Companion piece to ~WishIWould's "You're Mine"

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Unable to go any further, she leaned against the trunk of a tree for strength and bowed her head against her arm...

[Marth's] gently shaking shoulders sent a shiver through the tree trunk, right through Manasa’s body. Over the wind she could hear his ragged breathing, and every so often a quiet gasp. The lump in her throat swelled and throbbed until she could hold it no more. She felt herself crumble beneath the rain like sand washed away in a storm.

Even as the rains above faded into a gentle trickle, her tears would not stop. The winds carried the storm from overhead, and the air went still and quiet. The last raindrops pattered to the ground, then stopped.

I’ll never be free.

~ Chapter 15 of "Among the Ashes" By: me!

This is Manasa, from AtA... I don't even know what to say except this piccy makes me sad. Actually, while drawing this and talking to Lauren, I made a connection.

Look at what Manasa wears on her arms - those bands around her wrists and gold bracelets on her upper arms. This is another instance of characters just being who they are, without me even planning it (because I didn't design her this way on purpose). We've seen Manasa has a real fear of being touched on her arms, especially her wrists, because Navarre grabs her there when he wants to keep her in submission. Her wrists, and her upper arms are Navarre's power spots T_T. The bracelets are like little armor, protecting her from his grasp. And the bands are to... hide the bruises he gives her >_< Over their 4 years together, she would have constantly had had bruises there, so she started wearing them back when she was 16 to hide it. Even after he left, she kept wearing both just out of fear of him... Just a little character background on our Mana....

Well-
This is my first real art endeavor in nearly a YEAR! I can't believe how good it feels to be drawing again! This piccy was definitely a challenge, but... I'm... very happy with how this came out.

Lauren and I were art betas for each other's pics Thanks to her for listening to me complain about how much I hate backgrounds, lolol! And her pwnsome puddle suggestion that made me NOT hate this background anymore =3 ...

Oh, and thanks to ~Kalilea-Eucharista for the "eye" suggestion. Yay, Lex!

I'd also like to thank the Academy... ....... eh heheheh….this comment is over