DAMIEN
I know it's been a long time coming
I'm angry and I know that's weak
I'm angry and I know that's weak
Damien’s gaze flicked to the hearth, the flames throwing jagged shadows over the worn planes of his face, then back to Theea. The soft glow caught the sharp angles of her cheekbones and the restless spark in her eyes; eyes that held a fire of their own, fierce and unyielding beneath the delicate sweep of dark lashes. She was still a long way from the girl who’d once trailed behind him, but something familiar lingered in the set of her jaw.
“Frey’s got a reputation,” he pointed out, voice low and steady, a hint of gravel in the edges. “You’re right—nature and undoing both. Can’t have one without the other.” He paused, eyes flickering to the fire as if searching for something in the flames. “I’ve thought about what I’d ask for, too. But I don’t know if I have the kind of faith that’d make them listen. Or maybe I’m afraid of what comes if they do.”
Around them, the murmur of voices and clatter of mugs faded beneath the crackling hearth, the walls lined with antlers and tusks keeping watch in the dim light.
He cleared his throat and offered a dry, brief smile when Theea laughed about monster hunting. “I didn’t figure you for the type to stay out of the fight long.” His gaze sharpened, appraising. “Even as a kid, you had more grit than most grown adults.”
When she said she lived in Torchline now, his eyes held hers a beat longer. “Halo’s quieter, but it’s a good place to come back to. Who knows, maybe it's been waiting for someone like you.”
He set his mug down with a soft thud and ran a hand through his hair, pushing it back.
A slow, almost reluctant smile tugged at his lips. “Monster hunting’s not exactly my day job,” he admitted, voice laced with wry amusement. “But there’s something honest about facing what wants to kill you. No politics, no drama, just survival.” He leaned forward, an elbow on the bar, dark eyes locking with her bright blues. “If you want to show me what you’ve learned—teach me a thing or two about those void-luxere or whatever else you've crossed paths with—I won’t say no.”
His smirk deepened as he met her teasing offer head-on. “I’ll bring the ax,” he said, letting the weight of that promise settle between them. Then he pointed a finger at her and raised his brows. “But you’d better have my back.”
“Frey’s got a reputation,” he pointed out, voice low and steady, a hint of gravel in the edges. “You’re right—nature and undoing both. Can’t have one without the other.” He paused, eyes flickering to the fire as if searching for something in the flames. “I’ve thought about what I’d ask for, too. But I don’t know if I have the kind of faith that’d make them listen. Or maybe I’m afraid of what comes if they do.”
Around them, the murmur of voices and clatter of mugs faded beneath the crackling hearth, the walls lined with antlers and tusks keeping watch in the dim light.
He cleared his throat and offered a dry, brief smile when Theea laughed about monster hunting. “I didn’t figure you for the type to stay out of the fight long.” His gaze sharpened, appraising. “Even as a kid, you had more grit than most grown adults.”
When she said she lived in Torchline now, his eyes held hers a beat longer. “Halo’s quieter, but it’s a good place to come back to. Who knows, maybe it's been waiting for someone like you.”
He set his mug down with a soft thud and ran a hand through his hair, pushing it back.
A slow, almost reluctant smile tugged at his lips. “Monster hunting’s not exactly my day job,” he admitted, voice laced with wry amusement. “But there’s something honest about facing what wants to kill you. No politics, no drama, just survival.” He leaned forward, an elbow on the bar, dark eyes locking with her bright blues. “If you want to show me what you’ve learned—teach me a thing or two about those void-luxere or whatever else you've crossed paths with—I won’t say no.”
His smirk deepened as he met her teasing offer head-on. “I’ll bring the ax,” he said, letting the weight of that promise settle between them. Then he pointed a finger at her and raised his brows. “But you’d better have my back.”
And I'm longing out that open window
For whatever it is I seek
For whatever it is I seek
