Well… shite. Judging by the not-Hyur’s reaction (trembling, stumbling backwards-thankfully, the poor girl doesn’t fall on her arse-and stuttering, just to name a few), Selenie’s attempt at assuring the girl and calming her down seems to have had the exact opposite effect. Godsdamnit, where was someone like Alphinaud or Ryne when she needed them?! She was skilled in killing gods and cutting down swathes of those Imperial bastards, not calming down young children who may or may not have gotten lost and separated from their parents!
But Fury be damned if Selenie wasn’t going to be stubborn and try anyways.
“Alright, alright… listen, what I meant to say was that I don’t eat people! I’m not going to hurt you!” She tries. She then lets out a tired sigh, and internally curses at herself. It’s moments like this that remind her why she’d fled south to Limsa Lominsa in the first place, all those years ago, and had become an adventurer. Because she knew what she looked like-a terrifying dragon monster. And while against enemies that was a very good thing, against those she had no intention of harming, it was a painful reminder of her sins, her twisted past, and… well, it just overall hurt so very much.
She looked around for something decently sized to sit down on. Maybe if she was closer to the girl’s height, the girl would settle down quicker? She took a deep breath, and once she found a rock to sit down on, she headed towards it. Once she was close, she took her spear off her back, and placed it on the tree right beside it. Close enough that she could still feel comfortable and easily grab it should things turn sour, but off her back and hopefully enough to further show this strange new girl that Selenie had no intention of harming her. She then sat down on the rock, and placed her helmet in her lap.
“…Listen, I get it. You’re far from the first person to think I’m some terrifying monster. And when I’m on the battlefield, fighting against whatever the hells I’m fighting against, I don’t care, but in moments like this… well, I wish I could go back to before… the things that happened to me to make me like this and stop myself. Like past me would’ve listened to current me anyways… who am I kidding?” She admitted, looking down at her helmet somberly. After several moments, she spoke again.
“…If it helps, my name’s Selenie. And, from what I’ve been told by the people who live here, you could best compare me to a dragon elf. I was just using an old trick that I learned back in my world, in a place called Doma. When I fly fast, I make a lot of wind. And, when the wind is powerful enough, it shreds the petals off the trees, and when that happens, there’s a wonderful scent that comes out. It’s really relaxing, at least for me. It seems most other people can’t smell it, so at best, they tend to think I’m just being reckless, and… well, sometimes, this sort of thing happens. I scare the shite out of them, even though I didn’t mean to.” She explained.
“…I’m sorry. I mean it. I wasn’t trying to scare you… whoever you are.” She softly confesses, just loud enough to be heard, but hopefully, not so loud as to be fear-inducing.
one of her worries is bequeathed from her mind, but it still leaves countless others in its wake. while sakura herself may not be on the menu, she was still someone this girl was fixated on. as fearful as she is, she seems to have grown roots where she stands. her feet refuse to move and her legs are stiff. she manages to let her shoulders fall slightly when the other sits down, but anything more than that is asking too much of her.
selenie was her name. she was... sad. part of that was sakura’s fault. she is then acquainted with guilt. she couldn’t have known, or so she tries to reassure herself, but she still slighted the other in one way or another. her fear was almost instinctive, but her anxiety has led her to judge another much too harshly all too quickly.
“ n-no, i... i didn’t mean-- ” oh, she feels awful now. while it may be true, sakura did initially perceive her as a danger-- but if she’d only known the other was used to such an assumption she would have done better to stifle the way she shakes. even now, she still does. she loathes it. her heart is still racing. she places a hand over her chest as if to calm it, a frown on her face in shame.
“ sakura. my name is sakura, ” the least she can do is give her name in return. “ i’m so, so sorry, ” she adds with a deep bow in apology. “ i hadn’t meant to upset you... i just thought-- i-i shouldn’t have been so hasty. ”
regret slowly saps away every remaining worry she could have. even if she could, selenie is in no state to attack. she has done everything she can to present herself in a way sakura would be comfortable with. though she is not yet brave enough to look the other in the eyes, she can still appreciate the effort now that she is calmed enough to see it.
“ wh-what you did, flying like that... it looked pretty. i, um, i just-- well... ”
