They say blood makes you related but
loyalty makes you family
Just because Sunjata rejected Loren’s apology didn’t mean he was going anywhere. Indeed, as someone who habitually pushed people away because it seemed easier than letting them in, he knew he would probably need to be patient and put up with a lot of bullshit. That was if the other man even wanted the summoner around; the Launceleyn would assume that he was welcome here until the panther made it clear, one way or another. ”I’ve made a lot of bad decisions in my life. A lot of mistakes. And something that I’ve been told is that as long as you do your best to make up for them, well, sometimes that’s all you can ask of yourself.” And from where the summoner was standing—and from everything Sunjata was about to reveal—the other man was doing what he could to atone.
Something else that Loren had learned (even if he wasn’t the best at it) was that sometimes it was better to listen than to speak. He just led the panther deeper into the Temple as Sunjata spoke. Coming to a water barrel, the Launceleyn grabbed cups and filled two, handing one to the other man. Taking a sip, the summoner did his best to order the slightly drunk venting from the other man. Loren thought he got at least the gist of it.
”You love her.” It came out as a statement, not a question: from everything Sunjata had done and said, that much was clear. However, as someone who’d gone through some romantic turmoil, the Launceleyn knew that wasn’t always enough. But that didn’t mean it wasn’t worth trying. ”It’s good that you apologized, and that you told her.” However, saying sorry was just the start.
”You fucking blew it apart, yes.” He wasn’t going to deny that. ”But that doesn’t mean you can’t put it back together again. You just need to stop forcing it. She still needs to get used to the new version of you. And you need to find out what she needs, and be there for her. Don’t ask anything from her that she’s not ready to give.” The corners of the summoner’s lips quirked up. ”I’m not saying it’ll be easy. It’ll probably be the hardest fucking thing you’ve ever done. Even then, it might not even work out.” It hadn’t for Loren, obviously, though he was in a much more stable place. ”But if you love her, and want to be with her, you need to stop fucking wallowing, forgive yourself for your perceived and actual sins, and find out how to move forward from here.” Okay, maybe the tough love wasn’t the best idea, but he wasn’t exactly the best at relationships.
Something else that Loren had learned (even if he wasn’t the best at it) was that sometimes it was better to listen than to speak. He just led the panther deeper into the Temple as Sunjata spoke. Coming to a water barrel, the Launceleyn grabbed cups and filled two, handing one to the other man. Taking a sip, the summoner did his best to order the slightly drunk venting from the other man. Loren thought he got at least the gist of it.
”You love her.” It came out as a statement, not a question: from everything Sunjata had done and said, that much was clear. However, as someone who’d gone through some romantic turmoil, the Launceleyn knew that wasn’t always enough. But that didn’t mean it wasn’t worth trying. ”It’s good that you apologized, and that you told her.” However, saying sorry was just the start.
”You fucking blew it apart, yes.” He wasn’t going to deny that. ”But that doesn’t mean you can’t put it back together again. You just need to stop forcing it. She still needs to get used to the new version of you. And you need to find out what she needs, and be there for her. Don’t ask anything from her that she’s not ready to give.” The corners of the summoner’s lips quirked up. ”I’m not saying it’ll be easy. It’ll probably be the hardest fucking thing you’ve ever done. Even then, it might not even work out.” It hadn’t for Loren, obviously, though he was in a much more stable place. ”But if you love her, and want to be with her, you need to stop fucking wallowing, forgive yourself for your perceived and actual sins, and find out how to move forward from here.” Okay, maybe the tough love wasn’t the best idea, but he wasn’t exactly the best at relationships.
LOREN
