents, merely sobbing against his chest. All her emotional pain is unleashed, and she sobs, for what seems like hours, weakly clutching his biceps, and fighting for air, though she downright refuses to let him take too good a look at her swollen black eye. The wolf’s anger has simmered for the moment, his growling has ceased, though he still keeps a watchful eye on the half-orc and his mistress. After some time, Lana explains everything, in detail. “I arranged a ‘fight’ to tell Taly that I had accepted Eirik’s proposal. And that I had kept it from her, because I knew she wouldn’t approve, and she’s so fragile! The littlest bit of drama worsens her eating disorder. I kept it from her to protect her… And I thought that mud wrestling would be fun for her, and a perfect punishment for me. A public form of karma, for my lies… But, she attacked me before I could tell her that I called the wedding off! We fought. Hard. I kicked her, and bit her on the shoulder. She spanked me, stomped on my stomach, and knocked me out. I don’t remember much more, but there were quite a few blows. Sh-She-She… Um…” Fresh tears begin to fall again, as she keeps her face buried against his chest, tilting her head slightly so that he could hear her words clearly. “She accused me of killing our eldest sister. She said that there was never an academy for empaths… That mother gave me up. And that they put me in a mental institution… That-That I’m crazy… That I’ve killed many people. That I have delusions. The whole crowd called me Crazy Lana!” A long pause, as her heart wrenching sobbing returns, and after about ten minutes of this, she sniffles. “So. I don’t remember what happened. I-I -am- quick tempered. And I do have issues… But I can’t remember what happened when I was still in diapers. I’m told that I did turn grandfather into a squirrel, as he slapped my mother. I… Larz… If I’m -that- out of control, or if I was that out of control in the past… We can’t be together…What if I just ‘snap’ one day? What if she isn’t bluffing? What if I’m some crazy, murderous, bitch? I could -never- live with myself if I were to hurt you.” Lana gathers her thoughts, her heart and head aching. “The fight ended. I told her that I had called off the engagement to Eirik, but it no longer mattered, the damage was done. I was deemed the loser and I was pushed and Taly and I ended up kissing. As if I haven’t been forced into enough incestuous encounters already! The judge pushed me back into the mud, and it hardened around me… My sister ran off, fine, aside from a bite and some scratches. And… This massive woman came with brass knuckles. She freed me, and, uh, kidnapped me. She tried to lose our track, as literally dozens of men were in pursuit. Mostly dwarves, with pitchforks and axes. And she got this BRIGHT IDEA to tear off my bikini! So… She literally carried me, -NAKED-, through the lands, until we got to Sage Forest. Sh-She’s a mercenary. And she took me to the place where my father killed me. I’m not sure if they’re in cahoots or not, but she was rather rough with me, and she did a quick healing and dumped me in the woods. He…” Her hand lifts and she points at the closet, since her head is in his shirt, though Larz would likely figure out that she’s referring to the black wolf, which is sitting before the hearth. “... Found me. He drug me to Theo. But… I-I was hurt worse than we thought… And being as I went so many hours without treatment… He, uh, had to do some surgery.” Lana swallows hard, her hand rubbing at her torso. “He thinks I have a concussion, and I needed stitches in the back of my head, as Taly ripped my hair out. I also have some nasty cuts on my calves and feet. Um… Broken ribs. Again. And… Uh…” A very long pause, as Theo returns, potion swirling in his hand. Lana would refuse if he’s to offer her such a thing, as she clings to Larz. “Apparently I had some internal bleeding. Remember how I told you that there was a -very- low chance I’d be able to have children? Well… That ‘chance’ is now zero. Theo had to take out some parts and cauterize others. I’m not sure if it was from Taly’s kick or from the blast through the hardened stone… It doesn’t matter. I would be an awful mother. I’m crazy. And all I do is hurt everyone… You-You should go, Larz…” She’s crying. Again. “I have to stay on bed rest for a few days. When I’m better, I will leave the lands. For good… I… I’m sorry. If I knew I was a raging psychopath, I wouldn’t have pursued ‘us’ because I -never- want to hurt you, in any way.”

