// somebody told me that there's two sides to this life //
His hand was warm. Large enough to envelop hers almost entirely, it was hard to say who found more comfort in the connection. A faint sigh escaped the cage of her lips, expelling tension from her petite frame and a good deal of darkness from her thoughts alongside it. Perhaps it was a sign of what she needed more of, in her life; but for once Maea didn't dwell on her own state, entirely focused on what she might do for her friend as she was.
"I'd be happy to train with you, as many times as you need," she replied, immediate and without reservations. "Same for culling the Void. Just tell me when and where, and I'll be there." All the fire and all the bloody power in her veins was at his disposal; it might not be the only thing she wanted in life, but she was confident enough in her abilities to at least take on the small fry and the skirmishes. Grateful for every burden she could lift off his shoulders.
A pale thumb absently rubbed the side of his hand as further shadows uncoiled off the king's mind, like a veil coming undone. Possibly she was a bit surprised to learn that he too was haunted by the past, and Flora being infected caused her breath to catch, shock and a surprising amount of concern for the young woman stilling her tongue for a while.
"Mmh, but... you did not, in fact, fail," she murmured eventually, "right? Knowing you - and I think I do - you did everything in your power to help her. Even if you had failed, what more can any of us do but our best? Sometimes it won't be enough. Sometimes it will make everything worse. But sometimes it's just enough to accomplish what needs to be done." Casting a glance to her reflection mirrored in the crystal, she thought back to her own catastrophic attempt to help Asta. The outcome might haunt her to the end of days, but she also didn't feel as terrible as she could have. Her intentions had been good, though poorly executed, and now there was an option - an opportunity, even - for her to learn something from the incident.
"We can't change the past... Gods know we'd both make different choices if we could. But we can learn, and change, and make sure that we don't repeat the same mistakes twice."
Something told her that Hadama wouldn't abandon another person again, no matter what. She couldn't speak for his brother, because she didn't know him or their relationship, but knowing Mort's Halls as she did it felt unlikely that his specter held many grudges.
"Did you know that Remi still can speak with the dead?" She squeezed his hand gently. "Perhaps he would be able to help you find some closure, if you'd like." Whether through a message or a meeting, if it helped him set his doubts aside... perhaps it was worth taking the time.
"I'd be happy to train with you, as many times as you need," she replied, immediate and without reservations. "Same for culling the Void. Just tell me when and where, and I'll be there." All the fire and all the bloody power in her veins was at his disposal; it might not be the only thing she wanted in life, but she was confident enough in her abilities to at least take on the small fry and the skirmishes. Grateful for every burden she could lift off his shoulders.
A pale thumb absently rubbed the side of his hand as further shadows uncoiled off the king's mind, like a veil coming undone. Possibly she was a bit surprised to learn that he too was haunted by the past, and Flora being infected caused her breath to catch, shock and a surprising amount of concern for the young woman stilling her tongue for a while.
"Mmh, but... you did not, in fact, fail," she murmured eventually, "right? Knowing you - and I think I do - you did everything in your power to help her. Even if you had failed, what more can any of us do but our best? Sometimes it won't be enough. Sometimes it will make everything worse. But sometimes it's just enough to accomplish what needs to be done." Casting a glance to her reflection mirrored in the crystal, she thought back to her own catastrophic attempt to help Asta. The outcome might haunt her to the end of days, but she also didn't feel as terrible as she could have. Her intentions had been good, though poorly executed, and now there was an option - an opportunity, even - for her to learn something from the incident.
"We can't change the past... Gods know we'd both make different choices if we could. But we can learn, and change, and make sure that we don't repeat the same mistakes twice."
Something told her that Hadama wouldn't abandon another person again, no matter what. She couldn't speak for his brother, because she didn't know him or their relationship, but knowing Mort's Halls as she did it felt unlikely that his specter held many grudges.
"Did you know that Remi still can speak with the dead?" She squeezed his hand gently. "Perhaps he would be able to help you find some closure, if you'd like." Whether through a message or a meeting, if it helped him set his doubts aside... perhaps it was worth taking the time.
Maea
// I think I might've chosen darkness over light //
