A Brighter Future?, The story of Tara Willow. Options

[Athynae]

um, not necessarily, remember mALX I have my own litter.

[mALX]

um, not necessarily, remember mALX I have my own litter.

They couldn't possibly behave as badly as mine, most of Maxical's mis-adventures in my story were taken from my own children's bios, lol.

This post has been edited by mALX: Jan 12 2012, 03:42 AM

[Athynae]

Imagine if you will, just for a moment, a five blade ceiling fan, on high, and a young boy about 3 with a hand full of tennis balls.

Finally result, broken glass in front door, two pictures on the wall broken, and for him who was playing "pitch" a bloody nose because the ball was too fast to move, as well as being too fast for me to get to him from the kitchen 20 feet away.

[mALX]

Imagine if you will, just for a moment, a five blade ceiling fan, on high, and a young boy about 3 with a hand full of tennis balls.

Finally result, broken glass in front door, two pictures on the wall broken, and for him who was playing "pitch" a bloody nose because the ball was too fast to move, as well as being too fast for me to get to him from the kitchen 20 feet away.

ROFL! Now you are getting into things my husband does.

Tabrasa , I promise I'll quit spamming your thread till I get back here to read my Tara and Willow fix, I'm sorry

[Athynae]

Sorry Tabrasa, we'll go play in the Coffee Shop now.

[McBadgere]

*Tuts*...Be'ave you two!...Blimey!... ...

Loved the chapter...I was impressed how much different the Willow section felt...It was more confident, assured somehow...'Cause it was a different person and all... ...

Brilliant...I likes Willow... ...

And Tara forgave her father...Well, she's a better man than I am I tell you!... ...Erm... ...

Well done!!...Nice one!!... ...

[SubRosa]

A moving start, giving us a peek into Willow's past. Also not just one mystery, but two. Who is this Palmer? And who is the rogue mage Willow was sent to hunt? I wonder if we will be seeing either of them again later in the tale?

Some interesting developments concerning her father. He was the guild leader in Farrun? Oh my. Aleksander was quite resourceful indeed, to get rid of the bodies, then concoct the story about the assassin. Then again, perhaps Aleksander knows a necromancer who needs a few bodies?

Then finally an after death confrontation with her father, via his letter. The entire scene of Tara's entire return to the basement was very cathartic. But the letter is the final, and most important, piece of that. She has quite a warm heart, to forgive her father for what he did to her. Certainly doing so is healthier then holding on to hate and recrimination beyond the grave though.

So now it seems the only thread left dangling is the fate of Tara's mother. And of course Willow, and all the questions she raises.



nits:
so i stepped closer
You will want to capitalize that I.

Once the child met their eyes with mind
I am thinking you meant mine?

only to see that Willow{'}s reflection has vanished.
You should have an apostrophe in Willow's above, and that ought to be had.

She found out what kind of a man her father was and that scarred her for like.
For life, I am sure.

She wondered and pondered about what was really going through her father{'}s mind that day
You missed the apostrophe in father's above.

All of her father{'s} apparatus was still intact. His book’s,
And you missed both the apostrophe and trailing s in father's. I think it slipped into books at the end.

With her remaining strength he sprinted to the things still standing and threw them at the walls.
I am sure you meant she, unless there is something about Tara we do not know...

It had her name on it and it was written in her father{'}s writing
Another missed apostrophe above.

I would never let you in the basement had i been alive.
And another missed capitalization of I.

for reasons you couldn’t possible understand
possibly

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Jan 12 2012, 11:01 PM

[mALX]

*

First: Loved the glimpse into some background on Willow!

Tara walked through the city of Farrun, noticing her house on the way. She stopped for a moment to look at it. A lot of bad memories had taken place there. She found out what kind of a man her father was and that scarred her for like.

...but again caught a glimpse of her childhood home on her travels. She stopped and stared intensely and the scene of her horror. She wondered and pondered about what was really going through her fathers mind that day, and she knew that the house had the answers she needed. There were alot of things that her father said that she didn’t understand, things that she wanted to understand.

