Fight the break of dawn

Whatever Alys had been expecting, it wasn't to hear that Tal was leaving Halo. She stilled, blinking up at him, at a momentary loss for words. Perhaps it shouldn't come as such a surprise to her, but here she was. A part of her wanted to protest - that Halo was his home, their home - except if it wasn't home to him anymore... well, that was something that only he could decide. After all, she'd left the Hollowed Grounds when it no longer felt like home. How was this any different? She loosened her grip on his hand so that she could trace random designs on his palm. "Halo was the first place that ever really felt like home to me," she mused aloud, processing this new information and feeling very, very torn. She bit her lip as she thought. She'd stayed in Halo for more than a year now, had decided to make it a place she could always return to. She'd accepted Evie's apothecary in the hopes of making it her own shop and home. But she'd also felt increasingly lonely as her friends moved on with their lives. Was it possible that Halo had become somewhere she was stuck rather than somewhere she chose to be? But if she left... what about Deimos? Evie? Even if she knew, deep down, that the depth of those bonds could never compare to what she had with Tal, or even Ru, she still quailed at the thought of telling them she was leaving. She'd thought about leaving Halo before, when Tal was gone on deliveries and Ru was spending time in King's End. But she'd never made plans, never fully allowed herself to consider the possibility. Alys thought of her shop, so newly renovated - it had brought her such pride to build something that was just hers, that was solely for herself, that she could mold into whatever she wanted. But if knowing Tal had taught her anything, it was that one didn't have to live in a region to have a foothold there. Hadn't she traveled all over, helping him establish locations throughout Caido for his delivery service? Just because she moved to King's End didn't mean she had to give anything up. Tal would never ask her to give anything up. And she had to admit that it sounded... nice, his proposition, almost too good to be true. That he wanted to build something with her, something that they could claim together, that fit both of their needs - it brought a lump to her throat. She swallowed it down. "I think - I think the only reason Halo felt like home because it was the first time I ever had anyone who accepted me, just the way I am," she said softly. "But if those people leave - if you leave -" She frowned. She could stay in Halo. It would always hold a special place in her heart. And she knew that Tal would come see her, and she him, and life could be perfectly fine. Maybe it was selfish of her, but she wanted more from life than fine. And maybe she was a little bit stupid, to uproot her entire life for a man - but it wasn't just for him, she realized. He was a big part of it, and maybe she wouldn't leave Halo if not for him asking, but it was so much more than that. She took a deep, steadying breath. "I want - I want to build a future together," she said. "And creating something that's ours sounds -" Her lips curled in a faint smile. "It sounds like a dream. So... yes," she said. "If you'll have me, I'll come with you. To King's End, or wherever else." Always. alys glasse