On Broken Wings

She's imperfect, but she tries She is good, but she lies She is hard on herself She is broken and won't ask for help Amalia listens in empathetic silence, her fingers still playing along his fur, only pausing at certain moments, like when he attempts to blame himself for her fall at Long Night, or the Spire's breech. She knows what it is to feel guilt for such thing, had only recently gone to Safrin to express her own remorse. She remembers what the goddess said: that they are but mortals, single humans on a cosmic scale. It is not their actions that destroy the world. They are grains of sand in a tilting balance. Amalia empathizes with Jigano because she shares all of the same guilt, the same fears, the same sense of responsibility for sins far more expansive than any she could commit. She has thought the same thoughts, felt the same weight: the only difference being that she cannot forgive herself. But she can forgive him, again and again and again. You did your best. We did our best. All we can do is our best. Looking up at the sky, Amalia tries to find the words to rebuild Jigano's crumbling world. "The blight, the Spire... it is the fault of humans." Amalia sighs, leaning back as Jigano pulls away from her, her fingers still resting near his fur in case he changes his mind. "But... my grandmother used to tell me that our lives are like paintings. We can either focus on the mistakes and flaws, or we can see how they come together to make the whole image." The girl had never really believed this, but as with all things, she tried. "Do you remember when we met? It was right here, and I was too afraid to sing in front of you." A light laugh: where is that girl, too timid to give voice to a simple tune. "And now? We've written songs to Safrin. We've gone beyond the barrier. We summoned the Spark Bird and, yes, we almost died, but we still did it. We were brave. "You've made me braver, Jigano. So how could you ever think you've let me down?" a m a l i a She is messy, but she's kind She is lonely most of the time She is all of this mixed up and baked in a beautiful pie She is gone, but she used to be mine