“Why are ya surprised? He’s a Warden, ain’t he?” Baya had warned him. “Ya can’t keep Warden friends, Tora. Yer a thief, it don’t matter whatcha stand for, a Warden’s not gonna get that.”
Baya was right of course, she usually was. Now whenever he met up with Terin, they fought, and it was constant. Terin was so stubborn, and now that Tora thought about it, he really wasn’t as understanding as he’d believed. He recalled the times Terin shifted uncomfortably when Tora spoke of his father, his job, his abusive mentor… To Terin the solution to everything was just to try harder, just be better and things will be ok. He didn’t get that Tora was already doing that and it wasn’t working. All it was doing was making him miserable. His job was still horrible, his mentor still abusive, and his father unloving. Nothing had changed and it wasn’t going to. He needed out, but Terin…
Of course he wouldn’t get that, why would he? Tora thought bitterly. Terin had two menders who adored him, and a job that he liked, and friends, and kind mentors, and everyone liked him. He wasn’t the fuck-up Tora was. He was strong, infallible – perfect. Even Ascon liked him. “Now that’s a sylvari,” he’d always say.
“Ya need to get rid of him, Tora.” Baya’s words rung louder. “He’s only gonna drag you back to all the things you escaped in the first place. Ya want that?”
He very much didn’t.
His eyes finally dried, he forced himself off the floor. It was light out but he didn’t know what time it was. He needed to get ready. Terin was visiting later to… talk.
It would be the last time they did.
Oof. I don’t have much to say, but… oof.
All things considered, I’m not surprised they bickered. It’s always harder to see a situation like that from the outside.
Right? It didn’t help that they were both so young either (and Terin is actually a year younger than Tora). Tora would’ve been too young to know how to communicate what he was going through and Terin would’ve been too young to understand it. Just an unfortunate situation all around.