AITA stories be using fire emblem level of rareness when it comes to names

                                                                                                           [Atmosphere]

"Ya are a bleaker long before ya ever join the Cabal." "That's why we turn people away. It's... not somethin' ya do willingly." "It's somethin' ya need."

Odette stared at her hands, the flicker of hearth's flame seeming to emblazon each physical mar of flesh and every threaded scar that graced bronze palms and lay claim to slender digits. Hands that had seen too much, done too much... or not enough. Bronzed digits bore the brunt of her necessary sin, the faint threading of blade-thin tracks weaving their way upward toward her knuckles where deeper gashes marked their territory. When she looked at her hands, all Odette saw was the weight of her decisions; past, present and future. Now, they shook. Jittered. Amir's words rung quietly in her mind; a voice in the void. She had known, of course, that she was slipping. Yet, it was this knowledge, this lack of understanding untempered by uncertainty, that she'd sought out friend and Bleaker. It was in these moments, she had teetered on the precipice between tearing apart everything she knew and simply fading away. These moments, in which she had lost the will to continue. There was a war that had waged within the woman, a turbulent tide turned stormy to crash upon the shore of reason lost amidst the rocky outcrop of frustration and despair. Cycle after cycle, things spiraled further and further out of control. Scarred hands stood as testament to times past; hands that had toiled at sea. Hands that had plucked the strings of lute and raised stein in bawdy toast many a time. Hands that had scraped at caved stonework in Festhall bombing, fell motionless in wake of public suicide, grasped rarest of rapier, mopped blood in the Weary Spirit, shed skin and made to dance in skeletal ritual of self. Hands that had shriveled and burned in the final moments of a dying prime, drawn passionately over masculine flesh, grasped goblet in Arborea, set fire in Temple of the Abyss, delivered Godsman to Abyssal throne, sacrificed fingers in the shred of mimir's maw. Hands that had torn open portals in search. Hands that could only carry so much before they broke and shattered.

"Ya are already walkin' it." He looks down to her, his tone soft - almost sad. "Whether ya claim ta be one or not."

The mercenary, once sailor, had been trying to find reason in a place devoid of it. She was butter, scraped over too much bread. A rock amidst a sea of chaos, chipped and broken. The constant grueling grind of survival cycle after cycle. The recent awaken of Somnos only seemed to prove this further, cloak and dagger driving wedge enough to allow only the barest trickle of information that would sate thirst to aid. To be more than helpless. It was single card placed on table, when once whole hand would be shared. The meddle in that which they had to right to meddle in, let alone deign outcome. Yet, it was not the be all and end all of downward spiral. Tarnished disavowal, Indep instigate of bloodshed, disregard of deader's warning, deflection of truth, shatter of given word, enlighten of propinquity. Each played their part at the behest of lips, paws, fingers and maw that were familiar to she. It was an all too common tale that passed the lips of those exposed to worlds beyond their own. For some, it was instantaneous. Clueless cutters, cagestruck to the point of being unable to grasp what lay at their feet and beyond. For others the eventual knowledge of lacking impact came with experience. Repetition. A burden that took its toll with each near-death experience, be it of self or loved one. Odette Vieuxpont was of the latter. Mortal, and not immune to the limitations of the human mind. Time, however, had not been kind. Circumstance, had not been kind. The vapor helped, at times, but she wasn't stupid enough to be dependent on it. Yet, there remained expectancy to perform regardless. To stand tall as pillar of strength and support. Unshakable. Unbreakable. And, she had done so. For a time.

"Cabal gives ya access ta meds ya might need, and the Mad Bleaker Ward. They're adept at dealin' with... psychotic breaks. Which ya will experience."

Hands. They held her attention anew; digits curling to pluck invisible string in subconscious recollection of some event or another. The 'emptying', as Amir had put it, had already begun. It was not a term he used lightly. True, Odette had recognized her growing inability to cope; lashing out in frustration for the lacking common sense of peers in action that was every bit as much a subtle cry for help as it was the drive of those from her for same reason. This was nothing compared to the constancy of exhaustion that seemed nigh inescapable. Perhaps, if she'd spoken up sooner. Perhaps if she'd done things differently. No. The time for needless questioning of the unchangeable had passed. Anger faded, frustration ebbed, judgement ceased. There was only the present. A present in which she had picked up the shards of what remained and delivered them to the palms of treasured friend; submitting to Gatehouse in search of answers from those whom had none. The results were both confronting and unexpected, but with them... so too came a measure of peace. The elf never made such recommendations. Ever. And yet, in some small way, her fate was already sealed. With it, however, came need of decision and thought. The path was one she'd already been walking, pointed out, regardless of whether or not badge clung to cloak. It would not be an easy one, but when had it ever been? The Cabal, however, could and would provide haven for the years ahead. In the meantime, there was nothing to be done about gods. Or fey. Whatever aid could be rendered would not come from outside, but from within. The ease of what could be eased in the pass of time and the search of self.

