Zavien
Things had been going great. The food was delicious, the stormy weather outside was enlightening, and the company was perfect. He couldn't have asked for a better way to spend their anniversary, and Zavien found himself smiling through it all, letting the world fade away to just them in their little corner booth.
But it was suddenly like the tranquil Tower of his mind was falling with the revelation of Vox's words intruding into his mind, leaving panic and dread pooling in his stomach to fester and sour the food that still sat there. The laughter that had felt so light and hopeful cracked and broke apart in a gasp, the smile on his face falling as assuredly as the bricks that had scattered the streets of Stormbreak - their home. Every cell in his body was so silent that it screamed, frozen in fear and commanding him to act all in the same second.
Lena's voice broke through the mental chaos, his body so rigid that he had to remind himself that they weren't there, that the threat was miles away, that he couldn't actually hear people screaming or smell the smoke in the air. Sol whined, tucking himself against Zavien's leg in support of the reality of their situation. They weren't close enough to do anything, and the threat was clear enough that he didn't know what they could do without inciting their wrath.
Regret painted his emotions, wondering if it had been selfish for them to leave at all.
He inhaled long and slow, stabilizing in the uncertainty and turmoil as he set aside his fork and looked to Lena, ready to plan their next course of action. Then he saw the look on her face. The pale panic that gripped her. The haunted anguish in her eyes. It took him a moment to finally understand her words, to recall that Lena's sister had died in the previous attack on the Tower.
His priorities shifted, a concerned partner as much as a soldier focused on his wounded comrade in front of him instead of the battle echoing in the distance. Zavien reached forward, taking her hand in his like a lifeline, willing to be the anchor in the coming storm. "Lena, breathe." The green in his eyes was pleading and insistent. Squeezing his hold, he kept his voice soft but strong with reassurance - for her and him both. "We don't know how bad it is yet." They needed to stay calm, even when it felt like the world was falling out from under them.
But it was suddenly like the tranquil Tower of his mind was falling with the revelation of Vox's words intruding into his mind, leaving panic and dread pooling in his stomach to fester and sour the food that still sat there. The laughter that had felt so light and hopeful cracked and broke apart in a gasp, the smile on his face falling as assuredly as the bricks that had scattered the streets of Stormbreak - their home. Every cell in his body was so silent that it screamed, frozen in fear and commanding him to act all in the same second.
Lena's voice broke through the mental chaos, his body so rigid that he had to remind himself that they weren't there, that the threat was miles away, that he couldn't actually hear people screaming or smell the smoke in the air. Sol whined, tucking himself against Zavien's leg in support of the reality of their situation. They weren't close enough to do anything, and the threat was clear enough that he didn't know what they could do without inciting their wrath.
Regret painted his emotions, wondering if it had been selfish for them to leave at all.
He inhaled long and slow, stabilizing in the uncertainty and turmoil as he set aside his fork and looked to Lena, ready to plan their next course of action. Then he saw the look on her face. The pale panic that gripped her. The haunted anguish in her eyes. It took him a moment to finally understand her words, to recall that Lena's sister had died in the previous attack on the Tower.
His priorities shifted, a concerned partner as much as a soldier focused on his wounded comrade in front of him instead of the battle echoing in the distance. Zavien reached forward, taking her hand in his like a lifeline, willing to be the anchor in the coming storm. "Lena, breathe." The green in his eyes was pleading and insistent. Squeezing his hold, he kept his voice soft but strong with reassurance - for her and him both. "We don't know how bad it is yet." They needed to stay calm, even when it felt like the world was falling out from under them.
Be like a solid tower
whose brave height remains unmoved by all the winds that blow.
whose brave height remains unmoved by all the winds that blow.
