The Beach, Saturday Evening

[pulseof_life]

The water was cold this time of year and Yeul knew better than to walk in it deliberately, though, as she walked along the edge of the waterline, carefully stepping around rocks, it did not bother her when, now and again, she misjudged where the water would reach and her boots got dampened.

There was nothing in particular Yeul was thinking about as she walked. It had just seemed like a nice night and she had wanted to be outside.

If she were another person, with another life, she might have said she had felt a little restless, but Yeul was only, could only, be herself, and simply acceded to the whim of her mood without acknowledging anything further about it.

The water was nice, tonight.

[Open, sure!]

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[pulseof_life]

"There is nothing for you to be sorry for," Yeul said softly. "It is the way it is meant to be."

[iceolatedqueen.livejournal.com]

Elsa was quiet for a moment before softly venturing, "Is it worth it? The price of the gift that you were given?"

The best way to know, she figured, was to ask. And if Yeul didn't want to answer, Elsa wouldn't pressure her to do so.

[pulseof_life]

"I don't remember," Yeul admitted, watching the ocean waves rock against the shore and then peel away from it, only to repeat the movement all over again. "It has been so long that now it is simply the way things are."

[iceolatedqueen.livejournal.com]

"It seems like those with gifts that came with prices often aren't sure of their worth," Elsa noted, sighing and contenting herself to watch the water. "I wonder why that is."

[pulseof_life]

"Not all gifts can be given without prices," Yeul said quietly. "And, if there is a price for the person who is given the gift to pay--what is the price to the one who gave it?"

[iceolatedqueen.livejournal.com]

"Or those nearby, who might be affected by it," Elsa supplied. "I suppose sometimes, the only different between a gift and a curse is perspective."

Painfully true, that.

[pulseof_life]

"And intent," Yeul replied. "A gift that hurts that was given as a gift is still a gift. Intent does not always mean much, and if it hurts, the intent to do good doesn't erase that. The recipient might feel that it is a curse, but if given with good intentions, it is still a gift."

[iceolatedqueen.livejournal.com]

"Maybe a poorly thought-out gift, but a gift all the same," Elsa replied, nodding faintly. "It's a shame that the damage is still the same. I imagine it would be harder to resent a gift that manifested itself as a curse, no matter what pain it caused."

[pulseof_life]

Yeul glanced over at Elsa.

"I have found that there is no point to resenting a gift," she said. "That makes no one feel better, not even yourself."

[iceolatedqueen.livejournal.com]

"No?" Elsa hesitated for a moment and then, tentatively, asked, "What should you do with a gift that causes pain, then?"

[pulseof_life]

"Well..."

She picked up one of the rocks in the sand, turning it over in her hand, her fingers trailing along the rough edges.

"Does it hurt only the person who has it?" Yeul asked. "Or does it hurt others?"

[iceolatedqueen.livejournal.com]

"... What if the answer is both?"

Very much both.

[pulseof_life]

Yeul tilted her head slightly, eyes focused on her rock.

"Does it have to cause pain?" she asked. "Or is that all that's known about it?"

[iceolatedqueen.livejournal.com]

"It doesn't have to," Elsa admitted. "It can do some very beautiful things, as well. But... perhaps the trade-off isn't worth it, if there are people getting hurt."