CHULANE
It was now, after, that he noticed her nervousness more, that he felt her anticipation not through the bond, but by mere observation. He'd always been a rather empathetic individual, able to read the emotions of others fairly well, but the attuned bond had changed that - it had made him lazy almost, as he had unwittingly come to rely on it to know what she was feeling and know how to help her. As he watched her shift and shuffle needlessly, he waited for her to settle once more, and then wrapped his long arm across her narrow shoulder, getting as close as he could to her, to hear her tale.
Ascend, he heard, a choice that she made, to be with him, with all of them.
And he holds her, his hand idly drawing circles on her shoulder, feeling how she was different, slowly understanding the full implications of her choice -- swallowing as he processed through all of it.
And then he was angry, the emotion rising up quickly, as he wanted to lash out at the Old Gods, for holding her soul in the great beyond, for teasing and taunting him with visions of her all this time, and never restoring her to him like this. A frown touched his brow as the thought cascaded through him, but he smoothed it over in a moment as he did his best to construct a reply.
"Kia…" he began, before shifting so that he was able to look at her face on. "My biggest regret after you died," he stumbled over the word, and as she had done, worked hard to keep his voice steady. "I never got to tell you how I felt, properly, even though I had ample opportunity. Kia, I love you, more than anything else in this world, and," he held onto her a bit more tightly than before, though he knew she could hardly feel it - it was more for him than for her at this point. "Recent developments have not changed that fact."
A hand rose to cup her cheek again, to share his warmth with her chilled skin. "You have my love, and my forgiveness, if that's what you want. You never need to doubt that."
Ascend, he heard, a choice that she made, to be with him, with all of them.
And he holds her, his hand idly drawing circles on her shoulder, feeling how she was different, slowly understanding the full implications of her choice -- swallowing as he processed through all of it.
And then he was angry, the emotion rising up quickly, as he wanted to lash out at the Old Gods, for holding her soul in the great beyond, for teasing and taunting him with visions of her all this time, and never restoring her to him like this. A frown touched his brow as the thought cascaded through him, but he smoothed it over in a moment as he did his best to construct a reply.
"Kia…" he began, before shifting so that he was able to look at her face on. "My biggest regret after you died," he stumbled over the word, and as she had done, worked hard to keep his voice steady. "I never got to tell you how I felt, properly, even though I had ample opportunity. Kia, I love you, more than anything else in this world, and," he held onto her a bit more tightly than before, though he knew she could hardly feel it - it was more for him than for her at this point. "Recent developments have not changed that fact."
A hand rose to cup her cheek again, to share his warmth with her chilled skin. "You have my love, and my forgiveness, if that's what you want. You never need to doubt that."
The only true wisdom is in knowing
you know nothing
you know nothing
