Amalia
For my part, I know nothing with any certainty
His words are sweet, well-meaning, and unhelpful, but Amalia appreciates them nonetheless. She is calming, finally, soothed both by her outburst and by Jyoti's arrival on the scene, the little starwhale summoned from her sleep by the baker's clear distress. Spreading starlight and soothing sighs the girl's companion circles the pair, clearly agreeing with Deimos' assessment no matter how her bonded may not.It is hard to stop being lonely, when loneliness is all you know; hard to believe that you are wanted when you've spent so long not wanting yourself. Leaning her elbows onto the counter, Amalia exhales a shuddering sigh, her eyes still downcast but her hands uncoiled, though red dots her palms and left upper arm. Fingers that are no longer claws intertwine into his; teeth that are no longer fangs click together as she clenches and shifts. She wishes she could open her mind to him, to let him feel her through the Attuned bond, but she fears it, too, for what would he find?
Maybe it is better if he does not know.
Amalia leans forward as he at last assents, gratitude and guilt in her chest. She does not want to worry him, but she has to do this, and he must understand. Pressing her forehead cautiously against his, the baker closes her dark eyes, trembling slightly as she seems his solace, their first fight not something she would like to repeat. They are too busy saving everyone else, too caught up in a grander war, to go the battle against each other.
"We'll protect each other," the gilded baker promises. "I'll be your shield. You be my sword."
And together, together, they will fight for the world.
but the sight of the stars makes me dream