*

Karliah looked distressed. If only she knew...

What powerful moments you gave the reader in these quoted lines - knowing what happened to her in that house we feel (with her) what Tara must be feeling at these moments; and again with Tara's inner thoughts as Karliah was sympathizing with her.

These were really great ways to remind us of what Tara had been through and draw us into how it is still affecting her now.

The fact that she has to hear him praised and revered knowing what she does - and put on a false front of agreement - you absolutely ROCKED this chapter in the use of touches such as these to completely immerse us in Tara's position - Awesome job !!

I found myself wanting to yell, "Don't go in the basement!" when Tara entered the house, but knew she would be drawn to because she was sure that answer to why would be found there.

She slowly approached the lab. She could feel something burning within her. Anger? Hate? Sadness? She wasn’t sure. All the emotions she felt that day came flooding back hard and fast, forcing itself into her weakening calm demeanour. Before she knew what to thing she screamed, casting an incredible shock spell that knocked the majority of her father’s things onto the wooden floor.

With her remaining strength he sprinted to the things still standing and threw them at the walls. When there was nothing left to throw and no more words to scream she collapsed in tears, breaking down; the break down her body had craved since the incident.

This was a gut-wrenching, emotional scene - very hard to accomplish, but you nailed it perfectly! Very powerfully done, written so well that the reader could easily visualize it as if we were present and witnessed it ourselves - Awesome job!

*

The Letter:

If I was Tara reading that letter, I'd have to go find Riccard and kill him all over again - how easy and simply he can dismiss what he plans to do to her, dismissing how it will affect her - Oddly, it had the opposite effect on her, lol.

Despite what he’d done and how he’d treated her he was still her father.

Not really, not when he admits he created her specifically for an experiment and didn't care how that experiment would affect her - that is sperm donation for research. The fact that his sperm was used is the only connection he has to fatherhood, especially when we've read how he treated her growing up.

*

My thoughts:

For some reason I wondered if it was her mother's warmth and comfort she was feeling - and she probably was safe now that Riccard was dead.

I'm not sure that I wouldn't have rather seen her struggle to come to that forgiveness, probably because I'm sure you would have brought us through it as well as you did Tara's thoughts in this chapter.

Coming as quickly as it did leaves me wondering if she considers herself in the same mindframe her father did when he created her specifically for/raised her as: (worthless except as a useful tool to his experiments regardless of how it affected anyone else)

It feels like she is muting her own worth just like her father did, and minimizing the evil of what he was.

*

I have to agree with McB, you showed a tremendous ability in doing two completely different characters in the same chapter - that is talent!

I also have to agree with SubRosa here:

Who is this Palmer? And who is the rogue mage Willow was sent to hunt? I wonder if we will be seeing either of them again later in the tale?

Agreed, was wondering the exact same thing and couldn't have phrased it better!

I'm so glad I waited, didn't try to read this while fighting off that migraine. Reading then would not have done justice to the Awesome write you gave us on this chapter.

*

[King Coin]

the most awfully wailing sound screeching from their mouth.
At that, I thought that the child was a ghost. That was a neat intro though, even though you decided to save the rest for later.

At first I was unhappy with the ‘assassins killed the father’ cover story, but I’ve reconsidered and I think that’s better than ‘father was raping his daughter so I ran him through with my sword.’

What a bizarre letter. Maybe that’s enough for Tara, but I still think he’s evil. Perhaps he meant it when he wrote it, but that was all gone during Tara’s life.

