all i want

Her huff of annoyance almost made him laugh. Almost. It reminded him of the way Romina used to sniff delicately at things she did not like; her unspoken way of communicating those things to Ru'in so that he could take care of them for her and she could applaud their twin-telepathy. But instead of a smile all the man did was grimace, for his sister was gone as was everything he knew. Did it surprise him that even in hell the spirits would be exasperated with him for something he did not understand? No. Was it any less frustrating? No. But that was the point of it all, wasn't it. Brutishly Ru'in's lip curled upwards in a snarl as the woman moved in his path. Eyes still downcast, he extended a hand to simply brush her aside. What was his name? What did that matter. With another grunt he shoulders the rope, fully intending to shift and leave her in his immense shadow, until she spoke again. —I'm Kiada. The man's hand froze on the rope. He stopped breathing and blinking and seeing. His nostrils quivered and in a very elephant-like way, one of his ears even twitched as if trying to gather the sound as it dissipated on the breeze. The world went silent and even with her name ringing—screaming—in his ears, he couldn't bring himself to look at her. This was perhaps the cruelest trick that this world had ever played on him. Even seeing Romina again would have been easier than this. At least with Romina he knew his place; beneath her foot, her monstrous twin born simply to be at her beck and call. But with Kiada ... the innocence that had been cultivated between the two and the love that had blossomed without words but with roots stronger than the stone magic he'd possessed. The animals on her spine. The foxes...the blue of her eyes.. Snapping his teeth together, the mittened-hand that had been held in midair suddenly shoved her aside as he'd once shoved her aside with his magic. "Yer not." He snarled, bi-coloured gaze focused on the snow as cherry-red smudges alighted on his cheeks. Ru'in couldn't bring himself to look at her. She had her voice, and she might even have her face, but not even this hellish place could replicate her eyes. And in that moment Ru'in didn't know which would be worse: that she wouldn't. Or that she would. ru'in And I don't want to see another night Lost inside a lonely life while I'm here.