the darkness falls around me at night
The offer settles into me slowly, like warmth in my chest that spreads the longer I sit with it. I hadn’t expected to feel so… seen. Not just tolerated or allowed to try—but welcomed. A place to sleep, to train, to learn. To be found.
I smile before I can stop myself, glancing sidelong at Deimos. ”I was already looking forward to visiting Elizabeth,” I say. ”Now I’ll get to tell her I’ve got a place to stay instead of having to crash on her couch.” My voice is light, but there’s something real beneath it.
I’ve been adding places to my list for years now—barns, attics, spare cots, cottages, apartments, some with better roofs than others. But this one’s gonna be different, I can feel it. I lift a shoulder, casual, but the words feel like something more than small talk. This might even beat the hayloft in King’s End. Jury’s still out.
When he rolls his eyes at my dramatics, I catch the faint pull of a grin on his mouth—and it sparks something fierce and satisfied in me. That’s a win.
But then he speaks again—serious, grounded—and the wind seems to still around us. His voice doesn’t leave room for pretense, and I don’t try to pretend. I nod once, slow. It’s not hard to agree. Not when I mean it.
”Any glory worth having’s in getting the job done right. That’s what my dad always said, and mom too, at least when she was being honest. She made a lot of messes chasing the shiny version of things when she was a kid. Paid for them, too." I glance down at my boots, snow crusted on the toes, before looking back up. ”I don’t need a big name or a title. I just want to pull my weight. And maybe learn how to actually fight something without losing both my daggers next time.”
I smile before I can stop myself, glancing sidelong at Deimos. ”I was already looking forward to visiting Elizabeth,” I say. ”Now I’ll get to tell her I’ve got a place to stay instead of having to crash on her couch.” My voice is light, but there’s something real beneath it.
I’ve been adding places to my list for years now—barns, attics, spare cots, cottages, apartments, some with better roofs than others. But this one’s gonna be different, I can feel it. I lift a shoulder, casual, but the words feel like something more than small talk. This might even beat the hayloft in King’s End. Jury’s still out.
When he rolls his eyes at my dramatics, I catch the faint pull of a grin on his mouth—and it sparks something fierce and satisfied in me. That’s a win.
But then he speaks again—serious, grounded—and the wind seems to still around us. His voice doesn’t leave room for pretense, and I don’t try to pretend. I nod once, slow. It’s not hard to agree. Not when I mean it.
”Any glory worth having’s in getting the job done right. That’s what my dad always said, and mom too, at least when she was being honest. She made a lot of messes chasing the shiny version of things when she was a kid. Paid for them, too." I glance down at my boots, snow crusted on the toes, before looking back up. ”I don’t need a big name or a title. I just want to pull my weight. And maybe learn how to actually fight something without losing both my daggers next time.”
Theea
and covers me in silence so bright