[Tábrasa]

Athynae: Thank you. There will be more about Willow's past as the story progresses, But it will be spread over the course of the tale. Thank you about you thoughts of the basement scene. It has recieved a mixed response, but i'm glad you have such a positive opinion with regards to it

Acadian: Thank you so much with your compliments! I'm glad you enjoyed the basement scene! It was emotional to write as Tara has been through so much, but I'm glad it came across well and you liked it Thanks for the nits

mALX: Wow! Thank you so much for your interesting thoughts about Tara willingness to forgive her father! Your thoughts about her feeling the memory of her mothers presence rather than that of her fathers was interesting. I'm am neither going to correct or verify this as i love that the story inspires so many therories and thought. Thank you so much

McBadgere: I'm glad you feel thie difference between the two characters! I hope the writing styles were easy and fun to pick up! Thank you for your kind words

SubRosa: I'm glad you picked up on Tara's naturally warm demeaner. She's had a tought life, but the fact she can forgive something so horrifying gives her alot of depth, which i hope comes across! Thank you for the nits

King Coin: I do very much think that Riccard meant what he wrote when he wrote it, but it is very hard to decipher whether or not his conscience was still there during the actual act of the soulf transfer. Thank you for your thoughts

A quick note: I apologize for the lack of an update. As i previously stated there would be an update every thursday, but with my current schedule it is difficult to keep track of Tara's story! But i will update as quickly as i can, and i thank you for your patience and your comments

***

1.2 Beginnings

After what felt like the longest year she had ever endured, it was the day of Tara’s twentieth birthday. Did she feel like celebrating? No. The memory of her last birthday was still burned into her mind; a scar that wouldn’t fade with time; despite her forgiving actions the previous day.

She sat at the dining table with Aleksander and, by the look of his expression; he didn’t feel like celebrating either.

Mildred was in the kitchen preparing Tara’s birthday dinner, singing out of tune as she cooked. Tara used Mildred’s singing as an excuse to spark a conversation with Aleksander.

“I think this dinner is going to be delicious, even though I HAD told Mildred I didn’t want a fuss.”

Aleksander looked up at Tara, a faint smile etching across his face.

“You know what she’s like. No means yes.” He joked.

Tara laughed, despite the fact that Aleksander’s joke wasn’t particularly funny.

“He need’s cheering up, pronto.” Willow suggested, looking at Tara through her reflection in a spoon.

I know, he’s probably feeling worse than I am. He killed his best friend, that’s got to do stuff to you…, Tara replied in thought.

There was a moment of silence before Willow spoke again.

“I still find it strange that Aleksander remembered the note he said your mother gave him after, what? Thirteen years?”

Tara had pondered that thought ever since Aleksander rescued her, but she never really questioned it; despite how peculiar it seemed.

Yes, I’ve got to admit, I thought it was odd too, but what have we got to complain about? Maybe he’s just got a good memory.

“hmm… still, I think there’s more than what meets the eye, here…”

Tara laughed in her head, stop being all suspicious! You’re worse than me!

Not a moment later Mildred emerged with a platter of food. She walked over and placed it on the table. She turned to Tara.

“Now, don’t start yet, there is more where that came from.”

She smiled and began to head back to the kitchen. Suddenly she turned back to Aleksander, remembering something urgent.

“OH! Aleksander, did you remember to give Tara that card that came for her?”

Card? For me? Tara looked at Aleksander, smiling, but was intrigued by Aleksander’s baffled expression.

“Card? What card?” He asked her, apparently confused.

“The card I saw you pick up from under the door this morning? I could only assume it was for Tara, seeing as, well, it’s Tara’s birthday.”

Aleksander looked even more baffled after this revelation.

“You must be confused. That was merely a leaflet advertising the new menu at the Inn. Nothing more.”

“Oh. My mistake.” Mildred giggled as she trotted back into the kitchen.

Tara continued to look at Aleksander. She knew he was hiding something, she could see it in his eyes. They were oozing guilt.

“Tara, he’s lying.” Willow pointed out.

You think so? Why would he lie about something like a card?

They pondered for a moment, before Willow had an idea.

“Right tell Aleksander you need to go to your bedroom for something, then go into his office.”

What? No…

“Why not? Do you want to know what that card was?

