"Mmh. And you are the cause of those wrinkles." But the fierce gentleness of his embrace began to relax as he let his success sink in. This was the true Flora, no mere subterfuge by an agent of the Void. It had taken a Rose, precious beyond cost give or take 3000mp, and had stolen his faith in the Luminary, but the potential benefit--
"If I had failed in curing you, it would not have been worth it," he rumbled, allowing her to pull back so that his arms slid to wrap around her ribs. In spite of her exuberance and his own relief - so powerful he was quietly drunk off it - his expression was solemn. "And it was a risk, that I would not take that Rose to Starfall. That I would choose you over the greater good of our world." He could not shake her while he was hugging her, but the gentle brush of her fingers over tense muscles did start to relax them in spite of Hadama's intentions to the contrary.
He finally released a sigh of defeat in the unrelenting onslaught of her giddy joy and his own complicated emotions, fueled by no little adrenaline that still rushed through his veins. "But yes. You did it." It was a concession he gave with warmth slowly thawing the fear and silent wounds in his gaze. "And Torchline owes you a great debt for it."
"If I had failed in curing you, it would not have been worth it," he rumbled, allowing her to pull back so that his arms slid to wrap around her ribs. In spite of her exuberance and his own relief - so powerful he was quietly drunk off it - his expression was solemn. "And it was a risk, that I would not take that Rose to Starfall. That I would choose you over the greater good of our world." He could not shake her while he was hugging her, but the gentle brush of her fingers over tense muscles did start to relax them in spite of Hadama's intentions to the contrary.
He finally released a sigh of defeat in the unrelenting onslaught of her giddy joy and his own complicated emotions, fueled by no little adrenaline that still rushed through his veins. "But yes. You did it." It was a concession he gave with warmth slowly thawing the fear and silent wounds in his gaze. "And Torchline owes you a great debt for it."
