The 'maybes' and 'what ifs' of Zel's reassurance did little to stop the flow of tears streaming down Larea's face. He was right, yes, but it was still just a possibility that they would forget; and any one of them that wasn't drunk would likely believe the story after she ran away. The town of Veloen was a small one, so gossip and rumors would spread like wildfire, if anyone who listened to Sigrun felt so inclined. These facts together, along with the event at the lake, simply overwhelmed the girl, who was entirely used to not being payed attention to in the first place. On top of the embarassment of a friend seeing her nude, the scars on her body were a memory of her painful past; one that she could only remember bits and pieces of, but now it had gone on full display for this man. She realized for the first time that she was worried - no, terrified - that it would change his opinion of her in some way, that she would become 'the mute girl with the scars,' instead of Larea.<br/><br/>She wished she could speak. More than anything in the world. She wasn't sure what she would say right now - she may have just remained silent - but later on, if not now, she would be able to talk to him about everything that happened. As it stood, she felt like a useless ragdoll, being tortured purely for the amusement of some twisted god. The further her thoughts carried her, the more she shut down from the world. When Zel had first entered the room and started talking, she was able to look up at him, revealing an extremely red, pitiful, tear-streaked face, her emerald eyes having almost no trace of their usual luster. It was not long before she collapsed again, though, unable to find the strength to hold herself up. It wasn't that she couldn't look at him; no, her embarassment over Zel was almost completely overshadowed by what Sigrun had done. She just didn't have the energy to do much of anything.