Running out of air

She listens to him explain his absence, though why he believes she would not want to see him remains a secret unrevealed. The tale of illness makes Amalia soften, empathy and affection momentarily shining in her face. "And now?" the Shield of Safrin asks softly, biting her lip and inspecting him closely for any telltale signs. "Are you well?" He thanks her for coming to the farm, as though it were exceptional for her to care. Signing softly, Amalia looks away, her face closed off and troubled once more, a line between her brows as her ire begins to rise. "Why didn't you send word? Or come visit? That night, you just left, and I-" was afraid. Swallowing down a breath, Amalia tries to calm down her rising voice, to keep her haywire emotions in check. The seams have begun to tear, however, the dam in danger of breaking forth. She looks at Jigano again and her face is not blank: there is the ghost of a wound upon her countenance, and insecurity, and betrayal. a m a l i a You were young and you'd stare With a reverence unimpaired Searching in your dark eyes to find the stars already there