meet me where the falling stars live
I will wait for you day and night
She wants to say something snarky, like talk to me about LongNight when you've lived through twenty-one of them and lost more people than you can count, but Amalia holds her tongue. It isn't about her, she has to remind herself as Loren continues to rant and rave, clearly hurting, a wounded thing lashing out at anyone who draws near. It reminds her of the luxere and its red antlers, terrified and alone, and it is not for nothing that the Shield is repeatedly called a bleeding heart.She does cross her arms as he twists her words, angular face deadpan, an eyebrow raised. "Sure," she replies, accepting his challenge, daring him to question the seriousness of a Chandrakant invitation. "That's not what I said or meant, but yes, the offer still stands. I have some stew in the oven. You're welcome to join for lunch." She cannot say she particularly looks forward to the idea of him spending time in her house right now, but Amalia is a stubborn thing, and she will not back down from what is clearly a challenge.
She begins to gather her things as he continues talking, Jyoti swimming off to find and soothe Astra. Taking the staff in her hands the girl leans upon it, listening with a troubled expression as Loren's tale unravels. It is incomprehensible what he has gone through, not only due to the depth of the cruelty but because servitude to a crown and the torture of children is so far outside her understanding of the world. Amalia has spent her life in a world where community is paramount, survival based on cooperation. She was raised with love and care, despite the differences she may have had with her mother, their fraught last years.
So what is she, the ignorant outsider in this situation, possibly to say? "You don't have to be warm for me. Or apologize for being hurt," the Shield says softly, sincerely, reaching out to gently touch his arm if he will allow it. "You can break down sometimes, y'know? But you told me that I shouldn't give up, as much as I may want to. So the same goes for you." Dropping her hand, the baker shrugs, a tilt of her head in the direction of her shop as she begins to lead the way. "Come on. Let's go eat."
Amalia
