The warped elf could barely keep her gaze straight as she locked eyes with Dawn. It was almost as if the wretched creature Dawn so casually called Ashy was afraid of what the girl might see in the blaze of her eyes, hidden by the thick, dark rag as they were. A hundred conflicting thoughts raged inside the ashen elf's skull while she carefully watched Dawn's expression slowly soften. A hundred small and big things trying to distract her. From the constant companion that her dark hunger was, muted now but sure to demand satisfaction in blood later, to the desires sparking in her loins telling her just how bad idea it was to wear white while wet. All trying to distract her from the one thing that mattered. A name, and the woman who would give her one. Once she had a name again, everything would be alright, and she could once again force order on the chaos of her sickened mind.<br/><br/><span style="color: grey">“I don’t need anything in return. And you don’t have to kneel, just... Hold on” </span>Now it was the elf's turn to cock her head in curiosity.<i>"Yes yes, holding on, waiting on Dawn."</i>The ashen elf bit on her lower lip. What if this was a mistake? What if the girl gave her some stupid name without real meaning, or simply couldn't find one that had the right weight to keep it from being pulled into the howling abyss of oblivion. The twisted elf slid back into her sitting position, chattering nervously, one claw toying at the ribbons hanging from her horns.<i>"What strange poetry fate has brought to us here, that I wait for the Dawn that will make my nightmares disappear. Were you named so because your smile brings the warmth of the sun?"</i>The elf's tone was half-joking, lacking conviction for teasing.<br/><br/>Then, perhaps on cue, came the smile the warped creature had just made her flirty joke about. The elf's ears perking up in attention as inspiration struck the young mage before her.<i>"There's power in names, isn't there?"</i>The ashen elf blinked at the question, surprised by Dawn's sudden excitement.<i>"Ye-es?"</i>The elf cautiously answered, not sure what the girl spinning on her feet was getting at.<span style="color: grey">“Even if a rose always smells the same, its name still calls that smell to mind. Even if we called the flower something else, it wouldn’t have any meaning until the word was completely replaced in our heads - and then that name would have power, instead.”</span>the warped elf had no reply to that. Unable to follow the track Dawn's thoughts were racing down on.<br/><br/><span style="color: grey">“I think I have something." </span>The ashen elf instantly sat up to full attention, hanging onto every word Dawn spoke while her heart beat like a drum in her chest. A name! A name!<span style="color: grey">"A name to hold you to who I think you are and to our journey, until the end. A name with more meaning than the colour of your skin or some silly legend.”</span>Her heart skipped a beat as the girl's hands fell on her shoulders. Locking their eyes while the elf's whole body ached with the intensity of her need and desire for a name. So focuses was she that she didn't dare to move.<span style="color: grey">“You are a weaver of rhymes and of songs, a person of raw passion and will. We need more than light and truth to face the darkness again. What are light and truth without inspiration, without passion?”</span><br/><br/>The warped elf didn't have an answer, even forgetting to breathe as she waited impatiently on the name Dawn had for her as if it was the salvation offered by god itself.<span style="color: grey">“Your name can be Muse."</span>Dawn's following words barely registered for the elf.<i>"Muuuuuse..."</i>Tasting the word on her lips, the elf looked intently in Dawn's eyes.<i>"Muuuuse..."</i>A smile slowly grew on her lips while she purred at.<i>"Muse!"</i>Soft laughter bubbled up in her throat.<i>"I have a name again. I'm Muse. Muse." </i>Tears rolled down her ashen cheeks as Muse threw her arms around Dawn in a tight hug.<i>"I'm Muse. Muse. Muse! Thank you. Thank you..."</i>All the worry and anxiety in Muse's core simply fell away, the elf comforted not only by having a name, but having someone who would remember it when she inevitably forgot.<br/><br/>Shifting her grip, Muse pulled back to give Dawn some more space to breathe. Laughter and sobs mixing while the ashen elf tried to properly get a grip on her emotions, her tattoos flaring bright.<i>"I hope to always remember it..." </i>One hand moved up, her thumb gently caressing Dawn's cheek while the ashen elf slowly leaned in for a kiss.<div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>