Tara thought, she was desperate to know what Aleksander was hiding, should he be hiding anything, but she didn’t know whether she was willing to steal for it.

H-how do you even know it’s in the office?

“Honey, I’m a ghost. I know stuff.”

Tara wasn’t convinced, but she had nothing else to go on. If Willow was adamant that Aleksander was hiding something in his office, it was at least worth a look. She looked back to Aleksander and stood up from her seat. He didn’t even look at her. A distraction didn’t seem necessary.

“Look’s like this will be easier than I anticipated.”

Tara walked away from the table, taking the reflective spoon with her for contact with Willow, Aleksander still not paying any attention. She walked with stealth toward the office. When she reached the office door she opened it and snuck inside, careful not to make any unwanted noise. Once she was inside she thought to Willow.

Right, we’re in. Where to now?

Willow instructed her to search everywhere, so she did. The cupboards, the desks; she even tried the bookcase to see if it opened a secret wall. Nothing. The last place she tried was the work desk. She opened the large drawer on the right hand side. It was full of paper, but nothing incriminating.

“Well, that was a waste of- wait, look!”

Tara looked back to the drawer. She picked up the paper to reveal that the bottom of the drawer had a small hole inside. Tara put the paper on the desk and stuck her pinky in the hole, pulling out a false bottom.

“I’m good. No praise required, please.”

Tara looked at what was underneath the false bottom. Envelopes., and lots of them. All addressed to Aleksander.

Tara looked hesitantly at the evidence laid out before her. But despite that, she grabbed one. She looked at the envelope for a second, reluctant to invade the privacy of a man who had been so good to her.

“Open it!”

Tara refused, but she couldn’t help but wonder what the envelopes held. Aleksander was hiding some, that was clear now; but did she really want to find out what?

Without a moments pause she stopped halted her worrying and opened the envelope. She felt a rush of rebellion as she took the letter out. The letter was dated 13th of Suns Dusk, 3E 427. She read the letter:

Aleksander,

Do NOT forget to keep an eye on Tara on her nineteenth birthday.

Jada.

Tara looked at the letter, confused. She pulled out another letter and read it, this one dated 27th of Heartfire, 3E 423. The letter had exactly the same message as the letter before.

She pulled out more letters, all with the exact same message with different dates of sending.

She sent all of these? One a week for years?

Surprisingly, Willow was silent. She most likely couldn’t think of what to say; and neither could Tara. Tara pulled out one final random letter. This one was different from the rest. It was dated a week after Jada had left Tara. Tara sat down to read it.

Aleksander,

I am writing to tell you that I am safe. Whatever you have been told as to my leaving are most probably lies, but unfortunately I cannot tell you the truth. What I will tell you is that I am currently residing in Cyrodiil. I have taken residence in one of the mages guilds under a new name. Please, do not worry for me. I am safe. And please tell Tara I-

Before Tara could finish the letter she heard Mildred calling her for dinner. With extreme haste and panic she threw the letters back into the drawer and carefully placed everything back to how it was.

She walked back to the dining room. She had all these emotions rising from what she had read. She now knew, finally, that her mother knew something of her father’s plans. But that still didn’t answer the question as to why she left.

A question like that could only truly be answered with a confrontation with the woman who left her to die.




This post has been edited by Tábrasa: Jan 25 2012, 12:03 AM

[Athynae]

I wonder if Tara will be diplomatic and reserved when she asks Aleksander or if she will say anything to him at all about finding them. Then there is always the Athynae approach though I wouldn't suggest it, it probably wouldn't be very effective in a case like this.

I do wonder though, what has Aleksander so distracted. Does it have something to do with the letters or is it something else entirely?

Great stuff, the story is moving forward and keeping my attention. Tara and Willow are learning to work together which is probably as precarious as my children getting along but I hope it isn't too problematic.

“Honey, I’m a ghost. I know stuff.”

This line was just giggly fun.

“I’m good. No praise required, please.”