Largakh’s heart was racing as he held her so close and he gave his grandfather a glance, “give us a moment.” He does so and if he were to return he would take any potions and set them to the side for the duration of their moment, but he declined saying anything while Lanara was talking. Only taking it all in. Accepting every word she had to say and valued her worries. His hands gently smoothing over her back, being mindful of her injuries and at one point he took her chin to look up at him only to have her bury her face in his chest once more. He takes his warm leather jacket off and drapes it around her shoulders for added comfort and once she was done he stood up, slipped himself out of his boots and knelt on the hardwood floor before her seated on the bed. She wouldn’t be able to hide her face from him at this angle and bloodshot tuscan eyes aim up to her good eye. Holding onto her hands he softly begins as best he could with a dry and sore throat, “these wounds are temporary, just like this pain, inside and out. I am not with you because of your looks Lanara. Of course you are gorgeous, but I only think that because the type of person you are inside makes it so- to me.” Theoduin had returned with the potion, informed Larz it was only a pain reliever and shown himself out - this would be the last we heard of the Rolafir’s this night. “Lanara, my only, what you call crazy and quick tempered, I call a tenacious spitfire. I’ve met crazy and many types of criminals through the jail in Gualon and believe me, please, when I say that you are not.” He places a kiss on the back of one of her hands, locking their gaze, “I know how you feel. About not being able to have children - it’s a spit in the face even if you feel you are unfit, but I see the way you are with those kids in the orphanage and how you happily talked of Eany, Meany, Miny, and Moe. You would be more fit than I to guide children in this life. I’ll take it, I will take you - all of you… No matter what. I am not afraid of what is to come. Not anymore and you are the reason for it.” His hands move to gently caress over her forearms while looking up at her, “someone once told me ‘The present. I think -that- is what defines the end result. So keep racking up that good karma. And live every moment like it’s your last. I know it’s hard, and it’s so easy to think that something is going to happen at any moment, but you can’t live in fear. You can’t live in a ‘what if’ world. That’s not living.’ It wasn’t as if this type of advice hasn’t come across me in eighty years, but it was the person who told me this and it was the right time for me to hear it from those very lips,” a glance down to her pouty lips as he reached up and caressed her cheek. He thought about her leaving the lands and his eyes sting from the tears rimming the eyelids, but it doesn’t fall, “is that what you truly want? Will that make you happy?” He stood now and handed her the potion to help with her pain before gently easing her back on the bed to lay down, “You want to run away so you don’t hurt me, but will you ask me what I want…” He kisses her forehead gently, then the temple where her swollen eyes is, then the bandages over her stomach before he leans his elbows on the bed next to her - only joining her if she wanted him to, “I want to make you happy. When I look at you all I see is the future - love, a home, a supportive partner in my life and maybe adoption… I know,” a glance away, “that’s a little much to throw at you right now, but… Lana. I ran,” he was looking back to her once more, “I wasn’t going to stop until I found you. I thought of my life without you for one second and…” The usual mellow yellow of his gaze gets dim - like a campfire about to be snuffed out, “I swear my heart stopped.” He swiftly swiped a tear from his cheek, “but to ask you to stay would be selfish if you feel you would be happier leaving. I promise I could make the last few days here everything and help send you off even if it kills me, Lanara.” He held onto her hand closest to him and gave it another kiss before asking, “so… What do you want?”

Lanara faintly smiles as the leather jacket is draped over her shoulders, the scent of Larz filling her senses, and the extra warmth is a welcome comfort. And then, he shifts his position and lowers himself to the floor, kneeling beside the bed, and she freaks out, lifting the blanket to cover her face, though upon seeing his blood-shot gaze, she relents. “Fine.” If he wanted to look at her that badly, she’d allow it, even if she was super self-conscious. The bruises would fade, her body would be as stunning as ever in a few days, and though she’d have a scar from the surgery, Theo had assured her that it would be minimal, as long as she didn’t cause any further injury during the healing process. But… Letting the man she had such intense feelings for, see her as anything less than perfect, was unsettling. Only Larz could stir up these feelings in her, and she clears her throat, giving him her full attention as he describes the criminals that he deals with on a daily basis. Where was this going? Oh. Realization hits, and she finds that she’s shaking, though she gives his hand a gentle squeeze as he kisses the back of her hand. Her warrior didn’t think she was a bad person. He was willing to risk it, to risk everything, for he had faith that she wasn’t what Taly had accused her of being. In his tuscan eyes, she was a tenacious spitfire, and not a heartless killer or other type of criminal. Leave it to him to always see the best in her, when all she saw was the very worst. Lana is realizing now, that the public humiliation and the horrors of the accusation are more than just a bruised ego. She cared what one person thought of her, and that person was knelt at her bedside, exhausted from scanning the streets all night in hopes of catching her captor, or making sure she was alright. She cared if Larz was to