forum Roleplay with @Starlight-I-Love-Magic! (closed)

Started January 19, 2019 by @Becfromthedead group

tune

"I realize some others have it worse than I do, okay?" Aurelius replied, a little snippy. He immediately stopped and turned away.
"Gods… that just… slipped out… I'm sorry."

"It's ok…" said Silver, realizing he'd hit a nerve, "I wasn't tryin' to make you feel bad, I was trying to tell you that I can handle whatever you might throw at me…."

"Yeah, I've got that…" Aurelius said, "I just get a little defensive about that stuff. It's… it's fine… In fact, I'm glad to know someone else has my back."

Silver sighed, "I'm sorry if I was being a jerk…." he said.

"You're not, I'm just sensitive…" Aurelius murmured, "plus I tend to say things before I think them through entirely."
He shifted how he was sitting so he was cross-legged on the forest floor.
"It's a bit of a sore spot too, if you couldn't tell."

"yeah…." said Silver, "I can tell, and I don't blame you either…"

Aurelius' eyes brightened a bit. Those were good words to hear.
"I'm glad you understand."

"I make it my job to understand, even when I don't…." said Silver.

"That's not an easy task," Aurelius remarked, "Not at all."
He stretched a little, starting to seem a bit more relaxed.

"It's a necessary one" said Silver, "And I don't mind doing it."

"That's so… kind? Is that the word? Maybe altruistic. That fits better," Aurelius said.
He felt a wave of warmth wash over him. It was nice to meet someone so selfless every now and again.

"It's better than watching people suffer with it alone…" said Silver.

"You can deflect the praise all you want, but I won't think less of you," Aurelius replied, "You chose this for yourself. I hate seeing other people in pain, too, but I don't have the emotional capacity to handle anyone else's problems. And you describe it as something that must be done, but no one said you have to do it."

"True" said Silver, "I mostly do cause I don't want anyone to feel alone the way I did as a kid…"

Aurelius looked interested. He raised an eyebrow.
"What was your childhood like…? Of course, you don't have to answer that if you're uncomfortable."

"It was great up until I was 11" said Silver, "Then the Hunters found us…. and within the hour I was alone in a world much bigger than I'd ever thought possible."

"Maybe we're not so different after all," Aurelius said softly.
He brushed a strand of hair out of his eyes. He was feeling a little nervous and hoped he wouldn't push the conversation too far.

Silver sighed, he knew his parents were done for that night, but he couldn't help hearing his mother's cry, telling him and his older brother to run.

"Hey, I didn't mean to dredge up any bad memories… I just know it helps me to talk about it, so I thought maybe…"
He stopped there and held his breath for a few seconds.

"It was a painful night for me…" said Silver, "Not only did I lose my parents, I had thought I'd lost my older brother too…. at least until a few years ago…"

"Oh…" Aurelius said, finally exhaling, "I'm glad you found him… That must've been hard. I don't really know what it's like to have siblings, but I can imagine the pain of losing one. And I certainly know the pain of losing a whole family. Gods, sometimes you really don't know what the people around you have gone through. It's hard to see through a good disguise."

"Yeah… except it wasn't me who found him, we crossed paths by chance…" said Silver, "And yeah, it did hurt…. a lot… and I had no one…. which is why I do what I do now."

Aurelius nodded. "That makes sense… I-I… wow… That's an amazing story, honestly."
This man took his pain and used it as inspiration to help others. And what did I do? Worse than nothing.
Aurelius sighed softly and gently.

"Eh.. Honestly it's nothing…." said Silver, "All you have to do is lend an ear and some kindness once in awhile."

"Maybe to you," Aurelius said, "Not everyone can pick up the pieces and do something constructive. I know I sure didn't. I try to be kind, you know, but not everyone who's gone through trauma like that can bear to listen to other people's stories and feelings. It's quite difficult, actually…"