#talisa eriluin

The struggles that Talisa had gone through in her early life were something no child should ever face. Shunned by her light elven peers as a child only because her jet-black hair was considered a bad omen, she did not have it easy. She left the village when she felt she was ready with the skills she taught herself, never looking back to the people that had treated her so horribly and just leaving her original name with them. The fact that she didn't even remember what her birth name was stood to show what she thought of the people she used to think of as her parents. Talisa was the name she had chosen for herself, and that's all she was known as while she struck out on her own.

And then she met Aurora and Cronus.

The memory of how she met them brought a small laugh from her and she shook her head. Caught with her arm down in a bag of holding, and taken to the dark elven sorceress. Instead of punishing her, Aurora had taken her in and let her begin to start on the next chapter in her life. And that had taken her along the path to Eagle's Splendor, the ancestral shortsword of her former family wielded by Aniril Eriluin. She had found her last name in that crypt she found the mithril blade in as well, and she had once more had a full name to be known as.

Then, she had met Viera Aria when she and her sister had joined with New Dawn. Over time, Talisa had begun to feel something within her when it came to the then-simple worshipper of Ayukoi. Talisa didn't know what the feeling was, and it admittedly scared her. Viera had loved to tease her and Talisa had grown to love spending time with Viera. Viera's teasing was nothing malicious but playful, and sweet most times. The young rogue never knew how to respond to the teasing, but she liked the feeling it left her with. They slowly began to sleep together in the same bed some nights with Viera holding her closely to her, and they have had sex a good few times as well. The way Viera held her was so comforting and warm, her kisses soft and gentle, and her hands were experienced and caring. She had never felt the touch of another person like that before, and that first time she felt that touch, she had cried. She never noticed it before then, but she had been so starved of affection her entire life up until she met Aurora and when Aurora started acting so... motherly to her and show her such motherly affection, and when Cronus started showing the affection of a big brother, it was enough to bring tears to her eyes. And then with Viera, feeling the priestess' soft and loving touch as they had sex for the first time, she had just broke down in Viera's arms and hugged her tight. That night was a turning point in their relationship, and now Talisa's feelings for Viera had manifested into something she didn't know about at all.

One night in New Dawn Keep, Talisa roamed the ironstone and wooden halls until she came to the door of the red dragon descendant's chambers. The feeling she felt inside her had grown almost unbearable, and she needed to speak with Viera about it before it affected her in her next quest. She took a few moments to collect her thoughts and take a few deep breaths, and she lightly rapped on the door with her knuckles.

Soon, the door opened to reveal Viera in her night robes, worn loosely much like the robes she wears casually. When Viera saw who exactly knocked on her door, she gave a soft smile. "Oh, hello dear. Did you need anything?"

"Viera, may we... speak?" Talisa asked her quietly.

Viera knew that Talisa was a soft-spoken person most of the time, but she heard the tone of the smaller woman's voice and knew it was nothing like how she had spoken before. "Of course, Tali. Come in."

Viera stepped to the side and Talisa entered the room, and Viera closed the door and locked it. She went to sit on her bed and patted the spot next to her, and Talisa sat down next to her. "What is on your mind?" Viera asked her.

"I've been feeling... strange lately," Talisa replied, holding her hands in her lap, "I feel this strange feeling in my chest but it isn't bad and I feel a lump in my throat that I can hardly speak over. I have no idea what it is, and it... happens every time I think of you."

"Oh?" Viera's smile returned and she tilted her head a bit, "Can you explain what you feel when you are around me, other than that feeling in your chest?"

"I'm... happy. That is the main one. You've made me feel happiness like I've never felt before, and I will never be able to give you enough thanks for that. The comfort you have given me has made me feel... like a completely new person than what I used to feel about myself. Aurora has given me the affection and love of a mother with her child and Cronus is more of an older brother, but you... I can't explain it..."

"Hmmm... and the feeling in your chest?"

