Zelgadiss curled up in the corner of her room at the inn. She'd traveled so much to find her cure, just to find it had been a waste of time.
When she had found Rezo's journal at the auction, she'd been excited, hoping to find a clue to a cure. However, the journal had proven otherwise.
Rezo's death had sealed her fate as a chimera. The spell had a lock on it that would only open to the unique magic signature of the maker of the spell, Rezo. She had wished for his death, and now his death was her undoing.
She sat in the corner, feeling numb. She couldn't cry. She wanted to, but couldn't. She sat there, staring out at nothing, till a set of legs wrapped in black pants and a swirling black cape phased in front of her.
Xelloss had found the journal out in the dining area. The others were so busy eating, they hadn't noticed it laying out and Xelloss, ever curious, had picked it up and read where the bookmark still lay.
Now, he stood in front of her. He could feel the pain emanating from her, and for once, he didn't like the feeling. He bent down to look into the chimera vacant eyes.
"I found the journal. I'm sorry." He reached out to touch her cheeks, but she jerked away.
"NO, I'm always going to be like this. I'm always going to be a freak. I don't deserve to be touched." She looked up at him, tears brimming in her blue eyes.
"I know my opinion doesn't matter much to you, but I still going to say that YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL. You are not a freak. I've been around for a long time and I've never seen anyone as beautiful as you."
He watched as she turned away, her body shaking from the attempt to hold the tears in. He heard the suppressed sobs she was trying to conceal. He knew she needed to cry, but knew she wouldn't without encouragement. So, not being able to take it anymore, he kneeled down and reached out to her, pulling her into his arms. She struggled, but Xelloss was adamant, and soon she curled up in his lap. He gently cooed to her, telling it was going to be all right, as she buried her head into his chest and sobbed uncontrollably.
When he'd reached for her, she had struggled, but without much effort. It was only her pride that made her struggle. Deep inside, she needed to be held, needed to hear the reassurances, even if they may turn out to be just lies. She needed to cry and have someone there to comfort her, even HIM.
Xelloss wished he could make the pain go away. He hated feeling helpless. He wished he could do more than hold her. He felt a tear run down his cheek. He leaned his head down into the crook of her neck, so he could hold her closer and to hide his own tears.