Ashetta
And I know you're down and out now, but I need you to be brave
Hidin' from the truth ain't gonna make this all okay
Hidin' from the truth ain't gonna make this all okay
I step away from Theea and Vervain for a moment—just to gather myself, really. I knew tonight would be a lot, but I couldn’t have predicted the way it would hit me, seeing my mom and my daughter in each other’s arms. The sight left something trembling loose in my chest. I stay still in the shadows, just out of sight, trying to quiet the pulse in my throat.
Remi holding Aoife makes me smile—she’s the only one of their children I ever met. Flora, Enzo, Mateo, Seren… I never got the chance, and two of them are gone now. I probably never will meet Enzo or Seren, not truly, but just seeing them here like this, this close, is something. I can see the resemblance in all of them. It’s striking. Familiar in a strange, aching way.
There are others I recognize too, even if I’d barely known them in life. Rexanna. Amalia.Edrei fucking Launcelyn, holy shit. That’s a blast from the past if I’ve ever seen one. Just as much as Remi and Ronin are. We were never close, she and I—she was nobility, and I… well, the only noble I’d ever been close with in Northaven was Ronin, and even he never really wore it like a badge. Still, she’s a breath of fresh air. A relic from a time that feels so far removed, so alien to Caido now, that I sometimes wonder if it even happened at all—if it weren’t for the other Northaven outlanders, however few of us remain.
I don’t go and say hello. I doubt she’d remember the no-name messenger with a chip on her shoulder. Or maybe she would. Either way, I’m not about to make myself known—especially not when even the hosts don’t know I’m here.
My eyes drift back to Remi and Ronin, and something tightens in my chest again. I’ll wait until the party winds down. Until they slip away together like they inevitably will, thinking no one will catch them. They don’t know it yet, but tonight, they’ve got an assassin-turned-estranged-sister watching from the dark.
Remi holding Aoife makes me smile—she’s the only one of their children I ever met. Flora, Enzo, Mateo, Seren… I never got the chance, and two of them are gone now. I probably never will meet Enzo or Seren, not truly, but just seeing them here like this, this close, is something. I can see the resemblance in all of them. It’s striking. Familiar in a strange, aching way.
There are others I recognize too, even if I’d barely known them in life. Rexanna. Amalia.
I don’t go and say hello. I doubt she’d remember the no-name messenger with a chip on her shoulder. Or maybe she would. Either way, I’m not about to make myself known—especially not when even the hosts don’t know I’m here.
My eyes drift back to Remi and Ronin, and something tightens in my chest again. I’ll wait until the party winds down. Until they slip away together like they inevitably will, thinking no one will catch them. They don’t know it yet, but tonight, they’ve got an assassin-turned-estranged-sister watching from the dark.
I see your pain
If you don't feel our grace
and you've lost your way
If you don't feel our grace
and you've lost your way
