❛ any love i find will be treason ❜ (@claudia)
Green eyes study the elf with seriousness uncommonly found in Claudia’s demeanor, neither absentminded nor lighthearted; there is no display of contempt either, however, none of the harshness she had reserved for Rayla in the beginning. There is truth in what she says (why she speaks to her Claudia does not know; lack of better option, perhaps, Ezran too young and Callum likely the subject at hand and Soren being, well, Soren).
Claudia tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, uncertain how to go about it. They’re not friends — not really. Are they? Though circumstance had brought them to the same side, it had been too little time for friendship to form, all the more so when they had both regarded each other with tremendous mistrust. Sure, they were learning to work together, and Rayla was not bad for an elf, and she may have regretted a little bit to have tried to hurt her before, but were they friends, really?
It must have been wearing at her, this fear of love, for Rayla to come talk to her.
“I guess.” It’s not unsympathetic, truly; if not in words, there is sympathy in her tone, in hesitance borne out of gentleness reflected in her eyes. “The humans would definitely see it as treason for a human to love an elf, at least.” Claudia turned away, gaze falling to her restless hands, inattentively picking at her sleeves (This was treason as was, sitting beside an elf in friendly chatter, offering her kindness; a twinge of guilt cut through her heart, thoughts wandering back to Katolis, to her father, to the family she was helping break apart instead of holding together. He would be so disappointed —no, not only that. He’d hate her). “And besides, isn’t it treason already that you’re friends with humans?”
“We don’t really choose who we love any more than we choose our family… but no one should be kept from love… not any more than someone should be kept from having a family.”