I could just see her reflection in the spoon buffing her nails on her shirt

Nit: (Just one)
"Without a moments pause she stopped halted her worrying and opened the envelope." That's a lot of stopping you have there for the opening of an envelope.

Looking forward to more soon.

[mALX]

Willow is hilarious in this chapter (example: “Honey, I’m a ghost. I know stuff.”). You do extremely well in showing two completely different characters in the same scene !!

I wonder why they would hide her mothers letters and it be particularly important to watch her on the 19th birthday! Intriguing stuff. Urk - how can she so easily forgive her father but hold anger at her mother?

Awesome Write !!

[King Coin]

That explains how he remembered to go over to the house on Tara's birthday. I wonder why he would keep all those letters, and in a hidden place as well.

[Acadian]

‘Willow suggested, looking at Tara through her reflection in a spoon.’
I love this!

You’re doing a great job of sorting out both the temperaments and mechanics of portraying Tara and Willow. They are great fun to read!

Hmmm – I see a clue. Sniff, sniff. Do I see Tara traveling to each of the Mages Guildhalls in search of her mother and maybe some progress of her own in the guild? Oh, maybe I’m just way off the mark. Regardless, Tara's mother has generated some answers but even more questions.

[McBadgere]

Cool... ...

Looking forward to seeing how much fun that covresation will be... ...

Excellent job...

Nice one!!... ...

[Fawkes]

Ohhh this was awesome!

“Honey, I’m a ghost. I know stuff.” part made me chuckle.

Ha xD, will leave a more detailed comment when I get home, class is about to start!

Ohhh, so the mom was sending letters!

"A question like that could only truly be answered with a confrontation with the woman who left her to die."
The mystery thickens!
Count me as entertained and hooked!

This post has been edited by Fawkes: Jan 27 2012, 04:15 AM

[SubRosa]

A wonderful update. Like the others, I also loved the reflection in the spoon, along with the entire inner conversation over dinner.

I’m good. No praise required, please.”


So her mother was sending reminders to Aleksander! Brilliant! So now we will be off to Cyrodiil, and a tour of the Mages Guild halls!

[Tábrasa]

Athynae: I'm so glad that you are enjoying the story and are looking forward to more! I hope this next chapter satisfies any questions you may hold to what Tara may have in store for Aleksander! Thank you for the nit

mALX: Hehe I'm so glad that you love Willow! Thank you for the compliments. My only notion to Tara anger at her mother is the feeling of abandonment, but TBH onlw Tara can answer those questions... Maybe she will one day

King Coin: I'm glad the chapter help answer some questions for you

Acadian: Aww thank you! It is fun to write for two different characters, and it's so much fun seeing how they interact with each other.

McBadgere: Hehe, thank you!

Fawkes: Thank you so much for the compliments! Im so glad you liked that line of Willows

SubRosa: Thank you for the compliments So glad you're enoying te story

P.S I wonder if any BtVS fans noticed the reference to the S5 episode 'Forever' with Willows line '...I'm a ghost. I know stuff.'

***

1.3 ~ Beginnings

Tara walked over to the dining table, glaring at Aleksander as she sat in her seat. She wondered why he would do such a thing. It’s one thing that he had been in contact with her mother for years on end, but to not tell her about it? It was unacceptable.

Still, despite the subtle anger dripping from her every pore, she couldn’t bring herself to ask him about her discovery. Was she nervous? Yes. Was she scared? Most probably.

She sat with Mildred and Aleksander as she ate her meal, occasionally glancing at Aleksander with every bite of the delicious food. She desperately wanted to say something, but she couldn’t understand why she wouldn’t. Maybe she couldn’t handle confrontation which to lead to the loss of a great friend.

She didn’t know what to think, and with Willow constantly nagging for her to ‘demand answers’ from Aleksander, thinking was not going to get any easier. So she did the next best thing.

“Mildred,” She started, holding the back of her palm to her forehead. “The meal was lovely, b-but I think I need to lie down…”

“Oh, dear what’s the matter? Is it my cooking?” Mildred panicked.