believe in the rumors, or if he were to fear her, or think of her as less of a woman as she’s unable to bear children. She… Dear Goddess. She’s in love. She pushes this realization far to the back of her mind, knowing that she already had done enough damage this week, and she honestly is still sort of fuzzy from the medication. Better not mention anything like that, Lana, she thinks. The memory of their four, imaginary, hobbit children brings a big grin to her face, and though it hurts her eye to smile so wide, she can’t help it. “I-I would definitely consider adoption. Animals and children. But Larz… I want you to really think about this and take it seriously… I don’t want you to see me through rose-colored glasses, just in case… In case Taly was right. I honestly don’t have all the answers, and I can’t remember things from -that- long ago…I just know that I do have a tendency to get jealous if a woman oversteps on my man, or that I can become overly protective of my pets and friends, and I have taken a few lives… I won’t lie. I’m not perfect, Larz. But I try to be perfect… For you.” Lana’s words trail off as he interrupts and literally, verbatim, recites the very same lines that she had used on him, a month ago, in regards to his prophecy. Her past, and his future, somehow have become intertwined, and the same advice fits for both scenarios. Taking one’s own advice is the hardest thing to do, but she gives a slow nod of her head, her chocolate hues flashing with new emotion, as she lifts his hand to her lips and places a slow, chaste, kiss to the back, before cradling it against her chest. “You remembered. Every. Word. In that exact order…” A pause. “Most think I just babble, but you… You hear me, Larz. You get me.” Rising from the floor, he hands her that disgusting tasting potion, and she recoils, inching back on the bed. She’d rather deal with the pain, thank you very much, but then he looks at her in that way, and she sees his pain-filled expression as he grows upset with her want to leave the lands. She’d do -anything- to stop this hurt that she had caused, and so she snatches the potion from his hands, and upends it, drinking it until all that remains is the moisture ring at the base. She lies back, obediently, and rests her head on the pillow, her gaze never once wavering from his own. She tries to cut in, to tell him that she won’t leave, but he continues talking and as he wipes a tear from his cheek, she finds fresh tears are spilling onto her own. He truly saw a future for them? One with a home, a marriage, and adopted children? She’s touched that he’s carefully choosing his words, as though he knew she was a flight risk, though she shakes her head, wincing as the room spins. She kept forgetting that she wasn’t supposed to do any swift movements, just yet, until the head injury healed. So, she extends her hand, and pats the bed, giving him a small smile, as she reaches up to gently dry the tears from her face. “Largakh…” It’s the first time she’s used his full name, and she pauses to take it in. “You aren’t ‘throwing’ anything at me. I’m flattered that you… That you feel the same way. I see a future with you, too. We are on the same page. I would rather you say what you feel and what’s on your mind. If I get ‘scared’ or if I’m not there yet? It’s okay… I’ve found that I can’t run away from you… Because, I always end up running -towards- you. And that’s where I want to be, always. So… Right now? I want you to get comfortable and come lie down beside me. We can sort of cuddle, just avoid the right side. And..” She hesitates, dropping his hand, so that he could approach from the other side of the bed, as she toys with a braid. “For tomorrow? And the rest of the days to come? I want to spend them with you. Here. I mean, in the lands. Not in a spare bedroom at your grandparents, that’s just weird. I want to be where you are happiest. So… I will remain in the lands. I will spend as much time with you as you can handle! Daily, if that’s what you want. But, I can’t promise that I will show my face in public anytime soon. Or that I’ll reunite with my sister anytime in the near future. I just… I need some time, for all of those things. Is… Is that okay?”

Largakh is satisfied that he had gotten her to see some value in herself, but actually grinned when she said she wanted to stay in Lithrydel with him. He nearly hops on the bed with her in joy at her offer, but his eyes fell to her current condition and he leaned down to kiss her on the forehead, “I want to do nothing but keep you in my arms to sleep then next day away now that I finally found you…. Your health comes first, though.” She could probably see the desire to lay with her, but he suppresses it and shrinks away from the bed to get the rocking chair and place it right next to her bed. His arm rests on the bed and takes her hand in his, surely the wolf was still leering at him and possibly growling, but Larz still ignored it as his entire attention was on Lana. The rocking chair is cushioned and comfortable enough, he turns his head to her and rests it against the back of his chair, “I want you to take a long as you need. I'll be here. Not in my grandparents spare room. Here, wherever you find yourself. My feelings are so strong for you and you don't have to try to be perfect because for me you are perfect.” Before she tries to argue the point, “you don't have to believe it now, but I hope one day I can show you just how wild I am about you.” Grins widely at her, “you're worried about showing your face? I'm used to stares and sideways glances, I still think you should be worried more about being seen with the likes of me.” A soft chuckle while his tired eyes slowly blink, “promise you will still be here when I wake up?” His thumb gently rubs over the top of her hand, “is that so much to ask, Llama?” Eventually the air goes still and his eyes slowly close with her being the last thing he sees…