Want what you can't have.

Tenzin listened to her and even granted her some asylum with his own words; calming her, or trying to. It was strange to feel the wetness as it spread down her cheeks. She thought maybe it had started to rain - the soil beneath her held a growing petrichor; but it was the rushing waters of her sadness which had caused this. The girl sniffed, blinking her blank-eyed stare and forcing a few more gobs of her tears out of her eyes. It wasn't until Tenzin told her not to cry that Dawa caught on to what was happening. If he hadn't mentioned it, she would have assumed something strange was going on - but she would not have identified this as crying. Had she ever cried before? Perhaps. Memories of the day that the dragon had slaughtered the clerics were vague now, as harrowing as they had been. The following few weeks afterwards were fogged by healing herbs which Tenzin had supplied, in his rudimentary efforts to correct her wounds.

The woman licked her lips and tasted the salt of her own tears, which was familiar, but that was all.

Another sniff, as her throat caught with sorrow she could not name, and Dawa nodded with careful consideration. "I will take any rank. You know me, Tenzin. I am obedient." Perhaps this was why being a leader had been difficult? Or part of the reason. Giving orders when one felt as insecure as she did - even subconsciously - must have garnered a great deal of anguish for her. "A middle rank would be sufficient. It is up to you now."

Dawa shuffled herself back a step and, with a small breathy sigh, flopped to the earth below. Her chin rested against her toes once she had stretched out her front legs, crooked though they were. As an after-thought the cleric muttered, "I am sorry to be a disappointment." For this place was supposed to be her fresh start, her haven. Logically she expected Tenzin to be just as defeatist about this development as herself, since it had been his goal to find her happiness. Was this failure? In the black-and-white mind of Dawa, yes. But she would not speak of such things aloud, not outright. It was her failure, not his.