Bloody Fury and Alchemy

[Flamebird]

Felicity wiped more tears from her eyes. She was still naive, stubborn, and stupid enough to trust people. The fact that Nevin told her his pained backstory was enough, however. Maybe she should return the favor...

With a deep sigh, the chillingly calm person started to speak.

"I grew up in a small town in Eiskalt. Eiskalt was different then than it is now. Back then, the more isolationist society was... close minded..." She had to search for the words. "Traditionalist?"

She leaned her head against the wood again. One leg was laid straight in front of her, her left arm fallen with it. She was making a conscious effort to enunciate past her lisp again.

"I was born to a single mother who had an apparently frightening encounter with a neanderthal. The consequence was my existence." Her right hand carelessly was thrown as body language. Her pained, ironic smile was void of warmth or light. "My mom quickly disowned me and, bless his heart, my uncle had the compassion to take me in."

Her smile became more earnest as memories of that man crossed her mind. It faded again as the cold of Eiskalt, those people, returned to her thoughts as well. "While some residents were passive or even accepting of me, the majority of the town was judgemental. The town officials let the half-neanderthal-" she choked as she spoke next; the subdued but still existent anger spat in disbelief, "-abomination live!"

She briefly shook. Thanks to the potion, she lacked the energy to speak in such a manor. Instead, she seemed dead to emotion, numbed by her pain, as she continued. "But many wanted death. Some even attempted to go outside the law and kill me. I spent most of my childhood in tbe house, and my older cousin had to be with me when I went out. Every time I stepped outside, somebody was always ready to throw another stone at me. Some hurt me..."

Her eyes glanced at the twisted finger of her left hand. This was one of those hurts.. She lifted the hand, observing the finger. The pale blue finger was horrendously twisted. It lacked any aspect of life. She shook again. She had to grasp her left hand with her right just to stop. Uneasy, shaken breaths. A moment or two of uneven breathing, then she calmed enough to speak again.

"... After years of effort, my uncle got a paton by the Tabor family to take my cousin and I and move to another country, Corone. I was eight when we moved..."

She sharply turned her head away. A surprising shame took over her. She tightened up into a ball, throwing blame at herself for even feeling these emotions. "Tha-that was years ago. I should be over it by now..."