Hello! Since I’ve shown you the GREAT art, I can now show you my crappy high school art of these characters. It’s so bad, I’m putting it down at the bottom.
For now, have an awesome drabble!
^^^
“I think she’s calmed enough now,” Salia murmured as she emerged from her children’s bedroom. Arungeist and Kasimira had waited out in the dark living room, Geist’s eyes still wet as the air hung heavy with grief. Though Kasimira didn’t outwardly show any sign of upset, she hung her head as their vampire mother gestured for them to head for their room. As the teenaged vampiric pair stood, Geist’s green, Kaidan wings brushed Mira’s side. He was so much larger than her, her wood elf parentage lending her no promise of greater height. They were a strange triage of children, Geist, Mira, and Ria. Each had vampire in their blood, but each resembled their non-vampire parents more. Ria appeared human, but with fangs. Geist looked Kaidan, but with lighter complexion. Mira was wood elf, but with black hair and unchanging skin color. For their many differences, the three shared a great many similarities.
Including their intense grief.
Mira kept her back to Salia, who covered her face and breathed in the first broken, dry sob of her own with no audience to watch her. Mira, though the youngest, knew how important privacy was. She’d longed for it enough times since being stolen from her aunt’s and uncle’s village. She had not found that privacy until Salia offered to shelter her when no one else could stand to.
The half-elf knew her new mother needed to grieve the loss of her dear friend in her own time. Mira also knew that, unlike Salia, Ria could not be left alone with her grief.
An uncanny darkness had fallen within the normally energetic walls of Salia’s house when their reluctant father had been killed. The long-lived halfling man Varian, for what he had lacked in stature he had made up for in presence. Now that his presence was gone, the house was emptier. Almost three hundred years of living, and his final hours were spent fighting a dragon. If Mira were being truthful with herself, that was an impressive way to go.
Entering their room was like attending the funeral they couldn’t have for Varian. Their three beds, each pressed against a wall, could have been coffins with the atmosphere so dire. On her bed lay Ria, who was curled up facing her respective wall. They could see her holding her chest, which always seemed to hurt more than average when she was overwhelmed with feeling. The uniquely blonde child didn’t move an inch as her siblings entered the room.
Geist was the first to join her on her bed. His wings tucked in tight against his back as he sat, then one of the green appendages draped over Ria’s legs. Salia’s sobs from the other room did not permeate the home as Ria’s screams had upon learning of Varian’s death. It wasn’t a surprise Ria had taken his loss the hardest.
She blamed herself for his death.
Salia had done all she could to console the girl, assure her that Varian pulling her out of the dragon’s range and defending her against the creature was not something she should feel guilty about. Ria couldn’t bear to believe that, though. She just couldn’t accept that anyone would willingly put themselves in harm’s way to save her. No, that’s not it, Mira thought. Not quite. She couldn’t put her finger on it just yet, but she knew there was more to Ria’s immense self-condemnation than that.
As Mira also took a seat with Geist, the Kaidan rubbed Ria’s back gently. The soft touch made the girl go tense. Ria wasn’t much older than Mira, but sometimes Mira felt like she was much more jaded than the other to loss. While each of their demons were far from them, the pair were still haunted by them. Ria was just more vocal about her demons than Mira, so seeing her so still and quiet was jarring.
The half-elf tentatively ran her fingers through Ria’s light hair. It was an old habit she had, one that used to soothe the very, very few who were close to her in any way. Her hand felt heavier just from touching the yellow strands attached to Ria’s head. A few moments passed as Geist and Mira attempted to continue Salia’s venture to console Ria. They were all hurting over the loss of Varian, but somehow that didn’t stop them from wanting to help one another. For as long as they’d been with Salia, they’d acknowledged that this was the only family they might have. They were not an easily shaken family. In fact, these moments of utter vulnerability were exceedingly rare. It was virtually unheard of for all of them to be torn up at once.
Mira conceded mentally that that was the true gift of death: it revealed just how close those who remained truly were.
A sudden gasp out of Ria gave Geist and Mira a start. Both sat bolt upright, the tears which had been clinging to Geist’s gaze finally streaming down his cheeks. As Ria heaved her breaths, still clutching her surely aching chest, the girl murmured.
“Everything I touch dies.”
The brokenness with which she said the words shattered their resolve. Geist leaned over Ria, his face contorting as he released his own broken cry. Ria turned just enough to embrace him, one of Ria’s arms lacing with Geist’s arms around Mira. Mira conceded to the tug and the three squeezed one another tight. Though Geist was the vocal crier now, Ria’s fresh tears and Mira’s quiet grief were not drowned out. They shared in their space the same, silent resignation to Varian’s ultimate loss. As Ria had so bluntly verbalized though, his death forced them to recall everything else they’d lost before coming to Salia.
This was not their first family. Though Geist was raised by Salia from infancy, the knowledge that he was unwanted by his mother lingered forever.
This was not their first funeral. Though Ria’s brother had not truly died, his transformation into what he was now was a death nonetheless.
This was not the first time they’d lost. Though Mira was jaded from being commodified and used, the memory of her family turning their backs on her remained.
Varian’s passing was one in a chain of misfortunes. This misfortune, however? It was the loss of a someone who had been an ear for everything else that had happened to them. He’d been there to help them through the lasting hurt from all of their respective paths. He was their father, and he was gone.
At least for this loss, they already had loving family to turn to.
^^^
Okay here’s the bad art. It’s bad. Really bad. I warned you.
FIRST OF ALL, Lias and Geist no longer look like that. Their skin is much darker. In earthly terms, Lias would be of Indian and Native American descent while Geist would appear African with some dragon thrown in because . . . he’s a dragon.
Varian, my dude on the end there, is accurate. His hair is definitely bigger and kinkier, and he probably lets his beard go at times.
Ria is still for the most part accurate, as is Misera beside Lias. Kasimira, my girl there, is definitely more androgynous now. All elven clothes are more revealing than what Misera is wearing there, but because elves are all one sex she would not have boobage. Boobage is not a thing elves see on the daily. Also, her hair is all black.
These characters have been with me since I THOUGHT I could draw TT^TT
Rowan Liddell 