"I'm... not sure if I can explain that either," Talisa admitted and sighed a bit, "It feels like it... flutters, in a way. Every time I think of you, every time I am near you, I feel that in my chest a-and that lump s-starts to form in my throat like it is now..." Talisa gulped past the lump that had indeed grown and she looked into Viera's face, "I-I need to know wh-what this is, Viera. I-I can't-"

Talisa was silenced when Viera placed a finger to her lips. "Tali dear, take a moment and breath. We can speak for as long as you need to. I have gone through much of the same feelings before, before Zennia and I left Riverhelm."

"You have? Did you f-find out what the feeling was?"

Viera's smile grew and she chuckled softly. "It was love, dear. You just described how I felt when I spoke with the man that I first began to fall in love with."

Talisa's voice caught in her throat when she heard that. "I-I-Is that wh-what I am feeling?"

"Yes, it is."

"I'm... in l-love with you?"

"It certainly seems so. I have noticed your feelings for me for some time now," Viera said softly to the confused and blushing elf, "I never wished to mention anything to you, because I know you know nothing of being in an romantic relationship. I never wished to push you into something that could make you uncomfortable, but I never knew that this had been on your mind so much."

Talisa swallowed the dryness that grew in her throat and she looked down at the floor. "I-I don't know wh-what to do..."

Viera gently took Talisa's hand in her own, rubbing the top with her thumbs. "If it makes you feel better, I love you as well."

Talisa's eyes went wide and she looked back at Viera. "Y-you what?"

Viera giggled softly. "I love you, Tali. Since we have met, I've grown very attached to you and all I began to wish for was to give you the affection a young, beautiful woman like you deserves. I'm very glad that I was fortunate enough to meet you. I would be more than happy to return your love, if you wish to be with me.

"I... think I would love that."

Viera's smile grew when she heard the words leave Talisa's lips, and she removed her hands from the young elf's. She placed them on Talisa's shoulders and gently pulled her in close, and she softly kissed her on the forehead before wrapping her arms around Talisa in a comforting, warm hug. Talisa slowly put her arms around Viera's waist and returned the hug, and she felt a wave of emotions wash over her and tears began to fall from her eyes and down her cheeks, soaking into the robes Viera wore. Viera placed a hand to the back of Talisa's head and gently ran her fingers through her hair, and she just held Talisa close like that for several minutes.

Talisa slowly began to feel that feeling in her chest start to fade, and it was replaced by a comforting warmth. Before New Dawn, Talisa never truly knew what love was. She was hated for so long, and then she was alone for a bit longer before she finally met Aurora and Cronus. The platonic love they gave her was so comforting, and now this new love that she felt and learned about from Viera was something else entirely. It was... more than nice. It made her feel so good and now in Viera's arms, she felt rejuvenated. She felt a bit like a new person in a sense. It was an amazing feeling.

Viera took her arms from Talisa and pushed her back a bit, and looked into Talisa's eyes. Viera's warm smile returned and she placed her hands on the sides of Talisa's head. She wiped away the tears of happiness from Talisa's cheeks with her thumbs, and then she leaned in and place a soft kiss to Talisa's lips. They had shared kisses before in the heat of passion, but this one was different. This one had much more feeling than just carnal pleasure, and Talisa loved it.

The kiss soon ended and Viera placed another to Talisa's forehead. "I don't know how long I will live with this dragon blood inside me. I may live as long as a normal human, I may live as long as a dragon, or somewhere in between..." Viera spoke softly into Talisa's ear, "But, I do know this. I will stay with you as long as you will have me, and I will give you the love you deserve to have."

"Th-thank you, Viera..." Talisa murmured into Viera's shoulder, "I... love you."

"I love you as well, Tali."

Talisa's life was filled with so much pain and strife. Overcoming the treatment she had received from her birth family and setting out on her own were the worst and hardest moments of her life respectively. But, it all led to the best moments of her life with finding her new family, finding the blade of her ancestor and earning the last name of that ancestor and her blessing to use Eagle's Splendor, and she had discovered what love was with the help of Viera Aria. To see the look on everyone's faces if she strolled back into her birth home with tattoos marring her skin and with her old family's ancestral blade would be so satisfying, but she could do without it. She was happy with her life with her new family, and now she was happy with her new and first significant other.