[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/sfBmfVc.gif[/img][/center]

[center][h3][color=dodgerblue]T H E   W I N D W I T C H [/color][/h3][/center]

The woman's palm smacked against her cheek with an audible crack, the sharp clap of flesh on flesh - and not even the fun sort; what a shame! - warping as Crow's frazzled brain put forth its most valiant attempt to process these recent events. She'd - she'd tried the best trick she had, lead up with a compliment and a dazzling grin, and - and [i]nothing.[/i] No eyelids fluttering in accompaniment with a sudden swoon. No bashful, flattered little grins. Not even an indulgent wink. 

And suddenly, the flighty little spitfire felt very, very cold. Dilapidated buildings loomed ominously about her, exuding a pressure the likes of which she'd never felt, and the distinct chill of foreboding trickled down her spine in icy rivulets. The wind was stale here. 

Old. Dry.

[i]Dead.[/i]

She - how in the seven realms of frosty hell hadn't that [i]worked?[/i] She'd pulled out all the stops, rifled around in her sleeve for every single trick she'd stashed up it, and the only thing her efforts had earned was a slew of epithets and a sore, aching cheek. 

Pure, unadulterated bemusement swept across her face in panicked waves, and as she counted the uneven, lumbering footsteps indicating the haughty pier-goer's departure (six, seven, eight, each heavy [i]thunk[/i] stinging more harshly than the slap), she registered a distinct, poignant sort of solitude. 
 
[color=dodgerblue]"Oi! Wait, I - hey, just listen, I can - fucking [i]wait,[/i] damn it!"[/color] A fit of frustration seized hold of her train of thought, mangling it beyond comprehension; sheer aggravation had hindered what was sure to be a tirade of [i]epic[/i] proportions. 

[color=gray]idiot, idiot, idiot, what a complete JACKASS, you think there's a port in hell that'd welcome an aberration like you? some kind of heinous [i]monster?[/i] stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid. [/color]

Somehow, she'd managed to condense the very concept of glumness, crumple it down into a compact, convenient little ball, and inject each breathy sigh with a hearty dose of [i]misery.[/i] Looking not unlike a kicked puppy - albeit a scrawny, malnourished one incapable of comprehending ideas like [i]'keeping one's hands to oneself'[/i] and [i]'not terrorizing the villagers with one's sapphic tendencies'[/i] and even [i]'learning that extortion was bad, and probably not a good idea'[/i] - she heaved one more sigh for dramatic effect, despite the lack of anyone to benefit from this little display.

Gritting her teeth, Crow shook her head, dispelling that sudden wave of negativity. Frankly, those sorts of thoughts weren't important, and since she was an [i]Important ™ [/i] person with important things to do - things that didn't involve listening to gross, inaccurate bullshit like that - it was a complete waste of time. [color=dodgerblue][i]Aw, quit your whinin'! Ain't worth the effort, anyway - prob'ly would've sicced that little devilbeast on you, anyway![/i][/color]

Taking a moment to prepare herself, every muscle in her legs tensing almost involuntarily, Crow lurched unsteadily to her feet. Stabilizing herself via a clumsy, trembling stagger, she eventually - key word: [i]eventually[/i] - regained what little sense of balance she had. [color=dodgerblue][i]'Sides, you got that godhood to figure out![/i][/color]

Newfound determination pumping through her veins, the reinvigorated Windwitch spun on her heel, looking quite like she might want the wind to tousle her hair dramatically. Her call went unheeded, however, as the wind was quite preoccupied with playing with a pile of leaves a few feet away.

Whatever - they'd have to work on that.

[hider=A Note for the GM]
This is mostly an interlude - I'm planning on leading into a collab with my next post, so if possible, could we hold off on any really involved questlines? For, uh, now, at least. If that's okay, and if it's not too much to ask! If not, I totally understand![/hider]