May your past be the sound
Of all the things he thought he'd hear her say, she telling him that he was strong certainly wasn't one of them. He wanted to deny it, to brush her words off with a light quip, a joke - and he would have, if anyone else had said them to him. But it wasn't just anyone who had said them, it was her, Kia, lifting him up even when she was falling down. Gods, what had he done to deserve her, to be granted this trust, this intimacy? He treasured every moment, giving as much of himself as he could in return.He'd never be the most physically strong person, but he was getting there, practising most days with the moves she had shown him. But strength of character? Ability to withstand emotional turmoil? To remain steadfast through trying times? Being a veterinarian gave him training in such things, but there was more to it than that - he was inherently inclined that way, resolute, dependable, able to endure most traumatic events as they unfolded with a clear enough head to react and respond.
But was that the strength she spoke of?
"I grow stronger for knowing you, for having you in my life," he murmured quietly, words just for her, accepting her assessment of him but also giving her credit where it was due - his experience in Caido would have been vastly different had he not dropped those damned vegetables on the road in front of her that day. With her arms about his neck he watched her eyes close against the glassiness, the tears that burned behind her eyes - they burned behind his too, as the weight of her grief shared between them still ebbed and flowed, rising and falling like a tide.
"Always," he says simply in reply, holding her in his arms as with a firm embrace, his words echoing those which they had shared before. He wished, not for the first time, that he was skilled enough with his attuned abilities to share himself with her, to fully support her in this, to show her, to tell her…
"It's okay to cry, if you need to," he said, words that were worlds apart from those that his heart ached at his to say. "It's just me here," he whispered, "and I promise not to tell a single soul that I saw the fabled Kiada shed a tear."
of your feet upon the ground
CHULANE
