Skill:
![[Image: dcsbjjt-52cff3a4-215c-4aa4-9158-77d8ee37...cgbtcI5RJ4]](https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/50029d8d-3c72-4991-b3aa-f037a31a5097/dcsbjjt-52cff3a4-215c-4aa4-9158-77d8ee3783d1.gif?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcLzUwMDI5ZDhkLTNjNzItNDk5MS1iM2FhLWYwMzdhMzFhNTA5N1wvZGNzYmpqdC01MmNmZjNhNC0yMTVjLTRhYTQtOTE1OC03N2Q4ZWUzNzgzZDEuZ2lmIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.eWOrgUwcIRxUC3VdREmfUyMdDYgsM9ZRDcgbtcI5RJ4)
The announcement was one she'd been expecting, especially after her last conversation with Nóttin. The bittersweet conglomerate of feelings still dwelled within her, a sickening mixture of happiness and vile jealousy. It was horrible, that bitter sensation that left a rotten taste in the bull's mouth ... but Tiberii refused to let her own feelings get in the way of Dalmatia's happiness. The land was shrouded in darkness, but that did not mean there was not room for light.
Dalmatia deserved her happiness. Nóttin, too. And Tiberii would not deny them that. Not for her own selfish feelings. It was horrible, and she hated herself for even thinking jealous thoughts.
Not when Dal could be so happy.
Not when Dawnbreak needed a spark of light in this endless darkness.
So Tiberii would go, following the song of her sister's voice that drew guests forward for the announcement. And it was incredible to see it. The joy in Dalmatia's face, the boldness in her voice. The smile upon Nóttin's lips. The sincerity that lingered between them. They had both grown and flourished with the guidance of each other, building each other up upon a pillar. Just like Dawnbreak had taught them all to do.
It was ... perfect.
Tiberii would soften herself, steeling herself to put on a Happy Face as she often did. The clangorous cheers would guide her forward, the words of her siblings and family melting into her ears. It was easy, simple ... it was ...
... it was ...
Tiberii slowed, her paws suddenly still... motion paused as her gaze caught the misted apparition in the distance. Silver, sparse, ethereal. It was too familiar. It was too familiar..
Mom?Tiberii's voice barely left her, the hoarseness of a whisper lost to the blizzard of time. Everything slowed, the ticking hand of time reversing as a portal opened to reveal the nymph that was their mother. Small. So small. Tiberii remembered — she remembered that body, coiled up delicately upon a pile of snow. So small.
Mom!Her voice was louder, but softer than the thunder of Aurelia's own pleas as her serpentine sister also realized the strangeness of the otherworldly situation. It was a haze, a dream, a farse. It was a farce, certainly. It was just a tired, exaggerated mind wishing for something (for someone) so lost. It ... couldn't ... it couldn't.
But if she didn't try ...
Tiberii would run, pushing forward upon powerful limbs and charging toward the figure until ... until ...
... she ran right through her mother's materialized form.
And all Tiberii felt was a zap of cold, her physical frame unscathed while her mental frame was crippled beneath the weight of realization. The bull would slow, half-collapsed into the ground as she heaved a gutteral sigh.
Ma ...It was pathetic, small, and oh-so-childish. Tiberii was no longer the bull. No longer a woman. She was just a little girl again, seeking salvation from her mother's soft words.
And on this, the day of her sister's engagement.
