The night had been long and dark for a small fox among the uncaring trees, as his heart had finally buckled beneath the weights he had placed upon it again and again. He had fled the shrine, limping from no physical hurt but instead a fracturing far deeper than bone and flesh alone, his soul frayed and worn thin until it hard torn and left him lost amid the trees that had once been so familiar.
No matter how dark or long the night, however, morning always came again, and with it the burdens he had accepted and taken on himself had to be resumed. He was a wearier and more broken man than he had been the day before, but still he gathered himself and forced himself to approach the Settlement, plastering his actor's mask across his features to give pleasant greetings to those he passed, so none would know. Isuma was draped around his neck even in the heat, the gryphlet for once silent and subdued, golden eyes dark with the shared pain of her companion. There were things he needed to collect, a note to leave on the door of the Guild...
He let his mask drop for a moment as he stepped into the shadows of the Atheneum, drawing a shuddering breath. Then he squared his shoulders and drew shaky poise back into place, continuing through the shelves and stacks of accumulated history, lore, myths, and stories.
It was the glow that caught his eye in those deliciously cool shadows, a brightness that had nothing of a candle's flicker in its light. He angled through an aisle and across a line of shelves to see a little luxere standing beside a woman he recognized from Amalia's bakery. The smile was automatic, though his eyes remained hidden in shadow. Still, some of it reached his eyes at the little companion's sweet warmth "Kiada, Auni, good day," he murmured. "Can I help you find anything...?" The offer, too, was automatic but sincere. Isuma blinked at the pair, but made no effort to peep a greeting or move to play with Auni. Perhaps he could drown out the recriminations of his own thoughts of he focused on helping someone else instead... and until he did, he did not think Isuma would leave him alone again. Not after last night.
No matter how dark or long the night, however, morning always came again, and with it the burdens he had accepted and taken on himself had to be resumed. He was a wearier and more broken man than he had been the day before, but still he gathered himself and forced himself to approach the Settlement, plastering his actor's mask across his features to give pleasant greetings to those he passed, so none would know. Isuma was draped around his neck even in the heat, the gryphlet for once silent and subdued, golden eyes dark with the shared pain of her companion. There were things he needed to collect, a note to leave on the door of the Guild...
He let his mask drop for a moment as he stepped into the shadows of the Atheneum, drawing a shuddering breath. Then he squared his shoulders and drew shaky poise back into place, continuing through the shelves and stacks of accumulated history, lore, myths, and stories.
It was the glow that caught his eye in those deliciously cool shadows, a brightness that had nothing of a candle's flicker in its light. He angled through an aisle and across a line of shelves to see a little luxere standing beside a woman he recognized from Amalia's bakery. The smile was automatic, though his eyes remained hidden in shadow. Still, some of it reached his eyes at the little companion's sweet warmth "Kiada, Auni, good day," he murmured. "Can I help you find anything...?" The offer, too, was automatic but sincere. Isuma blinked at the pair, but made no effort to peep a greeting or move to play with Auni. Perhaps he could drown out the recriminations of his own thoughts of he focused on helping someone else instead... and until he did, he did not think Isuma would leave him alone again. Not after last night.
