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[center][sub]Interacting with: [@The Muse][/sub][/center]

[color=lightgray]Charlotte felt the tension in her shoulders fade as Eris spoke. Her words were not filled with reprimand, but care and reassurance. It was nice to be in the company of someone who spoke [i]to her[/i], and not someone who barked orders [i]at her[/i].

In the moment of silence that followed Eris’ question, Charlotte let her posture relax out of its parade-rest stance and let out a small sigh of relief. The weight of her armor was becoming more obvious with every passing minute, and though it seemed like Eris had almost given her permission to remove it, the fear of a superior officer walking in far out-weighed the desire to remove it.

She had already taken the dive into her own figurative grave with Aliseth, there was no reason to keep digging it deeper.

[color=A54343]“Oh… Tea would be lovely, thank you,”[/color] She smiled nervously towards the Sage, her eyes looking around the room out of habit, [color=A54343]“This is a very nice place you have here. Reminds me a bit of home.”[/color]

[color=A54343]“I miss it, y’know? Home? The bustling streets of the city, my family… all of it,”[/color] Charlotte took a seat on the floor near the fire, her hands outstretched towards it with palms open, [color=A54343]“My little brother will be starting his tutoring soon. He wants to be a sage, much like yourself,”[/color] her voice hovered on sadness for a moment, her eyes staring off into nothing, [color=A54343]“He’d do these party tricks at our tavern, making people’s drinks slide across the counter like they had a mind of their own, or lighting the hearthfire with the snap of his fingers.”[/color]

[color=A54343]“He’s a natural… … … you’d like him.”[/color] The words came out in cheerful melancholy as she drew her legs towards her chest. Though she tried her best to hide it, Charlotte’s face was conflicted in a fight between pride and sadness.

[color=A54343]“I… I don’t know why I ever left. I don’t know why I ever thought becoming a guard was a good idea,”[/color] her voice darkened, [color=A54343]“All I’ve done is make mistakes, and hurt people in the process.”[/color]

She let out a long sigh, letting her head fall until her forehead rested on her knees.

[color=A54343]“And everyone just… yells at me… puts me through hell because I’m the new kid and I don’t know any better. The only person…”[/color] she paused as her voice broke, letting out a shaky breath but refusing to let the tears that had built in her eyes fall down, [color=A54343]“T-the only person who genuinely seemed to give a shit about t-training me… d-died last night.”[/color]

Sir Abel’s face came into her mind as she shut her eyes for a moment, and she fought back tears once again. The recruit sat there in silence for a long moment, before slowly raising her head back up and staring into the fire. 

[color=A54343]“I’m sorry.”[/color] She feigned brushing a strand of hair from her face as she wiped a tear from her eye, [color=A54343]“D-do you need any help making the tea?”[/color] She smiled sadly towards Eris, her eyes now bloodshot and glassy from the tears.[/color]