Zavien
Fear is pain arising from the anticipation of evil.
(Taking place during the Feast)
When they'd made it out of the range of eavesdropping, Zavien finally let the carefully constructed facade fall away. It was already starting to tire him, pretending like he wasn't jumping at loud noises or seeing deadly images every time he closed his eyes. The haunted look on his face was only aggravated by the painful decisions he had to make - and was forcing Lena to make. For anyone else, he would have set the smile back into place, doing his best to appear unfazed by recent events, but this was Tal, and they'd always been honest with each other.
Finding a bench amongst the open snow, he eased his heavy body onto the wood like an old man. Settled, Zavien braced his head on a stabilizing hand with a deep sigh. "Tal.... I - I think I messed up." The words were frayed at the edges, his regrets and wounds laid bare for Tal to hear. He didn't know how to begin or what to say. How much had Alys told him? Which mistake did he start with? His death? His decision to leave home? His professed love for Lena? It felt like there were too many to list. In his search for a simple answer, he slipped into tense silence, his jaw clenching against the worries.
When they'd made it out of the range of eavesdropping, Zavien finally let the carefully constructed facade fall away. It was already starting to tire him, pretending like he wasn't jumping at loud noises or seeing deadly images every time he closed his eyes. The haunted look on his face was only aggravated by the painful decisions he had to make - and was forcing Lena to make. For anyone else, he would have set the smile back into place, doing his best to appear unfazed by recent events, but this was Tal, and they'd always been honest with each other.
Finding a bench amongst the open snow, he eased his heavy body onto the wood like an old man. Settled, Zavien braced his head on a stabilizing hand with a deep sigh. "Tal.... I - I think I messed up." The words were frayed at the edges, his regrets and wounds laid bare for Tal to hear. He didn't know how to begin or what to say. How much had Alys told him? Which mistake did he start with? His death? His decision to leave home? His professed love for Lena? It felt like there were too many to list. In his search for a simple answer, he slipped into tense silence, his jaw clenching against the worries.
