Zavien
Zavien doesn't let his eyes linger on the scars that say more about the man's experiences than his own, focusing on the soft smile that somehow seems to convince him that he might really be alive. It brings a tilt to his lips that borders on amused delirium, eyelids fluttering in disbelief. "A.... feather?" He might have heard of something similar before, but it sounds extremely strange to say that a single feather brought him back from the dead. If he had more than the strength it took to breathe, he might have laughed.
Yet Sunjata's next words hit hard. He used his only feather to save him, a near stranger. In a moment of overwhelming compassion, the soft whisper of "Thank you" passes weightless between his lips like a prayer. Some of the rain must still be falling, because Zavien feels a warm dampness against his cheeks. A tightness constricts his throat, unable to stop the words he pushes through. "Thank you - thank you." The simple repeated phrase isn't enough, but the thoughts are muddy with death and emotions. He just hopes Sunjata can understand the weight of his gratitude. "I can't... even begin..." The words die as soon as they begin, uncertain where to go.
Inhaling a shaking, rattled breath, Zavien blinks against the lights of the Citadel. "I - I thought for sure it was over...." They tremble out, weaker than any words thus far as he thinks about the darkness that he'd calmly stepped into. In the moment, he'd been content with how things had ended, with how his life had ended. And yet, despite all the pain and exhaustion wracking through his body, he's so overjoyed to be given a second chance.
A full smile stretches across his face at the news that Soh, Mel, and Alys had succeeded, cleansing the Tundra of the Void. "They... did it." Relief flows over his body so fast, he nearly drifts back into the comforting darkness of sleep. The fight is over. His eyes shut for but a moment before snapping open again, concern spreading. He has to keep himself from trying to sit up, already feeling the way his muscles scream in protest at the alarm. "Did - did everyone else make it out... alive?" Or did he have to live with the knowledge that his life was chosen over someone else's?
Yet Sunjata's next words hit hard. He used his only feather to save him, a near stranger. In a moment of overwhelming compassion, the soft whisper of "Thank you" passes weightless between his lips like a prayer. Some of the rain must still be falling, because Zavien feels a warm dampness against his cheeks. A tightness constricts his throat, unable to stop the words he pushes through. "Thank you - thank you." The simple repeated phrase isn't enough, but the thoughts are muddy with death and emotions. He just hopes Sunjata can understand the weight of his gratitude. "I can't... even begin..." The words die as soon as they begin, uncertain where to go.
Inhaling a shaking, rattled breath, Zavien blinks against the lights of the Citadel. "I - I thought for sure it was over...." They tremble out, weaker than any words thus far as he thinks about the darkness that he'd calmly stepped into. In the moment, he'd been content with how things had ended, with how his life had ended. And yet, despite all the pain and exhaustion wracking through his body, he's so overjoyed to be given a second chance.
A full smile stretches across his face at the news that Soh, Mel, and Alys had succeeded, cleansing the Tundra of the Void. "They... did it." Relief flows over his body so fast, he nearly drifts back into the comforting darkness of sleep. The fight is over. His eyes shut for but a moment before snapping open again, concern spreading. He has to keep himself from trying to sit up, already feeling the way his muscles scream in protest at the alarm. "Did - did everyone else make it out... alive?" Or did he have to live with the knowledge that his life was chosen over someone else's?
Find a place inside where there's joy,
and the joy will burn out the pain.
and the joy will burn out the pain.
