I'll save you a seat with a view

Jude

Somebody ought to corrupt me on the dance floor
And take me home

They sustain each other in their otherwise lonely lives, and that's all Jude could have asked for in finding a soft place to land in Stormbreak. There are memories here that are nearly as painful as the ones in Torchline, but Sohalia's ghost is one he's used to sharing space with, and Noe has an uncanny ability to notice when he does. It's better than moving somewhere completely alone, he's sure of it. Though he is man enough to admit that his insides cramp a little with envy as his best friend introduces him to her new companion. Not that his face shows it, smiling in the warm but subdued way he's adopted these days - the greatest level of joy he can manage, and entirely what Noe deserves to receive.

Jude goes a little cross-eyed trying not to falter in his steps while also trying to take in the snake suddenly flying in front of his face, which makes him laugh slightly at his own gracelessness - and Mika's cuteness. "She is! I'm happy for you both." Squeezing his arm tighter around Noe's, Jude smiles down at her. "How does it feel? Everyone in my family has always had companions, but I have no idea what it's like to be bonded." The pang travels up into his chest at the unintentional double-entendre, but he doesn't let it show. Noe doesn't deserve his seemingly endless angsting, especially not during such an exciting turning point in her life. And Jude is tired of being such a downer. So he's a lonely fuck, who cares? His best friend deserves all the good in the world, and he won't let anything rain on her parade, not even himself damn it.

Show me all my desires and dark sides
And pretend by night's end you won't leave me alone