I can't control their fear, only my own.
Although unskilled with words, Zavien noticed more than people thought. When Lena lifted to wipe the tear from her face, he felt a piece of that contentment crack, the worries leaking in slowly. His eyes closed as he placed a soft, tender kiss to her hairline. "They eat gemstones? How do they not break their teeth?" He tried to laugh a little at the joke but couldn't force it past a smile. The humor was nothing but a strip of duct tape against the coming flood, but he tried nonetheless.
His smile strengthened at her own addition of 'aspirations.' The forming moisture in his eyes told of the aching pain growing as the sunlight began to bleed across the sky. Zavien's voice was low but certain as he looked out at the sunrise. "I aspire to get stronger." Taking a shaky breath, he added, "And write you lots of letters." Acceptance of her decision wrapped in a promise that slowly peeled back the tape on his oozing heart. He rubbed his hand over her shoulder in an attempt to soothe the topic. "What about you?"
His smile strengthened at her own addition of 'aspirations.' The forming moisture in his eyes told of the aching pain growing as the sunlight began to bleed across the sky. Zavien's voice was low but certain as he looked out at the sunrise. "I aspire to get stronger." Taking a shaky breath, he added, "And write you lots of letters." Acceptance of her decision wrapped in a promise that slowly peeled back the tape on his oozing heart. He rubbed his hand over her shoulder in an attempt to soothe the topic. "What about you?"
Zavien
