09-04-2018, 12:00 AM
Natalie's eyes half lidded as she watched the scenery blur passed, though one hand braced against the seat in front for the savage turns. The recklessness of their speed did not seem to bother her; the rhythm swept her thoughts numb of the worry, and though an atmosphere certainly shadowed the car she mostly ignored it in favour of the window; those brief moments when, if she closed her eyes and focused on the faint draft, felt just like escape.
Jay had joked about corn fields, but she'd never thought ahead to connect the dots, mostly because she'd never expected to actually find herself here in the place he grew up. But the dwelling he pulled up to was a farm; red painted barn, a house that had perhaps seen better days, surrounded by a flat horizon and grey skies. The curiosity in her stare was banked by the same caution that stilled her expression back at the ball. As the car crunched over the gravel she showed little inclination towards getting out despite Cayli's bright enthusiasm, pulled as far as leaning against the car door before Jay's words snapped surprised attention from his family.
Cayli obeyed, but furious question writ her expression. Though Natalie had no answers to offer.
After minutes inside he returned with cryptic explanations; stalked off leaving confusion rippling in his wake, like the strain of homecoming broke something inside.
The frustration tightened her chest, though if she was angry it was not at him. Or not entirely. Pressure weighted his shoulders like he carried mountains, unwilling to share the burden. She saw the fissures where darkness billowed, reminded of his head buried in his hands and the way it ached to watch powerless as he tried not to crumble. The wisp of half forgotten dreams circled like old friends. A man digging at sand. The hand that held her back from disturbing fate's path.
Though neither fate nor sense held sway in that moment. She followed against her better judgement.
Despite the swiftness of her stride she didn't follow to demand answers, though the snap of her previous words probably still bit his memory. If it was what he assumed she would not disabuse him of the notion; the aspersion would arm her against foolish mistakes like stolen kisses and skipped heartbeats, all of which belonged a lifetime away. Neither of them needed the distraction. Nor would she prise secrets from his lips he did not give willingly, though she knew she could -- one way or another. It was not what she wanted, even when impatience primed her for a petty war against the betrayal of that silence. Ascendancy's orders facilitated her path here, but she was hardly the most pliant of creatures. She would not have countenanced the journey on anything but the force of her own will; and though she might step quietly around his family, a little guarded, it did not stop her continually following into the eye of the storm if that was where he led.
The soft scent of horses greeted her in the barn's shadows. For a moment she watched Jay like he were something new. No longer the boyish legionnaire who grinned careless at the offer of a sly smile. Perhaps it was the power itself that shaped him now, infecting old wounds anew. Reforging something darker. It broke her heart to witness; a weakness she'd rather he not witness in turn, her gaze diffusing instead to the horse in its stall -- at least until the tie of that emotion cleared from her gaze. She did not speak, comfortable with her silence as she bridged the distance.
Jay had joked about corn fields, but she'd never thought ahead to connect the dots, mostly because she'd never expected to actually find herself here in the place he grew up. But the dwelling he pulled up to was a farm; red painted barn, a house that had perhaps seen better days, surrounded by a flat horizon and grey skies. The curiosity in her stare was banked by the same caution that stilled her expression back at the ball. As the car crunched over the gravel she showed little inclination towards getting out despite Cayli's bright enthusiasm, pulled as far as leaning against the car door before Jay's words snapped surprised attention from his family.
Cayli obeyed, but furious question writ her expression. Though Natalie had no answers to offer.
After minutes inside he returned with cryptic explanations; stalked off leaving confusion rippling in his wake, like the strain of homecoming broke something inside.
The frustration tightened her chest, though if she was angry it was not at him. Or not entirely. Pressure weighted his shoulders like he carried mountains, unwilling to share the burden. She saw the fissures where darkness billowed, reminded of his head buried in his hands and the way it ached to watch powerless as he tried not to crumble. The wisp of half forgotten dreams circled like old friends. A man digging at sand. The hand that held her back from disturbing fate's path.
Though neither fate nor sense held sway in that moment. She followed against her better judgement.
Despite the swiftness of her stride she didn't follow to demand answers, though the snap of her previous words probably still bit his memory. If it was what he assumed she would not disabuse him of the notion; the aspersion would arm her against foolish mistakes like stolen kisses and skipped heartbeats, all of which belonged a lifetime away. Neither of them needed the distraction. Nor would she prise secrets from his lips he did not give willingly, though she knew she could -- one way or another. It was not what she wanted, even when impatience primed her for a petty war against the betrayal of that silence. Ascendancy's orders facilitated her path here, but she was hardly the most pliant of creatures. She would not have countenanced the journey on anything but the force of her own will; and though she might step quietly around his family, a little guarded, it did not stop her continually following into the eye of the storm if that was where he led.
The soft scent of horses greeted her in the barn's shadows. For a moment she watched Jay like he were something new. No longer the boyish legionnaire who grinned careless at the offer of a sly smile. Perhaps it was the power itself that shaped him now, infecting old wounds anew. Reforging something darker. It broke her heart to witness; a weakness she'd rather he not witness in turn, her gaze diffusing instead to the horse in its stall -- at least until the tie of that emotion cleared from her gaze. She did not speak, comfortable with her silence as she bridged the distance.