“No, just a mild migraine,” Tara lied. “But I do need to lie down.”

Mildred nodded as Tara stood up and headed to her bedroom. Aleksander was paying no attention to her whilst Mildred had a worried expression on her face. It made her feel sick that she had to lie to avoid confrontation, but she knew that if she had time to sleep on it, she would feel better in the morning. Hopefully.

She walked into her bedroom and changed into her bed clothes. She could see Willow’s image in the window, which made taking off her bra rather uncomfortable. She decided to take her Bra off under her blouse, leading to an awkward moment of trying to undo the knot with minimal room to even move. She couldn’t quite reach, leading to an even more awkward motion of trying to move the bra around so the knot at the back would be at the front, which, again, her having her blouse on for privacy made ever more difficult.

She looked in her reflection and could see Willow giggling at her actions.

Tara smiled slightly before finally removing the bra. She then crawled under her duvet and swapped her blouse for her bed shirt. She knew that one day she would be comfortable with the fact that there would always be someone around watching her change but for now? She wasn’t going to let it happen.

She put her head on the pillow, regardless of the fact that she wasn’t even sleepy, and tried to get her forty winks.

“So what are we going to do about Aleksander?” Willow asked. Tara ignored her.

***

The next morning Tara woke, surprised that she had actually fallen asleep. She got out of her bed and put on her clothes. She walked out of her bedroom and headed downstairs. She stared in awe at the state of the dining room. It was a mess, a mess that certainly wasn’t there when she went to bed the previous night. Chairs were thrown around the room, glasses were smashed and food was splattered on nearly every inch of the wall. The sight that horrified her the most, however, was the painting above the fireplace. It was ruined. Slashed from end to end with burn marks from which looked like- A shock spell?

She continued to stare until she saw Mildred wander in through the kitchen. She ran downstairs to speak with her whilst she brushed the mess into a tidy pile.

“Mildred, what happened?” Tara asked. Mildred didn’t reply.

Tara stood directly in front of Mildred and asked her the same question, but was again met with no reply.

“W-who did this?” Tara asked. This question peaked Mildred’s curiosity. She looked at Tara with a disgusted expression, as if Tara was a lowly beggar asking for change.

“How dare you ask a question like that? You know very well who did this!”

Tara looked at Mildred, confused. Mildred then turned and walked away from her. Tara wasn’t ready to give up, so she decided to try Aleksander.

She assumed he would be in his office so she headed there, and she was right. She walked into the office and before she could say a word, Aleksander looked at her from his chair; a forced smile on his miserable face.

“Tara…” He greeted. His tone worn and empty.

Tara approached him slowly.

“What happened? Is Mildred okay?” She asked.

“I think last nights antic have upset her a bit. You must understand.”

Tara looked shocked. Everyone spoke to her as if she was supposed to know what had happened.

“No, I don’t. Tell me!” She begged.

Aleksander gave a sigh of regret, then rose from his seat and embraced Tara.

“I’m sorry that my deception upset you that much, Tara. And I completely understand and support your decision to leave to find your mother.”

Tara stared at Aleksander in utter disbelief.

“Wh-what? What decision?”

“Tara, don’t try and make me feel better by denying what you said. It may have been said in anger, but you spoke of what your heart desires. Maybe with you going on your journey it will help me find piece of mind, too.”

Tara broke away from his embrace. She couldn’t remember anything that he was speaking of, but she decided to go along with it anyway. If it made Aleksander feel better, then there was really no point in arguing.

“Now, I put your bag by the front door last night.”

Tara smiled reluctantly. She was being pushed out by something she wasn’t even aware of. She didn’t know whether or not she should go, but it was clear that she did. Maybe she did say all those things the previous night and somehow lost all memory of it. Maybe she hit her head during the destruction and caused her memory loss. All she was aware of was that she was gone. For no reason or explanation she was to leave Farrun and Go to Cyrodiil. Why? She didn’t know. But even though it wasn’t her decision, something inside her made her realise it was the right one.

