Had he known what thoughts slipped through he mind he might have reached out to her, his own pain forgotten in the all-too-familiar direction of her yearning for more than the world had seen fit to give her. Instead all he could do was nod in relief at her answer, his worry easing a little at her reasons for fighting - the best ones, ones that he respected and would have suggested if she had not. But... clearly they were not enough, and he tilted his head at her soberly in concern.
"If you fight to protect your loved ones, and the defenseless, then you are no monster," he said at last. "No matter what the shadows inside you try to say." But, oh, they were pernicious things, weren't they? All too easy to believe, especially when one's heart was brought low by loss and fear and pain. He sipped his tea, seeking inspiration in its apple-cinnamon warmth, his eyes falling to their companions as the pair snuggled together.
Perhaps a different direction was called for, though it was clear that the darkness in her thoughts, like his own, would not be cured in a single day. "Is there anything that brings you joy?" he asked gently. "Anything that you create or pursue for the fun or beauty of it? Baking or singing or art?"
"If you fight to protect your loved ones, and the defenseless, then you are no monster," he said at last. "No matter what the shadows inside you try to say." But, oh, they were pernicious things, weren't they? All too easy to believe, especially when one's heart was brought low by loss and fear and pain. He sipped his tea, seeking inspiration in its apple-cinnamon warmth, his eyes falling to their companions as the pair snuggled together.
Perhaps a different direction was called for, though it was clear that the darkness in her thoughts, like his own, would not be cured in a single day. "Is there anything that brings you joy?" he asked gently. "Anything that you create or pursue for the fun or beauty of it? Baking or singing or art?"
