and there's a glass on the table, they say it's gonna ease all my pain

[lettersfromhome]

WHO: Mia Rutherford and OPEN
WHAT: She spends a lot of time taking care of everyone else. She needs a drink or five to unwind before getting back to it.
WHEN: Current
WHERE: Herald's Rest
NOTES: Alcohol? Bad decisions?

She's not proud of herself for this. But there are breaking points, and she's nearing one, and it's better to deal with them pre-emptively than not, and have a fuss be made later. There are things that are completely out of her control, Maker knows, and she needs to make her peace with them.

Wine helps. So does the ambiance of the tavern, even if she sits alone. There's a homesickness that claws at her, though she refuses to let it take root too deeply. There's work to be done here, after all--

No. No work tonight. Just...relax. Listen to the music and the noise and the banter and try to let it go.

Easier said than done, but she'll muddle through it. Stubbornness is a Rutherford family trait, apparently.

Comments

[lettersfromhome]

At that, she has to chuckle. "Truly? That's very kind of you to say."

'Easy' was not a word often applied to anything she did, and in truth she'd somewhat resigned herself to the fact that she intimidated some by doing no more than standing firm and speaking her mind. Perhaps she was simply in a more vulnerable place, today. Still, a new friend was not a terrible exchange for that small moment of softness.

"I may not always be easy to speak to, in truth, but I like to think of myself as honest. You'll never question who you're dealing with," she continues, straightening somewhat in her seat. "I ask nothing of others I would not first give myself."

[serannas]

"I like honesty. Love it, in fact." When you've been duped by someone you thought you could trust, it leaves a scar, and Ellana's crosses her heart. She would rather take the harsh truth than to be led on, for any reason. Even if someone was trying to spare her pain.

"I'll always speak honestly with you too. On that, you can rely."

[lettersfromhome]

"To honesty, then."

With a faint smirk she lifted her glass in mock salute, emptying the wine in one long, slow drink and setting it down again with a soft 'clunk'. "I needed that, I think," she remarked at last, brow furrowing in something like surprise. "The drink, the company, candid conversation...something feels as though it's been missing, lately."

[serannas]

Ellana grins, lifting her glass in the toast before drinking it down. There wasn't much left in hers anyway.

"Then I'm glad I could help, even a little. I've been feeling out of sorts lately myself. It usually starts small, doesn't it? One little thing bothers me and I try to ignore it, but then more and more pile on top of it and suddenly I find myself in a strange state of mind."

Done with her drink, she moves to stand. "Whatever it is you're missing, I hope you find it soon, Mia."