***

Tara stood with her backpack outside Aleksander’s house. Mildred wasn’t present; she was still upset and wasn’t going to forgive the innocent Tara any day soon.

“Make sure you write to me when you find Jada.” Aleksander made her promise.

“How am I supposed to find her? I can hardly remember what she looks like?”

“You’ll know, Tara. Believe me.”

Tara smiled. She didn’t know what else to say, so she waved goodbye and began to walk away. However, after taking a few steps she turned around to ask Aleksander one final question.

“Why didn’t you tell me that Mother had been writing to you?”

“Because she asked me not to. I’ve told you this.” Aleksander informed her.

“Remind me.” Tara asked. Aleksander seemed hesitant for some reason, but he obliged.

“She was worried about your father finding out that she was betraying their agreement.”

“What agreement?” Tara asked.

“I don’t know, she didn’t tell me.”

Tara looked at Aleksander. She could see in his eyes that he was telling her the truth; but it still wasn’t enough.

She smiled and turned to walk away again, but this time turned and ran toward Aleksander, jumping into his arms and holding him tightly. Tears falling softly from her eyes.

“Thank you… for everything.” She muttered. She held the embrace for a few seconds before gradually releasing it.

“Goodbye.” She smiled. Aleksander nodded in a reply.

“Good luck.”

She walked away for a final time and headed out of town. The Farrun air soon to become a memory, but she wasn’t phased. Despite the rush of her leaving she had a new, important focus in life. Despite the people she was leaving and the state she left them in she knew it was the right decision to make. She didn’t make any more final goodbyes, not to Karliah or anyone. She was leaving and that was that.

This was the start of something new for her; a mission. Her mother was waiting and Tara had her questions ready. All se knew was that her mother was in one of the mages guild halls in Cyrodiil under a new name. it was going to be a challenge, but she knew she was going to find her. She knew the journey would be tough, but it’s not like she didn’t have any company.

Maybe now Tara would find the brighter future she’d always craved.

Maybe…

This post has been edited by Tábrasa: Jan 30 2012, 05:12 PM

[mALX]

*

She could see Willow’s image in the window, which made taking off her bra rather uncomfortable. She decided to take her Bra off under her blouse, leading to an awkward moment of trying to undo the knot with minimal room to even move. She couldn’t quite reach, leading to an even more awkward motion of trying to move the bra around so the knot at the back would be at the front, which, again, her having her blouse on for privacy made ever more difficult.

She looked in her reflection and could see Willow giggling at her actions.

SPEW !!! ROFL !! I could picture this whole scene, this had me rolling !! These kind of details totally make your story, I love them !!!

She desperately wanted to say something, but she couldn’t understand why she wouldn’t.

...It made her feel sick that she had to lie to avoid confrontation,

I love these lines, they show how fragile Tara really is inside.


URK !!! Looks like "Watch her closely when she turns 19" has a meaning now.


Poor Tara, and BRILLIANT plot !!!! Love how you've thought this out !!!

*

[Acadian]

This was wonderfully written and I so enjoyed being inside Tara’s head as she wrestled with her feelings and self-doubts over dinner. Then a cute as can be scene of modesty at bedtime. Then an unexpected walk of shame (no, not that kind) in the morning!

The glaring takeaway from this episode is a simple and new truth: Never, never, never ignore Willow!

I am so looking forward to the next conversation between T&W!

Nits:
’Maybe she couldn’t handle confrontation which to lead to the loss of a great friend. ‘
I’m not sure what your intended wording was. Did you perhaps mean a ‘could’ instead of the ‘to’?

’She decided to take her Bra off under her blouse, ‘
I wouldn’t capitalize bra here.

’All se knew was that her mother was in one of the mages guild halls in Cyrodiil under a new name. ‘
You meant ‘she’ of course.