AMALIA
THE SHIELD OF SAFRIN
i think it's beautiful how a star's light
Fresh air, safety, warmth, the sky- Amalia follows Deimos up, the staff clutched tightly in her hand, unable to see anything through the clouds of smoke except the crimson light and the steps before her. She does not realize Remi remains until she is halfway up the stairs, and by then it is too late to turn back, too important to see the sun again, to liberate Deimos and Ashe before trying again. Emerging into the open, she catches her breath, anxiety and adrenaline running through her veins, fear for her friend threatening to drown her. It will be fine, he will be fine, Vi, I beg you, let him be fine.travels the universe long after it dies
Remi is the strongest person she knows, kind and unassuming as he is, and Ashetta...
...Ashetta...
...Ashetta is not there.
For a moment she is frozen, petrified, afraid. Where is the assassin? Where is the lion? Black eyes stare at the rubble, horror rising behind them, anxiety like a flood. To Deimos and Ronin she speaks in a trembling voice, unable to look away from the Spire, from all that the faltering building contains. "Remi stayed behind. He stayed, and Ashe..." Ashe stayed too.
Frozen between terror and success, Amalia might have crumbled as easily as the spire itself were it not for Deimos' voice behind her, steady and guiding, leading and sure. She turns around, black eyes glassy, the ringing in her ears fading slightly as his hands caress her face, adjusting her mask. When you go back down... and ah, he knows, because the Shield is already formulating plans, the functional portion of her brain churning out ways to begin the rescue. She nods and takes the rope in her hands, turning back to the yawning chasm, letting Deimos to his work.
The rocks are unsteady, and you have to be smaller. Closing her eyes, Amalia reaches into herself, looking for the smallest version she can be and shifting down to that. The form that opens its eyes is different: fur and tail like the leopard, but tiny and dexterous like the owl. She has never been an otter before, but just as the others do, so too does this skin fit perfectly across her soul.
Gripping the rope between her teeth, Amalia descends once more. Vi, please protect them; Mort, don't take them, Rae, Caido, Safrin, Ludo, tell me they're okay. Prayers, because they are all she can offer, all she can do besides try. At the bottom there is nothing but stones and a strange dome, and for a moment panic wells within her. Remi? Ashe? Are you okay? she cries, hoping her mental voice will reach them, find them still alive. Nimble and slight, she is easily able to circle one of the larger boulders, looping the rope around its width before tying it off with nimble fingers. Don't worry, we're going to get you out!
Amalia shifts to otter, prays to anyone who's listening, and takes the rope to tie around the biggest rock on the Remi/Ashe mound. She also calls out to them through the Attuned bond to make sure they're ok
That's what I want to be in this world —
someone whose light lingers after I'm gone
