Clementine Linette Gable was a vibrant young woman. Pay attention to the “was”. The epitome of careless youth, a dreamer, the kind that would twirl round and round in her room thinking of whatever had been that particular phase’s flavor. That was probably Ethan, that guy was – oof – he was twirl-worthy. But again…there’s that “was”. The current Clementine, the one sulking amongst the landscape that so perfectly reflected the barren fields of her mind, was nothing more than an overdramatic shell. She hadn’t cried…well, not that much. It was now the day after the apocalypse. The big 2, huh. She was..she wasn’t ready! Where was her fantasy? Her giant group of friends, her SMOKING hot future husband who’d take her out on dates and promise her forever in front of a sea just as stormy as his true-blue eyes. Sorry, she has a type. Clementine bowed her head, a long sigh dripping from her lips. The afternoon was cold, cold as her fragile little heart. But she felt nothing, nothing but this…emptiness. How many promises was the universe going to break? And…which ones was it going to keep? @Fíonn "Speech" I may never sleep tonight *image referenced by Sebastian Niedlich on Flickr under creative commons liscense 2.0*

Ashen memories curled within his nose as he padded through the barren expanse of blackened trees. Soot clung to his otherwise blush fur, and his brow crinkled as he wound through the labyrinth of death. He was hoping to taek a break from his pride, just for a moment, but finding this place wasn't eactly his idea of relaxing.

Sadness clung here, a morose shadow clinging to an otherwise vibrant isle. It wasn't eerie by any means, but it looked akin to heartache. The environment was longing for what it used to be, craving to have its vibrant deep greens and teeming wildlife back. Judging by the looks of things, it could never seem to recover from the wildfires that must've raged here time and time again. He wondered if this was what Vasilis had seen when he fled his home after the fires....

And much like the environment, he came upon a young woman looking much the same - downtrodden, searching for a spark that was missing within her. She looked wrong here, young and brightly coloured, a shining star against the scorch mark that they had found themselves in.

Miss? he called, baritone voice soft and firm, carried on by a gentle breeze, Are you lost?

@Clementine

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So, there she was. The thoughts swirling around her like a dark cloud, one of her own making yet…it felt so impossible to get out of it. She relished it, in a way. Relished the pain, each tiny scratch she made over her own heart. It was the simple high of feeling something, as if the severity of the pain made something just…matter. This…this was something she knew, right? The heart break, the sad walks under the rain. This is when the music gets louder and louder and the montage place. THIS made sense. The rest of it…not quite so much. Why was this fairy tale such a crazy carriage ride? Suddenly a voice pipped up, and there was the faintest stirring in her heart. Maybe this was it. The start of it all. And yet…all she felt was empty. All she felt was lied to. YES! Lied to. Oh, she was SO…angry. After being told her entire life to wait for Mr. Right and he just…ugh…he refused to show. Clementine looked behind her, at the man who looked so much like her. Out of place. Right out of some storybook picture. Was he just as angry as she was? Just as…frustrated. She managed a tiny, half-moon smile, her shoulders rising in a shrug. “Can you be lost if you don’t even know where you’re going?” Wow, that was corny. “I mean, I’m…I’m just here for the sights,” her smile twitched, “not in this place, I mean, this place is a dump!” Clementine looked around, almost in disbelief, laughing slightly at the state of the forest. You think your life is hard, Mother Nature? Try being a two-year-old girl! “I just walk around.” @Fíonn "Speech" I may never sleep tonight *image referenced by Sebastian Niedlich on Flickr under creative commons liscense 2.0*

Ah, of course. A melancholy teenager. Or perhaps she was full grown - either way, she was a young girl with a taste for feeling sad, judging by the location and the whimsy in her voice. Much like the place they stood - it wallowed in its own sadness.

An té a bhíónn siúlach, bíonn scéalach. He said to her, bemused by dramatic mannerism., corner of his mouth ticking up in the hint of a smile. So out of place, unlike anyone he'd met so far. It means 'He who travels has stories to tell.' Walking can lead you many a place. He cast a grin at her, reclining back on his haunches. If you want to get poetic, that is.

He made no move to approach - he knew how his large size could so often intimidate - and instead spoke to the girl from a distance. And as for this place, sad looking it may be - it must've once thrived. What brings you here?

@Clementine

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A-a melancholy teenager! WHAT? Of-of course not! It’s not like she went around wistfully sighing hoping for someone to come and ask her what was bothering her just so she could go off on this whole tangent about how insects are weird and they creep her out and she just wishes they didn’t exist. No, absolutely not. You’re tripping. She just has an infant fish face. Clementine cocked her head slightly at the slew of strange words that fell from the gentleman’s mouth. Did-did he expect her to understand, did she look THAT exotic? Well, they were both sort of pink, maybe he confused her with a distant cousin or something. Strong genes, huh? But thankfully, the peach stranger came through with an explanation. A translation, more so. Clementine smiled ruefully, pawing moodily at the ground. “Yeah, but no good ones.” The girl sighed wistfully, looking up to stare earnestly into the man’s eyes. “Shouldn’t something interesting have happened to me by now!?” He was old-ish, he’d know! Well, I guess if you count your mother finding out you dabble with “medicinal” herbs and kicking you out of the house counts as interesting. Maybe she should’ve apologized, you know? Gone back, been a good girl, let her mother set her up with some nice, decent guy who would at least try to love her for two years until the newer model came along. Nah, better alone than with shitty company, right ladies? YEAH. WOO. Come on guys it’s a belated birthday party! He stayed in place, and Clementine wondered whether he had cooties or simply was being polite. She took a tentative couple steps towards him and sat gingerly. “Nothing, just came to mourn my 2nd birthday, that’s all.” Her freckled shoulders lifted in an attempt at a nonchalant shrug. “What about you?” @Fíonn "Speech" I may never sleep tonight *image referenced by Sebastian Niedlich on Flickr under creative commons liscense 2.0*

Though she was clearly upset by her circumstances, Fionn was bemused - one who perhaps didn't yet understand her potential, her futures. Moping was the only thing stopping her from finding something interesting.

