The Keepers of Chaos: A Vault of Hell

Adleth: CXVIII

"I.." Vaelle glanced nervously around the room, the anxiety making her hands shake. Adleth grit her teeth, well shit. "What am I supposed to do?" The question broke the silence for a brief second. It was truly a desperate cry for attention, a question that was genuinely fearful. "Holiver, Donna.. I lost both of them. And those smug bastards took them from me! What.. what do- what do I.." A question drifted on Adleth's lips while she listened. With each sentence, more things seemed to arise.

"Donna?" She started with the basics, though anyone could extrapolate who this figure had to be; Vaelle's friend, sister, or something.

"She was my best friend since primary school.. She and Holiver joined the faith.. Then they convinced me to join them." Wait, what? Adleth recoiled a bit, her eyes narrowing with the new information. Holiver had been talked about quite a bit, but the how of Vaelle's cult joining was never mentioned. There was no fucking way..

"Hold on-" She reached out, grabbing Vaelle's hands suddenly. The girl flinched like she was snapping out of a trance. "You're telling me.. Your best friend and boyfriend joined a cult, and then they went and got you? How long were they in this cult?"

Vaelle seemed rather shocked, but not as shocked as Adleth felt. It was such a small portion of info but it set alarms off in her own head.

"Uh.. a year? Maybe more.. I don't remember, they were just trying to include me.. Holiver said he wanted to get married under the light of his god-"

"What the fuck???" Adleth made a few fake gagging noises. "bren nea Al ath biiriar." She cursed in elvish. "So. let me get this straight." She waved her arms. 'Holy shit please understand this.' She begged internally. "Your best friend joined a cult. Then she also had your boyfriend join a cult. For the course of a year.. Are you following? They did not tell you, that they had joined a fucking CULT. and then they gaslit you into hopping in under the pretense of marriage??"

"Uh.." Vaelle's mouth was fallen open. "Well... not really.." The girl frowned opening her mouth several times to say something. "I don't.. Know.. what to.. Uh.." alrighty, she was starting to make sense to the former cultist. Did this work on Markos? "T-they were my friends Adleth! I- wanted to marry Holiver! I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him ok? I.. it wasn't like that, they didn't trick me.."

"Yes.. It kinda sounds like they did to me." She paused, giving the girl a second to react. "And, to be fair, I was insinuating they were manipulating you. I never said trick. Based on that, it seems you've already come to part of the conclusion on your own." She had stolen a lot of wallets, transporting tons of goods for interested parties. However, Adleth's experience with manipulation and toying with others' feelings was.. Nonexistent.

"W- I.." Vaelle reached up grabbing the roots of her hair, Adleth flinched watching the girl pull and tear at her head in anguish. "Donna was good to me!" She screamed. "S-she.. She helped me escape my dad, she was the one who helped me talk to Holiver! Holiver was always there. He helped me open my shop-" Vaelle paused, her bottom lip was trembling. "My shop.."

"And yet, they also pulled you into a cult which made you lose that shop and probably do more. Seriously girl, are you not getting this? I can't speak for all of your past, but very clearly these people were not good for you." her voice drifted off, Adleth thought about her own life. Elrora. The events of that year.. Ah fuck.

"I-I what do you want me to say?!" The girl hung her head in defeat, probably still trying to convince herself everything that happened was fine. Adleth scooted closer, this was something she could relate to. Tears were starting to hit the oak floor, spilling out of the wounded girl.

"If you're sad, cry. If you're angry, scream. If you're going through something if you need people. Tell us, fuck. Vaelle I'm not great at this whole talking to shitheads in the party, but seriously. I know a toxic relationship when I hear one." Vaelle's face twisted into a look of disgust and sorrow, like so many things were starting to dawn on her at once. "Fuck, if Elrora did this shit to me there would be murder."