NOAH
Noah didn’t interrupt her. He let the words land, felt them ripple through the bond—raw, exhausted, painfully honest. There was no flinch in him at that admission, no urge to contradict or soften it into something easier to hold. If anything, his shoulders eased, just a fraction. Truth, even a hard one, was steadier ground than denial. "Come on. I’ll walk you back to the skyport. You’ve done enough for one day."
He glanced away for a moment, eyes tracing the broken clearing, the churned mud slowly settling back into earth. The world always moved on faster than the people inside it. Then, if she needed it, he helped her to her feet and started back towards the skyport. The Greatwood seemed to sense the aftermath within them, and the path stayed mostly the way it was supposed to.
"There were years," he went on, voice even, "where being not okay was the only way I knew how to live. Where getting up, doing the work, keeping everyone else breathing, that was it. No healing. No resolution. Just endurance." He looked over his shoulder at her, glacier gaze steady and unafraid of the fracture lines she’d shown him. "But Vi wants more than that for us." He looked back to the path. "I know I’m still kind of a stranger to you, but I mean this." His voice firmed slightly, "If it gets too heavy. If it spirals. If you just need to put the words somewhere safe—send me a letter. Any time."
FIN
He glanced away for a moment, eyes tracing the broken clearing, the churned mud slowly settling back into earth. The world always moved on faster than the people inside it. Then, if she needed it, he helped her to her feet and started back towards the skyport. The Greatwood seemed to sense the aftermath within them, and the path stayed mostly the way it was supposed to.
"There were years," he went on, voice even, "where being not okay was the only way I knew how to live. Where getting up, doing the work, keeping everyone else breathing, that was it. No healing. No resolution. Just endurance." He looked over his shoulder at her, glacier gaze steady and unafraid of the fracture lines she’d shown him. "But Vi wants more than that for us." He looked back to the path. "I know I’m still kind of a stranger to you, but I mean this." His voice firmed slightly, "If it gets too heavy. If it spirals. If you just need to put the words somewhere safe—send me a letter. Any time."
FIN
I wait and tell myself "life ain't chess,"
But no one comes in and yes, you're alone
But no one comes in and yes, you're alone