Mourning what, exactly? he humoured her from where he sat, face neutral but a fatherly crinkle at the corners of his eyes, You've your whole life ahead of you, after all. The only person who dictates what happens to you is you - and you happen to be sat here in a burnt smear on the earth, mourning your second birthday.

He watched her closely, his intentions entirely good-natured. Perhaps a young, blooming woman unsure of her place in the world, in need of a faint reminder that interesting things don't just happen to people; rather, interesting people make things happen. What do you want from your life, hm?

@Clementine

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OOC: Marked M for slightly strong language! “I don’t know, I mean…I do know!” Clementine’s brow furrowed as a sudden anger flared up inside her, like a big red fist clutching her stomach. “Turning two’s supposed to be fun. An adventure! But I’m here away from all my family, and-and I don’t have any friends!” Her large, fish-like eyes were glassy and gloppy with tears. “I didn’t even get to have a party, and your second birthday party is the ONE YOU’ll CHERISH FOREVER!!” Clementine crumbled into a furry mass of pink mane and sobs, of hiccups and snot. “I just wanna go home!” There were only snippets, bits and pieces that she heard of his speech before she broke down. She raised her head, face wet and swollen, eyes red … “But-But it’s not like I can dictate who becomes my friend, or at least someone who likes me enough to throw me a party.” She sniffed, staring at the ground angrily. “And-And I tried the whole taking control of my life thing, I left my home, I became independent, I said screw you Mom and came to this, ” Clementine breathed in, “SHITHOLE of an island!” And then he asked her what she wanted. Her. What SHE wanted. Oh, honey. You just made the biggest mistake of your silly little man life. “I want…I want everything!” The lioness shook her head as if the realization was too much to bear, the magnitude of the desire far too great to even think of. “I want a den overlooking the ocean, a really, REALLY hot boyfriend that makes everyone back home absolutely jealous and you know for us to get married and have a bunch of kids and I have a ton of friends and we’re like this hot mom squad…” Clementine tried to meet the stranger’s eyes. “You get it, right?” @Fíonn "Speech" I may never sleep tonight *image referenced by Sebastian Niedlich on Flickr under creative commons liscense 2.0*

Her outburst had his ears swivelling back, but he was not cowed. She was young, yearning for something more, just barely an adult. He was reminded too much of Sweet Pea to even be a shade of angry - he only felt a sadness as he watched her unravel. Family, friends and a home, Three basic needs, dressed up in her words. That was all she wanted.

He couldn't help it - he swanned up to her, ever the soft one, reaching a gargantuan paw out to gently try and pat her forelimb. Fionn knew his words had unknowingly brought about ehr little melt down, and his guilt was evident on his face.

I understand, he nodded, Friends, family, and a home. he said simply, man of few words. You've done well to come this far by yourself, you know. It's no small feat to try and become independant with no-one supporting you. Much less in whole new place.

Genuine sincerity laced every word. A bit of recognition. Even older as he was, he'd found it hard traversing this place with no-one in his corner. He watched her with deep green eyes.

You know, we can egt you one of those things. he said with a half-cocked grin, A den by the ocean, I mean.

@Clementine

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This-This was it, right? Now she’d have to finally pack up, give up, and go home with her tail between her legs. And everyone would tell her I told you so. Everyone would tell her that it was for the best. That she wasn’t one of those adventuring types. After all, didn’t she want her life to be a fairytale? Here it was, the role of a lifetime. The princess in the tower, the damsel in distress. This is what she wanted? Isn’t it? But before she could spiral, before the little light inside of her could fully die out…he patted her. Clementine looked up at the pink titan’s face, wide-eyed, lips parted. When he spoke, he didn’t pile on suggestions on how to fix it, didn’t tell her to be grateful. He didn’t try and stop her from feeling this way. Just…let her feel. And understood. It made her feel slightly more at peace. She didn’t want a crown…or a prince…or even a big ass castle. What she truly wanted…was to be more. For them to see her as more. Not-not the girl who’s pretty, but not pretty enough to stand out. But the girl who she wanted to be, the one she knew she could be. Someone whole. Someone alive. Sadly, one conversation, one epiphany wasn’t going to fix it. But hey, it made her feel better. “Thanks,” she sniffled. “It’s been really hard.” It had! It truly had. For so long she’d been afraid of acknowledging that face. What if that meant she was weak? That she wasn’t cut out for the kind of life she dreamed of? Well, now she fully gave into the thought. She’d come such a long way. Not bad for a damsel in distress. Clementine rubbed her nose with the back of her paw, peeking up at the man through thick, wet lashes. He spoke of dens by the ocean. “Really?” She hiccupped. “Oh good, cause I was afraid you were asking to be my boyfriend.” @Fíonn "Speech" I may never sleep tonight *image referenced by Sebastian Niedlich on Flickr under creative commons liscense 2.0*