RONIN
THE FALLEN STAR
A quiet room in the Temple to think, all by oneself? A rarity indeed, but Ronin had been allowed the luxury for long enough that he didn’t mind the interruption when it did come. He had been sitting at a table within the room - a study, it must have been, once upon a time - sketching roughly away at a scrap of parchment. The guild, burned. The Rathskeller, burned. And the sun was still yet to rise. No Spark Bird this year, he thought, to lend light to their darkest times. Nothing but the cold and the monsters.
Glancing up at the sound of a voice, Ronin arched an eyebrow and rose to his feet. He answered the door in borrowed clothes with carelessly tousled hair, his face still smudged here and there with soot. Still, he managed a smile for Kiada, however tired and restless it might be. “Of course,” he said, standing aside to let her in. “Do you want to come and hide from everyone with me for a bit? I don’t think anyone knows about this room yet.”
It was true that he could only remember having one conversation with Kiada, at this very time last year, but that didn’t make her any less welcome in his eyes. “What’s on your mind?”
Glancing up at the sound of a voice, Ronin arched an eyebrow and rose to his feet. He answered the door in borrowed clothes with carelessly tousled hair, his face still smudged here and there with soot. Still, he managed a smile for Kiada, however tired and restless it might be. “Of course,” he said, standing aside to let her in. “Do you want to come and hide from everyone with me for a bit? I don’t think anyone knows about this room yet.”
It was true that he could only remember having one conversation with Kiada, at this very time last year, but that didn’t make her any less welcome in his eyes. “What’s on your mind?”
now don’t you lose hope
I swear I never dream that we’re alone
I swear I still believe but I don’t know