"It's hard fer 'em ta understand what ya feelin'. They can't grasp it. It's outside their boundary. They come up with these illusions... the way they want things ta be. Ya startin' ta see it for what it is. It's not somethin' ya fix. It's somethin' ya accept, and learn ta cope with.”

[An old piece of writing from Odette’s early days in the Bleak Cabal, two years into her story. Amir’s character belongs to Theorem of Neutrality.]

STORY-LINE RUMOR MILL BY EMMA HARPER: In the Rumor Mill by author Emma Harper, we find Constance Williams resident of Leiper’s Fork.  Unfortunately Constance appearance is far from pretty; she has a huge gap in her front teeth and her face is odd, bordering on ugly.  While her sister, Odette, received all the beauty in the William's gene pool.  However, she did not receive a heart of goodness, kindness, or unselfishness.  For Odette is as mean as snake and as wily as coyote. Constance, always the one "less", has a good heart, a kind and helping spirit. She is less than pretty, less than loved, less than wanted, and used as a maid by her mother and sister.  When Odette manages to have Constance accused of stealing, her life goes from bad to worse.  Finding a copy of Matrimonial News on the street, Constance writes to a man who states he is not handsome.   Finding life unbearable, Constance heads to Wyoming as a mail order bride for Emmett Thompson.  When Odette hears of Constance coming marriage, she and mother are determined it will never happen.  Heading to Wyoming, they continue the lies and try to ruin Constance's chance for happiness. Will Constance find the love and acceptance she has always wanted?  Or will Odette turn Emmett against Constance with her lies and beauty?  My reviews for romance novel, Rumor Mill, follows. CHARACTERS, PLOTTING, DEVELOPMENT: Although a short book, do not despair as Harper included 15 other stories in Rumor Mill for a total of 946 pages; quite a deal for 99 cent.  I found this book refreshing and original as it does not contain the usual handsome hero and beautiful heroine.  Instead, the reader find two lonely, almost, ugly people who desperately want relief from the loneliness of life with love, marriage, and family.  I could feel Constance hurt as she faced the rumor mill in Leiper's Fork; knowing she was innocence and her sister was behind the theft. Rumors once started take on a life their own as Harper demonstrates. Odette's a character you will love to hate;  I wanted to smack her silly.  As for Constance's mother, don't even get me started.  Talk about two peas in pod of vileness. Not only were her mother and sister vile, her father was a weak, poor excuse, for a father. I don't think Emmett realized how ugly he really appeared to others, as he felt there were uglier men in town.  But beauty is only skin deep, for Emmett has a heart of gold and the intelligence to ferret out the truth.  In concluding my reviews for romance novel, Rumor Mill, I found a heart wrenching story of two people seeking their happy ever after. The pace was smooth and steady and development of the characters and story in line with the length of the book. I cried reading this story it touched me so deeply. While most people fall into the middle class in appearance there are those of us who are almost ugly; noses too large, big ears which stick out, non-script hair, and bushy eyebrows..   However, the people in Wyoming never commented on Emmett's appearance, I think they saw the person inside the skin.  This book is a clean wholesome read filled with emotion, romance, controversy, and villains. I would not hesitate to buy Rumor Mill for my self or a friend. RUMOR MILL RECOMMENDATION:  STARS 4 Not only is Rumor Mill an excellent buy for 99 cent as you receives 946 pages with 15 more stories,  I found it suitable for anyone who enjoys clean emotional story-lines. FINALLY PLEASE NOTE: Additionally, I borrowed this book from Kindle Unlimited and voluntarily chose to review the book with honest reviews for regency romance novel, Rumor Mill.  Hence, book reviews of any novel are dependent on the book review author’s opinion.  Consequently all book reviews on-line and on my blog, are my opinions. Furthermore, no one influenced my voluntary reviews for romance novel, Rumor Mill.